Local History

Regular readers of this BLOG know I enjoy history. I have to tell you, JWC over on "Explore the Shore" BLOG has put up some interesting facts and photos about Delmarva recently. A link to that BLOG is in my link list on the left side of the main page.

Another interesting site was sent to me by a friend and is well worth a look. The site is called "Penny Postcards" Open the site, click on your State, then click on your county or parish and you will see a fine collection of old postcards from your neighborhood. Click on any card to enlarge it. Go here:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html

Enjoy!

SFD Training in the Past Updated

I was able to place a couple names with the faces on the ealier Post. Go there to check the update.

Amazing Skater

Holy Cow!

Check out this young lady!

http://www.glumbert.com:80/media/koreanfreestyle

Funding Facts of the SFD

Albero has recently gone on another narrow-minded rant concerning the fire dept and has successfully hornswoggled from his phantasm followers a series of comments and questions that he cannot answer. Why you ask? Because as usual his investigative skill is non-existent, rather his focus is only “hits” which in reality mean nothing, and being able to scoop any other media or BLOGer desiring to be fair and un biased.

One issue at hand is the inclusion of a banquet hall and commercial kitchen for the purpose of fund raising in the new fire station/headquarters. First of all the city does not rent out it’s buildings. It is not proper for the city to do so and to compete with other entities in the city that depend on such uses for their existence. There is an argument that other fire department in the county do this to earn money but one must bear in mind these departments and corporation own those buildings. In the City of Salisbury the building is owned by the city, not the corporate fire dept. Another question brought to the table is that of fundraising of any sort. It took a little legwork but the answers to that question go back well before anyone reading this can remember. It seems in time past, and I am referring to the 1930’s and before, the fire department in Salisbury did indeed hold a carnival to raise funds. Please bear in mind the City of Salisbury was much different than it is today with it’s population and merchant base. It seemed that many of the merchants lost revenue during carnival time and this created quite a hardship for their existence. Know also the merchant base in the city was often owned by the same people in the city government at the time or least had family who shared in commerce and government, many of the same people also had firm interest in the fire department. The quandary was simply this—the carnival hurt the merchant base. The merchant base pays taxes. If the merchant base left the city or closed its doors a significant revenue base would be lost. Without the revenue and merchant base the city would fade from existence. With the merchant base and the population it attracted the fire dept could not raise money with a carnival or any other event for that matter. As you can see this is becoming quite vicious series of catastrophic events for all concerned.


In as much a meeting was held between members of the city and the fire department and it was agreed the city would take over the purchasing of fire department equipment in order to ease the burden of fundraising for the fire department. It was agreed at this point the fire department would then seek annual voluntary donations from the citizens in the form of a letter campaign, a custom that continues to this day. For many years the fire department purchased insurance for the equipment bough by the city, but at some point the insurance companies decided not to honor this policy and the city ten picked up the premium for insurance. It is unclear exactly when this occurred but today I believe the city is self insured for the equipment it owns.

The funding for the Salisbury Fire Department is in many forms. Each source of funding has specific guidelines on how the money can be spent and on what. For instance, there is a fund known as “The County Fund”. This fund earmarks money specifically for equipment. Not capital equipment such as Engines and trucks, but items such as breathing apparatus, hand tools, generators etc. Each fire department in the county receives this money annually. Than there is the “508 Fund” This fund is an annual allotment from the state of Md. This money must be kept in a separate account from all other funds garnered or earned by the department. Along with this is the “County Matching Fund”. This fund matches the 508 money and is earmarked for capital equipment. The matching fund I am told is a “Use it or Lose it” fund. Money from this source is not to be set aside for the following year or to be used for investment purposes.

“The Lacey Fund” comes from a generous personal gift made to the Salisbury Fire Department several years ago. This money, I am told is under the control of the Community Foundation and each of the three stations in Salisbury receive a quarterly dividend from this fund.

The letters sent out each year requesting donations is a continuation of the original agreement between the city and the fire department back in the late 20’s or early 30’s. These are the donation envelopes Albero is urging everyone to throw away. Throw them away if you like but the end result is the citizens will be the ones to suffer.

