Tuesday, October 25, 2005

The Secret Lawsuit

COMPLAINT On June 25, 2003, a GreeneLand school janitor filed a lawsuit against his employer. The plaintiff, Stanley Dushane, accused the Catskill Central School District’s trustees of subjecting him to fraudulent, politically vindictive loss of position and of job-related benefits. Mr Dushane asked Supreme Court Judge Leslie Stein to compel the trustees to restore him to his previous office--Head Custodian--and to pay him various costs including “money illegally removed from his compensation package.” The school trustees, according to the terms of the complaint filed by attorney Mark Goichman of New Paltz, had “denied the plaintiff his rights of speech and assembly…by abolishing his position…. Abolishment…was done in retaliation for plaintiff’s involvement in the political activity between local fire hose companies” and in village elections. The plaintiff had “made good faith negotiation attempts with the defendant to resolve the matter” but had been treated only “harshly and indifferently.” RESPONSE Acting through another out-of-town attorney, Mark E. Rushfield of Highland NY, the trustees moved for dismissal of Mr Dushane’s civil action. No basis for treating this administrative shuffle as a free speech violation, they argued, had been laid by the plaintiff. The claim about fraudulent treatment was void of needed specificity. As for plaintiff’s contentions concerning loss of benefits, they do not fit under relevant State labor law (Article 6), because the post of Head Custodian(along with those of school lunch manager, business office manager and superintendent’s secretary), was administrative. CONTEXT Mr Dushane’s complaint came in the wake of furious quarreling among Catskill’s volunteer firefighters. At issue was consolidation of companies, and involved in that were questions about equipment ownership, leadership, headquarters and more. Mr Dushane took part in the conflict, not only as a veteran member of one hose company, but also as a member of the Village’s governing five-person board of trustees and, for part of his term (3/2000-3/2003) as Fire Commissioner. While the fire company controversy was raging, major changes, physical and managerial, were occurring in the school district. A new elementary school was constructed; when it opened, two old schools were closed. On the management side, the incumbent superintendent, Geraldine Wolfe, proposed a package of changes. One of them was that of establishing a Director of Facilities. This Civil Service-tested officer would absorb the Head Custodian's duties and much more. The educational and technical requirements exceeded whatMr Dushane could meet at the time. Mr Dushane was offered, and accepted, a rank-and-file janitorial job. AMENDED COMPLAINT On August 10th of last year, Judge Stein ruled against the defendant's motion for dismissal, holding that with acceptable amendments, the complaint could proceed to adjudication. Mr Dushane might have an enforceable contract right under State labor law. If that line of argument falls short, the plaintiff can try to sustain the claim for relief from loss due to fraud. Plaintiff could go ahead contending--as Judge Stein phrased it--that defendant “fraudulently induced him to take the position offered to him by promising certain wages and benefits, which it had no intention of providing.” The parties could now proceed to the discovery stage (seeing each other's evidence and reasoning) and then trial. RESOLUTION? Those steps were not taken. Instead, last month, the parties reached an out-of-court settlement. Consequently, there would be no airing in court of the Dushane charges (rephrased in a March 2004 filing) that the Catskill Central School District engaged in "intentionally misleading or deceiving the plaintiff for 13 years," in "failing to fulfill their contractual obligations," and in "retaliating against an employee for taking part in the political life of the town and village"--as well as "intimidation and spying." No word of this event, or of any part of the proceeding, appeared in the news media. Earlier this year, however, a tip about the case did come this way. It prompted recent attempts to elicit information from the new Superintendent of Schools, and from the school board’s president. Those attempts were met with stonewalling, accompanied by insinuations that the inquiry itself was illicit. It also led to a review of papers filed in the county Records office, papers containing the information cited above. REFUSALS In quest of confirmation of and comment on the settlement, we made another bid for information. We called the attorneys, Richman and Goichman; the School Board Chairman, James Garafalo; the office of Superintendent of Schools Kathleen P. Farrell; and the home of Mr Dushane. Mr Goichman confirmed that a settlement had indeed been reached, adding that he and his client are barred from disclosing the terms. Mr Richman said he would not talk about the case until authorized to do so by his client(s). Mr Garafalo refused to discuss the matter, and took umbrage at the inquiry: “You’ve called me at my place of business; I resent that. I never discuss school matters at my place of business” (namely, Catskill Florist Inc.). Dr Farrell did not return our call. Neither did Mr Dushane. We also called Morris Darling, who had been President of the school board when the actions complained of by Mr Dushane took place. While expressing uncertainty about the propriety of commenting on the case, he denied, emphatically, that any administrative changes that were adopted during his tenure were aimed at punishing Stanley Dushane. COSTS OF SILENCE Stonewalling does not seem to be required by law or by the public interest. Although litigation is a subject for executive sessions rather than for public School Board deliberations, the trustees are not precluded from acknowledging the existence of lawsuits. Neither are they barred from announcing or acknowledging settlements. In civil disputes between private parties, the terms of out-of-court settlements often are by mutual agreement kept confidential. But where one party is a public company, such arrangements cannot be sustained. The taxpayers are entitled to know, through court filings if not through voluntary announcements, whether a school board has agreed to pay money to a litigator. By its silence on the case and its agreement to settle, the present school board lends credence to the Vendetta thesis. It seems to be accepting Mr Dushane’s claim that the preceding board, chaired by Morris Darling, did take part in a deliberate scheme, masked by spurious administrative pretexts, to punish Mr Dushane for his fire company politics. But the settlement’s terms could be such that Mr Dushane withdrew his charges of fraud and political retaliation, while the Board recognized his monetary claims, or some portion thereof, as a contract employee. In that event, the Vendetta charge—a smear against the previous school board and Dr Wolfe—is nullified or moot. By settling the case in secret, moreover, the present school board lends credence to suspicions about cronyism. The settlement was reached after the school board elections of 2003. Those elections brought into office, among others, Mr Garafalo and Michael Battaglino, who are close friends indeed of Mr Dushane. That sequence, coupled with the aura of secrecy, can all too readily nourish doubts about whether the board treated the case on its merits. Skepticism could be dissipated, however, by assurances that Mr Dushane’s friends distanced themselves from deliberations on the case, and that the board's decision to settle was unanimous. To give such assurances, the board must first admit the existence of the case.

301 comments:

1 – 200 of 301   Newer›   Newest»
Anonymous said...

Although I've paid school taxes for the last 7 years, I never really knew very much about the Dushane litigation, or settlement.

I compliment you for your narrative, your research, and your conclusion that taxpayers should know how much they had to pay for what sounds like a contentious and costly stand-off between our school board and a long-time employee.

Could all of it had been avoided?

Furthur, doesn't anyone, even an employee of the School District, have a First Amendment right to have a political or community opinion?

H. M. Hanson, Catskill

Anonymous said...

Interesting article - one of many that outline the truths of Greene County in a blunt and refreshing manner.

Some thoughts on this:

- It's amusing that Mr. Garafalo "never conducts school business at his place of business," because at one time, so MUCH politicking was conducted there by Messrs. Garafalo, Battaglino, and Dushane that Catskill Florist became known as the "West Side White House." Even today, one sees Mr. Battaglino's truck at the florist nearly every weekday, so we must assume that either the world's biggest coffee urn resides in that shop, or that SOME shop talk is taking place.
- I will predict that Messrs. Garafalo and Battaglino not only failed to recuse themselves from the case, but that they voted IN FAVOR OF the settlement. Let's see if I'm right.
- In the private sector, simply showing up for work each day through the course of one's career does not automatically guarantee that person advancement. Hell, not even doing a good job through one's tenure makes that guarantee. Whether the Director of Facilities position was created as part of a political vendetta or not - and we'll probably never know that - the point was that the position's qualifications were intended to produce a highly qualified candidate. If Mr. Dushane were truly the best person for the job, would he not have taken and passed the Civil Service test, earned the job allegedly denied him, proved the School Board wrong, and moved on, basking in the "I'm right and you're screwed" mentality that has been his trademark?
- The settlement itself, once it becomes public, should be interesting. How much does a bruised ego cost taxpayers, and why the hell are we paying for this? Personally, I would have liked to see the matter go to trial.

Other comments from the community?

Anonymous said...

I think it's a complete diservice to the entire taxpaying population that any settlement was given to Stanley Dushane for anything! He obviously didn't have the education (needed more than an 8th grade edamakation and need to no ho to spel:)it took to do the job therefore, he was placed in the proper job assignment, a "janitor."

His envolvement with the fire department was also a discrace to this community. He not only destroyed the best department this village ever had but made everyone else stoop to his level and QUIT!

He should be lucky to even have a job after all the law breaking he does everyday. Smoking on school grounds for one. What kind a role model is he when he is standing outside the "janitors shack" on West Main St. smoking cigrettes every day while kids are walking past? Not a role model I want my kids to see. I think the school board should nail him on that policy. Oh yeah that's right the skool board now consists of all his buddies that will help out such a horrible role model. The gang from the "dimly lit shop on the west side of town." Mikey B. Jimmy D. and Jimmy G. all there to help the lawbreaking "janitor" out.
Every dog has his day and Stanley Dushane will have his.

Great Blog Mr. May keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Recuse .... that is the correct term. It sounds like a lawyer is weighing in on this controversey. Perhaps this anonymous person might share his/her insight by way of a letter to the editor of the newspapers of general circulation in Greene County! I know we have a West side firehouse but a West side Whitehouse?

The comment immediatly following submitted at 6:36 leaves more than a little to be desired. A biased disgruntled fireman living in the past?

Anonymous said...

You do a great job of condensing a complicated matter into a readable narrative. Thank you. However, I would like to point out some corrections for you. You call the attorneys Marc Rushfield and Mark Goichman, but later refer to them as Richman and Goichman. This could be viewed, by some, as a slight against two obviously Jewish surnames. You also plant the idea that because the attorneys are from beyond Catskill that something is amiss. Perhaps Catskill is such a small town that some feel that they need to engage representatives and advocates that don't have ties to the community that might otherwise hamstring their prosecution, or defense, of the matters at hand?

Also, because Catskill is such a small community, it would be stranger to find out that there are no associations among people that have lived here the past 50-70 years, rather than having connections. But if your misgivings about friendships has validity, then the corrolary should also be true: that enmities can also cloud judgment and should be rooted out and brought to light, and those seeking deliberate harm to others should recuse themselves from public action under those circumstances. What's good for the goose is good for the gander, they say.

Finally, calling the matter the secret lawsuit is alot of fun, and I appreciate that, but the matter has been a public record for several years now -- that's hardly secret.

Your analysis falls short regarding the circumstances of the settlement. People settle for many different reasons, and public institutions also settle for a variety of reasons. As to why the matter did not proceed to discovery -- it could be as simple as the parties not wanting to bankrupt the school district with depositions and investigations if the matter could be settled. It may not be as cut and dried as we would all like.

My last comment is directed at those who comment to your blog in such ascerbic tones. They are the ones who foment hostility and offer slanderous smears without evidence, hiding behind their mother's apron of anonymity. Come out, come out, whoever you are!

Anonymous said...

Stanley Dushane did a great thing for the village of Catskill! Hose 1 didn't think that they were a VILLAGE fire company (except when it came to taking village money, getting expenses paid and getting their trucks repaired) and tried to have it BOTH ways. He set in motion an outcome where now the VILLAGE TAXPAYERS benefit from the contract with the town and not just a select few firemen. He did more for the taxpayers than anyone in recent memory.

Anonymous said...

"Destroyed the best (fire) department this village ever had.."? On the contray, I haven't noticed any reduction in the quality of fire-fighting in Catskill. All Mr. Dushane did was stop taxpayer money from going into a fire companies bank account. There is now accountability for this money.

Mr. Dushane deserves the thanks of the taxpayers because it is our money and it should be controlled by elected representatives and not firemen. He had the guts to right a wrong that had been going on for years and he was succesful!

Anonymous said...

Mr Duschane I wonder if you realize how many families and friendships you have destroyed over the fire dept. When you ran for village trustee you were quoted in the local newspaper stating the fire department was not on your agenda. The fire department was the only thing on your agenda. If you didn't like something someone said to you you went after that personally. How many people received a visit from the village police because Mr. Duschane didn't like something they said or did??????? As for the school district I don't think they had a problem with him holding public office. I believe the problems lies with trustee business being conducted during school hours.

Anonymous said...

We got lied to by our own members starting right when they went to Albany to talk to the lawyer about district chiefs and then we put everything into the town giving us our own fire company and they screwed us and everything else that went on.

That AH Stanley wasn't powerful enough to destroy Hose 1. We destroyed ourselfs listening to members that only cared about their own personal power, getting sold out and doing stupid things.

Anonymous said...

To John Lane and the 8:11 posting, you both have no idea what your even talking about. Once again the public only listening to one side of the story, Stanley's lies. If once either of you talked to a Hose 1 member you would have gotten the story straight from the beginging. Not as Stanley and his crommies put it to the taxpayers. Stanley and the gang were wrong in what they did to Hose 1. Hose 1 proved it in court. They would have won the war but had to settle for the battle of who owned what in this town. If you wish, you could see the title to one of the trucks still owned by Hose 1, that is if you wish to be educated by the other half of the story. As for the quality of the firefighters, ask a few of them what they think. The department is going down in a heap.

As for the school board, shame on you. You went against your legal counsel and settled with Stanley. You will have to answer to the public and I promise you, you will have an answer as to why you settled when he had no case. Stanley is weak and powerless and after what he did to this village he should never be re-elected into office.

Anonymous said...

I am curious and maybe anonomous at 8:39 pm might be able to clear things up. I didn't know that Mr. Dushane had a lot of influence. The news I got was in the paper. I am reeling thinking that he could influence what the paper wrote. WOW.

What was the lawsuit about? Who owned trucks? Why did Hose 1 settle if they were going to win?

Why is it important who owns the trucks?

Hose 1's members are now called the catskill Fire company.. does Hose 1 still fight fires or exsist? A fire comapny that doesn't fight fires owns trucks? How can that be? Does the new fire company now own the trucks?

Is it true that the Town was going to start there own fire company? Would Hose 1 members left the village to fend for themselves? If it is true why?

What was the district chief thing about. Members lied to other members? Is that true or just BS.

Why is the fire company, as you say, going in a heap? Are the Hose 1 people still fighting fires? Isn't a former hose 1 chief? What happened?

Will Hose 1 ever come back or is it gone forever?

Anonymous said...

Mr. Lane asks some interesting questions.

What was the district chief controversey all about?

Were the members of Hose 1 really going to pack up their stuff and man a fire company started by the town? Is that why truck ownership was important?

If the Hose 1 membership left to join a town fire company, where would that have left the village residents?

Does Hose 1 still remain? Do they own the trucks eventhough they don't fight fires? Who owns the trucks now? Why own trucks if the fire company has no members? Should the trucks be given to the Catskill fire company or the village?

One apparent member of the now defunct Hose 1 posted a comment that points to some Hose 1 members as the real downfall of that company. Is there any truth to that or is it just a disgruntled member who is mad at some of the Hose 1 members?

isn't the Catskill Fire company made up of former Hose 1 members and isn't the chief a former Hose 1 member. With all the same people and only a change in name, why would the fire company be going in a heap?

I hope that anonymous who posted at 8:39 pm will answer these questions. he said that a Hose 1 member should be asked to get the other side of the story and I'm asking him. Tell us what happened.

Anonymous said...

I think the real issue has been lost in the shuffle. With our present Board of Education, thats convienent. The issue at hand is that the present Board never deposed past Board members to find out what REALLY happened. Instead, against the advice of the school attorneys, they paid out $35000 of your tax dollars. We need to vote NO on the 06 school budget and vote these people out. Send the message that we wont allow this to continue!! Morris Darling

Anonymous said...

Why don't you tell us what happened? You were a board member, right?

Anonymous said...

The real losers are the dynamic duo MO/JH.

Anonymous said...

Schlauch 1 folgte dem Beispiel von nazi Deutschland: Heute ein Feuerfirma tommorow alles. Eine arische Feuerfirma ohne Schwarzes, Hispanic oder Jude. Sie nahmen Steuerzahlergeld und setzten es in ihr eigenes Bankkonto ein. Stanley Dushane war wie Stalin, das des Elitärer Nazis zerquetschte und das Geld zurückbrachte, das, sie das Zurückbringen es zu den rechtmäßigen Inhabern nahmen. Stanley Dushane Ihr unser der Held von uns Jungen in der runden Oberseite.

Anonymous said...

To anonymous at 8:39,

If it is true that fire fighting is going down in a heap like you saw, it is not Mr. Dushanes fault but only proves the point that the firemen of Hose 1 were not in it to protect the public but were only in it because of the money Hose 1 got from the town. Once the money went to the Village to be spent for fire fighting, the Hose 1 members now don't care. They wanted to basically be paid firemen and when they weren't being paid (just like Hose 2 and Hose 5) they didn't care to volunteer. More proof that they were only in it for themselves and didn't care about the public they were supposedly serving is because they all would have left if the town gave them there own fire company and paid them directly. All they cared about was making a buck and having a rich fire company and that is obvious from their actions.

At the Mardi G parade, a float had Hose 1 with an outhouse, chained closed with a sign RIP. That is bcause of the arrogance of Hose 1. Every fire company in the county knew what the company was all about. Greed and arrogance. None of us fire fighters outside Catskill thought much of you because we all knew that for you it really wasn't about voluntering to help your community it was about the wrong things. Hose 1 was a disgrace and we are glad that you and your wannabe district chiefs are a thing of the past. You showed your true colors something the fire fighters of greene county knew all a long.

RIP Hose 1!!!

Anonymous said...

No fire department in the county is as good as Hose 1. You all are sorry fools.

HOSE 1 RULES.

Anonymous said...

No fire department in the county is as good as Hose 1. You all are sorry fools.

HOSE 1 RULES.

Anonymous said...

hose 1 were a bunch of cry babys and thieves. Not to mention that the members stole fire equipment. What would you have done if that missing equipment was needed and someone lost their life because the equipment wasnt there to be used. In closing all i have to say in the death of hose 1, is IT'S ABOUT TIME.

Anonymous said...

Who still owns a truck? Hose 1 Inc. Still in our house? Yep. Still have majority control over the new company? Yep.

