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Laid-Off Gary Indiana Firefighter Panhandles Near City Hall
LAURI HARVEY KEAGLE
The Times of Northwest Indiana
Reprinted with Permission
GARY - For the past 10 years, Jason Pickering made a living helping others. Now, he says he's the one relying on the kindness of strangers.
Laid-off Gary firefighter Jason Pickering, of Valparaiso, stands Monday near Gary City Hall with a sign seeking donations. One of 34 firefighters laid off last month, the father of four said he can't get by on unemployment alone. He said he took in $400 in charity in four hours Sunday.(Kyle telechan/The Times)
Jason Pickering, 34, holds a sign Monday in downtown Gary that reads "Laid off Gary firefighter. Family of six. Thank you and God bless." The Valparaiso father of four was one of 34 Gary firefighters laid off last month.(Kyle telechan/The Times)
Related
Laid-Off Gary Firefighter Takes To The Streets
Pickering, 34, of Valparaiso, is one of 34 Gary firefighters who were laid off last week.
The Times of Northwest Indiana
Reprinted with Permission
GARY - For the past 10 years, Jason Pickering made a living helping others. Now, he says he's the one relying on the kindness of strangers.
Laid-off Gary firefighter Jason Pickering, of Valparaiso, stands Monday near Gary City Hall with a sign seeking donations. One of 34 firefighters laid off last month, the father of four said he can't get by on unemployment alone. He said he took in $400 in charity in four hours Sunday.(Kyle telechan/The Times)
Jason Pickering, 34, holds a sign Monday in downtown Gary that reads "Laid off Gary firefighter. Family of six. Thank you and God bless." The Valparaiso father of four was one of 34 Gary firefighters laid off last month.(Kyle telechan/The Times)
Related
Laid-Off Gary Firefighter Takes To The Streets
Pickering, 34, of Valparaiso, is one of 34 Gary firefighters who were laid off last week.
The married father of four now has taken to begging for money on the streets of the city he served. Dressed in his turnout gear, Pickering holds a sign hand drawn on a square of cardboard that reads:
"Laid off Gary firefighter. Family of six. Thank you and God bless."
In his other hand is the boot he is using to collect donations.
"Yesterday, I was at 31st and Grant and got $400 in four hours," he said. "People were really generous, giving 20s and stuff."
Standing under the sign for the Genesis Convention Center at Broadway and Fifth Avenue, collecting donations Monday morning, Pickering said all he ever wanted to do was be a firefighter.
The South Haven native joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from Portage High School and trained as a firefighter while in the military. When he got out of the Navy, he trained locally and was hired by the Gary Fire Department.
Pickering said he was one of only two in the department trained to serve as a firefighter and paramedic. He served at Station No. 3 at 12th Avenue and Roosevelt Street.
He admits part of his goal while standing on the street collecting donations is to protest the layoffs and raise awareness of them in the city.
But Pickering insists the financial need is real. His wife does not work, staying home with their four daughters ranging in age from 2 to 10.
"Unemployment only pays $350 a week," he said. "I've got a house, car payment, mortgage payment, just like everyone else."
The layoff notices were delivered Dec. 27. City officials blamed the move on 2011 salary budget cuts they expect will be required by the Distressed Unit Appeals Board.
"Laid off Gary firefighter. Family of six. Thank you and God bless."
In his other hand is the boot he is using to collect donations.
"Yesterday, I was at 31st and Grant and got $400 in four hours," he said. "People were really generous, giving 20s and stuff."
Standing under the sign for the Genesis Convention Center at Broadway and Fifth Avenue, collecting donations Monday morning, Pickering said all he ever wanted to do was be a firefighter.
The South Haven native joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from Portage High School and trained as a firefighter while in the military. When he got out of the Navy, he trained locally and was hired by the Gary Fire Department.
Pickering said he was one of only two in the department trained to serve as a firefighter and paramedic. He served at Station No. 3 at 12th Avenue and Roosevelt Street.
He admits part of his goal while standing on the street collecting donations is to protest the layoffs and raise awareness of them in the city.
But Pickering insists the financial need is real. His wife does not work, staying home with their four daughters ranging in age from 2 to 10.
"Unemployment only pays $350 a week," he said. "I've got a house, car payment, mortgage payment, just like everyone else."