An executive board with in the department distributes the tax money received by the department. This board consists of 6 Assistant Chiefs from the 3 Salisbury Station who meet with the volunteer Deputy Chief who acts as liaison with the Chief of the Department in order to allocate the expenditure of these funds. Donations from the public are supervised by the volunteer organization receiving such. Contrary to the belief of some of Albero’s disciples the Mayor does not hold the purse strings of tax generated revenue or charitable donations. Although it sounds as if the department realizes much tax revenue, the money received is really quite small compared to the operating budget. This is true with all departments in the county and this is why donations from the public and support of fund raising events are so critical.



None of the players in this original agreement are alive today and the information I have gotten has come from a number of sources and records. To the absolute best of my knowledge the above statements are true and correct. If I have made any errors I invite corrections with verification and I will gladly post the same. Nothing I have said here is privileged. Anyone, including Albero and his cohorts are welcome to seek out and question reliable sources with-in the SFD for clarification on any financial issue and use of tax money in its charge. One final piece of information I can offer here is a small section from the City Charter. Section 2.16.040, ss B, and items 6-8 it states:

6. Use all tax funds received by the volunteer fire company to assist in the operation of the fire department. A volunteer executive board comprised of assistant fire chiefs (volunteer) from each volunteer fire company and the deputy chief (volunteer) shall manage the expenditure of these funds in consultation with the fire chief to assure the expenditure is for fire-fighting and emergency medical response needs of the fire department. Solely the volunteer fire company shall supervise the expenditure of charitable donations received by a volunteer fire company;

7. Provide an annual financial disclosure statement, tax returns and audit report in such detail as the fire chief requests to enable the city to ensure accountability for the expenditure of tax funds;

8. Not conduct any fund raising activities of any kind on city property or with use of fire department apparatus or equipment without the written approval of the fire chief. The fire chief shall be notified of all fund raising activities.


A copy of the city charter is on the city website and is available for all to read.

Jasmine

This is Jasmine. Jasmine is nine years old and is an absolute sweetheart. Today she brought her owner, F/F Rob Frampton to work at Station 16.

Ever vigilant Jasmine kept a pretty close eye on all the commings and goings of the firehouse and made sure everyone stayed in line. Believe me, thats a big chore for just one dalmatian but Jasmine does it well.

Meet Sophie

This is Sophie! Sophie is an English Mastiff and is owned by my younger sister and her husband. Sophia was found abandoned and abused in Kansas City. It took quite a while to catch her as she was very frightened of people. When she was capured she was turned over to a rescue organization called "Mastiff Hope". Several attempts were made to place Sophie in good homes, but for various reasons things didn't work out.

My sister made contact with Mastiff Hope and it was agreed she would take Sophie. In May of 2007 my sister and brother-in-law left Millsboro Delaware and headd for Indianapolis to meet Becky Barnhardt of Mastiff Hope and to meet Sophie. It was love at first sight. Two days later Sophie was home in Millsboro.

Sophie has adapted very well. She gets along quite well with my sisters other dog and cat. Sophie weighs in at about 140 pounds and she insisits on being a lap dog and a couch potato. She is still a little skittish of strangers but with a little patience she will make friends with anyone. She is quite playfull and a joy to watch when she romps in the yard.

Are you interested in a pet? There is a lot of rescue organizations out there trying to place all kinds dogs and cats. Please take the time to look into a rescue animal either at the local pound or rescue service. Rescue services can be researched on the internet or check with the local kennel club. There are some really good pets to be had this way.

I tell folks that Sophie was real lucky my sister found her.
My sister says she was the lucky one one to find Sophie.

SFD in the Past

How far back does this one go?

Pictured here is is a horse drawn steam operated fire engine that was once in service for the city of Salisbury. More specifically this is an 1879 Silsby Steamer. It was damaged and rebuilt in 1899 by the American Fire Engine Co. This piece of equipment is still in the possesion of the Salisbury Fire Department and is currently stored/displayed at the Chesapeake Fire Museum in Hebron MD. It will move to permanet display in SFD heritage Center Museum when it opens later this year in the new fire station on Cypress St.

