Alpinerunner

My guess is something in the torque-box is snapped. It's caused by the chassis twisting. If it did it on both sides it could be that you're just overloading it based on weight/height, and the frame is just not stiff enough. It could also mean it's snapped in such a way that if affects both twisting directions equally.
What I'm trying to say is that overall frame stiffness should be largely symmetrical, if it's not, something in the torque-box probably snapped. I would take it to a shop other than Pierce.

You said the overwhelming majority of these wrecks are on the volunteer side. Do you have the stats? With the sheer number of volunteer fire departments I would expect more volunteer accidents than paid. Add in that every volunteer is driving to the scene or station, are volunteers more reckless. I don't have any real info on this, but would be curious to see the breakdown of accidents per firefighter or even department. I doubt its out there, but per mile driven could also be really interesting. I'm sure the bias towards younger firefighters and older equipment bumps up the rate of accidents for volunteers. All in all a comprehensive review of this would be very interesting.

On Sunday March 4,2012 the Continental Village Fire Dept. Responded mutual-aid to Putnam Valley who was operating a structure fire at Putnam Valley Park.

ZAKA (the agency in the article) generally is responsible for identifying and burying people and body parts from terrorist attacks. The vehicle pictured in the article does not appear to be an ambulance. It does appear to be a vehicle used to respond to a terrorist incident and transport the dead and body parts for identification and burial. The vehicle may be equipped with a light and siren package. It is certainly not a "911" ambulance being used to transport the bride to the wedding. The "911" functions in Israel are covered by MADA and Hatzolah. ZAKA does not serve as a "911" agency in Israel. In fact, the slogan on the side of the van says, "true kindness", which is a phrase used to describe kindness to those who have already passed away as they have no chance to repay the favor.

Date: 2/27/2012
Time: ~1830hrs
Location: Newark Liberty International Airport (Runway 22L)
Frequency: Air Traffic Control, Port Authority Trunked, Newark UHF
Units Operating: Newark ARFF, Port Authority Police, Airport Operations, Newark FD, Newark PD, UMDNJ EMS, FAA, NTSB
Weather Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 52 Degrees
Description Of Incident: A United Express aircraft, operated by Shuttle America, from Atlanta to Newark reported landing gear problems upon approach. The aircraft, an Embraer E-170, was caring 68 passengers and 4 crew members. The pilot declared an emergency. Newark ARFF laid foam on the runway prior to landing. Upon aircraft touchdown, the front nose gear collapsed. The plane skid down the runway to a hard stop. Passengers exited the aircraft via the emergency slides and were transported to the terminal by bus. The airport was closed for a short time. However, runway 22 left will remain closed until the morning. All flights are running with delays. Newark FD and EMS responded as mutual aid.
Reporters:
Writer: firedude
Flight Details:
Shuttle America Flight 5125
Atlanta to Newark
Embraer E-170
72 people on board
WNBC Article
WABC Article
NYCAviation Article

This is unreal. Who was the email from? NYC or Vulcans? I will make every effort to show up to this. I hope I'm the only white person there.

This is unreal. Who was the email from? NYC or Vulcans? I will make every effort to show up to this. I hope I'm the only white person there.

This is unreal. Who was the email from? NYC or Vulcans? I will make every effort to show up to this. I hope I'm the only white person there.

I rarely run into any of these agencies, so my knowledge isn't as in depth as someone who works on Cross-Bay Blvd. or Throggs Neck. Some of these agencies serve private, Co-Op developments, such as Edgewater and Point Breeze. They have equipment that allows them to navigate tight streets. Often, they simply assist the FDNY in getting water to the fire, but what they provide is simply a service to a private community that is very specific in it's needs. As for the two units in Staten Island; Richmond Engine is 1 mile from E165 L85 and E162 L82. Oceanic Hose is half a mile from E 154 and a mile from E166 L86. I'm sure they're not beating any of those companies in unless they happen to have a crew hanging around the firehouse. I don't know how active they REALLY are, but we share a frequency with Staten Island and I occasionally hear the SI Dispatch calling them and they rarely answer. The neighborhoods they serve are very residential and remote. They have a real small town in a big city feel. The volunteer fire service has always been a cornerstone of small town life and the community. I'm sure this keeps it relevant, despite being covered by FDNY units. I have never heard of any real issues between them.

