FFSiano

I read this second letter and here's my answer to it. You gotta produce to be heard. To date and to the best of my knowledge NONE of the VFDs produce fully.  BFD does make all their calls with a completely volunteer staff save a houseman, but the level of FFs responding is often in question. Long Ridge makes theirs due to paid drivers 24/7,  but they are often responding alone. As for the rest, well...anything under 100% response is not producing at even a marginal level.
Beyond that;
NONE of them can bring a quantifiable means of measuring the competency of their officers to the table.
NONE of them can produce training records for ALL of their active members that meet even a minimal standard.
NONE of them ensure all of their active members attend even one live burn annually per OSHA
NONE of them can say 100% of their active members are physically fit per NFPA 1582
NONE of them can guarantee a response 24/7 or try to even reach that goal
NONE of them can cooperate to meet the needs of the residents they are there to serve...NONE of them. All are too concerned with only themselves and there own agendas instead of the only agenda that they should be concerned with...SERVING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF STAMFORD who have donated to all of them for decades.
 
I think you get the idea. 
 
As one who fought for years to build things up to meet the challenges listed above and many more beyond them, I can say this: I have absolutely no sympathy for their whining and foot stomping.  Boo hoo hoo, whaah whaah whaah, somebody call a Whaaahmbulance for these poor Chiefs. 
Look,  I sat with all of these Chiefs alone and as a group too many times to count to try to work out ways to meet the coming storm. Time after time I watched as heads nodded yes but actions said no to facing the realities of firefighting in Stamford in 2010,11,12, 13 14, 15. I bit my tongue then in the interest of keeping everyone together and trying to move forward. But no more. The whole "Pavia plan" and everything subsequent to it were a farce that even the Marx Brothers couldn't dream up...and to top it off they left Mike out to dry by not taking responsibility for the abortion of a plan it was that THEY THEMSELVES dreamed up.  No...no sympathy here, these Chiefs made the bed they all must now lie in because of their own arrogance.  ignorance, ineptitude and pettiness and frankly they deserve what they get, or don't I should say....I only wish the memberships had been better served by their "leaders".

Engine 6 is still running a quint.
 
Engine 5's former quint is being used as a reserve.
 
Both rigs are tired and will probably be retired in the next few years.
 
 
 
 

It is amazing how we criticize everyone about calls at assisted living facilities while we don't cover all our own calls and have our own system problems.

Glass houses!
If it is a tax-paying facility in your community, you have to go there when they call. Even when it is often and for what you consider minor or unwarranted calls.

It's about professionalism, standards, and supervision, or lack thereof, and this reflects on the organization as a whole that this is acceptable behavior. This is not the first time something like this has occurred (Squuuaaad 15), and not the first time someone has called in and their terminology has been rephrased by the dispatcher to sound more "buffy". What would happen if the dispatcher decided to dispatch decided to pronounce street names his or her own personal way, and units went to the wrong address? When you have a voice that everyone is listening to, you are in the public eye. As a dispatcher myself, this would never fly in my organization, and the Chiefs of our agency would not find it acceptable. It's ok to sneak in humor here and there when appropriate, but the initial dispatch should be consistent and professional agency wide. What happens to a callers confidence if their town is mispronounced? Or the responders in that town that their name is being mocked? Dispatchers have to work extra hard to gain respect, and it takes one bad apple to ruin the whole bunch's reputation.

Well, is he doing everything he can to prevent cancer or any other respiratory ailment, especially at this type of job? On the other side, what if he took of few whiffs of CO and whatever else was in that acrid smoke, passed out, and fell off the ladder? Dramatic, yes. Possible? Yes.

Why? The guys on the line aren't responsible for the city playing games with a test. And if you think Stamford is the only one that has ever played these games I have a bridge to sell you.

I always take my info off Emergency services info boards. How about picking up the phone and calling Westchester County Human Resources.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/robotic-butt-offers-prostate-exam-training-medical-students-how-patrick-teaches-empathy-proper#.VV9ILUlz9qo.facebook

ok, Maybe in the writers area or mind the fire service is alive and vibrant. From what I see, the fire service is in deep trouble. Volunteer membership is declining, career depts. are being cut to the bone, or are stagnant.
I believe todays firefighters are much better trained, and are more dedicated than previous generations. But there are not enough of them to fill the voids, at least in our area. Due to the increase in call volume, training, state and federal mandates, the fire service is finding itself hard pressed to keep up with todays conditions. We have too many Commissioners, Chiefs, and elected individuals, who are more worried about money and votes than fixing a broken system. A house fire today requires mutual aid. when there was more members in the dept. there was pride in taking care of your own business.
State and federal mandates, Bailout systems, 2 in 2 out, fast, NFPA, have been enacted to create a safer fire ground, But no more ff's to do the job. The patch on your uniform says XYZ fire dept, yet the truth is XYZ plus 5 surrounding depts. is what is needed for your average house fire. The writer doesn't like the bashing, but what is actually being bashed? the truth? The public is fed up with high taxes. Police depts. are consolidating, At some point, somehow the laws will have to change to allow fire depts. to do the same. Then and only then, at least in this area, will fd's be as alive and vibrant as the writer states.
This is just my opinion, let the bashing begin lol.