Judging by the automobiles in the background this photo probably dates to the 1960's The lot where you see the cars parked is the current location of the parking garage across Market Street from Headquarters Fire Station, (Station 16).

Engineers operating this piece could "get up steam" in a matter of minutes when an alarm was struck. Usually by the time the steamer arrived at the fire there was enough steam built up to begin pumping and supply water to the hose lines. The boiler was usually fired with soft coal. Once up to steam the boiler could continue to be fueled with coal or wood. This piece of equipment had the ability to get it's water from a hydrant system or operate from a static source such as a pond or a river. The only other thing needed to keep this thing in service was a little clean water, a few tons of oats and hay for the horses, and a shovel to clean up the exhaust products.

This steamer has never been functional in my time with the fire dept. My Dad was a boilerman in the Navy and offered his services at one time to repair the steamer and get it into working order. The Chief at the time was very receptive to Dads offer but due to the fact that pieces for repair would have to be custom made and finished it was decided to leave things as they were. I do know that over the years some repairs have been made to the tongue, axles, and wheel hubs as well as some custom restoration on the wood finish on the wheels.

I have been told the horses used for this steamer had a dual purpose for the City. They were used to tow the city's sanitation wagon each and every day in different areas of the city. When the alarm was struck, (signaled by the bell recently removed from Station 16) the driver of the sanitation wagon had to un-harness the horses and turn them loose. It's my understanding the horses knew what the tolling bell meant and on their own would run to the firehouse in order to be hitched to the steamer.

Please remember, the city was far from being the size it is today and it is very conceivable the horses could hear the bell toll and could realize the need to return the firehouse.

I'm not sure who owned the horses pictured here but I am sure they were borrowed or rented for what ever event the steamer was participating in when this photo was taken, more than likely a parade. Many times over the years the Salisbury Babtist Temple and Reverend Oren Perdue donated their horses for parade use and for that the SFD is eternally grateful.

Once again---Thanks to BC for the photo.

Salisbury Fire Department in the Past

Here is a couple more photos from Salisbury Fire Departments past. Once again I remember the incident but not the date.

I am not sure of the reason for workers being on scaffolding on the old section of "Peninsula General Hospital", but there was a failure of one of the cables used to suspend it. One of the workers on the scaffolding fell about 30 feet when his personal safety equipment did it's job and arrested his fall. This part of the old building was about 5 stories high.

Salisbury Fire Dept responded and Assistant Chief Tony Sterling and Lt. Bill Schneider assended the ladder to free the worker from his harness and assist him to the ground.

Chief Sterling is wearing the dark Shirt and the white helment and Lt Schneider is in the white shirt.

I will try to get a better time frame of when this happened and with any luck possibly a solid date.

The ladder truck used in this rescue was a 1973 American LaFrance
1000 series chassis, with a 100' aerial ladder. The approx. cost of this vehicle new was about $250,000. That was a lot of money in 1973. About equal to $1,000,000 today. Do you suppose the victim of this incident really cared about cost that at this point?



I suppose it's a good thing Albero wasn't around to "watchdog" expenses back then, or this gentleman might still be hanging on the side of the building. No doubt Albero would have insisted the victim put a personal finacial contribution towards the vehicle cost, much the ways he insists only those in need of a fireboat purchase that piece of equipment.

Thanks BC for this series of pics.

Darwin Award Candidates

It has been said "There is Always an Exception to the Rules"

Well--here is the exception to my rule about calling names.



IDIOTS!

Salisbury Fire Dept. In the Past

I had to bring this one to the top. It seems there may have been some question about this fires location and the engine in the picture. After a second look my self I had to admit that the engine in the photo was not E-8 as I first stated, and maybe this was not a Salisbury fire after all. Still, something was nagging at me because the person that sent these to me would not have really been that interested in a fire that Salisbury was not part of, and I still had a personal memory of this event.

