JBE

Incredible shots as always!!!

Taken about 4 hours ago.

Woke up a little late, but now I am definitely going to see if I can photograph the rig today.

They drove past the chateau earlier. 81 I think is still out with clogged fuel injectors.

Even though I intend to photograph said rig tomorrow, it really isn't all that special or tricked out. It's very plain. The grill is a little off, but all in all, it doesn't look all that bad. I'll swing by the firehouse later next week to see if they got any.

Is this the one there was so much fuss about a while ago?? I gotta admit, the striped diamond plate is definitely a funky little touch.

Don'tcha wish that someone could have come along, say 45 years ago, and pushed for at least combination departments, or consolidation of some form?? Probably would have settled a lot of the problems we see today.

Cut the hose obviously, bandage and hold said hose in place, keep patient comfortable, and transport. Above all, maintain some form of composure and professionalism.

There's no excuse for it. Period. Although I have been out of the volunteer fire services for more than 13 years, why not duty crews?? It may take a little finagling, but it just might be feasible to get at least an officer and minimum three firefighters to crew a rig. Get something other than a chiefs car on the road for an AFA, or anything else. Make the duty 0700X1700, or 0800X1800. At least by 1800, any department should have enough members in the district to cover something. Duty crews worked for the ambulance at night when I was in Lake Carmel. Granted, we didn't stay in the firehouse, but having people at quarters as a dedicated crew would be better than the alternative, toning out, and toning out some more. It is a national problem. It will continue to be a problem in the suburbs until someone with a set steps up to the plate and says, "We cannot continue to operate like this, there has to be a better way!!! The people who live here deserve better than what they are getting for the money they shell out in taxes!!!" Someone who goes to every Chief and Coordinator and says, "Sorry, guys, but no more little fiefdoms, this is how it is going to be and you're going to do two things here, nothing, and like it." I'm not sold on fully paid departments/consolidation, but I'm also not sold on combination departments either. Simply because of how much more money are the taxpayers going to have to shell out?? Don't start me about PSAP's, PSAC's, because those are another Charlie Foxtrot.

I didn't get to read what Ex-commissioner Bratton had to say, but the man has my respect. He did a tremendous job here in NYC. Now as far as these guys getting whacked for pay. I just got hit for ten days pay for dropping an F bomb to a Staff Chief, not some skell out on the street. I have to say the punishment doled out to these cops is F$%^ING BULL$#@%!!!! Tongue planted firmly in cheek here, folks.

Thoughts and prayers, dude.

It had a section of pre piped waterway. Tillers are determined by the neighborhood. How tight the streets are. I'll give an example, Richmond Hill/Ozone Park in Queens. Ladder 143 is a tiller, and, actually I don't think you can fit a rear mount or tower ladder in that house. they run in with 151 in Forest Hills, and 142 to the south. There are blocks around 143's quarters where I don't think 142 can make the block. Ladders 173, 151, and 40 were replaced with rear mounts in the late 90's. Out of those three, only 40 has gotten a new tiller, and plans are to replace both 151 and 173 with rear mounts. I can think of other tillers that were replaced with rear mounts in the early 80's, and 84 Truck in Staten Island was given a rear mount from a tower ladder about 5 years ago.

I believe it's for fiber optic cable.

No. An Engine company is an officer and 5 firefighters. The Engine Chauffer, or MPO, Nozzle, back up, control(to keep the line from kinking), and door(obvious). All the engine companies in the city lost the 5th man. As far as mutual aid, it depends on where it's going, and where it's coming from. We do have one thing that I remember from the 11th, and that was teaming out of city units with FDNY units, and they went out together. Adapters and fittings can be made available, I know we have them. But that's another story for another time. I'm with M on this. I don't think the Mayor is going to get 20 companies. And honestly, this crap of throwing out units and threatening to close companies every year is getting a little ridiculous. I would be surprised if he got nothing. I think there's going to be a compromise where there will be a few lost, which is a more realistic view. At the same time, like I have said before, the Mayor wants 20, he gets 4 or 5. This way,and I said it before, Cassano can turn to the troops and say, I saved 15 fire companies.

There was a plan for mutual aid coming in, but there had to be a certain set of circumstances for it to happen. Percentages of units had to drop below a certain number citywide, Fallback was already implemented. I don't think with the proposed cuts, that levels of protection could drop to a point that we would need M/A. I think it was just be at a point we were at Fallback for an extended period of time.

Did you notice how no one on his first alarm assignment was listed?? I have to admit, seeing everything on that list except for 4 Engine, 26 Engine, 8 Truck, 53 Truck, and 294 Engine surprised me. Now the fight begins.

