FFPCogs

To all the veterans out there, THANK YOU for having the courage, fortitude and dedication to put on the uniform of our military and protect all Americans THANK YOU for your service in times of war and times of peace THANK YOU for making the world a better and safer place through your service THANK YOU for the freedoms I and my family enjoy today because of YOU!! God Bless America, Land of the free...because of the brave who have, do and will serve her

Although he's been on the job for a number of weeks already, our new Assistant Chief of Volunteer Services was sworn in last night. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/policereports/article/Stamford-volunteers-get-new-assistant-fire-chief-5874198.php On a personal note, I can think of no one better for this job at this time. Chief Morris has already made more progress in his first few weeks than was accomplished by anyone prior. He is not only one of the most decorated, if not THE most decorated, members of the FDNY with an impeccable reputation and a vast wealth of experience, he is also a man who knows how to bring people together and get things done. He has come full circle, literally, having started his long and storied fire service career as a volunteer here in Stamford and now he's back guiding the ship through the many obstacles which we face. Beyond that, for me personally "Rex" is a mentor, a role model and most of all someone I consider myself privileged to be able to call a friend. Congratulations "Boss"!!!

Let's just get rid of sirens altogether then...I mean if all that loud noise is hurting the ears of FFs on the rigs, than one can only imagine the horrific damage that must be happening to the civilians in our path when responding.

RIP Sgt. Major Gallagher.

Belltown FD in Stamford will be holding a Pasta Dinner fundraiser to help fund our recruitment efforts. Date: Oct 24, 2014 Time 6pm - 8:30pm Seating is limited so please call 203-323-0626 for more information, directions or to make a reservation

Due to the fact that I will be undergoing knee surgery on Oct 20 and will therefore be unable to put my vast culinary expertise to work for this event it is going to be postponed. The new date is TBD. Thanks

Good stuff, thanks for posting Wraftery

And at present the Air Force is the last remaining service that maintains firefighting capabilities on their bases outside of combat zones. All the others have gone to DoD or local national civilians to fulfill that role.

Been there done that as well.

I would say 5 on the committee, (6 if you choose to use a consultant) 1 chief officer, a mechanic/ skilled operator, a trustee or money man and two members at large. Anything more and the committee becomes too unwieldy and cliques within the cliques can form creating far too many problems and far too many opinions on how to solve them. As far as inspection trips go I would say 3 should do it. (Four if you have a consultant) 1 Chief 1 Mechanic or skilled operator 1 Trustee or "check writer" These members should be be well versed on the specs and what it is you're looking to buy since as committee members they developed them

I have often heard people question the wisdom of sending firefighters into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11th. It is not their fault, these people simply do not understand that firemen do what they do because they must, for without their actions lives would be lost. So much is made of the losses that fateful Tuesday 13 years ago and that is as it should be, but when looking back at that terrible day in New York let us not forget that the sacrifice of the 343 brave FDNY firefighters lost and the actions of their comrades who survived directly saved the lives of over ten thousand people, TEN THOUSAND!!!!. So in the midst of all the sadness and anger that comes with this day let us also remember that those 343 lives were not lost in vain. I will never forget you, the 343, and all you gave, your sacrifice gave life to thousands, THANK YOU!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_n_...ature=youtu.be

Yes, it is out of service indefinitely. As of now it will be replaced with a new 95' Aerialscope

Should all fire trucks carry water?...NO

We'll be there with a rig. Unfortunately for us and lucky for the rest of you, no competitions this year for BFD....

Depends on the circumstances.

We can nit pick to the end of time and relate stories of how many times family members or visible indicators were wrong, but the bottom line to me is we assume every...EVERY...structure is occupied until we KNOW differently, the only questions then become how, when and where should I act if shorthanded. More often than not the fire and the situation regarding further resources will dictate the answers to those questions. No matter the choice though, once the decision has been reached we have to live (and yes maybe even die) with the consequences of it. I would no more want to have to inform a member's family that their loved one has perished because of rash actions than anyone else, but by the same token I wouldn't want to have to inform that family whose home was just ravaged by fire that their baby or husband or wife perished because I didn't act when I could have.

