'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
It's time for D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe to either resign or be removed from office ("D.C. Council grills fire chief on recent failed responses," Web, March 28). It is apparent Chief Ellerbe doesn't have what it takes to manage a fire department in the nation's capital, and people are at risk.
Skeptical D.C. Council members demanded answers from the city's fire chief Thursday on what they said were serious and systemic problems with the department in the wake of a string of failed responses to emergency calls.
D.C. Council candidate Patrick Mara on Tuesday called on Mayor Vincent C. Gray to replace the city's fire chief, saying Kenneth Ellerbe is "not the best person for the job."
The District's ambulances have been sabotaged. The assertion, laid out in a D.C. inspector general's report, is the latest tit-for-tat allegation highlighting the erosion of relations between labor and management within the city's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.
The head of the D.C. firefighters' union says a plan to keep two fully stocked, reserve ambulances ready to be put on the street in case others have mechanical problems is too little, too late.
A plan to redeploy the D.C. fire department's emergency medical workers in a way that would leave ambulances staffed with no paramedics during the overnight hours is being greeted with skepticism from stakeholders in the D.C. Council, the firefighters union and the community.
D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe obviously has a lot to learn about leadership ("D.C. arbitrator: Fire chief guilty of retaliation," Page 1, Wednesday). Being in charge means more than just holding a title. The most important aspect of leadership, and one from which all else evolves, is how the leader treats those who work for the organization.
An arbitrator's ruling that D.C. Fire Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe unlawfully retaliated against the president of the city firefighters union is "sobering" and "not good for the department," D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said Wednesday.
The District's chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned that D.C. firefighters facing departmental disciplinary hearings are not receiving fair trials, according to a letter it sent to the D.C. attorney general's office.
D.C. fire department officials deny accusations by the union that three fire trucks were placed out of service this weekend to trim overtime costs, but the department is on the verge of surpassing its overtime budget by about $2 million this fiscal year.
Feds to enforce overnight-camping ban at Occupy D.C.; Virginia considers drug testing for welfare recipients; Fire Chief Ellerbe feels the heat; Va. judge allows redistricting suit to continue; O'Malley seeks minority support for gay marriage; Federal law might halt nationalizing D.C. war memorial; Metro workers disciplined for 10-car train; D.C. cracks down on illegal taxi company.
As Chief Kenneth B. Ellerbe on Tuesday touted the D.C. fire department's accomplishments during his first year as its leader, firefighters and emergency medical services workers had a message for him: They want better leadership.
The D.C. engine company that saw firsthand the advent of the motorized fire truck, civil rights riots of the 1960s and the deadliest crash in Metro history celebrated on Sunday its 100 years of serving the Petworth community.
The District's new fire chief has ordered members to use a patch with a pre-2007 department seal on their uniforms, reversing the phase-in of a Maltese eagle logo ordered under the city's former fire chief.
A former deputy chief who left the city under unusual circumstances was named to lead the District's fire department on Thursday, the same day Mayor-elect Vincent C. Gray announced he would retain Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier.
"I would like to offer my sincere apology to the patients and families affected," Chief Ellerbe said.
he admitted that for a year he had been working from an outdated list of available vehicles.
