FFPCogs

Just want to take a moment to say HAPPY 238th BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!! and post this reminder of what today is really all about: IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

I am truly fortunate to have been born in this great country and I am forever grateful for all that she has given me and my family. I stand proud to call myself an American and salute our flag and all it represents.

This article speaks for itself, so I'll just let it..... http://www.backstepfirefighter.com/2...-dave-leblanc/

I copy and pasted this topic I started on another site. Sites like this are useful in may ways and one of the most rewarding is in the sharing of information such as tactics, equipment and the like. Now there are a few things that I really enjoy in life beyond my family, which I love immeasurably, among these are fighting fires, yeah I really do LOVE fighting fires, playing music and cooking (and eating too of course). So I got to thinking I'm sure there are alot of other firehouse chefs among our contributors here and if any of you are anything like me I'm sure you're always in search of an idea for a good meal with the crew (or your family and friends) to break the mealtime monotony. To that end I thought I'd start this thread as a place to share recipes and broaden our culinary horizons, (and those of our fellow FFs who enjoy the fruits of our firehouse kitchen labors)...after all who doesn't like a good meal!! To get the ball rolling I'm offering up one of my more recent concoctions inspired by my time in the sandbox which I call Harissa grilled chicken with rice and cucumber/tomatoe salad. The following recipe may seem a bit labor intensive but trust me it's a piece of cake and delicious. I've amended it to serve four and it takes about 1 1/2 hours total to prepare and serve. I should warn you that all of the measurements below are approximate, (I don't often measure anything when I cook), so adjust as necessary for your own taste. Ok so here goes: Ingredients: For the harissa: 3 red bell peppers cut in half and seeded (reserve 1/4 of one pepper for the rice) 1 jalapeno pepper cut in half and seeded 1 poblano pepper cut in half and seeded 1 habanero pepper cut in half and seeded (this is only for those who like the heat in their food as well as on the fireground) 1 Tbsp olive oil juice of half a lemon 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/4 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp tumeric 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper 3 Tbsp fresh mint 2 Tbsp scallion tops roughly chopped 5 cloves garlic To prepare the harissa: Roast all the peppers under the broiler (or grill them) until the skins have blackened. Remove from heat place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Once cooled remove the skins and discard them. Place pepper flesh and all the remaining ingredients in a food processor and pulse grind until a paste is formed and all the ingredients are thoroughly combined (about 10 -12 pulses). Let sit for at least 1/2 hour (harissa will hold for about 3 weeks in the fridge so this step can be done at home and held until you're ready to use it) For the Chicken: 1 pkg (8) chicken thighs (skin on if you can bone them, skinless if you can't or are trying to eat healthier) 1Tbsp olive oil juice of half a lemon To prep the chicken: Remove bones from chicken thighs and discard. Place boned chicken in a large bowl (or container) add olive oil, lemon juice and harissa. Mix marinade on chicken to coat all pieces evenly and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour (more if possible). ps. I use thighs for this recipe because they are more flavorful and stay moist. You can substitute whichever cuts you like For the salad: 1 seedless cucumber cubed (about 1/2") 3 plum tomatoes cubed (same as cuc) 1/2 a small red onion cubed (same same) 3 celery stalks cut into 1/2 pieces (optional) 2 gloves garlic minced 2 Tbsp mint leaves coarsely chopped 1 tsp salt 1/2 tbs coarse ground black pepper juice of half a lemon While chicken marinates cut all the vegetables for the salad and combine. Let sit for 15 minutes and then drain. Add garlic, mint, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice and toss to coat. Place in refrigerator until service. For the rice: 1 cup basmati rice 1 clove garlic minced 1/4 of a red bell pepper (reserved from harissa) 1/4 tbs coarse ground black pepper 1 Knorr chicken bullion cube 2 cups water remainder of scallion bunch (roots removed) Finely slice about 1 Tbsp of scallion from the bottom of the bunch (white part) and mince garlic. Finely slice the remaining scallion tops (about 1/4 cup) and finely dice the 1/4 of a red bell pepper. Reserve for later use Combine water, black pepper and bullion in a small pot and bring to a boil While water is coming to the boil, add olive oil, sliced scallion bottoms and garlic to an oven safe pot and sautee over medium high heat for 2 minutes, reduce heat to low and add rice and tumeric and sautee for another 2 minutes stirring constantly to coat all of the rice and turn it yellow (don't let rice burn, if water hasn't boiled turn off heat). Once water mixture has boiled add it to the sauteed rice/garlic/scallion, cover and place in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. (If you don't have an oven safe pot use a medium sized aluminum pan and cover (12x10ish) to cook the rice after everything has been sauteed as described above. Remove rice after 25 minutes, add finely diced red bell pepper and scallion tops and mix thoroughly. While rice is cooking, grill* the chicken over medium high heat skin side down for about 5 minutes, (if chicken starts to burn reduce heat), flip and continue grilling until thoroughly cooked (about another 5 minutes depending on thickness of the thighs). *If no grill is available chicken can be broiled in the oven after the rice has finished cooking. Plate and serve with warm pita bread. Enjoy!!! More to come......

