EMTbravo

I apologize for yesterday's downtime, but it was beyond our control. The hosting company had some networking issues in their data center. To check the status of EMTBravo.com, don't forget to check our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/emtbravo Thanks for your patience and loyalty. Seth

Congrats to RWC130, EMTBravo's April 2014 MOTM. RWC130 has been a member of EMTBravo since it's inception. He found out while we chatting on an ancient technology called "AOL IM" (real time computer chat app) while I was living in Woburn, MA and he was in Peekskill about starting a website. I quickly whipped up something small, he was the first visitor and the second to sign up, making him "Member Number 2" It's his dream just as much as it is mine. His loyalty has never wavered. Throughout the 11 years of being members of the site, Rob has been a great advocate and champion for the site. He's been here during the great times, and the not so great time. He's developed numerous ideas that would help the site, and has promoted it in every way possible. Rob's nature makes the "Work Together - Win Together" motto of EMTBravo.com possible.

EMTBravo welcomes and thanks our newest sponsor, Hudson Valley Fire Equipment. Check them out at the link below! http://www.hudsonvalleyfire.com/

Congrats to JetPhoto, EMTBravo's March 2014 MOTM. JetPhoto has been a member of EMTBravo since January of 2006. He regularly contributes knowledgeable, insightful topics and posts, including the latest news and events. He is a contributing, supportive and active member on EMTBravo, always interacting in a positive and respectful fashion. JetPhoto is just one our many, many excellent and dedicated members who are deserving of this recognition, and we will continue to recognize these members every month.

Sorry it took me so long to make the pick this month. Congrats to FDNY 10-75, our February 2014 MOTM. FDNY 10-75 has been a member of EMTBravo since September of 2004. He regularly contributes knowledgeable posts and photos, and is a very loyal member who truly wants the best for this site; He is also THE premier photographer for New York State fire apparatus. He shares his stunning work on his website. http://www.10-75.net/ FDNY 10-75 is just one our many, many excellent and dedicated members who are deserving of this recognition, and we will continue to recognize these members every month.

Congrats to FFPCogs, EMTBravo's January 2014 MOTM. FFPCogs has been a member of EMTBravo since 2008. He regularly contributes knowledgeable, insightful topics and posts. He is serving in Afghanistan, yet checks in on EMTBravo almost everyday. He routinely shares very interesting accounts of what's going on with his work overseas, as well as contributing insight to other topics in a positive way. FFPCogs is just one our many, many excellent and dedicated members who are deserving of this recognition, and we will continue to recognize these members every month.

As the end of 2013 approaches, we're looking to close the gap in our 2013 fundraising goal for our operating expenses. Our goal this year is $975, and so far we've only raised $565 towards that goal. Contributions go to help offset the costs of running this site, including server costs, license and domain fees, etc. Any amount is truly appreciated and goes towards providing the best site possible for you, including development and implementation of the next generation of the site software in 2014. For more information, or to contribute, please click on the link below: Contribute To The EMTBravo 2013 Operating Expenses Fund Thank you for your consideration. -Seth G. Founder, EMTBravo

Thanks to everyone who generously donated in 2013! We reached 82% of our goal. Your help was much needed and very appreciated! Looking forward to providing an even better EMTBravo with some new features in 2014. Thanks again! Seth

Special thanks to our latest generous donor, hawkbase, for his contribution of $25.00, bring us to 82% of our goal with only a few hours left in this years collection

Special thanks to johnvv and Dusie for helping us reach 79% with 2 days left to go.

Special thanks to SECTMB $50.00 and recoiloperated $10.00 for their generosity bringing our goal total to 77%. Your generosity is much appreciated

Special thanks to recoiloperated for his donation of $10, and SECTMB for his donation of $50, helping us bring the gap closer, we are now at 74% with only two weeks to finish out the goal year.

Thank you again to all the members who've brought us up to 68% of our goal for 2013. Your generosity and understanding is much appreciated.

Now that you don't have to log in to view the forums, we highly recommend that existing members still log in, and visitors register for an account, so you can take full advantage of the numerous features available as a logged-in member. Some of the features you get by logging in: -Automatically see which topics are new or have new posts -See which topics you've read and ones you haven't -Send messages to other members -Get important emails about the site -Customize the way you view and read the forum -Follow topics and get notifications when people reply to your posts -Start topics and reply to posts -Participate in forum activities -Keep your account active And many more.

