Sunday, May 7, 2017

AT FIRE DEPT., A RASH OF PERSONNEL SUSPENSIONS



"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others..." from Animal Farm by George Orwell.
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    By Juan Montoya
    Add one more suspension of a veteran Brownsville Fire Department staff member to the growing list of personnel grievances under Chief Carlos Elizondo and his Asst. Chief Ernie Estrada.
    In the past few months, at least three grievances have been filed against the department's administration against the suspensions by the Brownsville Firefighters Association Local #970 leaders and this latest suspension will make it just one more.

    According to department sources, fire crews were sent to a grass fire outside Olmito Saturday and were battling the wind-assisted blaze when Asst. Chief Ernie Estrada showed up and rand directly to Capt. Margarito Gracia, a veteran firefighter who's seen his share of grass and structure fires in his long career. Estrada, on the other hand, has less than a year's experience as a firefighter.

    According to a handful of witnesses, Estrada confronted Gracia and demanded to know why he had allowed the fire to spread. But not only did he ask what he was doing to combat the flames, but he also confronted Gracia to the point where he was said to be interfering with the captain's abilities to direct his men to fight the fire. Gracia was said to have told Estrada – who was appointed Asst. Chief merely because of his friendship with city manager Charlie Cabler – to get away from him and let him do his job.
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    (In the photo at right, Estrada is the guy wearing the hat with his arms around Elizondo and Cabler at a paella competition.)

    When Estrada refused, Gracia called the Brownsville Police Dept. and asked them to remove him from the fire scene because he was harassing him. The cops showed up to calm the scene and no charges were ever filed against anyone there. When the crews returned to the station after the fire was put out, Gracia was surprised – as were the other firefighters – to find out Estrada had suspended him from the force.

    Now, remember this. Estrada was elevated to his rank from being a mere firefighter at the bottom of the hierarchy over drivers, lieutenants, and captains, and other personnel with vastly more experience than he had. Lacking this experience, he was placed in a position where he could wield immense power over the members of the fire department based on his political connections with Cabler.

    The first suspension that resulted in a grievance filed against the chief was heard by a labor mediator and we hear that the decision in that process will not favor the Elizondo administration. Yet another lurks in the wings concerning a firefighter who knocked down a neighbor's mail box with his private car and had made arrangements to fix it until a police report was made that came to Elizondo's attention and he suspended the firefighter.

    If that suspension is not upheld – and union officers say it will be overturned – this will set a sorry record of labor-management relations under Elizondo characteristic of the decision made by his predecessor Lenny Perez which Elizondo as union president was quick to criticize. And with a growing clamor for Elizondo to either quit his job or resign from his position as trustee at the Brownsville Independent School District, he will remain in the glare of public scrutiny of his own doing.

    19 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    About fuckin time! These lazy-ass firemen need to be taught a lesson. Fire the fuckers! Beginning with Elizondo!!@!@!!!

    Anonymous said...

    Estrada is an asshole who isn't qualified to hold the position as deputy chief of anything....just a compader of Cable, another man who has a position for which he is not qualified. This is how Brownsville is managed; just a group of asshole compadres wasting tax dollars to protect their own vanity. And, for all these assholes, we can blame our Mayor and the commission.....waste, fraud and abuse at it's best.

    Anonymous said...

    How disappointed in this administration, it's all about politics

    Anonymous said...

    How can they put ANYONE on leave in that Dept? HOW?

    If the Leaders don't follow the rules why should anyone?
    Do the rules in the city only apply to the hourly?

    So, how can anyone be suspended or reprimanded for not following rules? Tell us, which rules are we supposed to follow? who is exempt from rules?

    If the city council allows the chief to break the rules...the message HEARD is rules are optional.

    Building permits? Now optional
    Health Inspections? Nah..don't want one today. Optional.
    Parking meetings? Optional.
    Any city ordinance? Optional.

    Anonymous said...

    pussies, all pussies. Any cop could kick their ass!

    Anonymous said...

    Puros compadres that's how you get a job there as a firefighter they are always all drunk on the job making a move to married women how sad .

    Anonymous said...

    How times change back in the 70's and 80's most firemen had all the the respect cause they earned it now they are a joke but you know what the problem is they are all related in some sort of way that they thinl they are untouchable which in reality they are.

    Anonymous said...

    If Elizondo had a little crease in the top of his head, he would look like the DICK that he is.

    Anonymous said...

    Elizondo should leave...Fire Fighters are a disgust, bad for the community. We don'trust them. We don't trust the police Dept. We will never help PD..,

    Anonymous said...

    LOOK LIKE THE 5 MUSKETEERS!!!!

    Ben said...

    Every Anonymous comment alleging to know the inner working of the Fire Dept. is completely wrong. Put up or shut up. P.S. You wouldn't make a pimple on a firefighters ass you cowards.

    Anonymous said...

    Cabler's boyfriend needs to get off the city payroll. Now.

    Anonymous said...

    Elizondo is in panic mode, Estrada and Carlos were back and forth with William Garza working on a strategy to beat Munguia. William Garza and his little pets were convinced that they could propel Elizondo to the City Manager position and promised his son a fire fighter job. This is common fact and now both Elizondo and Estrada are trying to make up for their miscalculation.

    Anonymous said...

    Making Moves on Married women, HAHAHAH more like single women showing up to the fire station to meet up with the married firemen. Right Carlos? Miss Rachel, remember?

    Anonymous said...

    Is about issues with bfd or bpd I'm confused with your gripe

    Anonymous said...

    You sir are correct!!

    Anonymous said...

    Dam your way off!! Get your facts straight

    Anonymous said...

    THESE TWO BETTER CALM DOWN WITH THEIR "AUTHORITY". SOMETHING BIG IS COMING THEIR WAY. THEY BETTER LEAVE WHILE THEY CAN.

    Anonymous said...

    Nothing in this blog is way off or on the mark.

    It attempts to be journalistic but its more of gossip blog, so anything goes.

    Como la Chapoy but in Brownsville.

    rita