That's because there never was any logic to it to begin with. The "plan" has always been about ToR getting the people they want working in their two houses...and in the short term that just what they're going to get.

Anyone seen these yet. http://mashable.com/2014/06/05/fire-hydrant/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfZ3dqemdta2pneHQweDI4ciJ9

Good short and to the point article that reinforces the words of the late Andrew Fredericks: "If you put the fire out there's no reason to jump out of windows" http://community.fireengineering.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1219672:BlogPost:596767

Yes I would say that will be the likely outcome, at least for ToR. Now whether or not this ultimately helps or hinders any of the other local volunteer departments remains to be seen. There is the possibility that the other VFDs may see a surge of sorts in membership if some of the remaining ToR members become disgruntled or redundant and seek to serve elsewhere.

40+ current volunteers were given interviews by the Fire Commission, 8 of those were "promoted" to the career section and paid status pending the successful completion of CPAT and a 13 week local academy.

And now the latest installment from the riveting, edge of your seat drama that is Stamford's Fire Service: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Hiring-of-volunteer-firefighters-sparks-5536785.php

Two of my uncles came ashore in France on D-Day, one at Utah beach and one at Omaha. Both made it through unscathed. My father came over about a month later and along with my uncles that were already there joined in the liberation of France. A fourth uncle had been pretty severely wounded earlier in 1944 by a sniper at Anzio in Italy and had been sent home while a fifth was out in the Pacific preparing to invade the Japanese held island of Saipan about a week later. By a twist of fate shortly after my father arrived in France he ran into one of my uncles as their units crossed paths. My uncle's unit was on their way back from the front as my father's unit was moving up to it. They were able to spend some time together and wish each other well but like most families none of them would see each other again until wars end some 10 months later. D-Day June 6, 1944 remains the greatest seaborne invasion in history, and an achievement without equal. I can only stand in awe of the tremendous courage, fortitude and perseverance of not only my father and his brothers, but of all of those men of the "greatest generation" who, by their blood and sacrifice, fought and won the most destructive, costly and horrendous war in all of human history. They earned us the freedom we enjoy today so to all of them, living and dead, I say most sincerely...THANK YOU!! God Bless America!.

