Middletown Council Approves Firefighter Contract

Now that the budget has pasted, I hope the Department is smart about promoting within the Fire department. Firefighters who live in this City and pay taxes to this City should be considered for any promotions they qualify for and not past by for others who may have other agendas. Loyalty and honor have always been an important part of serving as a Firefighter in the City of Middletown, please preserve those qualities when making hiring and promotional choices. Thank you for the services you provide the citizens of Middletown, your worth every penny!

Money is no object in Middletown,in fact why shouldn't we just give every body a raise.In Middletown 100+ million dollar high schools is just a drop in the bucket,I mean come on we wouldn't want our kids going to some kind of a dump.2007 revaluation ( when property was worth something)increased my taxes 900+ dollars and I'm happy to pay it,in fact all Middletown residents are happy to pay more taxes on a yearly basess.It's a wonderful life in Middletown,work 50-60 hours a week and maybe by some day you can afford to retire(IN NORTH CAROLINA)

Did the Firefighters get the 20 year versus 22 year retirement? Again weak Courant reporting. All people look at are the raises and promotions yet don't look at the change in years needed for retirment which is a huge cost over time. Sweet deal if they can retire at minimun age of 52 (20 years service) and collect for another 30 years plus. The recently retired chief is 46 and working on his 3rd pension already.

It is amazing how the common counsel passed the contract with a group of dedicated public servants and I know they deserve the pay increase. What really dumb founds me is how the City of MIddletown can approve this contract and keep denying the contract with the police. The Middletown Police, also a very dedicated group of men and women, place their lives on the line everyday they go to work, yet the city refuses to pass their union contract. I believe the reason was because of the money it would cost the city. This new contract with the fire department will cost the city over one million dollars for five years. This sounds very lopsided to me. To the Common Counsel you need to take a second look at te police department, the dedication and sacrific these people make, and bring their contract back up for discussion and ratify it.
I am a police officer with the State of Connecticut. The State and our Union signed off on our contract last month. The State of Connecticut is also in the red but they did right. Middletown make it right for the Middletown Police Department.

What a joke! How many fires are there in Middletown? Maybe a handful every year. Everyday police officers are asked to put their lives on the line going to domestics, stabbings, fights etc. Fire fighters deserve their raise but why can't the police officers get theirs? The police officers are grossly underpaid and terribly overworked. Their staffing levels are the same as they were in the 70's. Wake up everyone! This city has grown. Public safety should be paramount! The city residents should be up in arms over this. The falling morale and the lack of police officers on the streets equate to your safety being jeopardized!

Just The Facts Maam wrote:

What a joke! How many fires are there in Middletown? Maybe a handful every year. Everyday police officers are asked to put their lives on the line going to domestics, stabbings, fights etc. Fire fighters deserve their raise but why can't the police officers get theirs? The police officers are grossly underpaid and terribly overworked. Their staffing levels are the same as they were in the 70's. Wake up everyone! This city has grown. Public safety should be paramount! The city residents should be up in arms over this. The falling morale and the lack of police officers on the streets equate to your safety being jeopardized!

While there may only be a 'handful' of fires as you say, take into consideration the medicals that they go on. They are the 1st responders in the city. I'm not saying the cops don't deserve one too, and its been long over due.

Mr E wrote:

<quoted text>
While there may only be a 'handful' of fires as you say, take into consideration the medicals that they go on. They are the 1st responders in the city. I'm not saying the cops don't deserve one too, and its been long over due.

C'mon now, Hunter's Ambulance arrives there long before the fire department does and if not, the cops are there first. The cops assess the scene and if necessary provide care. Bottom line, the cops are there first in every situation imaginable. But the cops can't get the raise they deserve, a better schedule or the respect they deserve from the cronies on the common council.

I do agree with "just the facts maam" in regards to hunters ambulance arriving before the fire department on many occasions. But I don't believe cops have been going to medicals for some time, so I will have to disagree with that, unless there is some cime associated with the medical.

Just The Facts Maam wrote:

<quoted text>
C'mon now, Hunter's Ambulance arrives there long before the fire department does and if not, the cops are there first. The cops assess the scene and if necessary provide care. Bottom line, the cops are there first in every situation imaginable. But the cops can't get the raise they deserve, a better schedule or the respect they deserve from the cronies on the common council.

Cut all their salaries! These are Goverment jobs with GREAT PENSIONS! Everyday people can not come close to getting a pension like theirs. You can not have it both ways.

Just The Facts Maam wrote:

What a joke! How many fires are there in Middletown? Maybe a handful every year. Everyday police officers are asked to put their lives on the line going to domestics, stabbings, fights etc. Fire fighters deserve their raise but why can't the police officers get theirs? The police officers are grossly underpaid and terribly overworked. Their staffing levels are the same as they were in the 70's. Wake up everyone! This city has grown. Public safety should be paramount! The city residents should be up in arms over this. The falling morale and the lack of police officers on the streets equate to your safety being jeopardized!