Letters were mailed out, the test is still scheduled as planned. Your entrance letter will tell you your arrival time.
If you plan on coming into the Department focused on rumors, promoting them, or a general bad attitude towards the City, hopefully your entrance letter arrives sometime in the next few weeks.
Best wishes to everyone else.

Well guys after 43 years as a Port Chester Firefighter [ 18 years very active volunteer working at DPW then getting the dream job getting paid to do what I love to do this is my last day. It didn't end the way I wanted it too but away I go . I was fortunate to catch the war years when we went out every day for a job worked side by side with many dept.'s and made a lot of life long friends on mutual aid. I saw a lot of death and sorrow [ Gulliver's 24 DOA Stouffer's 26 DOA 9/11 world trade center ] and saved a few along the way but my greatest call was closing a large window [ life savers building ] for a 84 year old lady who was freezing because her window was open and she needed help. The next day she baked a apple pie for me and my partner. So I say good bye to it all and hope that I left a small mark somewhere. To my 2 sons that are following or trying to follow in my foot step's keep up the good work in this most rewarding profession . Good luck to the guy's that are left on my job and hope that thing's get better for you and the people we were sworn to protect.
Angelo Sposta [ Retired Local #1971 ]

wow really!!! so I guess you have no problem being teamed up with someone who CANT do this and he/she is your interior partner.
How did the instructors become the enemy in your mind?

Yet, the people that have been hired off the last list have mostly come from communities other than Stamford.....

It has nothing to do with the City changing. You have volunteer stations in areas that have not dramatically changed. The issue is they, like many others nationwide no longer have enough volunteers available to cover the calls.

Wow! Here we go again.
It sounds like the first arriving officer should now say "Arrived at 100 Main Street I don't see anything but I'll have to investigate further because I can only see sides 1 and 2. Have incoming units reduce their response to non-emergency but they don't have to proceed with caution any more because those words trigger something in their brains and they may get into an accident. OOPS, I said sides1 an 2. For those of you who can't convert that, it's A and B. No signs of fire after my 360, but the neighbors keep pointing to the house across the street. Whoop, there it is."
Why not just leave it as "Nothing Showing"

Shamelessly, I'd like to side track the thread a bit by congratulating the new Capt. John Baker. A great teacher and a well deserved promotion. And now back to the political wrangling.......

Shamelessly, I'd like to side track the thread a bit by congratulating the new Capt. John Baker. A great teacher and a well deserved promotion. And now back to the political wrangling.......

Shamelessly, I'd like to side track the thread a bit by congratulating the new Capt. John Baker. A great teacher and a well deserved promotion. And now back to the political wrangling.......

Not to start a fight, I train as many vol ff's as I do career, BUT these statements by you fellows are why the career side pushes so hard for equality in training, to call yourself a firefighter, officer or chief. Look whats happening, A officer wants to change things for the better, and he is voted out. The fire service is in a lot of trouble, it is time to wake up.

10 replies......6 about lights......ugh. Guess what lights do? NOTHING! Blue. Green, pink.....2 of them14 of them, makes no difference.
Now, to respond to the very good question that matters:
Laautze gave a good answer. I'll just expand a bit. All standard FDNY engines have a 2 stage pump with a transfer valve. We operate in volume as standard practice. This means that the impellers operate in parallel and produce 50psi at idle. When the valve is switched to pressure, the impellers operate in series, one after the other. At idle, the pump generates 100psi(about). All engines are capable of pumping at high pressure (excess of 250psi) however with each additional stage the upper limit is raised and the engine doesn't have to work as hard. Additionally, engines assigned as high pressure units are outfitted with the discharges painted in white. They are a heavier build. They are meant to be mated to high pressure hose, red in color with white fittings. This hose also allows for a tether to be attached. The tethered line must be tied off to the engine and the standpipe Siamese. A 50' safety zone must be established. This is why there are no HP discharges on the pump panel side. Only a chief officer can order high pressure operations.

