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First, I hope you guys read my post above. In regards to comparison, we can all learn from one another. That's one of the things that makes national conferences so great. I love meeting people from other areas and seeing and hearing how they view and do things. As far as Greenburgh and Ronnie's comments, I wholeheatedly support them as they were the leader and innovator at the time and I understand the history. The still have a great EMS system. But their EMS system does affect patrol staffing, and in some cases, FD staffing. It also affects response times, and I've witnessed numerous mutual aid requests. I see it getting better now that they are hiring more civilian EMT's for 79 (or whatever designation it is nowadays). Their Police Officer-Paramedic concept is a great one, and it allows an officer to continue their work as a Paramedic and use those skills as well as those of a Police Officer, which can be extremly beneficial in a lot of situations, but they don't need to get tied up on BLS 911 transports. However, the lack of funding by the Town for GPD*EMS is always too little to late....Greenburgh EMS were one of the last agencies in Westchester to fully deploy LifePak 12's because of funding. When did a ride along with GPD*EMS in 2000, we went through 4 vehicles. The first one we started out in, was freezing cold because it was kept outside in the winter with only a small space heater inside. Using the ambulance for patrol 24/7 takes it's toll. As a Greenburgh resident, I paid high taxes for this service. Situations like having to drive the ambulance to the hospital when I needed EMS for my mother because it was going to be a wait for officer to drive it after a 20 minute wait for the ambulance to even arrive (I was an EMT at the time though) and seeing the amount of times Ardsley, Elmsford, White Plains, and Scarsdale would go mutual aid into Greenburgh was ridiculous. In contrast, down here, for a quarter of the taxes, we have a county run EMS system, all with ambulances less then two years old, with state of the art equipment and dual medic staffing, and pay starting at $55,000. Passing rate for their hiring exam is 8%. It's like, why can't Greenburgh do the same? They are very similar communities. Greenburgh has excellent officers who are very much into protecting the community, however, and they probaly are just as frusterated, at the amount of funding the town gives for EMS. Living in Hartsdale, both west Hartsdale and on Central Ave, and my father having a store at the four corners, I've been interested and watched Greenburgh EMS ever since I can imagine. Although people will claim that I have no idea what I'm talking about, I have been involved with GPD from many different angles, from working as a career firefighter in Hartsdale and volunteer firefighter in Ardsley, to dispatching at 60 Control, to being a resident. I also have involvement as a patient, which I don't remember anything about, my mother being a patient, other friends being patients, and my father being pronouced by Greenburgh EMS. Me at I don't even remember what age at Fairview's open house. I used to love that event, not only because I was an apparatus buff at that age, but because they had Spiderman repel from the roof. Disclaimer: I word my posts idiotically sometimes.

Looks sharp! I love the SPH100.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Detective Rao! Someone was definetly looking out for him! FULL ARTICLE: http://www.lohud.com/article/20110307/NEWS02/103070358/1018/NEWS02/Tree-branch-crashes-through-cruiser-narrowly-missing-Westchester-cop

NICE! Beautiful and very heavily spec'd truck! I like the cans in the front bumper.

If I came across the wrong way, I apologize. I really didn't mean to offend anyone or be inflamatory. Don't read into my statements more then they are meant to be. Whatever I said, caused a discussion in where I learned a lot. It was interesting reading everyone's viewpoints. It really is two seperate worlds. What works down here might not work in NY, and vice versa. This is something on my mind since I had a discussion with some friends down here about the ESU or Rescue concept working in Texas. There was really no interest, since fire and EMS already provide that service. Many of them stated they'd rather have more officers on the street, or progress in different roles in the department. They did say that NY has a tremendous infastructure and a lot more incidents, so they understood the need for "all hands on deck". I thought I'd present the topic here, but went about it the wrong way. Please don't label me a "cop hater", because that's not who I am. Regardless of my experience, I'm entitled to have a viewpoint and opinion. I have NOTHING against law enforcement or an "axe to grind", anyone who really knows me knows that I am very supportive of law enforcement, both through this site and personally. I was a Police Dispatcher for the busiest sector of the city I worked for. I do free photography for local police unions at special events and for their personal and professional uses, and I volunteer as a lead advisor of a Police Explorer post to get tommorow's generation interested and ready for a succesful law enforcement career. I also try to support LEO causes through this website as much as I can. I'm glad we have the knowledgeable members of law enforcement active on this forum as we do, and hope I didn't do anything to comprimise future postings from members in this thread. Looking at my first post, it was really stupid the way I worded it. However, the Houston investigation, I do stand 100% behind what I said. As an apology for creating this mess, I've made a donation of $25 (all I can afford right now) to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund.