Step back all you angry firefighters. The East Side is a thing of the past. Where's E-31? Oh yeah on the back burner, in Hose 1's house, FOR SALE!

Anonymous said...

The comment that Hose 1 still owns a truck = It still is all about money and owning things not about helping the community

The comment that Hose 1 still has a majority of control over the new fire company = For Hose 1, it is all about power and not helping the community.

The comment about stealing equipment = Hose 1 puts there selfish intersts ahead of the community.

The comment about in our House = Hose 1 thinks that they still exsist.

The comment that the fire company is going down in a heap and Hose 1 has majority control over the fire company = Hose 1 members lost there ambition to fight fires and stopped helping the community ONCE they stopped getting paid.

The comment that the east side is a thing of the past = arrogance and no desire to work together with other fire fighters for the good of the community.

Hose 1 rules in there dreams. Hang it up allready. You are finished and done. Face the fact that it is over and stop thinking about money and power and start helping the community.

Anonymous said...

I would like to respond to the comment of Hose 1 participating in a Mardi Gras Parade with the doors locked. I do believe members of Hose Co. #2 did something much more offensive at a parade to honor fallen fighters as part of a parade in Lake George. They brought their new fire truck with the beautiful design of the firefighters holding the American Flag they rescued from the World Trade Center on it. They were to march and then at the end of the parade there was a memorial stone to honor all of the fallen firefighters lost on 9/11. Each companies officer in charge of the day were to lay flowers on top of the memorial. During parade line up and while waiting to step off. Hose 2 members were accused of drinking and many were accussed on being drunk. Someone I know has a video tape of them staggering not marching down the street. It was disgusting.
Nice may to honor the firemen who died protecting us. They never made it to the end of the parade. Many watchers never saw the beautiful mural on their truck as hey were forced to drop out as they were not able to march the entire route. Maybe they were feeling under the weather. I know not all participants of Hose 2 were to blame but I find their actions highly offensive. I understand the parade committee wrote to the village regarding this but Mr. Dushane was Vice President of the board at the time so the public was never made aware.

Anonymous said...

What about the activities on the pool table at Hose 1. I hear that there is a video of it.

Talk about offensive.

Anonymous said...

it is not about Hose 1 doing illegal things on their pool table and stealing. It is not about some firemen getting drunk and making fools of themselves.

It is about the fact that people who were members of the former Hose 1 still think that they are Hose 1 members and are refusing to work along side of the members of the new fire department who came from Hose 2 and Hose 5. They still have an arrogant attitude (our house, we OWN a truck, Hose 1 controls because a majority of fire fighters are from Hose 1)and that arrogance and need for the old days when Hose 1 had power is more important to them than working together with people willing to volunteer to fight fires.

Do the members of Hose 1 have a plan to mess up fire fighting and make it so unbearable for old Hose 2 and 5 members that they will push out these volunteers so that they can once again take control and get paid?

They still act like cry babys. These power hungry arrogant fire fighters who only care about red lights and money and power are a disgrace to volunteer fire fighters everywhere.

Hose 1 members own words show this.

------------------------------

No fire department in the county is as good as Hose 1. You all are sorry fools.

HOSE 1 RULES

Who still owns a truck? Hose 1 Inc. Still in our house? Yep. Still have majority control over the new company? Yep.

Step back all you angry firefighters. The East Side is a thing of the past. Where's E-31? Oh yeah on the back burner, in Hose 1's house, FOR SALE!

-----------------------------------

These words show what every fire department in the county knew. Selfish, arrogant power hungry and you don't give a damn about the people you are supposed to protect.


You former Hose 1 members should be ashamed of yourseves!

Anonymous said...

I got one word for you small minded hose-holders,and it aint fire fighter. If you were as interested in serving the comunity as you are in feeding your ego . Catskill would be a better place. the people of Catskill own the equiptment and the fire house. not any of you sorry morons , no matter what number you put on it. This is an example of petty non-sense , wich goes to show some of you have to much time on your hands. So in between your trips to Social services and price-chopper, take the time to remember that being a good citizen takes cooperation and duty first. What ever number you choose to call yourselves just remember not to be a zero. now grow -up.

Anonymous said...

I was never a fireman but I give our volunteers a lot of credit. I have seen them ALL go out in the middle of the night and put their own lives at risk for people they dont even know. Its a shame that " The Secret Lawsuit " has digressed to this level. I guess all of Catskills FINEST have been scammed twice. Once by some of the Village Trustees and again by the Board of Education. This time they not only betrayed your trust but took money from your childrens education to hook up a friend. The only difference is this time you can do something about it. Its amazing what you can accomplish when you stick together.

Anonymous said...

you say that it is a shame that the "secret lawsuit" has digressed to this level (meaning the fire company issue) but then you seem to indicate your displeasure with what the village supposedly did regarding the fire company and so you take a position about the topic you think it is a shame was addressed. Shame on you.
READ THIS:

Who still owns a truck? Hose 1 Inc. Still in our house? Yep. Still have majority control over the new company? Yep.

Step back all you angry firefighters. The East Side is a thing of the past. Where's E-31? Oh yeah on the back burner, in Hose 1's house, FOR SALE!


Is this attitude the villages fault?

Isn't this attitude the problem? You want to bet on it and this attitude has the the problem all along.

You might have never been a firemen but I bet you have country club firemen as friends if you know what I mean.

Anonymous said...

you know i am sick and tired of hose 1 telling people to grow up and that they never do anything wrong. As a member of hose 1 member i recall when certain members followed mr dushane around just to start these problems. We did everything from taking pictures of him, stalking him and other members of the village board. So the rest of hose1 members should look in the mirror before they tell someone to grow up.

Anonymous said...

After reading the past 33 comments, everyone going back and forth I just want to say one last thing...
Peace on Earth, good will toward men...
Please keep our firefighters safe no matter what happens...
Happy Holiday's from all your friends at Catskill Hose Co. No. #1 Inc.!!!

Anonymous said...

you mean happy holidays from the members of the catskill fire company don't you?

Anonymous said...

anonymous at 5:19am sums up the problem. The members of the defunct Hose 1 don't see themselves as members of the Catskill Fire Company but think that they are still incorporated always adding the inc. after there name. Who cares if you have an incorporated if that corporation doesn't perform fire fighting?

These members won't work together and don't consider themselves members of the Catskill Fire Company.

Who suffers? The People of the village AND town. This is why the Fire company and protection is going down in a heap like somebody said.

For the members of the former Hose 1 who are responding here ego and power is more important than saving lifes and serving the community. It is because of people like you that the former Hose 1 had such a bad rap

Anonymous said...

We are INCORPORATED and are not a part of the village fire department and NEVER will be!! It won't be long before the Catskill Fire Company goes down in a heap but Hose Company No.1 INC. will be left. We were created to fight fires in the district and not in the village. Look what happened to Dushane and Battalino. This village board won't make the same mistake because they know that Hose Company No 1 INC is not a Village controlled Fire company and they will let us provide the protection like we used to without interfering in what we do as a INCORPORATED fire company.

Anonymous said...

AMEN TO THAT!!!

Anonymous said...

Can't you all just get along??

The major question is....if my house is on fire, will fire fighting brothers be fighting about who will put it out? or who has the best fire company?

Remember way back when, when you all started up to be firemen why you did it, not who had the best house, just because you wanted to be a fireman?

PLEASE, for all of us residents get over your high school "clicks" and fight fires, like you all wanted to do way back when...before all the nonsense.

You are all good people, who obviously are way to dedicated to a "company" instead of what you originally started out to do...please just remember why you first joined up....for all of our sakes!

Thank you for all your work in the past , and please continue it in the future!

Anonymous said...

Happy Kwanzna to all my brothers and sisters out there in Hose 1. You homies have the nicest color trucks I've ever seen.

Peace out ;) :)

Anonymous said...

WOW! Where do I start. I love when the truth finally comes out. First and foremost hose 1 never won in court. A disengenous Village Board and Hose 1 made an agreement and the Judge acceptted it thereby not having to rule on the legal matter. The Village Board needs to take this matter to court and get it settled once and for all. NY State Municipal law states its ilegal for a municipality to pay, make repairs, etc to a privately owned vehicke ie: ETA 3-11. Yes Hose 1 diehards lie to everyone and state that they own the truck, and they refuse to have the Hose 1 logo taken off of it. If Hose 1 truly owns ETA 3-11 then it needs to be taken out of the Catskill Fire Company Barn NOW. BUT Wait! The agreement signed by Hose 1 and the Village Board state that when the Fire Company no longer exists as a village entity then it is to be turned over to the village. All three Fire Comapnies stopped existing as active fire companies when the Catskill Fire Department voted to consolidate into the Catskill Fire Company. Therefor, The Village Board should have the moral courage to take this to court once and for all. Emmediately remove the Hose 1 emblem from its doors and claim the villages prize ETA 3-11.
The original Hose 1 theives were stealing equipment and vehicles for their new Wileys Hose 1 which they conspired with the Town of Catskill over.
Ironically The village tax payer dollars will be used to pay for the law suit and tax payer dollars will be used by Hose 1 to defend itself. But screw it! GET HER DONE!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Fire Commissioner Chewens stated in his campaign for Village Trustee he was running for change. He ran on the independent ticket just one week after lying to the Republicans stating that he would support who ever won the primary. When he lost he changed parties and his Hose 1 cronies followed. What we ended up is the same ol same ol Thats all he has brought to the table; same ol Hose 1 mentality and same ol Hose 1 ignorance. His stick it in your face atitude is why Hose 1 was shut down in the first place! His statement that He really did't care if every member of Hose 2 quit is why 40 of them stood up and resigned.
Does Hose 1 members run the Fire Company? Yes they do and the results speaks for its self. But ironically Hose 5 members have been manning the calls Why> Because they refuse to allow Hose 1, the Fire Commissioner and Chief to succeed in their arrogant plan to force a paid fire department on the town of Catskill. Brothers watch out because your town officials did conspire with these self ritious Hose 1 fire fighters in their scheme to create paid jobs for themselves. You say no one is stupid enough to beleive that the town could afford a paid fire department. Well they said the same about the Catskill Rescue squad. BUT; here where the eletist Hose 1 really lost it. They schemed to initally take over the Catskill Fire District, then they planned to screw their Leeds brothers by stealing their contract money with the town!. But wait, it even gets better, because they were headed for Kiskatom and then Palenville Fire Districts! Thats why they hated Hose 5 members for standing up against them. We did it because we had the moral courage and integrity to defend the tax payers instead of looking for personal gain.
Just a few months ago The fire commissioner and Fire Chief were again scheming to create a paid Emergency Services Coordinator position to be manned by no other than the once renowned Hose 1 thief,
whos' now our Fire Chief,
for the agreed on salery of $33,000.00 per year. The Village would have paid out a lot of money for less than pure Beef!!
This would of furthered Hose 1's agenda to push for the paid fire department. But Luckly, they couldn't keep a secret and the cat got out of the bag.
And I agree with you Hire a lawyer and GET HER DONE!!!!

Anonymous said...

To the last two comments...get your heads out of your @$$es and wake up!!! You see here, is this, you both failed to do any research whatsoever. But your probally not smart enough to know how to accomplish this task. It may mean getting away from your computer and walking your fat @$$es around to research things.
First, This village should be thankful for Mr. Chewens prusuing his fight to village hall. He has done more for this village than Dushane or Battiglano ever imagined. Once again, before shooting your mouths off, this would require you to do some research to find out that I'm correct in saying this.
The three years Dushane was in office all he accopmlished was wasting taxpayer money on lawyers and courts to fight Hose 1. While everything else in this village went to hell. He obviously had an agenda and the improvment of the village of catskill as a whole wasn't it. Destroying the fire department was.
Again, if the last two comments made it to OZ and got a brain or the courage to research these topics out they might be educated enough to keep their holsters shut.
The last known fact regarding the three companies existance is this, according the the state of new york they are all still incorporated, meaning they still exist and can conduct business. If a contract was signed by Hose 1 that they still owned a truck, then until the company dissolves, their incorporation status with the state, they still own it. Simple. It's called a contract. Legal binding contract between two parties, the village and hose 1. It sounds to me like hose 1 is smarter and stronger not to belly up and roll over after everything that was done to them during Dushanes administration. They were accused of all kinds of wrong doing with money, when in fact everything that was done with the money was to better the community they protected.
See how that's done, research the topics, talk to those involved, get both sides of the story first. Then if the great and powerful OZ gave you a brain to figure out a logical and true statement, then post it. Don't post lies and untrue statements about something you know nothing about.
Thank you to all the other firefightes that have stepped up to the plate and are still answering calls after all this bitterness. This community needs volunteeers like yourselves to protect us from harm. Again, I thank you! To those who continue to fight, someday you may forget all that's happened and come back to fight fires not each other. Peace and God Bless...

Anonymous said...

The fire company is going down hill because of lack of leader ship not because of Mr Dushane. The worst thing that ever happened to the fire Co. was the vill. board allowing Randy Ormerod a lying back stabbing thief back in the fire dept. To add insult to injury they also hired him as
a over glorified secretary "dispatcher" for the police dept. Just imagine a convicted thief working for the police and leading the fire company.Enjoy your last year chief
"O-my-god" because your done after this year. Don't worry we'll always remember you as the worst chief,liar,thief,biggest nerd in Catskill Fire history. You talk
a lot oh s@*! about your firefighting skills but we haven't seen you do s#@* yet!!!!! You should keep to answering phones and stay away from the fire dept. You have failed the tax payers just like former hose co. #1 did.
Former hose 1 has ruined the image
of volunteer firemen. Since you don't fight fires any more you should change your name to catskill social club # 1 "Inc." Eta
3-11 is not yours and never will be.Viva Chief Dolan!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to comment on Fire Commish "Potato Head" and his snappy side kick "Oh My God". They are both a disgrace to law enforcemnent and the fire department!! Do research?? Why not tell the truth! Who boycotted calls, made false emergency calls, called the insurance company, made false complaints ? You got it the imfamous Hose 1 members. Who were among them but our commish, fire chief and fire presidents! Their all on film during the fire off of woodland avenue. Remember!!
Find out the facts? I know the facts? I'm embarrassed to say I was a member of Hose 1 and enoughs enough!! There are firemen from each company that have been carrying our weight since consolidation! Potatoe head and oh my god just want them to stop supporting the fire department to justify their personal goals. Destroy Hose 2 and Hose 5 at any cost. But some of us have been there while you boycot and harrass them to no end. When all they are guilty of is trying to do whats right for the community. They accept us and we should accept them. We're the asses that are trying to run them off and yet they just stand there and take our silly childish shtttt.
How embarrassing to participate in the awards banquet and witness "oh my god" screw the active members of this company! He awarded the best improved fire fighter award to someone who hardly ever responds to a call and has not ever finished the basic fire fighters course. He was awarded this for bettering his personal life and not the fire company. The Chief must be buying votes because the kid didn't deserve an award. He also gave the officer of the year award to Cpt "Dont rock the Boat" while ignoring the very Lt who has responded the most to calls? Why? Just because he's not a simple yes man and is friends with all members of the company? But the biggest embarrassment of the entire night was when he basicly ignored the active fire fighters collectively! What happened to a simple paper certificate of thank you for sacrificing your time and energy to respond to emergency calls day and night at no cost to the community? You announced the top 10 responders for an aplause and that was it. I watched in total disbelief when you presented the 2005 Firemen of the Year award to a super nice 60 year old guy who gets along with all members. You embarrassed the hell out of him because he had not even been a firemen since he turned in his gear in January to join the Fire Police. Its well known to all of us why you despise the top responders, but to give it to someone with 20 - 40 calls over a fire fighterwho had 240 -260 calls? How dispicable considering that the fire fighter you intentionally over looked servered you faithfully all year after you humiliated him at last years banquet when he had some 40 -60 calls mnore than anyone else!

The top responders were obviously totally unaffected by your bogus oversite. They all enjoyed each others company and had a swell time at the banquet. It was nice to see that your petty immature actions had absolutely no affect on their evening. I enjoyed watching them haveing a good time knowing what your intentions were. I even congratuated each of them on their stedfast loyalty to the community, especially under the obvious lack of leadership routinely displayed by you "Potatoe head" and "Oh my God" You two readilly stripped them of their fire house, sold their ladder truck for $30,0000.00 the price of a pick up truck, and stripped their trucks of Hose 2 and Hose 5 placards, yet you just cant stop them! Integrity, loyalty and honesty speaks a thousand times more than than you will ever know. Even your lies in your comments above stench of what your really all about. I just wish that our mutual aid brothers would realize that were all not dispicable like you. The new fire comapny will live on and improve tremendously once we rid ourselves of the corruption within our fire house! The present hiarchy was going to DO WONDERS AND SHT CUCUMBERS, but they have accomplished nothing that any of us are proud of. Its time to get real leadership back in and turn the fire house around.
ViVA Dolan, Lackie and Diperna, and Dushane!
Lets get the fire house back to its once professional standards!!!

Down with Potatoe Head, and "Oh My God" and "Can you smell by breath"

Anonymous said...

You should all thank Mr. Dushane
for the nicest fire truck the Catskill fire dept has ever seen,ie
am osborn's truck. If it wasn't for
him you would all be driving some of the oldest trucks I've ever seen. It's funny to hear about the
leaders of the fire dept telling
hose 2 members to leave they weren't needed. When the fire alarm use to ring I would see what seemed like 10 fire trucks going by. Now it rings 2-3 times before I even see 1 truck go by and maybe a 2nd if that. There also appears to be a lot more of other fire trucks from other towns going to alarms in Catskill then I can ever remember seeing. Is this because the Catskill fire leaders are failing? I also have seen the fire commissioner before, he looks more like Corky from life goes on than a potatoe head!

Anonymous said...

You are absolutely right, I too remember the fire trucks next to the police department always getting out while the horn was still blowing. I was always so impressed with how fast those firemen responded when the alarm went out. What happened? Now I hear the horns go off more than once and no one even goes to the fire house anymore. I see red fire trucks sitting Where did the cream ones go? At least the cream trucks were dependable and quick. Now the red trucks just sit their waiting for someone to show up. If their not going to use them why not sell them? How could the Village Trustees allow the fire company to disintegrate so badly? Especially when the fire house is right below there office! Do they even know whats going on or are they oblivious to it. I certainly felt better when I knew that dependable volunteers were protecting me day and night. Why is no one responding to the police station fire house anymore. Why would the Trustees allow a fire house to go unused and will they and the fire chief be held responsible for neglect if anyone is ever injured due to their negligence? i remember watching the firemen respond to north street and how fast they pulled the three children out. If they had to wait and respond across town in this traffic those kids would have probally died. Maybe we should styart getting tax payers together to complain to the village trustees about a lack of good fire coverage.

