file photo Boyd Loving
Reader says Anonymity at NWBCD protects employees from retribution,
Joann Chiesa – Admin Asst NWBCD
I am amazed at the cowardice of those who take cheap shots at NWBCD and Jack Tancos while hiding behind the cloak of anonymity. If they had the courage of their convictions, a moral center and the well being of NWBCD at heart they would be proud to post their name.
As for the pseudo journalist who wrote this “article” – perhaps information from more than one source would have resulted in an article less biased against NWBCD.
Anonymity protects employees from retribution, so in this case it’s hardly cowardice. Besides, Fuhrer Tancos has a legion of little snitches who love to report to him whenever someone has the audacity to question the sub-par service of his little circus.
As for you, JoAnn, how noble of you to try and take a bullet for your boss. Pathetic. Even when Greenlaw ran the show, people knew it was a patronage mill for “FOB”s to get in the door for jobs. Granted, some very talented and dedicated people came through those doors and onto the front lines protecting the residents. Sadly, in recent years it’s only become a depository for the lamest excuses for dispatchers, and a way for Jack to hand out jobs to his fire buddies. The powers that be ran around soliciting more business without increasing the staffing or the quality of service properly. None of them are allowed to publicly say it, but the emergency workers in many of the towns they picked up say the level of service is rock bottom at best.
Now you have people from the inside saying that night shifts are often staffed by only TWO operators. How many towns are having their safety gambled with at that level? Look at any significant weather event. It only takes a small increase in the call volume before they get flustered. On one such occasion, they were heard to tell a local fire department “you’re on your own, we’re completely inundated here”. Beyond unacceptable.
Factor in the incidents like Irene and Sandy when there was ample advance warning. Units sent to the same locations numerous times, complete breakdowns in communications and major failures of the critical infrastructure.
Adding insult to injury, the director has been caught in numerous LIES to department heads, yet he is never held accountable. MAJOR violations of NJSP regulations for dispatch center operations have gone under the radar, despite the fact that someone should have been disciplined and/or prosecuted.
The departure of so many full time employees has led to borderline incompetent employees being put in supervisory positions simply by attrition. If the taxpayers footing the bill for this house of horrors knew the TRUTH about what is going on there, they’d be mortified. The county may not be the best answer, but leaving this vital service under the direction of an incompetent buffoon is continuing to put lives and public safety at risk. People outraged by this should demand answers from those responsible.