unleashedff248

I've been waiting for over 3 years to take the Firefighter 1 (formerly essentials), and there's a few things I've been noticing. In my opinion, the most severe problem is the enrollment of juniors in the FF1 classes. Now don't get me wrong, juniors deserve training too. But I don't believe that it should come in place of older members. I am currently enrolled in college so I'm away for a good part of the year. I've tried to enroll in courses over the summer now, but to no avail. I've missed out of courses and gone as a standby only to find 6-8 juniors from one department enrolled in the course. Is is just me, or should people 18 and over get priority here? I mean, when you're 16 or 17 you can't be an interior firefighter anyway, so why take the training away from people who will come out of that course ready to be interior firefighters? In my opinion it should be first come-first serve for people 18 and over, and then fill in any seats with juniors. We constantly complain about firefighter shortages, yet we're not doing much to help the issue. Does this strike anyone else as wrong?

Let me clear some things up. I've been a member in good standing for about 3 years now, and I've been waiting for a firefighter training course to come up that meets my needs. At first it was basic (I called it essentials in my first post) and now it's FF1. I was enrolled in a course starting last month (night time) at the FTC, showed up two nights, and then was booted. There were maybe 5-6 people over 18 in that course, and multiple FF's from the same department (not like 2 or 3, but 4 or 5!). I was the only one from Somers. It's hard for me to find courses that fit my needs. I investigated the FF1 in Putnam, but I also work a full time job/internship at a major corporation. I can't take 2 weeks off...which leads to another thing. College. I need the money I earn from my job to subsidize the $36,000 a year my parents are dishing out for college. 2 weeks off from work = $1,200 loan I have to take. Is it worth it? Yes, I'm dying to take FF1, but I'm off probation for over a year now as an EMT. So I'm secure in the department. In terms of in-house training, last year I made almost 300 calls (something like 298...ridiculous), and almost as many the year before. I have a lot of knowledge when it comes to fireground operations, but not much hands-on experience. I used to be able to train with live fires with my department, but that's not allowed any more for some reason. So where am I? I'm standing by the door collecting tags. That's fine for a while, but eventually anyone will get tired of it. So until next year, I have to wait for Firefighter 1. :-k Thank you everyone for your input and support on this topic.

I just ate from Hubba's for the first time the other day. I work in Greenwich, CT and some people recommended it. The place looks like a dump from the outside, but damn their chili is good! Not too hot if you ask me though. You have to get the chili on everything though, they're not known for their hamburgers! Definitely a great place to get some good eats (and no negative GI effects!)

I wish he had been able to make the parade, I'm sure he would have loved it! My wishes go out to Jimmy Boy and his family for his speedy recovery from this recent bump in the road and his safe return home. We'll see you at Yorktown in two weeks, right? :wink: Feel better Jimmy Boy. 8)

I often wear my gear on medical calls. Like previously stated, I like the added safety of having gear on. It puts a pretty thick barrier between me and any hazards I might find on a medical scene, such as angry dogs, angry bees, or angry patients. It also protects my personal clothing from any expectorations of bodily fluid that I might encounter. It also serves as pretty good identification, rather than some guy walking up to your door in jeans and a t-shirt claiming he's from the FD. If my gear's dirty I will usually spare the person's home from that and not use it (and wash it later, a good thing to do every so often). As for the smell, there's not too much you can do about that. If the person really needs some help, a smell isn't going to bother them much I believe. I would always put my safety before a patient's COMFORT. We're running a fire department/EMS Corps, not a hotel. My opinion.

I've been hearing some odd transmissions on 46.26 lately. Seems to be a cab company of some sort. I'm guessing that it's feeding over someone's repeater back into 46.26, because I can get it on my pager all over the county. Just wondering if anyone else has heard this. Also now with the new putnam 911 system the primary putnam county sheriff's channel has been switched to the same frequency as Somers Townwide...with the same PL too. Seems to be some major issues with frequency interference lately, especially in wake of the NYPD SOD/ESU incident.

This weather is relatively common this time of year. The wind direction hasn't yet shifted from the south, which ushers in warm but humid air. Instead, dry air from the north still infiltrates the region. The low humidities combined with the sun angle and increased daytime heating increases the fire danger. This dry spell is usually the beginning of the brush fire season, which has already begun in Westchester county with quite a bang. Just be careful out there and recognize the risks brush fires pose to firefighters.