Anonymous said...

I want to comment on several blogs. First of all Hose 2 may have been guity of partying to much at their last and final parade. Did they get out of step and have to much to drink? Probally, who cares, many departments were drinking and many guys never made it in formation. What was offensive to me is that you have distorted the truth and made them criminals for a mistake. You on the other hand show your true colors. You hid behind the 911 tragedy when you begged for simpathy for the antics of your members, and now your trying to use the 911 tragedy for your personal objective again. Offensive was your use of the twin towers when requesting tax payer support to reopen your closed station. Offensive was your use of RIP Hose 1. Offensive was old fat fire fighters who couldn't lift anything more than a 12 oz beer wearing the red sweatshirts with the "Survival of the Fittest" on them. Offensive was seeing five volunteers mug shots on the cover of the daily mail. Now they are back in the company controling the department. I can understand the village board allowing them to return to the fire department BUT: allow them to hold office after their disloyalty? Come on, no wonder morale is low when you allow the trouble makers to rule the game

Anonymous said...

Why should the Village be thankfull for Mr Chewens persuing his fight to village hall? You complained about what Mr Dushane accomplished in three years and I have to laugh. I know Dushane bigest accomplishment was simply allowing the arrogance of Hose 1 to destroy itself.

I will sadly admit that you are 100 percent correct when you say that Chewens accomplished more in two years than Stanly did in three. Curruption, cover up, lies and misdeeds all sum up his two years. Looking back I remember these acomplishments for potato heads legacy:

1. Single handedly persuaded 40 members of Hose 2 to resign after stating "I couldn't care less if you all quit!"

2. He demonstrates outstanding leadership by lying about his support of the new fire company!
Especially why he closed down the East Side station.

3. He has repeatedly misused his office to cover alcohol abuse at the West Side station by no other than his older brother "Tommy Boy the Alcoholic'

3. Tommy Boy the Alcoholic and Potato Head held an unauthorized party at the Hose 1 station complete with alcohol and a DJ. The DJ made the SILLY mistake of playing the chicken song and potato head attempted to remove the cd from the djs equipment. The DJ tried to stop him from touching his equipment and potato head punched him in the mouth.
WOOPS We are all suppose to swear that his brother the alcoholic punched the DJ. Any way the numerous corrections officers present all swear that the DJ started it. It was compeeling evidence used to convince the DA's office to drop everything because the DJ started it? Or was it realy just an alibi? Who paid for his 6 stiches and the replacement of his two front teeth? Potato head or the Village tax payers? No evidence for the DA to persue the case? DUH 8 months of investigation by the Catskill PD, NY State Police and the Sheriffs Department and no evidence? duh Sworn secrecy and who paid out the monies? Duh They usually only take 2 weeks for a murder investigation. Cover up DOYA THINK? DUH? Will we ever know? DUH

COINCIDENCES: for you conspiacy freaks.

a) Potato Head NY State Corrections Officer

b) Hose 1 Thief #4, NY state Corrections Officer, Catskill Fire Company President, Greene County Firemens Association President.

c) Numerous Corrections Officers present at party.

d) "Tommy Boy the Alcoholic" Fire Company Board Memeber and NY State Corrections Officer

e) Greene County District Attorny is a former Catskill Firemen.

f) Greene County District Attornys brother is a NY State Corrections Officer and a former Catskill Firemen,

g) The District Attornys Secretarys Husband is one of the Hose 1 thiefs,

H) Greene County Fire Control has the audio tapes of the incident.

I) Catskill Police Department has audio tapes of the incident.

j) Columbia Memorial Hospital has records of the event.

k) No records , no proof equal cover up!

l) Who paid the medical bills All for the good ol boys!

m) Catskill PD has several members who were Catskill Firemen.

n) The Catskill PD Chief Dispatcher is THE caTYSKILL fIRE cHIEF.

O) The Greene County Sheriffs Department has several members who are Catskill Firemen.

p) The Code of Silence is stronger than anyone could imagine.

Accused of wrong doing with the fire company moneys. Well we still beleive it. All three companys should have their books reviewed for ilegal activity. I know Hose 1 used money to pay for lawyers. Curruption reaps curruption. Wheres the attorny general and the comptrollers office. Still afraid to do something because of the support that 911 generated for all fire departments. I bet potatoe head had the communities best interest when he he schemed to have the new fire companmy purchase Hose 1's old equipment previously donated to them for 135,000.00 dollars of tax payer money.
If it feels like sht, looks like sht, and smells like sht, its probally sht.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you post your name?

Anonymous said...

WhY? So you can attack him for telling the truth? So you can threaten him? So you can show how much power cuurpts?
It just makes me wonder Who was present the day Fire Comish Potato Heads brother drove the Fire Truck intoxicated to the accident at the bridge approach? Remember when he got out of the truck and he for got to put the parking brake on? Or that he for got to chock the wheels when he got out? What was he thinking when stood at the trucks pump panel totally oblivious that the truck was rolling away from him? Gee another typical day at work?
Were you the one who jumped in the truck and put the brakes on before anyone was killed or injured? or are you one that looked the other way and pretended it didn't happen? I bet well get a lot of responses to the fire house alcohol abuse topic. Under Commish Potato Head and "OH My God" the concept that "Everything is Just Rosey" at the fire house is due to heavy prescription medication or total denial of the truth . I bet the Fire Company Board is constantly dealing with these alcohol abuse problems.
Lets remember what you taught us so far.
"Hose one leads the way,
Hose 1 rules,
Hose 1 runs the company.
Hose 1 will live again.
It all sounds like Potato Head and "Oh My Gods" campaign speech at the Hose 1 Has Beens Meeting.

If I was a betting man I'd bet that the Company Board and Village Board never did a thing about it. Am I wrong? kNOw Why? Refer to the gentlemens previous blog! It says it all. Small Town Politics at its worse. I think Potato Heads Campaign manager is writing half of his out of touch comments!

Anonymous said...

Hey, Great Blog! I heard about that guy from my brother. Hes a firemen in Athens. He told me this guy was driving a fire truck at the New Years Eve junk yard fire. He said that his Chief saw this guy having beer delivered to him on 385 where he drank it while filling the water trucks. Did he get in a lot of trouble for this or was it covered up??

Anonymous said...

Geez, Stanley Dushane always did everything out in the open.
No wonder the hold outs in Hose 1 are still trying to attack him4 years after he got out of politics.
I'd love to see the tax payers stand up and demand a thourough review of the three fire company books. Sure would prove where the money came for lawyer fees and for their trucks.
Sure sounds like something is amuck in Greenland. Maybe the trustees are afraid of what they will find. Or perhaps they know all bout the abuse. I think all of Greeneland tax payers should know just how how much money is wasted to pay for legal costs for non village business. One of the side benefits of being on the board?

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

You forgot to add so many more to the coincidences in the blog above. What about the Lt. who is a NYS Corrections Officer. There are also several Catskill Fire Department members now/and past that are NY State Police, and how many past and present are Judges ? OH You Say! Then compound these coincidences with who is married to who, and you sudddenly find out why Greeneland is so green for some and so sickening for others!

Anonymous said...

APPEARS TO BE TO MANY WANTABE CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH INDIANS.

WHATS THE OLD SAYING; TO MUCH OF SOMETHING RUINS THE ENTIRE POT.

YOUR FIRE GROUP IS SUFFERING FROM TO MUCH ARROGANCE AND NOT ENOUGH COMMON SENSE!

THE VILLAGE SHOULD HIRE SOME PROFESSIONALS TO ADVISE THEM HOW TO CLEAN UP THE MESS AND BECOME A MORE EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION FOR THE TAX PAYERS!

Anonymous said...

Hire Proffessionals again?? The Village Trustees hire professional fire department advisers and chose to ignore their recommendations completely! Why? Because they didn't agree with the know it alls from Hose 1.
They recognized and commentted on how clean and well maintained the Hose 5 trucks were, and how nice ETA 3-21 was. They also commentted on how you could compare the difference in moral between Hose 1 and 2 and 5.
So MR. Chewens and Mr. Olmerod should be very pleased with their expertise in improving the fire department. They took E 3-1 the truck with the least maintenance and put it into moth balls to beat the East Side firemen who had embarrassed them for years, The entire county knows that E 3-1 was the fastest truck in the county for years. The professional advisers said to keep E 3-1 rolling and give it additional duties. They said that Ladder 3-2 should be kept in reserve and the Olmerods sold it as fast as they could for $30,000.00 dollars. WoW. No wonder Mr Chewens and Mr Olmerod refuse to report the delapidated ladder 3-15 out of service for repairs half the time. Theyed rather cover up its imfamous maintenance history than have it repaired. Ladder 3-15 has probally cost this community in repairs what two new Crash trucks would have cost. That brings up another point the professional advisers recommended. Dont purchase a Heavy Duty Crash Truck, Put your money in a large tanker and run your engines because E3-1 and E3-21 are good for years. They recommended not buying ETS because we seldom use them since the Fire District averages a structurre fire every two years. So who is managing the equipment response and why is it so bad. Must be the boys scheming the new fire company

Anonymous said...

I have to agree that ormerod is a
big piece of s#*&! He stopped calling my fire co for mutual aid because of his political ties with the city of Hudson fire chief. He
sure knows how to swallow a big load!He's putting tax payers lives at risk every time he calls for trucks across the river before his own county brothers across town. Catskill will be a better place once ormerod is out of the ranks.

F*#^ Ormerod!

Anonymous said...

The fact that chewens had to put
engine 3-1 "on the back burner"
proves that him and hose 1 wanna be's fear engine 3-1. They know if 3-1 is running it will out perform
every one of the former hose 1 pieces of crap and make them look like the biggest looser's in all of greene county and the world.
What looser's ormerod and Chewens
both are.

Anonymous said...

Thank god other people feel the same way I do. I hate the old hose 1 as well as the chiefs. I like
to add to a previous blog. Not only
is randy the most hated chief in catskill's history but the most
hated man in all of greene county.

Anonymous said...

Amen to all of that. Best of luck
to all faithful catskill fire co.
members.May your dedicated people
rid your self of the darkness
that hose 1 brought over you.I also have to say I feel sorry for the good hose 1 members who never stole anything and continue to live on as members of the catskill fire co "inc." Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad to see people standing up to these dumb firemen trying to
hold on to something that died so long ago. I have also recently heard about the group of firemen that have teamed up with there own personal money to hire a lawyer to get the lettering taken off of eta 3-11. Way to go guy's. Let me know
where to send a check and my business will donate money to you guys. Maybe you should raise money and buy engine 3-1 and open up a second fire company called "the dedicated hose co. # 2" I'll even give money to that!!

Anonymous said...

The four who stole didn't get in big trouble because it would have led right to the secretary wife we know and would have been big trouble for her boss

Anonymous said...

I would just like to take the time to let the citizens of catskill know why so many of us have stop associating with the catskill fire company. Much of it has to do with the fact that the men leading the catskill fire company have such big heads about them selves that they like to put down the very people that make them look good.

Anyone in the catskill fire company can testify to the fact that our very own chief belittles his members when they aren't around to defend themselves. I can think of countless times when Randie has acted like our best friend to our face untill we walk out of the room and then he starts talking about us. Other people do tell the truth.

He should remember his position is elected by the members of the department who eventually have the final say on wether he will be chief or not.

This is not the only reason why most of us have moved to other departments or simply given up firefighting all together. A lot has to do with trustee Chewens and his derogatory coments on how the firedepartment doesnt need us.

This statement couldnt be anymore wrong then it is. The whole county has seen the catskill fire company fall on its face many times this year. Who would have ever thought that there would be noumerouse sets of tones.

Even when catskill manages to get a truck off the floor, who is on it but a driver and a group of probational firefighters.

How can you two strutt around so cocky, don't you realize untrained professionals can't fight fires on their own. Whats it going to take to fix this? Will someone have to get hurt before you change your policy of letting trucks roll with probational firefighters?
OR; dO YOU THINK YOU CAN HOLD OUT TILL THE NEW DEPARTMENT IS STARTED

Anonymous said...

It seems pretty clear that "oh my God" and "potato head" and other members of the disgracful former Hose 1 are trying to sabatoge fire fighting and the Catskill Fire Company so that they can attempt to take their defunct "Hose Company # 1, inc." out of mothballs and start it back up. Will they get the Town money? Will they try to charge the Village money to? That is why they kept ownership of a truck and why that truck and the Hose #1 decal on the side of that truck is so important to them. Hose # 1 is dead but these members who think that it will rise up again have to be sent a message that it ain't ever going to happen. "ownership" of that truck by Hose #1 seems to be causing a lot of problems and the problems it is causing is putting the community at risk. We as firemen, who care about the community should stick with the Ctaskill Fire Company and let our voice be heard right here and with the newspapers. We should not be a part of the wall of secrecy. Eventhough Hose#1 is DEAD, the village should put a stake through its heart and should stop maintaining, insuring etc this truck that Hose#1 claims it owns. We should put constant pressure on the village to do this so to force Hose #1 to either spend there own money or give it to the village. Once this truck is taken out, then a lot of the problems we have will be able to be solved and we will be able to get back to doing what we should and that is to fight fires and serve the community.

lets get the word out and make the village do the right thing before all this mess results in loss of life.

Anonymous said...

Excellent point! I'm tired of attacking the guys that are doing all the work! That whats great about this Blog. Infact I hope that someone will step up and take Mr Mays idea here one step further and start a Catskill Fire Company blog column. This way we can let the tax payers know whats actually going on behind the scenes.

I voted for consolidation as did the majority of the department. Why has the minority been allowed to succeed? They have lied and carried on personal agendas behind everyones back. For example; 8 months ago at a Catskill Fire Co meeting fire fighters voted to hire a lawyer to research true ownership of ETA 3-11. If we own it change the door decals to represent the new Catskill Fire Company, if not get it out of the station. Paul Ormerod Sr sitting as the Catskill Fire Company Recording Secretary asked the membership to let him approach Hose 1 to see if they could get them to agree to change the decals. He did this to stall the Catskill Fire Company from hiring a lawyer to discover the ownership once and for all. What was done is typical Hose 1 antics, nothing! The Hose 1 Social Club held an emergency meeting that week and no other than Paul Ormerod Sr. made the motion that Hose 1 not allow tha decals to be changed. The motion was seconded by Chief Ormerod and the vote passed. Nothing has been done and Hose 1 continues to claim ownership of ETA 3-11. Which was purchased with tax payer moneies for the Catskill Fire Department. Why? Because of their ever ending plan to Keep Hose 1 alive.

We just can't face the Truth. We could not stop Hose 5 determination for years. I can not begin to count the number of times that I tried to make it to the station and Hose 5's Engine 3-1 was calling out of service. No matter how we tried we couldn't beat them! They consistantly had more responding members and faster times. I watched our guys try all kinds of tricks to deceive everybody but they never worked. We all fought the fight but they won fair and square!

And you all know what I'm talking about. The rest of the Greenland fire comunity knows too. Ask them who had the fastest trucks, who was the most dependable and they will tell you.

Tax payers , dont ask a Hose oner, because most of our guys will lie through their teeth. Go ask members of other Greene County Fire Companies, Ask Greene County Fire Control, the Emergency Fire Coordinator. Hell ask the Catskill Police Chiefs past and present or the NY State Police. The truth is there if you know were to look. If you ask the Fire Commissioner or the Fire Chiefs, or Hose 1 supporters you will get a distorted truth. (Politically correct way of saying a Lie).

Its hard to hide the fact that we call trucks out of service as soon as someone shows up at the station. Call out of service and pull the truck out and wait for members to show up. Respond with only probes.
Yeah, the fire commissioner and fire Chief succeeded in moth balling E 3-1 because it was the only way we could beat Hose 5. Even when we consolidated to one company our members couldn't except that we were all one. The Fire Commissioner and Fire Chief lived up to their threats that they would destry Hose 2 and Hose 5 and sell their trucks. They sold that ladder as fast as they could to get rid of competition with T3-15. And look at the never ending maintenance problems it has. If the tax payers only knew!

When E 3-1 was on the East Side it called out when it was rolling. We would conplain that they were speeding, running lights etc. but they were really just more committed. We have been living on the accomplishments of past members for to long and not on what we ourselves earned.

Its not to late to turn this company around and we need to admit our faults instead of always trying to put the blame else where. We could be unstoppable if we could only get our heads out of our asses and start doing whats right! Infact we should start by returning the money we received for selling our CRAP to the new fire comapny. We received most of that as free donations and its for our new fire company. We need to take the decals off of ETA 3-11 ourselves. Just like we removed the ones off of the other trucks! Infact we as past Hose one members should stand up and vote to have "The Catkill Village Fire Department" put back on all the trucks. It was childish and imature for the Chief and Fire Commissioner to have Village of Catskill removed from a new truck like E 3-21. We are and always have been a Village Fire Department and have never been owned by the Town of Catskill.

GET OVER IT GUYS! IT WAS A GOOD SCHEME BUT LET IT DIE.
LETS REALLY START SUPPORTING THE VILLAGE OF CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY AND GET THIS DEPARTMENT BACK TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE! ITS OBVIOUS THAT THE ENTIRE WILLEYS HOSE 1 DISTRICT FIRE DEPARTMENT IS A WASTE OF TIME! lETS GET BACK TO FIRE FIGHTING BEFORE WE DESTRO EVERYTHING. i'M JUST FED UP WITH THE LIES!

Anonymous said...

To the loud mouth potato head clones comments made at 423.

Sounds to me like they are doing their research! It dos't look good for the old home team Ha Ha.

Theres so much more truth to come out.

Viva Le Dolan! Viva Lackie! Viva Diperna! Viva Dushane!

YOUR NOT HAVE THE LEADERS YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE!

VIVA LE CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY

Anonymous said...

