dwcfireman

Favoritism wasn't played here. It's what was needed and they were available. My experience is that you can't look into the tunnel, you have to look at the grand scheme and think outside of the box.

Ossining has a lot of firefighters and a lot of apparatus. And being that many units directly surrounding Valhalla were called in, It makes sense to bring in 1 & 1 from OFD. Armonk and W. Harrison are better left alone in a situation like this to cover other calls, especially since they're both responders to the airport (which the county considers a big deal). You also have to remember that you can't strip all of your neighbors of equipment and manpower. Sometimes you have to call in someone from a few towns away so you can keep responders available for everything else. It's really like a game of chess when you bring in mutual aid and stand by companies.

As I mentioned in another thread, why is the radio communication system in Westchester County is over-complex? I understand that there are a lot of cities and jurisdictions that want things to work the way they want, but it seems to me that everything here is a bit overboard when it comes to the radio/dispatch systems. The first big thing I'd like to focus on is the need for TWO SEPARATE RADIO SYSTEMS. Why? We get dispatched low band, respond and talk from car to car via trunk, and operate on fire ground low band channels. Can we not find a way to use the trunk system to dispatch? Can we not use the ground ops channels instead of FG1 through 8? And why do so many departments choose not to be dispatched by 60 Control? Wouldn't a consolidated e911 system work for us? The way I see it is that the trunk system has all of the technology to do what we need it to do, which is COMMUNICATE (albeit I don't know if you can be dispatched on it....refer to the question above). I just find it ridiculous that the radio communication system for Westchester County is incredibly complex. I'd really love some good answers on this, because this has been boggling my mind for almost seven years now.

I grew up on the single radio theory that is used by Monroe and Livingston Counties (where I started my fire career), as well as the many more counties throughout the state do. Westchester's radio system threw me a new kind of wrench that I had never seen before, and it started to become frustrating when someone convinced me to start riding in the front seat again (different topic for another time haha). I can still recite all 10 channels on my Monroe portable, and Livingston County only had/has 4 fire channels (1,2,3, and 46.16). Albeit, Livingston County is mostly rural, and Monroe County is much less populated and diverse as Westchester is, but it always seems like there should be a better option to use down here. As a former lieutenant in both a Monroe County agency and a Westchester agency, I can concede to the fact that I HATE carrying TWO radio (that's with the Westchester agency, for those who aren't following). Don't get me wrong, I got used to it, but I prefer having one radio blaring in my ear instead of more.

As a former part-time tow truck driver, the unfortunate answer is the one I'll give you. The yellow lights used to give drivers a heads up about the dangerous situation on the side of the road, but they don't care anymore. It's the same with construction zones....no one cares anymore. It's extremely dangerous to do something as simple as changing a tire, or even dragging a disabled vehicle onto the flatbed. There are too many drivers that are either distracted or don't care. Some cops have caught on. For a while I refused to do anything on I-684 without a trooper present. It got to the point where every time I went to the interstate a trooper was waiting for me, and would wait for me to drive away.

So far this is the answer I like, and it seems to make sense. It now baffles me that the county would purchase a radio system that they KNEW wouldn't work throughout the entire county....then again, it would make entirely too much sense to purchase a system that covers the entire county . Another question I have is what ever happened to switching the low band to high band? Or am I thinking of another county that was trying to do that? I recall vaguely that Westchester was trying to convert to high band radios, by my memory of this is vague.

Here's something that has boggled my mind since I moved to Westchester....WHY are all the cities self dispatching, the county dispatching most of the county, and towns and villages operating on separate non-trunk frequencies?!?!?!? I've more than noticed that the communication structure of this county is extremely over-complicated. WHY? (I'm going to start a new thread to try to figure this one out)

Maybe it's time that we also start to celebrate the joy that our fallen brothers gave to us. We tend to remember the sadness, but we quickly forget the happy memories. They would want us to enjoy ourselves, no matter what the circumstance may be. We can still remember them for everything they gave, but you have to remember they gave so we could live. A golf outing seems pretty harmless. Understandably, many will be attending ceremonies throughout the region, but I'm sure people will attend the ceremonies before teeing off.

I've seen here in Westchester that FF1, FF2 and Survival have been bundled together. I think this is a great idea to get a great deal of training done in one longer class rather than three or four separate training classes. We could possibly tie Rescue Tech and FAST together, as well as Engine and Truck Company Ops, and EVOC with Pump and Aeiral Ops...We (as in NYS) could lump together like courses to help streamline training. IMO, though courses would be longer than four or five weeks (at twice per week), but you would require less courses to take to reach a level close to what career firefighters go through with probie school. I don't know how instructors would feel about longer, drawn out courses, but it seems like a good idea in my head. And aren't new volunteers going to have a similar CPAT style examination? I believe I read it on a thread around here somewhere, but it seems like a step in the right direction. What are peoples' thoughts on that?

