Kenney: Don’t Fall for Ken Block’s Misinformation

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Tom Kenney, GoLocalProv Guest MINDSETTER™

Ken Block

Here we go again! Perennial RI political commenter, Ken Block, has lit up the internet and local media once again regarding fire departments in RI. While I sometimes agree and sometimes disagree with his opinions regarding the RI political scene, I cannot disagree with him more when it comes to his conclusions regarding the fire service in RI. The main reason for this is that I have over 35 years experience in the fire service and he wouldn’t know the difference between a booster line and a master stream.

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with that (most people in the general public wouldn’t know the difference either), this fact should preclude him from being taken seriously when attempting to influence fire department policy. I certainly wouldn’t expect him to take my advice on running his little golf equipment company just because I’ve read a couple of articles and studied a couple of surveys on the subject. I have my opinions on different issues but I seldom post these opinions online unless it’s on a subject that I have an expertise – like the fire service.

Mr. Block’s latest claim regarding fire departments in RI is that departments (currently Warwick Fire Department) could save 25% of their salary costs by switching from a 4 platoon system to a 3 platoon system.

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I don’t know whether he was out of state when Providence attempted the same thing in search of salary savings and reductions in overtime costs. That ill-conceived venture failed miserably and cost the taxpayers of Providence additional overtime expenses as well as a settlement of over $6 million to make up for compensation denied firefighters by unilaterally increasing their base hours by 25% without a commensurate raise in base salary. There was no one more convinced that the 3 platoon system would save millions of dollars per year that Mayor Elorza and Commissioner Pare. They were warned by pretty much every firefighter who offered an opinion that the change would actually cost the City more money. Instead of heeding the advice of those who have experience in the fire service they assumed they were more knowledgeable in the running of a fire department than the experts – much the same as Mr. Block.

Now, two years later Mr. Block proposes the same changes for the Warwick Fire Department. He also claims that this same change could save all RI fire departments 25% of their salary outlay.

Mr. Block mixes a study that found many Warwick firefighters work 24 hour, 48 hour and in one case a 96 hour shifts (OK, what does that have to do with a 3 platoon system?) with other misleading information and erroneous personal opinions to support his case. He deliberately misinforms his readers that over 70% of the fire departments in the US “happily work a 3 platoon system”.

And this is just the beginning. He promises on his Facebook page that “I've got a lot of fire data coming in the next 2 weeks”! God help us all! Please view his opinions and so-called data skeptically. He’s got a long history of attacking RI firefighters and RI fire departments with erroneous conclusions based on irrelevant information. Don’t be fooled that this so-called magic bullet to savings will work in Warwick and the rest of the state when it failed so miserably in Providence. Learn from Providence’s mistake. Remember, those who ignore their history are doomed to repeat it!

Tom Kenney is a retired captain of the Providence Fire Department.

Kenney: Don’t Fall for Ken Block’s Misinformation

Related Slideshow: GoLocal: Benchmark Poll, October 2017

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