Shout, Shout, let it all out. These are things I can do without

Come on, I’m talking to you …. Come on

Shout, Shout, Let it all out

If the words sound familiar but you have not yet figured it out yet, then let me help you.  In 1984, Tears for Fears released their second album.  Shout was a song on the album, but it did not hit the Billboard Top 100 until August of 1985.  Today it remains one of their most recognizable songs.  It was rumored the song was about pain, but the truth is it was a call to action, a rebellion against the established norms of the times, a call to be different.   

Frisco has always prided itself on doing things better “than other cities” along with being different and being ground breakers.   Being different is “The Frisco Way!”  In Frisco our leaders believe we must build the best, develop the best, and offer the best services to our citizens as a standout community.  With development and construction in full gear over the last 10 years you can imagine things happened along the way that helped carve out better practices and procedures for the city. 

An example of that is back in February of 2018 when Francisco Palmas pant leg was caught in a trencher causing him to be dangled upside down at a local commercial construction site.  The result was it nearly severed his leg and you might think he died.  Frisco Firefighters reached the victim in just under five minutes, but they couldn’t free him which meant his leg would need to be amputated right there amid the dust, dirt and rocks.  (Photo from Frisco Lifestyle – The Edge of Chaos)

According to a Dallas Morning News article, Frisco Deputy Fire Chief, Scott Vetterick said that the department had already started putting a plan in place for this under then Fire Chief, Mark Piland.  Vetterick knew with all the development and construction, it was not about if something would happen but rather when it would happen and that made it a priority to have a plan in place.  On the way to the scene, Frisco FD reached out to Dr. Gamber, an emergency room doctor at Medical City Plano.  Gamber summoned trauma surgeon Al West who would arrive via a helicopter 41 minutes later with his small black medical kit and blood.      

While Dr. West performed the amputation just above the right knee, Frisco Firefighters had to hold Palma’s body so he would not fall and proceeded to give him blood replacement.  Along with the blood replacement they administered medications, fluids and monitored Palmas’ vital signs along with watching his airway.  At the same time other teams worked to disassemble the machine.  Palma survived because of the fast actions of the Frisco FD, Trauma Surgeon Al West and the replacement blood brought in that day.  At the time there was a 75% chance that with a prosthetic he would walk again one day.  Most importantly this man lived to see his kids grow up.  In a Frisco Lifestyle article, Vetterick shares, “We had a lot of people working backchannels in order to make it happen that day. I was calling Medical City Plano’s radio room, Assistant Chief Kramer was calling Dr. Gamber, the battalion chief was coordinating the actual rescue and the disassembly of the machine, and then our medics were immediately tending to the patient.” 

Deputy Chief Vetterick said at the time he believed  that the response protocol put in place is the perfect example of collaborative efforts that help save lives.   His hope was it would benefit more people and save more lives as Frisco continued to grow.

The official announcement of the blood replacement being carried on board with the Squad teams came in December of 2018 in a Frisco Fire Department press release.  Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland  said, “Frisco Firefighters are committed to providing the highest level of care possible. This program is definitely a team effort, and I would like to thank Dr. Gamber and Medical City Plano for the hard work and assistance to get this program started.”   

Dr. Mark Gamber, Frisco Fire Departments Medical Director said, “Prior to today, patients who needed blood were completely dependent on how fast we could get them to a hospital.  Now, with early transfusion for severe blood loss, Frisco Fire will give critically ill patients a better chance of survival.”   

The news of the new program went far and wide across the state and it was believed that it showed innovation and how Frisco was to lead the way  with cutting edge services that help serve the citizens of Frisco.

What is Squad?  Generally, the Squad responds to all high acuity EMS calls, and it also responds to all structure fires in a city.  It is a 2-person group whose capabilities are like no other unit in the department.  If you have a need for the most advanced or technical medical procedures in the field they are the team you want at your front door.  For example, Squad assisted doctors with Palma’s amputation, they can give blood transfusions to trapped victims, and they perform out of the box lifesaving methods during emergency medical  situations.  It is the definition of the city’s motto Progress In Motion.

