Philly Tent City - 10/18/06

(Neil in blue on left, Sarah in pink on right (All pics taken by Patty available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/PAOCEly/PhillyTentCityOctober182006)

Sarah and I took a trip with our sons, Ethan and Ben, to see Tent City. In retrospect, I've learned some very important lessons:

1) GPS units may be great but when they suck, they really suck. It took me about an hour to make (for other people) a 9 minute drive from PSD to the Tent City site.

2) It was nice to see some people I knew and meet some other new folks.

3) More importantly, I was heartened to see Cren Quigley make a very important acknowledgement: That yes, Dr. Fernandes is qualified to be President "on paper" but she's simply not the right person for the job. I was happy to see they weren't engaging in demonization or mockery of the principals in this sad state of affairs.

Sarah had been on her feet covering two classes all day at PSD so she was pretty dang tired. We left after about an hour and 15 minutes but it was fun nonetheless.

Congrats to my good friend Mark Drolsbaugh, Karen Feldmann, and Cren Quigley for a successful event!

As further evidence that FSSA needs to re-tool its message...

... In my earlier blog post this morning, I said the administration continues to win the PR war with the larger community.

I got this article in my email from DeafTimes that shows how the Administration continues to run PR-circles around the FSSA.

DC Examiner : Enough is enough at Gallaudet

Before we go bashing the media for reporting before completely understanding the issues, I refer you again to Sandman's Sandbox:

FSSA was still missing in action; many expected the resumption of Tent City, or at least the re-emergence of FSSA in August. When that didn't happen, some assumed it would happen with the actual start of classes. That too didn't happen. August turned into September, and the weeks dragged on. FSSA still didn't have a mission statement on the home page of its web site, nor was there a coherent explanation for how everything began, what had happened, and where FSSA was going. There was no real summary of what FSSA had done the past three months. A small suggestion for FSSA: try developing a mission statement, and link this to a timeline, which should also be on your site. Not only will it provide clarity for people with no prior knowledge who are visiting your website, it also might clarify a lot for you as well.

The GUFSSA.org website still doesn't clearly explain (beyond a simple outline) the core issues and doesn't provide any single place to rebut the administration's PR.

If there is any hope for the FSSA to take on the administration in the battle for the larger community's opinions, they need to start developing coherent and simple messages beyond the cultural issues and doing a better job of making sure everyone follows the same script.

Post-10/13 Protests & Arrests

On Friday night, I came home after celebrating a friend's 40th birthday to the news that the arrests had started on campus. Waking up on saturday to the news that 135 students had been arrested was quite sobering.

Dave Evans over at Sandman's Sandbox has put up two excellent posts analyzing what's happened the past few days in the larger framework of the entire FSSA movement (here and here)

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I accept the following as true:
1) President Jordan and Dr. Fernandes have the responsibility to keep the campus open at all times

2) Jordan/Fernandes are ultimately responsible for ordering the arrests that took place on 10/13/06

3) In order for the campus to heal and move on, Dr. Fernandes must resign in order to preserve the BOT's credibility as a governance organization

4) The BOT, in turn, must re-evaluate the University's role as a educational institution and as a cultural institution

5) Finally, Dr. Jordan must understand that his legacy has taken some serious hits. To see Merv Garretson questioning the presidential search process is a kick in the head. To see Father Tom Coughlin leaving the typical Roman Catholic priest's rectitude at the door in his recent open letter should convince him how profoundly this has impacted Deaf people.

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But I want to address a point many people are missing. People are condemning IKJ/JKF for ordering the arrests of the protesters. However, I see things slightly differently. Yes, see #2 above and then see #1 above.

It seems to me he has no choice in the matter. Gallaudet is, above all, an educational institution. More to the point, Gallaudet is an educational institution that accepts both tuition and federal funds to ensure students are taught.

By shutting the campus down, the protesters were essentially begging to be arrested. Many blogs reported that protesters even encouraged the cops to arrest them.

So why are so many people so outraged today? The FSSA got what they wanted, which was to try and force the administration's hand. The administration, while taking a minor PR hit, can easily go back to its supporters and the media and say "we did what we had to do in order to reopen the campus."

