GREETINGS TO ALL.
Hope you all enjoyed the Holidays and are all starting off the New Year on a healthy note. The month of January was a busy one for the Gene O'Kane Division. We had our first Board of Directors meeting with your newly elected Board. I feel that we have a cohesive team ready and willing to work for the best interest of our members. We had a good turn-out for our  January meeting and I hope to see this continue. We also held our Annual Installation Dinner at Timber Greens and that, too, was well attended by members, wives and widows. It was a special evening that included the swearing in of new officers. As your new President I was warmly received and am looking forward to serving in this role.One big issue I wish to call to your attention is the pension reform plan being proposed by Gov. Cuomo that will affect the future pension benefits of NY FireFighters and Police. We have received up to date information regarding these issues and I look forward to sharing them with you at our next meeting which is scheduled for February 21. While you may not all agree, I feel that any time our pension system is tampered with it puts us all in jeopardy. This is not only happening in New York but in other areas of our country and it's an issue we all need to have current information on. Just a reminder ...... one of our most popular events is coming up very soon and will take place before our next meeting. Our DAY AT THE RACES is scheduled for February 19 at Tampa Bay Downs. Remember, you must have tickets in advance to attend this event. Hope you all come back winners! I look forward to seeing you all at our next meeting,                                                                                                   Mike
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

2/12/12   Lincon's Birthday
2/14/12   Valentines Day
2/19/12   OKane Day At The Races
2/20/12   Presidents Day
2/21/12   OKane Monthly Meeting
2/22/12    Ash Wednesday-Lent Begins
2/29/12    Leap Day
3/3/12      OKane Memorial Service
3/17/12    St Patricks Day
3/20/12    OKane Monthly Meeting
3/31/12    OKane Spring Picnic

Brothers, just a reminder that your 2012 club dues are now due. Go to the coupons page & print out a dues coupon to mail in with your check. In this way you will remain a member in good standing & continue to receive the newsletter.
                                                                                                                                 Artie Dieck

                        Workers would choose between 401(k) or less generous pension benefits

A pension reform plan that is to be included in the budget proposal Gov. Cuomo will unveil Tuesday would cover all incoming city workers -- a key priority for Mayor Bloomberg, the Daily News has learned. Under Cuomo's initiative, all new state and city workers, including police and firefighters, would have to choose between enrolling in a 401(K) plan or getting pension benefits that are less generous than those currently offered, sources say.The plan would increase the minimum retirement age and the number of years before someone can qualify for a pension. It would also hike worker contributions and make it more difficult to boost pension benefits through the use of excessive overtime. Cuomo's concept would save the city and state tens of billions of dollars over the next three decades, the sources said. Last year, Cuomo introduced a pension reform plan late in the legislative session that did not include city workers, but it was rebuffed by the Legislature. Despite the governor's sky-high favorability rating -- 73% in a Siena College poll out Monday -- sources said adding the plan to the budget would maximize his leverage. "Remember the politics here," Cuomo said Monday, without tipping his hand to his plan. "It's hard to reform a pension system. It affects many public employees, very powerful public employee unions, and politically it's difficult to get the Legislature to do this." The public worker unions have said they will vehemently oppose any pension changes, arguing they have already given ground. The move comes two years after the state created a less generous pension tier, and a year after the unions accepted concession-laden contracts. Meanwhile, the governor's proposal for a $132 billion budget would cut total spending by $200 million, a source said. The state operations portion of the budget, which does not include federal funds, would grow by just under Cuomo's self-imposed 2% cap. His blueprint closes a $2 billion deficit and hikes education and health care spending by 4% without raising broad-based taxes and fees. He'll seek to merge various state agencies while cutting the funding of others up to 2.5%, sources said. And sources said he will use his budget to call for the creation of a state health care exchange to comply with federal health law.
                                                                                                                      Kenneth Lovett, News, 1/17/12

                                                                    Key Points Of Gov Cuomo's Plan:
1)  a new pension tier ( Tier 6 ) would be created for new employees that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 65.

2)  Worker contributions would increase from the current 3 percent to 4 percent for lower wage earners and as much as 6 percent depending upon their income.

3) The new pension tier would include an option for 401(k)-style "defined contribution plans." Employees would be able to have up to 10% of their salary deposited in a 401(k)-style retirement account if they opt for the full matching program and could take it with them if they leave the state payroll after a one-year vesting period.

4) New employees would be able to vest after one year -- rather than 10 for current state employees -- under the defined contribution plan would be portable, meaning you would be able to take it with you when you retire or leave.

5) Overtime would be barred from Pension calculatiuons

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget was getting praise from most quarters Wednesday, but one major exception was the unions. Cuomo's hard line on teacher evaluations and pension plans has infuriated some union leaders, but Cuomo is sticking to his tough stance. Cuomo is demanding an evaluation plan be in place, or he will implement one. He is also threatening to withhold aid to school districts that don't go along. Cuomo joins Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who waded into the teacher evaluation battle last week, in threatening to remove underperforming teachers form the classroom. Other public employee unions are lining up against Cuomo's newly proposed pension plan, which limits benefits and creates a 401(k)-style contribution for new hires. Dannny Donohue of the CSEA called it "an assault on the middle class and a cheap shot at public employees." Pat Lynch of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said it would "jeopardize the effective delivery of these critical services."
Steve Cassidy of the Uniformed Firefighters Association said the "widows and children of firefighters would be tossed under the bus." Cuomo said he is not surprised by the criticism but challenges their logic. He pointed out that the pension changes, which would save $113 billion over 30 years, would be for future employees, not current workers or pensioners.                                        DICK BRENNAN, MyFoxNews, 1/19/12