I agree that we must constantly look at ourselves to see what is going wrong...or maybe it's better put to say, look at what we can do better. I think that is the point of Mr. Rhodes' blog. I happen to agree with him that in some cases we are emphasizing the bail out/self rescue aspects of our job over honing and perfecting the most basic of fireground evolutions....stretching the line. No matter what every working fire gets a line stretched and it is the first line that makes or breaks the fire. Fact is, more lives are saved, including more FFs lives, by proper and timely hose selection and placement than by any other means, so shouldn't the skills necessary to get the right amount of the right hose to the right place be practiced accordingly? I believe they should and I also believe that this is not always the case. Now that's not to say self survival training isn't important, God knows it is and it should be practiced regularly...there are a good number of FFs walking around today that prove that...but that training should be balanced with constant training to ensure that every aspect of the most basic and necessary evolution that we do at every fire is done well at every fire. I think it's a safe to say that some, maybe many, FDs have let the basic skills of hose work slip because of the fact that they are basic skills and it's assumed everyone is well versed at performing them. The truth is that's not always the case and I would bet my last dollar that every FD has had cases that prove that point (i.e. short stretches, wrong sized line, line in the wrong place, not enough manpower dedicated to placing the line...I think you get the idea). Maybe instead relying on standards, or spending hour after hour learning how to "save ourselves" we could put some of that time to better use learning how to not get ourselves in a position to need those techniques in the first place. And the most basic and simplest way to do that (and save the most lives) is to be masters of hose work. As Mr. Fredericks so eloquently put it "If you put the fire out there's no reason to jump out of windows."

As we all prepare celebrate Memorial day 2014 with barbecues, parades and a day off I thought it might be fitting to put this day in perspective with a few facts. 1) Memorial Day was originally known a Decoration Day because it was a day when family and friends would gather to decorate the graves of the fallen as a remembrance. Food was often taken along and set out on sheets in the grass to foster a sense of community. 2) While the first Decoration Day events were held after the American Civil War in both the North and South, Waterloo New York was officially credited by Congressional act in 1966 as the birthplace of the tradition 3) A day set aside to remember the sacrifices of those lost became a national event in 1868 4) The term Memorial Day was first used in 1882 although for many the older term of Decoration Day remained in use until after World War 2. Memorial Day became the official name by Federal law in 1967 5) Traditionally Memorial Day is May 30. This along with 3 other holidays was changed to a specified Monday in 1971 by Federal law to allow for convenient 3 day weekends. 6) On Memorial Day, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. The half-staff position remembers those who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon, their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all. 7) And most important of all: Since the birth of our great nation 1,321,612 Americans have given their lives to protect our freedoms and defend our country. We owe them all a debt that we can never repay. But we can and should remember. So before we drink that beer or eat that burger let us take just a moment to honor their memory and their sacrifice by saying thank you. To all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. Thank you for your service and thank you for my freedom God bless America.

Please, take the 20 minutes and watch the attached video. I was left speechless and in awe of MSG Benavidez...as I'm sure all of you will be too.

Got this on FB and found it to be one of the best troop commercials I've ever seen...and recognition that's long overdue if you ask me. Thanks to all who serve and all who have served http://americanmilitarynews.com/2014...xpected-twist/

Great anecdote from a retired Deputy Chief of the Syracuse FD. Best line in the story: "Because if you don't have company esprit d'corp...if you don't think you're good, no one else will...and these guys were good" http://videos.syracuse.com/post-stan...the_meani.html

Here's the latest if anyone cares.... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/City-Turn-of-River-settle-litigation-5425618.php

Well that's definitely a sh!t schedule that's for sure, but hey when you work for someone you work FOR them, so they get to set the rules...and apparently in this case the arbitration board feels the same way. I wish the guys in DC the best of luck with the courts, better to fight and lose than not to have fought at all....as I always say, failure to try guarantees only one thing....failure.

The judges are reviewing the quotes to see just what was said...the air is thick with anticipation of their decision, there's alot riding on the outcome. This could finally put the debate of paid vs volunteer to rest.... OK looks like they've reached a decision......let's get back to the ring for the English Professor's call.... "After reviewing the quotes, we have reached a decision... Actually what was said is "people who work (or volunteer)"...people being the noun (i.e. who) and work or volunteer being the verb (i.e what they are doing), so this round goes to dave0820"!! So there you have it folks, in an unexpected 3 to 2 call, the judges have confirmed that volunteers ARE people. Wow what drama.............

Just want to take a moment to say Happy Easter and Happy Passover to all who celebrate them out there.

There's a time and place for everything, especially in a world full of camera phones and the internet, and you don't have to be a delusional vollie to figure that out.