If it weren't for the CFR program, there would have been a ton of companies closed in the early 90's when it was first adapted. I know the guys out on the street don't always like doing EMS runs, but if it keeps even one firehouse open, so be it. We need more, not less. We could use an extra engine and 2 trucks in Queens, at least another couple of engines, and a truck or two in SI, with a dedicated Squad. I would also like to see at least one more truck opened up in the Bronx.

I don't want to see any precinct closed, it bothers me to even see you guys short staffed. I doubt the 19th Precinct(Bloombergs Precinct and where my old man worked in the late 70's early 80's) would ever be short staffed. And if you think for one second, the Mayor is going to allow 44 Engine(which was made a Haz Mat Tech Unit after the last batch of closings), 22 Engine, 13 Truck, 16 Truck, or 39 Engine(High Rise 2) to be closed, I got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Just out of curiosity, has the PBA stepped up and tried to rally for more cops?? I know how overworked you guys are. I saw it with my Dad 25 years ago when he was a patrol Sergeant in the 46. M, I'm right there with you with the 10-45's. Nobody in the press has mentioned that fire deaths are up. Nobody seems to mention that UCT is a joke either. Before anyone gets bent about this going off track, it all kinda goes hand in hand. the Mayor is behind policies and programs that have done nothing to enhance the safety of the public. He threatened to cut staffing or disband companies. 6 companies disbanded in 2003. 5th man on engine companies taken away earlier this year. Construction of PSAC1, BILLIONS WASTED!!!! Renovation of the Queens and Bronx Dispatchers offices. OK great, but why leave the sections built for Manhattan(in the Bronx) Brooklyn and SI(In Queens) vacant?? A back up?? That's what PSAC 1 should be. A back up for these buildings. Citytime, WASTE OF MONEY!!! And, when you look at how much the consultants were skimming off the top. UCT??? the Mayor wants to fully implement it?? BWAHAHAHAH!!!! At least ten people killed by the knuckleheads answering 911 for NYPD. Half these people can barely spell, and you want them to take fire calls?? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!! And personally, shame on Commissioner(Then COD) Cassano, and now Chief of Communications Boyce to come out and say UCT works. Tell that to the families of people who have been killed, or lost property because the 911 operators couldn't type in an address properly. Tell that to the guy who had to wait an extra half hour stuck on his jet ski because NYPD said he was by the Brooklyn Bridge, then said he was in the Hudson by a small bridge. Then after a PROPERLY TRAINED SUPERVISING FIRE DISPATCHER(Moi!!!) called this guy and asked him a couple of simple questions, "What do you see around you?? What do the bridges look like?? What Else Do You See?? A History Channel Sign?? We'll be there in 5 minutes". Ask that guy if UCT works.

And as a longtime FDNY member, I can tell you with some certainty, that if the staffing cuts, and company cuts keep going the way they are, and we have a day like we did in November, where there was no scheduled training because of the BIO POD flu shot exercise, and we still had something like 6 or 7 multiple alarms in 15 hours. I'm telling you, I made a statement about how an Engine from Yonkers would be sitting on Webster Avenue in the Bronx, and Rye Brook would have Ladder 30 hanging around 58 Truck, and North Hudson would have an Engine and Tiller in Times Square if it kept up. My Chief didn't find it funny, but I meant it. We get a stretch like that particular weekend, or like we had last July, hello mutual aid. But, just as important, is the idea of losing 36 Fire Alarm Dispatchers. I have no idea how the city is going to even justify how to pull this off. We're short staffed as it is, OT is easy to come by for dispatchers, and in the summer, it's going to get worse. There's no OT for me, or at least very little. And I want the OT.

Here's the thing. Cassano and Kilduff(Chief of Department) will wrangle and cajole and there will probably be a compromise. Let's say, 6 or 7 companies get shut down. Then they can come out and say, we saved 13 companies. I hate to say this, as so not to insult any of my cop brethren on this site. But you never hear about a precinct being shut down. You don't hear about patrol sectors being divvied up between three or four other sectors. Yes, the size of the force has gotten smaller, but if anything, this city needs a little more, not less than what it has. They also didn't mention Bloombergs plan to take the alarm boxes. Fully implement UCT, whatever that means, which is a collossal failure. I can't wait to tug on the ear of a City Councilperson when that fight comes up. Or, when the lawsuit goes to court.

Yes, it's true. Not sure how it's going to be done. We're led to believe this is just a step in phasing us out. This is ridiculous. We are short staffed as it is. OT is going to go through the roof.

Nice of that guy in the SUV to yield right of way to the Bus. Nice shots of the rigs. You're getting better at it. One question, is that Maxim still in front line service, or is it a spare/reserve/soon to be antique??

Can you say tongue planted firmly in cheek?? If it's a commissioned piece, like a mural or something, then maybe it actually could be copyrighted. Otherwise, lock the guy up.

AMEN!!!! Maybe, just maybe, Congress and the President would start up one of FDR's New Deal type programs. Public Works projects.