mfc2257

I personally don't think that many of the changes that are made to the equipment location in fire apparatus are really necessary. I personally feel that it is very important for every MOS that is riding on a piece of apparatus to have an SCBA in their seating location including the driver. At this point in history, as FF's we are asked to respond to many calls that can seemingly be routine, but upon arrival we find that chemicals, hazards, etc require quick action for us to protect ourselves. An SCBA that is instantly available to all personnel on the rig is the first line of defense to protect ourselves. Removing SCBA's from the cab will not have a major impact on safety. The riding in a piece of fire apparatus doesn't need to feel like riding in a Town Car. Modern SCBA seats are designed to allow the FF or officer to pack up and wear their seatbelt when they are done. They don't have to be as comfortable as our POV's. NOW the problem is that people just don't put their seat belt on when they are done packing up. It would be preferable for everyone to have all their gear on before they pull out of the station so that all that remains is to put on thier shoulder straps, waist strap, seat belt. Removing SCBA's from the cab is not solving the real problem.

Small engine concept is still very important. This was recognized in Millwood in 1990 when the Mini Attack was purchased. It comes close to meeting engine specs Ford F-350 Standard Cab 4x4 750gpm single stage hale 150gal water 25gal Class B 1000 feet 4inch This unit was purchased when the old GMC which at various points in time was called E-246, MA-10, and once the Lukas tool was purchased it was renamed R-36. This unit was broken out into the current R-36 Ford L-9000 Heavy Rescue and the Current MA-10 listed above. MA-10 has been the main fire attack unit at several large fires in the Millwood, Northern Westchester Area at properties that have gated driveways or other difficult approaches. Most recently, it supplied a 5inch line at the Kings College Fire in Briarcliff that was stretched by Chappaqua/Millwood FD by hand aproximately 800feet up the hill through the woods from the draft site below.

I went through the same list of knots 14 years ago when I was going though essentials (preparing for FF1 which I knew I would need when I went to college a year later) at 16 years old. Cut several pieces of rope into 24 inch sections (you won't always need that much, but when you are learning you tend to use more rope then necessary). Take two sections of rope (several knots require joining two seperate pieces of rope) and leave them in places where you spend idle time and can practice. Several places that I found useful were: Bathroom for when mother nature isn't in a very big hurry In front of the TV for when commercials interrupt your shows Car for when you're in traffic At your job / school locker At the fire house near your gear rack for when you are hanging out Also print the instructions for completing each knot and leave them with each pair of rope sections that you've strategically placed.... Each an every chance you have to tie a knot, do it..... You'll get it.... Also, when you have a moment after you've mastered your knots, ask someone or look up on line how to make a swiss seat out of a length of rescue rope... Combined with an upper body tie off, you can create your own rescue harness with much of the same knowledge that comes from the figure 8 on a bite. Although I haven't had to use it, I know brothers who have either for themselves or for a civilian.

Unfortunately I've got 5 movies in a dead tie... I can't narrow it down... Some were made before I was born.. Animal House Blues Brothers Slap Shot Battle of the Bulge The Dirty Dozen I have had this problem of trying to weed out a few since I was 13 years old. Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to fix it any time soon.

I stopped reading the posts on this thread after a while. I simply can't believe that there is a paid vs vollie argument going on here. Paid providers exist where they are needed due to demand, staffing, and territory. Vollies are still covering areas that they have the capacity to handle. PVAC is still more than capable of covering their territory. I know this because they took my grandmother to the hospital the evening before thanksgiving and they arrived with a full crew in less than five minutes. Their crew was exceptional and included a husband/wife combo, a younger girl that appeared to be an attendant and a driver. ON THE OTHER HAND Pudd1 is owed an apology. He didn't imply anything. He merely asked a question that vollies have been asked for years..... How much mutual aid do you GIVE and RECIEVE. That doesn't imply a damn thing. Even the career departments in Westchester cant handle a typical structure fire on their own (Yonkers, New Rochelle, White Plains, Mt. Vernon excluded for minor structure fires)... Fairview, Greenville, Rye, Harrison, PC, Pelham, Mohegan, etc etc etc combo, career, or other call for mutual aid. Don't kill the guy because he asked how your calls break down. Get off the career vs vollie thing. In case anyone hasn't noticed.... There have been Vollies and Career FF's working together in Westchester since the early 1900's. Not just in Yonkers either... Mohegan's first career FF began working before WWII if I'm not mistaken.... Regardless, the Vollies are still covering their territories and the Career guys are still needed where the bells ring 10-12 times a day. It's life. GET OVER IT.