County-based comptroller said he thought it "unacceptable . . . [to promote the] extreme change of replacing [state pensions] with 401(k)s." that would provide that option. Attempts to replace public pensions with a 401(k)-type plan are "unacceptable," state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Thursday, though he stopped short of criticizing a plan by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. DiNapoli, speaking at a gathering of pension officials in Washington, decried efforts to "dismantle" public pension systems just two days after Cuomo unveiled a plan to offer future government hires the option of a cheaper state pension package or participation in a 401(k)-style retirement plan. The Nassau  "Defined contribution plans, 401(k)-style savings accounts do not provide the same level of security" as defined benefit plans, DiNapoli said in an interview after the speech. Conventional pension "plans have proven to be, over the long haul, an effective way to provide retirement security," he said, "and we need to keep that in mind in the context of the debates and discussions that are going on right now about pensions." Even though he didn't directly address Cuomo's initiative, DiNapoli's comments were sharpest yet by a public official in opposition to the idea of moving to a 401(k) system. Cuomo's office declined to comment Thursday on DiNapoli's remarks. Both are Democrats. In his budget address Tuesday, the governor called the current pension system "unsustainable" and offered a less generous "Tier VI" pension plan that would give employees the option of choosing a 401(k)-type retirement plan like the one available to State University professors. Cuomo said that the 401(k) would be less expensive for taxpayers. It would offer employees who leave government service after a few years the benefit of matching contributions and a portable retirement account. State employees in the plan now who leave government before the vesting period now 10 years for new employees, get back what they contribute plus interest and can roll that over into another retirement plan so they don't face a tax penalty. DiNapoli said he needed to see more details of Cuomo's proposal before he could comment on whether having the option for a defined contribution plan was acceptable. The Civil Service Employees Association, the state's largest union, has called Cuomo's proposal an "assault on the middle class." CSEA spokesman Stephen Madarasz said the proposed changes to the pension system with the creation of a Tier VI plan for new employees were so "onerous" that people might choose the 401(k) based on a false promise.  Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver-Manhattan) hasn't completely embraced Cuomo's proposal. "I think the governor has put a lot of options out there and there is probably a basis on which we can find agreement," Silver said. "But we have a long way to go on pensions." Senate  Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) was more positive, saying it's what's available in the private sector. "There are a lot of people that go into the public sector, for example, young attorneys go into the DA's office for training, why shouldn't they have portability?" Skelos said. Yancey Roy, Newsday, 1/12/12

New York state has the second-highest pension burden in the country, according to a bombshell report released yesterday that calls on Gov. Cuomo to rein in the costs. The Citizens Budget Commission says New York spent $12 per $1,000 of personal income on pensions, compared with the national average of $7, during the state’s 2009 fiscal year, the latest year for which data is available. Only Alaska ranked higher, spending $29 for every $1,000 in personal income from state residents, the report found.The budget commission found that the state’s contributions to its two major pension systems jumped from $455 million in fiscal year 2004 to $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2001. CBC leaders called on Gov. Cuomo to include pension-reform measures in his new budget proposal that will be unveiled next week.“The fiscal case for pension reform is irrefutable,” said CBC President Carol Kellermann.“Skyrocketing pension costs are already excessive, and they are increasingly squeezing out essential responsibilities of government.”For the city, pension costs have soared from $2.4 billion in fiscal year 2004 to almost $7 billion last year — and the CBS projects those costs will rise to nearly $8.6 billion in fiscal year 2014.  SALLY GOLDENBERG, 1/12/12, Post

The cash-starved city will be allowed to pass on to future generations the bills it gets for some of its massive new pension debts, The Post has learned. In confidential memos distributed to City Hall and the boards of New York’s five pension systems, Chief Actuary Robert North said he wants to lower the assumed “rate of return” on pension investments from 8 percent to 7 percent, as The Post first reported in October. But the reduction in the return on investment — coupled with rising pension costs because retirees are living longer — would cost the city another $2 billion next year. Anticipating rising pension costs, Mayor Bloomberg has set aside $1 billion in next year’s budget — only enough to cover half the costs. The additional $1 billion hit on the treasury would come in addition to a projected $2 billion deficit in the next fiscal year. So in addition to revising the rate of return, North is also recommending a change in key accounting practices for the $120 billion pension funds, which would allow the city to pass some of the costs to Bloomberg’s successors. “The $1 billion is enough. It looks like we’re in good shape,” said City Council Finance Chairman Domenic Recchia (D-Brooklyn). “We were prepared. There were some people saying ‘why are you putting this billion aside?’ Thank God we did.” Bloomberg spokesman Marc LaVorgna said “we’re prepared for a major cost increase because of the smart budget decisions we made over the last two years. We await the final report.” Sources involved in the pension analysis said North’s staff was concerned that too big a hit all at once could cause a budget catastrophe at City Hall. “The impact would be too great,” said one analyst involved in the discussions between the actuary and the administration. “You have to look at the [city’s] ability to pay.” Investment returns are a key component of the pension systems. Whatever estimated obligations cannot be covered by investment revenue must be paid out of the city’s budget. Bloomberg has been saying for months that the city’s financial situation is dire. Late last year, Hizzoner announced a series of budget cuts and fee hikes to cover a shortfall in the current spending plan, and he has said every department should expect additional cuts of up to 6 percent in next year’s budget. The new pension calculations were presented to the pension boards last month and are expected to be adopted by March. Typically, the pension assumptions remain in place for at least five years. JOSH MARGOLIN, Post, 1/11/12

