Saturday, August 29, 2015

CFD Relents

  • The stubborn Chicago Fire Department brass finally cracked under pressure Friday and dropped their opposition to paramedics wearing bulletproof vests over their uniform shirts.

    I'm told that Mayor Rahm Emanuel was furiously angry — even for him — with fire officials who made it quite easy for me to write two columns on the issue, and now a third.

    It is a victory for Patrick Fitzmaurice, the tough paramedic field chief who drives the dangerous West Side alone at night. He's been wearing his vest outside his shirt for years, until Deputy Fire Department Commissioner John McNicholas pushed back and ordered him to stop.

    The mayor interceded and resolved the matter, as mayors are wont to do when they're receiving heat for something they didn't cause.
A victory for common sense.

Now how about another boatload of bad publicity regarding the pensions that Rahm is refusing to pay into until he get the "reform" that will leave pensioners waiting in soup lines and living in alleys.

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38 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

CONGRATS,SCC!!! Well done. What idiot would take away safety vests for First Respondents. That's a big win. Goofey Deputy Commissioner. Let him go out in the community vest free. Now for the story of the month....Ruaner's Budget Director flew the coop. Rahm's been planning the Legislature would give a help towards pensions...probably not going to happen. The Bread-lines will be long.


8/29/2015 12:55:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Just asking out of curiosity, but does anyone know what the laws say about owning and wearing bullet resistant vests? Is there a fireman or first responder type exception to the rule?

8/29/2015 01:17:00 AM  
Anonymous A Taxpayer said...

My question is: What does that tell you about the CFD brass? I am not paying taxes for CPD, CFD, Paramedix, or any other city employee to be a victim.

8/29/2015 01:26:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

rahm don't like to be embarrassed. Watch for some type of policy change regarding vest wear done the line a bit.

8/29/2015 02:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank God someone in City Hall listened to common sense for once.

8/29/2015 03:03:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your pension is perfectly safe. There is a IL Constitutional Amendment that says so. It does not matter if there is no money in the kitty, the Constitution says you get paid.

You can take the Constitution to the BANK! (and get your a$$ thrown out as the bankers laugh at you)

8/29/2015 03:22:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This was stupid, even for a Chicago Bureaucrat.

8/29/2015 03:36:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wrote earlier that this issue didn't sound like Commissioner Jose Santiago who was a stand-up guy and a fireman's fireman. My take on this is that Santiago put a stop to this and gave the credit to Rahm.

Now if we can just get someone to do the same for us on a lot of matters. But we would need a stand-up guy and a policeman's policeman as Superintendent. Anyone like that is now dead or retired and I don't know anyone who could do that now on the job.

8/29/2015 03:52:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"A victory for common sense." -- SCC

There it is. It's just protective gear. Leave it. And give the guys and gals back their bunker gear and air packs too; staging two blocks away might not be the way to go, medics might need to render aid at an accident scene, a bad incident, and deserve to have the extra protection available.

...and everyone on the block get the mirror turned around the right way. If y'all are 'fended by "overmilitarized appearance," stop shooting all over the place all the time, stop throwing rocks and bottles, and see how things turn around.

You are the problem, not the responders who have to clean up yo mess while you motherf__k them.

8/29/2015 04:41:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

But WHO will PROFIT???????

8/29/2015 05:29:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rhsms Security cacoon platoon costing millions

Why doesn't he pay for it himself

Like his family needs security

8/29/2015 05:30:00 AM  
Blogger The Keesing Bandit said...

Good job Rahm. I never thought I would be saying that.

Now, kees me you fool!!!!

8/29/2015 06:35:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it possible Rahm enginered this whole thing from behind the scenes so he came out as Superman when he "made his call" to CFD top brass?

8/29/2015 07:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Typical of Mayor 1% , acts only if his moronic and dimwitted exempt staff get him a bad headline, no leadership - just reaction. BTW, how is the clownish and inept Inspector General Ferguson doing on investigating pay to play campaign donations to Rahm's political action committees by companies that manage city pension funds, crickets, zzzzz ...

8/29/2015 08:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is an example for all of us about what one man can do.

8/29/2015 09:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good for them, but when the smoke clears rahm will get his pound of flesh!

8/29/2015 09:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

remember no talk of a Chicago casino until pension reform(theft) is done. That way the money can stay within the clouted friends of the politburo.

8/29/2015 09:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Commissioner McNicholas should be FIRED and nothing less!

8/29/2015 09:54:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's common sense to allow them to wear vests. What happens when a paramedic is shot and catastrophically injured or killed, but if he were wearing a vest his life might have been saved? He will sue the city because they didn't allow him to take safety measures to protect themselves right? It just makes sense to allow them to protect themselves. Rham did the right thing here. He should be applauded.

8/29/2015 10:27:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FOP should be on TV screaming about making pension payments. Every day

8/29/2015 11:09:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fitzmaurice worked for Chuy during the mayoral campaign, appearing in commercials for him.

Sounds like Rahm recognized that McNicholas was leaving The Organization open to legal action and inoculated himself.