Soooooo, I did a little legwork, looked at some photographs, talked to several people and I feel now I have a very reliable desciption of the engine in question and the fire. First of all the fire did occur on Pemeberton Dr in the mid 70's. That part was correct. The engine in the photo is really somewhat unique. Originally it was a 700 series, 1950 American LaFrance Foamite 750 gpm pumper. In 1970 Saunders Carey and Donald Records removed the hosebed and much of the equipment and converted the pumper to a tanker holding 1200 gallons of water. Now again my memory is a bit misty, but this truck was taken out of service in January 1979 when it was replaced with a 2000 gal GMC chassis tanker with a front mount 750 gal. Hale pump. That Tanker was wrecked on it's maiden run going to the airport. The tanker above was put back in service and was used for nearly a year until the wrecked truck was rebuilt. The truck in the picture was bought by a local insurance agent with plans to restore it as a pumper. That never happened and it's whereabouts now is unknown.

Thanks again BC for the photo.

Having a Bad Day

Ever have one of those days when you should have stayed in bed?

I was doing an errand for a friend of mine and out of nowhere, BANG!

No one was injured and damage was at a minimum. It's just a real inconvenience.

Such is life. It could have been a lot worse>

I'm "Spreading the Love"

Albero has once gain proved himself to be a horrendous liar. How many times has he sworn to not visit anti-Albero sites and yet he is full aware of the links I have listed on this BLOG. Albero claims I am promoting the FUJA website. I am not sure a link to the site qualifies as a promotion, but if he sees that way it’s O.K. by me. I provided a link to the site just as I have provided links to many others at the request of the site owner. Other than providing a link I have said nothing on my BLOG about it. I do not display any of the products pictured on my vehicles or my person, nor do I intend to.

Obviously Albero’s hits are down and he has few comments of late and in as much he is in desperate need of an ego boost. He seems to have accomplished that by singling me out. I am happy for him.

I must point out however that Albero continues to allow anonymous posters on his site. This is a practice he abhors when the comments are not in his favor or if he construes the content of such post to try and prove his tilt of the truth.

Let me briefly respond to those who have commented.

Anonymous 9:27
I certainly hope you can prove more than you are saying about little boys and me. If I was caught please be sure and post all pertinent information including arrest records court dates and disposition. I wouldn’t want to miss anything. Before you waste your time searching let me assure you nothing of the sort has ever happened. On second thought---search away. Just be sure to post what you find out and be able to back it up with hard facts. I hear a lot of silence in your future.

Old fisherman.
Please go back as far as you like on my BLOG and find where I have ever used foul and vulgar language. It doesn’t happen on my BLOG. I have occasional allowed mild oaths if the overall comment has merit but I do not use, nor will I allow vulgarity on my site just for sake of intimidation. And you should know as well, the only name I have ever called Albero is “Albero”. If that offends the man than he should get his name changed through the proper channels.

bury_voter
Do you even know me? I doubt it, but if you do please clarify your comment based on personal knowledge in such a way that I will know whom you are. Your dependence on what you read on Albero’s site manifests your invalidity.

Anonymous 11:11
Who got rid of me? Surely I missed something there. I have never hated See & Gordy. Please provide some proof of that statement. I have know both of them for better than 30 years. In that time we may have had some difference of opinion but any of that was worked out in a civilized manner and the difference was never of the magnitude to affect our friendship. How am I in bed with them now? That statement implies I have something to gain by associating with them. What is it they can do for me? What am I trying to accomplish? Please elaborate, maybe you will set me on a course for untold wealth with them.

I invite any one to e-mail me and ask questions forthright. I will even meet you somewhere publicly and buy the coffee if you wish to talk face to face. I have nothing to hide.

Know this as well. Albero is using each of you. He knows just where to fall short in his posts of being slanderous, but he allows each of you to do so with anonymity. That says little for your fortitude and even less for what you perceive to be friendship with Albero.

And in closing I have one question for all of you, including Albero. The day the picture of me was taken was the day the bell was removed from Station 16 firehouse. I stood in the general area of where this photo was taken for nearly two hours and possibly longer. At one point Albero and I were but a few feet from each other as evidenced by a photo I took of the bell with Albero's face in the picture. That photo is posted on this BLOG. If this FUJA link on my BLOG was so offensive to him, why did he not have the courage to question me face to face right then and there?

Station 16 Bell

I just recieved this picture in an E-mail. Apparently McShane Bell Foundry is not wasting any time in restoring the bell removed from Station 16 yesterday.