                 
                       City still seething over judge's attempt to place DA Morenthau as special master

The city has blasted a federal judge who ruled the FDNY intentionally discriminated against minorities in its hiring, calling him media-obsessed and biased. City lawyers asked that the U.S. Court of Appeals reverse Brooklyn Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis's decision - and re-assign the case to a "neutral arbiter."In an unusually harsh attack, the city accused Garaufis of committing multiple legal errors in reaching his conclusion, being preoccupied with press coverage and acting as both a "witness and advocate" for the Vulcan Society of black firefighters "The nature and extent of the...errors, especially the one-sided manner in which the evidence was analyzed, calls (Garaufis') impartiality into serious question," the city stated in a 139-page legal brief filed Tuesday. City lawyers referred to the judge venting about heavy criticism in the media of him by city officials as a result of his decisions. "The Court's preoccupation with press coverage reinforces the many other indications that the city was deprived of a fair and neutral fact-finder," the city's papers state. Last fall, Garaufis ordered the appointment of an outside monitor with sweeping powers to overhaul the selection of entry-level firefighters for the next decade. Previously the judge had found that the city "intentionally discriminated" against minority firefighter throught recruitment, testing and screening that officials knew was slanted against blacks and Hispanics. The judge has leveled criticism directly at Mayor Bloomberg for failing to have the will to end discrimination in the FDNY, which he termed a "stubborn bastion of white male privilege." The city, in its legal challenge, claims he ignored plenty of evidence to diversify the Fire Department. The Justice Department under then-President George Bush had filed suit against the city alleging that two written exams for firefighter candidates were biased against minorities. The percentage of blacks in the FDNY has remained at 3% while the black population in New York City is about 24% and the NYPD has greatly increased the percentage of minorities on the force. The court papers suggest city officials are still seething over Garaufis's aborted attempt to appoint former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau as a special master in the litigation and the manner in which Garaufis presided over a bench trial last summer to determine if an outside monitor of the FDNY was necessary. "Examples of partiality at the hearing are legion," city lawyers wrote. The Morgenthau debacle is recounted under a heading: "Bias Throughout the Proceeding." City lawyers point out that Morgenthau was selected his "long and acrimonious and well-known history of conflict with many city officials directly involved in the case." Morgenthau removed himself from consideration after the city objected. "The whole episode speaks volumes about (Garaufis') lack of detachment," the court papers state. The city said in its brief that should the appeals court overturn Garaufis' rulings, he shouldn't get the case back because he doesn't have the capacity to "reverse course and achieve impartiality." Garaufis was appointed by former President Bill Clinton and has presided over several major Mafia trials and two death penalty cases. The jury's verdict of death against Ronell Wilson for killing two undercover detectives during a gun buy, was reversed by the Court of Appeals due to prosecutorial error. Richard Levy, the lawyer for the Vulcans Society, said the city's personal attacks on Garaufis' are "inappropriate and unjustified.                                                                 John Marzulli, News, 1/21/12

We will come together in prayer & ceremony to remember our deceased brothers on 3/3/12 at 9:00 AM at Timber Greens Country Club for the 28th Annual Jim Cersosimo Memorial Service & Breakfast. This  years guest speaker will be Ret. Bn. Chief Larry Byrnes, whose memories of working at the World Trade Towers shortly after they collapsed will surely prove moving & inspiring. Don't be left out, go to the coupons page to print your reservations coupon. Cut Off date for reservations : February 29, 2012

We are looking for our readers to contribute articles of interest to YOUR newsletter. Do you have a story, a joke, an anniversary, an important event in your life, or maybe a story you have written which you would like to share with our readers? Don't worry about spelling, punctuation etc. "Spellcheck" in the computer takes care of all that. Just send it via email to: okanefdny@verizon.net or through the US mail to FDNY Retired, Box 76, Port Richey, Fl 34673-0076

Event chairman Joe Baal announces that the 2012 Okane Day At The Races will take place on Sunday, Feb 19, 2012 at Tampa Bay Downs at 11 am. Take note that this years "Day At The Races" will take place on a Sunday instead of the usual Saturday. The cost is $20 per person which includes parking, admission, a delicious buffet luncheon, reserved seating in the clubhouse, and a program. Join the fun. Go to the "Coupons Page" of the newsletter to print a reservations coupon. Joe reminds all of you race fans that there are a limited umber of tickets available so get your checks in soon, but in any event, before the cut off date of Feb. 12, 2012.                    Joe Baal, Chairman

80 of the brothers, their wives & invited guests ate, drank & danced the night away at the Annual Installation Dinner Dance which took place on January 21, 2012 at the Timber Greens Country Club.

Go to the Photo Gallery #1 page to see more photos

The transformation of a landmark Harlem firehouse into an academy for Afro-Caribbean studies is set to begin this spring, but with scaled-back ambitions.The brick-red firehouse, built in 1888 and empty since the FDNY abandoned it eight years ago, will be reborn as the new headquarters of the Caribbean Cultural Center/African Dispora Center.The organization, which currently resides in Hell’s Kitchen, has spent years raising money for the project, the first phase of which involves a $5 million rehabilitation of the three-story Romanesque Revival building on East 125th Street, near Lexington Avenue. That money is in the bank, but not enough for the $700,000 second phase, which will revamp the narrow space to accommodate a full-scale community-based group with a reception area, community room, performance space, offices, a shop and a café.The group originally wanted to add two floors to the firehouse, but dropped those plans after realizing how hard it would be to raise another $3 million to cover it. “We’re pleased that in this difficult economic climate we are moving forward and people are supportive of it,” President Marta Moreno Vega said. “They're excited about the move.”Renovation work will begin in March or April, she said. The project has had help from local elected officials, including City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, and the city’s Economic Development Corporation and Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The city has promised to transfer the property to the CCCADI for a dollar. The agreement was part of a 2008 deal to find cultural uses for the firehouse, which was the longtime home of Fire Engine Company 36 until it and several other FDNY units were decommissioned in a 2003 budget crisis. The building received landmark status in 1997. To help finance the redevelopment project, the CCCADI has been trying to sell its West 58th Street brownstone, which went on the market last July with an asking price of $3.7 million and was soon discounted to $3 million, according to StreetEasy.com. Vega said Friday that her group was in contract with a buyer, but would not say who it was. “We are inching along but we’re confident that we will make it,” she said.                                                           Jon Schuppe, DNAinfo,1/10/12

