<div>I agree. There is an axe being ground here and I strongly suspect that it has very little if anything to do with prescription medication. Button and the rest of the MVFD management do an excellent job of dealing with Moscow's emergency services and have for years. This single engineered incident does nothing to diminish their stellar record.</div>
<div> </div><div>g<br><br></div><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 1:54 PM, Donovan Arnold <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com" target="_blank">donovanjarnold2005@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid" class="gmail_quote"><div><div style="font-family:Courier New,courier,monaco,monospace,sans-serif;font-size:10pt">
<div><span>Wayne,</span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span>I think we are only getting 1/2 the story, if that.</span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span>I think Button and <span>Carscallen</span> just didn't know what was going on and made a bad decision because they were not there and didn't understand what they stuff was.It happens. If Button thought it could be an explosive, as stated, his actions to get it out of the building right away, would seem reasonable. We know now they would call the police, although I am sure that wouldn't have made a difference in the outcome as it would have been flushed down the toilet all the same and she was not using it so she would not have tested positive. </span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span>What creeps me out still is these ladies rummaging through their coworkers personal belongings and <span><span>jewelry</span></span> boxes. What were they doing in her stuff? What prompted them to go and decide at midnight to go do that? There is something else missing about this story that is very big and important. </span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span>Donovan J. Arnold</span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><br></div>
<div style="font-family:Courier New,courier,monaco,monospace,sans-serif;font-size:10pt">
<div style="font-family:times new roman,new york,times,serif;font-size:12pt">
<div dir="ltr"><font face="Arial">
<div style="margin:5px 0px;padding:0px;border:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);line-height:0;font-size:0px;min-height:0px" readonly></div><b><span style="font-weight:bold">From:</span></b> Art Deco <<a href="mailto:art.deco.studios@gmail.com" target="_blank">art.deco.studios@gmail.com</a>><br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> <a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a> <br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, May 9, 2012 1:15 PM<br><b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> [Vision2020] <span>Oxycodene</span> <span>Con't</span><br>
</font></div><div><div class="h5"><br>
<div>Below is a copy of further developments from today's <i><span>LMT</span></i>.<br><br>Quote:<br>
<div style="color:rgb(51,51,255)">MOSCOW - They denied a cover-up. They refused to call it a screw-up, but Moscow Fire Chief Ed Button and Capt. Dan <span>Carscallen</span> said Tuesday they should have taken a different tack.</div>
<div style="color:rgb(51,51,255)">"I should have called the police," Button said.</div>
<div style="color:rgb(51,51,255)">
<div>"That's where I'm at, too," said <span>Carscallen</span>, who is also a Moscow city councilor. "Otherwise, I'm not commenting because I don't want to throw people under the bus. I guess I'm big enough to take the bus running over me."</div>
</div>I'm a little confused here, They should have called the <span>MPD</span> instead of ordering the evidence to be removed. It wasn't a <span>coverup</span> or screw-up, though. Huh? Sounds like something out of Orwell's <i>1984</i> -- doublespeak.<br>
<br>Some progress has been made. An admittance that the <span>MPD</span> should have been called, given the allegations of illegal narcotic possession and use by an emergency responder.<br><br>However, <span>Carscalen</span> then reveals where he still is at"<br>
<br><span style="color:rgb(51,51,255)">"It's just that somebody didn't get what she wanted," <span>Carscallen</span> said. "So she's dragging everybody else through the mud. It's unfortunate. I care for the gal, but she's making it hard."</span><br>
<br>How does that fit with: <br><br><span style="color:rgb(51,51,255)">"That's where I'm at, too," said <span>Carscallen</span>, who is also a Moscow city councilor. <font size="4"><b>"Otherwise, I'm not commenting</b></font> because I don't want to throw people under the bus..."</span><br>
<br>More doublespeak and hypocrisy. It appears that neither <span>Carscalen</span> or Button have yet to understand why many are astounded, disgusted, and angry at their malfeasance, <span>CYA</span> actions. and blame, punish, and smear the complainants tactics.<br>
<br><b>It's true that the complainants did not get what they
wanted</b>. They expected, quite reasonably, <span>Carscalen</span> and Button would act legally and professionally by immediately reporting to the <span>MPD</span> the allegations so that they could be promptly investigated, and as a result of that investigation corrective and further actions would be taken. This was not an allegation of a littering offense; it was the allegation of illegal narcotics possession and use by a paid, resident emergency responder. Instead of handling the matter legally and professionally, Button and <span>Carscalen</span> conspired to cause the removal and probable destruction of the evidence, and then proceeded to bully, intimidate, and vilify the complainants, who whatever their motives, raised a serious issue of public safety, public health, and possible criminal behavior.<br>
<br>I appreciate the time that <span>Carscalen</span> dedicates to being an EMT. It is not a pleasant undertaking to show up at scenes of chaos and carnage. Few of us could do it.<br><br>That said, I am wondering along with others, that how Button's and <span>Carscalen's</span> immediate response to this matter reflects on their ability to respond to emergency situations that may call for rapid clear thinking and decisive actions.<br>
<br>Instead of "We ought to have called the <span>MPD</span>," what we need to hear from City Councilperson <span>Carscalen</span> is a tenacious call for an immediate, thorough, and honest investigation of all the questions raised by this incident. That would at least demonstrate that he fully understands the seriousness of the matter, that he has abandoned the <span>CYA</span> and punish the whistle blowers mode, and that he is
