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Interesting campaign to stop service providers from changing tires on the side of high speed roadways. Around 50-60 Towers die each year struck on the side of the road, and this campaign is looking to reduce that. Very similar to some blossoming FD and PD initiatives to wrap up highway incidents as quickly as possible. Information on the campaign: http://www.thenata.com/towfirst.html Here's a couple of highlights from the article: And a couple of quotes from the campaign website: Information on the campaign: http://www.thenata.com/towfirst.html Article: http://www.towindustryweek.net/operations

Date: 1-8-15 Time: 1318 Location: 753 Central Ave, Spadaros Resturant District: Greenville Units: (See below) 13:48 C-2151 reporting fire knocked down, overhauling Description: Originally dispatched as a commercial alarm, Ladder 4 on scene transmitting 10-75, fire in a restaurant of a single story taxpayer Greenville FD Ladder 4, Squad 15, C-2171 Hartsdale FD Engine 170 Fairview FD Engine 174 Yonkers FD Engine 314, Tower Ladder 75, MSU, Battalion 2 White Plains FD Tower Ladder 6 (Scene), Engine 67 (Relocate) New Rochelle FD Ladder 12 (Relocate) Scarsdale FD Ladder 28 (Relocate) Greenburgh PD Greenburgh PD*EMS WCDES Battalion 18

Article: http://patch.com/new-york/peekskill/county-police-continue-patrolling-cortlandt?utm_source=newsletter-daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=police%20%26%20fire&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=article-mostrecent

FDNY has recently awarded the following companies contracts for specialty apparatus: KME -"Sand Truck" $1,220,133.00 -Brush Truck(s) (they also have 90 Engines on order from KME under another contract) Seagrave -Field Com Unit $3,408,910.00 -Mask Service Unit $1,148,407.00 -Foam Tanker, 1500 Gallons $1,580,130.00 Ferrara -4x4 Tactical Support Unit -Haz-Mat Tech Units $2,750,895.00 Odyssey -Fire Marshall Unit $ 1689384.00 There are various add-ons and options to the above contracts. They also have an RFP out in the planning stages for the next round of 100' RM Aerials.

Stan Gitner passed away yesterday. Here's an article about him from a couple of years back: http://northernwestchester.lohudblogs.com/2011/05/18/stanley-gitner-honored-by-yorktown-for-50-years-of-service/

Here's your chance to become a member of one of the best FD's in the world. More info: http://www.fire.lacounty.gov/be-a-firefighter/

Best wishes! I always enjoy hearing the incidents and perspective that you have experienced in your career, and hope you will continue to share them with us in your retirement.

The problem is, a majority people who want this job can't afford to live in many of the communities in Westchester with residency requirements. That gives advantage to a lot of the younger people who live with their parents. Also, does anyone know if the test or local hiring policies have an upper age limit?

Great topic, dwcfireman. In regards to radio equipment..... As technology develops, I don't see why radio systems are getting more complicated to operate. You should be able to simply select a channel, and talk to who you need to. The radio should do the rest of the work. It should be over simplified, if anything. Not everyone is a radio buff, and not everyone wants to have to think through a complicated mess of instructions every time they need to use a radio. With interoperability, that's supposed to make things simpler, but it complicates things even more, often requiring a whole separate set of radio equipment in addition to the ones departments already have I personally feel that the County should have set one standard goal for spec'ing and purchasing radio equipment for everyone 20 years ago Every one would have been on the same page by now. Problem is, every municipality has to set up there own radio system in their own separate way and has invested thousands into it. There are other counties in NY that have one radio system spec for the entire county. Westchester County needs a polarizing radio technology to consolidate the radio system in a way that works for everyone. It is possible, and will take a lot of time, the County would have to do a lot of work to prove themselves that radio system and related equipment would work. I do acknowledge that a large part of the problem is frequency availability and licensing, and in that regard the FCC and the Federal Government really needs to update the laws to meet current day technologies.

According to an article from the latest edition of the "Northern Westchester Examiner" newspaper.... The City of Peekskill has approved $11.9 million in funds for a new Central Fire Station. It has been extensively scaled back from the original plans. It will replace and consolidate the fire stations that house Engine 131/39-M-1, Engine 132, Engine 133, Rescue 134 and Tower Ladder 45. Engine 130/39-M-2/Station 6 will be kept as a substation. There is a future possibility to house Peekskill VAC. Source: http://www.theexaminernews.com/category/news/northern-westchester/

Five-Alarm Obsession: A Fire Truck Buff Custom-Builds Models http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/nyregion/five-alarm-obsession-a-fire-truck-buff-custom-builds-models.html?_r=0

TO HELP: http://www.gofundme.com/jg6gmo

Some great tips....now to see if any agency around here takes and runs with them......thanks for sharing the vid!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jetblue-offers-to-fly-police-to-nypd-officer-funerals/

If you liked "Wrecked: Life In The Crash Lane", you'll enjoy this show as well. Some of you may have seen Season One on Nat Geo, but the second season starts tonight at 9PM EST on the Weather Channel, and airs every Monday night with repeats throughout the week. Official Show Page: http://www.discovery.ca/showpage.aspx?sid=45238 (Public Domain Photos)

Unfortunately, this tragedy struck close to home: To help: http://www.gofundme.com/jg6gmo

Quite a beautiful truck! On a sort of related note, does anyone have a photo of the old Harmon firehouse?