Date: 02-19-12
Time: 19:00hrs.(Approx.)
Area: Downtown
Location: 300 Washington St.(Bing Maps)
Frequency: Hoboken Fireground
Weather Conditions: Cool
Description Of Incident: Companies o/s w/fire on the 1st floor of a 5-story 30'x150' brick corner attached mixed-occupany building w/exposure problems. Companies transfered from Jersey City M/A coverage to fire. Exposure buildings evacuated. Command transmitting 2nd and 3rd Alarms for heavy fire conditions. Heavy fire on the 4th and 5th floors, "B" side and through the roof. Partial collapse of the roof and 5th floor. Numerous L/S/O's w/master streams in operation. All companies working. Ladder Companies opening up the roof. All searches negative. Three victims treated for minor injuries. No other injuries reported.
Reporters:
Writers: sfrd18
Units Operating: HFD(All); North Hudson Regional FD(M/A), Newark FD Engine 7, Engine 10, Ladder 4(M/A), Elizabeth FD Engine 2, Engine 6, Tower Ladder 3, Battalion Chief(M/A), East Newark FD(M/A), Kearny FD(M/A), Bayonne FD(M/A); HPD; HEMS
Box Assignment:
Engine 3, Engine 5, Engine 4, Engine 1
Ladder 1, Ladder 2
Rescue 1
Command Unit
19:40hrs. - Command transmitting a 3rd Alarm.
20:35hrs. - Command transmitting a 4th Alarm. Heavy fire on the top floors and through the roof.
ABC Local News Article
NY Post Article
International Business Times Article

Mayor's plan:
Create separate department for the 4 consolidated volunteer departments. Hire career firefighters to man 2 TRFD stations, 2 LRFC stations, Springdale, and Belltown, and 1 Chief. 3 FFs per station during the day 2 at night.
Chief Brown's plan:
Keep all as is (2 city engines in TRFD district, 1 in Springdale, 0 in Belltown, all with 3-4 FFs), but decomission 1 engine and 1 truck from the SFRD district and move those crews to cover the two stations of LRFC, therefore not adding any personnel or costs. (I don't know what the plan is for the current LRFC FFs). 1 SFRD DC to cover entire city.
That's as simple and unbiased as I can put it.

There has definitely been an increase lately, and there are so many factors to consider. For those that are not aware the NYPD has suffered 4 suicides since Jan 1, 2012 including one in Yorktown. Some of the factors coming into play that I can see increasing stress are the continued economic problems, increase in crime (for police officers), a change in the public's perception of emergency services (civil service employees as well).
Everyone I talk to or know is either struggling to pay the bills every month if they are lucky to have a job. I know two people that have been out of work for almost the last 2 years, and have just gotten jobs, but they say the pay is no where near what they used to make. Personally I went from making anywhere from 35 to 40 hours of overtime a month two years ago to just 4 to 8 hours a month now. Some people got dependent on the overtime to pay the bills, or use as spending cash. Everyday items we use food, milk, gas, etc have gone up in price but our pay has stay the same or been reduced. WE have had no pay increase in the last 2 years and do not see one coming anytime soon.
From a police officer's perspective crime is going up, and our staffing has gone down dramatically in some case yet our higher ups want the same overall numbers, so each cop has to do more each month. A perfect example is my first command. When I graduated in April of 1999 the tour I worked had 1 LT, 8 SGT, and somewhere around 85 cops. Today that entire command has 3 LT, 8 SGT, and around 60 cops spread out over three tours. Getting days off is next to impossible if it is not your scheduled vacation pick (which are guaranteed) . Back then we were expected to do 1 arrest and 10 summons a month, now friends that work in that command tell me they are told/pressured to bring in around 5 or 6 arrests a month. Certain posts must be covered such as the desk and the tunnel security post, which they rotate, but it still cuts down on days where you can go look for activity. When numbers go down the first thing higher ups look to cut is OT. My current command some nights only turns out 1 sector to cover half of the Bronx subway lines, so if you have the car on a night like that you run nonstop. One night i put almost 165 miles on the car just in the Bronx answering jobs, with no meal period. Of course I got yelled at for not bringing in any summonses or arrests. There is a lot of pressure on us from our own bosses. Almost every police command in the city is the same.
We have all seen in the news have civil servants are being scrutinized. Our pay, our pensions, everything. The first thing people call for is "they should lose their job" if we make a mistake. People are campaigning to take away our pensions, reduce our disability pay god forbid you are injured in the line of duty and no longer physical able to perform your job title. Just look at some Cuomo's proposals for the new Tier 6 pension plan. Just on my job new hires do not get the same benefits I get due to Governor Patterson's refusal to sign a yearly extender to allow them to remain Tier II, instead of the Tier III that they got. They must work 22.5 years to retire, opposed to my 20 years. I can take a pension loan if needed, they can not. There are other difference in the disability pensions as well.

