wraftery

Regarding Liability, let me just say that this is the USA. You can sue almost anyone for almost anything. You can win with a ridiculous premise (MacDonalds sold me a hot cup of coffee that I spilled in my lap while driving). You can lose with a perfectly sound argument (FDNY has spent millions to recruit minorities but still can't hire off the list). It's all up to a jury who could be made up of those loonies that you meet every day on those "strange" calls, or by a judge who has been out of the mainstreamm of society for so long that he doesn't have a clue. Every lawsuit has three winners: The guy that won...and two lawyers. That makes "Are you liable" a rhetorical question.

I'm guessing here that 10570 is speaking of a Chief who eventually became IC for this incident.. However, there should have been an IC from beginning to end of this incident, starting with the first person to arrive, and ending with the last person to leave. The point is that someone was in charge (or should have been) when the roof was opened. The IC very well could have been the 1st due Engine Officer at the end of the attack line. Somebody once told me his Department's policy is "Do nothing unless you are ordered to." I thought it was stupid until he explained what it meant: An order is an order SOP?...an order Want to open a roof? Ask. You'll get an order, Yes or No It started making sense to me. Too bad I didn't get a chance to discuss it further.

The geography might be different, but the job is pretty much the same. No matter where you are on this Earth, a Fire Officer has to have his head filled with STUFF, and be able to reach in and find that stuff in a moment's notice. I didn't come up with that saying. Tommy Brennan did, God rest his soul. That need for stuff could be needed rain or shine, night or day, but often when you least expect it. It comes when you are out of your comfort zone or bread and butter run. Your job is to know all you can know and to train for anything. I was holding a training session on light shaft fires in abutted 3-story OMD's. If you have been an officer for any amount of time, you know what comes next. The assigned Naysayer for the day ( It should be up on the assignment board "FF Doe-L/Jumpseat-Nozzle-Radio C-Naysayer") sticks his hand up before my second sentence has finished. "Name one building around here that is like that!!!" I answer: "They"re all over the place in Yonkers or the Bronx." L/Jumpseat: "We don't work in Yonkers or the Bronx." I don't get a chance to answer. The MPO pipes in "John...remember when we were covering School Street (YFD) and got a run with New Rochelle? Turned out to be a 2nd in a building like that. And what about 9/11...weren't we in the Broonx for 3 days?" My point? I'm glad I took a test. I might not have made it in an election. Voters could care less about the stuff you have in your head.

The guy was a Cardboard Engineer using refrigerator and freezer boxes on furring strip "studs." Beer bottle caps make good fender washers so the 4d nails don't pull thru the cardboard. We can laugh, but the system probably had more structural integrity than a wood truss with gusset plates. Now, back to SRO's

If you are there on a fire call like a smoke detector sounding, it's yout building until you give it back to the owner. Other than locks, etc. mentioned above, clues to an SRO also might be cleaning schedules posted. Count the names, Also, names on items in a cupboard or fridge. Check the normally uninhabited places like the cellar or attic Are there beds or flimsy partitions made out of things like appliance boxes? If you have summons power, write the violation. If not, call for a code enforcement official. Do this before you release the building. Take pictures of everything. If it's not in your code, remember thet every code has a catch-all section so use it.

Looks like nobody wants to take the lead and reply. Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. In the event of a disaster like Japan's earthquake, electronic devices aren't much use to us. There must be something better. How long do the batteries last in those T-Cards? Can you get replacements in Walmart?

Remember, I said this before the Japanese earthquake, and the China Syndrome fans out there started shooting holes in the "cover it with concrete" statement. Look what Japan is doing. You can put your KI pills back in the medicine cabinet. I suggest you eat seafood instead to get your thyroid saturated with Iodine....Sushi,perhaps.

It should not be a surprise. The topic was covered in the How to run a fd Course. Too late now, but it would have been interesting to see how many guys would have moved to the Bronx because you have to be a resident of the CITY. While you have the judge's ear, you might want to mention it's the Prior List you are questioning so your promotion goes by those requirements, not the new ones.

