When Duty Calls

Flags are flying at half staff in Connecticut today, not that anybody in that state needs reminding of the horrific event that once again stunned our nation with its raw savagery.

 Sandy Hook Elementary School, 12/14/12

We expect to occasionally hear the unfortunate news that a first responder is suddenly cut down in the line of duty. However, all first responders know death is in their job description.

It takes an extraordinary event like the Worcester fire tragedy or 9/11 to grab us by the throat so we suddenly pay attention again.

Teachers on the other, are not expected to die in the routine performance of their daily duty.  Columbine changed that.  Sandy Hook moved the bar a little higher.

And since not much has changed, the next one will be even more unspeakable.

Shouldn't they call this "Shelter in Place"?

One Hand Clapping

Just don't use the other hand to smoke a cigarette

Massachusetts motorists by the millions will want to applaud the Board of Fire Prevention Regulators come January 1st as multi-tasking while filling up at your local self-serve gas station will get a whole lot more comfortable. 

For the first time in a generation, drivers will be allowed to use hold open clips so you don't have to keep one hand on the squeeze handle to keep the gas flowing.

Self-serve gas stations were also banned in Massachusetts until the mid-1970s and the ban on hold open clips coincided with the relaxing of regulations allowing such stations.

So for some of us, this could be our first time using them.  Hence this instructional video:

I asked AFD Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren if he had any concerns about this new development and he said he brought it up at a recent Hampshire County Chiefs meeting and nobody seemed alarmed.

Although he was quick to add, "But I'm sure we'll see some unique cases in the next year or so."

Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

School Meeting Confirmed (We Hope)

Amherst Regional School Committee

Anyone remember that episode of the The Flintstones where Fred was fired for the umpteenth time by Mr. Slate but because he had modified over the years the operational controls of the big old front end loader at the rock quarry to where only he could run it, his boss pretty much had to rehire him?

Apparently long-time secretary Debbie Westmoreland fits into that unique category as she does all the intricate interactions with the town clerks for both the Amherst School Committee and Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee ... and she's on leave until early January.

Hence the reason for recent scheduling snafus: Two RSC meetings canceled for not being posted in Pelham (one of the four towns in the Region) in time, and the mislabeling of the 12/16 meeting.

The mysterious, is it a Regional or just an Amherst School Committee meeting on 12/16 has been solved:  It is an Amherst School Committee meeting, not a Regional School Committee meeting.

Since the 5 member Amherst School Committee makes up more than half of the 9-member Regional SC it's easy to be confused.  And since Amherst comprises 88% of the Region, you also have to wonder why it's only 5-of-9 and not more like 8-of-9?

But then math was never my strong point.

So the simple take away is rookie RSC chair Trevor Baptiste is not to blame.  Although if I were him I would hand deliver a meeting notice to the part-time Pelham (his hometown) Town Clerk in plenty of time to be properly posted for the next RSC meeting.

And the simple solution of voting the "alternative method" of posting to the regional ARPS website (an option open to them for many years) should be endorsed forthwith. 

Merry Once More

Merry Maple last night

Some of you more sagacious types may have noticed the Merry Maple went dark soon after the unveiling last week, but as of last night it's back for the duration of the Christmas, err, holiday season.

Apparently the problem was an "amateur hour repair on the cut wires performed by the contractor in charge of stringing the lights."  According to town electrician Fred Hartwell, "The Merry Maple should now function properly for the remainder of the holiday season."

Hallelujah. 

Box Alarm UMass

 AFD Engine 1 on scene near UMass Southwest towers

The  still alarm -- automatic response due to tripped smoke detectors -- first came in around 10:30 PM last night but then within minutes became a box alarm as UMass first responders reported "smoke in the building."

 AFD Engine 2 (the quint) gets in close to Berkshire Dining Commons

The Quint has a 75' aerial ladder 

The tone sent out to all on and off duty firefighters brings a massive response to the UMass Berkshire Dining Commons, in this case Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Ladder 1, an ambulance, AFD Chief Nelson and assistant Chief Stromgren.

Off duty firefighters and Call Force are automatically mobilized

 AFD Ladder 1 with a 102' aerial platform standing by

Two firefighters went up on the roof and headed down into the building searching for the source of the smoke, which turned out to be electrical: Burned out motor on a HVAC system.

By midnight all AFD assets had packed up and returned to quarters, waiting for the next tone.

E2 taps into Fire Dept Connection to supplement building's sprinkler system

Regional School Committee Runaround

Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee 10/14/14

The Keystone Cops have got nothin' on our Regional School Committee when it comes to setting meetings.

Tonight's meeting, with only an Executive Session scheduled to talk about the many legal issues confronting the Region had to be cancelled once again because of a posting issue in Pelham, one of the four towns making up the Region.

The meeting on November 18 had to be cancelled because of a posting issue in, you guessed it, Pelham.  

The meeting scheduled for two nights ago (12/9) was canceled due to inclement weather (but never posted to the town website as such).

Ironically they were set to discuss the recent Open Meeting Law ruling against them, as well as a simple, quick, easy, efficient new way of posting their public meetings by using the ARPS website.  All it takes is a simple majority vote of the Committee.

But now the Regional School Committee meeting scheduled for 12/16, no longer shows the OML update and vote on the new "alternative" way of posting meetings on the agenda.  And if it's not on the agenda, they cannot discuss or vote on it.

Pernicious Top 10 List

Hampshire College founded 1970

Here's a sad story you will not read about too much in the local media:  Two-out-of-three Amherst based institutes of higher education made a (legitimate) top-ten list for reported per capita sexual assaults on campus.

And no, UMass is not one of them.  Not even close.

Washington Post 10/28/14

So yes that leaves Amherst and Hampshire Colleges, two of the most expensive liberal arts colleges in the country.  Clearly Hampshire College needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.

If the Washington Post updates its sexual assault story with current 2013 numbers, Hampshire (20 assaults = 13.3/1,000) our local "alternative" college would most likely be #1 in the nation.

 Amherst College:  Named after the town, not the General

To their credit, Amherst College would fall further down the list (9 assaults = 5/1,000).

The current #1 Gallaudet went from 18 to 17 rapes in 2013 and current #2 Grinnell College dropped dramatically from 18 assaults down to 8.  Thus Hampshire College would leap ahead of both of them.

UMass, where a tiny minority of nitwits want to return to the Animal House glory days by using the malicious moniker "Zoomass", has less than 1 sexual assault per 1,000 students (22 out of 27,269 students).

Or another way of looking at this astounding comparison is if UMass had the same 2013 assault rate as Hampshire College that would come to 363 assaults.

 UMass Amherst Clery Report

Other esteemed members of the Five College Consortium -- Smith College and Mount Holyoke -- also have tiny assault rates compared to Hampshire College, at 1.5/1,000 for Smith College and less than 1/1,000 (.87) for Mount Holyoke.

And the town of Amherst overall is lesser still at .45/1,000.

Hey Hampshire: You're doing it wrong.

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Only 20% of female college students who are victims of sexual assault report it to police. http://t.co/HpOTlVYv8i pic.twitter.com/5qoaZvmPZ4
— WBUR (@WBUR) December 11, 2014