So, basically the comments about who did what first is what matters? Tradition and history dicate our roles, not what our community currently needs? Barbers used to do minor surgery, like remove tonsils? Since they were doing it first, should we send a patient with a tonilectomy to a barber because they were doing it "first"? Is the standard nationwide nowadays for Fire Departments to handle motor vehicle extrications? When I worked Empress in the late 90's,WCPD ESU was still active and doing extrications....however it was only one officer and no protective gear. Yonkers ESU did a fantastic job at extrication. But what happens if ESU is tied up on a pin job and a hostage situtation comes in? Rescue can be a combined function, but when you have two "competing" teams in one municpality, plus a third county provided service, then that's a waste. And correction, University Of Medicine And Dentistry New Jerey EMS, in the City of Newark, provides Extrication, not Jersey City. I always thought that ESU were SWAT trainined I guess I was wrong. Given the vast array of infastructure and population density in the northeast, that plays into factor as well for more trained and equipped resources. What if firefighters were trained to be police officers and carry weapons and make arrests, to help out the PD? Should we train everyone to be a Police Officer-Firefighter-Paramedic so we're all on the same level? There are A LOT of differences between Law Enforcement in NY and TX. I have nothing against cops, I just see a big difference in law enforcement, and I thought it would be an intersting discussion. I meant no offense to anyone. You want to give me a negative rep point for my opinion and point of view because it differs from yours? I give up, I meant for this to be a compartive discussion of law enforcement roles in different parts of the country, but it got all skewed. But this discussion validated what I thought...it is different.

It doesn't matter about the cops. The Arson Investigators are highly trained and equipped to handle these very specialized types of cases in Houston. They give everything they've found over to the DA, and they (the DA's) are the ones who really pilot the case. If Houston PD has investigated, when it went to trial, the evidence wouldn't have been so strong. It's been proven that arson cases investigated by arson investigators, whether PD, FD, or private- however your municpality laws read.....have a generally higher conviction rate then those investigated by regular detectives or homicide detectives. There's really no reason to turn it over to the PD unless there was an unrelated crime. However, they do work WITH the ATF and FBI on arson cases

I've been a Law Enforcement Dispatcher in NY, and a Texas certified Law Enforcement Dispatcher here in Texas with a large urban police department, working the busiest sector. My father was a police officer and ran a police supply store, so growing up I was always around "old school" Police Officers who couldn't imagine todays world. And a large number of my friends are Police Officers. And, as a citizen, I'd rather have a police officer here ASAP if I got robbed, instead of having them delayed because they are duplicating the services of the FD. And the taxes I pay for PD are to keep my family safe. I pay taxes for the FD and EMS to provide their services. Where I used to live, a lot of the time, the cops were tied up doing EMS and the rest trying to fill in the gaps. Down here, I can't leave my house and go anywhere without seeing a police officer on patrol. Not just here, but other places I have visited, i.e. Los Angeles, where "ESU" has another name...SWAT. Exactly. But why do they have to be cross trained if there is already an agency providing the service? Unless it enhances manpower for that agency. Why is it healthy? All I've seen it do is breed hate and ego. Agree, but shouldn't be that way. Your agency should get funding based on it's core responsibilities, not just duplicate services to get grant money and waste it. All and all, these grants don't come from anywhere. They come out of our taxes. I can see Law Enforcement doing Search and Rescue and other types of rescue related to policing, but don't duplicate FD services. VERY true. But Cops want to do cop stuff, and firefighters want to do fire stuff. Cops can grow into and do all sorts of fun Law Enforcement things like SWAT, Aviation, Marine, Detectives, K-9, Crime Scene, Instructors, Community Policing, etc etc. Firefighters can go onto be officers, work specialized units, arson investigation, fire prevention, intructors, etc. All of which keeps the respective jobs hands full. And cops use grants to buy cop stuff, and firefighters use grants to buy firefighter stuff. As I said, it's a very different mentality. I don't understand anymore why there is such competition to fill each other's roles when there is enough to do already. Another example is internal with PD's. County PD has a large number of resources and experts to offer agencies, but yet some departments still feel the need to duplicate their specialized services. I love cops, I love firefighters, it's just a breath of fresh air down here to see a cop actually loving being a cop and nothing else.It refreshing to hear a cop say "Let's hang around the house of this guy with a warrant....see if he shows up....informant said he's been coming and going lately" instead of "Let's take in that rescue call".

