x242Steve

The Mack enthusiasts didn't wanna hear that...

Courtesy of psd8109... www.stamfordfirepix.com

I chose the Hook and Ladder Company for a few reasons... For one thing I knew several of the active members in the company before I joined, and also with my background in construction, ropes/rigging and working in high places I figured the Truck made sense. Plus, who didn't want to be a tillerman when they were growing up? (Gonna miss that!)

Homer Simpson: I'm feeling kind of low, Apu. Got any of that beer that has candy floating in it? You know, Skittlebrau. Apu: Such a product does not exist, sir. I think you must have dreamed it. Homer Simpson: Oh ... well, then just give me a six-pack and a couple of bags of Skittles.

Quick Stop Groceries

A couple of notes... -You wear a 50-lbs weight vest for the entire test. -The first station is the stair climb, and it is on one of these: For that stair-climbining station they add an additional 12.5-lbs to each shoulder (total vest weight for this station only is 75-lbs). You do have a warmup period to get used to the cadence of the machine, but during the test you cannot hold the railings or the wall, and if you fall off the machine it is an automatic DQ for the entire test. Many people (including yours truly) have failed the test at this first station due to falling off because this machine runs at 1-step-per-second and is a bit like walking up a down escalator. It is a very un-natural feeling, and in my opinion is not an accurate representation of climbing real stairs. That being said, if you have never used one of these machines before I highly recommend finding one and using it as much as possible before your CPAT exam.

That's a loaded question... Assuming its a traditional landline, then it depends on who your PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) is. If the EMS agency that covers your house is not directly dispatched from the same agency that is your PSAP, then your PSAP will probably transfer your EMS call to the appropriate EMS agency's dispatcher after determining whether a police and or/fire response is also needed. I see that you live in Westchester, so there's a good chance that your PSAP is your local Police Department, but that is not always the case. If you let us know what town you live in, I'm sure someone reading this thread will know exactly how your particular call would be routed. A note on VoIP... from http://www.voip911.gov/ In May 2005....the FCC adopted rules requiring providers of interconnected VoIP services to supply 911 emergency calling capabilities to their customers as a mandatory feature of the service by November 28, 2005. "Interconnected" VoIP services are VoIP services that allow a user generally to receive calls from and make calls to the traditional telephone network. Under the FCC rules, interconnected VoIP providers must: * Deliver all 911 calls to the local emergency call center; * Deliver the customer’s call back number and location information where the emergency call center is capable of receiving it; and * Inform their customers of the capabilities and limitations of their VoIP 911 service.

I have often wondered how they do it... I know it can be difficult enough dispatching 6 Fire Departments and one EMS agency in one city... How they manage so many (over 40, I believe?) agencies throughout a relatively large county, even with computerized CAD, boggles this dispatcher's mind. Keep up the good work! -242steve (Sometimes known to my brothers/sisters at KED-281 as U-39, U-49 and soon to be Ladder 26!)

Crime solvers tap into texting Police hope to get aid from young By Suzanne Smalley, Globe Staff | June 15, 2007 Boston police will announce a new text messaging system today for anonymous tips, hoping to capitalize on the popular way to communicate to counter an entrenched culture of not cooperating with police. The effort, which Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis is touting as the first in the nation to wed text messaging with an anonymous tip line, is designed to take advantage of texting's privacy and its familiarity to many youths, who may be less inclined to pick up the phone and call police. Every time he goes to a homicide scene, he notices the same thing, Davis said. "Everyone's on their cellphone; everyone's texting," he said in an interview yesterday. "The younger people are especially texting. We're preparing for a significant increase in the amount of information we receive." Davis said the Crime Stoppers 800 number has grown obsolete and needed to be updated. Police officials said that most calls to Crime Stoppers come in during the summer, an average of 100 to 140 calls a week. But they said many calls are repetitive or concern complaints about potholes, trash pickup, or other quality-of-life issues, with only a small number providing useful tips about unsolved violent crimes. The commissioner said the department desperately needs detailed information about specific crimes or individuals with guns. Local police and prosecutors complain about a "Stop Snitchin' " ethos in some of the city's most violent neighborhoods, which makes it difficult to solve crimes. Last year, 38 percent of the 74 homicides were cleared through an arrest or the identification of a suspect, a rate lower than in many other big cities. Davis said that New York and Los Angeles have begun experimenting with text messaging to 911 dispatchers, but no other department has rolled out a comprehensive program to generate crime tips through anonymous text messaging. Wendy Balazik, a spokeswoman for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, called the technology "the logical next step" for crime fighters, but said her organization has not tracked whether other departments are using similar systems. Representatives from several Boston radio stations are scheduled to meet with police officials this morning to discuss donating air time for radio spots produced by Boston advertising giant Hill Holliday promoting the effort. The MBTA has donated advertising space in four to five stations and about 250 buses, while local companies have donated dozens of ad spaces inside bus shelters and on streets. The program relies heavily on technology from VeriSign, a California company that partnered with the mobile marketing division of Hill Holliday. To text police, a tipster can dial CRIME (27463) on his cellphone keypad and enter the word tip. The tipster receives an immediate return text reminding him that the tip is anonymous and advising him to call 911 if there is an emergency. Because text messages are typically limited to 160 characters, a subsequent message is sent seconds later asking the tipster to categorize the information sent by type of crime: A for violent crime, B for drugs, C for gang activity, or D for other. In response to a violent crime tip, for instance, the tipster is asked for the date, time, and place of the incident; the victim's name; the type of weapon used; and the motive. After receiving an answer, the system is automated to send a follow-up message asking for information on the suspect, including age, sex, any tattoos and alias, and details on any vehicle involved. When a text tip is sent, it goes to the phone carrier, where normal text charges are applied, and then is bounced to VeriSign, which blocks the phone number and assigns the tip a six-digit code before forwarding it to Crime Stoppers. VeriSign's system is also used by companies that rely on text message sweepstakes or text alerts that take advantage of VeriSign's direct connection to major cellphone carriers. Because the system is automated, police will not need to staff Crime Stoppers around the clock. However, when officers are working they have the option to follow up with specific questions. Davis said he wanted to let people know "we can only make the criminal justice system work with their help." Suzanne Smalley can be reached at ssmalley@globe.com.