It seems the ante has been upped but the game is still the same. The Administration continues to win the larger PR war while the FSSA gets more stakeholders (Fac/Staff/Students/Alum) fired up.

I refer back to my earlier post where I shared my concerns about the repercussions long after Tent City is gone and (hopefully) some new president takes over. Unfortunately, this trend of the two kids (the administration and the FSSA) pissing in each other's cheerios is likely to continue long after the immediate demands are met or ignored.

UPDATE: Captioned Video of KYW-CBS3 Coverage of Deaf Firefighter

Many thanks to Walt Hunter, the reporter in this piece for following through on this! He worked with the station's webteam to post the captioned version online. Hopefully they'll be able to do the same for ALL videos posted online!

Here's the link: http://cbs3.com/video/?id=31587@kyw.dayport.com

What went wrong at Gallaudet - A Tactical Analysis:

In this entry, I'm going to discuss where the Gallaudet protesters made critical mistakes in their current tactics and provide some guesses as to what will happen next.

Let me first preface this with a few disclaimers:
1) I'm not an expert by any stretch of imagination as it pertains to military/police maneuvers. While I have observed law enforcement training classes and discussed tactics at length, that in itself does not qualify me as an expert.
2) It should be clear that while I support the demand of Dr. Fernandes' resignation based on the circumstances at hand, I do not support the tactics of the students to bring about this result.
3) This is based on the internet entries over the past few days. I have no knowledge beyond what you can read on deafread.com

The critical mistake was abandoning a position of strength (HMB) for a more attractive but less defensible target (the entire campus). Let me explain.

Hall Memorial Building (HMB) is a large brick building with a large atrium inside of it. There are 4 entrances and two exit-only doors for the entire building. Entrances can be barricaded (not safely, mind you...god forbid a fire should occur) and minimal human presence is needed to guard the main entrance. Since all manpower is in a small place, communication and control of manpower is easily accomplished.

In effect, control HMB and you effectively control the academic climate of the campus.

Gallaudet University, however, also has 6 entrances surrounded by 1.7 miles of fence. The entrances cannot be barricaded except by use of vehicles and are heavily dependent on manpower (ergo: you need a lot of bodies there otherwise tow trucks and other heavy equipment can remove barricades quickly). In order to effectively guard the gates, protestors needed to move most of the bodies from HMB to these areas. Additionally, by stretching the manpower to the entrances, the end result is lack of communication and control between each group of students.

Relatively few DPS officers were required (this is the sense I get from the blogs) to effectively retake HMB and cut off the protesters from their supplies (tents, etc.) This is especially critical as I write this because a cold front has moved into the region bringing temperatures from the 70's this afternoon to low 40's overnight bringing entries like this, and this.

I have to think the timing of the police department's actions were intentional. Knowing that cold weather was moving in and cutting the protesters off from their warmth and food supplies, the hope is very cold and very hungry protestors would be more likely to walk away from the gates allowing them to reopen the campus. It remains to be seen if this occurred.

Tonight, temperatures will drop to the 30's. It would not surprise me to see the administration making their move to retake the campus leading up to the coldest hours of night. One might argue the administration will have its justification for forcibly ending the protest with freezing weather approaching since they can cite "safety" reasons as their rationale.

Of course, the protesters can easily say by shutting down the entire campus, they have spread awareness of the issues facing Gallaudet to a broader audience. I won't debate that but as noted above, the protesters have traded long term strength for short-term exposure.

Coverage of Deaf Firefighter - Philly Area

Matt O'Brien, a young man who recently graduated from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf recently joined his local Fire Department. There's been a good amount of coverage locally:

- Delco Times - 10/2/06 - Link

- WCAU / NBC10 - 10/3/06 - Link

The local news stations also covered his swearing-in ceremony today as well. I have encouraged them to post captioned versions on their websites and will update this entry with additional articles.

UPDATE: The video (sans captions) is now up on the website - http://cbs3.com/video/?id=31531@kyw.dayport.com

Congratulations and welcome to the brotherhood, Matt!