Here are some varied truck company bumpers that I have photographed. Most quints have a trash line on the front bumper. Dallas, TX: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (Quint): Austin, TX Quint 27 Dallas TX (Reserve truck being disposed of): Round Rock FD Quint 4: Houston, TX Truck 28: Fort Worth, TX Quint 33: Ardsley FD's Former Quint 1: Stamford FD at the time Truck 2: 57-Truck: Verplank Bronto: White Plains Ladder 32: Noroton Heights, CT LAFD Tiller: Yonkers FD Truck: New Rochelle Ladder 12:

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Here's the R/T version in white:

Per Seagrave's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/SeagraveFire

A very interesting editorial. The quotes below don't tell the whole story, so click on the link below to read more. FULL EDITORIAL: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/a-proper-if-not-popular-decision-on-free-1298524.html

DISGUSTING! These unions were formed to give workers, that were treated poorly, better working conditions and benefits. Also, many in the private sector have union workers to thank for better working conditions as well. FULL ARTICLE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_ohio_union_fight_timetable

Cool program! http://www.duracell.com/en-US/power-those-who-protect-us/about.jspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=fire%2Bdepartment&utm_campaign=Search_PP_US_Category%2BInterest

Now only to keep it that way! Great work by the guys at WPFD for getting this done!

Wow! That Thornwood Engine is SHARP! Especially the paint scheme! I'm glad to see Pleasantville finally has a ladder again too! Someone should get all the KME Tower Ladders in Westchester together for a group shot.

At what point would she be considered to be in Nigeria? For example, if during her flight they issued a warrant, before she deplaned and went through their customs, would she still be considered in America legally?

C'mon, guys. Let's not get up in each others faces There's no winners in a online debate, only harbored hostile feelings Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and a rebuttal.As far as quoting laws, there's a rule about quoting laws on this forum: OK, now back to the topic at hand.... Private investigators follow people all day for a living-cheating spouses, etc. This woman should have been charged immediately with something, that way the terms of her bail could have been the revocation of her passport. Hindsight is 20/20, but the DA and Judge are the ones who ultimately failed to take prompt legal action. Look at the timelines I posted at the links above....one thing is clear, the D.A. repeatedly dropped the ball. Even if they got her on a minor charge just to hold her up a little. Also to note, Dallas is at least an 8 hour drive from Houston. And to get trhough the airport also takes a bit of time. And who funded this last minute flight, which cost a fortune? The brother, who set up the "Foundation" that accepted monetary donations, but was set up like a business with him getting the profits? Who drove her to Dallas? There are now a lot more people who should be charged as accomplices. I doubt she would be able to survive in prison though. These parents should get closure one way or another, although there lives are destroyed.

In Texas, many arson investigators are also commisioned police officers (as part of their job requirment), and can and do make arrests. Just like the PD, they are at the mercy of the District Attorney's office. They are better trained and equipped to investigate and hanle this type of crime. Many members of this division of HFD are on Federal teams that investigate fire bombings, church fires, etc and have extensive experience and certifications. Here's some more information on HFD's Arson Investigation Division. http://www.houstontx.gov/fire/divisions/arson.html

Seagrave engineers have been working to improve the Aerialscope ever since they aqquired them. In 2011, we have the new "Aerialscope II", which includes many upgrades to all systems and many newly reengineered propriatary parts. They have also improved on any flaws they found in the last delivery. I think another benefit of the Aerialscope is the jacking and outrigger systems, which are perfect for NYC streets. Aerialscopes have been serving NYC since the 1960's. They have proven reliability, FDNY mechanics and firefighters are very familiar with them, etc. Anybody can build a tower ladder, but no one can build an Aerialscope. I wonder if Ferrara will try to develop their "own" version of the Aerialscope without violating any patents that exist. I've heard that they are going to start building tillers soon.

Here's the DA's timeline: http://images.bimedia.net/documents/DA+Timeline.pdf Here's the FD's timeline: http://images.bimedia.net/documents/hfdtimeline.pdf It goes into a little more depth. Her, her family, and her lawyer, basically knew all the tricks to delay the investigation, giving her plenty of time to flee.

Congrats to the City Of New Rochelle FD!

Texas is already VERY stringent on day care providers. However, it's hard to keep track of every home day care, because many are not licenses, their licenses have expired, or they claim not to be active. Right now, it appears she slipped right through the cracks with her criminal background check when she applied for her license. Read more below: Which makes me curious. Did she do this to cover something up, like injure one of the children? Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/default/article/Suspect-in-deadly-day-care-blaze-had-prior-arson-1040036.php#ixzz1Fey86Wbh I believe that US Marshalls are already on the ground in Nigeria, with the help of Nigerian Officials and Houston DA and FD investigators.