Legal Issues, Constitutional Rights, Civil Rights, and all that other good stuff aside, there is one key word that affects all of us. It affects us whether we're paid or volunteer. It affects us whether we're Police or Fire or EMS. It affects us no matter where we work or who we work for. It's a rather simple word, but it's a word that probably has more control over us as Emergency Service professionals then any other word. PERCEPTION.
How we are perceived by the public plays a HUGE role in the level of respect and confidence we instill in the communities we serve. Perception can also be used to protect us in times of potential danger. Take for example, Line of Duty Deaths of Law Enforcement Officers. During interviews of convicted cop killers, they were asked why they went forward with committing the act of murdering a uniformed police officer. The majority said they PERCEIVED that they could overpower and overcome the law enforcement officer that was engaging them. This perception was borne out of the fact that the officer appeared unkept or unprofessional, or the officer lacked a command presence, causing the perpetrator to perceive the officer was not in control of the situation. A police officer who has a clean and neat appearance, speaks in an articulate and command voice, and looks like a well trained professional is more likely to gain compliance from individuals just based on the perception that they are a well-trained professional. Sometimes that is all takes to end a potentially violent incident. Perception can work for you or against you, it just depends what image you allow the individual you are dealing with to perceive.
The same applies to EMS providers. An EMS provider who appears to be professional; is well groomed, wearing a clean and pressed uniform, and expresses and articulates him/herself as a professional provider, will be perceived by patients and family members as a capable, well trained individual who is going to provide the highest level of emergency medical care. Now take an EMS provider who is unkept, dissheveled, and uses improper grammar and can not articulate themselves as a professional. These providers are perceived to be incompetent, which makes for some difficulty in earning the trust of our patients, their family members, and other medical providers, in both the prehospital and in-hospital settings.
Perception does not necessarily mean that an individuals perception of another is correct. You can be the a very well spoken, clean, and neat EMT or Paramedic, and still be a sub-par provider in terms of your clinical skills and judgment. But if you are a top notch provider, you may be fighting an uphill battle to win over your patient or family if you give off the wrong perception.
How does perception apply to Social Media Outlets? Well, we are public servants. Whether we are paid or volunteer, we are agents of the Emergency Service community who set out to serve the people of our community. No other group of individuals are criticized more then public servants, especially us in the Emergency Service field. How we conduct ourselves, both on and off duty, is going to lead the public who we serve to perceive us in a certain manner. I can understand why a lot of people would agree with the statement, "What I do in my free time with my personal accounts is my business". It seems like a rationale way of thinking, and eventhough we're public servants we still are entitled to our "alone time" away from our duties as public servants. But even during that alone time, when we're off-duty, out of uniform, and away from our Stations, the public still views us as a representative of whatever entity we belong to. To engage in childish, immature, and inappropriate behavior, either directly in view of the public, or through Social Media Outlets where there is always the possibility of such behavior becoming public, is going to have an extremely negative affect on how the public PERCEIVES not only the individual, but the organization as well. And it is even worse when it is a high ranking official or officer within the agency, because the leadership is entrusted to set a professional example for the rest of it's membership. If the leader acts like a buffoon, what does that say for the troops under his/her command? Combine that perception along with the line of work that we engage in. We are responsible for protect our communities, whether it be from criminals, fires, or life-threatening accidents or illnesses. Ask yourself, if you saw an individual coming to the aide or you or your family member, who just an hour before you saw was carrying on through Twitter or Facebook (or any other outlet) like an immature and unprofessional buffoon, how much perceived trust and confidence would you have in this individual before they even said a word to you? I'm all for having fun and goofing around; but there has to be boundaries. If we can't control ourselves as not just professionals, but simply as adults to conduct ourselves with regard for our status as public servants both on and off duty, then we should find a different field of employment or means of volunteering to give back to the community.

