biglew

JBE, I believe the attitudes go part and parcel with the poor performance. I was a letter carrier and then a Postal Truck Driver in Da Bronx from 1984-1996. Over that period of time the "job" changed in many ways. The morale sunk when experienced workers were asked to pick up the slack for the not so motivated, just a job bunch. Bottom line, no matter what the profession, you need to have pride, motivation, and the willingness to learn. Too many people come to work for a paycheck, yes it is compensation for your work, but it shouldnt be the reason you do it. Someone once told me your vocation should also be your avocation, a labor of love etc. This country believes in a diverse workplace, which is a great thing, but doesnt always get you the most qualified applicant for a particular position. Every QUALIFIED applicant should have a chance to compete for any given job. But qualified is the key word. Passing up people with higher scores on civil service lists than others, is wrong in my opinion. If the low scorers want the job, they should prepare better for an exam, and score higher. Of course there will be dissention in any workplace, when one is given preferential treatment over others. Its one of the reasons people dont care as much about their job. Its endemic to our workplace atmosphere. The way the system is now, the best applicants dont always get the job, which will in turn lower the level of proficiency at that workplace, which will lower morale and give you the WTF attitude sooner or later. I doubt it will change anytime soon.

Rest In Peace Lt., may your family know no more sorrow, and have the strength needed during this difficult time.

Merry Christmas and Happy and Safe New Year to all !! Lew

Rest In Peace , Brother.

Rest In Peace Firefighter Cahill. May God bless your soul and the souls you leave behind.

rest in peace, brother. My condolences to the family and the Boston FD family.

rest in peace brother, may your family know no more sorrow.

rest in peace brothers, may your families have the strength needed in this difficult time.

rest in peace brother

I believe most dignitaries like Senators, Mayors and Governors usually ride in the back of the vehicle, therefore they would not be required to buckle up. The Governors unwillingness to use a seatbelt after numerous "suggestions" just suggest he is not a clear thinker when it comes to vehicle safety. I believe he should be cited for not wearing a seatbelt. Why he was in the front seat is unusual to say the least. I have seen Guilani, Koch, Clinton, Pataki all get into the rear of SUV's. There are also usually two cops in front. Maybe he lights to look at the radios and light switches (Just Kidding). Had he been ejected from the vehicle because he wasnt buckled up, holy s---. Most troopers wear seatbelts, they are driving at highway speeds. I know city cops dont all buckle up, and I know they are in slower traffic, but I dont think there is an exemption on the law for them either. Please correct me if I am wrong. There is an exemption for troopers to be on the phone while driving ( in Ct ) at least, though most now use a bluetooth because it will appear to the public like they can do something that is against the law now, not sure about NY. The Jersey trooper was in a tough spot, because if he refuses to drive the governor if he's not buckled up, he probably would be counting pencils until he retires.

Can anyone tell me the current situation with ladder companies in Mount Vernon? What I am trying to find out is the status of the Mack tower ladder. Is it only a spare, or is it in service as a full time truck company? Does it get pressed into service only for working fires? I know the Seagrave tower is Tower 1, and the E-One bucket is Ladder 3, and that they are both still in service,but I keep seeing photos on this site of MV jobs where the Mack TL is at work and I think is says Tower 1 on the rig. At the recent MV 4th alarm, which of the trucks were operating? I know the Seagrave tower 1 and the E-One Lad 3 were there. Was the Mack TL there too? I also know the Mack TL was at the 3rd on 2-9-07. Thanks, Lew

My condolences to the family of the Sergeant and the Newark PD. May he rest in peace.

Thanks guys, So normally, the Seagrave TL would be in service at Sta 1 and the E-One would be in service as Lad 3 at Sta 3. So....... the Mack TL would be a dept spare if the other two are operable. But with the Seagrave having been OOS for such a long time and now the E-One, the Mack is constantly on the job. Got it, thanks.

The guy should be put away for life, great job by the cops who caught him. I don't like a single officer on patrol, 3 weeks on the job, 1 A.M. where is his FTO,in a high crime impact area. Since the punk didnt want to get killed by cops, he gave up. Maybe a partner with this guy would have made him think different and not take a whack at the cop. Who knows?

You make a valid point HFD23. It looks like a classic case of two many chiefs and not enough Indians. 9 Chiefs and a County battalion chief for a job with 3 engines and 1 truck; am I missing something here. My personal belief is that its Ok for the town with the job to have all its chiefs at the scene, I even feel that any mutual aid companies should have a chief from their dept respond if that is their depts protocol. There is only one I/C, so unless its a job with exposure problems, or other unique circumstances, I believe 10 chiefs on this call was a little overboard. ONLY MY OPINION!! I don't believe that out of town chiefs actually get dispatched to a job, they respond on their own if their dept is called in on Mutual Aid. Am I correct with this assumption? The fact that this was a hospital call with potential for evacuation and the like, make the # of chiefs at the scene more palatable.

My condolences to Trooper Rosado's family, friends and brothers and sisters with the NYSP. May he Rest In Peace.