It looks as though the bell has been at least through the first step of cleaning.
The names on the surface are much clearer now and it appears as if the severe weathering has been removed. My guess is this was done with glass beading or sand blasting.

I hope more photos will come my way as the work progresses. I will post as much information as possible concerning the progress of this project.

Historic Bell Removed From Station 16

Early this morning work began on removing the 1500 lb bronze bell from the tower at Fire Station 16 in downtown Salisbury. This bell was forged in 1914 at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore Maryland. McShane Bell Foundry has been in business for 146 years and is the last remaining bell foundry in the United States. The bell is being returned to McShane for restoration and will be placed on display at the new Station 16/Headquarters on Cypress Street.
The restoration process will be done at the foundry in Glen Burnie Maryland and should take between 6 and 8 weeks.

It has been a long time since the bell actually sounded an alarm for the volunteers. Air horns, plectrons (home monitors) and pagers have replaced the the bell as an alert system. The function of the bell in recent history was that of honoring deceased members of the department during their funeral. As I understand it, the bell will continue to serve in this capacity at it's new home.
At one time the tolling of the bell for a departed member was quite an undertaking. The general plan was for the bell to begin to toll when the funeral procession left the funeral home and stopped tolling when the the procession arrived at the cemetery. The trick was this---the bell must toll once for each year of the members life, starting and stopping at precise moments. This meant that prior to the funeral someone needed to drive the route several times to try and figure out how long it took to make the trip, then divide that by the members age and thats how many seconds between tolls the bell had to be rung. It took two people to make it work, one with a watch, and one to ring the bell by hand. The bell ringers were notified by radio when to start the tolling and with any luck the last toll would be on cue at the arrival to the cemetery.

Due to the difficulty in making this work properly I an told the policy has now changed. The accepted toll with-in the fire service for a deceased member is 5-5-5-5, and that has now been adopted by the SFD.

The last such honor was for Firefighter Michael McMullen, who died in the line of duty in Iraq serving our country in the Maryland Army National Guard. Sgt. McMullen was thus honored by the tolling of this bell two years ago on January 20th 2006.

5-5-5-5 Sgt McMullen. You are not forgotten.

I

The Bell Rides to the Ground.

The bell clears the tower. This crane operator was really on the ball.

I guess I should say the entire crew was really a cracker jack bunch of guys. This 1500 lb piece of bronze left it's mounting and then the tower and hardly even swayed. It was lowered to a waiting semi and set down so gently you could not see a single shiver in the trailer.

Quite a sight to behold!

Air Horns Removed

Prior to the bell being removed the air horns also in the tower had to be removed.

For as long as I can remember the massive air horns at Headquarters (Station 16), were used to alert the Salisbury volunteers. These things were loud! I'm not sure when the horns were put in service but as the city grew it was necessary to increase the audible alarm system to summon volunteers. These horns could be heard for miles in any direction. Today it was necessary to remove the horns in order to remove the bell for restoration.

I'm sorry to say that the horns may never again sound the alarm for Salisbury Fire Department. Another tradition lost to technology.

Automatic Bell Ringer

Also removed today was the automatic bell ringer.

This assembly is the pedestal for the automatic ringer. Notice the hammer on the lower right hand side?

This pedestal sat in the upright position beside the bell and the hammer struck the bell on the outside surface in a pre-determined code. The City was divided into districts with each distric having it's own code or series of rings. In this manner the volunteers would know in what area of the city to respond to the alarm.

Also, the bell had an internal clapper that could be rung by hand when needed. The rope for this ran all the way to the engine room floor and was hidden from view in the ceiling of the radio room. To access the rope one needed to get a step ladder and move a ceiling tile to one side. Mostly this was used for funerals as I explained in an earlier post.

Side 1 of the Bell

MAYOR
B. FRANK KENNERLY

COUNCIL

J. EARNEST JONES

GEO. R. HITCH

E. J. G. PARSONS

L. THOMAS PARKER

EARNEST L. WHITE


McSHANE BELL FOUNDRY CO. BALTIMORE MD.