Whither the Buff and Blue?

Check out the links on Joey Baer's page: http://www.joeybaer.com/buffandblue/

When I was an editor there, we often chose our stories with the intent of effecting change, whether it be a deeper analysis of (then) DOSS's disarming, Kappa Gamma's hazing practices, and other forms of general idiocy on campus. But we always tried our best to make sure we were presenting some appearance of a fair and balanced article. I'll be the first to admit we didn't always achieve that but we at least TRIED. I'll also be the first to admit that the BnB wasn't always worth the paper it was printed on but when we hit gold, we REALLY hit gold!

Looking at Buff and Blue special editions #4 and #6, it appears that the FSSA / Students have basically hijacked the BnB with its 100+year history as its propaganda tool instead of allowing it to remain an independent body upon which readers can look to for analysis and reporting.

Looking at the loss of the BnB and reviewing DeafRead, it seems there is NO one source anyone can turn to to provide a full and unbiased account of what's going on at Gallaudet.

CLARIFICATION: I'm not saying DeafRead is a source of original material related to the protest. I was referring to the fact that the the blogs that currently take advantage of DeafRead's features are quite partisian in this debate.

-Neil

Gallaudet Protest Thoughts...

Since the deaf blog-o-sphere has been abuzz about the events of the last few days at Gallaudet (CNN, WashPost)) , I figured it was time for me to put my own two cents in. I'm a former Buff and Blue Editor in Chief and served as SBG President very briefly in the '90's.

By far, the best letter written on the issue comes from Roger Kraft and is posted on the GUFSSA.ORG website: Roger's Letter. Why is this the best letter written so far? Simply because he does not cast his lot among the conspiracy theorists or those who stick their heads in the sand and deny a leadership crisis exists.

I have to agree with Roger. I've only met Dr. Fernandes a few times and those were in relation to emergency preparedness issues. I'm not qualified to pass judgement on her ability to lead the University into its next era. In May, I was among those who sat on the fence on the matter. From a governance perspective (the Board Of Trustees), backtracking on their decision would have disastrous consequences for this and future BOT's.

At the time, I thought the students were overreacting and not giving Dr. Fernandes a fair shake simply based on her linguistic background as a not-very-good signer. (fair disclosure: I'm not a great signer either and learned ASL at 19 years old at Gallaudet) I wondered if she was not an acceptable choice to the FSSA, does that mean all persons like her (and myself) have no place in being leaders in the deaf community?

The events of the past several weeks have changed my mind. The intransigent polarity among all sides has led to a climax on Friday where protestors occupied the Hall Memorial Building and the administration attempted to re-open it using DPS officers.

The only reasonable conclusion to this mess is clearly obvious: Dr. Fernandes must resign and spare the Board of Trustees the crippling (if not fatal) embarassment of having to reverse its decision at a future date. A new search must be initiated with equal FSSA participation.

What bothers me most is the you're either with us or against us mentality. I don't know if this is reflective of our polarized society as a whole or specific to this particular issue. My biggest fear is this polarity will carry over well beyond the conclusion of this sad affair.

The FSSA must publicly state (and live up to) its demand for no reprisals on all sides. When the dust settles, people who supported Dr. Fernandes and the current administration must face no reprisals for their support just as there should be no reprisals against the FSSA for their actions. Extremists on both sides must be marginalized and concrete steps must be taken to bring this badly-wounded community back together again.

Respectfully,

Neil McDevitt

Vehicle Fire - 9/9/06

DATE: 9/9/06
TIME: 1730

Station 18 (FDMT) was dispatched to a vehicle fire at the Montgomery Mall. Enroute, a large column of smoke was observed. Upon arrival, Squad 18 reported a VW Jetta fully involved with exposure to two adjacent vehicles in the parking lot.

Squad 18 put its bumper line into service and extinguished the fire as well as cooled down the adjacent vehicles. A secondary backup line was stretched as a precaution.

Units were in service for approximately 45 minutes.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE: I was driving home with my wife and kids from a family get together when the call came in. I pulled into the station and jumped into Squad 18 and donned my gear during the 90 second drive.

