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Sounds like all good jobs, but after using them in Haz-Mat, I'd go with the SKED too.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/drowning-looks-different-than-you-think-2010225/

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/07/26/1603145/in-our-towns.html#ixzz0umuYKWNb

Good luck with that Chris. Hope you get a great turnout.

(From The Florida Keys Tropical Storm Center/Buff The Job in Pelham via RadioReference.com and the Incident Alerts) Tropical Depression Three turned into Tropical Storm Bonnie, and we were in the middle of the tracking cone; most of the computer models bringing it here, but it hit north and east of us, more towards the mainland....and Chaos Central MyAmMe... "Standing-by" for the storm, I picked up and listened in on the Pelham job. Made some notifications to some retired members and pretended to be JBE with the Nextel BB for a while... Since we're talking about dispatch in the Scarsdale thread I just wanted to compliment 60-Control dispatchers, and on scene 614 did a pro job on the radio with Batt. 18. 2353 I think was IC. But really, the way they rolled the units in southern Westchester at this job and got something like 18 Units (rigs, command units, and EMS) in to work quickly and stop the fire. I'm going to leave it at that and hope we can get some comments from people that were on the scene. But it sounded to me like a really pro job from the CP up to Control, as I listened on Tach 18. From South Command Hurricane Watch...Nice job fellas!!!!!!!!

Is that so? The position changed a lot from the original job proposal. You know more about the chief's position and the situation in Pelham, than those of us initiating the conversation.

I'm like....stunned. We were here just chatting up the great stop in Pelham, and now to hear about this tragedy is, shocking. This can't be happening again? Rest in Peace....my God.

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/fairfield_cty/firefighter-dies-in-bridgeport Prayers.

The simple answer is the highest ranking officer. And he SHOULD be the most qualified. Ask a firefighter on the line and he's apt to say the most qualified guy to run a job might be another firefighter who happens to be at the pump panel, but has also worked 200 more fires than any other person on the fireground. But there were chiefs from other departments at this fire, who might have been technically more qualified than the lieutenant (if going by a narrow definition of qualifications, accredidation, experience, etc), but they were not IC; that goes from radio transmissions, to the State report, to the courtroom if needed. Simple reason; department, Village boundary.

You're right of course. One thing I do know about the local Politik in Pelham (I interviewed for the job) is that they hired a paid**9-5 Monday to Friday** Chief, and did so out of the normal civil service promotion ie; test, because they never had a paid chief before. I think the chief is a retired Lt from the City, but I'm not sure. I guess the legitimate question hiding behind the curtain here might be; if the covering Lt. is the IC, and they have a paid chief, where was he? Of course even chiefs take vacations, but then if the Lt is covering, is that out of title now? PS: This post is just my opinion and conjecture. It could be totally wrong, and is not meant to distract from the officers and firefighters who handled this taxpayer so well. **Edit: I have been informed the chief position that was eventually established is a "part-time" position of 19 hours per week by Capt. Nechis.

Who would "slam" you for a post in support of a job well done by the professional firefighters of the jobs you mentioned? Nice post.

LMAO.

Maybe that needs to be addressed too boss. Peace

Roger that. Please excuse the terminolgy in my post if it is inacurate. The intent of the post was to offer support to all the brothers at this fire. And we've been told a few times that IAs are not neccesarily accurate. But I started the thread hoping to hear from those that did the work, in that they have might some valuable firefighting lessons learned to share with the membership.

M, there's a lot about smaller jobs, contractual issues, personel issues that we may not be privy too. Sure in the ideal world you're absolutley right. BUT; the concerns of the local NEED to be addressed. Example: A member with 18 1/2 years on the job suffers a traumatic injury, on or off the job, that keeps him off the line yet he will run his sick days out way before he gets to his 20. FDNY has _____light duty positions; you fill in the blank. Scarsdale has a dispatch position that the member could neccesarily perform, in this instance. And trust me, 60-Control is awesome, we all agree. And the move in EFD we made worked out; because the District has honored it's responsibility, and liability, to keep the staffing. But, we lost that position on the desk, and if any members now need that as their only way to perform a fire department function, it's gone. This is the true trade off. Smaller jobs do not have the luxury to place members in____positions at Metrotech, messenger vans, etc. Of course, all of this COULD be addressed with the consolidation plan in Southern Westchester, but who's holding their breath on that one? Another thing I'd ask you is why the FDNY dispatchers were all condensed into Metrotech, in the era that we're in now. I thought that was a bad move then and still do now. How many documented errors were made during that transition? Were any lives lost? If one life is lost, is it a good move, does it justify a cost savings? It does not, and this is all just my opinion anyway. Stay well K.

