bigrig77

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/mount-vernon/2020/10/20/mount-vernon-new-fire-truck-stalled-comptroller-union-mayor/5989735002/

Not according to the story in the Journal News

 
Isn't the money from Rye Brook half what PC was getting. And that contract comes up for renewal next year. There will be other options considered by Rye Brook.

Yeah, I have to also ask why? I understand the full time staff were laid off but why sell the rig when there are older trucks in the fleet? If it's because it was the full timers rig than that's just petty.

 
BINGO !!!
 
Getting a new rig for the current chief's company (engine 60 aka Reliance E&H) was one of the many stupid reasons for the layoff. I truly believe the layoffs will come back to haunt them if not soon, definitely later. BTW, they're using the other paid rig, eng 59, for a spare.

 Engine 58 was sold last night for $236,000.00   for a loss of  about  $150,000.00 dollars  . What a shame to the taxpayers of Port Chester

Shouldn't that say "Professionally Staffed by a guy who lives in FL during the winter cause its cold up here. He is old and only makes 4 calls a year but hey we need the numbers". Maybe that is a bit to long. Bring back the Actual Professional firefighters and release your rolls. Are they still scared people will see what a fraud you have been perpetrating with these claims of 300 active members?

Shouldn't that say "Professionally Staffed by a guy who lives in FL during the winter cause its cold up here. He is old and only makes 4 calls a year but hey we need the numbers". Maybe that is a bit to long. Bring back the Actual Professional firefighters and release your rolls. Are they still scared people will see what a fraud you have been perpetrating with these claims of 300 active members?

Shouldn't that say "Professionally Staffed by a guy who lives in FL during the winter cause its cold up here. He is old and only makes 4 calls a year but hey we need the numbers". Maybe that is a bit to long. Bring back the Actual Professional firefighters and release your rolls. Are they still scared people will see what a fraud you have been perpetrating with these claims of 300 active members?

If the members currently assigned to this firehouse want to be considered "professional" then they must meet those "professional standards". Beginning with a quick response out the door when the alarm comes in. The question is, "will they be able to replace the laid off professional career firefighters who once operated out of that firehouse" ? That means 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
 
 Any one who has ever been inside a burning building knows very well how dangerous it is and how quickly that heat and smoke can build up. As firefighters operating inside those buildings we get to appreciate our protective equipment, and our life saving air pack giving us fresh air. It's tough enough for those guys, BUT for the UNtrained and Unprotected citizens trapped in there, "IT's VERY MUCH WORSE".
 
  THEY CAN NOT SEE
  THEY CAN NOT BREATHE
  THEY BECOME DISORINATED
  THEIR SKIN MAY START TO BURN
 
 Every passing second counts as they try to breathe. For those people there may be no way out. The super heated air that's left starts to burn their lungs as every breath they try to take. They are the one's that will truly decide at that moment who the Professionals really are. The Professionals will make the utmost attempt at getting them out because that's their job and there is NO TIME TO WASTE. This is NOT a Game or some Make Believe Training session. But in a matter of minutes, people could die. Somebodies mother, father, brother, sister, friend. Maybe somebody you know.
 
 At least to me, I consider BOTH Career and Volunteer Firefighters to be Professionals with a very important job to do. But here in Port Chester, it was decided that this job can be completed WITHOUT the use of any career firefighters. Most places these days find it to be quite the OPPOSITE though. Due to todays very busy work schedules and much more training requirements, the volunteer numbers are dwindling and it is necessary to hire MORE Career Firefighters. Not really because they want to, but because they HAVE TO. It is just more and more difficult these days to count on the skills of the required number of volunteer firefighters.
 
 We can assume that Port Chester is about to prove otherwise. As Professionals, those Volunteer Firefighters should be able to prove themselves "Each and Every Time", without the use of any Career Firefighters. So with this unique, newly created situation, many of those involved in todays fire service will be closely watching. "I know I will". But most importantly, for the Citizens who live and work in Port Chester, and for those PROFESSIONALS that Protect Them, "IT'S SHOWTIME".
 
  

This was an interesting and new one to me.
 
 
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-spicy-chili-warehouse-fire-20170313-story.html

Larry Wilcox was a Marine and saw action in Vietnam. His character John Baker was a Vietnam vet and I believe it was the first time in the 80s  for a TV series to have character that was Vietnam vet 

Everyone better shop up for the 2017 end of the world.  We're gonna be stuck at home for at least ONE day.  Crazy!!!  LOL

Pretty neat idea.
 
 

There is no doubt in my mind that housing costs are NUMBER ONE.  There are many realities here, many that have set in in the Tri-state area.  Everyone, even people buying the million dollar home, is working harder and longer.  Many households have two working parents.  How about time spent commuting?  Thats getting longer too.
 
I haven't volunteered in a few years.  One day, I could find myself living in a place where I could volunteer again, but the reality is....I probably won't.  Why?  Because I have to work a second job, or I stay home with my child on days off while my wife is at work.  After work, well, that's the time we get to spend together, not much time left for drill, meetings, ect.  I'll have an hour, hour and half drive home from work...not looking to spend more time away from home.
 