I would assume you're replying to my novel written above... No problem, to be honest I'm a little overpassionate about it because I spent several great years of my life involved in the combination fire service spanning the counties from Southern PA, DC & Baltimore Metro Maryland, & DC Metro Virginia (sounds like a big area to be familiar with, but it's only about sixty miles from Southern, PA through the Baltimore & DC Metro areas into Northern, VA.) I still have a bunch of friends down there who are active as Vollies, Live-ins, or Career Firefighters spanning that area. It really is a system (group of systems by county that is) that work very very well. I've always had a hope that the NY Metro area would move in that direction from an orginizational standpoint (not just live-ins or combo stations but the whole organization of a county fire service.... Just because the county takes administrative control of policy doesn't mean that the individual companies lose thier autonomy it just makes them work together more effectively) It's hard to invision how seemless everything works down there without actually being part of it for a few years. Anyone who has an opportunity to go ride in PG County, Baltimore County, Montgomory County, Fairfax County, Louden County, Anne Arundel County, etc I would jump on it.

I agree that battery powered devices have a tendency to run out of juice at bad times... Often after all the spare charged batteries have already been used.... On a side note, I know that DeWalt has a unit that will convert its 24v units to corded power once you are out of battery packs. It is a unit that plugs into the DeWalt device just like a battery pack, but then runs corded to a 120v AC source. A good backup. I always made it a strong point during training, to make sure that there are backup means in place to finish a job. A car accident for example... If I was the officer on the rig, I expected that my initial crew would begin to work with the cutters, spreaders, cribbing, etc that were our best and quickest option to free those who were entrapped. I also was sure to have someone setting up all the backup equipment as well. That ment, that the gas fired hydraulic unit was out and had been started/warmed up, that the port-a-power was out and was tested to ensure that it was full of fluid and functional, the air chisel was out and attached to a regulator and air tank, and the corded backup equipment (sawzalls) were out of their cases attached to cord reels and had fresh blades in them, etc. Just my two cents... but I don't think that it should be assumed at any incident, that a battery powered device is going to be able to fully complete all tasks from begninning to end. I've seen them run out of juice and spare battery packs too often.

I've commented on this a few times before but for review..... Live in's essentially are FF's who live in small quarters that are built into the fire station. Liken it to a college dorm "single" in most cases although at some stations they utilize military style bunk rooms or partner folks up as roomates. Typically these folks are exceptional firefighters who are willing to trade the freedom of living in their own appartment or home (and all of the incurred costs that go with it) and live at the fire house. The most notable live in programs in the US surround the Washington DC area. Prince Georges County is probably the most noted in discussion. You can visit for examples www.34box.com for the Chillim-Adelphi Station 34 in PG County or www.kentland33.com for Kentland Station 33 in PG County or www.cpvfd.org for College Park (University of Maryland) Station 12. These three as well as many others have strong live in programs. Some stations are covered solely by vollies others by a combination of career and vollie crews. The rules are set in the by-laws and sog's just like they are for any other fire department activity. You need to make a certain percent of calls in order to maintain your live in status, and obviously you are responsible for station duty and cleaning. Each department will be slightly different, but there are usually strict 8 hour or more no drinking policies before stepping on a rig as well as restrictions on having guests or significant others spending the night. As many folks including myself have said before, the fire service (both vollie, career, and combo) in the DC metro area is quite a bit farther along in this process then anyone in the North East. People are quick to jump and pass judgement when they hear comments about live-in's, combo stations, county departments etc because they don't understand how it works... Fact of the matter is, there is a lot to be learned in Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and the remainder of the NYC metro area from the way the volunteer and career fire services in Baltimore, Prince Georges, Montgomory, Howard, Fairfax, Louden, Anne Arundel and other Counties that surround DC and Baltimore have been able to work together.

Is anyone familiar with how the Chicago Fire Department operates it's Squad Companies. It would appear that each company runs a short wheelbase HME Heavy Rescue (ex: Squad 5) as well as a short wheelbase HME Snorkel (ex: Squad 5a). Does each of the two squad apparatus assigned to each company have a full crew? Do they respond as a mated pair on all calls they are assigned to? What is is the purpose of the Snorkel or the theory behind it's use when the department runs a standard complement of aeriel and tower devices as well? There is very little online information about the Chicago Fire Department. It appears that there are at least 7 Squad Companies running this combination in the city, and it also looks like it's been in operation since the late 1950's. Aside from that there isn't much info. Any takers? Pictures can be found by going to: http://www.firegroundphotos.net/Chicago.htm Squad Co's 1, 2, 5 are shown with both apparatus.