Upon arrival, I was still gettting my SCBA on so didn't get on the hoseline. However, I helped flake it out then went to get a halligan bar to gain entry to the trunk and engine compartments.

In all, a good operation. The fire was knocked down within 20 seconds.

Wakin' Up, Loooooord, I'm a-wakin' up!

A few months ago, I used to be able to wake up for overnight fire calls and on occasion, would easily get up for multiple calls and still be rarin' to go in the morning.

When I took the new job a few months ago and started working 50 - 60 hour weeks, that became really difficult after a while.

So it was surprising that after a rather difficult week (spent 3 days in DC, mucho mucho busy), I was able to wake up for an automatic fire alarm call at 12:15 this am. Nothing going on at this particular call.

What's interesting to me is that even though I'd stopped getting up for overnight calls for a while, I still kept an extra shirt and socks in the hallway in case I actually did get up. Its interesting how firefighting has changed my habits.

It really gets embarassing when....

...You look at your own blog and realize that you haven't posted for nearly 7 months!

What can I say? I've been busy.

Here are some recent calls I've gone on:

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CALL TYPE: Elevator Rescue

LOCATION TYPE: HOTEL

DATE: 5-26-06

TIME REC'D: 0723

FDMT UNITS RESPONDING: Squad 18, Rescue 18

NARRATIVE: 1 person stuck in elevator. Secured power to both elevators, car was located on third floor. Used elevator keys to access car and remove occupant.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE - Neil: I arrived at the station after the career staff took Squad 18 out. My Battalion Chief arrived shortly after me and we drove together to add to the manpower pool for the call. When we arrived, the rescue was completed and all units were sent home.

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

DATE: 06-05-06

DISPATCH TIME: 1859

LOCATION: 100 Block of Canterbury Ln, Montgomery Township (PA)

Initial Dispatch:
CANTERBURY LA - MONTG ,; 47-4;;;;; NAT: FBN - BUILDING FIRE - NON-COMMERCIAL , TRUCKS 18E, 18E1, 434E; 18L, NOTES: IN THE BATHROOM, CALLER IS TRYING TO GET HER HUSBAND OUT OF THE HOUSE, EVERYONE IS OUT OF THE HOUSE (TIME: 1859)

CANTERBURY LA - MONTG, NOTE: 18CH - LIGHT SMOKE SHOWING FROM FRONT (TIME:1903)

Units were ordered to reduce speed at 1914, and held to Station 18 at 1922. Fire was held to a bathroom and attic was checked for extension. No extension found.

Personal narrative: We were in the middle of our monthly meeting. I was assigned to the Squad as the backup. We arrived on scene (4 of us on rig) and the nozzle man jumped off to grab the hydrant. Lt. Simes and I grabbed the line and stood by at the door. The crew from the Ladder was able to extinguish the fire with a 5 gallon can.

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New stuff...

A few new things:

1: I've started a consulting business called The McDevitt Group that provides emergency preparedness consultling for people with disabilities. Feel free to check it out.

2: If you're a deaf firefighter, EMT or first responder, please check out www.deaffirefighters.us
and contribute to the discussions. Even if you're not any of the above, join anyway: we'd love to hear from various perspectives.

-N

Finally... some fire!

Yes, it's been almost 5 months since my last post. Yes, it's been that long since we had REAL action.

I know, I know.. I shouldn't equate "fires/rescues" with lack of activity; after all we're always training and learning new things.

First things first:
4:15 pm on 12/16, FDMT was toned out for a dumpster fire in a residential area. I jumped on the Squad along withFF. Mogenson in the back. Since Paul just graduated from Jr. Firefighter, he asked if he could take the knob (nozzle) while I backed him up. The Chief advised that the dumpster was 15 feet from a house and well-involved.

Upon arrival, we began to put water on the fire which darkened it down considerably.

However, keep in mind, the dumpster was half-full and the fire was likely burning under the trash so we had to move a good amount of trash around in order to find the seat of the fire.

