So When Did Chiefs Become Politicians???

By Safe Call Now

So when exactly was it when Chiefs (Police, Fire, Corrections, EMS, etc.) became politicians?  When did the crossover occur?  I’ve often wondered about this as I watch many events unfold around the country and I see firsthand our 1stresponders being sacrificed due to political reasons to appease others that are within local, state and federal government.  I’m not seeing these leaders step up for their personnel because it’s the “right thing” to do.  Not all of them but I get it under this current climate which still doesn’t make it right.

If you’re pressured as a Chief to fire someone, bring undue punishment on them and those orders are coming from above, you’re going to do it, whether it’s wrong or not.  You have three daughters in college, a mortgage, a car payment…  You’re not going to throw that away to stand up for your personnel and do the right thing.  The day that local, state and federal administrations made the Chiefs part of the decision making process, they essentially became politicians.  You had no choice.  Funny thing about politics is that it is (as my dear friend Charlie Fuller says) a “Befriend and Betray” system.

You pretend that everyone are “brothers and sisters” within the thin blue line, you reinforce it, you have their backs…  Then you have to make a political decision and sacrifice the 1stresponder even though you know it’s wrong.  Befriend and betray… and we wonder why we’re in the situation we’re in.  The day that Chiefs became politicians is the day you lost control of your department.

When I first started in law enforcement in 1987, Chiefs were Chiefs.  They lead and motivated others.  They made decisions and when you were wrong, you were going to know about it, get the appropriate discipline and move forward.  Loyalty, it was there.  No more.  As those of you on the frontline day in and day out do the right thing and protect us, remember you will not necessarily be protected by your own leaders.  The political ones anyways.

Become a great self-leader and always remember that politics is a “Befriend and Betray” system that can only bring you grief.  Stay safe out there, look out for each other and remember…  We need you!!! 

Calling All #1stresponders...

By Ron Jones - Safe Call Now® Vice President & Peer Advocate Coordinator

Calling all first responders. We hear it all the time; take care of yourself, be safe, stay alert. Generally speaking we are reactive in our professions. Responding to calls for service, disasters, critical incidents, active shooter, the list is endless. But who takes care of us; the ones on the front lines, those who are retired, the ones who have life altering disabilities, and even worse, the forgotten? We should look after each other, don’t wait on the department, or the municipal, county, state, or federal government. You will certainly be disappointed if you do. So you may ask, what then?  

Safe Call Now® always has room for motivated volunteers who have a background in the public safety arena and a passion for helping. In all of our professions we are expected to serve and we should but who better to look after a brother or sister than someone who has been there, who gets it, who has the same shared life experience. At Safe Call Now® that is exactly what you will find. We exist to help you and your family, BUT, we can’t do it alone.

What does it cost to be a part of this life saving organization, what are we asking you to donate; yourself, your time, your ability to calm others and offer assistance when needed as only another peer can do. We provide the training, we expect nothing monetarily in return, we need you! 

Freedom Is Not Free...

A Memorial Day Tribute - Poem by Kelly Strong

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.