Never said they were not. But when you look at the state training records for each dept. and average them over the size of the dept. the numbers suck. And since you can not figure which members are active or will respond you are left with averages that are very very low.
As this thread is about 1 standard. When you look at the career depts, the averages are similar accross the board.

All this discussion regarding training and minimum knowledge requirements is all well and good, however, (and there is always a however) how many departments have minimum PHYSICAL requirements, other than being able to show up for a call or drill, or class,... and MAYBE fog-up a mirror ...
How many places have real department "physicals" other than the bare-bones minimum documentation required for wearing a respirator, and maybe monitoring blood pressure, vision, hearing, but what about testing a firefighter for strength, and even endurance, for working under at times dangerous and physically stressful (exhausting) working conditions?
How many times does someone have to take/ pass a CPAT? Once, to get hired? annually?
I know (today) I would not be able to run up several flights of stairs with full gear, pulling a hose line, even when I (thought I) was in pretty good shape it would be a fairly decent challenge. And now I'm nearing the upper edge of my profile age bracket.
The majority of firefighter fatalities is coronary related. 44 percent, in fact. Heart attacks. (based on a USFA 1990-2000 study)
Something to think about, is all.
Get in shape, stay in shape.
[/soapbox]

Bobby DelVecchio is probably one of the greatest guys I know. When first meeting Bobby as a volunteer at Harrison EMS, it was always impressive with his base of knowledge. You sometimes realize that some people just get it. Even as a young volunteer you knew that this kid just knew what he was doing. Having the privilege to watch Bobby grow over the years just made me realize what a special person he is.
His career, while shortened, was a varied career affecting many in the emergency services industry. Developing from a volunteer in Harrison EMS, Bobby became an Empress employee and one of the best dispatchers ever. While working at Empress (this chronological might not be perfect) Bobby went on to work at Sea Tow, TCD,volunteer at TMFD, LVAC, and finally work at the TM Highway Dept.
His caring and ability touched many of us. There remain many police cars, fire chief vehicles and EMS fly –cars that Bobby touched with his dedicated hands. I have the comfort of knowing he personally built 49-11 and 49-12, and never had to doubt the craftsmanship involved. He was the ultimate go to guy. With every industry he became involved with, he automatically became one of the most knowledgeable people in that field.
Not many of us have had as much radio experience as Bobby. His handles of TAC-1, Medic (whatever), Truck 202, “Central”, A-1, 430, E-51, Sea Tow 2, radio repair, or the many other radio names remained ingrained in our memories.
The privilege of knowing and working with Bobby will be forever ingrained in me. Even at a municipal job, not always known for the most productive workday, he stood alone. If something needed to be done, Bobby made sure the job was done well.
The privilege of working with Bobby over the years highlighted many memories and I cannot express the loss and sadness I now feel. However, the knowledge of his contribution to society and many aspects of the emergency services industry bring me great satisfaction of my relationship and experiences with Bobby over the years.
I cannot begin to express my sympathies to his family and friends. His legacy becomes one of knowledge and experience of working with one of the greatest persons I have ever known. We will always love and miss you Bobby, and never forget the myriad of favors you have done for all of us. I sincerely hope your son Milo has the chance to carry on the many great virtues your display.

It very well could...for those of you who get to..make sure you make the orientation and practice test...and do not..DO NOT...wait for the practice to see where you are at...prepare and train early.

Not necessarily true. Many rigs in Career Depts. don't have guys with yrs experience. Some depts. may even have a whole truck co. with everyone on it having 5yrs and less. This has happened and I believe still happens in FDNY. Then you've got the rig with some guys who have 20yrs but still no experience and are incapable of doing the basics correctly. Speaking of Basics, I strongly feel we get too wrapped up in the FAST team concept and policies instead of worrying about our members being competent in the Basic Firefighting Skills. Get a proper sized and supplied handline in the right location, with adequate and properly timed ventilation and good chances we won't even need a Fast Team. I guarantee if you look at many of the NIOSH reports you'll see many LODs were caused by members not following proper procedures, incompetence and complacency.Don't get me wrong I think the FAST team concept is great but there's a time and place for it. Do we really need a Fast team standing by for a mattress Job or contents in a bedroom, not to mention many FDs including Career are shorthanded and I may need those 2-3 guys standing outside, inside performing critical tasks that need to get done immediately and aren't. Don't get these tasks completed and that mattress job in the hallway has now entered the dumbwaiter shaft and is about to take the cockloft of the 5 story H shaped occupied MD. I'd rather utilize everyone at the scene to get that fire u/c instead of worrying about how many guys do I have outside in case the "What if" happens, especially if I'm workin with a skeleton crew. JMO. PS Now lower a Depts Standards and you really have a problem on your hand!