In years past it has been a great idea to put a cascade on a rescue. Up until the late 1990's there were only a handful of mobile cascades in the county. Greenburgh Civil Defense, Millwood R-36, Buchannen's Utility, and (don't quote me) New Rochelle's Rescue (R-4 I believe) were the only units around. Then everyone started buying them or retrofitting their rigs with them. To my knowledge all of the following units now have air filling capacity... And I'm sure I'm missing one or two, not to mention Putnam/Fairfield County units that border Westchester Response Area. Millwood R-36 Briarcliff R-37 Yorktown R-16 Bedford Hills R-10 Katonah R-17 Chappaqua R-23 Irvington R-49 South Salem R-34 Town of Mamaroneck R-6 Larchmont R-1 Continential Village R-39 Irvington R-49 Buchanan U-12 Croton Falls.... I forget the # it is either Rescue or Utility 28 Yonkers U-21??????? Greenburgh Department of Civil Defense U-446 At this point, there are more than enough cascades in the county. With innovation in Truck / Engine bodies and the amount of available space on modern rigs, most departments can fit their extrication equipment, water rescue equipment, and other equipment onto Trucks and Engines and eliminate the need for a dedicated rescue truck unless some form of technical or specialty rescue equipment was carried thus necessitating extra space.

That is correct. Millwood does have riding positions. Most of the time, the officer will assign them based on the crew he has, but in the absence of an officer, the positions are set inside the jumpseat by a laminated card mounted on the wall infront of the jumpseats that indicates the positions, responsibilities, as well as the tools that each spot needs to carry. Most FF's know all the positions and shouldn't need to reference the list, but it is there for folks to review if needed or to help teach newer members. Firefighters are expected to leave the rig and immeadiately gather the tools to perform the function that they are assigned and either proceed to work via the pre arrival instructions of the Chief / OIC.... OR they are to stage at the most appropriate area for them to act if they are awaiting orders.... Regardless if it's a structure fire or alarm bells sounding.... Same preperation all the time.

Shortly after TL-27 went into service in Chappaqua, I asked them to come do a drill with us (Millwood) at Westorchard Elementary School where I held one of our annual ladder company operations drill. With the Telesquirt (E-245) and TL-27 side-by-side, we worked for a few hours on several evolutions. As of that time, Chappaqua appeared to be happy with the apparatus. There are a few Chappaqua officers that read these pages every once and again. I'm sure one will comment on the current opinion of TL-27 at some point. When we took delivery of E-248, there were a few snafu's that took some time to work out with the Sutphen East Corporation. Most of it wasn't Sutphens fault, it had to do with faulty equipment that was made by third parties such as the CAFS pump and the generator. As of right now, all the issues are worked out and the rig is apparently running great. I drove it to an alarm while I was home for Thanksgiving and checked all the old problems out from when I was Captain and there were no issues.

Chappaqua's Tower Quint is not the only one of it's type. Sutphen has manufactured small towers for years. THey used to make a 60+ footer as well. They also make mid mount quints (essentially Chappaqua's Tower without the bucket) which are great for districts with height restrictions on roads or bay doors. I'm not really sure why Yonkers wasn't thrilled with Sutphen rigs. The City of Orlando, FL runs Sutphens exclusively and has for decades. It would probably be easier to purchase E-One's since the factory is only 60 miles from Orlando, but they continue to purchase Sutphens. They have 15 front line engines in 14 stations) 6 or 7 90+ ft towers 1 Heavy Rescue (one of the biggest I've ever seen) 1 Hazmat Unit Several Spare Towers, Engines that are all Sutphens. They just took delivery of more apparatus to replace older rigs this year.

TL-14 in Mt. Kisco is a Sutphen 90+ foot tower TL-27 in Chappaqua is a Sutphen 75ft tower quint TL-38 in Sleepy Hollow is a Sutphen 90+ foot tower TL-2 in Port Chester is a Sutphen 90+ foot tower (don't quote me on the but I'm nearly positive) TL-1 in Thornwood is a Sutphen 90+ foot tower L-18 in Somers is a Sutphen 90+ foot tower TL-24 in Harrison is a Sutphen 90+ foot tower E-248 in Millwood is a Spartan Chassis with assembly completed by Sutphen (the Sutphen proprietary cab wouldn't fit in Station 1 due to height restrictions) Yonkers E-314 is a Sutphen (don't quote me on it, I know it used to be) as well as their Foam unit and at least 1 reserve engine As I think of more I'll add them.

Krystal is to the Southland as White Castle is to the North. Krystal sliders have mustard and a pickle instead of a White Castle belly bomber has ketchup. Definatly good.