Simpsons' fans voice their opinion...

Unknown about the Excursion, but I was just browsing the Chevy website and I'm surprised to see that the 3/4-ton Suburban is not available with the Duramax Diesel/Allison Transmission drivetrain... It certainly comes from the factory equipped to handle this configuration, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is in fact available as a "secret" special order... I'm still waiting for Dodge to stick a hard roof over the bed of a Quad- or Mega-Cab Ram and label it as the Ramcharger

Dino- As per the WCDES website "Valid Unit Types" your boat falls under a "Rescue Only" vessel and IS listed under "Marine 35" as a 12-foot "Zodiac" (I guess that's like calling tissues "kleenex") MARINE VESSELS Valid Prefix (MAR = Marine) #’s 1-20 will have pump capacity / Marine units 20 and above will be rescue only. -A class “A” unit shall be a minimum of 65ft & have a pump capacity of 5000gpm, a minimum of 2 pumps, 2 generators, 4 monitors, and respond with a minimum crew of 3. -A class “B” unit shall be a minimum of 20ft & have a pump capacity of 2500gpm, a minimum of 1 pump, 1 generator, 2 monitors, and respond with a minimum crew of 2. -A class “C” unit shall be a minimum of 20ft & have a pump capacity of 500gpm, a minimum of 1 pump, 1 monitor, and respond with a minimum crew of 2. Rescue boats will be categorized here as well but will not receive a class rating. Hope that helps!

I have many friends and co-workers who are tobacco users, but I also know or have known people who are dying or died from tobacco-related cancer. What it comes down to is Health Insurance (and Life Insurance) costs. Why should your brothers and sisters in your Local have to pay for you to harm yourself? Even beyond that-- as a firefighter, why would you want to decrease your lungs' efficiency? The seatbelt argument falls under the same category: You have the right to harm yourself in any way you see fit as long as it doesn't effect other people in any way. If you're stupid enough not to wear a seatbelt, go sit on your couch and slam your head into a piece of auto glass a few times, that way my State Farm bill won't go up. In the end, you DO have freedom of choice: If you want to be a smoker, don't work for a place that doesn't allow it. If you don't want to wear a seatbelt, don't drive on public roads.

I'm not taking the exam... but I'm wondering: When you first get on with the NYSP, are you likely to be sent to a barracks way up in Adirondack State Park or something like that? Is there any consideration given to residency?

When in doubt, just use ABACAB (Not the Genesis song) But seriously, I wouldn't say it was "easy". Compared to other civil service exams I've taken it required more thinking. If I had to tag it with one word, I would say it was "fair". (I can only speak for the first 60 questions, of course...)

CLICK HERE FOR MY PHOTOS Did my best to grey-out any non-emergency-workers' faces... Send me a PM if I missed anyone. Note: The protective plastic coverings have been on those power lines since that project started a couple of months ago.

I am all about sharing, and am not a paid endorser of Code 3, but: Pay for a Code 3 membership if you wanna see the pics! (They're quite nice!)