How about the people up north? I believe Croton Falls, Goldens Bridge, North Salem VAC, Bedford Hills and Katonah/KBHVAC all have train stations/tracks in their districts. Somers and Bedford would probably be the first M/A companies to arrive, probably along with Yorktown and Brewster too if needed. I'm sure I'm missing a few, but shouldn't these departments have some training too? Just a thought.

I was wondering what that heap of junk out there was! I figured it was left over construction equipment or something, since I never had the chance to get a close look. This is certainly rediculous, anyone would agree. I would imagine that WMC is not too concerned with the threat of recieving a HazMat/WMD incident. And no one knows who's in charge of it...hmmm. Maybe sending that picture to a county administrator/executive would get some results? And the shower room...one word: poor. Enough said. A picture's worth a thousand words.

ok I thought we were on the same channel with townwide and channel 14. It comes over clearly on all our mobiles, portables, and even the console in our dispatch, not just scanners. I haven't tried to communicate with PVSO (nor will I), but it seems like the frequency interfering is a repeated output. I don't believe they can hear us, but all their traffic renders our townwide useless at this time. I guess since they're so close the frequencies feed into each other. Weird! Thanks for the help.

I carry a low band pager. And I believe the frequency that PCSO cuts into is 153.920. It the Somers interagency townwide frequency.

I'll up it...$1.11 I've seen his sanity...It's in poor condition. How much for shipping? #-o

Here's a more complete incident description...I don't have the 10-30 time if anyone can fill that in. Originally dispatched as Dante’s deli, actually auto body garage next door on Front St. per YPD update. Caller was from the shell station on Commerce st. Original dispatch possible structure fire 6:58 2531 10-17 6:58 2532 10-17 6:58 E273 10-17 7:01 2531 10-19 heavy fire thru roof 7:01 Mohegan fast team to scene 7:01 2531 1 eng from somers to scene 7:02 Somers tones for 1 engine to scene 7:03 E273 10-19 7:04 2531 needs additional ladder to scene 7:04 Mohegan tones for FAST 7:04 60-ctrl asks for L-35 7:05 2264 2262 10-17 07:06 E271 10-19 7:06 2533 10-17 7:07 Somers 2nd tones 7:07 (eng 188 awaiting crew) Ladder 51 10-17 7:09 Power’s down 7:10 (heard someone scream this on radio) E275 10-17 7:11 E255 L-35 enroute 7:13 E188 10-17 7:13 Mohegan requesting manpower with L-35 2263 10-17 7:15 L-35 must come thru Underhill Rd. 7:16 L-35 to open master stream operation L-51 10-19 E188 10-19 7:17 60-CNTRL 10-10 in effect 7:18 60-CNTRL nyseg notified and responding 7:19 B-16 10-19 7:20 B-12 10-17 7:21 L-35 and E255 10-19 7:21 2264 10-19 7:22 2266 10-17? 7:23 B-16 requesting 1 engine from mt. kisco and 1 ladder from Bedford HILLS to YHFD HQ 7:25 2282 2032 10-17 7:27 and 7:28 B-16 reporting 1 story commercial 75x125 fully involved 7:29 1441 on scene 7:32 B-12 10-19 7:32 B-16 asking for c&o, DEP to scene 7:32 c&o zone 4 tones 7:33 eng 103 10-17 7:34 TL-57 10-17 7:35 B-16: 4 lines stretched 2 ladder pipes fire appears to be doubtful 7:35 2268 10-17? 7:36 Ops switched to uhf fg 7 County car 2 10-19 7:39 B-16: TL-57 to scene to work 7:50 TL-14 from mt. kisco to backfill 7:50 fieldcom 1 10-17 7:52 hazmat team 10-204 at 8:02 Units were still operating at 13:00. Front st. closed to traffic.

x635, if you want an ambulance built "like a tank," come to somers and take a look at our two Freightliner/Horton ambulances. They're the closet thing to a tank you can get. However, they're spaciousness and safety comes with a detriment to ride comfort. They ride like a truck, and sometimes the rigidness of the suspension becomes unbearable in the back. They're tuned to climb hills, and climb hills they do. When it comes to acelleration and speed, they run laps around our new Ford/PL Custom. Overall, they're great to have when off-road truck capabilities are needed, but ride comfort could be made a little better. When it comes to safety though, these buses offer an advantage over smaller van type chasis simply due to size. http://www.somersvfd.com/apparatus.htm