Respect, for authority, for tradition, for others, for yourself and for just about anything else is something that should be ingrained at a young age. There was a time when it was in the home that you learned these things, then with both parents working and time a precious commodity it fell to schools, churches and the like to teach these things. Then came political correctness and the "everybody's a winner" mentality...and now society is reaping the fruits of sowing those seeds. As I said before we can't do much about that really, other than raise our own children to understand respect and conduct themselves appropriately. But we sure as hell can "enlightened" the uneducated or ignorant about the kind of conduct and behavior we expect in our firehouses. It's no different than the experience, knowledge and fireground prowess "senior guys" are expected to and do pass down newer members about the work. I'm by no means the coddling type, but If a guy doesn't understand what respect means or how to conduct himself because "society" or mommy and daddy never showed him, well than we need to take them by the hand and show them ourselves. It is up to us to put in the effort keep traditions alive, or more to the point here, to set the standard for conduct and teach that standard clearly to everyone from the moment the walk through the door for the first time. From there, as FirNaTine says, we have to police ourselves firmly and fairly, along with practicing what we preach, to ensure our members conduct themselves in manner befitting the uniform they wear and the service they represent.

Sadly much of the fire service etiquette seems to be slowly fading away. And those of us who have been around awhile are to blame. If we look the other way when members act disrespectfully or distastefully then the fault lies with us, the "older guys" who should know better. I more often than not find myself at odds with both the younger members and the admin of my FD, as I always speak up and see to it that the nonsense stops when members Facebook or Twitter or act disrespectfully at solemn or formal occasions. When such situations arise I hear the standard lament, "it's not 1980 anymore, it's a different time, you can't expect guys to act like they did years ago, wah wah wah, blah blah blah. I'm so f><king tired of that lame ass BS excuse. As I see it here's the deal, there is a right way and there is a wrong way to conduct yourself when in uniform and that goes doubly so for when we're present at funerals or other significant events. I think many will agree, but I also think that beyond agreeing we have to act when we see the wrong way happening...if we don't who will. I joined my first FD at 16 and believe me, my friends and I were hellions in the extreme. The older members made it clear what was and what was not acceptable....just as it had been made clear to them before us...and they made sure we learned exactly what that meant. I truly am thankful I had men like that around to show me the way...and sometimes do more than just show...because I came out a better person and a far better fireman for it. No matter how many volumes of the latest new age, progressive, politically correct management theory drivel is shoved down my throat I KNOW that what I learned and how I learned it is what works best and is the right thing. Society might be crumbling all around us and there may not be a helluva lot we can do about it outside our world, but in our world we still have control...so when guys need straightening out it's up to us to do just that. 10, 15, 20 years from now those same guys will be thankful we did

You're right to the extent that in 2014 very few FDs or municipalities have the money to invest in the development of robotic firefighters. But remember, when the technologies first became available for things like cell phones and computers or TIC's' and SCBA it was the military that spearheaded the research and development of them as they too were thought to be "too expensive" to be practical for widespread use....and now just a scant 30 or so years later they are the norm. Same for manufacturing, how many assembly lines once staffed by people are now automated? Ultimately it all depends on if there's a market for such a system, and I would say that within a relatively short time that market will develop and flourish as politicians and the safety zealots realize that robotic FFs offer them a host of cost and operational "benefits" over humans. Add to that a fire service increasingly populated by generations weened on technology and quite comfortable with it, if not dependent on it, and it's a safe bet that there will even be a drive within our own ranks to place automatons into service. Looking into my crystal ball I see a not too distant future where robots are commonplace in many FDs, there to do the jobs deemed "too dangerous" for humans....like enter burning buildings.... .

While a long way off it seems,as the technology progresses I think there are a number of differences that would make the bean counters drool. Cost plus maintenance per unit as opposed to salaries, overtime, sick days, medical insurance and pensions per FF. They'll only need a 1/4 of the workforce. 24/7 coverage by one crew of robotics, not four crews of people with their egos, arguments and disciplinary problems. Tell it what to do and it does it, a boss' dream. A guy just starting out today may just have a few T2000s on his engine backing him up before he's done. Thankfully I'll be long out of the game by the time R2D2 and his pals are riding my rigs.