Well it depends... Federal laws state that if the agency is part of, or affiliated with a college or university the student attends, then the international students may volunteer with a F-1 Student Visa. If the agency is not affiliated with the college or university the student attends, then they may volunteer. However, if the chief of the FD is paid, then the international student may not volunteer. I'm not sure if being a US Citizen is a requirement for every FD. All international students should speak to their collage or universities international student center before seeking employment or volunteering.

That's what I'm thinking. It appears the site has something more advanced that a cookie-system. My guess is it logs your IP address and only lets that IP vote once per day. It's a little more difficult than deleting a cookie, but there are definitely people that know how to mask/change their IP address and vote as many times as they want.
The less cynical way of thinking about it is that they might just be better at reaching out to their community. This forum alone really isn't that big.

Except Boston? I hope it is sarcasm. There are plenty of departments that throw plently of "portables" as we call them. Look at DC and it's suburbs they throw as many as Boston.
I always had the ladders out any Saturday I worked as a Lieutenant. We washed them and put them up. 1. They collect a ton of dust in the tunnel under the aerial. 2. Just simple maintainence finds halyard issues and even gets the members proficient in tying it.
But to the jist of the arguement I think the opposite is true. Too many suburban departments do truck work to be like "the city". When in fact their best bet with the limited initial manpower is to put the fire out. If I know I was always going to show up with 5 or 6 I would get my guys hyper competent in engine work. Unfortunatly the primary search will have to wait for knockdown. Primary without water on the fire will not work.

Bump. Let's keep this at the top.

The NFVFD boat based at Squantz Engine Company actually does very well on smooth and rough water, but hang on tight depending on who is driving it. It has cut transport of people hurt at the forest edges of Squantz Pond or drowning victims to the ambulance at the loading dock or boat launch from more than 15 minutes by traditional motor boat to about two. It MOVES. Also, we had a structure fire on Lavelle Avenue (overlooking Squantz Pond) during the October freak snowstorm and could not get more than the brush truck past the downed trees and wires, and used the boat to provide water source from the Pond to the brush truck and the smaller truck that eventually cut its way through to put out the fire, and it worked very well. The first day we had it on the water, we used the pump to put out an outbuilding fire on Pine Island on Candlewood Lake, where we used to have to lug a portable pump, hoselengths, etc. and make extra trips for people. It has more than proven itself, and flies across the Lake without having to worry about seaweed propeller tangles. Good luck to the Department that bought one - it is well worth it.
The only other one in existance at the time we purchased it was being built to go to Turkey. They have the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, but not sure if it was going to be used in either one. Economy tanked, and no one else bought one until the recent ones posted, so glad to see they are selling. One problem we found was stress fractures in the upward struts, but they modified and fixed that, and it has not recurred since.

Yonkers 3rd Alarm, 33 Lincoln Terr.

Mayor's plan:
Create separate department for the 4 consolidated volunteer departments. Hire career firefighters to man 2 TRFD stations, 2 LRFC stations, Springdale, and Belltown, and 1 Chief. 3 FFs per station during the day 2 at night.
Chief Brown's plan:
Keep all as is (2 city engines in TRFD district, 1 in Springdale, 0 in Belltown, all with 3-4 FFs), but decomission 1 engine and 1 truck from the SFRD district and move those crews to cover the two stations of LRFC, therefore not adding any personnel or costs. (I don't know what the plan is for the current LRFC FFs). 1 SFRD DC to cover entire city.
That's as simple and unbiased as I can put it.

Mayor's plan:
Create separate department for the 4 consolidated volunteer departments. Hire career firefighters to man 2 TRFD stations, 2 LRFC stations, Springdale, and Belltown, and 1 Chief. 3 FFs per station during the day 2 at night.
Chief Brown's plan:
Keep all as is (2 city engines in TRFD district, 1 in Springdale, 0 in Belltown, all with 3-4 FFs), but decomission 1 engine and 1 truck from the SFRD district and move those crews to cover the two stations of LRFC, therefore not adding any personnel or costs. (I don't know what the plan is for the current LRFC FFs). 1 SFRD DC to cover entire city.
That's as simple and unbiased as I can put it.

