Bulldog 2007 Article 124

Last night’s fire at 412 Noe St. in the Castro got out of control as a direct result of the incompetence of San Francisco’ fire chief, Joanne Hayes-White. The structure fire spread from 412 Noe to 406 and 420 Noe while firefighters stood helplessly waiting for a truck to arrive with adapters that would allow them to hook up to the fire plug.

I railed to an empty house last year when Chief White refused to put universal adapters on all SF plugs (cost of under $10 apiece). Industry experts told the Board of Supe’s committee that White was making a mistake. As an ex-firefighter, I told all of you that White was making a mistake.

Last night, White’s mistake sent 4 children and 3 adults to the hospital and caused 2 million in structural and property damage. Once the lawsuits are finally settled, the City will be lucky to get out of this entire fiasco for under 10 million dollars. Victims and realtors should immediately sue the City, naming Chief White and Mayor Newsom as targets.

Blogger, Arthur Evans who writes under the handle ‘Crustypuss’ on a local chat room called the Wall reported that the first truck on the scene arrived quickly but had to wait between 5 and 10 minutes for the adapters. This is exactly the scenario I warned about earlier.

I talked to a firefighter at Marina Safeway yesterday while I was on my daily walk and he said that Hayes-White had never been in charge of the fire ground on a multiple alarm fire. Well, due to her complete arrogance and irresponsibility, last night’s blaze went to at least 3 alarms and brought in over 100 firefighters. If she was there, Chief White finally got the multiple alarm fire to add to her resume.

She was hired because her father was a bigwig in the Democratic club structure in the Sunset district and also simply for being female. Political sleaze and gender politics all in one bundle and you see the result.

It wouldn’t be so bad if she would just keep her mouth shut and let people who know the business run the FD. She had only 13 years on the force when hired (it usually takes at least 20 to even make captain and they haven’t given a lieutenant’s test since 1997) … and, she spent most of her time as a driver for various department brass. when appointed, she announced that she was refusing to live in the Chief’s house built centrally on Bush St. after the ’06 quake. She actually suggested they make the place into a bed and breakfast business and she’d commute from the deep Sunset (Daly City border) in the event of a major earthquake. This is no background for the head of a major urban fire department.

But, Hayes has been a very activist chief and in all the wrong directions. She halted the integration of the fire and emergency medical services and actually took ambulances out of the fire houses (the paramedics work 10 times more than the firefighters – yep, they get 10 times the calls – and disturb the union boys). Now, ambulances roam the streets much like cabs. It is a positive disgrace.

Let me be clear that I am not opposed to White because she’s female. I’m opposed to her because she’s incompetent and she just sent 4 children to the hospital last night to prove me right.

Today (8-16-07) CNN ran a piece on a huge bust the DEA made on cops in the Phoenix Police Department. A dozen cops were hauled away in cuffs after testing positive for the illegal substance. CNN was kind enough to list the h. brown archive as one source for their piece. I have done at least a dozen columns warning about the dangers of roid rage in people with badges and guns. Go to CNN.com and search ‘cops and steroids’ for the clip.

Mecke is attempting to destroy the Mayoral Candidates Collaborative Josh Wolf and I have pieced together to insure that minor candidates have a public voice during this election campaign.

The Gonzalez acolyte announced today that he would not only not be joining the collaborative, but that he would be joining Mayor Newsom in boycotting the first debate arranged by the collaborative (tomorrow after work in front of City Hall – 5-6:30pm).

Let me give you an idea about the kinds of things a candidates collaborative can do. Diamond Dave Whitaker and I put together the City’s first candidates collaborative for the D-5 supe race in 2004. At one of the meetings I tried to get all of the candidates to agree to support PD foot patrols. Only Ross Mirkarimi had qualms. Like Newsom on Gay Marriage, the Mirk not only changed his mind but has led the charge for foot patrols. These collaboratives are good things and Gonzalez should be ashamed for using his pawn, Mecke to try and kill this one.

Salon is 1-3pm.

Candidates galore.

Good food.

Beer.

You’re buying.

h_brown44@yahoo.com