JimmyPFD

Nick has handled himself with dignity and restraint, given that this is a situation that has been ongoing for so long. Irvington has been most fortunate to have a firefighter so dedicated to a culture of firefighter safety. You clearly do not know him or much about the circumstances if you believe he "should leave the area." He did nothing at all wrong and has worked within the chain of command. I only wish we had more people like him.

Nicoli's decisions have left his home community with 1 less life-saver. For those of you that don't know, he has been awarded numerous life saving awards as well as a congressional level award from Congresswoman Dr. Nan Hayworth last month. It is unfortunate that internal FD politics have resulted in his decision to no longer be a firefighter.
I don't think my own community as a whole is aware of the separation between the the company and the district functions, as mirrored in one of the comments above. I certainly did not understand this for several years after becoming a FF/EMT.
When we hold fundraising events such as a "boot drive", we get dressed in our PPE and hold out fire boots for motorists to donate money to our cause.... "OUR CAUSE?" Unless they have a personal connection to the FD, I doubt that any significant percentage of the donators understand that this $ is NOT going towards training, equipment or operational readiness. This is straight up false advertising. And I am personally sickened by it. I've told my friends and family that donated money annually to the fire dept through the companies annual fund drive, to stop.
I have witnessed repeatedly over the years, tens of thousands of dollars getting spent by my company on parades, annual dinners, installation dinners, christmas parties, etc... And simultaneously get turned down for much needed equipment and stonewalled on training funds by the fire commission. Although these are two separate entities, there seems to be something very very wrong with this. I did not join the FD to drink beer either. I did not join to go to parades.
Ask yourselves: are you going through more cans of ZEP and tubs of turtle wax than saw blades and saw fuel? Our pride should not come from how shiney and clean our trucks are, but rather how dirty and trashed our gear is from having training with it so much. I believe that if we prioritize the trophies that go in a glass case over what we actually signed up to do, we are more likely to end up in a pine box.

As an example of the above, and since I pick apart a lot of what I see here:
My crew ran on this reported apartment building fire last week. On arrival, fire out one window on the second floor-side #4 and just starting to take the rear porch door on side #3 just around the 3-4 corner. Entry through side #1 (front) to the common hall door the fire apartment (second floor rear). The conditions in the second floor hall were zero smoke, zero heat, 6 doors. The rear apt. entry door was bubbling and popping with a faint wisp of smoke at the top. The crew could have taken the door immediately attempted to make a search and hold the fire with the can, remembering the fire was out a single window and nearly adjacent door. Instead it was decided that the line would be placed to the door before entry. While the line was stretched the adjacent apartment was searched and found untouched even though it sheared two common walls with the fire apartment. Once the line as in placed the door was forced (also found to be seasonally closed off and not used) the condition in the common hall when to zero visibility and moderate heat at the 2-3 foot level. The line advanced quickly and knocked down the fire with seemingly relative ease. What the crew did not see was that while the stretch was taking place, the fire took the side #3 door and another window on side #3, in two separate rooms and as the door was forced completely lit off the rear porch. The point being, what looked like a fire that the can may have be able to subdue temporarily, likely was not a good candidate. The added volume of air allowed the fire to greatly intensify rapidly and without the 180 gpm line immediately flowing things could have been far different. The end result was things went very well and aside from minor water damage to the unit directly below the fire, only the fire apartment was uninhabitable by the next evening. I can honestly say if it weren't for solid core doors and solid(no holes) lathe and plaster and adequate sheetrock, the outcome would have a bit worse.
BTW for anyone from Elmont LI, the fire was reported by a new Coast Guard kid who used to be a member of EFD L2? Did a nice job alerting residents and giving the Chief a nice report on arrival. I think the USCG Base Commander here is putting up for a commendation with our support.

This was just after arrival.(Side 3)

While crews are making entry (not our ground ladder!)

Just after entry to fire apartment
photos by Rockland FD Photographer Alan Athearn

Seriously dude!?! You need someone else to tell you that it's NOT okay for you to have a teenage boy fondle your junk? So if your town didn't provide you with that "training" you'd have no idea that this is wrong? Your way of thinking (find someone else to blame/failure to accept responsibility) is exactly what's wrong with this country.

What can we take from this?
-Sometimes you have to imagine how things will play out in the paper and the damage that can be done to the reputation of your orginization.
-If your an officer be the officer. It is your job to be the voice of reason when things get out of hand.
-It's 2011 this is how things are we are not going back to the old days.
The alleged conduct is both illegal and sick. Instead of making this thread another gripe about a black eye for the fire service lets try to be vigilant and do our jobs and make the tough decisions to keep or orginizations on the level.