   Mike Nilsson Inducted Into The FNA Hall Of Fame
Mike Nilsson, RN, was inducted into the FNA Hall Of Fame at the 2011 Membership Assembly Awards Ceremony. Mike has a long career of service to the Florida Nurses Association on the local, state & national level. Mike has served several terms on the FNA Board of Directors in his more than twenty five years with the association. His roles have ranged from a member of the Board Of Directors to Treasurer & Vice President. As a board member, Mike was a tireless voice for nurses in practice.
Mike also served as President of the Professional Healthcare Unit for many years, leading the nurses who work for the state of Florida. Mike served as a vocal advocate for issues related to Public Health Nursing and other state employees. In this role, Mike served on the Labor Relations Commission first as a member and then later as  Vice Chair & subsequently the Chair. Mike was active on the national level at the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a delegate for many years. He also represented the FNA in various labor activities within the the ANA including the Annual Labor Assembly. As the ANA evolved, Mike was very much involved in the work to form the United American Nurses (UAN), an affiliate labor arm of the ANA. As the UAN developed, Mike remained an integral part of the organization & due to his diligence and dedication, he was elected Secretary-Treasurer.
     He also served on the ANA Congress on the Nursing Economics Commission from 1996-1999, ultimately serving as Chair. Mike's work was not limited to nursing. In 2000 he was appointed to the Board Of Directors Of Workface Florida, Inc. by Governor Jeb Bush. His voice kept nursing and healtcare issues at the forefront of the discussions on nurses and other healthcare workers.
    Throughout his career, Mike was dedicated to the organizations that supported or enhanced his profession, has been an active member in the Florida Public Health Association, Chair of the ANA Institute on Constituent Member Collective Bargaining Programs, a board member of the Agency On Aging of Pinelles & Pasco Counties, the ANA and FNA HIV/AIDS Task Force as well as Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society.
     For his work Mike has received multiple honors and awards including: The FNA Undine Sams Advocacy Award, The FNA Barbara Lumpkin Political Advocacy Award, and the ANA Mary Ellen Patton Staff Nurse Leadership Award. he was also inducted into the United American Nurses Hall Of Fame.  Mike is truly dedicated to advocacy for the profession and for better healthcare for our citizens. His body of work is evidence of his log term commitment to the profession. It was my distinct honor to work closely with him throughout many years as the Director Of Professional Practice Advocacy at FNA.It is truly an honor to be able to support the nomination of my long term colleague for this well deserved honor.
     Mike has dedicated his life to the service of others. After his years as a firefighter in New York City, he became a nurse and moved to Florida. He worked as a Public Health Nurse for the Dept. Of Health for many years until his recent retirement. In this capacity as a public employee, he served the citizens of the state of Florida in preventive efforts, in preparedness activities, staffing the hurricane shelter in his county for many years. Throughout these years, Mike was also an active member of the Florida Nurses Association. He served as a leader both as a member of the Board of Directors, and the Health Care Professionals Bargaining Unit. He served on the board in several different positions including Vice President & Treasurer. He was the President Of The Health Care Bargaining Unit for 18 years, advocating for the rights of state employees. He was also a union leader on the national level serving as Secretery-Treasurer  for the United American Nurses. He was also inducted into the United American Nurses hall Of Fame for his service to that organization. He is a role model for all nurses and is truly deserving of the FNA's highest honor.

BASSLER                  WILLIAM        2-11
BROWN                    JAMES           2-20
COLLISTER               WILLIAM         2-20
DILORENZO              JOSEPH         2-24
FRAIN                       JAMES           2-1
NILSSON                   MICHAEL       2-14
MURTAGH                 JAMES          2-25
RICCA                       JOSEPH        2-20

The Vulcan Society of black firefighters' court-approved program to visit the homes of black applicants who haven't finished their paperwork for the upcoming Firefighter exam last week brought a protest from Deputy Fire Chief Paul Mannix that the move takes to ridiculous lengths the effort to better integrate the ranks.Mr. Mannix, president of Merit Matters, a group opposed to affirmative action in Fire Department hiring, has been invited to speak before fraternal groups including the Fire Department Hispanic Society and the Emerald Society of Irish firefighters about what he calls a "blatantly racist act by the FDNY EEO Unit." City's Lawyers Also Objected Mark Cohen, the Special Monitor appointed in November by Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis to oversee hiring in the department and to combat what the Judge called decades of intentional discrimination, Dec. 22 approved the Vulcans' visits over the objections of city lawyers. So far, visits are allowed only for three weekends in January, after which the Monitor will reassess the situation. Many of the incomplete applications lack the correct paperwork to support a request for a fee waiver, a Fire Department source said. About half of the partially filled-out applications that remained as of Dec. 1 were submitted by black recruits. Mr. Mannix has lobbied the Fire Department's Equal Employment Opportunity Unit about the program, arguing that the office's mandate is to ensure that employment decisions are made without regard to race or color. He has argued that those genuinely interested in the job should take the initiative to meet the requirements rather than getting the outside help.
An FDNY spokesman said the applications came with instructions on how to fill out and return the necessary paperwork to receive a fee waiver. Paul Washington, former president of the Vulcan Society, said that while some black applicants hadn't completed the whole process, many had sent in the correct paperwork but that the Department of Citywide Administrative Services still listed their applications as incomplete in its system, requiring extra follow-up by the recruits. City attorneys have also argued that giving out the names of applicants violates their privacy. But Judge Garaufis found that because previous discriminatory exams have kept the FDNY mostly white, far fewer black Firefighters have informal networks within the department to encourage them to follow through with the "inordinately long hiring process." Such extra help, he argued, was necessary to level the playing field.As part of his ruling, he threw out the 1999, 2002 and 2007 tests.
                                                                                                                  SARAH DORSEY, The Chief, 1/17/12

FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano says AVFD is not properly trained and faces arrest by NYPD

