efdcapt115

Great idea. Chris, got any extra minutes up there these days, or are you all iced up to? You could cover a lot of ground.....

Well, I didn't want to sully up the Dutchess thread, but I've been wanting to say FACEBOOK SUCKS for a long time. Reading that thread just gave me a reason to say it here. I'm kinda flabbergasted by some of the comments over there. There are quite a few career guys here who make it a point to NOT bash volunteers. I count myself in that group. I've made friends with guys from both sides of the equation through EMTBravo. Seth, I think if you want to try and bring members back who may be MIA these days, a good place to start would be to eliminate the "rep scoreboard." I love giving out rep points. I have to say, I have felt very gratified that people respected some things I have had to say or post, and gave me points. But I feel like my position on the "scoreboard" makes people NOT respond to things I post now. KEEP THE REP POINTS. Just do away with the scoreboard. PLEASE. This way we can give a good post a positive boost, and everyone can feel equally respected when that happens. I know a few very smart and wise firemen and officers who come on here. One is just starting to bring his knowledge to the board. He worked in some of the busiest fire companies in the world, and also served as a volunteer in every rank from fireman to Commissioner. He doesn't distinguish who he is passing his experience and knowledge on to, career or volunteer it doesn't matter. That's the way most of the guys I know with far more experience and knowledge than I will ever have approach the volunteer/career issue. And I have always chosen the same path, just don't tread on us, and we won't on you. It's just a mutual respect thing that's all. And some volunteers shouldn't be so sensitive when a guy like Chief Flynn starts asking questions. Right away they take it as bashing. It is about trying to see improvement in delivery of service to the people we serve/d. Career guys fight to improve the fire service. Some guys are more "in your face" style than others. But those guys can teach you a lot if you can let your guard down. In closing I'd like to say once more how much I think Facebook sucks.

Oh I can think of a few guys....

I keep hearin' about this storm, but looking up the waterway, I still don't see nuthin' and the temperature keeps on arisin'...79... (Sorry you asked for photos... )

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/pr/2011/013111_0711.shtml

Chris, I think the age limit for renting a car is now 25 years old, not 21. I could always tell how young the driver of the bus at the VAC was by the intensity and duration of the siren. The longer, the more variations in siren tones, I could count on a very young driver pulling up to the call.....I was hardly ever proven wrong using this formula...try it and you'll see what I mean. This is by no means a shot at our VAC members who do a great job. They all do regardless of age. But given the unsupervised chance to "play" with the siren, and you can count on many (not all) of the 18-19 year old group to use it like a newfound toy....

Great point Cap, but I was counting your 7 story NFP, non-standpiped buildings, as I was always told anything over 4 stories is considered "high-rise".....who wants to tear that apart for me...

...negative terminal first....THE most important factor when disconnecting....however I used to tell my driver BW to ALWAYS go for the POSITIVE terminal 1st...as I was always hoping for a POSITIVE outcome...(if ya catch my drift) heh heh Edit: "sidecutters", which should be a standard tool in everyones' turnout coat pocket, are a very effective tool for working on a battery. not only for cutting the cable (last resort if you can't get the terminal off), but for grabbing and twisting the outside of the terminal connector to pry it off..

Well it's February 1st. Can we get an update from our FDNY Brothers as to what happened today?

Rest in Peace.Truly an honorable career. http://www.kvoa.com/news/pcso-confirms-pilot-killed-in-helicopter-crash/

Date:01/31/11 Time: apprx. 1500 hrs. Location: Avra Valley Pima County, AZ Departments: Pima CSD, Various LE, emergency services, two military Helicopters ("Pavehawk"), two MEDIVAC Helicopters assisting in rescue off mountaintop Description: 1998 MD530 LE Chopper w/2 LE and 2 civlians...2 reported conscious, 2 unconscious/ Reported to have been surveying emergency services communication tower sites, hit with a flash storm, possible hail crashed into mountainside. 3 survivors airlifted, 1 fatality ground transported by ambulance with LE escort Links: Live feed: http://emergencystream.com/video_streams/AZ/Tucson2.html (video feed only seems to be working through IE, not Chrome or firefox) Writer: efdcapt115 Live feed: Emergency services saluting one victim being loaded into MEDIVAC chopper from Pavehawk transport, to ground ambulance on site.

(smacking forehead) Of course! how could I be so blind.....

http://www.ctnow.com/news/connecticut/middlesex/hc-propane-explosion-0131-20110130,0,2200497.story

I "love" this line: How about: "No other department in the country deals with the incredible number of high-rise buildings in such a concentrated area; therefore necessitating the need for the original agreement to staff as many engine companies with 5 firefighters IN THE FIRST PLACE DUH...."

I'd say this incident should serve us all as a reminder of how volatile a situation a gas leak of any kind is, and how rapidly things can change from being fine to being a hot zone danger..... especially when that gas is being released under high pressure.

Bill, That's a wonderful photo of the skyline. I'd like to ask you if you would share with the rest of us; how do you bring out the colors? Are you using a program to enhance them, filters on the camera, settings? I realize you have professional trade secrets...not asking you to reveal any of those. Maybe just a general idea, so amateurs like myself could produce a better photo product. Thanks, George

Nice shots. Any explanation from the driver? EDP...stuck accelerator...DUI...too fast....road conditions.... or all of the above?