The layoff notices were delivered Dec. 27. City officials blamed the move on 2011 salary budget cuts they expect will be required by the Distressed Unit Appeals Board.
The state board granted the city $21 million in relief from tax caps in each of the past two years. Still, the city's property tax revenue has been cut in half since the tax caps were instituted.
The city also has lost revenue because of the bankruptcy of the Majestic Star Casino. Officials said the firefighter layoffs will save the city about $1.2 million.
The city also has lost revenue because of the bankruptcy of the Majestic Star Casino. Officials said the firefighter layoffs will save the city about $1.2 million.
The explanations are little relief to Pickering, who doesn't know where to turn for the work he was trained to do. The only department hiring anywhere in the state, he said, is in Fort Wayne.
Relocating isn't an option.
"We just want to come back to work," Pickering said of the firefighters who lost their jobs. "We took an oath to help people."
Copyright 2011 nwi.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Relocating isn't an option.
"We just want to come back to work," Pickering said of the firefighters who lost their jobs. "We took an oath to help people."
Copyright 2011 nwi.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by jon kalina on
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paul, you really have no idea what you are talking about. i am one of the laid off firefighters from gary and we don't have much down time to do "minor maintanence". we used to have 12 engines, 4 trucks, and a heavy rescue. now the city, even before the lay offs, only has 6 engines, 2 trucks and a old engine that w run as a rescue. get your facts straight before running your mouth. we make less than 40 K and have one of the highest rates of firefighters per structure fire in the nation. just in the last month we had 58 working structure fires. we really appreciate every ones support out their and please pray for me and my family, but more importantly pray for those FF's that are still in gary right now not knowing where or when there backup is going to arrive to back them up.
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Permalink Reply by Fire Hazmat on
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When on unemployment you must notify the Unemployment office of any monies earned...I hope he does or he will loose ALL unemployment monies.
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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Hey Tharte, remember the "stimulus" that everyone hated Obama for? Did you know what a massive chunk ($144billion) of that went to? Aid to states to preserve jobs like firefighters, cops, and teachers. This met with a massive amount of opposition, and received no votes from the opposition party.
Learn a bit before spouting off and for god's sake do some research before you vote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act...
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Mark, you are an imbecile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Act...
Please note the $144billion in aid to states, and not that not a single republican voted for it.
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Permalink Reply by Beverly on
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It is unfortunate that unqualified people are making decisions about peoples safety. You wouldn't go to a mechanic and ask him to remove your appendix or ask the butcher to fix your leaking faucet yet everyday we allow politicians to make public safety decisions. There are too many self serving, self righteous, out of touch decision makers failing to realize that the penny wise and pound foolish cuts that they are making will bite the taxpayers in the butt ...hopefully next election day the taxpayers will remember. Politicians , think about this....you lay off firefighters, EMTs and police officers to save a few thousand dollars...then there is a fatal fire, accident or shooting...the cost of the lawsuit brought by the victims and their families for there will be plenty of lawyers willing to bring them...even if they do not win...will cost more than the cost of keeping on these public safety employees.
Perhaps these firefighters should join together and contact some of the major news media...the publicity may do them good.
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Permalink Reply by Jack/dt on
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Mark;
In their first year of office:
Obama spent "all of or part of" 26 days on vacation during his first year in office.
Bush spent "all of or part of" 69 days on vacation during his first year in office.
Obama spent all or part of 27 days (11 trips) at Camp David, Bush spent 78 days (25 trips).
http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/preside…
Everyone is entitled to their political beliefs/ideology but at least use facts rather than nonsense that you pull out of your ass.
Also, if you're really *worried* about money, the following is interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_on_television
Currently, three American terrestrial television networks CBS ($3.73B), NBC ($3.6B) and Fox ($4.27B), as well as cable television's ESPN ($8.8B) are paying a combined total of $20.4 billion[1] to broadcast NFL games through the 2011 season for CBS, Fox, and NBC and through 2013 for ESPN
I guess to some people, watching football is way more important than fire protection.
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Permalink Reply by glenn serrano on
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the only silver lining in this story is the Dept. applied for SAFER GRANT monies and hopefully will receive them soon. and from what i read they will hire all the laid off firefighters when that happens.
