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FRIDAY UPDATE
Sisters & Brothers,
On this Friday Local 1014 Executive Board asks our membership to take a moment to appreciate all we have as well as recognize the risks of our job, both physical and mental. We ask that you take care of each other. We are proud of our Behavioral Health Program and our Peer Support Team and all we have done to move behavioral health to the forefront of our profession.
The Los Angeles County Fire Labor-Management Behavioral Health Program with our peer-driven clinician-supported network has become the envy of the state. We have the most well-trained experienced peers who handle hundreds of outreaches per month. We have come a long way to break the stigma and recognize that mental injuries can and do occur as regularly as physical injuries.
Our Peer Support Team is often called on by other IAFF Locals throughout the nation and without hesitation, we respond in their time of need. Chief Osby has been extremely supportive and leads the Chiefs in the state to allow our teams to help others in addition to the work for our own members. We want to thank the Chief and the Board of Supervisors for always fueling our efforts as we deploy through the IAFF to these local in need.
Captain Scott Ross is an IAFF Master Peer Instructor and Ocean Lifeguard Specialist Lauren Dale is the Master Peer for the Lifeguards. Together with a team of Peer Leads and 132 peers, we are one of the most well equipped, trained, and experienced teams in the nation. Our Peer Teams have helped during 911, Katrina / Rita, Atlanta Olympic Bombing, Route 91 Shooting, Granite Mountain, El Paso Mass Shooting Incident, Paradise and Woolsey Fires, and more.
We want to give a special thank you to the Peer Team Leads who work to coordinate almost everything we do and all of the peer team work. These last two months we were once again called on to help out two Departments/Unions in their time of need. We were honored to answer the call.
Chula Vista Firefighters Burned
On January 25th four Chula Vista Firefighters were burned on a commercial building fire with two suffering 3rd-degree burns and physical trauma. We got the call from Daryl Roberts, Union President and 1st District Vice President on the CPF Board asking for Peer Support and Serious Accident Review Team (SART) support. Chief Osby approved both teams to respond to Chula Vista almost immediately. Our Peer Support Team provided the infrastructure to support their inured members and families.
The SART Team led by Director Pat Dolan and Chief Will Pryor, both of whom have completed Serious Accident Review Team training, responded to cover lessons learned, and provided incident investigation support. It is an art to leave blame and/or discipline issues at the door and get to the heart of what went right and what went wrong to help our members stay safe in the future. Kudos to the Chula Vista Chief Officers and Staff for keeping this completely about the lessons learned. Thanks to BC Dejong, BC Martin, and Captains Golondzoneer, Christianson, and Freeman for their dedication and work over the last two weeks on this. |
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Behavioral Health Response Santa Clara City Fire
Our Santa Clara Brother Troy Buzzell took his own life after a long battle with work-related PTSD and physical injuries. A well-liked firefighter with Santa Clara City Fire Local 1171, the 130 member department was hit very hard at all levels by this tragedy.
Local 1014 got the call through the IAFF and again Chief Osby approved our team to respond to Santa Clara. We helped bolster thier local resources and assisted in reaching out to all three shifts, 40-hour personnel, dispatch, and even retirees and family members who were affected by the loss.
The Santa Clara Fire Council made up of Santa Clara County, Santa Clara City, Milpitas, Gilroy, Moffett Field Feds, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and San Jose came together and supported each other. Troy Buzzell leaves behind a wife and two kids, ages 6 and 10 years old. We are grateful that we were able to help begin the healing process and put in motion a network of resources and help for anyone who needs it. |
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| (Top) President Dave Gillotte meets with the Santa Clara Fire Council along with 4th District Vice President Vince Wells to pay tribute to Troy Buzzell at the San Jose FF’s Union Hall. (Left) Master Peer Scott Ross briefing our Peer Team before deployment to the field. (Center) 24 - 7 Santa Clara Fire stand watch over their Brother (Right) Santa Clara Fire Lead Peer Jenn Panco meets with LA County Peer Leads to line out all the work to be done. |
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We are honored to have been able to help our brothers and sisters in their times of need, and we know they are there for us if we need them. This network of peers throughout the nation and in particular within the state of California is exemplary and has grown to provide the resources we need for our members.