I think volunteering is great in some communities.  I think it's a storied and proud institution, but in many places, it's days are numbered (or they should be).  Entirely necessary training requierments have become more and more onorous.  attendance in some places is dropping.  Smaller dept.s are calling for Mx aide every single time there is a fire.
 
What's the answer?  Consolidation.  Use the dedicated volunteer force more efficiently, let them handle a larger call volume and coverage area.  Supplement that force with a reasonable career organization and spread them out as well.  This all sounds familiar....like something a certain captain put out years ago.....I gues we're all still looking out for our little kingdoms and lot the greater good.

This is a big issue where I live. Even rent for a crappy, rathole apartment is too high and pushes the younger members out of the community.

My old department had an activity requirement not a time requirement. It seems to have worked well for quite some time, although I am not sure if it is still in place. You got 1 point for each call, drill or meeting. You needed 50 points to stay an active member. The bulk of the department was between 75-100 every year. There were a few heavy hitters with over 200 and a few who struggled to make 50, but all in all it worked.
 
As for recruiting, I have said it before and will say it again. Too many Chiefs give what I call the Psych Out speech. They bemoan the lack of members and then go on to list all the reasons people don't join. I strongly believe this has the effect of making anyone who is trying to decide if they want to volunteer and psyching them out to the point where they just don't bother. How about listing all the reasons people do volunteer, instead.
 
One of the department's in Stamford did a nice piece several years ago, a small card with profiles of 3 members. They picked a local business owner, an electrician working for a construction contractor & a corporate VP of a local company. I don't know how successful it was but it showed a diverse group of volunteers.
 
Then all we have to work out is how to stop chasing new members away, which seems to be the biggest problem.
 

Another issue is the housing market in areas where they join. They join as younger members still living at home, go off to college and graduate. Now they come home get a job but are unable to afford or find a suitable home in the town or even nearby to make it for calls. 

There is so much going against volunteer fire departments these days that it's insane to think that any VFD could recruit more volunteers.  There's the time commitment, between training, classes, and alarms that it eats at everyone's personal time to have a social life and spend time with our families.  The stress of working a full time job then being a firefighter on the side doesn't help either.  It's not a wonder why a lot of us have high blood pressure.
 
But, some departments get lucky and gain a few firefighters here and there.  Unfortunately, a lot of those recruits wash out.  They don't have the time.  They realize that they can't make the commitment.  Heck, some realize that fire is scary!  I've seen a few people over my career leave because they were either afraid of fire, heights, or were scared away by the stress of the job.
 
Then, there are people out there that say that can't do it.  These are the people that are happy you got a new truck, and want to take a ride on it, but never fill out the application.  There are so many citizens that could be great firefighters, but they already have themselves in the mindset that they can't do it.  OR, they think that the department is paid and they don't want to "switch careers" at this point in their lives.
 
But, there is another evil working against the volunteer firefighter that always seems to be left un-discussed.  The volunteer fire company.  VFC's always have some sort of minimum time commitment that's associated with their memberships.  Generally speaking, probationary firefighters have to put in the largest commitment, and as your career progresses the less of a commitment you have to make.  A lot of companies make the minimum commitment so high at the beginning that there is a large washout rate.  It's almost like some companies don't want to bring in new firefighters because in this day and age it is far too difficult to keep up with the training and time commitments (never mind that too many people require second and third incomes to survive).
 
There is too much working against the volunteer firefighter. Yes, time commitments are important, especially with newer firefighters that need the training and the experience.  Yes, it's a thankless job to bust you butt for free.  Yes, you lose time in your personal life where you have to leave a party or a family function for the big one.  For those of us who stick through it we show that the volunteer firefighter can prevail.  We show that we do mean something.  We just have to find a way to show everybody else that they can do the same and start handing them applications.

Once they join the depts as soon as a class at fire academy opens up send them Also good in house training and drills help out Sure they can hang out but have them do house duty too  cleaning up the firehouse and helping clean the apparatus if not It's Time for them to move on seen it happen here in bergen county All of the Depts are hurting 

You can read the article without the WSJ:
 
Go to Google and type in : Firehouses Raise Alarm Over Lack of Young Recruits
 
It will be the second one listed in the search.

I wish I subscribed to the WSJ to finish this article. Sadly, it's happening all over with volunteer companies.

I don't understand why the city doesn't require a developer that would take the space of a firehouse to build a new firehouse either on the property or nearby.  If the city decides to de-map Cedar St. to give developers another 36,000 sqft, why not build a new firehouse there?
 
**I understand that money and politics come into play on this, but I personally feel that taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook to build a new firehouse because someone wants to build another high-rise.**

Article in LoHud today about the subject. Very in depth, also spoke to the need to increase staffing in the area.
 
http://www.lohud.com/story/marketplace/real-estate/new-rochelle/2017/02/22/new-rochelle-seeks-developer-fire-station-property/97993056/
 

Yeah, that was already covered.