My better half texted me this from the office saying, "This just isn't smart, right?"
(That's the office toaster oven by the way)

My better half texted me this from the office saying, "This just isn't smart, right?"
(That's the office toaster oven by the way)

My better half texted me this from the office saying, "This just isn't smart, right?"
(That's the office toaster oven by the way)

I knew for a long time now, but I was sworn to secrecy. I changed my allegiance because these resources are too important to FD persons in the field in the event of a major incident. In good conscience, I could keep this secret no longer. This video will explain what is contained in these trailers, and you will know immediately why there are people on the payroll qualified to operate the resources.Entabulator1.wmv

yeah, there to... the recent call was not Northern Westchester, but in Putnam County.... try finding anything in Putn am Valley.... alot of small back roads which goes on for ever ... did 2001 give directions ?? maybe ?? whats the big deal? ( I have heard many agencies give directions to units ) I was in the back of R77 and we got to the job with out a problem... and yes the GPS in the cab was on and working...
as for the " Hawthrone call " if it was the TRT call, it was allot colder then summer, because I was complaining about how thin the gear was, as I was freezing... maybe it was late winter ? Again, I was in the back of the rig, but from what I was told we were redirected to the scene by the IC... so did the rig go down the street and come back maybe ? but there are better reasons then they were lost... You can go to any Dept, and see the same thing... PD, FD or EMS..
I remember plenty of times responding to calls in CFD, and making a wrong turn or not going the way the IC wants and having to " recalculate "... the King's college fire - E 119 responded to one gate of the complex, as ordered, only to turn around and head out to another entrance, back down the same road we just went code 1 to... so lets not assume they are clueless, until you know the full story..

I'm reading this before the Sun comes up, so bare with me.
WCPD (or DPS) is an awesome agency that has always struck me as proactive and aggressive when it comes to planning and coordination in Westchester County. I've participated in training exercises and worked at many incidents with the DPS and in plain english, they've got their s#it together. As a fire chief, I know I will catch crap for saying this, but I don't think any other organization around the county has a better grasp of the incident management system. During major incidents, they show up, size things up and establish not only a command presence, but implement an action plan in a timely manner. I think their expertise on hazard and disaster recognition and planning mixed with the response knowledge and capabilities of DES could result in an amazing organization poised to respond to major emergencies in Westchester County.
But, by eliminating some positions, doesn't this threaten the span of control in some areas? And what happens after some positions are eliminated, and they come to realize that perhaps they were beneficial? Will they bring them back, or out of pride will they keep them vacant and make some perform dual roles?
I have seen counties that have all services under one umbrella that work. I have also seen them fail or come up short. What concerns me is the vibe I get in this proposal - it feels more like a takeover then it does a merger. All references in the proposal seem one-sided from DPS on how they can absorb DES and make it run smoother and more efficiently. In many ways, I think that this has great potential, but something also tells me that we may see it deplete / ruin certain things that many people worked hard to accomplish.
As for consolidating communications, this isn't a bad concept. The bigger issue would be to have one central communications center that handles everything in every community, with the exception of the larger cities (if so desired). People don't realize how inefficient it is now to have 911 calls go to one place, then get transferred to another - which sometimes goes to the wrong place or doesn't happen. I personally feel that if we can consolidate DPS and 60 Control communications centers, that we should eventually assume the responsibility of answering cellular 911 as well. The TMC already transfers many police requests to WCPD, and fire/EMS requests come to 60 Control (majority of the time). When a call is in an unknown area or outside of Westchester, many times they transfer it to us to "figure out" and send to the proper agency (IE: FDNY, Rockland, Putnam, Nassau, Suffolk, etc.). With the CAD system we have, we can handle this almost seemlessly. If you add the knowledge of the DPS communications personnel, Westchester County could have one of the best communications centers in the country. (IMHO)
Time will tell, I just hope that every aspect is looked at beyond it's cost efficiency shock value.
(Now I will go hide because I am sure someone will jump down my throat for speaking my mind...)

Excellent topic and those view numbers are building up as we come back and read excellent posts like your last. The responses are few but have quality. My prior lack of posts in spite of coming back to this topic a few times has been to keep the thread free if gibberish.
Out of respect for your wanting to hear something; I'll give it a shot...I will focus simply on: "Leadership under fire" It does not come with title or appointment. It comes from having your colleagues respect you on very different level. A level based not on how good of an administrator, coordinator, organizer...whatever this person may be.
It's based three things: 1-competence to keep your a** safe when the situation is going South quickly. 2- "right Mindedness" Meaning a genuine concern. Taking the responsibility of completing the objective; while taking true ownership in the personal responsibility of each of your men's safety. 3- The few who excel at both.
To me, this is the good leader and what I aspire to be; regardless of, and in spite of rank if need be.
Realistically: In the absence of #3; If I need to chose between partnering with type 1 or type 2.... I'll be with competent Jack a**.

