JohnnyOV

All accidents are preventable. Although they are mostly not intentional, which is why it is called an accident, all incidents, near misses, accidents, injuries and fatalities are preventable. This is something I strongly believe. For an accident to occur, there must be a break down in a chain of events, through latent failures (organizational influences, unsafe supervision, preconditions for unsafe acts, ect ect.) leading up to the active failure which is the actual unsafe act. Remove any of these "failures" and the accident is entirely preventable. This is known as Reason's "Swiss Cheese" Model and it is something I studied extensively. here is a quick overview of it - http://www.coloradof...ntroduction.htm edit: "....So what really constitutes that 70-80 % of human error repeatedly referred to in the literature? Some would have us believe that human error and “pilot” error are synonymous. Yet, simply writing off aviation accidents merely to pilot error is an overly simplistic, if not naive, approach to accident causation. After all, it is well established that accidents cannot be attributed to a single cause, or in most instances, even a single individual (Heinrich, Petersen, and Roos, 1980). In fact, even the identification of a “primary” cause is fraught with problems. Rather, aviation accidents are the end result of a number of causes, only the last of which are the unsafe acts of the aircrew (Reason, 1990; Shappell & Wiegmann, 1997a; Heinrich, Peterson, & Roos, 1980; Bird, 1974)....."

Link to IA - http://www.emtbravo....672#entry241672 And I'm not sure if I opened my pager up too late, but it seemed like the VA observed the fire themselves and called it in. Chief Byrnes, I must say you sounded quite calm on the radio if that's the case, kudos.

Date: 7/12/11 Time: 0918 Location: TZB midspan Frequency: Tarrytown fire Units Operating: Tarrytown marine units (5, 31), Rockland FD Marine Units, Rockland Paramedics, Westchester County PD Marine 4 Weather Conditions: hot, humid Description Of Incident: 2 jumpers in the water from mid span. 0926- construction workers guiding over to the Rockland side Construction workers under the bridge reached the victims first. Piermont and Nyack FDs transported the victims, 1 fatal, 1 serious lohud article - http://www.lohud.com...|text|Frontpage Reporters: Writer: JohnnyOV

Date: 7/12/11 Time: 0906 Location: 237 Mamaroneck Ave Frequency: 46.26 dispatch, Fire 17, EMS 15, Units Operating: MVFD - Full department TMFD - FAST ladder 19 PCFD -1 engine and 1 ladder relocate Harrison Ambulance Batt 15 C/O Zone 3 PCRRBEMS - 77A1, 77A6 MEMS - 68A1 LVAC - 66A1 TMAD - 49M1, 49-11 (medical command) Scarsdale - 79A1 Weather Conditions: Hot, Humid Description Of Incident: Cannot hear on scene units, only dispatch confirming working fire and that units stepping on each other 0922 - 3 story, 3 l/s/o/ primaries underway, ladder 19 making the roof 0948 - Fire under control, overhauling ATT Reports from the journal news that 4 people were rescued by FD. - http://www.lohud.com...|text|Frontpage video of first arriving engine - PM with additional Reporters: Firedude (with most of the info) Writer:JohnnyOV

Maybe its just me, or maybe its an entire human factors Pavlov's Dogs thing going on, but when the scanner is down low, and you can barely hear anything, the moment a 10-75 is transmitted in the county, everyone who's listening hears it, no matter how soft its transmitted. "Dispatch the working fire assignment," while effective, just doesn't catch the attention of those listening as the words "10-75," at least in my observations. Through my discussions with guys at 60, and hopefully they can chime in, just saying that you have a working fire, does not mean you're going to get your first alarm assignment. Plenty of times I've heard units sign "on-location with a working fire," and the dispatcher then prompts the unit if they want their 10-75 assignment, which is normally followed by a "yes." It is my understanding that you must say "Transmit my 10-75 (or working fire ASSIGNMENT)" in order to receive it. You can pull up on location, declare a working fire in a detached garage or shed and not need the assistance of any other companies. The biggest thing that might help the dispatchers (and other companies listening) in determining what you have is your size up, which is almost never called out in this county, but that is a entirely different topic for another day.

So they're still going to have to wait for a driver?

60-control has zero 10-codes, as they moved to plain english years ago. However, 10-22 was technically the county assigned code for structure fire, and the 10-75 was a first alarm assignment / working fire. Type in westchester county 10-codes into google and you get a lot of hits for what they used to use.

After 7 months of our video man telling us the video was almost done, mostly since all he does in Maryland is fight fire and drink beer (on his off time of course), he finally came through on his word. Looks great brother. 2010 - Yorktown year in Review www.yorktownfire.org

Functionality over Aesthetics... if it looks like a train wreck, acts like the champion of the world strongest man competition, and assists the firemen in successfully rescuing people out of a 6th story window, I'd say its done it's job. But if it wins 30 trophys, is OOS for 1/2 its life and operates like a drunk/stoned cripple, that to me is an ugly rig.

THe FLHP also changes patters between red during the day, and blue at night, depending on the ambient light when the emergency lights are activated. Truly a unique design, and one that takes human factors into total consideration.

Florida -http://www.theiacp.org/About/Governance/Committees/LawEnforcementStopsandSafetyLESS/WhatsNew/tabid/380/Default.aspx?id=545&v=1 - March 2004

64' is longer then most apparatus, almost twice as long. When you factor in the "floating factor, the water pump, the massive engine, the requirements of the material that keep it from failing in the water, all the safety features required, radios and other equipment, when you pay $1.0M for a tower ladder truck, $2.4M for a boat thats twice as big, makes almost perfect sense

While I completely agree, it boggles my mind that there are different standards of care depending on which state, or even which municipality you operate in. Why cant there be a set standard across the board?