THE SILENSE IS DEAFENING !!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Lets all team together and reclaim
3-11 for the catskill fire company.
Then we can sell 3-11,3-12,3-1 and
buy a super tanker. Thats what we need. I would sell 3-11 to to show
"we think were still a fire co," the tax payers are in charge not them.

Anonymous said...

I just veiwed the catskill fire company website and was appalled. Why is it that "Catskill Hose Co. #1" is titled on the Catskill Fire Co. website? No where on that website is 2's or 5's. even mentioned. Is this favoritism?

Anonymous said...

Mr Chewens has done this Fire Company a far greater injustice than Stanley Dushane could have ever thought of!

I agree one super tanker would replace all those old ETAs. Heck our ETA's do not even fir the NY State definition of a tanker.

We also need to get rid of T 3-15. Its a dilapidated problem plagued truck that has seen its day! I'd love to know how much money has been spent on it just since they sold T 3-2.

Ironically, Coxsackie was going to pay 50,000.00 for the truck but we were so eager to destroy hose 5 we offered we offered it to them for 30,000.00. It did not matter since its only tax payer dollars, and once we start our own fire district we can ask anything we want since the village wont be involved!

Anonymous said...

Hell ya it's favoritism! I've seen postings of hose one's meetings,dinners and other activities but nothing from the other two posted on there.Is that
a cfc web site or a hose one web page? It's hard to tell isn't!!
If I was a member of cfc I would be
pissed off. Tell the has beens to get there own site.

Anonymous said...

Where is this site? Copy what you are talking about and copy the comments and send it to the press. Let the people know what is going on ... let them know that these people by hanging on to the now defunct Hose #1 ... having meetings ... etc, etc, without fighting fires under the Hose #1 name is destroying the moral of CFC and is putting life and property at risk.

Go in a group to a village board meeting and make sure the press is there and point out all this stuff. Point out that they took village of catskill off the truck and but that they refuse to make all the trucks read CFC or CFD.

It is like they are members of 2 fire companys. That is destroying morale and making the residents unsafe. I thought that we had been through this and the law says that a person can't be a member of 2 fire companies.

If they are having meetings, then they are members of 2 fire companies.

Let's end this problem once and for all!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

it looks like potato head "oh my god" and others have a problem. If you can't be a member of two fire companies then how can you be a member of CFC to be chief or other officers but vote as a member of another fire company not to take decals off a truck?

Once again these Hose 1 wannabes want to have it both ways.

I hope that members of CFC hire a lawyer. The next village board meeting should be interesting.

Anonymous said...

WELCOME TO GREENELAND!

Where there is two sets of standards. The tax payers and the "gud ol boyz"

Its starts from childhood with sports and runs through life. You learn at an early age its not whats right but whats best for you or your children.

In Greeneland;

You cant speed or drink and drive unless your in law enforcement.

You cant have un registered vehicles on your property unless your the Village President and then you can have three or more.

You can't assault somebody and not have law enforcement down your back; unless your law enforcement when you assault your victim.

You cant serve minors alcohol unless you have your connections with law enforcement.

Where else can you be arrested for theft and become a Chief dispactcher?

Where else can you have 4 or 5 accidents with your Sheriffs cars and have the drinking problem covered up?

Where else can you be arrested for theft and be sponsored through the police accademy?

Where else can you steal from the fire company and be made fire chief?

Where else can you be arrested for theft and be offered a job with the Hunter Police Department?

Where else can you steal from the fire company and become the President of the fire company?

Where else can you steal from the Village fire comapny and you become the President of the Greene County Fire Association?

Where else can you do what ever you want with tax payer dollars and no one questions you?

Where else but in Greeneland would someone consider this normal and not question it at all.

Anonymous said...

-Type in "localfirehouse.com"
-Click on "Fire Departments" to the top left corner
-Choose "NY" for New York
-Scroll down until you find
Catskill Fire Company INC.
and click on it.

The fist picture is hose 1 marching in ugly navy uniforms. thats not even the Catskill Fire Co.

Click on "Gallery" Scroll down to the bottom picture. what a joke
it's all of hose 1 trucks with the title hose 1 "inc" under it.

You will also notice they put "For
sale call 943-3830 for info," under
E3-1.Rumor has it this is because
of all the recent anti hose 1 blogs.

Anonymous said...

I urge all tax payers to call
the village 518-943-3880 and tell
them to disolve all three of the former fire companies incorporations. While your at it tell them you don't want a thief
for a fire chief or police dispatcher.How appalling.

Anonymous said...

All of you people need to pull your head out of your asses and realize that hose 1, 2, and 5 are not in existence. All of you cocky arrogent assholes need to pull ur head out ur asses and realize that. one thing i can vouch for is....who do you see coming to majority of the calls unless it is a "glory call" hose 1 members. 2. the reason useless E 3-1 was moved to the eastside station was because it was not getting out and when it was there was only one person on the truck. now if i was the cheif on the scene and i heard E3-1 call out i'd be expecting a full crew, not in the OLD hose 5's case. 3. how can anyone listen to you people when you can't even spell write, damn you people try to make it look like you know what your talking about but you can't even spell. ITS PATHEDIC 4. Correct me if i'm wrong but E 3-1 did not make it to the Post bros fire, one of the larger fires catskill has had. What happened that night o fearless hose 5 members? 5. Randy Ormerod aka o my god hasn't done anything but hurt this company? Well who got the new gear every firefighter is wearing? How bout the SCOTT packs? How about the new Minitor 4 pagers? or wait how about the $11,000 dollars for all new radio equipment? How come none of these things were mentioned in your stupid ass blogs? It is very disgraceful to see all of this shit on here. You people need to pull your head out of your asses and come to the CATSKILL FIRE STATION not as hose 1, 2, or 5 but as the CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY and do what were all here to do and fight fires and help people. The CFC will not move further unless we either get rid of you assholes that are saying shit or you get your head out your ass and realize that none of the pre-existing companies are active anymore.

Anonymous said...

I have been to the catskill fire station several times to drop clothes in a collection dumpster out back.What a sight to see. Every time I go I see a grossly
over weight man leaning on the side of his truck drinking beer.
I sure hope you got other firemen in better shape working there. The
time of day doesn't even seem to phase him.Hey, maybe it's the breakfast of champions.

Anonymous said...

Well, I can tell "c.t." decided
to write a blog. Maybe you should shut your mouth since your nothing
more than a dumbass probie who's
going to get him self or someone
else hurt. 2 you don't live in Catskill or pay taxes so go back to columbia county. 3 the majority
of the calls are answered by former
hose 5 members,look at the roll call and the number of alarms each member made. The numbers speak for them selves scarface. 4 E3-1 was getting out with more than one member faster than any other truck. To add, I've seen many hose 1 trucks respond with one member or
shit load of probies. 5 Post Bro's fire was a non hydrant fire so E3-1
doesn't responder per Randy. 6 E3-1
was located at hose 1 at the time of post bros. fire. and did respond to the high school to fill tankers you retard. Learn the facts before you speak. 7 get rid of people? I seem to remember that you brought "J.C." to the fire house to hang out and he broke into the vending machine and stole money from it. Also you got caught under age drinking at a fire house party and almost got thrown out. Maybe you should quit!!!!!!!!!Dick head!!!!
Fearless and Faithful
More than we can say about hose1!!!
P.S. you spell like one of jerry's
kids. It's not ur it's "your" also
"I" should be capitalized. Cheif should be spelled chief / i before
e except after c.
So fuck off!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I heard that the members of the catskill fire company voted to buy equipment (which was donated and/or paid for by tax dollars) for thousands of dollars. I also hear that the majority of the Catskill fire company members who voted for this were members of the company selling the stuff.

Is this true? How much money are we talking? Where is this money? I hope this money is being used for the purpose intended and isn't sitting in the bank account of a "fire company" not recognized any longer by the village as a company actively engaged in fire fighting activities?

Hasn't anyone ever heard of the word conflict of interest?

Tell me this isn't true.

Anonymous said...

All of you people need to pull your head out of your asses and realize that hose 1, 2, and 5 are not in existence.

(THIS IS PROBALLY THE ONLY THING YOU GOT RIGHT.) BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A PROBE? YOU PROBALLY BUY INTO THE EVERYTHING IS ROSY AND WONDERFULL IN THE LAND OF OZ. TOO)

ITS UNDERSTANDABLE SINCE "OH-MY-GOD TELLS EVERYONE HOW GREAT WE DID AT EVERY RESPONSE. DONT FEEL BAD THE OTHER VILLAGE TRUSTEES BUY INTO HIS FABRICATED TRUTH.)

of you cocky arrogent assh
oles need to pull ur head out ur asses and realize that. one thing i can vouch for is...
(YOU VOUCH FOR SOMETHING???? YOUR A PROBE WHO HAS NO EXPERIENCE. IN FACT WASN'T THAT YOU ON TV BEING INTERVIEWED AT THE PICKUP TRUCK VERSUS TRACTOR TRAILOR ACCIDENT TODAY. YOU (A PROBE) WAS WEARING A CHIEFS TURNOUT GEAR AND IN RESPONSE TO THE REPORTERS QUESTION
(WHEN HE MISTAKEN YOU FOR A fIRE CHIEF AND ASKED WHAT WILL YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH, YOU RESPONDED I DONT KNOW.

who do you see coming to majority of the calls unless it is a "glory call" hose 1 members.

ITS OBVIOUS YOU ARE NEW. BUT WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, I'LL LET THE REST OF THE GREENE COUNTY FIRE COMMUNITY SPEAK ON THIS SUBJECT. PS WHY SHOULD ANYONE EXPECT OUR MEMBERS TO COME AND SUPPORT THE PRESENT REGIME. YOU MUST FEEL REALLY IMPORTANT RIDING THE TRUCKS AND CHARGING INTO ANY EMERGENCY CALL!

TWO YEARS AGO YOU WOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN PROVIDED A SEAT ON A TRUCK! NOW THE CHIEFS ALLOW YOU TO BREAK EVERY STANDARD IN THE BOOK JUST TO GET A TRUCK OFF OF THE FLOOR.

DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO WERE MEMBERS OF hOSE 1,2, OR 5? I CHALENGE ANYONE TO LOOK AT THE ROSTERS! EVEN IF THEY ARE ROUTINELY FALSIFIED! YOU'LL FIND HOSE 5 MEMBERS AND NEW MEMBERS. YOU BY THE WAY WERE NEVER A HOSE 1 MEMBER (SORRY). NEW MEMBERS WHO JOINED AFTER CONSOLIDATION ARE NOT HOSE 1 MEMBERS REGARDLESS WHO BROUGHT YOU ON BOARD. NO MATTER WHO STOOD BY YOU WHEN RANDY AND THE BOARD WANTED TO KICK YOU OUT OF THE FIRE COMPANY PERMANETLY.

2. the reason useless E 3-1 (I SMELL OH-MYGOD AND POTATO HEAD ALL OVER THIS! ) was moved to the eastside station was because it was not getting out and when it was there was only one person on the truck. (TYPICAL INEXPERIENCE PROBE RUNNING HIS MOUTH; FOUR CONSECUTIVE YEARS e 3-1 WAS THE FASTEST TRUCK IN THE COUNTY. HOSE 1 COULD NOT TOUCH IT! AM I EXAGERATING? CALL GREENE COUNTY FIRE CONTROL AND ASK THEM, OR CALL THE GREENE COUNTY EMERGENCY COORDINATORS OFFICE! now if i was the cheif on the scene and i heard E3-1 call out i'd be expecting a full crew, not in the OLD hose 5's case.

BOY HAVE YOU BEEN FED THE OLD HOSE 1 BULLSHIT! DID THEY PROMISE YOU A FREE MEMBERSHIP IN THE SOCIAL CLUB OR A PAID POSITION IN WILLEYS HOSE 1? fACT OH-MY-GOD WOULD ALWAYS CALL AND ASK HOW MANY MEMBERS WERE ON e 3-1, BUT NEVER WOULD CALL ON THE WEST SIDE TRUCKS. WHY, FACT; THE TRUCK WAS MOVED BECAUSE IT EMBARRASSED fIRE cOMMISSIONER pOTATO hEAD AND fIRE cHIEF oH-MY-GOD.

BUT ONCE AGAIN LETS GO FOR FACTS AND BELEIFS. LETS CALL THE STATE ATTORNY GENDGERALS OFFICE AND DEMAND THAT THEY COME TO CATSKILL AND REVIEW OUR BOOKS, REVIEW OUR RESPOSE RECORDS, AND OUR RESPONDERS. I WONDER IF YOU KNOW THAT PROBES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO INSIDE DURING A FIRE ONLY DURING OVER HAULED?

3. how can anyone listen to you people when you can't even spell write (DID YOU MEAN RIGHT, duh), damn you people try to make it look like you know what your talking about but you can't even spell. ITS PATHEDIC DID YOU MEAN (PATHETIC duh) 4. Correct me if i'm wrong but E 3-1 did not make it to the Post bros fire, (WRONG AGAIN) IT WAS DRIVEN BY AN INTOXICATED BROTHER OF fIRE cOMMISSIONER POTATOR HEAD AND WAS USED TO REFUEL TANKERS, BUT YOU WERE PROBALLY A FRONT LINE RESPONDER. iNFACT WERE YOU ONE OF THE FIREMEN BLOWN ON YOUR ASS? WOW GREAT PLACE TO HAVE AN INEXPERIENCE PROBE!
one of the larger fires catskill has had. What happened that night o fearless hose 5 members? HAVE PROBLEMS WITH WATER AT THE CHAOTIC FIRE? E 3-1'S DRIVER HAD TO HAVE BEER DELIVERED TO HIM SINCE HE WORKED UP SUCH A SWEAT. WE LOST THAT STRUCTURE BECAUSE WE FAILED TO PERFORM. i BET YOU THOUGHT THAT THE OPERATION WENT SMOOTH AS SILK. DIDN'Y YOU FIND IT FUNNY THAT WHEN WE ARRIVED THE FIRE WAS INSIDE THE BUILDING ON ONE END AND BECAUSE WE CONTINOUSLY LOST OUR WATER DUE TO POOR EMPLACEMENT OF APPARATUS AND LOCATION OF THE WATER SHUTTLE. wE KEPT LOSING OUR WATER AFTER ONLY 10 - 15 SECONDS OF WATER BECAUSE OF TWO MANY HOSE LINES AND NOT ENOUGH WATER. WHO MANAGED THAT DISGRACE
5. Randy Ormerod aka o my god hasn't done anything but hurt this company? Well who got the new gear every firefighter is wearing?

WHY DID WE BUY KNEW GEAR WHEN WE JUST SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS JUST THREE YEARS AGO? WHY ARE THERE SO MANY EXTRA SETS OF GHEAR? WILL THE EXTRA GEAR END UP AT THE FUTURE WILLEYS HOSE 1. THE THREE COMPANIES NO LONGER EXIST? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES GUY.
MY GRAND FATHER ALWAYS SAID ; IF IT FEALS LIKE COW SHIT, LOOKS LIKE COW SHIT, SMELLS LIKE COW SHIT AND TASTES LIKE COW SHIT. GUESS WHAT DUH, ITS PROBALLY COW SHIT STUPID!!!!!!!
How bout the SCOTT packs? THE NATION PROVIDED MONIES TO NEEDY FIORE DEPARTMENTS FOR HOMELAND SECURITY, NOT TO PROVIDE GEAR FOR A FUTURE ILEGAL RENEGADE FIRE DEPARTMENTHow about the new Minitor 4 pagers? or wait how about the $11,000 dollars for all new radio equipment? HELL YAH WHERE IS THAT EQUIPMENT. DID THE FIRE COMMISSIONER UPGRADE THE TRUCKS THAT DESPERATELY NEEDED IT OR HAS SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THAT EQUIPMENT. I HOPE IT HASN'T BEEN STOLEN ALREADY LIKE THE AIR BAGS OR THE SNACKS FROM THE VENDING MACHINE.
How come none of these things were mentioned in your stupid ass blogs? It is very disgraceful to see all of this shit on here. You people need to pull your head out of your asses and come to the CATSKILL FIRE STATION not as hose 1, 2, or 5 but as the CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY and do what were all here to do and fight fires and help people. The CFC will not move further unless we either get rid of you assholes that are saying shit or you get your head out your ass and realize that none of the pre-existing companies are active anymore. WAKE UP HERO! YOUR SO GREEN YOU DOINT EVEN HAVE A CLUE.
BUT THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS. THE REAL VILLAINS HAVE SHUT THEIR TRAPS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE TRUTH DETECTIVES ARE ON THE JOB. aND THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF MORE SHIT THAT WILL COME ABOUT ABOUT THIS GROUP. PS LOOK AROUND EVERY COMMUNITY THAT REQUESTED RECEIVED GEAR. ITS ALL PART OF THE NEW HOMELAND SECURITY. SO RANDY AND JIMMIE DID ONE THING GOOD THEIR 100 WRONGS SHOULD BE OVER LOOKED DUH

Anonymous said...

I'm shocked about your view of the facts concerning the East Side Station and E 3-1. Iregardles of what truck was left at the East Side station the men would have continued to beat the West Side Staation.

Why is it ok for the fire commissioner to respond with one probe on a truck from the West Side but a hight standard was demanded of the East side?

do you remember the meeting where the potatoe head and oh my god stated that the truck was only allowed to role to a confirmed structure fire?

why did they both say that thay did not want to move e 3-1 back to the east side during the road construction but they felt that we had to or they might stop the purchase of the Heavy Rescue. They both agreed we had to "appease" the tax payers until thr truck was ordered. what a joke1 they did everything they could to keep it from getting off the floor. your bogus numbers dont mean shit when compared to the facts. all are a masceraid to deceive the public1 SHAME ON YOU!!!!

Anonymous said...

Yes, it's true!!!The money is sitting in hose 1's bank account in the amount of $135,000.00.Which may I add has been closed down and only remains around as a name which a few losers still cling too.And now the same members who sold us this crap "hose 1" are complaining that the chairs we bought from hose 1 are falling apart and need to be replaced with new ones. Some deal tax payers got!
Speaking of conflicts of interest,
what about Eta 3-11, which is owned
by tax payers still having the disgraceful hose 1 name on the doors. If hose 1 still owns it why
is the village maintaining a privately owned vehicle? Sounds illegal! I guess that all tax payers can get a tune up for free
via the village garage?

Anonymous said...

