07-30-08 E-Mail from Bruce Philpott, “A Culture of Abuse - A Matter of Degrees?”

The fire culture has taken a big step into the realm of unethical and immoral behavior that is now possibly being classified as criminal by the FBI. It all stems from the behavior of too many firefighters in the Boston Fire Department who have taken advantage of certain work rules. They have discovered that by filing for workers compensation benefits when they are temporarily working in a higher rank, they can claim the higher salary when securing an easily obtainable disability retirement. A bruised elbow or knee can be sufficient reason for a successful work-related disability retirement. All they have to have are the right doctors and attorneys who know their way around the workers compensation system in Boston.

One might ask why that is relevant to Glendale. Local taxpayers and citizens might be shocked to know that 50% of firefighter retirements in Glendale are for disabilities and not full-service. This statistic is similar to the experience in Boston. The only question is how many Glendale firefighters are taking advantage of the same liberal disability retirements as are their counterparts in Boston. Does fire management and the city administration even care? After all, it’s not their money that is paying these exorbitant pensions.