The simple answer is a staffing clause in the contract, ensuring no positions are lost in the career staff. EFD moved dispatch to 60-Control years ago. The benefit was getting an additional member onto Engine 27. The drawback was there was/is no place to put a member who might become injured, and have a "light-duty" position to place the member while he/she recovers, like dispatch. This could have serious ramifications, and must be addressed. I can almost guarantee one thing; 60 Control takes over dispatch full time; SFD call volume is going to go up. It did with our job. As far as the volunteers go, I don't know what their concerns might be. It doesn't really make a difference who is dispatching calls as far as volunteer response is concerned. It has no effect on it. On a lighter note, sometimes our dispatchers could be hilarious. Most were senior members doing their last years on the job. One call came in years ago from a pay phone at the Bronx River Pkwy gas station. The guy was calling about his own car, and there was nobody in it as it was burning. Our seasoned dispatcher explained, "no sorry that's in Yonkers......got another quarter?" Of course he then called YFD...... On a more serious note, nobody knows the district better than the SFD members. That's a big advantage to dispatching. Tough call for SFD.

"Full-Honor" funeral for "snub" EMT: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/full_honor_funeral_for_snub_emt_09QlnqALufyROqH7vNXpZJ The article goes on to say it will be the FDNY EMS Pipes & Drums that will do the service.

Some might have already seen this video (linked on the page). It's another example of improper use of positive pressure. Honestly, I'm glad we didn't have these when I was OTJ. It adds another puzzle to the already complicated tasks of proper fire attack. I can see bigger city departments establishing protocols for using PPV in the appropriate settings. Chief Raftery pointed out using it to pressurize a stairwell in a multi-dwelling, with the high rise company officer specifically looking at vent conditions, and others I assume in the stairwells and hallways monitoring if PPV is working. But too many times we see this; PPV/PPA backfires. http://www.vententersearch.com/?p=419 I think the Chief from Rockland makes a valid point about construction types more prevelant in different parts of the country, and the effectiveness or lack thereof of PPV as a result of said construction. Looking at both videos, I see two single story, frame constructions, and I see two attempts at PPA with near disasterous results. Are we looking at change for the sake of change? What was wrong with the fire attacks in either of these videos, aside from the introduction of oxygenated air as "venting"? Why is traditional horizontal and vertical (simpler operations to predict the outcome MOST of the time) being "replaced" with the PPA technique? I can see understaffed fire departments (that means most depts.) looking for a way to "get around" the manpower required to get the vents done properly. And that's what guys should be leary of in my opinion; a chief who would experiment with PPA as a way to get more with less. Both these structures could have been handled traditionally, obviously with different outcomes. And the guy lugging around the fan, which is something we always reserved as an "after the fire is out" event, is non effective as a truckie. The seating assignments for a fully staffed truck do not include a "fan man." As always, just my opinion.

Got the newsletter from NYPFRA. President Wicoff reports that Local 628 Yonkers Firefighters are going to join the NYPFRA. He states this would be about a 31% jump in membership for our Association. Details are being worked out, but by the end of the year this is supposed to occur. As President Wicoff put it "This is what I call 'thinking about your future', by having all your active members become knowledgeable in retiree issues." He further states that this is THE most proactive move by a police or fire union in the entire state, and helps insure active and retirees work together. Couldn't agree more with the President, and I think this is a great move by Local 628. Awesome news. Active guys getting involved with retiree issues is a smart move, and all cops and firefighters on the job should join the New York Police and Fire Retirees Association, for a number of reasons. Some day God willing all of you will be retired. You want to be involved right now, keep informed, and there's no better way to do that than to join the NYPFRA. These brothers do some serious work up in Albany; they are constantly pushing to get legislation through that would protect retirees' health benefits, just like the teachers in NYS enjoy protection by law of their retiree health benefits. White Plains cops and firefighter retirees are under attack by a slippery city council, to pay into their health coverage. The same council members who got elected with union support, turn around and at a late hour insert language into legislation to require retirees to pay 15% on their health coverage. You know, it starts with 15%, and ends up being 50% in ten years. Percentages are a tough item. The NYPFRA executive board asked active locals to send letters of support for various legislative initiatives supported by both the active local and the retirees assoc. They then use those letters (representing VOTES mind you) to show legislators the support a piece of legislation has. According to our newsletter the following five organization are the ONLY ones whose executive boards followed up their verbal support with letters: 1. Dobbs Ferry Police Assn. 2. Police Columbia Assn. of Westchester County 3. Local 628 Yonkers Fire Fighters 4. UFOA Yonkers FD 5. N.Y.S.P.F.F.A. That's it, from contacting FORTY-FIVE active groups.? What's up with that? I know plenty of union execs read these pages. Come on fellas, let's follow up with those letters, and improve the communication with the NYPFRA? You know Cuomo is a runaway favorite for the next Governor's seat right? Well his agenda is to call for "People's Convention" to "rewrite state constitution." Once a convention begins "EVERYTHING" is on the table. Get involved. Join the NYPFRA today, active members encouraged to join. Once again, Yonkers Fire Fighters Local 628, comes through with more than talk. I respect an organization as proactive as that. PS: Welcome aboard EFD Firefighter C.G. http://www.NYPFRA.org