Safety, education, and training were a big push by Piland who lead the department at the time.  It probably came from his experience serving with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a Task Force Leader with Virginia Task Force 2 a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team whose job was to provide search and rescue for victims of disaster.  Shortly after Piland became Chief in 2013 he implemented the Safety Officer Program that focused on the health and wellness of the fire fighters.  The Captain of Safety oversaw all fire fighter injuries, the safety on scene at calls, structural concerns during fires, identified concerns such as pools that could affect how they fight a fire and more.  In 2016, a request was made for two Fire Safety Incident Officers in the city’s annual budget.  The goal was to implement two full-time shift personnel to staff the positions around the clock. The program made overall safety a top priority.

Fast forward to today, Frisco is a city of 225,000+ people and we have a New Fire Chief, Lee Glover.  Programs like those mentioned above have major implications in saving lives.   On October 27, 2023, the Frisco Fire Department released a video about the history of the program in a series called Frisco Fire Facts which was also share to the city Facebook page yesterday.  It starts with Deputy Fire Chief Jake Owen of the Frisco Fire Department talking about how the program got started in 2018.  It discusses the highlights of the Squad Program and the onboarding of blood replacement.

Ready for the WHOPPER of TEA?  It was confirmed to us last week in an off-the-record conversation with a city employee at city hall, that FIRE CHIEF GROGGY LEE GLOVER announced the END OF THE SQUAD PROGRAM!  Wait…What?  It was also announced that the Safety Program was ending.  People are being reassigned to drive Battalion Chiefs! Firefighters will be reassigned most likely depending on staff levels.  What will be the result of losing the Squad Program, it will create the loss of two functioning paramedics for high priority EMS calls and a loss of two tactical level firefighters on structure fires. As for the Safety Program what does that mean for the safety of our firefighters? Should we be surprised, I mean the decision to name Groggy Glover the new Fire Chief was not supported by the ranks within the department.

Glover was not kidding when he said in June of 2023, “We’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing since the day I WALKED INTO THIS FIRE DEPARTMENT.”  He DISMANTLED a CRITICAL LIFE SAVING program that was highly regarded, and we are curious why?   Is it because that is how modern-day fire departments operate which he probably does not understand since it doesn’t fit the antiquated days of his upbringing in the department.  Did he not like the programs simply because they were instituted under the previous Fire Chief, Mark Piland?  

According to yesforfrisco.org in the recent MAY 2023 BOND ELECTION – Proposition A, the city asked citizens to approve the following equipment & apparatus items: Vehicles to replace with proposed bond package: 2 Squads, 4 Engines, 8 Medics, 1 Truck, and 1 Hazmat.  WHY DID THE CITY ASK CITIZENS TO PAY FOR 2 SQUAD REPLACEMENTS?   With all the development of the PGA which will bring golf celebrities from around the world and a new theme park for kids would you end lifesaving programs that protect citizens, visitors, and firefighters?   What about citizens of Frisco Lakes?  Did the council who rely on their votes to get elected ask Frisco Lakes residents how they feel about getting rid of a blood replacement program that could save their lives?  With the traffic getting worse and horrific car accidents happening more often, did anyone think about how the blood replacement program could save the lives of those in the accidents.  I mean those are citizens or visitors who spend tax dollars in our city?  No – they just want to build and build and claim to be about exceptional service.

On the front page, of the Frisco Fire Department the Mission Statement reads: Committed to your Health and Safety through Exceptional Service.    Right under that it reads, “Public safety is among the highest priorities for city leaders, past and present.”  Yeah we have heard that repeated over from city leaders.  Now act like it!

We just keep asking why, why would Glover think these are good decisions?  Based on the 2011/12 Climate Survey it said in order for the issues in the department to be resolved some SIGNIFICANT changes must occur.  The culture of the department needs to change from a negative, hostile, retaliatory environment to one that is positive.  Guess what, it was trending in the right direction but now Groggy Glover is dismantling the department bit by bit and they hope no one is paying attention.   Well, maybe it is just his way of being retaliatory to those speaking out against him as that is how it has worked since he walked into the department all those years ago.   

Slowly but surely our Fire Department turns back time and honestly it should scare the hell of citizens!  We have heard it scares the hell out of those who put on the FD uniform on the front line every day.  It leads us to our last question, the most important question, who is the “King Ding A Ling” of bad decisions?  Well, that might be a tie between Groggy Lee Glover and City Manager, Pungent Wes Pierson.