Here's the BS of the problem....volunteer FF's tend to have significantly less training than our career counter parts. There are many reasons why we don't, such as a lack of time because most of us have full time jobs that require us to show up to earn a salary, or families that we can't leave behind over small incidents that otherwise wouldn't affect the most of us. It's a long list, but I don't have the time to waste to list you all the reasons. The matter of the fact is that vollies don't get enough training, for every reason. I would love to take more classes and be "Superman," but I realize that I have far more important things to do, like work! In a perfect world we would all be trained to the same level. Unfortunately, it's not possible and never will be. The scheme of life just doesn't allow it, but it will always allow that rift between vollie and career FF's. Now, I'm going to say something really mean, Bottom of Da Hill, and you're going to have to suck it up and take it like a man...You need to stop acting like you're tough sh!t. You're not. The brotherhood of the fire service is a tight knit community, and it's a small world. You just can't go around bashing every body. I speak from experience. I used to shoot my mouth off, too. But, I learned. Now it's your turn. Alright, back to the original post......I'm guessing you're looking for answers from the volunteer side?? This is a tough question, mainly because every department has their own rules and regulations about the issue. Heck, some departments DON"T have rules or training standards (I unfortunately know of some). Looking at it from a broad stand point, most volunteer departments say FF1 is the basis to become interior, and Fire Officer 1 is needed for company officers. I'm not going to quote my department's policies because I can't find the binder with the by-laws and SOP's, but I can guarantee you that specific classes are required and some point throughout your tenure (I will elaborate once I find the binder lol). Keep in mind that OFPC and NFPA have their suggestions/requirements, and most of that information is locatable through their respective websites and the wonderful world of Google. Your department may even have copies of the appropriate documents to read through, and your current officers should know where they are located in your fire house. I do like your question, and I will start looking for more information to help you come to an answer that you're looking for. PM me if I forget to repost.

IMHO this is 100% true. Responding to another agency's quarters to stand-by is not an emergency. There's no reason to throw on the lights and cause more traffic headaches because you need to move an engine or ladder from point A to point B. And, if you get called somewhere/to the scene, it's so easy to hit that master switch to go RLS to the scene. I remember upstate we (my hometown) never went RLS to stand-by. Other departments would, and they did so because departments are much further apart. I only think my department had our policy because we rarely went to another's quarters as we were normally dispatched to the scene.

My hometown department (Monroe County) is one of six departments that operate a battalion wide ice/cold water team. Each department has its own suits, throw rope, rescue tools, etc. And each department brings something special to the table, like the 3 UTVs, 2 flat bottom boats, and a Kodiak inflatable boat. There's a similar team on the other side of the county set up similarly, and I believe the City of Rochester has their own which is available to a good chunk of the county. It is possible!!! lol

I watched the video a few times...It's hard to tell if it was icy or just wet (as wet roofs can be quite slippery depending on the type of shingle). It's safe to say that he is extremely lucky, and too hope for a speedy recovery. Could anyone tell what the gray lines were on the roof? It was hard to tell, but it almost looked like brackets either left over from a roofing contractor or runners to hold satellite dishes. It seems as if the FF may have tripped on one of these (off screen). What ever those were, this is another reminder of how dangerous our job is, especially on the roof.

Sorry, Barry. I don't think I was quite clear enough from the get-go. I understand that the pic is a front bumper mount, and I just used it as an example of an elbow to place the idea of a 90 degree hydrant gate (and Google wasn't helpful at 1am lol). And, yes, it would be one more thing to unload at the hydrant, but wouldn't it make more sense to just grab it when you need it, rather than every time you hit the hydrant? And I really don't understand why more departments don't use the side outlets. My hometown department puts a gate/valve on all 3 outlets when they make a hydrant. It takes an extra 30 seconds, but the valves are all there if you need them later.

Wouldn't something like this be useful at the hydrant when it's blocked? We already put 5" elbows on our front bumpers (front suction); why can't we use an elbow as part of a hydrant connection?

Thoughts and prayers to him and his family. From what I've heard through facebook and other firefighters is that he doing much better and is expected to recover well from this incident. Let's hope for a speedy recovery!

Understandably, so. However, if I can carry on a conversation next to someone with a jet engine winding up behind me with these on, then anyone should be able to hear radio traffic inside the cab (just my train of thought). But, we really need to get to the issue at hand and why it is an issue. Firefighters are suing siren manufacturers over the noise. Isn't this one of the job 'hazards' that comes along with the occupation? We're subject to LOUD NOISES all the time, whether it's the siren, chain saws, old hydraulic tools, generators, apparatus in high idle, girlfriends/wives screaming at us (that's a joke for those of you who don't get it haha).....We work in LOUD environments, and it's a known fact when we sign up for the job.