I heard that the members of the catskill fire company voted to buy equipment (which was donated and/or paid for by tax dollars) for thousands of dollars. I also hear that the majority of the Catskill fire company members who voted for this were members of the company selling the stuff.

Is this true? How much money are we talking? Where is this money? I hope this money is being used for the purpose intended and isn't sitting in the bank account of a "fire company" not recognized any longer by the village as a company actively engaged in fire fighting activities?

Hasn't anyone ever heard of the word conflict of interest?

IT IS TRUE! MORE STEALING TO START A NEW FIRE COMPANY!!!! THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING ALL OVER AGAIN.

Anonymous said...

Funny e3-1 was only allowed to confirmed stucture fires,but yet
it was the first truck on the scene
of all fires while on the east side. It even beat the ladder truck
which most departments use as the first responding truck. Maybe we should put 3-15 on the east side
so it will have a faster response
time. Oh wait we can't do things to fast, so lets put everything on the west side and slow down so we can become paid firemen.

Anonymous said...

Is it illegal for the fire chief
to hire his own father to make repairs to the trucks? Sounds like a conflict of interest to me! Sounds like tax payers could be billed for services NOT rendered.

Anonymous said...

We should write a letter about how we consoladated and how Hose #1 which doesn't fight fires in their "inc." capacity and whos members joined the CFC still has cash and assets that aren't being used to fight fires and send it to the village, newspapers, tax department IRS and the controllers office in Albany.

Anonymous said...

Amen to the 11:12pm blog!!!
Let's get-r-done.
I wonder if the five thiefs are in
any violation of their plea bargins?

Anonymous said...

black booted shock troopsWho would have ever thought that one probe would start such a fire storm! guess when your the Chief spokesman for a dysfunctional fire department that is running on borrowed time and your speaking out on something you know nothing about and your facts are all wrong and you are regurgitating the lies put forth by the two biggest liars in Greeneland its no surprise!

just watch out though! Remember kristleNachtT ? Potato Head will being sending in his black booted shock troops. He will do anything to protect their schemes!

Anonymous said...

Looks like someone was doing their home work! This has been brewing for some time. We sat back and watched these self proclaimed GODS GIFTS TO FIREFIGHTING stand up and take over. What did they prove? Nothing except thay can break the law with no Impunity! Look at the Catskill Fire Company Board Member/Corrections Officer who lost his normal license and only possesses a work license. He drove everyday and parked in the back of Hose 1. Drinking, not him, he was inspecting the new roof for the potato head and the 12oz beers were required to ballance his body while he was inspecting! Slightly top heavy.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe this. I am a taxpayer and outraged. I was called this morning and told that I had better look at this blog.

You mean to tell me that the village board paid a Hose co #1 $135,000 of taxpayer money for equipment that Hose #1 acquired either by purchase from tax payer money (Village and Town) purchased from donations or was given to them?

The village board and # 1 better have some good answers when the state comes down.

Why would the village board allow a substantial amount of money that should be used for firefighting sit in a bank account?

I hope Chewins had no part of this because that might be a problem.

Anonymous said...

Dec 8, 2005

Looks like corruption is going to boil the pot over!

What do you think about tax payer dollars being used to purchase items that were already purchased with tax dollar monies?

How can a social entity claim ownership of and then sell to a municipality with out it being open for public review?

How do you sell something you dont own?

Why didn't the Village Board demand that the fire company have the delapidated items evaluated for actual value. Instead the tax payers were charged top dollar for crap. Broken chairs, old gas stove etc. At auction it would have all combined brought less than $500.00. Why would we spne $135,000.00 to fill a social clubs coffers?

How do you buy a fire truck with tax payer monies and then claim it belongs to you privately?

How about tax payer monies paying for the prosecution while tax payers were paying for the defense of their members? NUTS?

I'm hearing that the village may have been paying for lawyers and settlements to prevent various law suits for years? Is this legal and why should we the tax payers pay for their defense just because they hold office?

How could a village police department investigate its own boss? And look at all the out side influences on their findings. Let alone all the other Conflict of interest that have been shown in these blogs?

What in the world is going on here in Greeneland? Is it typical small town life or pure curruption at its worse.

Anonymous said...

You want to talk about burning money, then you might want to ask oh my God why there is gear that was ordered for a past asist. chief from another department, in Hose 1's station, when he was shot down as a member bye 14 votes it was. Or there is the fact that they want to waste money painting 3-21 red, because they don't like the fact that it is still yellow.

Anonymous said...

Paint it Red? It is the newest truck in the fleet. It was purchased with that color because of safety reasons for the firemen.

Red trucks are hard to see at night. We need to let go of any resemblance of the former Hose 1. Every new truck should have the new color painted on it.

I would paint every truck a new color as long as the firemen had the choice to select its colors. I heard that the Chiefs family basicly picked the new color of the Heavy Rescue. In the Catskill Fire Company red represents embarrassment , ridicule and guilty pleas. Red no longer represents the Hose 1 membership of years ago when they were on top. Ironically they went full cicle from the best to the worst.

I went to the Catskill Fire Company web page and I noticed the signs. I also noticed that "The Village" of Catskill was still on the Trucks on the web page.

The picture I took when you guys marched down the road in Athens does not include
"Village OF. Why was this removed from the truck? Its owned by the Village and not the Town!!! Who ever removed this should have to pay the cost to have it restored!!

Anonymous said...

Cant we all just get along? We really don't need to publicise our internal problems. Maybe we should discuss these problems at the next meeting. I'm sure we could work something out. Lets keep Fire Hose problems in the fire house!

Anonymous said...

I called Albany and the state law says that you can't be a member of two fire companies. To join the Catskill Fire Company, the members had to resign from thier old fire company. Since they had to resign, Hose #1 (and the other companies) don't have any members. A corporation without members can't function or have money because no one is a member to control it. The corporation dissolves and the assets must be distributed out of that corporation.

I was also told that There are also tax issues because Hose #1 isn't actively fighting fires as a corporation.

I say that either the village and Hose #1 do the right thing and put this money and property into fighting fires or we take this to Albany and the IRS!

Anonymous said...

If you have noticed we have tried to work with these fools , but their double standars are always there. do as I say not as I do.

i'm just so happy that we all started reading the bogus propaganda spewing forth from certain members.

They routinely decieve the membership, the village board and the tax payers. i for one am glad that the CFC Truth Detectives are on the scenes to minimize the lies and insure that the truth is told.

Hey out of curiosity. Was any of the money from Stewards $11,000.00 radio equipment grant used to replace the Disc jockies damaged equipment? They probally ordered personal radios for the officers vehicles so they can call out of service quicker!

Anonymous said...

TAKE IT TO ALBANY,
WE NEED TO CONSOLIDATE THE INFORMATION AND SEND THEM TO THE IRS, NY STATE COMPTROLLERS OFFICE, NY STATE CORRECTIONS, NY STATE POLICE, NY STATE ATTORNY GENERALS OFFICE, US ATTORNY GENERALS OFFICE nEWS 6,8,10, HARD BALL, WABC, WNBC,ny sTATE ETHICS COMMITTE ETC.

HELL; We should impeach the Fire Chief anf fire commissioner.

i'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY IT TAKES MONTHS TO GET APPROVAL TO PUT IN A WATER LINE. LOOK WHAT WE WENT THROUGH AT THE END OF LANDON AVE. THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT COMES IN HAS TO VILLAGE WORKERS INPLACE SOME 2800' OF WATER SERVIC ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AT NO COST TO THE PRESIDENT.

tIME THE STATE CAME DOWM AND LOOKED INTO THESE ABUSES AND START CHARGING THE CURRUPT MEMBERS OF THE vILLAGE BOARD AND THE FIRE COMANY

Anonymous said...

Dec 8th.

This has to be the hottest growing blog section in Greenland. Mr May will soopn have to provide us our own section!

Anonymous said...

I think that dem ther' Hose 1 peeps are soon going to be heading for the hills. If we follow thru, CFC will be unified and great and the people will be safe and protected.

Anonymous said...

yessum! We Greenelanders are taking back our homeland. And we're starting with the Fire House! This fire company was founded to support the village tax payers and expanded to include the district. Never was it just a district fire department. our roots are here and they are going to stay here! were proud of our heritage and were proud of our department and were proud to work with our mutual aid brothers. AND WERE most certainly PROUD TO BE GREENE COUNTY VOLUNTEERS FIREMEN! dont ever mistake that! The arrogant better than thou was a minority on the hill and does not represent the entire department.

We're a village fire department and we're going to drive on regardless where the minority is trying to take us!

Anonymous said...

Next we have to take back the Village Board from the fire department.

This was the key way that Hose 1 was allowed to get away with so much crap for so long.

Now we have three fire company members and two avid supporters on the village board. The fire commissioner has no more experience than any other firemen yat he rules all fire department matters as if he has the experience for it.

The steady downward spiral is reflective of his over all leadership skills. When we hit rock bottom it will finally be indicative of his lack of management.

Anonymous said...

So true! All that "we were created to serve the fire district outside village lines" bullshit. Talk about Duh!!! The "fire district" was created in 1949 long after Hose #1 was INC. as they like to point out. They aren't dumb enough to believe their own crap. Are they?

Let's take back our fire company!!!!

Anonymous said...

I just started to do my homework as the loud mouth stated to do at the beginning of this, so I apologize for being a little late to join in the forum. But I must say that the loud mouths advise was great!
Here goes, i discovered the following information for those of you interested in what each of the three forer Hose companies owned and what the Catskill Fire Company now owns.
Look under;

NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION LAW
ARTICAL 14 SPECIAL NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATIONS

1402 FIRE CORPORATIONS

PAR (E) (F) BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO FILE REPORT.

It shall be the Duty of the Board of Directors of all fire, hose, protective or hook and ladder coporations incorporated under general law shall on or before the fifteenth day of January in each year, to make and file in the county clerk's office, where the certificate of incorporation is filed A VERIFIED CERTIFICATE, STATING THE NAMES OF THE DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF THE CORPORATION, CONTAINING AN INVENTORY OF ITS PROPERTY, A STATEMENT OF ITS LIABILITIES AND THAT THE CORPORATION HAS NOT ENGAGED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN ANY BUISNESS OTHER THAN THAT SET FORTH IN ITS CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION.

NOW LETS SEE IF THEY HAVE IT ON FILE! IF NOT SHAME SHAME

Anonymous said...

12/08/2005

A Volunteer fire depoartment may not secede or seperate itself from the village in which itis located.

Office of the Attorny General of the State of New York
Informal Opinion No 83-21

1983 N. Y. Op Atty Gen 101; 1983 NY AG LEXIS 78 March 24 1983.

The Board of Directors of a village, with the appoval of the Village Board of Trustees, may organize and maintain a fire company. The fire company board by resolution, WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, MAY CONSENT TO THE INCORPORATION OF COMPANY SO ORGANIZED, AND TO THE INCORPORATION OR ORGANIZATION OF COMPANY VOLUNTARILY FORMED IN THE VILLAGE (IBID)
NOT FOR PROFIT CORPORATION LAW, WHICH PROVIDES THAT A FIRE CORPORATION IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE AUTHORITIES OF A VILLAGE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PREVENTION OR EXTINGUISHMENT OF FIRES THEREIN. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, BY RESOLUTIONSUBJECT TO PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM, MAY ABOLISH THE VILLAGE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN WHOLE OR IN PART.

FROM THE ABOVE DISCUSSIPON THE Atty Generals Office beleives its clear that village officials control the organization, operation and abolition of a village fire department. The concept that a fire department of a village might exist and operate totaly independant of the village is inconsistant with these provisions of law, and is, therefore, not authorised.
we conclude that a volunteer fire department may not SECEDE or seperate itself from the village in which it is located. therefore ETA 3-11 and all the perifial crap that they mandated we buy at inflated prices is ilegal to sell to the new company that which already belonged to the Village.

(The Attorny General renders formal opinions only to officers and departments of the State Government. This perforce is an informal and unofficial expression of views of this office.

lets track down what they ilegally sold us, lets track down the ilegal use of tax payer dollars for legal costs, jail the abusers and as the famous Larry the Cable guy would say
gid-hur-done!
The Truth Detectors!

Anonymous said...

We got new turn out gear because of a homeland security grant to replace the turn out gear that was only 3 years old and in great condition.

The turn out gear THAT WAS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD is .. you guessed it .. MISSING.

first it was air bags and now it is the turn out gear. Potato head and "oh my God" and others are up to their old tricks.

At our next meeting this gear better be back where it belongs or there is going to be hell to pay!

The next time you hear about this it won't be just here. It will be out on the street big time. We are going public unless you do the right thing.

Anonymous said...

Cant we all just get along? We really don't need to publicise our internal problems. Maybe we should discuss these problems at the next meeting. I'm sure we could work something out. Lets keep Fire Hose problems in the fire house!

To who wrote this: Omerod sr, said don't hire a lawyer about E-311 because I'll take it to the Hose 1 directors and we'll work it out. Then omerod, sr makes the motion at the Hose 1 directors meeting to screw us.

You are going to have to show us that you really want to work this out and aren't giving us BS and maybe then we can keep it in the fire house.

Anonymous said...

At 3:21 AM, Anonymous said...
Dick,
"didn’t know we had such a clever, creative swindler in our midst. Makes me kinda proud.”

Greeneland if full of swindlers. Ah, but you did say clever, which is reason to set her aside from others.

I think the tax payers of Catskill were swindled by Fire Commissioner Chewens and Fire Chief Ormerod when they pushed through the purchase of a $450,000.00 Heavy Rescue truck.

Especially after the Village of Catskill was advised by a professional fire department consultation firm not to buy it. "You don't need a Heavy Rescue" I wonder what kind of special favors that purchase has created?

Does anyone have a clew whats going on in this department? A few running amuck with tax payer monies! Who's looking over their shoulders? Why a rescue and not a replacement for the ladder truck?
It has been broken the majority of the year! This doesn't mean reported because there is an active campaign to hide many of the problems from the taxpayers.

We have pumping capability
on five trucks alone. Downsize was the recommendation and we are always increasing. What did the new heavy rescue provide us? A high speed command center for "OH MY GOD" to over react in and call in the calvery! Who needed it or could afford it, not the tax payers!

What wonderous ideas have these two come up to waste tax payer monies?

Lets see:

sell the large ladder truck 110 footer for the 68 footer. Yes T 3-15 cannot reach the top of the new County building from the rear. It does look really big over a ranch though.

sell ETA 3-21 the newest Best truck in the Catskill Fleet, I think they have reconsidered this act of stupidity in exchange for selling E 3-1 ( the second most reliable truck in the fleet). Most Hose 2 members quit so now the focus is to destroy the remainder of the other fire company.

Keep the Engine Tankers (Mis nomer since they don't hold enough water to beconsidered a n Engine tanker at todays NY Fire Standards.

Since the district averages a structure fire every two years why are they planning to spend tax payer dollars to expand the fire district capabilities instead of following the professional consultation firms recommendations?
Worse yet who is allowing them to get away with this stupidity?

OH I bet they can justify it with their extensive fire edumication. Get rid of the ETA's an purchase a large tanker! Why? its cheaper for the tax payers and has much better cost to actual need ratio.

Why a large tanker? It benefits the Village tax payers as well as the district. The majority of the work is in hydrant areas. If a hydrant or water line breaks its there if needed. It carrys a better water supply. Would support our brothers if needed in the surrounding areas. Why do you think we call in columbia countys big tanker everytime we have a water shuttle running?

Purchasing ETA's and Heavy Rescue trucks instead of following the professional Consultants recommendations reeks of continuing the Willey Hose 1 saga!

Who gets to pay? We the tax payers!


At 1:23 PM, Anonymous said...
doesn't anyone watch whats going on with tax payers dollars? Sounds like its been going on for years?


At 5:53 PM, Anonymous said...
At my age I dont get on this much and comment. It takes a while to hunt and peck on this contraption.

I just wanted to share a laugh.

years ago a Hose 1 Chief was drunk off his rocker and showed up at the Catskill Creek during a flood. This guy was so sauced he got on the radio calling for the National Guard, the US Army, the Coast Guard and the President of the United States for immediate assistance. The Catskill Police quickly got him home .

Now it seems like the Chief is on the radio constantly calling for all kinds of fire companys to come to help Catskill.

When did we have to resort to constantly calling for help? And a bigger question is since when did we start needing help? Is things really that bad or is the Chief in the sauce to much?

Anonymous said...

Paint the new rescue lime green is a great idea!!
1)Lime green is the safest color for fire trucks to be / per many
studies.
2)The newest truck in the fleet is
Lime green, so it will be around
the longest!
3)Only a hand full of members from
hose 2 still members, so you won't
be picking a side ie: Cream or Red
4)E3-21/ lime green already
new rescue/ lime green
new tanker/ lime green
new ladder/ lime green
3-14 will be only truck still red.
5)Red fire trucks are the hardest to see at night.

FireFighter safety should be #1 priority. Not we want red because
hose one was red.

Anonymous said...

At this point the trucks should be stripped of red because of what it stands for on top of the hill!

The VILLAGE OF CATSKILL should be put on every vehicle!

The Village should go in and strip the decals off of ETA 3-11 tomorrow. The village owns it and should demostrate its ownership.

Thats the first thing hose 1 members did when they took possession of e 3-1 and e 3-21.

why are the village trustees siding with the fire commissioner instead of demanding whats right for the village. Whats he got on the others that they are getting this special treatment.

somethings up, beleive me! The trustees collectively are refered to as The Authority Having Jurisdiction. If they are not performing their duties they are subjecting themselves to scrutiny.

Anonymous said...

you better believe it. ALL The village trustees are going to be held responsible for the actions of Chewins and the others. They know about it and must do something about it.

Look how many comments ... they have got alot of angry firemen and when we blow the whistle there are going to be alot of angry taxpayers too.



The taxpayers have been ripped off and we have been jerked of long enough.

We need to get this ball rolling.

Anonymous said...

The village should take pride in what it owns. It's my tax money,
so I demand that the village of catskill be placed on all of the
trucks including that 3-11 truck.
We the tax payers must stand up for what is right. If the village
doesn't want to comply, than we must vote to dissolve it as betrayed tax payers!

Anonymous said...

