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It's kind of hard for Bronxville to get any homegrowns to join the police dept, or the EFD which incorporates B'Ville. I think it's awesome that TPD and BPD stepped up for the laid off officers. Congrats and good luck. As a side note, a few years back EFD wanted to go into the B'ville high school to try and recruit vounteers. They we told sorry, our students don't do that.

So they wait until the victim is collared and boarded, present him with the bill @$600 an hour, pull out the credit card swiper, but the victim goes into cardiac arrest when he sees the bill, so they tear it up while hooking up the defib. I like it!

Found inside the......oh sorry you said ON the side of the road.....

Always showed you were an Emergency kinda-guy back in probie school Marc. I remember your lunchbox; you carried it with so much pride.

R1SE many thanks for posting the link. Shirts on the way to F L A......

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200931.html

Good day to all. This question "What makes a great firefighter" was put forward in a private conversation by a respected member of this forum (I don't think he'll mind if it is brought forth and hopefully inspires some interesting posts). Those of us in fire departments have all known a person, or people who we consider to be "great firefighters". But why do we think that? What are the "traits and characteristics" that make us feel that way? This question really got me to thinking about those I've known who I did consider to be great firefighters, and the various reasons why I thought so. Go for it, it's a challenging question, and have fun with it! (many thanks to the brother who posed it initially).

Awesome.....

Hey, there's some great responses to the question so far. I also have looked at the list of users who have visited the thread, and in close to 200 so far, there a quite a few more that should be heard from. Let's all hope they decide to chime in, because this is a thread where great things are being said (hey that rhymes ).

Very good! Good luck with the new rig J, she's a real beauty.

Things have been pretty serious around here, much to mourn....so I figured maybe we could all use a good laugh. I loved meeting Squirrel. This was at a job in Surfside Beach, South Carolina.

Great topic. Very interesting spectrum of opinions in here. I'm trying to view each of them through the prism of the members' respective departments, staffing approximations, what a first due engine or truck riding light might encounter upon arrival. SOG's have to come first. But consider if your department allows you to respond sans some gear, now it comes to the staffing level that's going to dictate what you might have to do. 2in/2out is out until you get some help on scene in the immediate life hazard scenario part of the OSHA Standard. The leather boots made it much easier to drive; as much as climb stairs. Rubber boots were a driving hazard. Getting a pair of leather boots was like learning how to drive all over again. I'd suggest driver training in boots/pants/coat (a/c cranking these days) with shorts and a cotton tee, to get as familiar and comfortable as possible with how the pedals and the rig feels. Work out the appendage equipment issues with lots of DT while geared up; then dress for alarms according to your SOG first, staffing level second. Less members becomes more gear on. I was too tall to ever drive with a helmet on though. The new gloves now look like they'd be great to drive with, but not the blue ff ones, no way, say it ain't so! As the multiple of staffing increases, all the way up to the big city and M'Ave's company (or your fully staffed rig rolling out the door), the chances of immediate IDLH action by the chauffer are reduced, and the opportunity to wear less than your crew becomes an easier choice, again as SOG's dictate.

News coverage: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfield_cty/saying-goodbye-to-two-bridgeport-heroes

Thank you. The NMB info you asked for is just a far larger example of a failed PSO System, that's about the only connection. Another issue I think we witnessed here, and in some cases took part in, was a good example of the power of combined media, opinion and emotion. I have been re-reading your posts, and you have stayed on point. It is a simplistic "concept". So what caused the reactions? Exhibit 1: The first video and the following enthusiasms from younger members and the bah-humbugs like me, for exploring a system that not many of us were even thinking about until we viewed this video. Most thoughts were elsewhere initially. Then, bang right? This controversial video. A couple of guys saying, why not, and a couple of guys saying, are you kidding? But I think the best answer I could give to your question would be to defer to this post. The concept is simple, the application might not be. Expanding into areas like western wildfire fighting is beyond my scope of knowledge.

I was saying earlier I had driven over to Carolina Forest. I took this video hours before the photos posted above. It's daytime. The fire I'd guess was 10 miles from NMB at this point, up near Conway. I had no official connection with any agency, I'm just a civilian here.

Services today. God Rest.

Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/01/10/1253174/recordings-reveal-dubious-decisions.html#ixzz0vBbfKUkT Now, I've shown you timestamped photos of the fire progression. Read all you'd like about the craziness of NMB emergency Services it's all in there. But you look at our photos, and tell me "the fire moved too quickly and erratically (sic)to do anything but order a hectic, last minute evacuation...in the EARLY morning hours."

Well, my suggestion was to follow the link to thesunnews.com, but I should add search that paper for "Barefoot Resort Fire". This is my eyewitness account. I first noticed the fire in the mid-afternoon. I thought from my vantage point in Myrtle Beach it was a structure in Carolina Forest, so I took a ride over the waterway and Rte 31 into the development there. Kids were walking home from school, so it was about 3:30PM. It was a very windy day. Seeing the fire was way beyond CF, I returned home. Now in the early evening, the fire here is pushing toward the coast. Note the timeframe. At this point I was alarmed the wind would shift and MBFD wasn't staging at the city line which is right across the street from here. These shots are from my lady's camera, off of my porch. Looking at the timeframe once again, this view is from Kings Highway, Rte 17 NMB, across from Barefoot Resort as 75 homes burned, and this is where the controversy begins. The investigation into why NMB wasn't better prepared for the fire that they knew was coming for hours, the actions of the PSO and his whereabouts, the pre-planning for a major incident in a luxury resort or lack thereof, the pre-placement of apparatus, strike forces in the Barefoot Resort, these types of issues were the center of the discussion of why a fire that indeed was headstrong, eventually jumped the intra-costal and a six lane highway was not met with a better response by City of NMB Fire Department. There is a Horry County Brother that checks in here occassionally. He can add from his better perspective as I'm sure he fought this fire. I can only say Horry County Fire Rescue is undermanned, underpaid, and needs more help. You know I bit the other night when somebody said something about "my perfect world" or words to that effect, and that blossomed into something uglier. Just because I got a lot of rep points here; some people build you up so they can tear you down; I understand that,(Edit: some people just can't stand you anyway) but I wish people wouldn't make derogatory comments about me personally. I paid my dues, and more so. I only post here to try and help. But I bit, and it made me unload nasty ugly. I'm sure that guy is laughing, he knows I took the bait. Ha ha, jokes on me. No worries. Ironically it wasn't a cop. I do appreciate the calm responses and moderation, and will try harder in the future to watch my mouth and not reactively offend when offended, or be the first offender.

Hey that's great. Good luck finding your cold hard numbers and evidence. Next time, try clicking a posted link and do a little research maybe? There's a bevy of news reports on the failures at the the North Myrtle Beach Fire and the subsequent actions taken there by civic and civil leadership. You'll find it at thesunnews.com, but I already posted the link into further investigation, More power to you. Go and change the world. By the way, the editorial piece about Surfside was written by a retired chief from that department.

So brother now you have first hand knowledge presented by others that shows how other communities in other states that have had a system like this in place for decades, are disassembling said systems and going back to seperation of services for various resons; one being a much bigger fail than your truck fire example. What's your opinion now?

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/06/17/1537163/public-safety-split-isnt-difficult.html#ixzz0v4VnWVsu A year and change after the worst fire in THE HISTORY OF NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, that destroyed 19,000 acres of wildland, and seventy-five homes in Barefoot Resort; Surfside Beach ELIMINATED it's "public safety director" and SPLIT the PD & FD. It started the concept in 1983. North Myrtle supposed to, or should be doing the same, but their situation is plagued with scandal since the 75 homes were in NMB, and the Public Safety Director Mr. Bailey (came from the PD side) became embroiled in scandal following the catastrophic fire, because he had NO CLUE how to handle a major fire. He has since retired slickly, before his imminent firing.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100728/ap_on_re_us/us_police_shooting_settlement

Tommy, I'm really sorry to hear about this man. Please carry my sympathies. God Bless The Bridgeport Fire Department.

At first I thought the Title must be wrong. Anybody who has driven I-95 south enough times, knows how when you get into southern Virginia, you set your sites on Rocky Mount...North Carolina and count the miles down. This Rocky Mount, VA is way out west, closer to Roanoke, I-81 and the Blue Ridge Mountains. ~Rest in Peace.

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