Chic-Fil-A Closest one is to you all is in the Paramus Mall. Otherwise head south of the Mason Dixion and they are on every street corner. Fresh, best chicken fast food on the market.

Chappaqua E-145 has a 3inch hose reel. Not sure of the total length these days, but I've seen it make some faily impressive lays before. It's on an early '80's Mack M series. I've only seen one 5 inch hose reel before. Seminole County, FL E-27. I'll try and find a pic or two.

Don't assume that officers aren't teaching their guys what they need to do to be prepared. If I was riding the officers seat, each and every guy on the rig was ready to work, and knew their assignement. I trained with all my surrounding companies and knew that their guys were taught the right way but that didn't mean that every guy followed the rules and was ready to work when they stepped off their rig at one of my calls. You can't put the fire service in a box and think that each time you open it that it's going to come out the same way. That is why ambiguous phrases like "nothing showing" in my oppinion to more harm than good. All you need is one bad apple on a rig where there is no officer to say to the guys, "what are you wasting your time putting all that stuff on for, the Chief said there is "noting showing" it's just going to be BS"...

They don't need a paid department until the vollies can't do the job or aren't willing to. Currently this department has 3 engines with no less than 4 men each that are out the door in less than 3 minutes (usually before the tones are done dropping) and a truck with no less than 5 men. The career alternative for this in PG County would be 1 engine with 2 guys and the truck with 3 guys. Doesn't sound like a good trade off to me. Paid personnel should absolutely be introduced where they are needed to cover the load of calls. They should not be introduced into a territory where the volunteers have a consistant and strong history of not only covering all of their calls, but of smoking other companies into their own first due area for structure fires ard MVA's. PGCFD is a combination department. Certain stations are all career, some combo, some all vollie like Station 33. When or if the vollies at 33 can't support the call load, the county will place a career engine into the station. Station 12 (College Park) has a vollie engine (vollie owned), career engine (county owned), and a truck that is supported by both vollies and career guys (county owned). Station 34 (Chillum-Adelphi) has two engines and a tiller that are owned by the vollies but a county owned ALS unit with two career FF's on it. This part of the country is decades ahead of the northeast when it comes to integrating career personnel where they are needed. Most of the time, the career guys in PG county work very well with the vollies and consider them their peers and friends.

The people who live there are volunteer "live in's". They are folks that are willing to trade their expertise as FF's for a roof over their head. They live in small quarters and have a ton of passion for what they do. They are 100% volunteer and most years are listed as the 2nd busiest engine in the US next to D.C. E-10. They aren't as cocky as you might think. They are proud of what they do, and they get a lot of attention from folks who either want to learn from them, have fun with them, or just be their friends in the fire service. Yes car accidents are included in their numbers as well as BS calls like bells sounding, food on the stove, and pranks BUT I'm pretty familiar with the area, have ridden with them a few times and know a bunch of career guys that are employed by the county in stations that surround 33's first due.... They don't run a lot of BS. They are the real deal. They aren't padding their numbers.

I love how people retreat to the fight attitude on so many topics and start adding &%&*$@#@%$ and act if they are cursing at each other. Like it or not, the term Nothing Showing has created a sense of complacency with FF's over the years. So EMSJunkie, when you hear the first arriving unit transmit a Nothing Showing you might be smart enough to sit back and take a deep breath so that you can make sure you're ready for anything when you step off the rig, but what too many other FF's do is become lazy. They don't finish packing up, their gear isn't buttoned, their hood isn't on, they haven't discussed thier assignements on the jump seat, they don't have their flashlight, they don't know what tool they are pulling, the officer on the rig doesn't call for an assignment, the MPO doesn't look for the hydrant when he makes the last turn onto the street etc etc. There is nothing more frustrating as an officer than seeing guys step off the rig not ready to work. In my book, every time a rig pulls onto a scene, every member of that unit should be ready to work upon arrival. I don't care if it's bells sounding due to contractors setting off the alarm, food on the stove, or a fully involved OMD, unpreparedness is inexcusable. Nothing Showing transmissions over the years have led to unpreparedness. AND a more technical point. With modern construction we arrive at more and more reported fires where there isn't anything showing. Why... Insulation, double pane windows, central heating/AC, etc etc.... make houses more and more air tight every day... if the homeowner shut a few doors on his way out of the house there is a good chance that an entire section of a house could be involved and just waiting for more oxygen. You may arrive an nothing is showing, but the second someone makes entry there will be plenty showing.... And plenty of guys riding on the first due assignment who are thinking more about getting back to sleep as opposed to who's going to have the knob, forceable entry, OVM, roof man, hydrant, search... etc. Argue back and forth all you want, but until someone can get the folks that become complacent on the ball with the rest of us, the term Nothing Showing does more harm than good.