8/29/2015 11:25:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great!! Good to see that SCC helped the medics. Everyone who is in this business (first responders) should be able to protect themselves and make it home. That being said SCC why not discuss the unarmed safety security department DOA Police Aviation Police.....) that ride around in marked police cars in full uniform and duty belt with vests and patches with "police" everywhere, but are told they are not police even though they ALL went to a police academy like all other LEOs and respond to first responder calls.... Why is it so bad to just leave CPD in the airports doing their jobs but arm aviation police, security, public safety whatever you want to call them and let us do our job? We should be able to protect ourselves first of all, the public and maybe even assist cpd if something happens at the airport....... just figured I'd bring it up I know it's an old record that never goes away. Have a good day SCC!

8/29/2015 12:16:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fitzmaurice will win big in civil court. He will not accept anything less then punitive damages being paid by McNicholas personally.

8/29/2015 01:13:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FOP should be on TV screaming about making pension payments. Every day

The FLOP Board gets CAPT's pay They Don't Care

Just keep paying your mandatory dues

FLOP ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!


HEy HEy Ho Ho DeaNO has Gots to GO!

8/29/2015 01:20:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

But WHO will PROFIT???????
Right the vests wont be Free
ChIraq

8/29/2015 01:21:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Rhsms Security cacoon platoon costing millions

Why doesn't he pay for it himself

Like his family needs security


The only family that's totally safe are Democrat politicians

8/29/2015 01:22:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

now give me back my BASEBALL HAT!

8/29/2015 01:44:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FOP should be on TV screaming about making pension payments. Every day

They have to have a set of balls first.

8/29/2015 04:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RhamBo has his security for him and his family
CPD and CFD are thrown to the Savages


TYPICAL DEMOCRATE HYPOCRSY

8/29/2015 05:01:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...




Shootings on expressways are Common Now

28 X times this year CHIRAQ

8/29/2015 05:05:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:17am....it's legal to possess body armor except if u are using during the commission of a crime.

8/29/2015 08:27:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

(720 ILCS 5/Art. 33F heading)
ARTICLE 33F. UNLAWFUL USE OF BODY ARMOR

(720 ILCS 5/33F-1) (from Ch. 38, par. 33F-1)
Sec. 33F-1. Definitions. For purposes of this Article:
(a) "Body Armor" means any one of the following:
(1) A military style flak or tactical assault vest

which is made of Kevlar or any other similar material or metal, fiberglass, plastic, and nylon plates and designed to be worn over one's clothing for the intended purpose of stopping not only missile fragmentation from mines, grenades, mortar shells and artillery fire but also fire from rifles, machine guns, and small arms.
(2) Soft body armor which is made of Kevlar or any

other similar material or metal or any other type of insert and which is lightweight and pliable and which can be easily concealed under a shirt.
(3) A military style recon/surveillance vest which is

made of Kevlar or any other similar material and which is lightweight and designed to be worn over one's clothing.
(4) Protective casual clothing which is made of

Kevlar or any other similar material and which was originally intended to be used by undercover law enforcement officers or dignitaries and is designed to look like jackets, coats, raincoats, quilted or three piece suit vests.
(b) "Dangerous weapon" means a Category I, Category II, or Category III weapon as defined in Section 33A-1 of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 91-696, eff. 4-13-00.)

(720 ILCS 5/33F-2) (from Ch. 38, par. 33F-2)
Sec. 33F-2. Unlawful use of body armor. A person commits the offense of unlawful use of body armor when he knowingly wears body armor and is in possession of a dangerous weapon, other than a firearm, in the commission or attempted commission of any offense.
(Source: P.A. 93-906, eff. 8-11-04.)

(720 ILCS 5/33F-3) (from Ch. 38, par. 33F-3)
Sec. 33F-3. Sentence. A person convicted of unlawful use of body armor for a first offense shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and for a second or subsequent offense shall be guilty of a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 87-521.)

8/29/2015 11:16:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

good now help get back the BASEBALL HATS!the crowns are impractical

8/30/2015 10:33:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Fitzmaurice will win big in civil court. He will not accept anything less then punitive damages being paid by McNicholas personally.

8/29/2015 01:13:00 PM

Punitive damages for what? What loss did he suffer? Yeah call a lawyer and sue for anything and anybody, just another version of the ghetto lottery? Again for nothing?

8/30/2015 10:54:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting the statue. So if I understand this correctly...I can wear it along with my concealed weapon (yes I have a foid and Conceal license) while going on my daily walk down 63rd Western?

-Not a Cop.

8/30/2015 11:23:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Make all firefighters wear body armour and the white shirts that do not fight fires should. Be required to wear it under their white shirts .

8/30/2015 11:24:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Claypool hires Celia Meza then fires her. Then She ended up at Ferguson for 120k. Claypool goes head of CPS lays off 9 people to save a million ayear, then he hires 9 of his buddies at 1.2 million. Sobhowvin the fuck is he saving any money a year. This shit has to stop. Taxes keep going up and they keep making over 200 thousand a year while we cannot!

8/30/2015 02:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

At the kitchen table, it has been discussed that this current administration has been the worst of recent years. A bunch of do nothing's including our Comissioner who claimed to be a Vietnam Vet (Too Young to be there) and a G.E.D. recipient!

8/30/2015 09:34:00 PM  

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