As I understand it the letters on the bell are not in the original casting. Instead they are made seperately and then brazed to the bell. Over the years some of the letters have fallen off. Lost letters and severe weathering makes it difficult to read all the names. I am not sure if the missing letters will be replaced during restoration. That will left up to the membership committee heading up this project and on the recomendations of McShane foundry.

I am told the process for restoration is quite uniqe and involves the use of horse manure. If I can find out more about that I shall certainly let you know. I am also informed the bell, when finished, will be polished and clear-coated so that it's beauty will be preserved for years to come.

SFD Bell---side 2

Side 2 of the bell

PURCHASED THROUGH
F. A. GRIER & SONS
JANUARY 1914
FOR
SALISBURY FIRE DEPARTMENT
COMMITTEE ON FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS

A.R. LOHNER

G. E. SERMAN

FRED A. GRIER JR

JNO. W. BRITTINGHAM

I certainly hope this is accurate. I neglected to write this info down and it is not easy to read in these photos. Again, as soon as I can verify I will correct any errors.

Wicomico Yacht Club Turkey Shoot

Another turkey shoot this past weekend at the Wicomico Yacht Club. Sorry the say neither the wife or myself were able to win prizes this time. Competition was pretty stiff too! Pictured below you'll see the targets we use there. It's a 4" X 4" piece of poster board and the idea is get at least one pellet closect to the little dot in the center.
The top picture is one of my targets. Would you believe that is a second place target? Look close and you will see 2 pellet holes on either side of the dot, however the dot is still intact. The shooter that won this round had completely punched out the dot on his target and only had nine pellets on the card! The number of pellets don't really count for anything but the more pellets you put on the card the better chances you have of winning, at least in theory.

It's mostly just luck! But we have a lot of fun and spend the day with people we whose company we enjoy. The good news is, I did get enough second place points to tie the leader for over all winner in March. We will just have to see how that goes.

Ahhhhh---- the agony of defeat.

Words to Ponder

This from "Mountain Wings.com"

The Bum
========
You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats
those who can do nothing for him.
James D. Miles

Everyone respects and helps the millionaire, the famous, the boss,those with beauty and brains. What about the bum on the street? This is a real story. It happened to me, the writer ofMountainWings.com.

I was parked in front of the church cleaning out my Jeep. I was waiting on someone. Coming my way from across the street was what society wouldconsider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes,and no money. There are times when you feel generous but thereare other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the wall in front of the bus stop to wait onthe bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty Jeep," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard keep more than his face warm. I said,"thanks," and continued cleaning out the Jeep. He sat there quietly as I worked.

The expected plea for moneynever came. As the silence between us widened something inside said,"ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the innervoice. "Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for busfare, but enough to take a cab anywhere in the city and get food and shelter for the day.

Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.

You never know when you may see someone who appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see. Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise,to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves. Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum,then said, "go minister to that man cleaning the Jeep, that man needs help.

"Don't we all?

~A MountainWings Original~

Comments are not Hits-------HUH?

Albero certainly has his panties bunched up over a city vehicle being at Bill Gordy's place of business in Delmar. At the risk of sounding like Albero I respectfully ask---so what? The man is a volunteer chief officer and is on call. One of the perks to the position is that he has a vehicle to respond in. It should be made perfectly clear he does not respond to every single alarm struck in Salisbury. The alarms he would respond to would certainly be of some magnitude, which is not an everyday occurrence.

But let’s get to the real gist of his post. It’s been a couple of slow days for Albero and his hits are down. He knows a post about the fire dept is the magic key to up the ante on hits so he creates this supererogatory situation asserting malfeasance on the part of Chief Gordy. He extends this crookedness to include the Chief of Department and the Mayor.

Instantly his comment numbers increase, indicating that his “hits” are over the top. When called out on the fact that he only post negative comment to get hits he boldly proclaims:

joealbero said...
"Comments are NOT hits, you Idiot! I don't know what fool told you that but there's at least two of you now."


Now I have never claimed to be the smartest person on Earth but it occurs to me a “hit” on a site takes place when someone clicks on the address for the site and in essence signs on to it even if just for the entertainment factor. Now, in order to comment on a site you first must sign on to it and if you sign on to it you have created a “hit.” Therefore I would venture to say comments constitute “hits”.