A BRONX VOLUNTEER fire chief thumbed his nose Tuesday at an FDNY warning that he and his colleagues would be arrested if they continued responding to emergency calls. Chief Romeo Toro said his 60-member strong Aviation Volunteer Fire Department will keep chasing fire alarms in and around the Classon Point neighborhood.
“Yes, we will risk arrest,” the 28-year-old fire chief said. “We will continue to operate until we get a letter from the mayor or the Office of Fire Prevention and Control saying we can’t operate.” The Fire Department came down hard on the AVFD after city firefighters responding to a Thursday bus accident on the Bruckner Expressway in Hunts Point got into a dispute with Toro and his men. Cops were called and they wound up booting Toro and one of his lieutenants from the scene. That was followed by a strongly worded letter from Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano.“We hereby demand that AVFD immediately cease its operations and discontinue making any representations that AVFD is authorized by the City of New York or the FDNY to provide emergency medical and firefighting services,” he wrote. The volunteers are “operating without the proper training, equipment and authorizations” and are endangering the public and city firefighters, Cassano added.
“The FDNY has advised its field personnel to prohibit AVFD from operating and to contact law enforcement if necessary,” he wrote. Toro said his department, which was founded in 1923, has had financial troubles in the past and was even shut down for a time. He said the AVFD reestablished itself in January and have since purchased its own fire truck. The organization is planning to buy a second truck at city auction this week. The AVFD responds to at least five emergencies a week, Toro said. The volunteer group says it’s funded by members. City firefighters say the AVFD has solicited cash from residents — a charge the volunteers deny.
                                                                                                                   John Doyle, News 1/24/12

Would you like to have this "343" commemorative license plate for your car? It is metal, weather proof and is a real eye catcher. Brother Vinny Segreto is selling them for $15 each. They can be purchased from him at the monthly meetings or you can contact him at: 352-346-3767

Longtime OKane Club member Charlie Eberhardt recently celebrated his 100th birthday with family & friends at the Pompei Ristorante in West Hempstead, L.I.. Charlie was born Dec. 19, 1911, in the Bronx, the youngest of three siblings. He has been retired 55 years after serving as a New York City firefighter for 20 years. He is a professional photographer and loved to travel. He and his wife, Mildred, were married for 35 years before she died in 1971. He married his second wife, Madeline, and was married for 33 years until she died in 2004. He has two daughters, five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Firefighters from the Stewart Manor Fire Department picked him up in a fire truck from his home and drove him to his birthday party at Pompei Ristorante. The theme of the party was "101 Dalmations." In honor of his 100th birthday, Charles was presented with a plaque by the Gene OKane Division Of FDNY Retired, an organization or retired N.Y.C. Firemen living in New Port Richey, Florida. Charlie has been a member of the OKane Division since 19?? where he was it's official photographer.  After his second wife, Madeline, died in 2004, Charlie moved back to New York to be closer to his family. Since 2010 he has lived in Sun Harbor Manor in  Roslyn Heights, where he still enjoys taking photos.

A firefighter pulled a 40-year-old man who was unconscious and without a pulse from a Queens motel-room inferno Monday, officials said. The man, who was not identified, was revived and clung to life at Jamaica Hospital in critical condition with second-degree burns on 50% of his body from the ferocious blaze at the Conduit Motor Inn in Rochdale, the FDNY said. His rescue came after two earlier attempts failed. The fire safety director of the Belt Parkway motel first tried to get to the room but was blown back by the intense heat and flames, a source said. Engine 302 Capt. Anthony Variale made a second attempt, but was also thwarted. On the third try, Firefighter John Sommerville crawled along the floor of the third-floor room, feeling around for the man trapped inside while flames shot over his head and thick smoke eliminated visibility. “I found him lying face down,” said the 10-year FDNY veteran who works with Ladder 155 in Rochdale. The man, who was found in the back of the room, was rushed to the hospital, while four others were treated at the scene for minor injuries, the FDNY said. It was a “tremendous” rescue, Div. 13 Deputy Chief James DiDomenico said. “Even with the room lighting up, he pushed as far as he could go,” he said. DiDomenico said the victim has “a very good chance of surviving” due to Sommerville’s rescue efforts as well as the quick action taken by the EMS team. “This guy was in (cardiac) arrest and they bring him back (to life) on the way to the hospital,” DiDomenico said. “He had no pulse, they started doing CPR on him — they got his pulse back.” The fire began in a mattress, and its cause is under investigation, the FDNY said. Edgar Sandoval & Sarah Armaghan, News, 1/17/12

  We are looking for our readers to contribute articles of interest to YOUR newsletter. Do you have a story, a joke, an anniversary, an important event in your life, or maybe a story you have written which you would like to share with our readers? Don't worry about spelling, punctuation etc. "Spellcheck" in the computer takes care of all that. Just send it via email to: okanefdny@verizon.net or through the US mail to FDNY Retired, Box 76, Port Richey, Fl. 34673-0076                   Jim Barry, Editor                                                                                                                              

A major discrimination lawsuit involving the FDNY moved closer to trial Friday as lawyers for the plaintiffs demanded access to a key piece of evidence. They want to know the location of the noose that turned up in a Fire Department electric shop last year otside Gregg Seabrook's  locker. “It has racial overtones. It really does. My parents grew up in the South and we heard stories over the years,” Seabrook said. Seabrook and four other electricians sued the FDNY for alleged racial bias. The noose and the monkey knot at the other end are interpreted as a response to their complaints of a lack of promotion and overtime opportunity. CBS 2's Lou Young spoke with FDNY electrician Dudley Placide about the overtime issues.
Young: “What did it cost you you think?” Placide: “Hundreds of thousands of dollars over the year.”  Young: “Overtime steered to other people?” Placide: “Absolutely.” In the past year, a supervisor was found by the City’s own investigators to have steered $300,000 in overtime to himself and his son-in-law. Lawyers for the electricians said it goes a lot deeper than that. They claim the noose is the key to the larger issue.“The simple facts are it was turned over to them almost a year ago. We don’t even know the current whereabouts of the noose and the monkey knot,” said attorney Howard Shafran. If the City’s lawyers know, they aren’t saying. A spokesperson for the City Corporation Council’s Office said “the FDNY investigates all allegations of discrimination.” The City has until Feb. 10 to decide if it will represent the current and former Fire Department employees or force them to hire their own lawyers. CBS 2 News

