T. John

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http://mrtmag.com/iwce/news/p25-radios-thales-0228/

Governor Rell is proposing to install speed cameras along I95 to enhance enforcement. I know we all are very good at staying within the 55 MPH limit. I wondered myself how this would affect emergency responders especially municipal and other agencies (and POVs).

Firefighters practicated cold water rescue techniques this past weekend in Greenwich. Below are some links to local media about the training: Local Media Coverage: News Channel 12: Volunteer firefighters train for cold water rescueWTNH: One fire department practices quick and safe emergency response Article on SoundBeachFire.org Firefighters Practice Cold Water Rescue Techniques

To followup on an earlier post regarding departments that have ice rescue capabilities, how many Departments in the area (CT/Westchester) have swiftwater rescue capabilities? By swiftwater capability I am referring solely to fast moving water (surface) operations (non-ice and non-SCUBA). If your department does, what classification is your team (NIMS resource typing)? Departments seem to be facing an increased number of "water rescue" emergencies as the result of flash flooding, Nor'easters and other natural weather events. While our Department has ice rescue and SCUBA capabilities, we are starting to expand into swiftwater/flood response operations as well (swiftwater/flood response is very different from the typical ice rescue or SCUBA response). The last few storms have demonstrated a need for such capabilities (both for training and equipment). I am curious to see what other Department's are doing to prepare for such incidents and/or if you already have the capability.

http://www.emtbravo.com/NewDeliveries/DodgeSRTSWS.html

I was going to ask that same question...

Attached are some pictures of our new Squad (previously posted but it is now lettered and in-service) and our new Incident Support Trailer. Squad 5 is a multi-purpose vehicle for transporting personnel and for towing the Department's Incident Support Trailer (ICS). Squad 5 is equipped with an on-board generator for powering the ICS which carries building collapse equipment including shoring, a Stanley hydraulic system and other assets for the Technical Rescue Team. Squad 5 also responds with the Dive Team and is frequently used by the Fire Police for traffic control. The vehicle is equipped with a Whelen LED light package. For details on the Technical Rescue program, please visit www.soundbeachfire.org.

Fouts Brothers in GA. Did a great job at a really awesome price! http://www.foutsfire.com/ The trailer was purchased locally and fabricated by our former Chief Paul Chiappetta.

This is part of the Stanley hydraulic tools system. The TracHorse itself is primarily a tool-transport and power station. It allows for forward/reverse movement and can carry a fair amount of weight and tools. The entire system contains the TracHorse and a number of concrete breaching and breaking tools, drills, saws and components for USAR type work.

That is the plan right now. We hope to consolidate all of the equipment currently stored on Rescue 5 and Tactical Support 5 onto the new Rescue. The new truck is also being designed so that it can lead off with enough wood to start a trench/collapse operation (4 panels and an assortment of dimensional lumber). The remaining wood would remain on Tactical Support 51 (the "Duce"). The Incident Support trailer would keep all of the larger items.

The new Squad is replacing our old Chevy Surburban and the trailor is an upgrade from our previous one. The trailer is designed to carry a lot of the specialty tools such as the Stanley system and the raker shores. it also has a logistics area which lends itself well for maintaining items in the field. Rescue 5 is slated for replacement this year, we are working on the specs now. The new truck will be a non walkin. The plan is to move the dive team gear and swiftwater gear to the current Rescue 5. Our current truck is overfilled.

Bill, I agree with you 100%. As with any emergency operation, it is imperative that you have the appropriate amount of personnel and other resources on hand. This includes your backup team(s). Water rescue operations (whether surface or dive) can go south in a matter of seconds. In diving, for instance, you may not know what hazards there are in the water (fishing line to name one). Having a backup team ready (consisting of your strongest and most experienced members) is critical. Most dive teams have (or should have) SOPs dictating the minimum number of divers on-scene before beginning an operation (primary, backup and 90% ready). The same should apply for surface operations as well. This is the main reason I started this discussion. We need to know what our resources are and be willing to call them when we need them. Of equal importance is training with other teams BEFORE an incident occurs. If you call in another team as your "backup" you want to ensure that they have the appropriate training, skills, equipment and resources to back you up. We must also keep in mind of our resources in adjoining States (our team is in Greenwich and can quickly respond over the line - we have before). It is also a great opportunity for teams to meet, discuss resources and some type of standardization (if you are relying on another team for backup, you want to ensure they know what type of equipment you have). Teams must also take a careful look at the NIMS resource typing guidelines as this is a good model to follow (and required for any type of EMAC activation). If we all know each other's capabilities and train together (we train on tanker shuttle operations, lets train on water operations), this can greatly help in the event of an emergency.

Great job on getting your team so far. I trained not too long ago with your team with the Dive Rescue 1 program and I can attest that you have a very committed, highly motivated team. I hope to work with your team again soon someday. Glad to see that you are expanding into swiftwater too - that is something that many departments do not consider when evaluating their water rescue risks.

We are going to be hosting a swiftwater rescue course in the near future (part of our grant award) but I am not sure exactly when at this time. Most likely the fall time frame. I will be sure to post the details here and on our website (www.soundbeachfire.org) once we get the Invitation to Bid out. A handful of our divers took a swiftwater rescue course a few years back but we are hoping to further expand the program with the ultimate goal of meeting the NIMS Type II requirements.