This is what we are issued at the airport for our standard day to day job. We're out on the field a lot, which means we are exposed to a lot of noise (BTW some of the older jet engines are extremely loud). It's a cheap and easy way to protect your hearing in a loud environment. This style is quoted at $5.99 each. 100% agree. Also, Kazoos are fun!!! Barry, would this design seem the most fitting for a Q? In my mind it seems like a great design, forcing the sound waves forward, especially since you are trying to warn traffic AHEAD of you that emergency apparatus is coming. Plus, the directional push of the siren may help with aiding civilian drivers of which way the siren is coming from (speculation since I've never really looked into studies on this type of thing). Now I want to pose another question...What about electric Q's? The speaker is facing forward, away from the cab, and can achieve the same effectiveness as the good-old-standard. PLUS, the decibel level of an electric siren tends to be less of a mechanical siren. Thoughts??

I hear that rolling the windows up is a great way to reduce siren noise inside the cab.

Highway robbery at it's finest. It's a shame that purchasing agencies are either unaware of this practice or willing to waste tax dollas just because they like a certain manufacturer. I got experience this first hand, where my department loved the demo, and the commissioners decided to buy said demo unit. Alas, it wasn't the same once the vehicle was retrofitted for NYS emissions. Complete loss of power through the drive train and we could barely make it up a hill with the accelerator floored. Then more money has to be poured into the vehicle to refit it to the needs of the department. It seems like a total waste to me because, in this case anyway, the powers at hand didn't do te proper research. I also know of another department (elsewhere in the countyry) that bought a demo tanker, and it turned out to be too heavy for certain roads and bridges. Turns out that the advertised GVW from the dealer did not include the weight of water in the tank. The tanker thus had to be towed a few times out roads that crumbled beneath it. Another example of not doing the research.

We had an old E-One Titan 4x4 ARFF at the airport years ago. THAT was a piece of junk (as in you could only open the driver side door from the outside and sometimes would not go into drive). There was a lot wrong with it, and I've never met anyone that has been happy with E-One ARFF vehicles. On the other hand, my father's department upstate bought an E-One pumper 2 years ago (ish) and it is a phenomenal piece of apparatus. It has a smooth ride, transfers into pump quickly and smoothly, and overall is a great engine to respond with. IMO, I wouldn't lean towards E-One as a first option, but will definitely consider them in a bidding process.

It's amazing what you can do with an excellent recruitment and retention program, along with excellent training. I'm presonnaly not familiar with Buchanan, nor this particular fire for that matter, but all I have to say is good job to the BFD!

My thoughts on this video..... It's an old video, and I've seen it in many classes. I'm not here to jab at BFD389RET, rather provide some insight and expand on the topic. I've been to my fair share of vehicle fires, and none of them have turned out like this. And none of those car fires did myself or the crew chock the vehicle. Is it the right thing to do? Probably. Does it hurt you if you don't? Well, the video show that bad things can happen during the most simplest of scenarios. Does this mean we should check every vehicle that's on fire? In my own humble opinion, YES! Let me explain why. Motor vehicles are filled with multiple complex mechanisms for everything they do, from moving forward and backward, entertaining you while you drive, keeping you and your passengers comfortable, and even keeping the vehicle PARKED. When we're presented with a motor vehicle fire we can disregard many of the vehicle's functions. We don't care about the radio, the AC, the heating core, or the LCD screen GPS multi-function unit on the dash. When a vehicle is on fire we expect it to do one thing, and that's not move. I would like to take a moment and say that I've never put out a car fire that was moving. It seems that that should be a generic statement, but let's face the reality that a car fire could start rolling away on you.....quite literally. So what keeps the vehicle parked? On your regular car, like the ones that most of us own (with an automatic transmission), when the vehicle is in park the transmission won't allow the axle to spin, thus stopping the car from moving. Generally, this is not compromised by fire. On the other hand, manual transmission vehicles require the use of a parking brake, which is a simple mechanism that uses a lever in the cab, a cable from the lever to the brake system, and the regular brakes. This thin strand of aluminum (sometimes steel) wire is easily compromised by high heat. Then there are larger commercial grade vehicles with air brakes, where a lack of air pressure in the system keeps the brakes locked down. Fire can impinge on the air lines and destroy the braking system, however, losing more air just prevents the brakes from releasing. In the case of the step van above, it probably didn't have air brakes. Contrary, brake pads/drums can melt away if temperatures get high enough. Though the pads are meant to be able to stand high temperatures, you cannot guarentee they will be working when you show up to a fully involved vehicle fire. Do you see where I'm going with this? Here's the bottom line: VEHICLES ARE EXTREMELY UNPREDICTABLE! You don't know what is going to compromised, you don;t know what is getting damaged, and you don't know how the car is built. If you come across a car fire, or any vehicle fire, chock it! A set of small iron chocks will always be cheaper than a new bumper for your engine.

My hometime (just prior to my departure) logged all equipment into a database feature through Red Alert. It was great for knowing what was supposed to be where, but no bar codes to electrocially check if everything was in place. Essentially, RA allowed us to print out an inventory sheet for each apparatus with a break-down of what equipment and tools were in each compartment on each apparatus. It made truck checks easier, but you couldn't tell at a glance whether this haligan was supposed to be here or there.

Can't say this the first "clueless" move by a sports team or FD, but it surely won't be the last. It's just a matter of people using a little common sense to keep a situation under control.