The city’s powerful unions are pumping thousands of dollars into embattled Comptroller John Liu’s scandal-plagued campaign kitty. Despite an ongoing federal probe into his fund-raising operation, 29 unions showered Liu’s 2013 campaign fund with $58,300 in contributions — much of it in the past few weeks. The unions include the United Federation of Teachers, DC 37, the Uniformed Sanitation Association, and International Association of Firefighters, who all gave the maximum $4,950. Others putting their money behind Liu are the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the NYS AFL-CIO, and the NYC Central Labor Council. “He’s taken positions we like on the issues we care about,” said retail union president Stuart Appelbaum. But former Mayor Ed Koch said there’s a reason that the unions are sticking by the politically “radioactive” Liu.                                 DAVID SEIFMAN and CARL CAMPANILE, Post, 1/19/12

In a Press Conference held Wednesday, Mayor Michael Pavia announced two key positions in the Office of Public Safety for the City of Stamford. Thaddeus K. Jankowski Sr. has been selected to take on the role of Director of Public Safety, Health & Welfare, replacing Bobby Valentine who held the cabinet position for the past year. Jankowski, who recently retired from Fire Department of New York after 23 years, began his career in 1986 as a firefighter with the department. He rose through the ranks of the FDNY and has served as Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief and then Deputy Chief, Executive Officer and Inspection Services Command, before retiring in 2009. "It is an honor and privilege to be appointed the Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare for the City of Stamford. I am humbled to have the opportunity to work for such a great city and to work with departments that have such distinct and proud histories. My commitment is to achieve the highest quality of services for public safety, health and welfare." “We are very fortunate to have such an experienced candidate come to Stamford. Director Jankowski’s knowledge, training and education bring the absolute highest value to our Public Safety team,” stated Mayor Pavia. Deputy Chief Antonio Conte, who has been serving as acting Chief since July of last year, has been officially appointed Fire Chief for Stamford Fire & Rescue Department. Chief Conte, a life-long Stamford resident, has served 39 years with Stamford Fire & Rescue and is a second-generation firefighter. During his tenor, Conte has served as Firefighter, Fire Lieutenant, and Fire Captain and was promoted to Deputy Chief in 2000. Regarding Conte’s appointment as permanent Chief, Mayor Pavia shared, “Chief Conte brings a depth of experience and well recognized accomplishment to the office of Fire Chief. We appreciate and look forward to his continued strong leadership, creative energy and dedicated commitment to the citizens of Stamford.” Norwalk Plus, 1/19/12

                                    BLOOD CLOTS/STROKE HAS A NEW INDICATOR - THE TONGUE

                    STROKE: Remember the four Letters, anyone of which indicates a stroke:  S. T. R..T.
                    S =  SMILE ,  T = TALK, R = RAISE BOTH ARMS & now the fourth indicator: T = TONGUE
                                    
                                                                  STROKE IDENTIFICATION
During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ......she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this. A neurologist stated that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

                                                                    RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read and Learn! Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe
brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking four simple questions:

S=  SMILE  Ask the individual to SMILE if he is unable to smile that's an indication of a stroke

T = TALK    Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE COHERENTLY   i.e. It is sunny out today. If he is unable to do this that's an indication of a stroke

R = RAISE BOTH ARMS   Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If he is unable to do this that's an indication of a stroke

T = TONGUE  Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 9-11immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. Paste this on your refrigerator & learn it - you could help save someone's life.

The two-year political stalemate over Kingsbridge Armory in The Bronx — the city’s most embarrassing monument to government ineptitude — has ended. Mayor Bloomberg plans to announce in his State of the City speech today that he’s reached a deal with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. to issue a new request for proposals to develop the 575,000-square-foot vacant armory, said to be the largest facility of its type in the world.It would be the second such RFP issued by the city in 5 1/2 years. “We’re launching a new effort to bring jobs to the most talked-about empty building in The Bronx: the Kingsbridge Armory,” Bloomberg said in prepared remarks. “We’ve heard from a variety of interested parties, and we are putting aside our differences to do what’s best for the city. That’s what leadership is about. It’s not about a series of running arguments — it’s about getting things done.” Kingsbridge has been in limbo since late 2009, when The Related Companies was preparing to build a $300 million retail complex in the landmarked structure. Advocates led by Diaz demanded that businesses settling inside a rebuilt Kingsbridge be required to pay a “living wage” of at least $10 an hour, plus $1.50 in benefits. In an astonishing statement, Diaz argued that minimum-wage jobs paying $7.25 an hour were worthless. “The notion that any job is better than no job no longer applies,” he said back then. When the mayor and Related balked, the entire project was scuttled and more than five years of work went down the drain. Diaz is singing a different tune today. With unemployment in his borough reaching 12.6 percent in November — the highest of any county in the state — the borough president said he’ll allow the wage debate to play out in the City Council, which is considering a fiercely contested bill that would require all businesses citywide receiving government subsidies to pay a $10-an-hour minimum. It’s not clear if the bill will come up for a vote. “He’s told people he’ll go with whatever the City Council does,” confided one source. In a statement issued late yesterday, Diaz said he was “thrilled” by the mayor’s action. “The usage of the Kingsbridge Armory has been a major priority of my administration and this new RFP will allow the city to seek developers from a wide spectrum of potential uses . . .”, the Beep said. Diaz is looking to run for citywide office, probably public advocate, next year. Insiders said he’s not likely to get significant support from the business community if Kingsbridge is still sitting empty a year from now. For the mayor, a revitalized Kingsbridge would burnish his development legacy, which now largely rests on the Hudson Yards and the Cornell graduate engineering campus planned on Roosevelt Island. 
                                                                                                                     DAVID SEIFMAN, Post, 1/12/12