Nothing Showing shouldn't be used on the radio to describe what is going on. When the first unit arrives on location, if something is showing, they'll announce it. If they mark on location and say nothing else, then one would think that they are investigating the nature of the call. If and when they find the fire or lack there of, they'll place the box in service, or request that communications strike alarm for a working structure fire. Nothing showing adds ZERO value to any radio transmission, and can only serve to stand in the way if something does turn out to be wrong. Either something is on fire or its not. There is no room for grey area in the fire service, and the term nothing showing facilitates grey area.

Millwood ran two Macks. Most popular was the old E-245 which was a 1957 Mack B Model on a tandem axle. It was a 5 man fully enclosed cab with a 1000 gallon pump, 1500 gallon tank and one of the first (if not the first) prepiped foam proportioning systems. It was the first piece of fire apparatus I ever drove. Tanker 15 replaced it about 10 years ago. It is owned by a private citizen near Newburgh. It was hailed as a revolutionary piece of fire apparatus at the time. The second was E-244 a 1944 Mack. This left the company just before I joined, but from all the pictures I've seen of it, I believe it was a L Model with a 750gpm pump and a 500 gallon tank. I also now own a 1957 B Model from the department I was a member of in college. It is currently being restored. Chappaqua Runs two late 70's or early '80's MC Model Macks (E-145 with the hose reel and R-23 which used to be a full pumper that had the pump and body removed, chassis restored and a Non Walk In rescue body installed) E-243 is their antique and I believe it's a 40's E model. Briarcliff E-93 (if I remember correctly) is a MC pumper from the late 70's. I believe their antique is an early B model from the 30's or an E or L model. They had other Macks in the 50's 60's 70's too but I cant remember which. Croton E-119 is a CF that is still in service (1984 I believe) Mt. Kisco still has a CF in service as E-104 (1984 I believe) I believe Vista and Banksville all have R model Mack tankers. These are just a few off the top of my head.

Not really sure where you can get them. Best bet would be AAA in North White Plains. On a side note, I've found over the years that Chimney Flares are quite ineffective especially as they age on the apparatus. A better method which I've discussed on this site quite some time ago is the "Chimney Bomb" Essentially, you take a thin plastic bag (The best ones are the vegatable bags from the produce section of the supermarket) and fill it with Dry Chemical Powder. You can purchase the Dry Chem in 5lb buckets that are used to refill CO2 cartridge powered Dry Chem Extinguishers. The powder has an unlimited shelf life. Fill the bag and seal it with a knot or tie or zip it shut. When you arrive at a chimney fire, the crew that goes to the roof brings several of these pre-made bombs with them. After the fire from the fire box is cleared via a bucket, close the doors to the fireplace or place a board over the front if there are no doors, and have the roof crew drop the bag into the top of the chimney. Take another board (called a chimney plate and it's preferably made out of lightweight metel not wood) and cover the chimney. The bag will fall into the chimney and as it approaches the fire the bag melts and the dry chem powder spreads to extinguish the fire. I have a ton of experience using this method over chimney flares and the results are great. There is also a reduction in the amount of excess smoke and you don't have to worry about malfunctioning chimney flares.

The stupid rule that exists in NYS about not being a member of more than 1 department doesn't exist in most other states. (Maryland & Pennsylvania for sure). I was a member of Millwood in NY as well as 3 other departments in MD & PA at the same time. Many folks outside of NY are members of multiple departments (ie: the one in the town you work in, and the one in the town you live in) As far as live-in's go, it's not just PG Station 12 (College Park, U-Maryland). Many departments in Prince George, Baltimore, Montgomory, Anne Arundel, Fairfax, Louden, and other DC metro counties have stations with live-in's. The basic concept of it all, is that the stations were either built or modified to have bunk rooms or small individual living quarters. The folks that "live in" trade their time and services for free room, utilities, etc. The closest comparison is like living in something like a college dorm for those that have individual living quarters, or career style bunk room for those stations who don't have individual living quarters. The most notable "live-in" station in the US is probably Prince Georges County Station 33. It's been a topic on this site before, but for those who haven't read previouslly, they are an all volunteer department on the DC border in a fairly rough area. They are often ranked as the 2nd busiest engine in the country (regardless of volunteer, career, combo status) next to DC E-10. I believe that they have 19 live in's right now if i remember correctly. On any given day or night they can staff 3 engines and a truck with full crews out the door before dispatcher is finished with the announcement (if they're not already on the street returning from another call)