Once again thank you to our members, of both the Peer Support and SART Teams, in particular the leads who lift so heavy to make it all happen. |
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Looking into the Future regarding The Performance Net
By Director Pat Dolan
 After a couple of years of telling us that The Performance Net-based annual PE’s were coming, well…they are here and we are fully aware of it. After completing my crew's annual Performance Evaluations, I honestly was left scratching my head. Here were a few questions I had.
- How and where did this document come from?
- Who developed it?
- Why does the grading criteria have literally nothing to do with our daily job specifications?
- AND MOST IMPORTANTLY…HOW CAN SUPERVISORS HONESTLY RATE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE ASPIRATIONS TO PROMOTE?
This is the main reason why I’m writing this message. With the AP appeals fiasco of 2020 nearly behind us, this new Performance Net-based PE document (at least to me) seems like it’s going to present problems if not done correctly, at least as it pertains to employees who have promotional aspirations.
The first problematic issue I found was that the Appraisal of Promotability (AP from now on) does not mesh into the new PE format.
This was especially problematic during the AP portion of the Captain’s and BC’s exams of 2020. I was told during the drafting portion of the newer AP that one of the reasons for changing the AP process from the old version to the new version was to “cut back on the memo writing” in lieu of actual documentation.
Well, fast forward to today, and not only has it NOT cut down on memo writing for documentation, but it has also actually caused it to INCREASE tenfold. Couple that with the fact that the Department decided to disallow memos that weren’t formatted correctly, didn’t contain enough information, didn’t include the EXACT language in the Work Activity title, etc. and you get what we have today.
So, I’m going to try and launch a pre-emptive message to ALL supervisors who are sitting down and trying to complete the new Performance Net PE’s. Here are a few tips to try and help future chaos:
- Write your crew's PE’s as if they are planning to promote tomorrow. Go onto the Department’s intranet, print off a version of the Captain and Battalion Chief AP Packet and write your PE’s with those documents in mind. Even if your crew member has no intention of promoting, get in the habit of basing the PE off these documents. Trust me on this, it will help him or her in the long run when they decide to change their mind.
- Use the specific language in the AP to document Work Activities and other documentation you are citing. DO NOT LEAVE OUT OR OMIT A SINGLE WORD FROM THE TITLE. Again, trust me on this. Failure to adhere to this may cost the employee the points he or she deserves.
- The Performance Net-based PE absolutely stinks as it pertains to the AP Packet. So be diligent and use the supplemental information boxes to document what your crew members have done throughout the year (and years). If your crew member has been under your supervision for more than a year, go back and document what that crew member has continuously done under your supervision. (i.e., the Cardfile, Department approved committee work, etc.)
- We realize that the categories have been modified, so if you feel that supplemental documentation can fit in several categories, go ahead and put it where ever you feel it fits best, just make sure it gets in there.
- And finally, use the last page to summarize and finalize whatever you feel you need to document to tie it all together. Once you hit “submit” it’s gone, so take your time and remember, you aren’t writing this PE for just this year, you are writing this PE for this crew member’s career. Again, trust me on this.
I know change is hard, and the rollout on this Performance Net-based PE was less than adequate, so I hope these tips help you to write your PE’s this year and for years to come. Again, you’re not writing an “annual PE” you’re writing a PE for this crew member's potential future promotability.
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1014 Blood Drive
We only have 5 days left until the 1014 Blood Drive. Please sign up today to make a difference for someone in need. The Red Cross is experiencing a severe shortage of blood due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has not only limited donors but also available sites for blood drives. This is the time when our members are needed the most. Step up and donate today! |
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This drive will be open to the public but by appointment only. No walk-in accepted. We also require donors to fill out an online form in advance, wear a face covering or mask for your appointment, and adhere to our social distancing requirements.
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As always, stay safe and take care of each other.
In Solidarity,
President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board |
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