Hypothetical Situations

This is just a hypothetical situation:

          Let's say a man gets a "stipend" ( a stipend is defined as "money")

of close to $ 8000.00 a year. Then let's say that the same man gets $ 12.00 

EVERY time he goes on a "fire " call. A fire "call" could be as reported in 

the Middlebury-Bee something as simple as four houses reporting smoke 

alarms that went off. As stated here before Middlebury gets a structure fire 

once every 16 months. Anyway, let's just say the same guy that gets the 

stipend gets $5,000.00 from this pot. Then let's say there is what is called 

an "incentive" fund whereby higher "ranking" guys with "more" 

experience get the lion's share of that fund even if they get a "stipend" 

and fire pay.  And it goes on and on.

          Our question is: Isn't a volunteer someone that gives up his/her 

time for no money?  We're sure a lot of the volunteer firemen fit this 

category, but does the "Chief" or does the Middlebury Fire Dept Inc. pay 

him for his "work"? Does he get paid more than $ 15,000.00 a year, 

counting the free car and free gas?

          How exactly is he a "volunteer"?

Even with FOI in hand Mr. DeAngelis can’t get it right.  He knows the MVFD has posted this information on their website, and the rest he has FOIed from the Town. Yet it is not sensational enough for him, so he is forced to create a “Hypothetical Situation.”  If the truth does not work, then maybe a hypothetical situation may.

The truth is, that the Chief receives a stipend of about $500.00 per month before taxes.  That is less than the Fire Marshall and the Animal Control officer. That comes to less than $6000.00 per year, not $8000.00.  Someone with an FOI in hand should have known that. But accuracy has never been the hallmark of Mr. DeAngelis’s Money Pit site.  

Mr. DeAngelis also claims that his ‘hypothetical” Chief makes $12.00 per call.  Again he was notified by the FOI representative that all Fire Pay records are posted on the MVFD website.   The actual number is $10.00 per call for the Chief, and $6.00 per called for regular members.  I believe the last time I checked, Woodbury was paying all volunteers $10.00 per call.  Middlebury just pays the Chief that.  More incorrect and misleading statements from Pat DeAngelis.

In a post 9-11 world where the responsibilities of Fire Chiefs have increased exponentially, this is a small price to pay for someone who is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. What’s next?  

“Anyway, let's just say the same guy that gets the stipend gets $5,000.00 from this pot. “

Open your eyes Mr. DeAngelis, you know where the information is.  It’s actually $2150.00, not $5000.00. The reason he receives that amount of money is because he makes over 70% of the fire calls. Only 6 members in a 65 member organization even make over 50% of the calls. The men and women in the MVFD are like everyone else.  They are busy with jobs and family, and we appreciate any time they can afford to volunteer. However making over 70% of the calls is truly extraordinary, and therefore is why the Chief’s fire pay is what it is.

Then let's say there is what is called an "incentive" fund whereby higher"ranking" guys with "more" experience get the lion's share of that fund even if they get a "stipend" and fire pay.  And it goes on and on.

Wrong again.  The incentive pay is based on performance and years of service and has nothing to do with rank.  The more calls and other events you go to, the more of the chunk of the pie you get.  If you don’t make enough calls you get nothing. Plain and simple. Fair and honest. The people who get paid the most out of this fund have put in more time throughout the year than the rest.  Nothing complicated about it.

If Mr. DeAngelis is going to cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars in FOI requests, I think it is only reasonable that he gets that facts contained in these requests correct.  The problem is that the actual truth is not sensational enough for Mr. DeAngelis, so he needs to make up “hypothetical situations” in order to try to fool his readers into thinking it is actually the truth.