If I were wrong would someone please explain it to me? I must agree with the comment proclaiming the negativity serves but one purpose and that being to create hits and comments. And it should also be noted that the manner of the comments again holds quite a resemblance to the inherent ramblings of Albero himself.

Things that make you go Hmmmmm.

Four Religious Truths

During these serious times, people of all faiths should remember these four religious truths:

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people.
2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.
4. Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.


P.S. So far as #4 goes, feel free to insert Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, or any other denomination for political correctness depending on the audience.

SFD Recruit Class of '08 & Beyond

Meet Santana Torres, 2 years old. Santana recently met with Deputy Chief Rick Hoppes and expressed his desire to be a firefighter. D/C Hoppes seized the opportunity to sign him up and quickly issued Santana a helmet and bestowed upon him the rank of Pre-Probie FF.

Santana gleefully accepted his commission and promised to return for probie classes as soon as he gets the reading and writing thing perfected in a few years.

Santana should have plenty of help reaching his goal. Pictured below is his Mom, Ti'esha Parsons. Ti'esha is from Salisbury and is a member of the Salisbury Fire Department Station 2. Ti'esha is currently enrolled in the current recruit class being held at the SFD. , and is also currently attending the Paramedic Program at Wor-Wic Tech. She would like to become a career firefighter paramedic with SFD in the future.
Asked why she wanted to be a firefighter Ti'esha expressed her desire to
help the community and citizens. One of her inspirations for persuing this venue also came from her cousin, SFD Lt. Lorenzo Cropper.

We wish Ti'esha the very best in her pursuit of this career and hopefully she can stay just a step or two ahead of Santana.

Ahrens & Christie

Meet Ahrens & Christie. These two couch potatoes belong to me and my wife. We try not to spoil our pets and only allowed them on the couch for this photo. (Riiigggghhht) These two are each 12 years old but are from different litters. Ahrens (L) was named after the Ahrens-Fox fire engine and Christie (R) was named for the Christie fire engine. Neither of those companies are in business today but we thought the names were neat. Christie is actually half English. Her mother was shipped here from England to breed with a dog from the "Guardian" kennels in Pensylvania. Her hair is a bit longer and a lot softer than the American bred dogs and she is a bit longer in the body. However she sheds just as bad as any dalmatian anywhere.

Ahrens contracted HOD when she was a puppy and it stunted her growth just a bit, and Christie just never seemed to like being shown. All she wanted to do is make friends and play. Thus, our hopes for champions faded to that of having couch potatoes.

But as they say, they are members of the family and you just gotta love 'em.

Albero's True Colors

This man is truely ill. He puts up a newsworthy post about a tragic accident and then allows the comment section to run wild with ill-stated comments about the Salisbury Career firefighters. Why can't he show some decency and"respect" for the two young lifes lost and their families?

You know what "respect" is don't you Albero? You sure drop that word enough, maybe you should start to practice it's meaning. Are you so desperate for attention you allow this back-biting to continue on an issue totally unrelated to this horrible accident?

You have the ability to deny the niggling comments and direct the focus of the tragic events to thoughts and prayers for the families.

Why don't you?

Albero is Wearing Thin

Albero just doesn’t get it. He keeps calling cigarette smokers stupid but he proudly puffs a cigar as if it were some badge of higher authority. Tobacco is tobacco regardles of form and it's use is an addiction. I am not sure where the $7.00 a pack is he speaks of since the highest I have seen is just a few cents over $5.00. I am sure Albero is smoking something better than a King Edward. He has even bragged in the past about the cost of the horse droppings he fires-up. Since a fine cigar will cost a minimum of $10.00, and often times much more, I do not see why he wishes to admonish cigarette smokers for the price they are paying per pack. The way I see it, $10.00 worth of cigarettes getts you 40 smokes. A $10 cigar gets you one. And he professes to be a money manager. Stupid is as stupid does.

None of it really matters to me, as I do not smoke. I will say however the one thing O’Malley and his legislative henchmen have accomplished is to increase the tobacco revenue in Delaware & Virginia. Not to worry though, look at the gasoline tax now in place and there is some talk of that being increased soon.