Hey Cap,
We were issued the RIT Systems RIT belt with bailout system attached too. All the parts are on that belt: rope bag, descending device, with a carabineer instead of Crosby hook. It also has a medium/large (ladder) carabineer.
The department equipped us pretty quickly compared to other departments with a lot more resources. The dept. deserves unbendable praise for this. The following isn't sour grapes; just an honest critique. I'm glad we have it and appreciate how relatively quickly they equipped and trained us.
It wasn't designed with easy donning of PPE in mind. It is a little extra to deal with when suiting up and is somewhat cumbersome.
I went to RIT's website to post a pic of what we have and they may have learned a couple of things over the past year or so. They are now marketing it with class II or III type harness and show a FF with the rope bag in his pocket as opposed to on the belt with everything else, (which we were instructed to leave as is, as that is how it was designed to be deployed.)


The system wasn't designed to donned with our Morning Prides and appears to have been designed to put on after any turnouts. Which you might expect for a ladder type belt
It's a functional, easy system to deploy, but too much going on and around the waist and anoying when donning.
Edit: I had to correct myself in calling it a "ladder" belt. They also market a ladder belt with added padding around back and extra straps to hold tools/equipment.

As per Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: 1pro·fes·sion·al Pronunciation: \prə-ˈfesh-nəl, -ˈfe-shə-nəl\Function: adjective Date: 16061 a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b : engaged in one of the learned professions c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace<BR itxtvisited="1">2 a : participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs <a professional golfer> b : having a particular profession as a permanent career <a professional soldier> c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return <professional football><BR itxtvisited="1">3 : following a line of conduct as though it were a profession <a professional patriot>
and before the question is raised.... Profession:
1 : the act of taking the vows of a religious community<BR itxtvisited="1">2 : an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation<BR itxtvisited="1">3 : an avowed religious faith<BR itxtvisited="1">4 a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling
Being paid is not necessarily part of the primary definition and really..... you did not have to go there.

It will not bankrupt the country contrary to what you maintain; were you aware that over 37 million children have no medical coverage or are under insured? What about the minority of those who don't qualify and have no insurance? Are they supposed to get sick and die?
As I said before, we already have socialized medicine in this country. People then said it was the beginning of the end for the country and it would bankrupt us and it was part of a plan to socialize America. Surprise, it didn't happen. its going to be the same with this legislation; finally people who get sick won't have to worry about losing everything they have worked for their entire lives.
As i mentioned earlier, if they are worried about cost; eliminate pork barrel spending and cut back on our overseas ventures; that'll be a good start. Either way I think the bill is going to help a lot more people then hurt them.

As per Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: 1pro·fes·sion·al Pronunciation: \prə-ˈfesh-nəl, -ˈfe-shə-nəl\Function: adjective Date: 16061 a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b : engaged in one of the learned professions c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace<BR itxtvisited="1">2 a : participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs <a professional golfer> b : having a particular profession as a permanent career <a professional soldier> c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return <professional football><BR itxtvisited="1">3 : following a line of conduct as though it were a profession <a professional patriot>
and before the question is raised.... Profession:
1 : the act of taking the vows of a religious community<BR itxtvisited="1">2 : an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : protestation<BR itxtvisited="1">3 : an avowed religious faith<BR itxtvisited="1">4 a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling
Being paid is not necessarily part of the primary definition and really..... you did not have to go there.

If they are trying to get the city to pick up the bar tab; I have to admit that I would agree with the city on this one.
Story

I was going to go out and about and look for a universal digiscoping mount, (as opposed to just ordering one online). Any suggestions on shops that have good stock and selection without going to NYC? I'd like to keep my money local if possible?

Thanks Seth, Thanks Jerome.
B&H has a great selection but didn't have it anyway.
I found a swing away model at: http://www.alpineastro.com/digital_photography/digital_photography.htm#Micro%20Stage

It enables most any point and shoot to be mounted on a spotting scope or telescope and simply be swung in and out of place quickly.
Thanks again guys

Mike Dragonetti offers an excellent class and would recommend it to anyone who is considering it. This is a class I'd gladly take again.