Nor is it my take, as far as I'm concerned we are discussing the various interpretations of when to violate 2 in 2 out and why, not debating. And like FireMedic I do not see anywhere in the previous posts anyone advocating fighting a fire with only 4 -6 members for the duration. Something we'd all do well to remember though is that all of us can only draw on our own experiences, so when I envision the scenarios we discuss they are of course seen through the eyes of my own situation. It is almost a certainty that I would never be faced with a situation where only 4 members we available to fight a fire entirely by themselves, but maybe others are in that boat including Dino. That said I will pose this question to Dino and the rest of the group: You arrive at your typical good working fire (smoke and fire showing from multiple windows of a typical structure in your area) with signs of occupancy visible but only two or three members and additional resources still a good 10 minutes away, would you stand fast or attempt entry in this situation where 2 in 2 out is not met and a known life hazard may exist? And why?

B, I understand that the cars in the driveway/garage scenario is a somewhat dubious fact to hinge your actions on, but I would venture that those cars being there means a better than 50/50 shot someone's inside. Of course alot of other factors play into it as well, factors which are a normal part of a size up. Ultimately the decision to enter would be based on the probability that someone might be alive under the conditions present and my ability to reach and remove them. There is no clear cut black and white answer. For me personally, if I strongly suspect, based on all the information I have, that someone is viable I will make every reasonable effort and use all the tools at my disposal to get to them and get them out.

We apply the concept at every fire unless there is a known life hazard, which I take to mean visible signs of occupancy such as: Car(s) in the driveway/garage Open doors with no one outside Open/broken windows with screens/broken glass on the ground under them/nearby Report from bystanders/neighbors/family members/co-workers of trapped occupants Verbal confirmation via phone or other means from the trapped occupants themselves Confirmation by FD members that occupants were seen within the structure In days past I had a somewhat more liberal policy regarding when to side step 2 in 2 out. Basically, fires without a known life hazard could be attacked using a variety of tactics such as: Transitional attack Direct attack on small or single room fires Interior exposure protection/confinement (the next room/adjacent area could be considered an exposure) to buy time and reduce fire spread But only under the right circumstances in which certain variable are known such as: Size and location of fire Type of material involved Building construction Experience level of personnel Difficulty in accessing fire area and maintaining escape route

Firemedic is correct, I think we are not on the same page or there is a misunderstanding. My original post in which I stated 2 in 2 out was overkill was in reference to the initial phase of an incident, that first few minutes when 2 firefighters CAN make a difference if they are free to act and do so. In subsequent posts I noted a few of my own experiences where such action did make a difference in "violation" of the rule along with a video which shows just what a few guys can do under the right circumstances by relying on their own training, experience and wits. To be fair though 2 in 2 out can be circumvented in the event of an imminent threat to life, so the actions of the crew in the video were not a violation of the law and I trust if any of us were in a similar situation we would do just as they did. And let me be clear in case I misrepresented my view, I have not, I do not and I will not ever advocate undertaking anything without adequate personnel, other than initial actions to save life or under certain circumstance property. I do not know where the notion of 3 or 4 guys handling an entire job by themselves comes from, but I for one have never advocated for that. I think FAST is a great and useful concept which should be present at every fire and in light of that the skills to accomplish that mission should be incorporated regularly into every firefighters training. What I do have a problem with is the idea that the fireground can be regulated to make it "safe" and this is based in the simple fact that the fireground is a dynamic and ever changing environment where flexibility and the freedom to act immediately, using one's own knowledge, experience, training and intuition, is imperative.

Fellow Contributors, I serve as the Chairman of our department's Strategic Planning Committee and our committee is currently developing a series of proposals designed to increase our membership and it's effectiveness. For my part and that of the sub-committee I'm on, we are tasked with looking at incentives plans. Now I know full well that the jury is out on the success of such plans, but we are researching various options in an effort to determine what, if any, may be useful in our situation. OK so now that the back story is out of the way, I'm asking anyone here who is a member of a department that has incentives to please PM me here with some basic info on the plans and programs they have such as type (tax abatement, LOSAP, beach sticker ect ect) and criteria (how are they managed and audited) and also if possible with contact info for the administrators of them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all

Here's a video of what appears to be a rescue affected by 1 FF http://www.statter911.com/2011/09/27/must-see-video-mogadore-ohio-house-fire-with-apparently-wo-rescued/

I do not on hand but I will endeavor to track some down. What I do know is that on a number of occasions the actions of guys with only two or three on the crew (and thus no 2 out) did affect a significant reduction in property damage due to quick and aggressive action on well involved fires (multiple rooms)....including four cases off the top of my head which I myself was party to. btw Dino I enjoy your thought provoking posts as well.