Nice post, if all the info you gave is "factual" as you've claimed, then you've added quite a bit of info about PAPD Airborne and ESU. Problem I have with it (even though I'm giving you a rep point anyway), is that nobody here was expressing support for anybody losing their jobs. If you follow this forum, then you know what cops and firefighters have been faced with regarding layoffs in Westchester County.(edit) I think I can speak for most members in saying we not in favor of people being layed off.(/edit) You alluded to the difficulty in getting the proper authorization for PAPD Airborne support. Sounds like a ridiculous system to need up to four bosses to sign off on a flight. That's the PAPD hurting it's own unit, not anybody else. A "contractual" agreement that required at least one PAPD officer to be on board for a flight? Bro, it's a POLICE chopper. What are non-police personel even doing in the cockpit? PAPD Airborne sounds like more of a service that didn't exist for anything or anyone outside of the PA, the more you describe it. And a daytime service only at that? The comment I saw about PAPD ESU jumping calls came from a retired FDNY member. If he saw it happening in his career and called them on it in this thread, as far as I'm concerned that is FACT, and all I need to know that it does happen. Sounds to me after your post, that the PAPD needs to get it's act together. First reason and this should be reason enough; PAPD protect the major airports in NY/NJ and as you claim a 25 mile ring around the Statue of Liberty. All of these assets and they are eliminating their airborne unit? Maybe because they've been doing it wrong for so many years, and shuttling PA personel around like they were a bunch of Wall Street executives, instead of providing an emergency service, which would be the priority reason for a PD to own a chopper in the first place. If they would have developed their air program to provide that local support, easier and more consistantly, they would have proved their worth to the emergency services community, and they probably wouldn't be on the chopping block, like a too expensive shuttle system for employees. Think about it. We had USAir into the Hudson, we've had jumpers off the bridges, etc. We see the NYPD choppers dropping SCUBA divers into the water in a matter of minutes. We see the Westchester unit assisting with searches all over the county. The PA chopper could have been utilized as a regular emergency air service for the whole area; yet from the chopper choice on down, it appears that is not what the PA powers to be intended. Just my opinion.

Now there's a crew standing at the bow!

Looking for a place to comment on the Blessing of The Fleet series of photos. The "Three Forty Three" is a deceptively large ship(boat?). When given scale, like the crew standing at attention on the bow, it truly is quite large, yet the thing is, without something to compare it to size-wise, you could mistake the boat for being much smaller in photos. I remember the first images of this boat when the design was unfurled and the contract awarded. Seems like it wasn't that long ago (I wouldn't be saying that if I was a member of the Marine Unit) but it looked small in the drawings. To see it crusing along side it's elder sisters is totally cool. It must have been quite a site in person! Seeing the Kevin C. Kane brings back the memory of Michael Lynch's funeral and collation, one of two FDNY brothers named Michael Lynch to perish on 9/11. The collation took place at Marina Del Ray, close to where Firefighter Lynch had lived and grown up. That afternoon, as so many firefighters and his family and friends gathered, the Kevin C. Kane came in on the water, it was the newest fireboat in the fleet at the time, and put on a display for all gathered. It was a very touching, and proud tribute to both Firefighter Lynch and Firefighter Kane. A moment frozen in the mind for all time. God bless the Fleet, keep all the brothers/sisters on the waters safe.

Ahhhhh but what about.....Cross-contamination? just kidding. Thanks for the answers here and on the PAPD thread Chris.

What about chain of custody for the evidence? I'd imagine non LE sources handling any evidence would potentially compromise it in the eyes of a defense attorney; I'm thinking the O.J. trial here as an outrageous example....