You got a rep point for your avatar...lol

Wonderful work Bill. Thank you so much for these, and the East Fishkill fire photos. You are extremely talented with the camera, and the fire service is very fortunate to have an artist such as yourself out there doing this work.

Date: 1/29/2011 Time: approx: 1600 hrs Location: Summit Rd., Portland, CT. Frequency: Units Operating:Portland - Full assignment from the department Middletown - 3 engines, 1 ladder , 1 BC East Hampton - 2 engines, 1 ladder, 2 tankers Glastonbury Haddam Neck - 1 Tanker East Haddam - 1 Engine Marlborough - 1 Engine Westfield FD - 1 Engine Tanker Middlesex Paramedics - 2 medic units Hunters Ambulance Tanker Strike force requested Weather Conditions: Cold, snow on the ground Description Of Incident: Backhoe clearing snow from property damaged propane tank, FD response and subsequent explosion of tank reported. Two firefighters injured in explosion. Unsure if BLEVE. Structure fire. FURTHER: Apparently the first unit pulled up and the tank let go as they were checking for occupants. Two firefighters were injured with one receiving burns to the face and was transported to Hartford Hospital, and may be transferred to Bridgeport Hospital's burn unit sometime tonight. Reporters: additional info-IzzyEng4 Writer: efdcapt115, IzzyEng4 WTNH link to the incident: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/middlesex_cty/propane-explosion-in-portland http://www.ustream.t...medium=12330442

Thank you Chief.

Thanks very much fellas. Willy D and Joe, two friends I have thanks to this Forum, you guys are Brothers. Your support and friendship means very much to me. Willy and I chat frequently on the phone. He is truly one of the funniest men I know. To all the membership, I'm in a new support role on Staff. I'm here to help ANY member with anything they might need. New emergency services members, career or volunteer, who might have questions about any aspect of the job; I can help with answers, advice and support. If you want or need somebody to talk with about the job, the stress from it, stress from personal issues...I'm here to listen and not be judgmental. If I can't help you solve a problem, I'll find you somebody who can. I'm very detail oriented; nothing will slip through the cracks and be forgotten or disregarded. No issue is too small or "not important enough". All communication will be completely and strictly confidential. My e-mail is efdcapt115@aol.com. I'm available through e-mail or PM on my Blackberry, 24/7. If you want to talk on the phone we can do that too. In short, I am here for YOU, and can tap into the appropriate resources when needed, so please do not hesitate to contact me. Be well, ~George

May I say, what we have here is a "culture clash" of sorts. Most of us know the following, but for the edification of the member who asked the question; There is no such thing as a career chief's turnout coat that says "Ex Chief." The only way a career chief would still be wearing a turnout coat and not be a chief anymore, would be through a demotion (voluntary or involuntary) and the new coat he would be wearing would display his current rank, or through a move from being a career Chief to a career Commissioner. In volunteer fire departments, the selection of chiefs is a different process than in the career civil service system (which is primarily based on testing). The election of a chief does carry a significance to the members of those departments. Words like "honor" carry a lot of weight in both systems. But, a member would probably say he was honored to have been selected to serve as chief, and therefore might chose to wear a turnout coat that displays "Ex Chief", as a way of showing his gratitude to the department for that honor as they see it. Additionally, the other members of the department will probably recognize that "Ex Chief" simply by leaving the "Ex" out of the title. It's a way for other members to show their respect; especially if they believe that "Ex Chief" was a good chief while in title. In this particular instance, there is no way to lump the two different systems together, or for that matter to even try and compare them. They are distinctly different, so maybe we should just note those differences.....maybe not judge them....and just say..... "It Is What It Is."

Trust me on this matter; there are going to be times in your fire dept. career you are going to be RELIEVED and GLAD that PD maintains IC on a highway....... I speak from one experience in particular. It occurred on the Cross County Parkway and it changed the way police departments conduct AIs. There is a very good reason AIs sometimes shut down the highway for 5 hours.....it's to make sure nothing....and nobody gets left behind....

Rarely are four fire trucks on the scene of a traffic accident. But many times, after the patient/s is/are treated and transported, there's a big mess on the roadway, fluids to be absorbed, wrecked vehicles to be removed, etc. So there is a reason for fire apparatus to be on scene after the ambulance leaves. I don't understand all of this pissing match stuff when it comes to the highways. I was IC in my district for eight years. The district is surrounded by three highways; we were out there constantly, and I never had any kind of incident with PD. Rather, WCPD Officers were more than happy to see us, to help them mitigate the emergency. When an Officer asked me to do something, I always accommodated their requests. They were never unreasonable. And even though I was IC for the FD, I knew the law; and the law in NY is that the PD is in charge of the highways. What is so difficult for some of us to understand this simple thing? Cooperation, and extending a friendly handshake went a long way to ensuring the emergency was handled smoothly and professionally. I don't know where your "every minute just sucks" comment comes from regarding EMS. I "get it" but I don't get it. Are you in EMS? If not how could you make such a derogatory statement about that profession? If you are in EMS, you should maybe have a little more pride in your profession? As the years in service pass by, most cops, firefighters and EMS lose the ego thing. I think it goes along with a corresponding drop in the amount of adrenaline the body produces as the years go by, and emergencies become more of a routine than an exciting moment.