Homeland Security grants used to buy gym gear

The following is a correction to a story run in the Miami Herald dated November 6, 2007. The story was a rehash of an original report that aired on WFOR-TV November 5, 2007.

"...Broward County firefighters have $86,410 worth of weight machines, treadmills and exercise equipment that were paid for by federal money that FEMA sent to the former Lauderdale Lakes fire department. ..."

CORRECTION: The amount spent on the exercise equipment was not $86,410. The amount was only $6,410. The remaining $80,000 was spent on the following:

A generator, rescue saws, hose nozzels, rescue tools, ladders, hoses, a rescue stair chair, fire extinguishers, axes, pry bars, hammers, lighting, crow bars, other specialized rescue equipment as well as over $20,000 of the total that was spent on repairs to the fire house.

All this information was contained in a detailed spreadsheet that was given to WFOR reporter Stephen Stock, but incorrectly reported in the Miami Herald. That spreadsheet is available for download from the BSO Media Relations section of our website, www.sheriff.org.

By The Sea Times News Flash

The following are excerpts from a By The Sea Times article dated March 14, 2007, along with corrections and clarifications regarding the reporting in the story.

"...At last nights commission meeting we were introduced to LBTS’s new BSO fire chief, (the old one, Chief Fraley after making a mess of things left for Weston)...."

CLARIFICATION: The contract between BSO and Lauderdale-By-The-Sea never did include the assignment of a Battalion Chief, and in fact the Town does not cover the cost of a Battalion Chief assigned there. Never-the-less, BSO Fire Rescue assigned Chief John Frailey to LBTS because of the safety problems created by the paid volunteer department. Because of the leadership he demonstrated while handling those safety issues, Chief Frailey is being promoted. Following Frailey's promotion, BSO Fire Rescue has decided to continue its commitment to the Town and keep the additional position in LBTS even though the Town does not cover the additional cost.

"...Jenne’s Broward Sheriff's Office tried to side slip into Deerfield’s public funds by first going under the voters’ radar by merging with the city's fire-rescue department and by leasing of Deerfield’s fire property."

CLARIFICATION: Every step in the process to pursue a possible merger with Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue was in the open. Sheriff Ken Jenne himself made the initial proposal at a public meeting. When Deerfield city officials first approached BSO about a merger, neither the City nor BSO was aware that the city's ordinance involving the lease of property would come into play. Following several public meetings it was determined by the Deerfield city attorney that the issue of leasing property to BSO would need to be put to public referendum. Once that determination was made, BSO waited for the voters to have that opportunity before resuming discussions.

"...Jenne’s regime has been spending tax payers’ money like a drunken sailor in efforts to have a Napoleonic takeover of all police and fire firefighting in Broward County."

CLARIFICATION: The Broward Sheriff's Office does not approach cities regarding providing any kind of services. BSO does not "pitch" itself to municipalities. Only after the leaders of a city express a desire to pursue a possible merger with the agency will BSO begin discussions. BSO does not make any profit from providing either law enforcment or fire rescue services to cities. It is up to the elected leaders in each city or town to determine what level of public safety services they want for their residents. Regarding the Deerfield referendum, public taxpayer money was not spent on efforts to influence voters on the issues.

"...The additional costs for BSO’s services would have cost homeowners in Deerfield an average around $82.00 per year."

CORRECTION: This is absolutely wrong. Based on the figures presented to the public and Deerfield Beach leaders at open meetings, BSO would have been able to provide more firefighters, an additional fire station, and a higher level of public safety to the city for less than it currently costs the city to provide fewer services. Any claim that a merger with BSO would have caused higher costs to taxpayers is simply not true. The $82.00 costs were associated with the other referendum items on the ballot (specifically items 1 and 2), but neither of those issues had any involvement with the ballot question dealing with BSO. Nor did those first two questions involve any kind of a merger with BSO.

Publisher's Perspective

The following are excerpts from a Deerfield Beach Observer article dated February 22, 2007, along with corrections and clarifications regarding the reporting in the story.

"...Specifically, they [Deerfield Beach City Firefighters] are seeking voter approval to borrow $25 million to be spent for additional firefighter related assets, and then, if the ballot passes, give it all, plus another $55 million in Deerfield assets we already own, to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department! That’s an $80 million transfer from the City of Deerfield to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, with the City of Deerfield taxpayer stuck with the bill!"

CLARIFICATION: Mr. Eller remains among the most respected members of the Deerfield Beach community, and as such his voice is a valuable one in the public dialogue. He and Sheriff Ken Jenne remain close colleagues. Yet with regard to Mr. Eller's editorial, it is important to clarify a few items. In cities where the Broward Sheriff's Office provides fire rescue service, Sheriff Ken Jenne contracts with municipalities as a service provider to provide fire rescue services. The fire stations used by BSO Fire Rescue continue to be owned by the cities, remain the property of the cities and its taxpayers and there is no transfer of ownership to BSO. The fire trucks, rescue units, etc. that come from the cities remain in the cities to serve the taxpayers that paid for them. In addition, in the cities where BSO provides fire rescue services, BSO (not the city's taxpayers) pays for the maintenance and repairs of the equipment for the duration of the contracts. In the event a contract is not renewed BSO does not keep the equipment. The equipment is returned to the cities.