I heard that wal-mart was willing
to build a new fire house in a different location to get it out of
the middle of it's new shopping complex. But Chewins and other former hose 1 members did not want
to leave the old hose 1 fire house
so they refused to negotiate a new fire house. Instead they decided
to keep the out dated old fire house.

Anonymous said...

you just don't get it. we are INCORPORATED. It is our money and our truck and we can do what we want with it. What Hose company #1 wants to do is OUR business. We won in court so stop living in the past and wake up. Its over!

If you don't like what is going on and you want to stir up trouble just do us all a favor and quit.

All you east siders can keep on writing your lies and keep crying because there are only a few of you. Majority rules.

Anonymous said...

You never won in court! That was an out of court settlement agreed on by a judge. We'll see what really happens. And if your that dumb that you think there's only
a few of us wake up you FORMER HOSE 1 piece of shit.The end is near for hose one. It's only a matter of time before hose one is removed from 3-11.The tax payers
have spoken.
C.C.F.C.F.D.

Anonymous said...

Your just as senile as "H.T." is.
Maybe at next years banquet you can give the speech on how hose one
is still incorporated.What a loser.

Anonymous said...

First in Name = First in Shame
First in duty = First to Steal

One call gets it all = stealing,lying,extortion,wife swapping,larceny,mutiny

King of the hill = sitting on a pile of tax payers money
or
we have to park our ladder on a hill to reach higher because it's only a 75 footer

survival of the fitess = 99% of members are in wheel chairs,on o2,
or have pace makers.

Anonymous said...

You just don't get it. The village is going to dissolve your incorporation and seize all of your assets. Then we will sell village prize 3-11 and 3-12 to buy a super tanker.

Anonymous said...

Majority rules? Sounds like hose one is the minority. How ironic randal,your own family won't even show up to support you!HAHA!!!HAAHA!HAHA!!

Anonymous said...

All you east siders??? Please explain. Who the hell are you to tell taxpayers to stop crying. It's
our money. Maybe the village should start running the fire dept.
and not you dumb ass vol.

Anonymous said...

Hey, The Village is part of the problem.
The Trustees lack the moral courage to stand up and do something.
Thats why we are where we are?

Integrity, honesty, and denial. Look the other way and say nothing. know the diference between right or wrong?

Enoughs enough!

STOP the Madness!
STOP THE FIRE COMMISH!
STOP THE CHIEF!
STOP HOSE 1!
STOP THE DOUBLE STANDARDS!
STOP THE CURRUPTION!
STOP THE LIES!
STOP THE DENIALS!
STOP THE RED BLOB!
STOP THE NONSENSE!
STOP THE BLOGS??

HELL THE TRUTH IS FINALLY COMING OUT LIKE water from A BROKEN DAMN! Theres no stopping the truth now! The flood of truth has started! dont get swept away!

Anonymous said...

LIES? thjats what the hose 1 wannabes are all about!
Lie to the Trustees Lie to the Tax payers, lie to the community, lie to the insurance company,lie to the courts, lie to yourselves, lie to the newbies, lie to the fire community, lie to the government!

YOU GOT IT!
LIE TO SURVIVE!
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!

Anonymous said...

aRTICAL 14 OF THE nOT FOR pROFIT cORPORATION 1402 ALSO STATES:

A PERSON SHALL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO VOLUNTEER MEMBERSHIP IN ANY OTHER FIRE CORPORATION OR FIRE COMPANY AT ONE TIME.

Guess what they cant belong to their beloved former Hose companies and be a member of the Catskill Fire Company! End of the story!

you want to wolf your crap? choose one and leave the other! "I really don't care!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 209-1(1-A) VILLAGE LAW 10-1006 (10)

The Village Law prohibits one person from becoming a member of more than one fire company.

They were disolved by the Village Trustees and it would take the village trustees to go through the entire process all over to form them again.

They are ilegally holding on to their corporations even though they no longer poccess the basic requirement that authorised them to form in the first place.

(number one requirement to be authorised by the municpality to fight fires. )

turn in your corporation certificate and turn over tax payer assets to the new fire company!

Anonymous said...

"The hallmark of a dysfunctional organization is a gap between reality and rhetoric," says Ben Dattner, a New York organizational psychologist. When resources are not used effectively or fairly, when plans are heavy on talk but weak on action or when barriers to communication cripple performance, you're dealing with a dysfunctional company.

Once diagnosed, the corrosive effects of such problems can be corrected. But make no mistake: It's neither easy nor immediate. You need to be tough-minded about identifying the source, particularly because it often starts at the top, where the power resides.

Here are three telltale signs that your company is unhealthy and some possible ways to get it well again.

go to:

http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/management/leadership_training/3_signs_of_a_dysfunctional_company.mspx

start by getting rid of the fire commissioner! he should be emmediately stripped of his position as fire commissioner simply because of his curruption,
abuse of power and his lack of leadership!

viva le Catskill Fire Company!

Anonymous said...

THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT MUST REMOVE CHEWENS AS FIRE COMMISSIONER AND MUST NOT REPLACE HIM WITH ANOTHER HOSE ONER.
NOTHING STATES THAT THE FIRE COMMISSIONER IS REQUIRED TO BE A FIREMAN.!!!!

Anonymous said...

member of two companies? We aren't members of two village fire companies. Hose #1 isn't a village company so STEP OFF!

You don't know shit about what you are talking about.

Anonymous said...

OH OH, THE VILLAGE TRUSTEES SHOULD BE DOING THEIR HOME WORK!

OPINION OF THE NY STATE COMPTROLER 91-23;

1991 LEXUS 21 JUNE 1991

NOT FOR PROFIT LAW 1402;

TOWN LAW 176-B (10)

VILLAGE LAW 10-1006 (10)

All state the following;

A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER MAY NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY BE A MEMBER OF TWO FIRE COMPANIES, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE COMPANIES ARE PART OF THE SAME FIRE DEPARTMENT OR DIFFERENT FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

This to prevent falseification of records, mis appropriation of; equipment and misuse of tax dollars.

SHUT DOWN THE SOCIAL CLUBS AND YOU WILL RID YOURSELF OF 50 % OF THE PROBLEMS AT THE FIRE HOUSE!

THE TRUTH DETECTIVES

VIVA
Vilage of Catskill Fire Department!

Anonymous said...

better stop regurgitating the lies promulgated by those that want to secede from the Village of Catskill

Hose 1 incorporated to fight fires in the Village of Catskill. Its paragraph one of the incorporation papers. read and discover the truth.

Anonymous said...

I have been a fire fighter for over 20 years and have been sitting back and watching but I can't sit back anymore because the way the fire company is being run is putting life and property at risk.

The focus of Chewins and the leadership of the fire company is not the village but outside the village. The village has the older buildings and fires have more danger of spreading in the village and so the focus should be the village and not outside the village where there are only a couple fires a year. The fire company should put the village first because it is the village taxpayers who need fire protection more and it is the village taxpayers who pay alot more for fire fighting than the town that gets protection for the bargain price of only a little more than $100,000 per year.

Decisions to spend all kinds of money on trucks and equipment suited for fighting fires where there aren't hydrants means less money to buy equipment needed to fight fires in the village.

The village board should remember who pays most of the freight and who elects them. Allowing these purchasing and other decisions puts village property owners at risk. The town doesn't need the extent of protection as the village does and that should be kept in mind when making decisions.

Second, The Catskill Fire Company is two fire comapnies and not one. This puts the residents at risk because there is little cooperation and more time is spent fighting for power than fighting fires. ETA-311 sitting at the East side station with the Hose #1 decal is a slap in the face and continues the have and have nots attitude. The village board MUST insist that all members of the Catskill Fire company resign from any other fire company or not be allowed to continue as a Catskill Fire Company member. It is the law and the reason for the law is to prevent exactly what is happening here in Catskill.

The village board had better act fast because this is going to blow up and that won't be good for thier political futures.

Anonymous said...

Screw their political futures!

Its the liability position they have put us in due to their lack of action, ignorance or just couldn't care less atitude. They have failed to manage this situation and deserve to be scritinized!

Any lawyer would have a field day with the village if//// WHEN they get a client whose house has burned down or suffers injury or death due to the fire situation that has evolved under the Village Boards lack of management!

Think about it. its very obvious that their personal agendas were more important than the safety of the tax payers or their dedicated firemen!

They will blame everyone else for the problems if you can corner them into admitting it. But they will never admit that they have destroyed the morale of this department playing their good old boy screw the system and screw the men atitude.

Theres a tax payer revolt going on and we're tired of the bullshit!

When you put my family, friends, home and parents at risk simply because of all these silly games its time to take back the village and its fire protection!

How do I and my neighbors join the Catskill Tax Payers Association?

When do they meet and where? its time that we utilize what we have instead of trying to cover up the failure of the the department. Id rather have the truck off the floor than sitting in reserve with a for sale sign on it.
if we have it run it!
If we have a station use it!
If its broken fix it!

Anonymous said...

hey watch the use of Blow up. I know you were meaning the situation is going to escalate until all hell breaks loose. But in this day and age and knowing the curruption that goes on in Greeneland; its not unrealistic to expect to have the shock troops mobiolized to stop this movement. Retaliation and threats are their favorite technique to attack their opposition! They'll switch your words and try to justify their actions.

Anonymous said...

See wht happens when you dont support your own members! Potato Head and Oh-My-God didn't only crew you guys! They even turned their backs on us! When they conversed with the Village President about a paid Director of Safety position they threw us into the fire to.

Well nows its pay back. Ever wonder why all the problems with T 3-15 are never reported? Its because of two reasons. First and formost because they sold 5's ladder for $30,000.00 and it doesn't have any problems. We knew we had to get rid of it because keeping it as a standby truck it would be responding most of the time and we had to keep it at the East side station. Oh-My-God and Potato Head wanted to destroy the east side no matter what.

the second reason they hide the problems is because now that we spent $450,000.00 on the Heavy Rescue, when T 3-15 breaks down we are going to simply put in an emergency purchase order and buy a new ladder! It has to be done and no one will be able to stop the purchase. We'll have two new trucks and the tax payers will just have to suck up the costs.

Anonymous said...

We can't just sit by and write notes to each other on this blog. If we want to change things for the better we have to have a meeting AND get non-fire company tax payers involved. Let's get this going.

From what has been written, the Hose 1 hommies aint going to threaten and intimaidate no one.

Are they going to resign from Hose 1 or resign from the CFC? We all show up at a village board meeting and make it clear that we have resigned from our former fire companies and force the hose 1 guys who still have director meetings to do the same. We force them to make a choice and we force them to make that choice in public.

We need to publically demand that CFC files the asset statement with the county clerk as required by law and publically demand that Hose #1 do the same.

We point out about the $135,000 that the village spent on junk and point out that Hose #1 hommies on the village board authorized this waste of taxpayers money and do it in public.

We need to ask about where the 3 year old turn out gear is and demand that it be accounted for in public.

Lets meet and get er going.

Anonymous said...

Probally best to join the tax payer association. Its already in existance and it scared them into action last time. Now that we have members inside the department we can report thier lies and attempts to disceive the public.

I think we have a good old democratic revoultion going on here!

Anonymous said...

the taxpayers association hasn't had a meeting in a while. We need to set up the meeting!

Anonymous said...

VIVA THE CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY!

VIVA THE TRUTH!

VIVA THE TAX PAYERS!

Anonymous said...

Morning FOLKS, I'm sitting here by the wood stove watching the snow out the back window luv my coffee, but I'm still hotter than a pole cat caught in a high tension power line! Those son of a bitches!

Why hasn't this been brought up at Village Board Meetings? We need to call the Govenors Office and the State Militia if need be to reclaim that truck 3-11! I'd be damned if them rascals steel her from us!

Anonymous said...

I think part of the problem is that a couple of the village trustees are in on it. Are they loyal to the tax payers or there beloved hose #1?

Anonymous said...

I think part of the problem is that a couple of the village trustees are in on it. Are they loyal to the tax payers or there beloved hose #1?

Anonymous said...

I think part of the problem is that a couple of the village trustees are in on it. Are they loyal to the tax payers or there beloved hose #1?

Anonymous said...

lets see Kozloski was a Hose 1'r
Fire Commissioner Potato Head is a devout hose 1'r
Amato is a firemen.
Who went to school with who and who is related to who?
and who always looks the other way?

Their just an over glorified social club themselves!

Anonymous said...

To who ever quoted the Hose 1 certificate of incorporation saying they are a village fire company bring it to the meeting.

Anonymous said...

This is Catskill...everyone is related to or knows someone who knows someone . Its not hard to play the 7 steps from Kevin Bacon game.

Anonymous said...

hell with just taking it to the meeting. send it to the newspapers and news channels!

VIVA LE VILLAGE OF CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY

Anonymous said...

Reading about what the old boys at Hose 1 are doing and seeing that the village trustees are letting them do it I feel dirty and disguisting.

I've been raped and so have all the rest of the taxpayers.

I know Chewins is a hose 1 guy but how can you cotten and Seeley stand by and let us get screwed without saying a word. You are just as guilty by doing nothing in my book.

Anonymous said...

let's take all this information and put it in a letter and send it to the village board, tax department, comptroller, IRS etc.

We should all sign it!!

Anonymous said...

now I know why Hose 1 didn't respond when I accepted their invitation to ask them the truth about what is going on. I'm really dissapointed as a taxpayer.

Anonymous said...

We can't just sit by and write notes to each other on this blog. If we want to change things for the better we have to have a meeting AND get non-fire company tax payers involved. Let's get this going.

From what has been written, the Hose 1 hommies aint going to threaten and intimaidate no one.

Are they going to resign from Hose 1 or resign from the CFC? We all show up at a village board meeting and make it clear that we have resigned from our former fire companies and force the hose 1 guys who still have director meetings to do the same. We force them to make a choice and we force them to make that choice in public.

We need to publically demand that CFC files the asset statement with the county clerk as required by law and publically demand that Hose #1 do the same.

We point out about the $135,000 that the village spent on junk and point out that Hose #1 hommies on the village board authorized this waste of taxpayers money and do it in public.

We need to ask about where the 3 year old turn out gear is and demand that it be accounted for in public.

Lets meet and get er going.

AMEN TO THAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Well I see hose 1 shut thier mouth's.Truth hurts almost as much as not being a fire co. and not having dist. chiefs.

Joint Coalition of Catskill Fire
Co. Members and Appalled Tax Payers
Against Corruption of Disbanded Former Hose Co. #1.

Anonymous said...

I want some to explain this to me. Are you saying that the membership of Catskill Fire company, which is in their words, controlled by people who still remain members of Hose #1, voted to pay Hose #1 $135,000 for chairs and an old stove etc? How can members of one group vote to make money for another group the belong to? I thought fire companies were not for profit? Where did this money come from? Taxpayer money? Was the village board a part of this?

I can't believe this is true.

What about the turn out gear that is missing. What is turn out gear? Where is this turn out gear? Who would have the answer?

Anonymous said...

That is exactly what happened! This is part of hose 1 conspiracy
to bankrupt the CFC in order to help hose 1 "reopen". Yes, it was money from the fire budget i.e. taxpayers money. I would also like to let you know hose 1 recently held it's annual dinner in which this money was used to purchase food and alcohol for it's members. What's funny is 98% of there members are not even active in the new CFC.
Why does the board allow this?
Some village board members
are also members of the CFC. They just turn their heads and look the other way.
Turn out gear is the clothing a firefighter wears to fight fires i.e. coat,pants,helmet,boots
Where's the missing turn out gear?
Ask Randy why "E.C." a former hose 1 member and CFC member kept his old and brand new gear when he recently moved to Virginia.
Also ask Randy why some of his fire house friends from other companies recieved gear courtesy
of the village fire dept.
You should ask the village board to have an inventory done. This is the air bags all over again.

Anonymous said...

I am outraged as a taxpayer that I donated money to Hose #1 at tag days and by attending breakfasts and dinners so that they could buy fire fighting equipment and yes, some creature comforts for the fire house and then they take the things bought with these donations, sell them and the money they got came from me as a taxpayer and then use that money to throw a party for people who aren't even members of the Catskill Fire company and who don't fight fires or deserve a tax payer subsidized food and liquor fest. It looks like I've paid twice. Once to buy the stuff and again to buy it from Hose #1. Talk about a taxpayer rip off.

I believed Hose #1 and thought that Stanley Dushane was wrong to go after them but after reading all this, I can see that he was right to do what he did.

As a taxpayer, I hope that the honest firemen who know what is going on will end this once and for all. Don't hide behind the wall of secrecy if you really care about the village and fire fighting.

IF YOU ARE NOT A PART OF THE SOLUTION YOU ARE A PART OF THE PROBLEM.

YOU HAVE MY SUPPORT AND WHEN PEOPLE REALLY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON YOU WILL HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE TAXPAYERS.

WHEN IS THIS TAXPAYER/HONEST FIREMEN MEETING GOING TO BE HELD.

Anonymous said...

Dont worry about a thing! When the fire companies submit their inventories you'll be able to obtain copies of their assets.

We know their was lots of brand new gear still in its wrappings. Infact, Hose 2 had an entire closet full of brand new gear. The Chief and Asst Chief also took all of the extra gear that Hose 5 had on main street.

where did it all go? Why did we order new gear when we had perfectly good gear to wear? Where ddid the money come for the turn out gear? Whose coffers are being raided?

Where is the new radio gear that was purchase per the $11,000.00 grant given by Steward. The fire commissioner complained about E 3-1 not having high band radio capability in it over two years ago. When is E 3-1 going to get it?

I hope were not buying new radios just so someone can stock pile the used radios for future use in Willeys Hose 1.

Who's responsible for accountability at the fire department?

Who's responsible for accountability within the village?

Will the NY State Attorny Generals Office come in and find out what the hell is going on in Greeneland or will they back away like last time; because its simply a loose loose situation with the public? Hose 1 cant hide behind sympathey that the general public had for all firemen following the 911 disaster.

Anonymous said...

This is the first time I am reading this BLOG. It has some good current events, but it seems like everyone in "Greeneland" wants to keep looking at the past and not into the future.

As far as the Catskill Fire Company/Department issues go, if you don't know what the hell your talkig about, don't talk at all. I was up late reading the 155 entries and all I got out of it was a "good laugh".