Does anyone know what the upper age limit is, or if there is one? $100 fee is ridiculous. If you are a Westchester resident, they should reduce the fee. Also, keep in mind that some departments accept transfers from departments like those in Dutchess and around the region, which can and does affect how many people they hire off the list. You may have residency and be at the top of the list, but have no shot because the department may choose to hire a transfer. Which could benefit someone else then by creating an opening in another department you are not eligible for.

Does anyone know what the upper age limit is, or if there is one? $100 fee is ridiculous. If you are a Westchester resident, they should reduce the fee. Also, keep in mind that some departments accept transfers from departments like those in Dutchess and around the region, which can and does affect how many people they hire off the list. You may have residency and be at the top of the list, but have no shot because the department may choose to hire a transfer. Which could benefit someone else then by creating an opening in another department you are not eligible for. For the last academy, they had openings, but they did not hire. I don't believe the FD's that hire off this list officially announce it, nor is it always the same. I know cities such as New Rochelle and Yonkers state residency preference in their (separate) exam announcement. I predict, based on past exams, that there are a lot of people from outside Westchester that will be taking this exam. I would say a thousand or more.

Let's keep in mind that production delays sometimes are beyond the manufacturers controls and are due to the "just in time" supply chain issues that most manufacturers go by.............they rely on the engine vendor, transmission vendor, pump vendor, aerial vendor, and other component vendors to get that product to the assembly (stations) right when it needs to be there. If there's a delay in getting the Allison transmission, for example, that's going to slow down the rig build since a lot of work can't start until that transmission is in place. Also, although the bid has been awarded, sometimes funded can be a whole separate issue. Pre-construction meetings at the factory can go awry, when the manufacturer and customer start disagreeing on things and things have to go back to the drawing board. Or maybe it's simply that Yonkers doesn't want to be showcased on Ferrara's "In Production" page and actually is in production.... If someone credible and in the know wants to feed me the correct information, I will post it here anonymously.

Date: 12-24-14 Time: 0910hrs Location: 20 Angela Drive C/S Laurel Hill Rd. District: Montrose Channel: Fire 10 Units: (See Below) Description: Heavy fire throughout a 3 story wood frame residential dwelling upon arrival 09:10hrs: State Police (Patrol unit drove up on fire, on scene prior to 911 call) evacuated 2 elderly residents in structure prior to FD arrival 09:12hrs: Montrose 2279 on scene requesting a 10-75 assignment, heavy fire throughout 3 story wood frame residential dwelling 10:07hrs: Battalion 10 reports 4 lines stretched and operating, Tower Ladder 8 operating master stream 10:31hrs: Battalion 10 requesting 2 Engines with interior manpower to the scene Montrose FD Engine 121, Engine 122, Engine 123, Tower Ladder 8, Rescue 51 Buchanan FD Engine 161 (Relocate Montrose HQ initially, at 10:35hrs dispatched to the scene), Utility 12 (Cascade to the scene) Verplank FD Engine 128 Montrose VA FD Engine 225 Croton FD Engine 119 (initially assigned as FAST, later placed to work) Peekskill FD Engine 133, Utility 17 (Relocate Montrose VA FD HQ) Ossining FD Engine 98 with Utility 51 (FAST) Lake Mohegan FD Engine 257 Yorktown Heights FD Engine 272 (Relocate Montrose FD HQ's) Millwood FD Ladder 52 (Dispatched/special call at15:16hrs) Cortlandt VAC 88-B-3, Rehab 88-05 Cortlandt Paramedics 35-M-2 NYSP 5K114, 3K11 WCDES Battalion 10, C&O 1404

Date: 12-24-14 Time: 2337 Location: Route 9 and Oak Hollow District: Garrison Units: Garrison FD Chief 15-1-1, Engine 15-2-1, Rescue 15-6-1, North Highlands FD Rescue Engine 21-6-1, Garrison VAC 32-1-1, Ambulance 32-7-2, Transcare Putnam Medic 1, NYSP Description: Reported Car into a tree with pin. Driver was driving in dense fog in a very curvy and dark area of the roadway wet from rain and was blinded by oncoming traffic headlights, and lost control, hitting tree at 50MPH. Small sedan with 1-2' intrusion into passenger compartment from front end pinning the victim in by her legs. Garrison FD and North Highland FD crews worked in conjunction and used two sets of tools at once to quickly remove the door, roof, and completely roll the dashboard off the patient and create space to remove patient. Patient was removed and transported with minor injuries after 20 minute extrication to Mid Hudson Regional Hospital (formerly St Francis) by Garrison VAC 32-7-1 and Transcare Putnam Medic 1.

Merry Christmas All!

Two years ago today, on Christmas Eve 2012, in West Webster NY, (a suburb of Rochester), two firefighters were shot and killed and two more shot and wounded while arriving at an intentionally set house fire that was set as a trap by a lunatic sniper gunman with a rifle, who was set up on a nearby berm. The firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice were Mike Chiapperini, 43, (an Ex-Chief with WWFD and also a local Police Lt) and Tomasz Kaczowka, 19, (also a local County Fire Dispatcher) of the West Webster Fire Department. Seriously wounded were Firefighters Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino of West Webster FD. The body of the gunman's sister was later found in the charred residence. The gunman, who was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was a 62-year old ex-con who had served a 17 year sentence for beating his grandmother to death. Although he left no clear motive in his suicide note that expressed his intent to burn down the neighborhood and kill as many people as possible, he was knowingly angered when his mother died 2 months prior and she asked that all donations in her name be made to West Webster FD. Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/nyregion/2-firefighters-killed-in-western-new-york.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Audio (firefighters report being shot at and multiple firefighters down, shots still being fired @ 4:02 into the video).