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Youtube credit: Ailakane http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEUJ-71Z5DI&feature=player_embedded#at=19

What you can't see in the photo....the propeller and the fishing poles!

The Reuters article is INCORRECT. An elderly civilian died, not a firefighter.

I'm taking an edumacated guess; the old GM plant parking lot?

Very good videos. Thanks for posting them Jamie!

It is not negotiating, and the attempt by the governor and the senate to ram this legislation through is for all intents and purposes, "union busting." The officials representing the teachers have already publicly stated that they are willing to accept the changes in pension contributions and health care increases. The one thing they are not willing to accept is the elimination of collective bargaining rights for all public employees except police, fire and state patrol. Prison guard unions would be affected, as would obviously teachers and all other public employees. They are not living in a bubble. The public employees realize they need to make concessions due to the dire situation the state budget is in. However at the same time it has been reported that corporations in Wisconsin have been granted tax breaks equivalent to the amount of money they are trying to extract from public employees. It is ironic that this is occurring in Madison, WI; the birthplace of AFSCME. And this is only the beginning. Other states and governors are watching very closely to see the outcome in Wisconsin; and are planning their own attacks on public employees. Chris Cristie in New Jersey has reneged on his promise to not go after public employee unions, and has illegally withheld the states obligation of payment to the state retirement system to the tune of three billion dollars. As courageous a stand as they are taking in Wisconsin, I fear that public employees are fighting a losing battle; and governors and legislators newly elected believe their mandate is to "reign in" public employees benefits and rights that have been hard fought for and won over decades of the labor movement. This fits nicely with the vilification of cops and firefighters that has been occurring in the media from people like Rupert Murdoch and Andrew Brietbart; with the main cheerleaders being Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh.

While I agree with Joe's post, I must remind all members; this could be a very volatile topic and everybody has to remember to remain civil in their discourse if they are considering posting an opinion on this topic. Please Brothers and Sisters, let's keep it all good.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2011/02/19/2011-02-19_fivealarm_blaze_rips_through_brooklyn_building_injuring_25_firefighters_and_thre.html

To Poughkeepsie Police Officer John Falcone's family, friends and the Brothers and Sisters of the Poughkeepsie Police Department; we here at EMTBravo, hundreds of fellow police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel all grieve with you for the tragic and senseless loss you have suffered. Most of us did not know John personally, but we now know who he was because of his actions; his willingness to go into harms way, do his duty, and heroically carry out his final call. He will never be forgotten by us. When a tragedy like this happens, when a man such as Officer Falcone is taken from this world in the line of duty, our hearts are broken with yours, we stand at attention and salute him and all of you, and offer you all our deepest condolences and respect. He reminded all New Yorkers, and all fellow Americans, what it means to be a Police Officer. An innocent three year old girl will live her life thanks to the courageous and selfless last actions of a hero. Officer John Falcone, No Greater Love....Rest in Peace and thank you.

How silly of me. I stand corrected. Thank you. Still I haven't seen one of those in ages....

Second that. Prayers for the police officers involved here. I hope the officer that was shot isn't too seriously wounded.

If you look very closely in the photo just behind the Life Net is a Left Handed Smoke Shifter....now THAT is rare....

It's a confusing article. It starts out with this "political bantering" comment. Where did that take place, in the firehouse amongst the members? Did they get into a heated political argument, because towards the end of the story the firefighter in question says he was so distraught that he felt he couldn't perform his duties, so he went home sick. He also said he voted for Giffords. He also retired apparently. So he's gone. Not much of a story here really, much ado about nothing in my opinion.

Hey Cap, it would be really nice and pretty if you put the flower pots back in the windows upstairs. In my retirement I've taken up botany...I highly recommend it...you can talk to the plants you know, they like that...

Dave Statter is reporting that one of the six firefighters injured is in critical condition. Prayers for our West Coast Brothers. http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-hollywood-hills-firefighters-hurt,0,5038812.story

http://www.ufanyc.org/cms/contents/view/10128

I had the pleasure of attending a seminar that Bob Morris taught for the Westchester Firefighters Emerald Society some years back. He does an outstanding job. I'd highly recommend attending this event!