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has postponed the release of the environment impact statement and its final ruling on the Spectra Energy gas pipeline proposed to run under water off Staten Island's North Shore and pass through portions of New Jersey, The Jersey Journal reported. The federal agency needs more time to review answers from the Houston, Texas-based company regarding public concerns about the project.The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was due to be released on Jan. 27. The EIS is now expected March 16 and a decision should be made by June 14. Spectra is seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to increase the capacity of the region's existing network by replacing five miles of pipeline from Linden, N.J., to parts of the North Shore, and adding approximately 16 miles of pipeline from the Island through Bayonne and Jersey City and into Manhattan. Initial plans that called for drilling along a commercial stretch of Richmond Terrace were scrapped after residents questioned the project's impact on their daily lives and the existing infrastructure. Following a series of 2010 public hearings and conversations with elected officials and regulatory agencies, Spectra devised an alternate route that sends most of the drilling underwater. Safety and environmental concerns have been brought up by opponents, but supporters say it will cut down on pollution from dirtier heating sources like fuel oil and save consumers money. In a letter to Spectra Energy, FERC officials cited the fact that in November, Spectra "filed 27 reroutes and other project modifications," in its decision to delay the environmental impact statement. It also said that it needed time to
analyze and incorporate Spectra's responses to the FERC data request. According to the paper, some of the special questions Spectra was asked to answer regarded compliance with local noise ordinances, Port Authority's concerns of compliance and negotiated access to their property, as well as impacts by pipeline construction to water, nature and the environment.                                                              SI Advance, 1/11/12

                               OKANE  CLUB SPRING PICNIC
                    FRED HOWARD STATE PARK, TARPON SPRINGS
                   SATURDAY, March 31, 2012   noon. till 4 p.m.
All Club members & their spouses are invited to our club Spring Picnic to be held at Shelter # 5, Fred Howard State Park, Tarpon Springs, on Saturday, April 9, 2011, from noon till 4 p.m. Shelter #5  is close to the restrooms.  Lunch consisting of dogs, burgers & soda  will be served at noon, games & activities are planned for the afternoon. The cost for this event is Zero, Nada, Free to club members , their wives  & dependant children at home & of course our widows. To all others - friends  & guests, the cost is $5 pp. However you must purchase a $5 ticket for each person attending before the cut-off date of March 24, 2012. We MUST have an accurate count to properly prepare enough food etc. The "Okane Freebie Rule" is in effect for this event: All eligible attendees who attend the picnic, simply turn in your ticket & your $5 will be returned to you. Come join your brothers in a day of friendship, fun & good food.  Tickets can be purchased at the March meeting from Les Allen or by mail. Go to the coupons page to print your reservation coupon & return it before the cut-off date of March 24. 2012. Please include a self addressed, stamped envelope. PLEASE, No alcoholic beverages allowed in the park.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                     Jim Barry, Picnic Chairman
Directions to the Park
From U. S. Highway 19 or Alternate 19 turn EAST Klosterman Road and go to Carlton Road. Turn right on Carlton Road and go to the stop sign, turn left onto Curlew Place. Go to the next stop sign, which is Florida Avenue, and turn right. Go 2 miles to the red flashing light and turn left onto Sunset Drive (which dead-ends into the park.) After you enter the park, follow signs to shelter #5.

                                                  Fingerprinting for food is a fair trade

Nearly one in six residents of New York State now receives food stamps, up from less than one in 10 just a few years ago. New Yorkers now spend food stamps with a value of $5 billion a year, all of it federally funded. Gov. Cuomo thinks that’s not enough. In his State of the State message, he said he wanted to “increase participation in the food stamp program, remove barriers to participation and eliminate the stigma associated with this program.” “And,” Cuomo added, “we must stop fingerprinting for food.” He was referring to a New York City requirement that heads of households applying for food stamps provide a finger image at numerous convenient locations set up for that purpose. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has also been pushing to end the practice, over the opposition of Mayor Bloomberg. The mayor can make a strong case for preserving the finger-imaging requirement. More than 60% of food stamp recipients live in the city, and finger-imaging is a proven tool for combatting double-dipping and identity fraud. Over the past 10 years, the procedure has saved taxpayers $32 million, according to city officials. In 2010 alone, it helped detect 1,900 duplicate food stamp recipients for savings estimated at $5.2 million. It’s not as if New York has not already made a herculean effort to boost food stamp participation. In June 2008, the state and city jointly launched a concerted effort to sign up the working poor and unemployed families for the program, simplifying the application process by offering phone interviews and online applications. Over the next three years, the number of food stamp recipients surged by 67%, from 1.8 million to the current 3 million. A majority of the increase came in New York City, notwithstanding the supposed “stigma” of finger-imaging. The governor claimed that 30% of potential food stamp recipients are being left out, losing out on $1 billion in benefits. But these numbers grossly exaggerate the situation. The United States Department of Agriculture measures food stamp participation using an “access index,” which indicates that New York State is reaching more than 78% of all eligible households. This is the 17th-highest rate in the nation and the highest participation rate among the 10 most populous states. Growth in the New York City caseload over the same period of time outpaced that of the rest of the state. Applying the same USDA methodology, the New York City participation rate is about 85%. Most eligible nonparticipants voluntarily opt out because their higher incomes would grant them only a small benefit. They don’t want the hassle. The USDA confirms this by noting in another report that more than 80% of all possible food stamp benefits nationwide are already being issued to those currently on the program . If this figure is to believed — and it is — it simply does not compute that there’s massive unmet need. In fact, even if the governor were to repeal finger-imaging, the roughly 30% of all food stamp participants who also receive welfare benefits will continue under state law to be subject to the procedure anyway. It was former Gov. Mario Cuomo who first required finger-imaging for single adults on welfare on a pilot basis. The first Gov. Cuomo urged expansion of that effort in his last State of the State address, 18 years ago. Many individuals are subject to finger-imaging as a condition of employment, and the process is increasingly used in many venues. It’s unnecessary and unwise to abandon a proven method of preventing fraud in a publicly funded entitlement program.                                                      Russel Sykes, News, 1/12/12

A former firefighter who agreed to cough up more than $1 million in unpaid taxes on his Brooklyn bar filed suit yesterday over maladies he claims to have suffered since working at Ground Zero. Thomas Casatelli says helping search for 9/11 victims left him with “posttraumatic stress disorder, asthma” and other problems. His Manhattan federal court suit seeks unspecified damages from the city and the Port Authority for alleged negligence because he “was never provided nor required to wear any personal protective equipment.” Casatelli has pleaded guilty to evading taxes on his Bay Ridge watering hole, The Kettle Black, by paying workers off the books and filing false returns.His plea deal calls for him to serve 90 days in jail and pay $1.3 million in restitution.
                                                                                                                      BRUCE GOLDING, Post, 1/24/12