BSO Fire Rescue Live Fire Aircraft Training

Broward Sheriff's Office Firefighters train in Dallas.

On Wednesday, January 10, 2007 firefighters from the Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue traveled to Dallas to take part in live fire training aboard an aircraft. The drill was staged at DFW Airport, and simulated the conditions and challenges of saving multiple victims trapped inside a burning aircraft. Under Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne, BSO became the first sheriff's department in the nation to include a full-service Fire Rescue Department. The Dallas Star-Telegram profiled BSO Fire Rescue during the training, and their video can be seen by clicking the link above.

Cuckoo for Coconuts

The following are excerpts from a New Times article dated December 21, 2006.

"...Those are the first things that the mayor [of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea] brings up when asked about the issue that is ripping his quaint and unique beach burg apart: The hostile takeover of the town's fire services by the Broward Sheriff's Office."

CORRECTION: BSO Fire Rescue did not "take over" fire service in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, nor could it. In all the cities and towns where BSO provides public safety services, it has been the elected leaders of the municipality, not Sheriff Ken Jenne, that made the decision to contract with BSO for service. Likewise, it was the elected Town Council in LBTS that decided two years ago to contract with BSO for fire service. Since then, BSO Fire Rescue has always been the Town's primary provider of fire and emergency services. That has not changed.

"...The sheriff's office then locked the volunteers out of the town firehouse and commandeered their fire trucks and equipment."

CORRECTION: With the exception of one older fire truck that was too old to be in service, the volunteers did not own the fire trucks used in LBTS. The fire trucks used by the volunteers have always belonged to the Town. In fact, the trucks used by BSO also belong to the Town. The contract between BSO and the Town allows BSO to use these trucks for the duration of the agreement. As for the older truck, it belongs to the volunteers and remains in their possession.

Blast E-mail from the Lauderdale By The Sea Times

The following are excerpts from a blast e-mail from the Lauderdale By The Sea Times during the week of December 11, 2006.

"...[The VFD was dismissed ] by a cash hungry Sheriff Jenne, [and] residents of LBTS pay more per capital for fire service and police service for Jenne’s troops then anyone else"

CORRECTION:

1. The fire agreement between the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea and BSO is a $2 million dollar contract in Sheriff Ken Jenne's overall BSO budget of $700 million dollars. It represents less than 1/3 of 1% of BSO's budget. It is also a contract from which BSO makes zero profit.


2. As for the cost to the Town, LBTS is a barrier island community that - for public safety reasons - must have a minimun of one fire engine and one rescue ambulance ON THE ISLAND to respond to emergencies. While critics claim the town population may be approximately one third the size of other similarly equipped communities, it is impossible to staff LBTS with one third of an engine, or one third of a rescue. On the other hand, while the Town only pays for one fire truck and one rescue, BSO sends to every structure fire call in the Town a total of 3 engines, 2 rescues, 1 arial truck and two battalion chiefs at no additional cost to the Town.

"...[LBTS Town Commissioner John] Yanni works for BSO and in any sense of fairness should not have been allowed to vote to remove the Volunteers."

CORRECTION: It should be pointed out that LBTS Commissioner Jerry Mcintee is an Assistant Chief with the volunteers, and LBTS Commissioner Jim Silverstone is the Chief of the volunteers. Yet both men routinely and repeatedly voted on Town issues regarding the VFD without ever citing any conflict of interest.

Letter by Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Volunteer Fire Department to LBTS Residents

The following are excerpts from a letter by the Lauderdale-By-The-Sea Volunteer Fire Department to the residents of the Town dated November 28th, 2006.

"...The illegal actions of the BSO in locking your volunteers out of your fire station, and taking possession of all the fire trucks and equipment that had been purchased with your dollars and making it their own; shows the blatent disregard BSO has for due process."

CORRECTION:

1. The termination of the LBTS volunteers was legal, and followed the process agreed upon by both sides in the contract between BSO and the volunteers.
2. When the Town contracted with BSO for fire service, the Town turned over two fire engines to BSO. BSO uses those trucks to serve the residents of the Town. But both trucks would be given back to the Town if BSO were no longer the Town's fire service provider. A third truck purchased by the volunteers but too old to be used for fire service remains the property of the volunteers.

"...[BSO] broke in to our file cabinet and rifled through our personnel files, extricating personal information illegally."

CORRECTION: When BSO terminated the contract with the volunteers, a fully documented inventory was done at Station 12. Records show no cabinets were broken into, and no personnel files were "rifled through."