mfc2257

Any time a working fire is confirmed either by the caller or by the first arriving units, a BLS unit should be detailed to the job including but not limited to: structure fires, brush fires, trash fires etc....... THIS IS COMMONPLACE in most areas of our country, yet Westchester county continues to operate in some back closet where I/C's call for stuff long after the need has already been established. The every department in the county should be running off of box cards and all their apparatus needs should all be preplanned by emergency type and alarm level including EMS at scenes for FF safety.... Again something that is commonplace everywhere else, but in Westchester the vast majority of the departments let their chiefs call for apparatus after the fact like captains choosing dodgeball teams in the school yard.

That's for sure. It is a derelict city that can collect little or no property tax and no one is buying goods and services there so sales tax probably isn't flowing either. The one money stream that I guarantee is flowing is the government assistance checks to the ne're-do-wells that continue to suck out what ever life is left in that place.

I don't think they're on a 5 year schedule. Many of the rigs getting replaced in the fleet in the current order are pushing 10 years.

Millwood has an in the ceiling setup for the twin big stacks on T-15 at station 2 for anyone who would like to see such a system.

The NY metro area and Westchester in particular in one of the most excessively supplied area with regard to apparatus. Just about any department in Westchester north of White Plains (with maybe the exception of North White Plains, Pocantico, and Archville) has more apparatus then they know what to do with. Several engines, a quint, and engine-tanker sit in many districts. On any given fire very few apparatus are actually used. They bring one or two members to the job and sit idle for hours. As usual I don't like to pick on other departments because I know people get their panties in a wad, so I'll single out my old department.... With two Class A pumpers, a Class A Pumper Tanker, a Quint, and a 750gpm Mini Attack with 1000ft of ldh and enough discharges to flow well over 1000gpm with a good supply, there is no reason why Millwood couldn't strip a pumper of any essential equipment (hurst tools, TIC, etc) and loan it out. They would still be left with four front line pumping apparatus and a heavy squad...... Plus the obvious mutual aid that is going to called regardless. I've been active with several non-NY area departments that borrow/lend apparatus several times a year. It's not like it's your family minivan.... It's a firetruck, it's insured, so is the department borrowing it.....

It really frustrates me that more departments in westchester aren't willing to loan apparatus. It is a relatively common practice elsewhere in the US.

Seth they're interesting but once you deploy it, you'll never re weave it. I have carried several different lengths over the years of similar sized rescue line in my gear. I place a figure 8 on a bite with a 250lb beener on one end then to make it compact I make a braid of slip knots out of the rest. The result is a device which can be quickly deployed by attaching the beener any mounting point, pulling the slip knots out and you're ready to go.

A squirt is an elevated water way constructed out of a boom. They really aren't intended to be used as truck companies even when they are equipped with a ladder mounted on the boom (think Aerialscope where the ladder is merely an escape route down the boom if the FF's cant get out of the bucket on the ground) as they have very small and low mounted handrails and other attributes that don't lend themselves to being regularly used to work off of. Some departments use them this way, but the ladder is really more for emergency evacuations and FF safety when needed. A straight stick is a true ladder where every aspect of its construction is intended for daily use and heavy work at a fire from the height of the hand rails, to tool mounting, oxygen supply, lighting, size of the rungs, and other safety features.

This absolutely kills me!!! Look at the tab title that LoHud has used to describe what happened. "Pace Slaying"... This rag has not one ounce of respect for LEO's.

The old Rescue 3 has been ridden hard and hung up wet for years.... I'm glad to see this purchase being made for the FF's who staff it as well as those to whom Rescue 3 renders aid. Am missing it on the site, or have they not released the bid requirements/specifications as of yet.

I would err on the side of caution here with regard to whether or not their is theft. I have reviewed the publicly available budget information going back several years, and in plain sight as a line item, the funds are listed each year with a very conspicuous title "Station 3 Construction Reserve". The district has essentially squirreled away spare change over the years so that they wouldn't have to get a vote from the taxpayers. The point that the district seems to be missing is that the money started in the pockets of the taxpayers. It didn't arrive under the Christmas tree every year as a $75,000 Home Depot gift card from Saint Nick. This is simply a case of smoke and mirrors..... The taxpayers said no when it went to referendum so the district made it a budget item. The only difference here is that instead of paying $75,000 a year in debt service and principal reduction on a note authorized by the tax payers, they use a $75,000 budget surplus to pre-fund the liability.... BUT it still comes from the taxpayer. If the taxpayers said no then each property owner should receive a pro rata reduction in property taxes for the amounts set aside by the district. Again, this is not a rant against the firefighters of the Yorktown Fire Department. I will be the first to say that for the better part of a decade, I couldn't stand most of the commissioners of the Millwood Fire District. They made poor decision after poor decision with negative taxpayer sentiment growing with each ill conceived move. There is plenty to be learned from what has gone on with Millwood's attempt to build a new headquarters over the past 15 years. But those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it..... I digress........

There is no assumption of privacy for an incident that occurs in public therefor I believe (theoretically) that HIPPA does not apply.

The PennSTAR Agusta is an AW109 which is roughly half the size of the AW139 that MSP is purchasing and nearly the same size as the Dauphin that they are replacing.

