Hey, there! Log in / Register
Fire drill at Menino headquarters during the election
By adamg on Tue, 09/22/2009 - 3:04pm
UPDATE: Putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5? There was a fire drill today at Center Plaza. But the Boston Fire Department tells the Herald there were no firefighters involved. And as you'll see in the comments, people who work in the building say they were told ahead of time about the drill by building management. So my apologies to firefighters for jumping the gun after seeing this tweet.
Boston firefighters decided today would be a good day to test the fire preparations at 2 Center Plaza, which happens to be the location of Tom Menino's campaign headquarters.
Menino campaign spokesman Nick Martin says 50 to 60 campaign staffers - in addition to workers in nearby offices - had to evacuate when firefighters pulled the alarms around 2 p.m.
Martin said workers were kept outside for about half an hour. He added that many took cell phones with them so they could try to do some work.
Firefighters Local 718 was an early supporter of Michael Flaherty. They've feuded with Menino for years over a lack of contract and, more recently, mandatory drug and alcohol testing.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Wow
That is just...wow.
Pathetic
What a pathetic attempt to try to slow another's campaign. Even more it shows complete disregard for the other workers and businesses within the building.
Age requirment to be a fire fighter???
Grow up. Yet the same crew will cry and moan if city hall browns out a house on days of excessive sick time usage. Is this not putting that neighborhood at risk if a REAL fire was to take place somewhere else? The games played by Local 718 makes this taxpaying resident sick. And I will take it out on there candidate of choice. Michael Flaherty should have thought long and hard about paling up with Local 718. Unfortunately my vote for Sam Yoon today might be in vain, but my vote for Menino (while a bit forced) will not be.
Election day--Similar story different mayor
Kevin White's DPW once replaced the sidewalk in
front of Timilty's office with a 4 foot trench, spanned
by a 6 inch wide board reaching from curb to steps.
I never thought I would yearn for the days of Ronald Reagan
I never, ever, thought I would yearn for the union busting days of 1981, Ronald Reagan, and PATCO.
The firefighters are begging to be treated like the air traffic controllers were treated. And, the MBTA unions, with the Carmen's Union Local 589 leading this hit parade, are just aching to be fired right after the firefighters.
I'd be willing to form a volunteer fire company for my five blocks if that meant the firefighter's union was cashiered. I'd be willing to walk everywhere for a year to see those insolent Carmen's Union members clocking into real jobs.
The fire department is run
The fire department is run by the fire commissioner--appointed by the same mayor you think is being harrassed, not local 718. This whole series of articles are cheap shots at the firefighters and anyone referring to this drill as a planned disruption is either lying or so completely uninformed that they are pathetic. To paraphrase Barney Frank, what planet do you spend most of your time on, Prang?
No
I work in Center Plaza. We had a fire drill today and were warned about it yesterday. Everyone had to evacuate in all the different offices and businesses. This happens every year at this time. No conspirarcy theory here.
BTW, I do not work for Menino's campaign and was unaware they were in the same building as me.
No way to verify
whether or not what you say is true, but it makes sense. Most places of business usually warn before fire drills and such happen. I think even 718 is smart enough to know that pulling a stunt like this would not go unnoticed.
You....
...do? Conversely you must feel that Menino's campaign knew this and made no secondary plans for what appears to be a large crew of phone bankers/volunteers?
I would put nothing past the firefighters union at this point. Same crew that spit on Menino's wife in 2004. Public relations is not there strong suit.
I can verify this....
...and I'm not a sock puppet, as you can see. I also work in Center Plaza. We have a fire drill every year, usually about this time since we have a fair shot at good weather. We were told yesterday that the fire drill would happen sometime this week.
Today?
Thursday is also "sometime this week".
True, but..
they never tell us what day it is happening, the idea being that you're caught at least somewhat off-guard. I can tell you there are a number of companies in 2-3 Center Plaza, and that we're all evacuated for a fire drill around this time of year, every year. I can't prove it's not a conspiracy since I can't prove a negative, but all I can say is that this was like every other drill we've had since I've worked here.
Yep
Wouldn't it be odd if they didn't do it above the board, giving more people reason to believe it was a sleazy political move? Would you have expected it Thursday if not today? You'd still be off-guard on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Ok, if they waited until Friday, you might get suspicious. But the point is that Tuesday was chosen either a) no good reason, b) their own scheduling needs, c) to screw with Menino's HQ on election day.
My problem is that given that C is a possibility, wouldn't you choose a different day purely to avoid seeming improper? So, if A were true, then you'd think any other day would automatically be better...and thus, there'd be good reason to choose a different day negating A as an option. B is a possibility and if they were pushed as to why they chose today, I wouldn't be surprised to hear all about how it *had* to be today because every other day for a month in both directions was busy for them...but equally suspicious that it just had to be 2 PM as opposed to early morning (my work almost always has it as early in the morning as possible so as to keep the rest of the day contiguous for all of the companies in the building).