I got a big laugh at the comment that Hose 1 has "$135,000.00". If anyone really believes this you are dumber then that pile of rocks out on the street.

As far as belonging to two fire companies, NO member of the Catskill Fire Company belongs as "Active Members" of two fire companies. You can belong to as many fire companies as you wish (Associate, Exempt, Etc.), but can only be an "Active Member" of only one. Everyone keeps saying that the Catskill Fire Company bought all of just Hose 1's chairs and belongings and that is not the case. Hose 5 also made some money off the Catskill Fire Company when they sold some items to the new company. People want to bash just one side, lets really look at ALL sides.

As far as the Dushane lawsuit goes, the School District made a huge mistake by not FIRING Dushane when they had the chance. Now WE the Taxpayers have to pay $35,000.00 to him only because his friends are on the School Board (Garafalo, DiPerna, and Battaligno). Believe me there antics will end up hurting the school system just like it did the Village of Catskill and the Fire Department.

As far as you "Truth Detectives", you might want to ask some officers of the Catskill Fire Company what is going on and not just some members who want to cause disharmony within the rank and file. You are only getting one side and if you really want to be the "Truth Detectives" its time that you start "investigating" before you open your mouths.

If you want the truth maybe you should go to the firehouse and ask ALL Members and Officer and not just the ones who want to keep the pot turning. You might just be suprised at what you might find out.

Anonymous said...

Nice blog, to bad this isn't your first time blogging. I'm glad you got a laugh at the taxpayers expense. The whole county has been laughing at you the past 3 years.We'll see who's laughing after next years election.

Next who are you to talk as a taxpayer when you live in the town and don't pay village taxes?

We're dumber than a pile of rocks?
How many years of college do you have for your job title?

Ask the officers? All of them are related! Talk about a SPIN.

Hey, great job at the pavillion we saved everyone from the first fire made of water. We looked like a bunch of retards!

Joint Coalition of Catskill Fire Co. Members and Appalled Taxpayers Against Corruption From Disbanded Former Hose Co. #1 Task Force.

Anonymous said...

5.45 am post was an obvious ploy to pusuade people to not review the 155 Blogs.

way to go lie,denie, and make counter accusations!

Viva the Catskill Fire Company!!!!

Anonymous said...

IN REPLY TO ALL THE 158 REPLIES.

HAVE THE BALLS TO COME TO THE FIRE COMPANY OFFICERS AND DIRCTORS AND THE CHIEF'S AND LINE OFFICERS TO FIND OUT WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING ON WITH THE CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY.

Listening to a few members who want to be in power (those that were there before and will never be again or those that will never be)will not get you anywhere but one side of the story, and that side is lies and to misinform the public on what is going on within the Catskill Fire Company. It is these members who are driving the Catskill Fire Company down the dark road of distruction.

Contact any of the 3 Fire Chiefs or the President or any Officer to find out exactly what is going on and ask them how things are going. They will be up front and honest. (They were elected by the membership to speak on behalf of the membership and the company, not on there personal agenda's).

It should be the Firefighters to decide on what piece of apparatus is needed, and what color it should be, and what it says on the side. (Should say just Catskill Fire Company. NOT VILLAGE OF CATSKILL). Yes it is a Village fire company, but these men and women put there time and dedication and should have the name of there organization on the trucks to show the pride of the organization everytime they go out.

I think now is the time for the Village and Town of Catskill to step up to the plate and look into moving the fire service one step forward in consolidation by forming a Joint Fire District. This will take the Village Board out of the fire service and the Town Board will not have to negotiate contracts anymore. The fire company will then be run by a group of fire commissioners elected by the residence of the district. Every resident (Town and Village) will then pay an equal share and have an equal voice in the overall operations of the fire service. The fire company will then have to abid by the Board of Fire Commissioners that hold open meetings once per month and are elected by the people of the district for the people of the district. The fire commissioners set the budget for the fire department and own all the equipment used by the fire company. (THE VILLAGE BOARD STARTED THE CONSOLIDATION 4 YEARS AGO, LETS FINISH IT OFF NOW AND ACTUALLY MOVE FORWARD).

Its obvious to see that the Catskill Fire Company will be in need of a new firehouse VERY SOON. The construction is taking alot of room away and the fire house is getting cramped on the inside. You can see that when you go to village board meetings or breakfast held at the firehouse recently. (they are doing a good job with the breakfasts and keep up the good work. I encourage everyone to attend).

As far as Hose 1 goes, they are barely holding afloat and talking to some of the members they are fading fast, and with a little more time, they will slip totally away. It seems like everyone is just after Hose 1 to up and fold, I just hope everyone realizes that Hose 2 and Hose 5 are still alive as well. Neither of the 3 have actually disbanded. I DO THINK THE VILLAGE SHOULD GROW A SET OF BALLS THOUGH AND DISPAND ALL 3. THAT WILL SOLVE SOME PROBLEMS.

As far as these so called "truth detectives", DO US ALL A FAVOR, go back where you came from, all you are doing is stiring a boiling pot over. You bring up all of these negitive and bogus topics that have no bearing or no evidence to back it up. IF YOU DO IN FACT HAVE EVIDENCE, THEN YOU TOO SHOULD GROW A SET OF BALLS AND COME TO THE VILLAGE BOARD MEETING AND THE FIRE COMPANY AND AIR IT ALL OUT.

ONCE AGAIN, I DOUBT THAT WILL HAPPEN. ITS VERY EASY TO HIDE BEHIND A COMPUTER.

The problems arent where you think they are coming from, so just remember that when doing your "investigation".

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK CATSKILL FIRE COMPANY. THINGS WILL WORK OUT IN THE LONG RUN AND THE ASSHOLES WHO ARE OUT TO RUIN YOU WILL GET THERES IN THE END.

Anonymous said...

Interesting perspective and there is some merit to it but I'm not sure that the Fire District is such a good idea. Instead of paying $100,000 a year for fire protection, the cost to the Town will substantially go up and with only a couple structure fires a year, I'm not sure that they will go along with it.

Anonymous said...

Very nice blog 12:48 pm. I agree with alot of what your saying. However I also disagree with some.

1-All other vehicles owned by the village have the village name on them and the fire dept is no different.

2-The members had no choice in the color of the new truck, the truck committee is dominated by one family, which picked the color with no imput from the company. 4 out 7 members are related. Sounds like a conflict of interest.
Also majority of the members want the new rescue Lime Green, take a anonymous closed poll.You'll see or
are you affraid of red losing?

3-Majority of the line officers never come around so they have no clue what really happens. Look at the call logs. 1 Chief and 1 Lt. Show up on a regular basis. Thats 2 out of 6.

4-How can you go to a board dominated by hose 1 and one family?
They all talk behind our backs and make fun of us.

5-Why does village eta 3-11 still
say hose 1? That's not hurting the CFC?

6-Fire commissioners? Remember what happened in Cairo? You can't
give the problem any more power.

7- Joint fire district? The town stole our ambulance!Now our fire dept?

Yes finish disbanding all 3 former companies.

All active members of the CFC keep up the good work you will win in the long run. The lettering removed off of 3-11 will help begin
the healing process!

Good job by you too blogger at 12:48 pm. Even being a past member of both hose 1 & 5 you see the need to dissolve of 3 inc. Now we're going places.

Joint Coalition of Catskill Fire Company Members and Appalled Taxpayers Against Corruption of Disbanded Former Hose Co. #1 Task Force.

Anonymous said...

This is in reply to the blogger replying to my last entry.

1-All other vehicles owned by the village have the village name on them and the fire dept is no different.

NOT TRUE. The Catskill Police Department vehicles do not say "Village of Catskill Police". They say Catskill Police and have the NYS Seal. The DPW trucks say Village of Catskill Department of Public Works. They should say what the name is, not the municipality.

2-The members had no choice in the color of the new truck, the truck committee is dominated by one family, which picked the color with no imput from the company. 4 out 7 members are related. Sounds like a conflict of interest.
Also majority of the members want the new rescue Lime Green, take a anonymous closed poll.You'll see or
are you affraid of red losing?

Well if the membership didnt have a say in what color the new rescue truck IS going to be, that a SHAME on the ENTIRE membership for allowing just the "truck committee" to make that decision. Maybe the membership should stand up at the next fire company meeting and demand a secret ballot vote on the color of the truck and all future trucks for that matter. As far as the color, its a fire truck and if it does its job, I personally dont care what color it is, but fire trucks have are traditionally red. Maybe mix all three colors together and see what you come up with. As far as 4 of 7 members of the truck committee being from the same family, THAT WAS A CHIEF SPECIAL. That committee was made up by the Chief, not the company. When Hose 1, Hose 2, and Hose 5 had truck committees they were formed by the company and had to report to the company on the progress, and the company approved the final plans before they were presented to the Village so the ENTIRE COMPANY was on board. Then when the Chief and the Committe went to the village everyone was on the same page. DOESNT SEEM LIKE THAT IS THE CASE THIS TIME. WHY IS THAT? IF IT WAS GOOD FOR ALL THREE OLD COMPANIES, WHY ISNT IT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE NEW COMPANY? MAYBE WE SHOULD LOOK AT WHAT WORKED IN EACH OF THE OLD COMPANIES AND INSTILL SOME OF THOSE IDEALS INTO THE NEW COMPANY!

3-Majority of the line officers never come around so they have no clue what really happens. Look at the call logs. 1 Chief and 1 Lt. Show up on a regular basis. Thats 2 out of 6.

IF ONLY 2 OF 6 LINE OFFICERS ARE AROUND ON A REGULAR BASIS, THEN THE MEMBERSHIP NEEDS TO STAND UP AT THEIR MEETINGS AND PUT THEM ON THE SPOT AND ASK WHY THEY DON'T COME AROUND AND IF THEY DON'T CHANGE THERE TUNE, THEN THEY NEED TO GO AND PUT PEOPLE WHO WILL COME AROUND AND DO THE JOB CORRECTLY.

4-How can you go to a board dominated by hose 1 and one family?
They all talk behind our backs and make fun of us.

I THINK THE BOARD IS TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, BUT THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMPANY ISNT ALLOWING THEM. THE TALKING BEHIND OTHERS BACKS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE FROM ANY OFFICER OF THE COMPANY. IF THAT IS A PROBLEM, THAT TOO SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AT A COMPANY MEETING AND THAT OFFICER ASKED TO STEP DOWN. IF THEY REFUSE TO STEP DOWN, GET ENOUGH PEOPLE THERE TO FORCE THAT OFFICER OUT. THERE HAS TO BE A WAY TO STOP THAT.

5-Why does village eta 3-11 still
say hose 1? That's not hurting the CFC?

THE ETA-3-11 ISSUE AS I UNDERSTAND WAS HANDED OVER TO VILLAGE PRESIDENT VINNIE SEALLY AND HE DROPPED IT. THE TAXPAYERS SHOULD GO TO THE NEXT MEETING AND ASK ABOUT IT IN AN OPEN SESSION AND IT SHOULD BE DONE ON A SURPRISE.

6-Fire commissioners? Remember what happened in Cairo? You can't
give the problem any more power.

YES, I REMEMBER CAIRO, BUT I THINK IN THE LONG RUN THAT WILL BETTER THE ENTIRE FIRE SERVICE OF CATSKILL.

7- Joint fire district? The town stole our ambulance!Now our fire dept?

I AGREE WITH THE A PAID AMBULANCE SERVICE, BUT NOT THE WAY IT WAS DONE. THE VILLAGE AND TOWN WOULDNT HAVE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, IT WOULD BE ITS OWN DISTRICT.

Yes finish disbanding all 3 former companies.
I AGREE, THE VILLAGE BOARD CAN DO THAT VERY EASILY IF THEY GROW THE BALLS TO DO IT.

All active members of the CFC keep up the good work you will win in the long run. The lettering removed off of 3-11 will help begin
the healing process!

Good job by you too blogger at 12:48 pm. Even being a past member of both hose 1 & 5 you see the need to dissolve of 3 inc. Now we're going places.

Joint Coalition of Catskill Fire Company Members and Appalled Taxpayers Against Corruption of Disbanded Former Hose Co. #1 Task Force.

Anonymous said...

"Boofhead"??? What, are you stuck in the first grade? Sounds like someone can dish it out, but can't take it. It's time to get over being picked last for basketball in gym class!!!

Anonymous said...

Since only 5 of the posted comments have anything to do with The Secret Lawsuit, Im going off the subject too. I ask that everyone take a minute to remember Mike Baldwin who passed away December 8 2005. He was a long time fireman, a great Correction Officer, and a great friend.Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. We will miss you Mike.

Anonymous said...

God Bless Mike and all the other predeceased!

Anonymous said...

Have you all see the Capital District Christmas Lights at Washington Park in Albany?

Fantastic light display that will take you about 1 1/2 hours to drive through at $10.00 a car load.

I should mention that
They honored our very own Fire Commish with his own dedicated light display!

check it out, its right after the paddle ball display.

who ever reports back with the correct display on this Blog will recieve 100 "at-a-boys" for truth detective of the week!

We're waiting for your answers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Anonymous said...

To the 4:38 pm blog, awesome job.

As far as the truck color goes I remember a dozen or so firemen upset they were left out of this very important step in the CFC futur development. The heat was so strong that the president of the company held a vote on the color of the new uniforms and also advised us to write in the new truck color. This took place at either the end of a monthly meeting or immediatly after one.
The majority of the slips I saw were for lime green. Ironicly these
results never were released at the next monthly meeting. The vote was only held to shut up our upset BROTHER FIREMEN!
Now that this is confirmed by members who were present at these meetings, We the people ask the president of the Catskill Fire Company to have a closed election on the color of the new truck. Leave it simple with the choices
white over red or Lime Green. The people will decide. After the vote the out come is final and the issue will be dropped by all members. I am man enough to say if my choice loses I will support the PEOPLES choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How ever I will not stand for the chiefs dictatorship anymore.

Next: ETA 3-11, we ask the president of CFC to grow balls and start a petition signed by active members of the CFC to have the lettering removed off of 3-11. Then CFC can present this to the village board. You can even keep it anonymous were only the president knows who signed!

Keep up the good work!

Joint Coalition of Catskill Fire Company Members and Appalled Taxpayers Against Corruption of Disbanded Former Hose Co. #1 Task Force.

Anonymous said...

PS, Fire trucks are traditionaly
red, but alot of changes have come
since the first days of firefighting. Things that were of common practice before are no longer done because of safety issues for our BROTHER FIREMEN. Others are just not efficient.

Then: Bucket Brigades
Now: Hose line with task force nozzles.

Then: run into building with only a helmet,jacket, and hose
Now:SCBA'S to protect us from the very toxic smoke.

Then: Red fire trucks
Now: Lime green fire trucks

The choice is simple. Safety First.

Anonymous said...

Correction: Traditionally

I sound as bad as the 7:28pm blog by "C.T."

Anonymous said...

This is in reply to the 8:33 entry:

From what I have been told, the membership was left out of the decisions with the purchase of te new rescue truck, and the president of the cfc had those who wanted to take a "survey" to find out what color uniforms the membership wanted, and also just a survey, not a vote on the color of the trucks. MAYBE A CLOSED BALLOT VOTE SHOULD TAKE PLACE ON THE COLOR OF ANY NEW TRUCK TO INCLUDE THE NEW RESCUE TRUCK. The president or the chief shouldn't dictate on what color, if there is a color someone wants, that should be included in the vote.

As far as the Chief being a dictator, maybe you and others should stand up in a meeting of the fire company and stress this instead of doing it here and on the streets. IF THE CHIEF IS BEING A DICTATOR, THEN MAYBE HE SHOULD BE ASKED TO STEP DOWN.

From what i have heard the cfc has addressed the 311 issue with the village board on numerous occasions and is in the hands of the village board to take action. I dont think a petition would solve anything. If the village board wanted to handle the problem, they had more then enough time to take care of the issue. IT SEEMS LIKE FOR SOME REASON THE VILLAGE BOARD STOPPED THIS ISSUE. MAYBE THEY SHOULD BE APPROACHED BY THE PUBLIC AT A MEETING ABOUT IT.

Seems like the fire company can only do so much, and then it seems they are faced with so much resistance from the village, the chiefs, and the president and officers. This needs to stop.

Anonymous said...

Who controls the CFC web site at local firehouse.com? The call log hasn't been updated since 10-08-2005 yet pictures of hose #1 have been posted recently. Every parade the CFC has marched in some or all members had cream uniforms on. Why don't I see cream uniforms in the photo on the CFC web page? Oh wait, thats because its a picture of the late hose co 1. This clearly shows hose 1's priorities
are in hose 1 not the CFC.Why does the CFC allow this? Why doesn't the president of the CFC put an end
to it? CFC photos and memos only
on the CFC web site. Hose 1,2,5 Can
get thier own sites! Mr. president, you have been elected by the members of the CFC to represent them. It's time to put the past behind you and step up to the plate, grow some balls and put an end to all 3 former hose companies!!! Represent the people who put you in office and turn the CFC web site back into a CFC web site, not a hose 1 web site.

Anonymous said...

ETA #311: If it is in the boards hands, you had better take action because as the previous entries show, having this truck in Hose 1's name is part of the morale problem.

The Following enrty illustrates the problem:

Who still owns a truck? Hose 1 Inc. Still in our house? Yep. Still have majority control over the new company? Yep.

Step back all you angry firefighters. The East Side is a thing of the past. Where's E-31? Oh yeah on the back burner, in Hose 1's house, FOR SALE!

Make it one company and not one comapny and social clubs that think that they are fire comapnies before there is loss of life and property.

Second, The Catskill Fire Company is two fire comapnies and not one. This puts the residents at risk because there is little cooperation and more time is spent fighting for power than fighting fires. ETA-311 sitting at the East side station with the Hose #1 decal is a slap in the face and continues the have and have nots attitude. The village board MUST insist that all members of the Catskill Fire company resign from any other fire company or not be allowed to continue as a Catskill Fire Company member. It is the law and the reason for the law is to prevent exactly what is happening here in Catskill.

Anonymous said...

You can't change the stripes on a
tiger.

Once a thief always a thief!

Once a liar always a liar.

This is why we the taxpayers can't believe a word past hose one says.

What goes around, comes around!

Concerned Citizens for the Catskill Fire Company.

Anonymous said...