1) We were not thrilled with any of the manufacturers' Towers that would meet our height requirements. 2) Harrison, Port Chester, Larchmont, Purchase and West Harrison (Just to name a few) all have Tower Ladders. If we ever "need" one for whatever reason, there are plenty around.

Brevity is key. At an agency like Stamford 911, where the dispatchers are getting calls typed up by other people, it is sometimes difficult to take what they have written and turn it into a dispatch. Before sending a call to the appropriate dispatcher, I try to re-read it and think "Could I dispatch this the way it is written?" Of course sometimes you just have someone screaming "FIRE!" in your ear, and you just verify the address before you send over the one-word call of "Fire." and then try to get the caller to calm down and tell you what's burning (if anything). One of my pet peeves is when we get medical calls from nurses who started telling us about O2, BP, COPD, OPP and TGI Friday's. I usually let them finish their string of acronyms and then ask "Ok, so why do they need an ambulance?" On the Police side of things it can get pretty complicated with the "My baby's mother's sister's boyfriend just tried to run me over with his uncle's roomate's car." Best you can do is keep the pronouns to a minimum. And while it is no secret that my favorite spot in the room is Fire Dispatch, I have to say that some calls require the extra-large bottle of Poland Spring. "Attention Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Truck 1, Truck 2, Rescue 1. Respond on box 123, 456 Sesame Street, Mr. Cooper's General Store on an activated Fire Alarm. That's for Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Truck 1, Truck 2, Rescue 1. Box 123, 456 Sesame Street, Mr. Cooper's General Store on an activated Fire Alarm. Your cross streets are Abbey Road and Easy Street, Operate on Fireground 1, Time out 16:20, KCC-349 out." (Apparently Mr. Cooper's General Store is now a High Risk box)

I believe the height to the top of the tillerman's windscreen on the old Maxim was 9'-5"...and I had to duck going under some bridges!

Joe, to answer your questions... 1) Overall Height (Can't get a Tractor-Drawn Aerial to be 10'-0") [Gossamer fanatics excluded ] 2) Availability/training of tillermen (I guess that would be "Staffing") 3) Cost Also, with the relatively short wheelbase, reasonably narrow outrigger spread and tiny front bumper of the current Ladder 25, there has never really been an issue with cornering, aerial setup or approach angle. But, I think I speak for all others who ever tillered when I say I will miss it!

Brief History: From 1975 until recently Rye had 2 ladder trucks. I say "recently" because Ladder 26 (1955 Maxim Aerial) was "officially" retired in 2006 but the Aerial device was deemed unsafe some time before the truck was sold. To answer your question: I have copy-and-pasted some of the exact reasons why members of the Poningoe Hook and Ladder Company felt that a second ladder was needed. These reasons were included in various communications and presentations that were given to the Board of Fire Wardens and the Mayor and City Council as the truck committee first began to seek funding/approval for a new truck. • The front-line Ladder (“Ladder 25”, 2001 Seagrave) needs to go out-of-service for repairs and maintenance from time to time. As that truck gets older, it will need to be out for longer periods of time for more extensive work. A second Truck ensures that the City is covered 24/7/365. • We cover a busy Commercial District, a large retirement community, several houses of worship, schools, apartment buildings and other multiple-occupancy structures. Any alarm of fire at a commercial establishment or multiple-occupancy dwelling should beckon, as part of the response, Two Ladder Trucks. • We have strong ties with the Harrison Fire Department. They operate several Fire Engines (Pumpers) and have been able to provide us with Mutual Aid for water supply and manpower at many serious incidents. The Mutual Aid system was built on the idea of being able to Give and Get. In the past, Rye was able to send help to Harrison in the form of our second Ladder Truck. In recent years, the limited abilities of the ailing “Ladder 26” have prevented us from giving Harrison the aid that we have continued to receive from their Engines. This imbalance in the Mutual Aid system is not healthy for the City of Rye or its neighboring communities. • On-going hands-on training is of extreme importance to all Firefighters. Using a rig for training generally means that it will not be immediately ready to respond to an incident at that time. With a second up-to-date Truck, members of the Rye Fire Department would be able to drill on Ladder Operations without delaying the front-line Ladder’s response to alarms. Again, there was MUCH more to it! Those are just some of the most prudent reasons. Many thanks are due to all Rye firefighters, citizens and politicians who helped to get us the new Truck.

What: Wetdown of the new Engine 192 (2006 Seagrave) When: Sunday, May 20, 1200 to 1600 Where: Rye FD Milton Point Station (Click here for Map) All are welcome! Bring the family and tell your friends to stop by. Free food and ASI t-shirts for sale! (And don't forget to check out the new WEBSITE)

Nope, they haven't lost any football games recently

Bump! Wetdown tomorrow.