I agree that we shouldn't try to carry a whole fire engine in our pockets. That will just bog you down, Batman. I carried just a small assortment of hand tools (Swiss Army knife, screwdriver w/changeable tips, adjustable wrench, etc.). Make sure the Swiss knife is the one the long narrow pointy thing that might be a fingernail cleaner. It makes a great tool for thru-the-lock entry to get that guillotine cover that snaps down. If you don't know what I'm talking about, find an Entry Course with a good instructor. After the fireis out, you can clean your fingernails with it. In an inside pocket, a 100' length of parachute shroud. It is strong and folds to about the size of a PB&J sandwich. If you go to a roof or upper floor and don't have a rope, you can drop your shroud and use it as a messenger line to get a utility lineup to you. DON"T use the shroud to haul anything except a utility line EVER. If you want to drop you shroud in even a light wind, you will have to tie some kind of a weight to the bottom (see adjustable wrench above).

I know wcfcx613 very well and I assure you he is not demeaning the Pelham brothers. He knows NRFD is in no position to cover Pelham using their present NRFD staff. NR would have to hire new people to do this or employ the ready to operate Pelham staff. I believe his intention was to leave the Pelham staff in place and fill out the assignment with NRFD Companies and use the NRFD DC as the Command Officer. I think he was saying to Pelham "Look what you can get for the same price."

Hurray Barry! We need two basic things: The ability to talk to someonne when we need to, and the ability NOT to talk to them if we don't need to. DHS will get to interoperability right after they define "What's a Rescue Unit?" That will take a while the way it's going. When we do get interoperability, I'm absolutely certain we will have to "Press 1 for English" to get on the net. Meanwhile, if a resource doesn't have your frequency, leaving a man with a radio at the command post has a pretty decent track record. PS: A few years ago, our government created the Joint Forces Command because they thought our Armed Forces should be able to talk to eachother. Makes sense, eh? Well, they are closing the Joint Forces Command this year due to budget cuts.

The career guy who makes DC and brings his education to a halt should be flogged.

Only speaking for career depts, Deputy Chief is a permanent civil service rank. Their function is usually that of shift commander or in an administrative position. When the Chief is out-of-the-area, one of the DCs is usually appointed Acting Chief. Under NY law, a DC is allowed to have red lights/siren in his pov. I don't know of a single DC who has lights/siren. Once appointed, they are DCs until they retire. If you are respected, you tend to be called Chief for much longer through the graciuosness of your brothers. (Thanks, Brothers) Oh by the way, the unwritten rule is that "there are no Chiefs in the kitchen"

Same protocol exists in PROPER marine radio comms.

Jargon does have its place. For example "at this time." It conveys that "things may change. " "Be advised" means "it's kind of important so stick it in your head with the other stuff you are thinking about" "Doubtful will hold' HAS EVOLVED INTO A WHOLE NEW MEANING THAN THE ORIGINAL WORD. It does not infer that the OIC has doubts about controlling his fire. It gives a heads up to the dispatcher and surrounding companies that more resources may be needed and they should make the necessary preparations. Sometimes FD jargon decreases air time because it shortens what would be a long explanation. "Collyer's mansion" is an example. Many times outside the city, these phrases and phrases like them are used just because the guy listens to FDNY on his scanner and wants to sound cool...K.

Iy was one of those stormy nites, every FD in the County running on Auto Alarms,wires down, trees on houses and so on. You couldn't get a second of air time with all the bull poopoo on the radio. County Control isssues a 10-10 (Emergency Transmissions Only) but County Control keeps its bull piling up with things like directions to addresses going. (Jeez, get a map or stop at a gas station) A Capt calls his Hq on the air and the conversation went like this: Capt: Car 210 to EFD EFD: Car 210, be advised there is a 10-10 in effect Capt:I'll go along with that, but somebody should advise County Control. Sounds like they didn't get the word.