anxious for his constituents to know the truth, and to be assured once the truth is out, that comprehensive corrective actions will be taken including whatever personnel. policy, and procedural changes are indicated. Such a call would also remove the miasma of the cowardly <span>CYA</span> and blame the complainants operation. It would show <span>Carscalen</span> as a person of courage and conviction which all of us hope he is.<br>
<br>w.<br><br><br>______________________________<br>
<h1 style="font-size:24px">Moscow fire chief admits he 'should have called the police' </h1>
<div><b>By David Johnson, of the Tribune | Posted: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 12:00 am </b></div>
<div>MOSCOW - They denied a cover-up. They refused to call it a screw-up, but Moscow Fire Chief Ed Button and Capt. Dan <span>Carscallen</span> said Tuesday they should have taken a different tack.</div>
<div>"I should have called the police," Button said.</div>
<div>
<div>"That's where I'm at, too," said <span>Carscallen</span>, who is also a Moscow city councilor. "Otherwise, I'm not commenting because I don't want to throw people under the bus. I guess I'm big enough to take the bus running over me."</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>The two reacted to allegations that they failed to respond properly after being alerted that suspected illegal drugs and paraphernalia had been found at Fire Station 1 in mid-February.</div></div>
<div>
<div>Volunteer firefighters Bonnie <span>Shambaugh</span> and Emily <span>Kimberling</span> filed complaints with Moscow's human resources director saying suspected drugs and paraphernalia were found in another <span>firefighter's</span> desk. <span>Shambaugh's</span> complaint alleges that <span>Carscallen</span>, with Button's approval, said to get rid of the substance "like a bottle of whiskey."</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>Button said the incident has a political edge to it, in that the department, made up of nearly 100 volunteers and 51/2 paid administrative positions, is like any other bureaucracy.</div></div>
<div>
<div>"It's unfortunate that she felt she needed to take the tact she has," Button said of <span>Shambaugh's</span> decision to go outside the department.</div></div>
<div>
<div>"It's just that somebody didn't get what she wanted," <span>Carscallen</span> said. "So she's dragging everybody else through the mud. It's unfortunate. I care for the gal, but she's making it hard."</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>The firefighter suspected of having the drugs underwent a drug test the following morning and came up clean, Button said. He said there is a small photograph apparently taken with a cellphone of the alleged illegal substance. But little or no other physical evidence remains, he said.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>The complaint alleges the suspect firefighter said the substance was <span>oxycodone</span>. No charges have been filed and as of Tuesday, no criminal investigations had been reported by local authorities.</div></div>
<div>
<div>As far as he's concerned, Button said, the matter is over, except for the publicity fallout. "It's on the Internet. It's on all the fire department websites," he said. "It's on the <span>blogs</span>. The Chicago Tribune picked it up. It's all over."</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department is a nonprofit corporation that contracts with the city of Moscow. The Moscow Rural Fire Department is a separate entity, but also has Button as chief. The two departments, Button said, work together seamlessly.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>Button said he was called early in the morning on Feb. 14 by <span>Carscallen</span> about the alleged illegal substance. His initial reaction. Button said, was to get it out of the station. He said he didn't really know if it was a hazardous substance or possibly an explosive.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>In retrospect, Button said he should have notified the police immediately. And that's what will be done in the future. He said that because of the department's volunteer nature, he's assumed an almost "parental" posture when dealing with in-house politics and other issues. But no more.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>"It will have to be from this point on, as each event happens, we'll just have to tighten up," he said, "take out personalities or feelings and just go purely by the book."</div></div>
<div>
<div>The incident, while casting the department in a bad public light, should not undercut the department's value to the community, Button said. "There's always politics. But right now, the fire department is as healthy as its ever been and we have more people involved than ever before."</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>---</div></div>
<div>
<div><i>Johnson may be contacted at</i></div></div>
<div>
<div><a href="mailto:djohnson@lmtribune.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">djohnson@lmtribune.com</a> or <a href="tel:%28208%29%20883-0564" target="_blank" value="+12088830564">(208) 883-0564</a>.</div></div>
<div style="background:rgb(51,0,51);font:13px/normal Arial,Helvetica;padding:7px 10px;border:2px solid rgb(255,255,255);width:auto;text-align:left;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-transform:none;text-decoration:none!important;display:block;font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal">
<span style="font-size:0px"><span>Ghostery</span> has found the following on this page:</span><span style="color:rgb(119,119,119);text-decoration:line-through;display:inline"><span>Google</span> <span>Adsense</span></span><br style="display:block!important">
</div><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)<br><a href="mailto:art.deco.studios@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">art.deco.studios@gmail.com</a><br></div><br></div></div><div class="im">=======================================================<br>
List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>serving the communities of the <span>Palouse</span> since 1994.<br> <a href="http://www.fsr.net/" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.net</a><br> <span>mailto</span>:<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
=======================================================<br><br></div></div></div><var></var></div></div><br>=======================================================<br>
List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
<a href="http://www.fsr.net" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.net</a><br>
mailto:<a href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
=======================================================<br></blockquote></div><br>