The member is reported to have been revived from cardiac arrest, yet he is in what they are calling "grave condition." Poor choice of wording imho, but he's still fighting for his life......Prayers: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Firefighters-Injured-in-Hollywood-Hills-Fire-116394254.html

Turned on the news last night and was shocked to see a fourth major fire in the historic district of Miami Beach. All have been suspicious; ordinary construction, top floor jobs. Miami Beach doesn't want to come out and say it yet, but they have a serial arsonist on their hands in my opinion. http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/16/2069560/third-abandoned-miami-beach-building.html

I'm going to agree with M on the necessity of maintaining the pull box system for inner city areas. Like Dennis Smith wrote about; if somebody pulls a box they KNOW a fire engine is coming. Sure it's a different system now, ERS, push to talk, take a look at JBE's profile photo to see one. We had a pull box system in the Eastchester Fire District. It connected three school systems, a college, a hospital, public buildings, private schools, and public streets directly to every firehouse. Inside each house had a reel-to-reel tape at the watch desk, and bells on the wall of the apparatus floor, and whistles on the roofs. The tapes and bells were spring loaded, and had to be wound at the start of every day tour. As soon as a box was pulled, it would activate four rounds of the box number through all five houses and simultaneously activate all five fire whistles. The schools, hospital, public buildings all had box numbers like 83..or 881. You had to hear all five whistles going in the district at the same time to believe it. Back in the day, this was the only way to notify the volunteers...they would count the number of blasts on the whistle to figure out the location of the alarm. There was a pocket-sized box location reference guide; I think there were at least a couple hundred boxes in the district. Back in the day, the Alarm Bureau was staffed with one or two career guys. The district eventually put the maintenance of the system under the purview of the department mechanic. The system was pretty durable, but over the decades the underground cables connecting it all needed more and more maintenance/replacement. The general public was getting pretty fed up with the incredibly loud whistles that would go off at all hours, so the department installed kill switches for them, and we began shutting them down at 2300 hrs every night. The invention of the Plectron probably had the most impact on smaller municipal alarm box systems like ours. With the volunteers now getting toned out, the days of the fire whistle were rapidly coming to an end. And that day did come, with a Resolution by the Board of Fire Commissioners, they pulled the plug on the pull box system, and another part of fire department history went the way of the horse drawn steamer. The 1800 hr system test was for decades, the way by which many a resident would set their pocket-watch....pulling it out using the fob, double checking the time and then catching the trolley car for a ride home. Career firemen in Eastchester were required to come and go from work in their Class A uniforms. They could ride the trolley for a nickel, but they were not allowed to smoke while wearing their Class A's. So they did away with the pull boxes, they did away with the whistles, eventually firemen didn't have to wear their Class A's to work anymore.....and the trolley cars came to a halt....they paved asphalt over the tracks at some point. But through it all some things endured the test of time; the design of the New Yorker...and the Halligan Tool!

Can you embed the video onto the dot.com homepage?

John, I believe you are correct about this. I've heard that EFD Station 5 is closed down for repairs to the apparatus floor. The units are supposedly located in temporary housing, and at that location the ALF/LTI TL-17 does not fit in the temporary quarters; so they have the 100 ft. spare Seagrave straight stick in service up there. I also heard as a result of this, Greenville L-4 is on auto-response to the Garth Rd. area....

Yes this should serve as a wake up call....to ALL students/ younger people out there who choose to drink and drive, drive and text, disobey a police officer ESPECIALLY during a chaotic emergency, WAKE UP. Long past time to quell reckless behavior. Too many young people DIE behind the wheel because of immature, panicky, or judgement impaired decisions. This one is particularly tragic because a police officer will have to carry the weight of a decision NO police officer should ever have to make. I know a retired Albany cop who comes down here. Years ago he had to use deadly force on the job. He still carries it. Another part of the "gift" of his pension...

Roger that, I wasn't going down that road Brother, just curious to see what may have been transmitted along the way. Bottom line is they got who they needed to the scene....

Can a New Rochelle Brother explain the alarm order....The I.A. states 2nd alarm on arrival, and 5th alarm with fire showing through the roof. Was this a progressive alarm increase, or were all NRFD units committed upon the 2nd, and as M.A. Companies began arriving in the city, were they special called to the scene; did this constitute technically a 3rd and 4th alarm? As NRFD spare units activated were they treated as an alarm increase? Just curious. Looks like a tough night, the fire commanders and firefighters had their hands full from the beginning; keep in mind NRFD rolls with only two firefighters and an officer, or three firefighters (or has that changed) and from the company officers, chauffers, firefighters to 2302 to 2301 I'm sure their full professional experience was called into play in making some very important choices to prevent this fire from becoming a conflagration in the 2-3 exposures. Is it true there was a water company issue on the other side of the city? And you guys managed to get big water on a big fire, let's here it for straight tip streams...ALL of Westchester should take a look.... Congratulations to the FD's involved, with an apparent lack of serious injuries....sorry to the Church members, I'm sure there are many broken faith-tested souls out there today. May they find Peace with the Lord after this test.