I'm not. The mans either an idiot or a sexual predator, 6-4 you pick 'em. Personally, I'd go (as I'm sure the DA will) with sexual predator. I don't know if everyone read the report but (those of you who are sensitive can skip this part) in addition to pinching the girls nipples he states that he inserted he's right middle finger moving it up & down "I just diddled it" he says. Meanwhile it goes on to say it took about 10 min. to get to the hosp. He did the aforementioned after other procedures at tactile stimulation failed. What clinical significance justified such action. None. Now, over the years, especially back in the day, hearing about some moronic barbarians twisting nipples (on male pts) in order to elicit some kind of response. I've never, ever heard an excuse/justification or even a suggestion by anyone to do what he has admitted to. The DA should ask if he would have thought to yank on a male sex organ in an attempt to elicit a response. His job, career & possibly his freedom are gone, with a sex predator tag attached for the rest of his life. He says it was bad judgment. I agree, luckily, his patient wasn't as unresponsive as he thought, this probably wasn't his first time but hopefully it's his last.

I read this thread yesterday and have been following the discussion for a day and now feel compelled to add my opinion. It is disappointing that a member of this site asks a simple question about the status of a piece of apparatus which has been placed out of service due to fire and the automatic responses that are generated turn immediately to why does this department need this truck?
The funny thing is that rarely are the one’s questioning the needs of (fill in the blank) Fire Department, at all associated with that department – so how would you know what their communities specific needs are?
As example, I wouldn’t question why one department – of which I have no affiliation with or knowledge of their needs - has 3 ladder trucks even though they are surrounded by departments with ladder trucks on every side of their community – because it’s not my place to. If that department has determined that is what they need to do their job, I trust that their leadership has made an educated decision and that they are not just stroking their egos.
Ironically, it’s double edged sword here as well; a northern department is questioned why so much mutual aid is needed at a house fire, but another department that is self-sufficient is accused of wasting tax payer dollars and questioned why they need this truck or that truck instead of using more mutual aid. It doesn’t make sense; it’s ludicrous.
There was an interesting article on here lately about the fire service and its changing nature; how departments are being asked to respond to new situations and different types of emergencies all the time. Proper response to these new challenges often requires newer tools, gear and equipment to effectively mitigate these hazards; which in turn often means purchasing a newer and larger truck to carry this equipment and get the job done.
So - why does this town need this truck? Because their membership and commissioners and potentially their insurance agency have determined it is necessary for their district and their firefighters to do their job effectively.
This, of course, is not the first time that others who think they know what is best for everyone else interject their own beliefs or who knows maybe even their envy at some other departments rolling stock and I’m sure it won’t be the last – but still it’s disappointing; it is one of the reasons I seldom participate on this site any longer.
Periodically someone on this site will post something about making this site what we want it to be – a place where positive discussion can take place and where people can learn. But that doesn’t happen; the forcing of agendas continues. Then there is the occasional thread that asks why member participation is down on this site and I think to myself in response to that question, I can’t imagine why someone would feel compelled to post something here when others with agendas, or egos, or envy, or whatever pick apart every detail of every call, decision and comment made. It really is disappointing.

Don't think of it as a "rescue" think of it as a "rescue-pumper". It was there 1st truck truck for everything! It was an awesome rig!
Anyone know a timeline for the new truck? Will it be KME? Same specs?

On Sunday December 11th at approximately 11:16 PM Continental Village Fire Department and Peekskill Ambulance were dispatched to the Bear Mountain Bridge Road for a report of a motor vehicle accident with injuries. Upon arrival it was discovered that a BMW was traveling westbound on the road when it left the roadway and went over a 20 foot embankment coming to rest on its roof in a stream. Firefighters and EMS personnel removed the driver from the vehicle, strapped him into a stokes basket and carried him up the slope to an awaiting ambulance. The driver was transported to Westchester Medical Center with a State Trooper riding along in the Ambulance. Fire units remained on scene until around 1 AM when the vehicle was safely removed from the woods.