dmc2007

That was my first thought too when I saw this. However, per the Westchester Fire Apparatus site, the tiller has been re-designated Ladder 21 as of this year, which I guess would make room for the new Tower ladder 20.

I don't think the bulk of the comments were to say that the volunteer FF's are inherently not as good as career staff, but rather, that the unified command infrastructure and training in place in the FDNY system allowed those on scene to operate much more coherently and effectively. You can't argue that, Westchester units, with our mix of many different systems, lack of interoperability and response plans, and lack of unified command, would have faired as well.

I can't really comment on how to get them in the door, but once you have new members in the door, make sure you have the training infrastructure in place to allow them to develop their skills. Few people will gain satisfaction from things they aren't able to do well. If you don't give them the opportunity to improve, they won't gain satisfaction, and they won't stick around. This also includes creating a culture where all members have a stake in training new members-not just the ones who are FTO's, line officers, etc.

The new Explorer will, in fact, be bigger than the model it replaces. It will just ride on a more car-like chassis. The Flex is bigger than the new Explorer, but is lower in terms of ride height and the height of the roof.

Up here in MA it is pretty much the standard. This is due in part to MA OEMS requiring that the crewmember with the highest level of training rides in back with the patient. While they have recently started allowing combination Paramedic/basic trucks, they are generally frowned upon because it requires the medic to tech every call while the basic always drives. Because of this, P/B trucks, as they are known, don't make a whole lot of sense (and were only recently even allowed by OEMS). Further, I've heard that most medics prefer working on dual medic trucks as it gives them a second pair of hands with ALS training. A lot of the more progressive systems around the country, run dual-medic. Pittsburgh and Wake County (NC) come to mind.

I wouldn't know the exact number, but given that FDNY chiefs only use their vehicles while on duty, vs. a rural chief who is using the vehicle 24/7, my guess would be that the FDNY vehicles see a much higher percentage of emergency response. The higher call volume can also not be ignored.

Maybe in a busy system (say FDNY) will a supervisor's vehicle run hard all the time, but for the bulk of driving that the Chief's cars in Westchester do (serve as the personal vehicle for the Chief so that he/she may respond to calls at any time), I don't think they are running hot a bulk of the time. That being said, you are right in that fuel economy isn't the primary concern when specing out emergency apparatus-effectiveness in completing their assigned task and maintaining safety of the MOS(s) operating in and around them. That being said, it is a consideration. Even if the car is driving hard all the time, the lightbar will have a negative effect on gas mileage, since the vehicle will be run hard with or without a light bar on top.

Believe it or not there is a big difference between having clean airflow over the roof and having a very minor obstruction, as roofs are designed very precisely to maximize aerodynamics. I've heard that the difference in fuel economy between a slicktop and low profile-lightbar equipped vehicle is as much as 2 MPG.

I found that page too...I don't think they're what we are looking for, although they seemed to bring up the same issues.

It's tough to say. This is the first time a FWD/AWD crossover is being put into widespread patrol use. AWD adds more complexity, but is much better for year-round handling than 4WD. The fact that this model is pursuit rated should mean that it has been put through more extreme testing than did the last one. Only time will tell whether that has any meaningful effect.

It's a throwback to the Chargers of the 70s: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bobrider.com/Charger/P1010026.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.bobrider.com/charger.htm&usg=__7rRdDzAZFhWHIynjyr8jG1PuaA8=&h=1380&w=2048&sz=1189&hl=en&start=0&sig2=kFXlOMUqkFGoWdeV4jDGeg&zoom=1&tbnid=NPLjmumNqwOU5M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=155&ei=3KZRTfTYKsKRgQfsysWXCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1970%2Bcharger%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D702%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=104&vpy=444&dur=1632&hovh=184&hovw=274&tx=182&ty=176&oei=3KZRTfTYKsKRgQfsysWXCA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0 Not sure how I feel about the window line. Other than that it looks great.

It is, in fact, a crosssover based on the Ford Taurus. Base drivetrain is FWD, with AWD optional. The police package will be pursuit rated, unlike the current generation. While I am slightly bothered by seeing the Explorer becoming a crossover, this is what the market wants. I have no doubt that Ford will be successful with this one.

IIRC getting hired as a firefighter in Florida is very similar to getting hired as a Paramedic (all other factors, such as Civil Service, exams, etc., being equal). You attend an academy first on your own dime and then you apply to various departments.

As a recent graduate of a NYS driver's ed program, I would say that driver's ed in its current form is a giant waste of time. Students who have an interest in becoming good drivers will already know 90% of what is taught, while those who just want to be able to drive because its convenient or cool won't absorb the information. And before we get to changing tires and fluid checks, we need to teach people how to drive, and not just in everyday situations. Many countries in Europe teach things like skid recovery and require it to be demonstrated on the road test. I don't really care if the drivers around me know how to change a flat tire. What I do care about is whether they know how to control their car and safely bring it to a stop when a blowout happens. As for teaching driver's ed in schools, I don't really feel as though it should be provided. If you want to drive, you can pay for it (i.e., make it mandatory before your road test). I would like to see CPR and other emergency skills taught in school.