But FEDERAL money can last only so long. at the crux of the problem is how funding is reliant on property taxes, when the real estate was booming and everyone's property was inflated no one complained about public employees salary or benefits, now we're public enemy #1
there has to be a better way to fund EDUCATION, POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS. FIRE tax districts is available to most areas but politicians won't use them because Taxes has become a dirty word these days. meanwhile social services will suffer, and our kids education will become 3rd world level.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Ayotte on
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It's funny...
When the economy is booming... public employees are looked upon as "servants working for chump change"...
When the economy takes a downturn, suddenly "we all have cushy jobs and are overpaid and overstaffed"...
When the economy takes a downturn... Fire, Police and Ems responses increase exponentially...
meanwhile, back in Gary, Indiana.... the City is spending taxpayer money to honor someone who's best accomplishment was probably leaving that hell hole for greener pastures...
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Paul;
Teacher salaries by state - http://teacherportal.com/teacher-salaries-by-state
Average firefighter salary - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Fire_Fighter/Salary
Median Annual Income - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States
State(s) Median Income - http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/statemedfaminc.html
U.S. Average Salaries - http://www.worldsalaries.org/usa.shtml
Range of Firefighter Hourly Wage(s) - http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/685/Firefighter.html
Salaries vary by location and years of experience. In 2004 the median salary for firefighters was $18.43 per hour. The lowest ten percent earned less than $9.71 per hour, and the top ten percent earned more than $29.21 per hour. The median salary for fire inspectors was $46,340 per year.
Average Salary for Auto Mechanic - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Automotive_Service_Technici...
Average Salary Carpenter - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Carpenter/Salary
A firefighter salary at FDNY starts at $39,370 ($43,000/yr including benefits).
http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/community/ff_salary_benefits_0801...
Studio apartment (~450 sqft) in Queens (not the best area) ~$1500/mo.
"$20,000 to $30,000 is a pretty fair yearly wage for anyone who knows how to live within their means, and not get too damn greedy."
If you think living on $20-30,000 is pretty fair, your expectations in life are negligible. If you think living on more than that is greedy you must have suffered a severe head injury in the past.
I've been living on MUCH less, for a very long time.
If you're living on less than $20-30,000 per year then you aren't busting your ass. Are you living in your parent's basement and saving for a double-wide? And exactly how much do you *contribute* to society teaching martial arts? And you certainly aren't paying much (if any) income tax. So how much are you contributing to YOUR community? I would expect, based on your comments that you wouldn't dare to call for a cop or fireman since you aren't contributing to their salaries. You must be going rogue.
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Permalink Reply by Patrick on
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Times are tough, he got creative. Hope all goes well for him. Our town shut our department down also but they just shut it down and never gave notice. All the personnel were just out of jobs so I feel for him.
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Permalink Reply by tharte on
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i do research all the time! i listen to politics on the radio, i read, i watch the news, etc... I HOWEVER DO NOT research information from a website where people can put whatever they want people to know or hear... try a different source, besides wikipedia, and then I'll have a discussion with you..
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and here is a little research you were looking for: It's under Impact of the Economic Stimulus Law on Public Safety. It wasn't shut down... google it! its around 1000 pages or so. There should be no reason for public servant layoffs!!
Local public safety organizations throughout the U.S. could soon find relief from pressure to provide more services with less money. The 787-billion-dollar “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” as signed into law by the President has allocated between four-billion and 13.8-billion-dollars for local public safety spending, and another several billion-dollars for projects that will be of interest to public safety. Law enforcement is the most obvious benefactor. Two law enforcement grant programs that had been cut significantly during the last administration are being given three-billion-dollars. Then, various other
local law enforcement programs are being allocated another 755-million-dollars.
Fire departments are being given 210-million-dollars for modifying, upgrading, or building new fire stations. Local emergency management gets no specific funds in the final bill. The version passed by the Senate would have spent 250-million-dollars on emergency management operation center and intelligence fusion centers, but these funds were eliminated in the compromise with the House version. The large span between the minimum of four-billion and a maximum of 13.8-billion-dollars is due to questions over how the states will spend a portion of their proceeds from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. The total Stabilization Fund amounts to 53.6-billion-dollars. A portion of the Fund (18.2%) may
be spent on “public safety and other government services”, depending on discretion of governors. That relative small portion of the Stabilization funds amounts to a significant amount of money: over ninepoint-seven-billion-dollars ($9.7B).
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