emt301

Just as the county should step in and TELL the departments in this county what they HAVE TO DO in terms of radio frequencies and usage, the county should step in and TELL THEM what their rig numbers will be....whether the departments like it or not. It's a shame, but if certain departments are going to act like children and not play nice in the sand box, then the county needs to step in and give some "guidance" to these immature and unprofessional departments, just as a parent would "guide" children.

Car 2254, you make a good suggestion. Your numbering method seems excellent...and is quite workable here in Westchester provided the various departments are willing to change from the way things have been done previously. That is the big hurdle. On a side note, you mention the counties surrounding Washington D.C....I'm also very familiar with that area, and they are extremely progressive when it comes to Fire/EMS....especially Montgomery, Prince Georges, and Fairfax Counties.

Yet one more area where Dutchess County is light years AHEAD of Westchester....everything is done in plain language, no 10-codes. In addition, in Dutchess County, the numbering system for rigs actually makes sense. All units have identifiers that make sense, so you can tell what type of apparatus is being dispatched or on the air. Engines: 11 thru 19, 21 thru 22 Rescues: 51 thru 55 Tankers: 31 thru 34 Pumper Tankers: 35 Aerials: 45 or 46 Utilities: 61 thru 65 Squads: 67 or 68 Ambulances: 70 thru 79 Hose trucks: 81 Commercial Medic Fly Cars: 85 thru 89 Commercial ALS Ambulances: Medic 1, Medic 2, Medic 3, etc. For example, for Fairview Dutchess (dept #41)....their engines are 41-11 and 41-12, their aerial is 41-45, and their ambulances are 41-71 and 41-72. A very easy system to use and understand on the air. Chief officers are 41-1 and 41-2, with the duty capt 41-9. I believe that Putnam County uses a similar, efficient, system.

In addition to the "feats of strength", don't forget about the "airing of grievances"!!!

As stated previously, many of these agencies suffer from the "big fish in the little pond" syndrome. Just because they are licensed for 46.26 and possibly used it before others, they feel that they own it and that everybody else including 60-control will just have to deal with the situation. This is one of the reasons that nothing is getting fixed.... In the best interest of the county's citizens, which is why we all claim to be in this business, 60-control should have authority & control over 46.26. If the other departments don't want to go with 60, they should get off the frequency. These self dispatching departments should give up their use of this frequency for the greater good....but of course, some of them can't seem to put the greater good first, only their own egos.

Compared to Dutchess County's state-of-the-art system, Westchester County's radio/dispatch system is truly a joke. 60-control dispatchers do an OUTSTANDING job considering the excessive number of frequencies they're required to dispatch over & monitor...and the multiple dispatch protocols they're expected to follow depending on each agency...but thanks to the politicians and the "big fish in the little pond" mentality of some fire/ems chiefs the county is really an absolute mess. ALL fire and ems should be dispatched by 60-control....PERIOD. 1 frequency for dispatch, 1 frequency for responding/on scene, and 1 frequency for command/scene updates/additional equipment requests. All inter-departmental communications during an incident should be handled on fireground frequencies once units respond. This isn't a difficult concept to understand, yet it still can't be implemented because politicians and some fire/ems chiefs are so wrapped up in their own egos that they forget the public whom they are supposed to serve. The only exceptions to the above radio system should be the larger cities (Mt. Vernon, Yonkers, New Rochelle, White Plains) who need to maintain their own frequencies.

Time: Approx 1800 hrs Date: 11-24-04 Location/County: Harrigan Rd/East Fishkill (Dutchess) Agencies: East Fishkill FD/Alamo EMS Units: 39-1, 39-2, 39-3, 39-15, 39-52, 39-72, Alamo Medic 6, Alamo 81-89 (supervisor), East Fishkill PD Frequency: 453.9000 (dispatch), 453.9250 (response), 453.6250 (fireground 9/10) Writer: emt301 Car into a tree, 4 unrestrained occupants including 9 y/o & 2 y/o children. Adult female & 9 y/o child transported ALS to St. Francis.

Date:11-23-04 Time: 1730hrs Location:Palen Rd City/County: East Fishkill - Dutchess County Agencies: East Fishkill FD, Mobile Life Support Units: 39-1, 39-3, 39-15, 39-16, 39-52, 39-72, Mobile Life 273 Frequency: 453.9000 (dispatch), 453.9250 (response), 453.6250 (fireground 9/10) Writer: emt301 Head-on mva with entrapment.

Date: Monday 11/15/04 Time: Approx 2045 hrs Location: Oakridge Rd, East Fishkill/Dutchess Cty Units: 39-1, 39-2, 39-71, 39-72, Alamo ALS, 39-11, 39-15, 39-18, 39-52, 39-98, Stat Flight Car into tree, per 39-1, extensive extrication needed. Helicopter launch requested. LZ on Rt 82 near Frontier Communications. 39-15 stretching 1 line. 39-52, 39-11 handling extrication. 39-2, 39-18 handling LZ. 39-98 (fire police) assisting with LZ as well.

First, let me say that I'm certainly not trying to stick up for Transcare...I'm quite familiar with all of the unsavory and unethical games that companies such as Alamo and Transcare frequently play, after having spent a few years working in commercial ems myself. That being said, these companies use system status management in their operations. It's possible that that the "Wappingers" rigs that have been sighted in Westchester may have just been rotated out of Wappingers, with the company still maintaining the contracted number of physical rigs still in district. When Alamo had the Town of Wappingers contract....there were times when 3 rigs were actually manned in the town, but the rigs actually marked "Wappingers Ambulance" were on other details or out for maintenance. The slot in Wappingers was merely filled by an Alamo unit ( in other words, a unit marked as Alamo, not Wappingers Ambulance ) filled in. Also to clarify....Transcare is covering Hughsonville, New Hackensack, and the northern part of the Chelsea Fire district. These are in the Town of Wappingers. Alamo continues to cover New Hamburg, Village of Wappingers, and the southern portion of the Chelsea fire district (which lies in the Town of Fishkill, bordering Beacon).

I hear that Scarsdale FD hired 1, and possibly more...and also that Pelham FD hired at least 1 firefighter. As of this past spring, White Plains FD was also slated to hire several firefighters for this academy, perhaps as many as 5 or 10.

There was a considerable amount of damage...10 occupants needed assistance from the Red Cross concerning a place to stay for the night (possibly longer). In terms of injuries, 1 or more firefighters were injured, but none were transported from the scene.

Address was actually 17 Kress Avenue. Yonkers L70 was also dispatched under mutual aid for New Rochelle Station 3 coverage with E25, but was returned by 2302. Mount Vernon E204 and L62 were at New Rochelle Station 1 for coverage.

State law requires all new career firefighters in departments with 6 or more career members to receive a MINIMUM of the 229 hrs. DMA327 is correct in that the actual number of hours is now over 300 at the Westchester Academy, though a bit lower in Montour Falls where the academy does not include quite as many "specialty" classes such as FF Survival, FASTeam, Coned Utilities, etc.

N. White Plains was on scene with E75 and 2321. Purchase responded to the scene with 2411, E240, and R30. Greenburgh Cascade Unit was also requested to the scene, as well as C&O zone 2 and the Red Cross. Just prior to the request for apparatus for the fire, W. Harrison was toned out for wires down/burning in front of 85 Lake St. Con-ed responded to the scene. Shortly thereafter, the fire was detected on the 2'nd floor of 79 Lake St, above the pizza shop. Village of Mamaroneck was not on this job....they did, however, respond to a commercial fire alarm in Mamaroneck while the W. Harrison incident was ongoing.

Amen to that brother....