Nice rig Pleasant Valley !! Good Luck and be Safe !

Thanks again 2257, I wasnt aware that the 28,000 was to stop the bleeding. I thought it was all that was owed. Speaking about rants for another time, why don't we open up a post about duplication of apparatus in Westchester? LOL I know some Westchester departments like to keep up with the Jones's, but at least they seem to have the money from some source to pay for their rigs. I would say I have seen some trophy seeker departments in my 25 years ( oops, that might be Long Island ) buffing, but by in large I think depts try to by whats practical for their district, even if it is somewhat over the top sometimes.

Thanks mfc2257 for the additional info. 28K is not a large sum of money when we are talking about rigs. You say they rely on fund raisers to raise most of their revenue. The news report talks about bingo night not being as productive as it was. What about a firemans carnival like some hudson valley depts do every year? What about a "Fill the Boot" campaign on weekend when the vollies can actively participate? What about a simple newspaper ad asking for community support? I am not sure of the size of the district/jurisdiction that Riverdale Heights encompasses, but surely they would gain sympathy/ support from the people they serve. 4000 runs a year is not 400, surely there is a need for their department. I remember photographing PG rigs in the 80's and 90's when I was writing for Fire Service Digest, and I remember the vollie/paid arguments back then. I could never understand the fact that we are supposed to watch each others back at a job, but some would rather find a spot to "stab" someone in the back they were supposed to watch. I hope this paid/vollie stuff is largely political and not personal or all of PG's residents will suffer.

It is ridiculous to get such little prison time, but I guess they looked at the facts that there were no witnesses, and the case was largely circumstantial. I am not a lawyer, but if you read the statement from the accuseds' attorneys, it says that the arson pleas take no responsibility for the injuries or deaths. I thought if a death occurred during the commission of a felony, you get charged with the death. Am I off base here? Anybody know what the NJ law is on this matter?

I have read that original article at the top of the post and I am not even sure the FF had any warning lights on. ( not that he should be responding with the family, but I'll touch on that later. The way I read it, and correct me if I missed something, it says he turned on his flashers, I took that to mean 4 way flashers/hazard lights, not warning lights. If thats what he had flashing at 85 mph, this guy is really lost. Now he radioed "dispatch" to tell the troper to back off, I am wondering why he has a radio if he wasnt a company officer. Did he call on a cellphone? Is the article acccurate? Anyway, EVERYBODY knows you pull over for a officer who is attemtping to stop you. This rocket scientist, decides to keep going, (1st mistake) with his family in the car,(2nd miscue), tries to call off the cavalry( unssucessfully, 3rd lapse in judgement) and caused an accident by failing to stop after the trooper activated his lights and sirens. Even if you wife was giving birth, or having a critical medical problem, you still stop, and it will only be 3 seconds before that trooper gets back in his cruiser and escorts you to the hospital. ( or helps you with ther medical problem) This guy's actions are inexplicable and give everybody a bad reputation. I usually like to give members the benfit of the doubt, but not this time. Good intentions, yes, bad plan to achieve desired goal. Hopefully, the judge will not make hime turn 16 colors of red when he admonishes his behavior. Not sure what just punshment is, maybe the lesson is good enough. (Aside from having the bracelets put on you in front of your wife and kids)

Who knows the year that rescue was built? I believe that the C Series Mack chassis was built until 1967, then the CF cab came in 1968.( the prototype was built in late '67

Seth, I wish I knew you were coming up this way today. I live in Danbury, it would have been nice to have met up with you, and show you around town !! I see you found a lot of stuff yourself too! But did you get to the railway museum, or the military museum ? Lew

I wish that people could agree to disagree without casting aspersions on other people who post here. We all have opinions, isnt that what these forums are all about? Sometimes there is no clear right and wrong, thats called subjectivity. Some depts clearly dont mind putting 15 members on a rig when they are driving to a Memorial day parade, others have more restrictive guidelines. We shouldn't bash each other. We should opine our thoughts on a given topic with all the sincerity we have. Good ideas that are spread through the words of experience make people think or re-think positions on any given topic or issue. I beleive there is a common thread to all who read and post, and that is the safety of the public, their colleagues, and the pride in the profession they are in. We might differ in opinions on how to achieve a certain goal, but we can all learn from listening to another voice.

I was on Long Island last weekend, and saw a few depts doing the "Santa" run. I did see one that had a more safety conscious idea- Santa was in the bucket of the depts new tower, ( mid mounted tower) I hadnt seen that before, he was throwing out the candy, but the truck was going very slow; which I think is appropriate. ( LIGHTS AND AIR HORN - NO SIREN) I dont think anyone wants to take away the fun, its just with the insurance regs and safety we are concerned. Its not about being a scrooge, I was buffing in the 70's when a member from 82 engine (FDNY) fell off the back step and got run over by 31 truck. BACK STEPS ARE DANGEROUS, THATS WHY WE DONT RUN ON THEM ANYMORE. AND IM NOT BIG ON HAVING SANTA HANGING OUT ON TOP OF THE HOSE BED EITHER !!