Earlier in his post about donations Albero continues to rag on the Salisbury Fire Department and the Mayor, and the Zoo, and the City in general.
He wails about the $800,000 fireboat that as of yet is only in the “thought about” stage for planning years from now. The Daily Times may be at fault for the $800,000 fireboat figure. The statement was made in an interview that a fireboat could cost up to that amount. That figure was tossed out as the high-end figure for comparison only and at no time was it said by anyone in the city that the city was seeking to purchase a boat of that magnitude.
Just as the new fire station had been planned for years, but because it comes to fruition on Chief See & Chief Gordy’s watch, it is automatically their fault. His haranguing of the cost there is tiresome. When the public is allowed to see what this facility has to offer the citizens the figures will not be so obtrusive.

Also in his berating of the city he brings up the cigarette tax, the cost of a barrel of oil, the new 6% sales tax and the State unemployment rate. Although he doesn’t say so in so many words the inference is there that all of this is the fault of the city and the Mayor.
WOW! Who would have ever thought?

A little in depth reporting would have discovered these facts, but I fear that type of reporting would have overflowed Albero’s shallow mind.

2008 Firefighter Calender

Due to some technical problems at the Printer
The new 2008 Firemans calender was late getting published.

Until yours arrives in the mail here is a preview of the
hunks featured this year.

No word yet on the Lady Firefighter edition.
Stay tuned.

Firefighter(?) Comments

Straight shooter has a post up titled “Open Discussion #10” In it he reiterates an offer for firefighters to comment on his site concerning the drivel and lies Albero continues to spew forth. He also notes that I have offered my site for the same purpose provided the language is clean and the content is sincere and truthful. As of yet I have not received any input from firefighters. Apparently neither has the shooter.

So what does this tell me? Albero claims that the negative and threatening comments on his site are from firefighters. Knowing that there is a good chance their comments won’t make to public forum why don’t they comment with the shooter or myself? It’s simple. The negative commenters are not firefighters. It’s either Albero, or his confederates under his direction, making the comments knowing they will be published and embellished for the purpose of casting the SFD and it’s members in bad light. If the members of SFD were commenting at all it would be with the shooter or myself, and the dispute would be of an intelligent nature. Albero continues to cast the SFD and it’s members as uneducated rednecks with the exception of course of his ignominious informant(s).
I assure you such is not the case as the occasional comment by Assistant Chief Bryan Records has proven the quality of deliberation afforded by the staff of SFD and those comments have been impeccable.

I will agree with the shooter on this point. IF, and it’s a big IF, SFD firefighters are commenting on Albero’s site I urge you cease immediately. Send your comments to the “shooter” or bring them to the “soapbox”. No threats,--- no vulgarity,--- just facts and truth. With that Albero’s poppycock will continue to be exposed and his grandiosity will fade to obscurity.

Today in History. Final Draft of Emacipation Proclamation Signed.

Today in 1863 President Lincoln signed the final draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. Interestingly the proclamation did not free all slaves. It only freed the slaves in states, or portions of states where the people were in rebellion to the United States. Talk about “political incorrectness”.

The vacant seats in congress determined the States affected at the time. The proclamation essentially freed no one since the areas still in rebellion were not under Union control. Still, it was one of the most important pieces of legislation ever enacted because it meant that the slaves in rebellious areas would be free as soon the Union regained control, a goal that was now in sight after the Battle of Antietam some months earlier.

Even more damaging to the Southern cause the Proclamation upset Confederate attempts for foreign support, especially Great Britain. The Proclamation shifted the focus of the war from re-unification of the Union to the freedom of slaves. Whereas the South had been viewed as freedom fighters against the Union they were now viewed as defenders of bondage, a concept not acceptable to foreign powers.

On New Year's Day, the president greeted a large group of diplomats at a White House reception. Shortly after noon, he slipped upstairs to his office and signed the proclamation. Lincoln commented as he signed the document, "I never felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper."

Best Place to Buy Gas

Here's a handy guide for the best gas prices in the Salisbury area.
http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx

I'm not sure what time of say it's updated and it dosen't have every station listed, but it's still a handy little guide.