I just spent too much time playing that - cool game!

Unfortunately, there is no pager that can pick-up trunked talkgroups. In Greenwich, we have been on a trunked system for over 10 years and this is one of the challenges we face. Many of the volunteers either have scanners or rely on updates from central dispatch or from one of the local stations. At Sound Beach, we do have the capability of patching a trunked channel over our 158.940 channel so pagers can pick it up (it is a one way patch). The only real solution is to ensure that there are updates made over a channel the pagers are tuned to or to patch a channel over the air.

We just launched our new website. The URL is www.soundbeachfire.org. A number of new features will be coming in the future including apparatus profiles and a photo album. The new website is designed primarily for public education, announcements and general PR. The homepage photo does change on every refresh. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to send me any comments (we are still spell checking too)!

We are working on that now, trying to get new apparatus pictures, member profiles and a photo album. We are building a new site management system to manage all of the press releases and photos so it should be online hopefully soon.

Why thank you :-) It took about 2 months to get everything in place and still a lot more work to be done. Photo album is currently being developed and eventually a secure members only section as well. The focus on the new (public facing) website is public education. We want the public to know what we do, why we do it and how we do it. The site is part of a new marketing campaign and customer service initiative. We also want to inform other area departments of our services and capabilities. Stay tuned, more to come...

joeya7 is right. All of our struts have a bungee attached to them so that they don't come apart when lowering them into a trench. The bungee allows the strut to still be expanded but wont separate if pulled too far. You can also do the same thing with passing a rope through through the ring and affixing it to the opposite side. We found the bungee to work the best.

You bring up a very good point. The fire service needs to practice what we preach. Our own safety (and that of our equipment and the building) should be a top priority. It is really in-excusable that a fire department does not have a functioning fire alarm. I realize that budgets may dictate certain things, but a life safety system should never be omitted. This is a dangerous statement. I have never been to a firehouse that there are not people milling around or hanging out (or maybe fell asleep on the couch). Even if the alarm is not tied into a central station, it will at least alert people on site to a problem (and wake them up). We all know that fire can go undetected even with people present. Let's protect ourselves first!

Sure, Chief's can play but they have to give up their radio!

Let's keep this to a general discussion and not cast stone's on any one individual. There are a lot of variables that play into someone's ability to lead an organization successfully, training and experience being one of the most critical aspects. I am sure there are chiefs' out there that have been in the service for 30 plus years but don't necessarily have the right combination of experience, training or common sense to do the job right either. Training, experience and leadership ability varies from person to person and must be taken on a case-by-case basis. But, this does not mean we can't engage in a discussion that talks about what the minimum qualifications of a chief should be, regardless of age. As I said earlier, there is a lot more to being a "chief" than being a good interior firefighter (although that is critical). Just because someone 'fought a lot of fire' does not necessarily make them the best candidate for chief. Also bear in mind that we are talking about the position of CHIEF - not a Lieutenant or Captain. Experience: This will vary from individual to individual. I come from a combination department that runs over 4,000 calls (we do not do EMS) a year, my station alone runs 900-1,000 including providing technical rescue services for the entire Town. A department's call volume (and the types of calls they run) will vary. A person's practical experience will be dependent upon where they served, the types of calls they run and to the level that they participated (did they watch or pull a hose line). Yes, you may have some people that have been to hundreds of fires in just a few years and others that have not. Generally speaking, I do not think there are a lot of 20-25 year olds that have a lot of practical, hands-on experience to be a CHIEF. There may be exceptions, but lets talk generally. A good chief has to have experience at COMMANDING a fire, not just pulling a hose line and going in the front door. This is why the progression through the ranks is important. It is important the department's groom their officers - don't throw people into a command role with no training or experience. It is also just as wrong to assume that a person that ran calls with PG County (or any other active department) for a year and saw a lot of fire would be a good CHIEF (were they an officer in that Department? did they LEAD? can they manage an entire Department?). Leadership: A good CHIEF is a leader. He must have the experience and charisma to lead his officers and the department - not just at a fire scene. Leadership is a talent and not everyone is a good leader. Again, just because someone saw a lot of fire and is a good interior firefighter does not necessarily make them a good Chief or a leader. Can they handle personnel decisions? Can they manage a budget, apply for grants, recruit volunteers, interact with the public and government officials, be a good PIO, etc. A chief must wear multiple hats - just being good at wearing the black helmet necessarily won't cut it. Training: A chief should be trained for the position he/she is in. They should have Fire Officer I (and maybe II, III...), NIMS, etc. A good chief should be the one that is eager to continue learning and "doesn't know it all." Learning is a life long process and is something that never stops. Authority: A chief must also have authority to make decisions and, if those decisions are questioned, have the CV and resume to back it up. Remember, a jury of your peers will judge you and you will be compared to another Chief with regards to experience and qualifications. Does all of this mean a younger officer can't be a good chief? No! But, before a Department names a new Chief, lets make sure they have the "right stuff" before they are elected. And, I am sure that there are no departments' whose elections are simply a popularity contest....