The "K" thing has been around for a long time. Somehow I would say it had its roots in Morse code. Using Morse (in the Navy it was radio, semaphore, flashing light)K meant "I an finished...it's your turn to talk." Same as saying "Over" in voice communications. "K" bugs me too, but the one I really cringe at is "Return to quarters when ready." Does that Chief really think that lieutenant is so dumb that he will leave his tools on the lawn and 400' of hose in the street because he was told to return?

Support your Search and Rescue Team...GET LOST" (Seen on a Coast Guardsman's Bumper)

A few months, I remember reading about some volunteer organization (not a VFD) that wanted recognition by FDNY but was refused. There is no provision in NY State law for this kind of group.. I am not sure if this is the group or not, but it sounds like the article I read.

One point which, unbelievably, has not been addressed in this thread. Why are the medis and politicos targeting public sector salaries and pensios? Because they CAN! Our salary and pension plans are an open book thanks to FOIL. You can wrie a letter and find our packages from FF to Chief. Try that in the private sector. The guy in the cubicle next to you won't even show you his pay stub. Higher up the private sector chain, it becomes top secret, not to mention expense accounts for execs. Public sector ranks progress pretty evenly in salary from FF to Chief, with most Chiefs nationwide making about twice the salary of a FF. What's the salary gap in business between average worker and CEO? Now throw politicians into the mix. You would be amazed at what they are exempt from. Bill Clinton has never worked anyplace except the political world and is a multimillionaire. What made that happen...good investments? I understand Mrs. Obama has a staff of 40 to pick out her clothes and get her dressed. I bet all 40 are going to get a pension after 4 yrs on the job. BTW Did you ever see the first lady getting off Marine 1 and say "Who dressed Her this morning? That's enough to spew for one post..Goodnight Gracie

Let's see judging by your age (21-24) you just paid your taxes and feel you're being screwed. It's not by us, my friend. We pay taxes too. Whatever you do for a living, the Taylor Law is pretty good reading for your lunch hour.

Brotherhood isn't gone. I see the same brotherhood that I had (and still have as a retiree) in my sons and the brothers in their FD. It's thhe same brotherhood I saw when my father was on the job. Sometimes you have to look a little harder than you would like, but the brothers are still here today. It's not in drinkin' with the guys or playing softball, or the union or the vols association. Our brotherhood is an attitude, a code of conduct,if you will. It's helping a brother move to a new home; it's covering his shift because he is out of sick time; it's giving him a hand when you see him struggling with a task. Brotherhood was in full speed on 9/11. The world saw them respond. What I saw also were guys reporting for work without being recalled to duty. In their hands were their own private colection of sawzalls, sledges, prybars, etc. They were going to look for their brothers. How do you find one of these true brothers? You might have to wait until the circumstances are just right. For example, you might be advancing a line down a hallway. It starts getting hot, smoke is banking down lowering your visibility. You don't want to admit it, but you are getting a little scared, and now the heat and smoke have got you as low to the floor as you can get. Look over your shoulder. You should just be able to make out a dim flashlight, just about a foot behind you. THAT is your brother. Take care of eachother.

FYI Although Chief Sullivan was not OIC at the Worcester fire, that fire will remain close to his heart forever. He was a Lt. on an engine Company staffed by himself, a seasoned veteran and two rookies. The crew got split up (I don't remember exactly how) and the veteran and one of the rookies lost their lives.

Great eulogies,guys. Another of Dennis's accomplishments: He was a member of FDNY Emerald Society PIPES AND DRUMS.

So Brunacini was wrong, Huh ? Hear about the Hydrogen atom who was all upset? His friend said "Whats wrong?" He answered "I lost my electron!" "Are you sure?" said his friend. "Yes, I'm positive" Apologies to those in the Nuke industry. You've heard it 100 times, but for the rest, it might be funny.