JOIN THE PENTWATER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND GET YOUR OWN FIRETRUCK

[XLFD]

One more ethical local fire fighter has bitten the dust down in Pentwater.  It started Tuesday on a Facebook page of The Pentwater Daily News Herald Journal Tribune Beacon

 

JOIN THE PENTWATER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND GET YOUR OWN FIRETRUCK
has your vehicle broken down and high gas prices driving you nuts, no problem become a Pentwater Fire Department and they'll give you a truck to drive and provide gas.
offer only valid if your father is the township superviser.

 

A few replies followed among these:

 Joe Pentwater according to my facebook sources this has been going on for month's, as well as a few other things that are a bit wierd. My sources say that we shouldn't worry because there is always a Pentwater DPW truck parked at the station during working hours and have spotted the DPW worker sitting there for hours on a laptop instead of working. Why fix potholes when you can get paid to watch porn or check facebook using the library wifi. It's only tax payers dollars being wasted and they do that alot around this village.

 

 Another firefighter who was released earlier for passing out candy during a parade, Deb Millard (her story found in the archives of that facebook page) informed us on Thursday January 6th (followed by a reply from the 'paper' and the firee):

Deb Millard Well now what do we have here. Because this paper {the facebook page} found an opinion and wrote it's own details about a firefighter using a dept vehicle my husband, Bear Millard, was suspended from the Pentwater Fire Dept. today by none other than Terry Cluchey. He refused to answer any questions and stated that "You can discuss this..." at the big meeting we will have in "a few weeks". The suspension is indefinite, read "terminated". When asked where he got the information that led to the suspension, Terry replied "It was handed to me". When asked who it was he replied "I can't tell you that. Suspicious yes, underhanded yes, shady yes, rediculous well I can't even begin to describe.   

The paper caught on and did it's own digging and watching, it isn't difficult to see when the truck and driver are all over town every day and the truck sits at the FF's house. When your officers are doing the wrong thing and get caught do...ing it, shouldn't the person in the wrong be the one punished? Shouldn't the chief be fixing the problem so he doesn't have to worry about "stories" being broadcast all over the internet about the corruption and mismanagement of the department you head? Realization eludes these people. Interesting how this department can be called to a fire and be deemed ineffectual...every time. Obviously the safety of the residents of this village and township are of no concern to them. Valuable and trained firefighters are so easy to come by around here, especially when the 2 in power make it so easy to like them and are such competant leaders, wouldn't you say? The road to rediculous is paved with the leadership and assinine behavior of these two "men". When this statement is "delivered" to you, make no mistake, this was written with full knowledge that you watch our every move, you are a poor leader, we are the most interesting and worthwile projects you've ever had, and that is about all of the repect you will ever deserve. Trade in your fire helmet, you are ineffectual and sad.

 

The Pentwater Daily News Herald Journal Tribune Beacon Well it looks like we have another story. Our hopes are that you do not believe this is our fault and we would love to work with the two of you to spread this whole preposterous witch hunt to the four corners. We have readers in Australia. With 10,000 readers a day this is sure to blow up in someones face.

 

Bear Millard

hey guys that's the way the cookie crumbles. I saw something that I felt was wrong and called it. It has been a pleasure serving this community and I'll keep you all posted. Did any of this fix the problem? No. Hey if it looks this bad to m...e and I am on the Dept think how bad it looks to John Q taxpayer or Joe Pentwater. I am hoping when I do finely get my meeting this can all be worked out and I can remain on the Dept., if not have I got some stories,videos and documents for you guys as I won't have to fear retaliation or cost me my Job. Keep up the good work and I might need a job are you still hiring? To my wife's comment above....geesh tell em how you really feel! Love ya and your candy.

 

The Pentwater Daily News Herald Journal Tribune Beacon ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST. Due to the fact that we found an opinion (thanks Deb) and ran with yet another story of Pentwater Fire Departments misappropration of funds and misuse of equipment by people on the fire department, another skilled and honest firefighter has been lost to us, the taxpayers.

 

A few hours later we have the latest update after the FD meeting:

Deb Millard

According to firefighters that were at the monthly meeting of the PFD last night. The wife of the firefighter who has been seen since Aug. using fire trucks as his own personal vehicle is the one who copied Bear Millard's entire page and then sent it to the township the asst. chief and chief, thus moving the story into the "mainstream media" and ensuring that more people got to see it than those of you who read the paper. Bear Millard was suspended for "The information going out to the mainstream media". This wife is also the daughter-in-law of the township supervisor. The same township supervisor that told Deb Millard, when she was terminated for passing out candy, that he or the township can do nothing in regards to the FD as it is a "separate entity". The same township supervisor who, we've heard through the grapevine, is being sued for telling the same line to another person. The same township supervisor who's son is the one using the truck for personal use. In effect, Mr. Millard was punished for an officers wife's emotions and poor judgement. Interesting.