The Manhattan DA is trying to work out a plea deal for the Tennessee tourist who accidentally brought an out-of-state-registered handgun to the 9/11 Memorial and was arrested when she tried to check it with a cop, The Post has learned. Meredith Graves, 39, faces a mandatory 3 1/2 to 15 years for the Dec. 22 blunder if convicted at trial, but could walk away with a no-jail deal, sources said. Both sides are “hoping to resolve this quietly,” said a source. Graves’ arrest sparked calls in the Legislature and by The Post to re-examine New York’s tough gun laws, which critics say fail to properly account for criminal intent. She had the handgun in her purse when she got to the memorial and asked a cop if she could check it when she saw a “no guns” sign. She has a Tennessee permit for the pistol.                                             CHUCK BENNETT &JAMIE SCHRAM, Post, 1/11/12

He’s been reading way too many movie scripts. Box-office badass Mark Wahlberg created the perfect storm of controversy yesterday, saying in a new interview that “it wouldn’t have went down like it did” if he had been on one of the airplanes hijacked on 9/11. But the Tinseltown tough guy quickly backed down, using a second take to “deeply apologize to the families of the victims” for his “insensitive” remarks, which read as if they came straight out of a lousy action-movie screenplay. Wahlberg, usually Hollywood gold, started getting bad reviews as soon as his 9/11 fantasy comments to Men’s Journal magazine hit the Interne. The Boston blowhard had reached the height of hubris suggesting that there was more that could have been done by passengers on the doomed flights. “If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did,” said Wahlberg, who was scheduled to be on one of the Boston-to-LA flights that hit the World Trade Center, but changed his plans.“There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, ‘OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.’ ” The “Perfect Storm” star was quickly panned by relatives of real-life passengers who perished. They reminded Wahlberg that there were genuine heroes who actually did take on the terrorists that day without the luxuries of hindsight or stunt doubles. That included passengers of United Flight 93, the Newark-to-San Francisco flight that was commandeered by terrorists and headed for the US Capitol. Brave passengers, sparked by the battle cry “Let’s roll!” stormed the cockpit and fought with hijackers before the plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. “What makes Wahlberg think he would have been a hero?” said Bill Doyle, whose son, Joseph, was killed in the north tower. “Do you honesty believe he would have gotten to the cockpit and flew the plane?”
Alice Hoagland, whose strapping, rugby-playing son Mark Bingham was among those who confronted the terrorists on Flight 93, said Wahlberg has no way of knowing what he would have done under the same circumstances. “Mark Wahlberg has the luxury of knowing how the events of that morning unfolded,” Hoagland said. “None of the innocent people aboard those flights had that luxury. The element of surprise was working against them, and it would’ve worked against Mark Wahlberg too, had he been a passenger or crew member.”
A chagrined Wahlberg, whose new film, “Contraband,” topped the box office last weekend, insisted there will be no shoot-from-the-lip sequel. “To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with, and to suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible,” he said. “I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention.” Charles Wolf, whose wife, Katherine, was killed in the WTC north tower, said Wahlberg “needs to step out of his role and back into reality.                                LEONARD GREENE, Post, 1/19/12

                                          Fears drilling for gas could cause quakes that damage pipes

The Bloomberg administration has asked state environmental authorities to keep proposed upstate natural gas drilling as much as 7 miles from the city's water tunnels to protect them from earthquake damage.A seismic study commissioned by the city concluded that the drilling, called hydrofracking, could set off underground tremors with potentially devastating consequences for the water conduits. The state has proposed barring fracking within 1,000 feet of the tunnels, but based on the study, the city has called for buffer zones of a minimum of miles and a maximum of . “The proposed protections do not go far enough,” city environmental Commissioner Carter Stricklan Jr. wrote to state officials. Strickland’s letter came on the final day that the state was accepting comments about allowing drilling in upstate shale formations. State officials say it will take months to review the more than 18,000 comments it has received. By Glenn Blainn, News,

New York, already one of America’s most inhospitable business environments, is looking at yet another massive tax hike — this one traveling under the guise of wage equity. Mayor Bloomberg on Thursday announced that he’s joining with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to seek an increase in the state’s minimum wage. Then, on Friday, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn declared support for a bill to force firms that get city subsidies to pay workers at least $11.50 an hour, or $10 plus benefits. Both schemes would impose new costs on businesses — which, wherever possible, will pass them along to . . . you. What do you call a new government-imposed cost that businesses and the public must pay? A tax, of course. But this is even worse, because most folks won’t even realize what it is. As is the case after most business-tax hikes, people will pay more for goods and services — and chalk it up to inflation. Some businesses, already operating on the margins, will simply pack it in. Others will lay people off.  Still others will postpone hiring. And potential investors in the city will survey the transformed wage landscape and decide it isn’t worth it. Setting a pay-rate floor is a “way to help those who can only find jobs with entry-level wages,” said Bloomberg. He wants to hike New York’s minimum wage, which now matches the federal $7.25 level. Again, mandatory pay hikes may seem like free money — but they’re not. And, again, they stand to destroy many of the very jobs Bloomberg is talking about. Indeed, he explicitly noted that wage bumps will hurt the city when he said he’d “prefer the federal government to act to keep [New York] competitive” with other states. Remember when Quinn & Co. tried to force higher rates at a planned mall, to be built with city subsidies, at the Kingsbridge Armory in The Bronx? The developer, Related Cos., simply scrapped the project. No one got any jobs.The speaker says her plan now addresses Related’s objections. All well and good. But it remains that — as most economists will tell you — above-market wages and tax hikes kill jobs. And they hurt young and minority workers most of all. Why are New York pols racing to do that?      Post, 1/15/12