But where does "not being high on the target list" end? What about if this occurred in New Rochelle? In Yonkers? It was a suspicious device (at a gas station, no less). It was called in, resources responded, no one go hurt, and everyone went home. Solid work to all involved.

Or on any road for that matter. Driving in this country has become so dumbed down that virtually anyone can pass a road test, putting an army of idiot drivers on the road with the rest of us who actually care about driving well. Throw in the distracted driving issue, and you have a recipe for disaster. Also, we need harsher DUI penalties. Not knowing the details of this case, I'd guess that this was a factor given the speed and wrong direction of travel. Thoughts and prayers are with the injured EMT. Hope she makes a quick and easy recovery.

This incident is fairly old news. It sparked up a good bit of controversy, but nothing ever came of it. Even the county Department of Health went so far as to say that a) the councilman (and the City Council) have no control over the EMS contract, but that the county does, and the county supported the Medics' decision to stage and had no problem with AMR's policy.

Found this article on the site EnglishRussia.com (a blog containing articles and pictures of varying topics from Russia). They did a piece about a rural Russian Firehouse. I thought it'd be interesting for everyone to see: http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2010/11/06/ordinary-russian-village-fire-station/#more-22740

You would think this would be the case. I did too, when the announcement to kill Pontiac was made. However, when you look at the sales numbers, Buick was selling far more cars. Over the past 10-20 years the Pontiac brand had been diluted by the additions of vehicles such as the Torrent (a rebadged Chevrolet Equinox), the G5 (a rebadged Chevy Cobalt), and the G4 (a rebadged Chevy Aveo). GM tried to make Pontiac a brand that would have a broad appeal (a la Chevy), thereby directing it away from being the "Excitement"-oriented brand (their words, not mine) they had been in years prior. While they had enjoyed some success with the G8, other high performance cars such as the Solstice and GTO never lived up to expectations. This dilution of the brand was in no doubt due in part to dealer pressures. Many Pontiac dealers were either independent or bunched with Buick and GMC dealers. None of these brands offered an economy or entry level option (read: high-MPG), which the dealers wanted. Rather than develop a product that would fit this mold and Pontiac's brand image (which probably wouldn't have been economically viable), GM slapped a Pontiac badge on the Cobalt and Aveo, neither of which were great cars to begin with. This issue gets to the heart of the biggest problem with GM's dealer network. Too many dealers offered only one or two of GM's brands, and thus wanted a full product range in each brand. Rather than try to leverage each brand in a specific niche of the market, GM tried to make each brand everything to every one. Thus, GM had a dealer network selling parallel product lineups while driving up costs (since maintaining each network cost money). Whereas Pontiac had potential as the performance brand in a dealership that also sold luxury vehicles (Cadillac) and trucks (GMC), it didn't work as a full service brand. Another factor in the decision was Chevy's SS division. They develop high performance versions of Chevy's cars and are sold through Chevy dealerships. They don't require any additional dealership infrastructure and appeal to a similar segment of the market that Pontiac did in it's hayday. As for Buick, GM is trying to reposition them as an entry-level luxury brand a la Acura and, maybe eventually, Audi. The first two products to this end, the LaCrosse and Regal, look promising. I have high hopes for them. What's happened to Buick is not too dissimilar from what's happening to Mercury (Ford is in the process of killing of the brand). Lincoln could potentially pull up to compete with Buick. It's going to be interesting to watch. Executive summary for those who don't want to read that ramble: *Pontiac brand was diluted due to mismanagement *Low sales didn't justify added dealership network *Chevy's SS division will pick up the slack *Buick poised to reinvent itself

According to the link the truck was located...in Albany...

It looks as though we may be going in the opposite direction. Research is showing that compressions are far more important than providing ventilation. I can't seem to find the link, but I read that a study that stated the effective ratio for compressions to breaths was something like 2000 to 1. Another study seems to indicate that the benefit of doing breaths is far outweighed by the potential impact compressions lost to doing the breaths: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/10/05/130352074/hands-only-cpr-better-than-mouth-to-mouth

According to this article, he was arrested for reckless driving: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Tractor-trailer-hits-Stamford-fire-engine-on-I-95-686547.php

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the front of the fuselage took a hit. Is it possible that there was a birdstrike?

How does ensuring responsibility and applying appropriate risk management detract from the volunteer experience? Giving back to the community is great, but only if it can be done safely and efficiently. Someone who has demonstrated that they can't drive safely get in the way of that.

Also, let us not forget those EMS personnel who were not on duty during the attacks, but nevertheless rushed into the Towers to help others, and, in doing so, gave their lives: Zhe "Zack" Zeng, EMT formerly of Brighton Volunteer Ambulance, Rochester, NY Mohammad Salman Hamdani, EMT (Unable to determine agency) and NYPD Recruit Clive "Ian" Thompson, EMT, Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad Joseph Lovero (Unable to find picture), EMT, Jersey City Fire Department Dispatcher In addition, we also remember those EMS Personnel who perished due to illnesses related to cleaning up the debris at 9/11: Felix Hernandez, EMT, FDNY EMS Ryan McCormick, UMDNJ EMS, Newark, NJ Deborah Reeve (Center), EMT-P, FDNY EMS Roisin Coohill (Unable to find picture) EMT, Midwood Ambulance