-------------------------------

The corrupt continue, the virtuous fall.  Small city life.  Does anyone care though?

[Willy]

If this continues you should take photos of the vehicle parked away from it's designated area.

[XLFD]

Sounds like the Ludington Fire Departments rules to me, Deb, and very logical for any volunteer fire department.  In my 8 years on the LFD, I can remember of no instance where a first response vehicle was ever used for a non-public use, or parked overnight away from the fire station except when being repaired by the DPW.  The insurance company the PFD uses I'm sure would be interested in the revelations you have, as they could then charge the village more. 

I hope you and Bear can shake some common sense into the situation tonight.

[XLFD]

Bear Millard has just joined the Torch earlier today, soon to be followed by his wife, Deb, I hope.  Maybe they can give us more on this story.

Don't confuse this Bear from Oceana County with another Behr we've dealt with from there.

[Edie Lindsey]

Maybe we can start calling him XPFD, LOL.

Just in case you never heard of him, Bear or Deb, XLFD was a firefighter for the Ludington Fire Dept. for 8(?) years when he drove his bicycle through a stop sign in the sight of one of LPD's mounties.  When he decided to fight the ticket after noticing the sign was placed illegally, LPD's Mark Barnett decided to try him first with some false information in the court of the LFD.  He wound up resigning, and has been kicking and screaming ever since, God bless him.  The story is in here somewhere, use 'lawbreaker', I think, to get there in the search of the site.

[Willy]

I was told by an official of a large Michigan city that if they could not provide a secure central lot that had 24hr surveillance then the next best thing would be to have employees take vehicles home at night. I was also told that in an unsecured lot 1 person could do a lot of damage to many vehicles. The employees that take the vehicles home would be taxed on the use of the vehicle after hours because it is considered a benefit.

[XLFD]

Some townships/cities/counties do adopt policies for the personal use of public vehicles, so some of what was brought up here may be applicable as regards insurance and rationale.  Such policies can be found around the internet, and most are necessarily very prohibitive on the public user of that public vehicle. 

The state has no such policy for the use of state vehicles and does not prohibit smaller units of government from adopting such ordinances.  If Pentwater public officials (or their family) are using public vehicles in the manner described, they could still be potentially guilty of using public resources/property for their own personal use, unless the village has an ordinance that allows such use of their vehicles.  Which I doubt they do; but this should be publicly available from the village clerk.

[XLFD]

Subsection 2 could well apply to Tucson Sheriff Dupnik if Tucson was in Michigan.

[AQUAMAN]

"And NOT for personal GAIN or BENEFIT", pretty much says it all. On call Fire Dept. employees, and well as Many public sector employees, such as  Utilities personnel, have no such privilege accorded to them, and never will. It's called being ON CALL, not ON DUTY, big difference, and associated costs to the taxpayer footing the bills.

[XLFD]

As Deb points out, a volunteer department needs those apparatuses (apparati?) at the station for response to a life and death emergency.  No one is available 100% of the time, so whoever has a FD vehicle, particularly if it has some tool or purpose unique to it, may shoulder a heavy burden if that vehicle can not make a call. 

[XFFDM]

I care, my children live here, are growing up here, and my moral compass does not allow for blatant disregard for law or humanity.  I care not how long these people have lived here or who they are related to, the rules still apply, and so does the punishment.  I have no problem being held to a higher moral code as I was one of the people that will be there to help you or even save a life, but when the people who enforce this code refuse to live up to it themselves it is a disappointment to say the least.  Embezzlment, sexual harassment, hazing, misappropriation of department items and vehicles is not something I, as a taxpayer and former department member, am willing to overlook. I am also of the mind that, to be able to look my children in the eye and teach them to be productive and trustworthy adults, I cannot allow this to continue.  Granted, there may not be much I can do about it but that will not stop me from trying to get the word out.  This is your money people, take ownership and demand resonsibility from the people you trust with your lives and homes.  Someone MUST care.

[XLFD]

I truly believe a lot of people care.  No one as of yet has ever come on here, or the PDNHTJB I would wager, identifying themselves as a public servant in the know, and defended the charges against their public body (whether it be Ludington, Mason County, or Pentwater) that have been leveled here and there. 

Yet, these same people use a variety of tools to pressure private individuals and small businesses associated with the whistleblower to thwart their efforts or dissuade them from telling the truth.  This is what we get when our governments and big media marry each other.   

[AQUAMAN]

Many thanks to Deb and her husband to identify, quantify, and expose these injustices to us all. God bless you, keep the faith, and keep up the good work.