Pictures to come soon.

-N

Lots of work lately..

picture from PhillyFireNews.com

We've done quite a bit of work lately with the fire department. It's now 0030 hours on August 14th and I've just showered after a fire. I'm not asleep because I still have that adrenaline rush.

At 9pm, I headed to the firehouse to shoot the bull and try to fix my ailing laptop computer. No sooner had I cracked the laptop's case did the tones drop for a building fire in the next town. Ladder 18 headed to a single family dwelling and found fire from ground to roof on the back of the structure. FF Conicelli had the knob and I was carrying the irons (forcible entry tools). While Conicelli extinguished the fire outside, I tried to force the door and FF Fuchs assisted by breaking the glass on the door.


No one was in the house at the time (only occupant was outside) and we checked for extension.

We also had a good van on fire last week and I opened up the engine compartment so FF Conicelli could get water in it.

Some lessons learned from these two jobs:

1: (from the van fire) ALways bring your tools with you. I'd forgotten the halligan bar and wasted some time before I'd went back to get them.

2: (also from the van) Get that hood on. I'd whacked myself on the ear fumbling with the halligan and gave myself a nice cut on the ear.

3: (from the house fire) Stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay aware of your body. WIth the high temperatures, it gets pretty easy to get knocked out..

UPDATE: In the middle of completing this post, I got called out for a mulch fire.. it never ends. :-)

Checking in...

Haven't had much time lately to post.. A lot of new things going on. I'll have a more detailed post later..

Aloha!

Just a shout-out to a bunch of kids in Hawaii (HCDB). Thanks for reading the blog!

Today aws the first half of my structural collapse class. It was a fascinating experience learning how to shore up weakened buildings. I'm not a carpenter but it was fun working with my hands!

First interior work in a HOUSE FIRE:

At 8:23pm on 4/9/05, just as I'd settled into the couch to watch Spider Man 2 on DVD and armed with some of Orville's finest (Redenbacher, that is); the pager went off.
Figuring it was one particular store we've been going to almost daily for a malfunctioning pullstation, I 'harumphed' and pulled out the pager.

It read: TANGENT ST - COWCHIP RD; 47-21; NAT: FBN-BUILDING FIRE - NON COMMERCIAL; TRUCKS: 18E, 18E1, 14SD, 18L, 12SD; NOTES: BASEMENT FIRE, FLAMES AND SMOKE FROM BASEMENT; UNK IF ANYONE IN HOUSE - FDMT ALL CALL (details obviously changed)

Getting in the car and driving to the station, I reflected on the fact that I've been here going on 2 years and this is only the third job that I've run on. The first was fan inside a manufacturing facility. I was the backup on this call. The second was during the the past holiday season where a heater triggered a fire in a garage attached to a residence. For this one, I helped on the fireground as it was knocked down as my truck arrived.

As the Ladder arrived, Engine 18-1 was already there and stretching lines into the house as they're based nearby in the north end of town. The smell of smoke was pervasive and you could see smoke pouring out of the front door. The house was a typical suburban ranch house.
The officer of the Ladder ordered Joe S. and myself to search the main floor for any possible victims.

We conducted a primary search of the rooms up front in the house mostly standing up because the temperatures on the main floor weren't high and visibility was signifcantly reduced but you could see the floor.

However, when you got to the back of the house, the visibility dropped quite a bit and we basically went closer to the ground. In the kitchen, I was thrown by a breakfast nook that looked like a set of stairs. Knowing it was a ranch house, I knew it couldn't be stairs but after I took a step back and realized that it was a seat made me realize the importance of getting the big picture instead of focusing of just the image outside the airmask.

Continuing along, we searched the rest of the house and found nothing. Exited the building for fresh air and change the cylinders for the SCBAs.

Turned out the fire knocked itself out. The fire melted a support for a water pipe which caused the pipe to bend and snap, creating an accidental sprinkler.

After the fire was out, we assisted with overhaul and cleanup. There was some fire spread into the walls in the first floor which meant a lot of drywall was ripped out on the first floor in the vicinity of the fire room.