Interesting how far technology has come along to assist in the fighting of these large fires. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/43549814#43549814

Date: 6/21/11 Time: 14:32 Location: Rt 100 between Dell Ave and Rt 134 Frequency: 46.26, Fire 17 Units Operating: 2533, Eng 270, Res 16, Eng 273, Yorktown PD, YVAC (2 buses), 34-Medics, OVAC (2 buses), WEMS (passing-by), County M.E. Weather Conditions: clear Description Of Incident: 2 car MVA, 1 patient heavily pinned and doa in the passenger compartment. Both drivers transported ALS. Accident investigation by Yorktown PD. Reporters: Writer: JohnnyOV

Coming from a small background in Flight Ops when I went to school... Why is Westchester County the only airport that I know of, to list the Alert as the number of souls aboard the craft? Normally the Alert is defined in the FAR's (which is the governing body of flight rules, like OSHA is for safety) as: Alert 1 - Plane is in the air reporting an emergency - crash is possible i.e. systems still functional, yet experiencing an minor emergency - stand by in quarters (or at the entrance to the field) Alert 2 - Plane is in the air reporting an emergency - crash is probable i.e. loss of system powers, major system failure - respond and stand-by at the runway Alert 3 - Crash has, or will definitely occur either at or in close proximity to the airport Levels are to identify the response based off of souls. If my memory serves me correctly: Level 1 is 1-2 souls Level 2 is 3-10 Level 3 is 11-20 (or 25 i cannot remember) Level 4 is ? - 50 Level 5 is 51+ Shouldn't the dispatch information come across as Alert 3, level 2, instead of Alert Level 2 which it was dispatched as? Since I come from both sides of the house, flight and emergency response, I'm just trying to figure out (and I'm not criticizing anyone) when 60-control dispatches an Alert Level 2, are they giving the information in red or green out?

Open corn field? Try crash landed in Sioux City, Iowa on the active runway after declaring an emergency.

I wouldn't mind the first lady dancing to teach me CPR... I might re-cert every 6 months just for the hell of it

Correct. Rest In Peace Brother

Not sure if this is the same Yorktown as us. Will update tomorrow.

I still feel it is a total marketing ploy by the members of the NFPA board (who also happen to work with 3M). Who hits the rear of emergency vehicles? Distracted drivers. People asleep at the wheel, drunk, texting, changing the radio, people who's eyes are not on the road. Someone explain to me how adding all of this chevron crap, will suddenly grab someone's attention, who's not even looking at the road? I've been behind plenty of emergency vehicles with the new chevron pattern at night... you can barely even get a reflection off the chevron bouncing back to you. The only reason in pictures it looks so appealing is because you're dealing with a high powered flash, that is bouncing off the prisms in the stripes and returning directly back to the area (the lens which is inches from the flash origin) the light originated from, which is what they are designed to do. Your head lights are feet underneath the level of your eyes, and point downwards towards the ground, basically rendering the whole retro reflective bit completely and utterly useless. Its a total joke. And apparatus are still being struck with the new patterns. My guess is apparatus involved in rear collisions will not decrease at all.

Date: 6/15/2011 Time: 0625 Location: 90 Lexington Ave Frequency: Dispatch 46.26, IC Fire 16, Ops Fireground 8 Units Operating: 2281, 2282, First Due: E104 E106 TL14 R31 10-75: E102, E103 BHFD E198 FAST MKVAC 45-Medic 1 ConEd C/O Weather Conditions: Cool and Clear Description Of Incident: Working fire in an OMD 0625: E104 E106 TL14 R31 dispatched to unknown type fire 0626: People jumping from windows 0627: PD on location, working structure fire 0628: Multiple patients with smoke inhalation per PD 0628: 10-75 transmitted, E102, E103, BHFD FAST dispatched 0637: Per batt 16, 2 story 30x30 structure, 2 l/s/o, water on fire 0654: 3 l/s/o making good progress 0718: Per Batt 16 - Primary searches complete, secondary searches commencing 10:01: Red Cross relocating up to 25 residents Reporters: Writer: Johnny - got the - OV

Because this isn't your bread winning job. You're not Dependant on taking care of your family by having a decent wage, or fairly good benefits when you go to the firehouse. Seriously think about what you said. Career guys might love the job just as much as you love to volunteer but you should volunteer because you love to do it, not because you want to be taken care of somehow. There shouldn't be perks to volunteer (what makes it volunteer if there are perks btw). Do it because you like to help those in your community, and because it gives you personal satisfaction. If people don't want to volunteer because there is no monetary value in it to them, then they are in it for the wrong reasons to begin with, and you need to change your recruitment and retention standards. "wahhh....I volunteer, take care of me first, I'm better and deserve more then everyone... wahhh." See how that sounds?

Simple room and contents fire's in dwellings can generally be held with the can and used in combo with shutting the door to let the steam do its work. Generally in my department, if we're at a low manpower point, if it looks like a room and contents fire and appears that it can be held with a can, it will be attempted to do so as a line is being stretched. "All your problems go away once that fire's out." Again, every fire is different, and you must understand the limitations of the can's ability, and the fire spread and growth rate already occurring inside the structure. Some times you can extinguish it, sometimes you can hold it in place, and sometimes you need a handline and god's wish to make the push. As Chief stated, do your 360, understand what you're getting into, and select the right tool for the job.

I was going to say, the math didn't seem right to me in my head when I read that from the article. Looks like they took the 2" tip discharge flow, and made it into a low vapor density/high pressure mister