In a previous life, I worked extensively with MSP aviation, specifically Trooper 2 (Andrew's AFB) and Trooper 3 (Frederick, MD). These guys are amongst the busiest emergency services aviators in the US with Trooper 2 at one point (possibly still today) being the busiest air medical unit in the country. (On a side note, lets not forget the crew of Trooper 2 that was lost in a severe weather related crash while on approach to the AFB to meet a ground unit not long ago) These guys are often the only folks that are in the air during adverse weather conditions. They also respond on a regular basis over state lines into PA, WV, VA, and in the District. Many times they are the only bird available to major incidents where multiple patients need to be transported. This may be one of the reasons for the larger airframe. They are truly a multi role aviation unit and thus the size of the Dauphin may not fit their growing LE, S&R, and air medical needs moving forward. MSP Aviation Command operates 7 units with 11 airframes (one is actually based out of a tiny outcrop of WV that shoots into MD). The order is only for 6 new birds. I'm wondering if one of the Dauphins is going to stay in service or if they are eliminating a unit.

The Yorktown Fire District's southern lines are drawn in a manor that do not protect the citizens within its boundaries. I don't know many who will argue that Yorktown is a bad fire department. On the contrary, every time I've worked with them I've thought that they are professional, extremely well trained, and well staffed. At the same time, no one can argue that the membership base for the YFD is located north of the reservoir. There are areas of the district that are less than a mile from either of the Millwood stations where Millwood's membership is strong and able to respond within a timely manor. There are several areas that come to mind like the area of Shinglehouse Road in front of IBM where the YFD district begins, it's a mile from Millwood Station 1 and saturated with Millwood firefighters. On the other hand you can place a YFD substation on Rt134 a similar distance away that is in an area void of YFD firefighters. So maybe they'll get one or two members that live close, but by 2 in 2 out standards that apparatus will be useless until the remainder of their members arrive from north of the reservoir. The answer here is to share a little more and spend a little less. Yes as the lines are drawn, it is Yorktown's responsibility to provide protection to the ares south of the reservoir. Apparatus located in the vicinity without an abundance to staff that apparatus in a timely manor does not satisfy that responsibility. I would argue that responding from YFD HQ with a full crew that will be completely dressed and packed up when they arrive is more efficient than members driving their POV the same distance to arrive at a station and still have to don their PPV and respond in apparatus to the scene. For many years MFC has indicated that they would respond to incidents on a dual response basis south of the reservoirs in conjunction with YFD. This same method works very well for Briarcliff and Millwood on the TSP south of Rt 100 where both are dispatched and those who are in need of aid receive it in a timely manor. I'm sure a similar arrangement can be worked out between MFC and YFD and even include a "mutual aid member" status for any YFD members who are in the area when a call comes in to respond on/with Millwood apparatus.

The VA

Why spoil a perfectly good Scope by putting a pump on it? That's like going to a high end steak joint and smothering a $40 slab of cow flesh with sauce!!!! Jokes aside, were/are there any Scope/quints in the metro area? Pleasantville's I thought had a pump but no tank or hose which disqualify it from quint/quad classification.

Thanks for the correction... I got my info second hand from some folks that worked with Larry on an ISO project down south.

With regard to Fallon... They hired a now deceased consultant who brought many departments from lower ratings to ISO 1. In addition to the consultants work and their dedication to staffing, much of their in-town rating of ISO 1 is attributable to apparatus design... Although their rigs wouldn't work well for a typical urban department, they work very well in the middle of the Nevada desert. The core of their fleet is 2 CAFS pumper tankers, and 2 pumper tankers with 75foot tele-squirts mounted on them. In addition they have a slew of 3500 gallon tankers/tenders and standard pumpers. I'll try to post some pics.

Too funny!

Fruehauf, White, and Smith Brothers Body teamed to build it.

There are certain states and commonwealths in our country what will not allow certain types of local governments to levy a fire tax.... So you either have a local department that is supported via donations and fund raising activities (fairs, bingo, dinner nights, etc.) by a community that is diligent in making sure that fire protection is available OR you have a subscription service. It's draconian but in some areas of our country that are sparsely populated a subscription service is the only way to create ample fire protection.

This topic has been discussed before and I honestly don't have a problem in rural areas where subscription fire protection exists but here are a few things that come to my mind. 1: If the person's house has a mortgage on it, I can't believe that the lien holder didn't require them to carry homeowners insurance. Depending on the loan to value, many times it must be escrowed along with municipal taxes as per the terms of the note. 2: I believe it is the responsibility of the agency, to the best of their ability, to insure that there is no human life in danger (trapped or otherwise) at a fire where the homeowner has not paid into the subscription service. 3: I believe that if the homeowner has not specifically declined/refused to pay the subscription then the department should make all good faith attempts to extinguish the fire in the event that the property has recently changed hands or if it is in receivership or probate. 4 I believe that the department should be required to educate the community as to the nature of the subscription and to get a signature declining the service from each lien/property holder that doesn't want protection for their property. I also believe that it is the municipalities responsibility to inform new owners upon closing on property that a subscription only service for fire protection exists.

I was in south Miami the other day and a similar Broward County SO car leading three pink pumpers down the freeway passed us under MC escort.

The lone commenter on the article has the right idea. It is too costly to modify this route so better signage and a pre-bridge height warning of chains hung to 10 ft 7in will do the trick.... This technique is cheap and used in parking garages, and tunnels all over the metro NY area.