Ladder 18 was on scene until approximately 1am providing support for fire marshal investigation.

Some important lessons from this:

1. Always look at the big picture AND the small picture.
2. Discuss evolutions with your partner immediately after the incident (during rehab or bottle changes) . Work out any issues and recognize good work at that time.
3. I had to remind my partners to use hand gestures as they get caught up in the moment and forgot.

All in all, it was good work.

Am off this week..

My first vacation to Nags Head, NC... checked out Cape Hatteras lighthouse today... that thing is huge. There are long stretches of road between towns. Being the firefighter I am today, I wondered how long it takes rescue apparatus to respond to calls in that area.

hmmm.. better slow down. :-)

Media coverage, Part deux:

A new article in today's Reporter out of Lansdale:
http://www.thereporteronline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13635922&BRD=2275&PAG=461&dept_id=466404&rfi=6

Reprinted without permission (am working on it but I don't know how long the content is active on the website)

Community service

DANIEL J. SERNOVITZ, Staff Writer12/28/2004

MONTGOMERY TWP. – Trust is a two-way street‚ and Neil McDevitt has both earned and extended it to his fellow colleagues at the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
“I trust these guys‚” he said. “It’s a measure of the confidence that I have in myself and the confidence that they have in me.”

He shared the feeling as he exited the smoke-filled former Imperial Restaurant at the Five Point Plaza earlier this month.

During a search-and-rescue training exercise‚ he was paired up with battalion Chief Scott Redilla as they felt their way along the walls of the building‚ moving by touch and teamwork through the building.

Re-emerging into the dark‚ cold night outside the former restaurant‚ Redilla expressed his confidence in his partner.

“He does a great job‚” Redilla said. “He’s got a lot of common sense‚ and that’s what matters.”
It has been a long road‚ but these days McDevitt relishes the close-knit relationship he now enjoys with the FDMT.

In August of 2003 his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter became a reality as he was accepted as a probationary member into the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
The 31-year-old deaf firefighter went on to earn his certification and become an unconditional member of the FDMT‚ earning the respect and admiration of many who watched his progression.

“It was a new experience‚ I’d never had that challenge put before me. I thought: ‘How am I going to make this work?’” said John Johnson‚ his instructor at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center where McDevitt earned his certification. “I knew‚ as soon as I met him‚ that the challenge wasn’t going to be as daunting as I had anticipated.”

As a young child McDevitt wanted to become a firefighter‚ a desire he suppressed because he was deaf.

Then‚ in July of 2003‚ he brought his son by the FDMT’s Stump Road station to show him around. After talking with Chief Dave Vasconez and others‚ he decided to volunteer with the company.

“It was always in the back of my head‚ and it was something that I knew I’d always regret if I didn’t try‚” he said.

He enrolled in the Bucks County training academy in January‚ taking classes on the weekends with about 25 other students. Particularly in smoke-filled buildings‚ Johnson said‚ firefighters are forced to rely on their other senses‚ specifically those of hearing and touch.
Johnson said he was worried about how McDevitt would do and how others in the class would react to him.

“There are some firefighters out there who are very opinionated‚ and that’s something you have to at least keep in mind‚” he said.

Nancy Bloch‚ chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf‚ said she knows of many cases in which the deaf have been discriminated against‚ most frequently caused by a lack of awareness about the impairment.

In 1993‚ she said in an e-mail interview‚ two deaf individuals filed suit in Prince George’s County‚ Md.‚ alleging the county refused to accept their applications because they were deaf.
In an agreement brokered between the county and the U.S. Department of Justice‚ the county agreed not to discriminate in the future on the basis of disability.

“Lack of information on reasonable accommodations is frequently the basis of discrimination‚” she said. “The NAD believes that with advancing technologies‚ deaf and hard of hearing individuals are fully capable of being firefighters.”

Johnson said McDevitt’s abilities helped him and his class overlook his impairment. In fact‚ McDevitt was selected as the most outstanding student in his class.

“He’s very disciplined‚ he’s very aggressive‚ he’s very much a go-getter‚” Johnson said. “In every regard‚ in every aspect‚ he did stand out. He just brought a whole other dimension‚ a whole other level to the program.”