So, yes, regardless of how well planned this was in order to be the real, honest-to-god, necessary fire drill for the building's annual inspection...it just happening to be election day at 2 PM sets off more than just the fire alarm. It sets off the BS alarm too.
How.....?
Hi, Sockpuppet here.
How is it possible that the fire department picked today to perform a fire drill when the fire department is not responsible for picking or arranging the day? It is generally pre-arranged through the building owner, superintendent, management company, or person responsible for maintenance; in this case, Equity Management. Perhaps their representative is a Flaherty supporter?
Does anybody have specific evidence that the fire department knew Menino had a campaign office in 2 Center Plaza, since it is unnecessary for the fire department to know what each and every office in the city is being used for, unless a specific hazard is present inside? A fire drill covers the entire building, and unless an inspection was also taking place, the firefighters involved would not have to enter the building and check each office to make sure a campaign office was present; they would be responsible for initiating the fire drill and making sure everyone evacuated properly. Are there not other offices inside Center Plaza that are used for non-political purposes, who also needed to exit the building as the drill required? Is there a giant Menino for Mayor sign on Center Plaza that is invisible to anybody but him and his supporters?
There are multiple workers from Center Plaza verifying that they were told that there would be a fire drill this week, and yet because a Menino campaign member advised everybody of this egregious wrongdoing, without any evidence that it was malicious, everyone on here is ready to persecute the fire department yet again? I guess nobody listens to both sides of the story anymore.
Brett, feel free to chime in at anytime, since I know you're ready to tell me that I'm just defending my coked out, drunk pals who decided to piss on Menino's glorious day.
Another example of piss-poor, witch-hunt reporting.
I stress again that the fire department does not decide when fire drills take place.
Resulting flame war in 3, 2, 1...
Does anybody have specific
Considering that these guys have been chasing him down for years and endorsed Flaherty early on I am going to have to say I am sure they knew where his offices were. The Police Department did the same thing arresting Shepard Fairey on his way to an event Menino was at. These guys are not stupid or ignorant, as a whole they are smart people who can figure these things out.
I swear to God, this site
I swear to God, this site gets more and more bizarre when the fire department is mentioned. Hey Rightsaidred, I hope nobody drops the MF bomb on you when making thoughtful commentary like Brett (a real class act) did last week. You are the voice of reason when the BFD is mentioned. There are plenty of comments when bogus articles like this one appear, yet only one comment from the Chinatown fire where numerous rescues were made last week. If this balogna is true, it's a major news story. Why won't it lead on any news program or in any newspaper, because it's cookoo, cookoo, cuckoo (three times for emphasis)?
Management companies schedule fire drills, not the union local. Fire alarm companies activate the fire alarm system from the fire command center, not Ed Kelly sitting at his desk on Hallet Street. This bogus article shouldn't make people less safe who work and live in Boston's high rise buildings because the time, effort and expert advise given by the good men and women of the BFD is worth it to them. Now, if you'll excuse me, my black helicopter is warmed up and it's time to go back to area 51.
Was BFD even there?
As well, can somebody who was working at Center Plaza today verify whether or not BFD was even on scene during this drill? The major papers are reporting that BFD stated that it wasn't even involved in this drill; it was conducted by Equity Management and completely independent of the fire department (which makes sense, since again, we do not decide when fire drill take place)?
Which, if that is the case, the headline to this story is a lie and the story itself is a gigantic non-story reported in such a way to make the fire department look bad, when they weren't even involved.
so now the question is, was it a setup?
So, firstoff, the whole thing smelled from the beginning and now it smells even worse. The question is, what the hell is going on? Was this a setup, some really dumb union members, or something else entirely?
The major papers are reporting that BFD stated that it wasn't even involved in this drill
Mmmm, sorta:
Steve MacDonald, a Fire Department spokesman, said he had no information about the drill because it is usually building owners who conduct fire drills, independent of the Fire Department.
All he really said: "I have no idea", and he described what *usually* happens, not what happened in this particular case. It would have taken him all of a few minutes to call around and find out the situation. "Hang on, let me look into it and call you back" didn't happen here. Why not?
Well, now, here's a pretty different statement given to the Herald:
Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said firefighters were not involved in the drill. "We didn’t respond to it. We don’t conduct fire drills," he said.
That's radically different from what Adam described- a firefighter pulling the alarm. Adam, what was your report based on?
So (I hate that word) your
So (I hate that word) your answer is, firstoff, (I would hate that word too if it was even a word) "I have no idea" why you "usually" make such ignorant comments about the efforts made by Boston's firefighters. Secondoff (?), "Hang on, let me look into it and call you back." Never mind let me give you an answer. Please write your filth on the Herald's comments section, it's more fitting.
No...