Date: 6-29-04 Times: approx. 18:45 Location: 8 Evergreen St. cross of Bedell in South Somers Frequency: 46.26, 154.220, UHF Fireground 1 Units Operating: 2443, 2444, 2445, 2449, E-188, E-186, L-18, 80-B2, 80-U4, U-5 Description Of Incident: Initial dispatch of smoke in residence, possible structure fire. Upon arrival units found a single occupancy residential dwelling, nothing showing. Investigation yielded moderate to heavy smoke in the residence coming from the attic. Initial team found a heavy smoke condition in the attic with evidence of a previous fire. Further investigation found 2 breakers to the central AC unit in the attic tripped and the unit itself burned. Moderate fire damage was observed around the unit and structural supports were charred. Fire was already self-extinguished and search for extensions was initiated. Building was ventilated and attic was wet down with a water can to extinguish any hot spots. Building dept. was requested by 2443 to inspect structural damage. Power was shut off to the structure and overhaul completed. Units cleared at around 20:30. Writer: Unleashedff248

WAS697- To the people here in Heritage Hills (aka cardiac city) that's called an unknown medical. Happy thoughts!

Pretty soon...Somers County NY...

Minor involvement of house upon arrival, light smoke showing. Quick k/d and containment, YHFD units remaining on scene to check for extensions. YVAC medical aid cancelled per 2533. Units operating: E-271, E-273, R-16, 2533, 2532, Yorktown PD, C&O (15:45 arrival). Freq: 453.5625, 46.26, 154.4 (YVAC), 154.785 (YPD)

Thanks for our new station no 6 YHFD! Pulling pranks like that really passes the time when you get no alarms, especially while listening to your department get toned out 2 or 3 times the same night . And its a good thing the hardware store was closed because we were close to selling your firehouse lol :-P . But once again, its all in good nature and non-destructive. People have to remember this and keep their head on straight otherwise things can get out of hand. But either way, thanks for a good time saturday night YHFD, and we'll see you next year! -LittleBirdy

Furniture repair....I would imagine because of any paints/sealants/polyurethane type materials that would be stored in the building. Hazmat was probably needed to secure these materials at the scene. Just my guess.

I believe Mohegan dispatches EMS calls on both 46.26 and their UHF frequency, except at night. At night they only dispatch on UHF and use special night tones. Ambulance operations are held to UHF, unless otherwise needed. I believe this is the case, but don't quote me on it.

I see that it is prohibited to have a scanner in your car, but the fact is that unless you give a police officer a reason to hate you, he/she shouldn't pick on that. My scanner is in plain view, and I know many other people that have scanners in their vehicles. I personally don't listen to police frequencies (simply becuase they're too busy), but if you do, I would be careful not to flaunt that around police officers. My scanner is an important part of my response, since many times my pager won't pick up messages relayed to resonding personnel. Also, this is the only way I can monitor our districtwide channel, which now serves as our EMS frequency. Knowing whether or not the ambulance has left quarters is important in patient care, and taking time to call dipatch to ascertain this may not always be a viable choice. Anyway, I cannot speak for police, but I'm sure they aren't looking for vollies with scanners so that they can write tickets. Just use your brain and don't do anything stupid.

Date: 3.25/04 Times: 12:10 (approx) Location: Somers High School Frequency: 46.26 Units Operating: E181, E183, E186, L18, E180 Description Of Incident: Initial dispatch as a automatic commercial alarm. Upon investigation, a fire was found in a bathroom. Fire quickly extinguished using a water can and building was ventilated. Investigation underway by C&O zone 5 and NYSP. Units clear around 15:00.

The whole deal with Doc flipping out was very much related to PTSD over 9/11. He stated that he got this job so he could help people, not "pull bodies from the rubble." It's sad to see such a great character go in such a horrible way, and even sadder to see that 9/11 caused him to go that route. He hated the Captain because he was going to shut down the house, and Doc didn't feel that the area would get good response time. I agree with the earlier posts about how the show was better when it included more fire action. Bosco is by far my favorite character, but it'd still be nice to see some good fires. I really hope the 10-13 isn't about Bosco. He adds so much to that show. I really want him and Yokas to go back to patrolling together. Those were the good days...

The initial dispatch was for an unknown type fire in the East dormitory by the loading dock. No other information was available at the time. IC arrived and reported heavy smoke on first and third floors. Building evacuation needed immiediately. Multiple reports of occupants trapped, initial search yielded one victim in the hallway and other reports added victims at windows unable to enter hallway.