After completing the four-month course in May‚ McDevitt’s probationary status was dropped in August and‚ since then he has participated in regular training sessions and headed out to emergency situations with the FDMT as a full-fledged member.

“It was a big relief‚ obviously‚ since I invested all those weekends‚ all that time. It was more relief than excitement‚” he said. “The most interesting thing that happened during that class was my confidence level went up.”

In contrast to his day job at Prudential‚ McDevitt said at the firehouse he is given the chance every day to provide his abilities.

“Sometimes I think a day at work is harder than a day here‚” he said. “Here‚ I get the chance to show what I can do‚ not just talk about it.”

While he anticipated some initial distrust‚ McDevitt said he has been openly received into the FDMT.

“That’s really been the things that surprised me the most; I had anticipated a colder response‚ but that never happened‚” he said. “A lot of times when you hear people say‚ ‘Oh‚ he’s my brother‚’ you kind of take it with a grain of salt. Here it is really true. It may be a cliché‚ but you do treat each other like family.”

Bloch said in light of the challenges facing deaf individuals‚ McDevitt’s story is that much more remarkable.

“We at the NAD applaud Neil McDevitt and others in showing that‚ with appropriate accommodations‚ deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals can work in a wide range of careers including the field of firefighting‚” she said. McDevitt‚ though‚ does not consider himself a role model‚ and‚ in fact‚ shies away from the notion.

“I’m not an example‚ I’m not a role model‚” he said. “There are deaf people out there who have had to overcome enormous challenges‚ discrimination and outright rejection. They are really the role models.”

Vasconez said since the beginning the other members have been accepting of McDevitt‚ and he has done nothing but support that assessment. “He’s doing great‚ he’s fitting right in‚” he said.

©Reporter online.com 2004

Slow year? Not anymore!

Things have been busy lately! I made the mistake of making the remark that "the fire department has had a slow year" earlier this month:

1. At 4:30am, December 7th, we were called out to investigate a sign that fell into route 309. Turns out the driver of a 18-wheel truck suffered a heart attack and slammed into a old stone building at approx. 60 miles an hour. It was my first DOA call but there was no celebration or "yay" moments. You know that this is someone's father, brother, and son.

However, it was a 5 hour operation to wait for the coroner to pronounce him, tow trucks to remove the truck from the building, extrication to remove the victim, then cleaning up the fuel from the roadway.

2. Last Wednesday at 6pm, we were called out to a fire two townships north on 309 to serve as a rescue team and additional manpower. It was my first fully-involved house fire and learned a lot watching the operations on the ground. By the time we arrived, the bulk of fire was out and we assisted with overhaul (making sure no hot spots remained).

3. Sunday morning, we were called out to cover calls for Horsham (make a right onto Horsham Road, it's the next town over) while they dealt with a fatal fire where a woman smoking a cigarette fell asleep on a couch. We didn't go to the fire scene, but stayed at their fire station ready for any fire calls they may get while they were dealing with their fire.

4. A few hours later, we were called again as a rescue team/manpower assistance for another fire in Ambler. This one had a lot of adrenaline because the initial dispatch said that two kids were trapped but it turned out they were OK (panicked but once they calmed down, they were able to escape without injury) Heavy damage to the home though.

5. On Monday, before we were about to dig in for the station's annual xmas party, the tones dropped for a building fire down the street from Target. We arrived found a garage fire extending into a home through a shared attic. I stayed outside helping cover the men working on the roof with a hoseline to ensure any fire that broke through wouldn't come near them. Heavy damage to the garage, moderate damage to the home.

6: This morning at 2:30am, we were called out to set up a medevac chopper zone for an accident victim. One of the other engines beat us to it so the police asked us to proceed to the accident scene. Turned out that the victim was DUI and she kept saying that someone else was driving the car and that person "ran away". We used a thermal imaging camera to detect heat in the car and saw that only one seat had residual heat on it = one driver. Just to be sure, we did a search anyway but nothing found.