My gosh.. you are so right! Let's not forget how tough it is to sit in a police car with that radar gun all day, or the risk involved with seat belt and tinted window stops.

Mdtwn resident wrote:

<quoted text>
My gosh.. you are so right! Let's not forget how tough it is to sit in a police car with that radar gun all day, or the risk involved with seat belt and tinted window stops.

You are such a loser! Whenever anyone has a problem, who do they call? They don't call your sorry a@#! They call the police. The cops are everyone's problem solvers. Calls ranging from serious motor vehicle crashes to homicides, cops get sent to solve the problem. So when you get stopped for speeding, slow down you retard so you don't hurt anyone else. God forbid you hurt someone else because your late for your lambotomy.

My Opinion wrote:

Cut all their salaries! These are Goverment jobs with GREAT PENSIONS! Everyday people can not come close to getting a pension like theirs. You can not have it both ways.

What do you do for a living? Sit behind a desk eating twinkies all day. Well some of us risk our lives chasing down bad guys that you truly fear and hope to never cross paths with. Our salaries are no where near what they should be and the pension is the payoff for surviving the physical and mental beatdown this job provides. So grow up and you know you tried to become a police officer and didn't have what it takes to become one.

sounds like a bunch of kids arguing over who got the bigger piece of cake...

"Dedicated Public Servants", "First Responders" all nice terms but in the end it is a job like any other. I agree the police are underpaid compared to what the Firemen do. Having said that many people are dedicated to their jobs. The poor guy at Jiffy Lube should be able to get a pension after 40 years also but he won't.

BOTTOM LINE! The council voted down that Police contract because that cop said he'd arrest Daley for drving drunk. If that wasn't said the Police would have had that contract too. BUT...EGOs took over. And the taxpayers have to pay for it.

Time for new blood on the council for a better Middletown. All they do is play up the camera for the dumb A$$es who belive their BS!

UraLoser wrote:

<quoted text>
You are such a loser! Whenever anyone has a problem, who do they call? They don't call your sorry a@#! They call the police. The cops are everyone's problem solvers. Calls ranging from serious motor vehicle crashes to homicides, cops get sent to solve the problem. So when you get stopped for speeding, slow down you retard so you don't hurt anyone else. God forbid you hurt someone else because your late for your lambotomy.

Lambotomy? Is that some kind of dance?

I've had 3 occasions in my life to call police. I twice had property stolen from my locked shed. The officer filled out the paperwork and said there wasn't much chance of getting anything back. Barely looked at the "scene."

The third time I called was to complain about cars speeding through the neighborhood. All I got was the usual fluff about how short staffed the police department is and how hard it is to cover all of Middletown. The police did manage to post a radar unit one day... at 8 AM on a Sunday morning.

Then too, my 78 year old dad has been reprimanded for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk and I've witnessed young skateboarders being verbally abused and their property being confiscated by these bullies with badges.

More to the topic, firefighters do perform a valuable service, but I think we are often too generous, as we were in this case.

Firefighters know the risks associated with the job when they apply, as do police officers.

Whats a joke is Middletown Policia. How much major crime is in Middletown, besides the crimes your own cops pull off?

Just The Facts Maam wrote:

What a joke! How many fires are there in Middletown? Maybe a handful every year. Everyday police officers are asked to put their lives on the line going to domestics, stabbings, fights etc. Fire fighters deserve their raise but why can't the police officers get theirs? The police officers are grossly underpaid and terribly overworked. Their staffing levels are the same as they were in the 70's. Wake up everyone! This city has grown. Public safety should be paramount! The city residents should be up in arms over this. The falling morale and the lack of police officers on the streets equate to your safety being jeopardized!

Ya, and if we disagree....don't tase me bro, don't tase me!!

UraLoser wrote:

<quoted text>
You are such a loser! Whenever anyone has a problem, who do they call? They don't call your sorry a@#! They call the police. The cops are everyone's problem solvers. Calls ranging from serious motor vehicle crashes to homicides, cops get sent to solve the problem. So when you get stopped for speeding, slow down you retard so you don't hurt anyone else. God forbid you hurt someone else because your late for your lambotomy.

I can't believe what I've been reading. The point is lost.

shocked wrote:

I can't believe what I've been reading. The point is lost.

You are right. And soon, this town will be lost too, unless we have better council persons voted in soon. Everyone lives in there own world. Maybe if everyone visted a cops or firefighters world they'd have a differant opinion. It's a sad day in time when such lack of respect for these profession is lacking from the citizens, and our elected officals. The dog and pony show these council people put on is terrible. We been taxed so much we could afford to pay these firefighters and cops more. BUT the true question is were is our tax dollars going??? The Police don't even have their Overtime in ther pension, unlike every other city department. If people new the truth, an dnot just whats being feed to them by dirty politians they'd see the light. Cops and fiefighters are hard working people like the rest of us working slobs trying to put food and shelter of our familes heads. As far as a politians I'd never think that, or trust one.