... I work at Center Plaza, too. There were no firefighters to be seen anywhere during the fire drill yesterday. We knew about it at least a week ago. I wouldn't be surprised if, like many of us who work downtown but don't actually live in Boston, building management never even thought about the fact that it was election day yesterday.
Oh, and...
It was honestly more like 10-15 minutes.
you forgot
"and I am not one of the dozen or so BFD sockpuppets that posts every time a story negative for BFD is posted"
I may be more accepting of
I may be more accepting of your reasoning then Brett. My questions are A) How did you find this page so fast if you were unaware of the campaigns (most regulars here are) and B) Do you have any proof of what you say. An email or a picture of a flyer for instance?
I may have temporarily
I may have temporarily misplaced my tinfoil hat, but if anyone wants to fact-check this, Center Plaza is run by Equity Management.
So?
Just because they gave the required warning and did everything by the book doesn't mean it wasn't politically motivated. Just because Menino's mouthpiece knew it was coming and maybe even prepared his statement well in advance doesn't mean the BFD weren't gunning for even a minor disruption of Menino HQ on election day.
Everything about it could be completely legit and yet it's still a sleazy move.
Of all of the days this week, this month, this whatever for them to choose to do this, it just *happened* to be the same day as the election? Riiight.
SAD
SAD
For what it's worth, we're
For what it's worth, we're having fire drills at work this week, too. Tis the (election...) season?
Still very skeptical
I always believe in waiting for the full story to evolve, so if another business from 2 Center Plaza will go on record saying they were warned and this happens every year than I might be willing to believe it was not planned with a political motive. But a warning the day before doesn't change the fact that of all the buildings in Boston the Menino Campaign office building was forced to evacuate on primary day. I still think this to be very suspicious.
I'll go on record...
I work in 3 Center Plaza, but the buildings are connected and have their fire drills together.
Why?
Just because they warned them doesn't mean it's still not a disruption and couldn't have been done any other day of the year.
what is the point?
he said this! she said that! why are we wasting so much time talking about something that is over and done with?
oh yeah...cause you are a menino puppet and you're currently soiling your pants at the high voter turnout...
if you were confident in your candidate you wouldn't have to resort to trying to persuade voters that 718, and by association flaherty, is behind this. it's a fire drill. get over it. i'm sure menino's people are back inside frantically trying to get people to the polls.
have a nice night kaz...
A Menino Puppet?
Really?
I am?
You're an idiot.
Ahhhh yes
because everyone here is exactly who they say they are...my fault for being presumptuous.
thought the polls were quite
i thought the polls were quite today and people were being respectful, but i just spoke with a friend in JP, latino male, who was completely harassed and hassled by Flaherty campaigners outside the polls. apparently they're using the same swearing in-your-face tactics they used while being crude at the first debate stand-out. and the fire drill while maybe legitimate, reeks of uncalled for behavior. I'm very appreciative of the work of Boston firefighters, but they continually seem to be the poorly behaved child of the city, and not just on election day. Thanks for being on the ready to save citizens' lives, but that doesn't mean you're above the law and should try and hold it over our heads.
2 Center Plaza Fire Drill
I work in 3 Center Plaza and the entire building had a fire drill today. I found out that the fire drill would be today via an email that I received on Friday, September 18th.
I apologize for allowing myself to be wound up
I apologize for allowing this breathless story to wind me up. I could have waited for more information or for confirmation before I vented my spleen.
For the record, I do not apologize for my antipathy for the various municipal unions; they've worked hard to earn it, and earn it they have. But, my reaction this time was ill-considered.
Also for the record, I am not a Menino supporter.
I'm sorry.............not.
I'm sorry.............not. Your rant was against public employee unions, then you say you're not sorry for insulting them. Did you write Kanye West's nonapology too? Save your ink next time.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOT EVEN ON SCENE. I enjoy this site but I think it's time for an apology or retraction, please, or pretty please with a cherry on top if that would make it easier. If you need information about how the BFD operates or why things are done in a certain way Adam, please call Steve MacDonald at the public information office (617-343-3550).
Yes, I may have jumped to conclusions
See the note at the top of the post.
Thanks...
for the retraction, even though it was kinda cool to see my building the target of such speculation.
BFD doesn't orchestrate Fire drills
Adam, from what I understand, the building's management company schedules and orchestrates fire drills, not the BFD. Have they made a statement yet?
Adam, Did this all start
Adam,
Did this all start because you jumped on a single tweet? Maybe its time to set some sort of 5 tweet minimum before putting something out there. I don't work in Center Plaza, but I do know that in my office building, its building management, not the fire department, that decides when to have a fire drill. I've always thought that was the norm.
Sort of
I saw the tweet, then called Nick Martin (Menino's campaign PR person), who confirmed the basic story (i.e., that there was, indeed, a fire drill). And that's when I posted something - and, yes, that's where I went awry, unfortunately. So you're right: Be careful with tweets, especially on election day (related issue: Do something about anonymous comments on election day).