One of the three chiefs controls
the catskill fire departments internet page. As you all know
1 chief is from hose 5 and the other 2 are from hose 1. I don't
even know if the department has a clue about this site.

Anonymous said...

Cheech, Your being used by the very guys that you think support you. The guys you attacking are the ones that kept you in. A lot of the leadership wanted you gone. Oh-My-God the President and Vice President, Board members and Line Officers. It was us guys who stood by you because it simply isn't fare for Potato Head, his brother and others to get away with crimes and transgressions, and then you take the fall so the Board can look like its taking a stand.
You don't meet the prerequirements for being duely protected in the CFC.
Your not prior Hose 1,
Your not a Chewens,
Your not an Ormerod,
Your not a NY State Corrections Officer.
The above Heros were willing to throw you to the wolves. Tell you who we are? Well wouldn't The Village Board, The fire Company Baord, law enforcement community
the Chiefs all love to know. We are under cover and because were doing tha tax payers a service by finaly exposing the curruption and double standards here. Once the State and Feds come into investigate we are going to make it known. But for now we have to protect ourselves, our familys etc. We just don't know to what extremes the criminals will go when everything is exposed? Just look at Potato Heads demeanor. The fact that he has no conscience does not mean that he still is scared shitless.
Whatch your back because your hanging around with a swarm of hornets and the rattle snakes are biting at your legs.
PS Are you not surprised that your allowed back into the Officers room to read the computer now? They put up the sign to keep you out and now your welcomed back because your one of the few who defend them. If you only knew!

Anonymous said...

Pres, two great blogs defending the actions of the fire department elite? The public will see through your clever attempts to spin the truth and justify your logic. Your just like a camilion! Changing your colors along with your excuses.

Your comments raised the following questions:

Ask the Chiefs, line officers, Fire Commishioner Company President about whats going on? Were you not one of the original five Hose 1 thieves? Look at how much they have all covered up so far! Lets see;
Who covered the numerous alcohol related incident with the Chewens?
Specificaly who all covered up the assault incident with the DJ and everything surrounding it?
Assault and battery,under age drinking on village property,alcohol abuse, cover up, threats and intimidation, coersion, medical bills, lawyer and setlement fees? Wasn't it you stating every month at the fire meetings the entire incident is under investigation and no one is allowed to talk about it to include members? Cover up and now you want to claim hoensty and the truth?
When NY State Corrections sent a letter to the Fire Comapny Board asking what was happening wasn't it you that ran interfernce?
Of course your comments try to sound enlightening and honest, but its way to late to be preaching the gospel when you allowed it to go on and were part of it!

Anonymous said...

Would some explain about the heavy rescue truck? Is it equally useful in both the village where there are hydrants and outside where there are not?

What role does a heavy rescue vehicle play in fire fighting?

Anonymous said...

Finally! It's nice to see changes on the CFC web site. This proves the taxpayers can make changes and your voice is being heard.Keep up the good work. This is the first of many steps. We greatly appreciate you being a man about this.

You didn't have to put the hose 2 building on there, but it's a step
in the right direction.

The next step is to remove the "hose co.#1" from the last picture on the bottom of the apparatus page.

Keep up the good work!

C.C.C.F.C.

Anonymous said...

Most of what cheech said is true. The truck is great if the fire dept plans to expand into rope rescue, water rescue, confined space and other types of specialty
rescue.

However, for what the company has and does a rescue pumper is better for the taxpayers. You get two trucks in one. A rescue and a pumper. We don't have that much equipment and with that in mind, it could be placed on e3-21 which is a truck we already have. Talk about saving money, wow.

Anonymous said...

Why not use a panel truck for the cascade system and get another pumper if you must spend $450,000?

I quess the question is did we really need another truck?

Anonymous said...

No we didn't.

Anonymous said...

Address:
1 Central Ave

Catskill, NY 12414
• Map This Department

Emergency Dispatch Phone: 911
Business Phone: (518)943-2520 or 943-1673(Chief's office)
Fax:

Department Web Site:
Related Web Site:
Email:

About Catskill Hose Company No.1:
Catskill Hose Company No.1 Inc. proudly protects 5500 people living in an area of 22 square miles. We operate out of 1 station that protects a primarily residential area. Our department is a public department whose members are on a volunteer status.

Hose 1 was founded in 1902 to serve the people in the fire district outside village lines. Our major fire loads in the district include (3)nursing homes, (signal, two, and three story), a three story Medical Arts building, and two cement plants(only one is operating). It was the first department in Greene County to have a motorized piece of apparatus. Since then the company has continued to serve both the village (responding two pieces of apparatus) and the district with all six pieces. The company consists of 54 volunteer members with numerous life and assotiates members. At this time we have five 50 year members and one 60 year member. Our call volume has been increasing every year and we rank third in the county for out of service time and are in the top ten state wide. Calls to date:80 FIRST IN NAME, FIRST IN DUTY

Anonymous said...

A. M. Osborn Hose Company No. 2



Address:
PO Box 100 Main Street

Catskill, NY 12414
• Map This Department

Emergency Dispatch Phone: (518) 943-2121
Business Phone: (518) 943-3491
Fax:

Department Web Site:
Related Web Site:
Email:

About A. M. Osborn Hose Company No. 2:
A. M. Osborn Hose Company No. 2 proudly protects 4700 people living in an area of 2 square miles. We operate out of 1 station that protects a primarily residential area. Our department is a public department whose members are on a volunteer status.

1886, Grover Cleveland was in the White House and Colorado was just admitted as the 38th state. Thomas Edison had just invented the electric light bulb. It was less than 10 years since the last Union soldier returned home from the post Civil War and 10 years before the first successful gasoline driven auto would be built in the US. On June 7th, ten men met in the quarter of the F.J. Silsby Hose Co., which had been disbanded. The hose house was located on Bridge St. at the present site of the Greene County Court House. It was decided to form a new hose company and to name the company in honor of Austin Melvin Osborn, a prominent State Supreme Court Justice at the time. Clarence Deed was elected Foreman and the new company manned the two wheeled hand-drawn hose cart which had been used by Silsby Co. The present quarters of the company, located on Main St. across from the Court House, were built in 1904. It is interesting to note that the office of President was not created until 1909 when William C. O'Brien was first elected. The company was incorporated on May 20th of that year. For the past 112 years members of A.M. Osborn Hose Co. have served the community with pride and distinction. May the words and deed of those who have served in the past be an inspiration to those of us who now begin our second century of service.

Department Type: All Volunteer


Services Provided:

Firefighting
ALS Emergency Medical Service
Vehicle Rescue (Extrication)
Search & Rescue
Number of Stations: 1





Bookmark This Fire Department Profile for Easy Access:
http://departments.firehouse.com/dept/Catskill3NY

Anonymous said...

Former Village of
Catskill Hose Company No.1



Address:
Station is closed!

Catskill, NY 12414
• Map This Department

Emergency Dispatch Phone: Please
call the Catskill Fire CO.

Chief's office - No such thing as a district chief!


Department Web Site: shut down
Related Web Site: Greene ARC
Email: Jailbirds@closedfirestation.thiefs

About Catskill Hose Company No.1:
Catskill Hose Company No.1 Inc. use to protect 5500 people living in an area of 22 square miles. They did operate out of 1 station that protected a primarily residential area. Our department was a public department whose members where on a volunteer status.

Hose 1 was founded in 1902 to serve the people in the fire district outside village lines. Our major fire loads use to be in the district including (3)nursing homes, (signal, two, and three story), a three story Medical Arts building, and two cement plants(only one is operating). It was the first department in Greene County to have a motorized piece of apparatus. Since then we have been closed and five members have been arrested. The village of catskill now owns all of our stuff. The social club consists of 4 volunteer members with numerous life and assotiates members. At this time we are sinking fast. Our call volume has been decreasing every year and we rank last in the county for out of service time. Calls to date:0 FIRST IN SHAME, FIRST IN JAIL

Department Type: closed


Services Provided: none


Steal air bags
lie to taxpayers


Number of Stations: 0





Bookmark This Fire Department Profile for Easy Access:
http://departments.closedfirehouses.Dushane/CatskillNY

Anonymous said...

Hose 1 was founded in 1902 to serve the people in the fire district outside village lines.

Don't they get it that the INC. says in the first paragraph that they WERE formed to supress fires IN THE VILLAGE OF CATSKILL.

They are not and never were a town fire company.

Anonymous said...

Is it district chief or district thief?

Anonymous said...

I laughed hystericaly when someone stated the Fire Fighters decide what piece of aparatus they want to purchase and what color it will be and what it will say on its side? You agreed it was a village truck and then you claim that the firemen want to take pride in whats on its side. We are and always have been a village fire department bought and paid for by the Village tax payers. The majority of the fire fighters live in the village, so why take "the Village of" off the truck. You dont have pride in the Catskill Fire Comapny then get out! For better or for worse its the consolidated Catskill Fire Company. It was voted on and the majority won. If you all want your independant social clubs go on and quit we don't need anyone scheming to some how resurect any of the three fire companys. Look who led the charge for the cFc emblem for the new fire company. The instigators of this chose a Capital "F" to indicate their settements, F--K the Catskill Fire Company. So who's fooling who. And why was the "Village of "
removed from E 3-21 ? Who authorised it and who did it? Was this done to pretend that your still a district fire company or to apease the Town Board?

I clearly remember the statements made about once we get the Catskill Fire District, then we'll take over Leeds District, then Kiskatom and Palenvile.

You calculated the amounts we could collect from each district!
How could we consider screwing our fellow firemen I see what you mean about up front and honest.

You stated that the Joint Fire District was all part of the plan? What plan? WATCH out Leeds, Kiskatom and Palenvilles. They said the Town couldn't do it with the Catskill Rescue and look what they did. Considering the town and Hose 1 conspired in the past, I wouldn't put anything past them again.
I remember the statement that we'll be able to tax the Village and town for what ever we want. Just like the school. No one will have any say about what we ask for. Our budget will cover saleries,, equipment, new fire house and we the tax payers will have to pay for the scheme!

Dushane wasn't half so bad after all was he?

Anonymous said...

Remember who was on the Village Board when consolidation first happened, and who ISNT a member of the fire company today. WHY IS THAT?

Remember who was one of the Village Fire Chiefs when consolidation happened, and QUIT RIGHT AFTER NOT BEING REELECTED.

There are eight people who ruined the Catskill Fire Department. They are: Pat Delanoy, Mike Battaglino, Bo Berzel, John Coyne, Stanley Dushane, Ed Dolan, George Lackie, and Jim DiPerna.

They are the ones who back then had the plan to scheme to public and the firefighters.

MOST OF THE PUBLIC KNOWS THAT ALL THE EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSOLIDATION WERE ALL A BIG POLITICAL MESS. Maybe that is why the Democrates are running the Village now, instead of the Republicans. Maybe the Town of Catskill should take notice.

As far as talking about forming fire districts and taking over other districts, you have no idea of what the fire service laws are, or you would know that that would be imposible to do unless
EVERYONE wanted that, and that isnt something that any company in the Greene County is even capable of handling.

Yet again we are reading this daily comic that is full of lies trying to hamper the Catskill Fire Company. It is you why the Catskill Fire Company cant move forward.

Maybe the Village of Catskill should just disband the entire Fire Department and have no fire service for anyone. Seems like that is what certain people want. If they cant have there social club on lower main street or their engine on upper main street, why let the operations of the Catskill Fire Company improve under one roof. Everyone forgets what was good for all of the old companies isnt good for the Catskill Fire Company.

As far as bringing up things that happened a couple of years ago, that is falling on deef ears with the public. You are just making yourselves look like the cry babies you are. If you want to really get going on thing that happened in the past, we can really get going. Like one Village Chief using his cell phone to call 900 numbers, just as an example. How funny that nothing happened to him about that. (Dushane was Village Trustee then). The list can go on and on, but I will save some for a rainy day.

Those who live in glass houses, shouldnt throw stones!!!!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! i thought firefighters protected life and property, not steal property and taxpayers money!
Down with hose 1 and catskill fire company renegades!

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why you all can't see that "the public" and "the taxpayers" don't really care about all this as much as you guys do. Of course, if their house was on fire they would, but in general most don't.
You were all in seperate fire companies and were all like your own little families that have gotten thrown together, unwillingly. Of course, everyone thinks their former department was the best and the others were not as great as them. But of course, thats what you think about your own real families right?! Jesus, you people have to just let some things go. Good friends and even families are no longer because of a consolidation?!
I just wish that the few people that have to keep holding on to the past can learn how to let some of it go so the Fire Department can MOVE ON. All of the comments are obviously very heartfelt, but some of the more cruel ones are just by a few people who cant let it go and are ruining it for the members who would actually like to try and get along.
Maybe after you all read through all of these you will see that you are never going to be able to fix the past and focus on the future. What difference does it really make why there was a consolidation, there was , its over , move on.
How many of you were friends or acquaintances for years and years and now pass each other with out a glance just because you all had alot of pride in your fire companies that are now longer?
For everyones sake , please stop listening to the few trying to hold on and move on.

Anonymous said...

We need to stop trying to keep the old fire companies alive by having a couple 90 year olds act as "active" members and then have a majority of us continue to participate as "associate" members.

It is crazy!!!!!

When 2 families come together to create one, you can't have separate banks accounts etc or you never truly become a family.

We have to liquidate these corporation bank accounts and transfer any assets held by hose 1 2 or 5 to the CFC and stop meeting and voting etc at these social clubs pretending to be fire comapnies and start new loyalty and pride with the CFC.

For some of us it won't be too long before we are the old guys and the young guys in time, will run the company and they wont give two shits about Hose 1 2 and 5.

Let the companies die with dignity.

Anonymous said...

ETA-311 + M72A2 = problem solved.

ETA-311 + M136 AT4 = Problem solved from a greater distance.

ETA-311 + C4 + M60 = problem solved.

The math is simple.

Anonymous said...

If it were just the problem of holding onto the past I would agree. Most of us who came to the new company dont even care about the past. Most of these problems are not even due to the active firemen.
HOWEVER: When their are duble standards, the haves and have nots, and when the leadership is telling everyone that everything is great and a few malcontents are stirring up the pot, its just plain wrong. Just look at the department and you find something wrong. Dreadfully wrong. If you go to a company meeting and something is voted on that another group doesn't like they simply return the following month and change the vote.
When the membership voted against the boards double standards they scream that the membership is creating the problem.
Lets get a professional advisor to come in and discover what is good and bad. I'm sure a professional advisor would discover the root causes of the problem and not just the aparent result!
Will we allow the truth to be known? I doubt it. But any attempt by the company to improve the problems instead of attacking the whistle blowers would help the most. Cure the cancer not treat the head ache!

Anonymous said...

THE SOLUTION IS VIABLE!

Anonymous said...

WHO WAS THE HOSE 1 / NY STATE POLICE OFFICER WHO BORROWED THE cHIEFS cELL PHONE ON THE GOLF COURSE, AND MADE THAT PRANK CALL TO THE SEX LINE? AND THEN IT WAS USED TO ATTEMPT TO GET HIM IN TROUBLE! DIDN'T THE fIRE cHIEF GET CLEARED THROUGH A LAW SUIT HE WON.
OH YEA, I FOR GOT HE DID NOT HAVE THE FIRE COMPANY PAY FOR HIS LEGAL FEES AND BY THE WAY DUSHANE WAS NOT THE tRUSTEE YET, BUT THE TRUTH DOESN'T MATTER WHEN YOUR DEFENDING hOSE 1'S SOCIAL CLUB.

Anonymous said...

3:48 responder:

Do you like the new math?

Anonymous said...

He was cleared in court and the taxpayers or the company didn't pay his legal bills.

Unlike some of our other friends.

Anonymous said...

10:07 BLOG, Do you really think blaming the guys who are frustrated after two 1/2 years of one sided bullshit and have united to fight back are the real problems? I think the real instigators are the ones causing the problems that have led to the revolt and those of you who just sit back and dont have the balls to pick a side are really pethetic. Your either for the new consolidated Catskill Village Fire Company or your not. nothing worse than someone who ass kisses who ever is in power or promises them something. Oh theat paid fire department!

Anonymous said...

Viva Dushane, Viva Dolan, Viva Lackie, Viva Diperna!

Anonymous said...

VIVA POTATO HEAD!
VIVA OH-MY-GOD!
VIVA DOPEY!
VIVA "DON'T ROCK THE BOAT"!
VIVA "CAN YOU SMELL MY BREATH"
VIVA THE IMATES, WE MIGHT BE ONE SOON!

Anonymous said...

I am a taxpayer call me DI. If I don't read in the paper by March 1st, 2006 that Hose 1 2 and 5 have not liquidated their assets, I will check to make sure each company has filed a report of assets and debts with the Greene County clerk by January 15th as required by section 1402 of the Not for profit corporation law. If you have not, I will report you to the state of new york.

If you don't liquidate your assets, I will also report that you are not active fire corporations to the Comptroller, the new york department of taxation and finance and the IRS. Ask your lawyer what the consequences are.

The taxpayers do care and if you don't end it we will. Someone suggested let these corporations have a dignified death. If you get reported the death will be anything but dignified. Do the right thing.

Any one have a problem with this?

Anonymous said...

Your assets are from donations given with the intent that the donations would be used for fire fighting purposes and tax money given with the same intent. Since these corporations no longer engage in fire fighting activities they are being used contrary to the constructive trust that they are held in.

If the IRS, tax dept finds out, it spells TROUBLE

Anonymous said...

I'm seeingred that the money I donated for fire fighting and my tax money given to fight fires is in a bank account of companies that don't fight fires.

The Elks and the Masons to chariatable works like the shriners hospitals and Muscular Dystrophy, helping vets etc.

What Charitable deeds do you defunct fire companies plan on doing. You'd better do something other than spend it on parties and beer and other things that only benefit your members. There is no reason you are tax exempt if you don't actively, as a corporation fight fires or use your money for charitable purposes.

Anonymous said...

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. iTS OUR MONEY AND WE CAN USE IT ANY WAY WE WANT. WE'VE COLLECTED IT, WE'VE WORKED FOR IT AND WHO ARE YOU TO TELL US HOW TO SPEND IT! WE'VE USED IT IN THE PAST FOR LAWYER FEES AND LETS FACE IT WE CAN PROTECT OURSELVES AND YOU CANT TOUCH US!

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