Thanks to the following members for their contributions to the above campaign, bringing us up to 68% of our goal. These donations will be used to renew the EMTBravo domain name, renewal of the software license, and planning and development for EMTBravo 4.0 (working title), expected to transition in the first quarter of 2014. It also helps to offset other routine costs, such as server rental. We have a dedicated platform customized to EMTBravo.com, and that takes much more work, time, and cost then setting up a free Facebook site, which anyone can whip up in an instant. We are different because we are a online forum-format community dedicated to emergency services, and not just incidents. Our community allows things that a Facebook page just can't offer. There are people who like our site so much and are so enveloped in it that they watch our every move. We've been here for 10 years because of members like you. We're always striving to be the best no matter what others may say or do, and again thank you for allowing us to do that. Some of you may have noticed the donation goal adjustments. $975 is the final goal for 2013, and was adjusted and lowered based on other income, such as ad revenue and my out of pocket costs. This goal fills the deficit. Thanks to the following members for their contributions and generosity to this campaign: -PVFD113 (has been a very generous donor to EMTBravo.com for over 10 years, basically since day one. His continued loyalty is very much appreciated) -Michael Mitch Mitchell -EMT -wmetech -LTFIREPRG (has also been a very generous donor to EMTBravo.com for over 10 years, basically since day one. His continued loyalty is very much appreciated) -AAA Emergency Supply (advertiser and generous donor)

EMTBravo is currently beta-testing the Zello "Walkie-Talkie" app to allow IA Writers to communicate via voice with members in the field in order to provide even more accurate and timely IA's, amongst other ways voice communication can enhance the forum. It's reminiscent of the old "buff radio" networks of the past. Learn More About The App By Clicking Here This program is still in beta, and this post is fluid, so we are still figuring out how this is going to work, and the only way we can do that is while it is live. So we encourage you to download and use the app. It is called "Zello", and is available on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and PC devices. Sign up for the "EMTBravo Radio Network". The password is "radio". When you have it downloaded, try it out. I'm "10-8, k" for a bit longer, so call me up to help me see if this works! If something doesn't work or you have trouble, please post on this thread, so we can figure it out together and maybe help out other members experiencing the same issues at the same time. Looking forward to you hitting me up! -Seth AKA x635 Lessons learned so far since original post: 1. You have to request authorization to talk to the other party, kinda like a Facebook friend request. When you go to transmit to send to someone, it should automatically send the request. And it should be a one time thing. P.S. This is still in "beta" mode. Any positive ideas for the system, our ears are open. And, don't worry, once we get this figured out and honed, we'll make it easier to use.

NEW: Now you don't have to be logged in to EMTBravo.com to view all posts! All guests and members visiting the site are welcome to browse the entire forum community and all the posts without having to log in. http://www.emtbravo.com Regards, Seth G. "Close The Gap" Fundraising Campaign for EMTBravo 2013 Operating Expenses Click here for further information and to contribute

When you visit EMTBravo, how do you enter the forums? Through the original EMTBravo.com portal, or do you go straight to this forum? Please vote in the poll above. We hope you access us through our original portal, EMTBravo.com, online since 2003, for a easy simple, and, organized summary of what's going on in the area and what's new on the site, and then come to the forums through there. If you haven't visited our portal, please make sure to check it out at EMTBravo.com and if you like it, please bookmark it to start out your daily forum visit there. Thanks! Seth G.

A reminder to all our members: There is only one official EMTBravo Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/EMTBravo There are several pages out there that attempt to imply that they are affiliated with us in subtle and non subtle ways, but they are not. We do not endorse or are related to any other Facebook page except for the one linked above. Please use caution when liking, joining, or accepting an invitation to join any group on Facebook, and remember that group organizers can add you to a group without your permission. Some of these sites can (and have in some cases) done this to validate their cause or site. Also keep in mind that "likes" can literally be bought, and are in no way an indicator of a page's success, legitimacy, or activity. Be careful about who you affiliate with on Facebook. For more about safety on Facebook, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/fbsafety And just a fun note, EMTBravo.com was around and well established before Facebook. Feel free to email any questions, comments, or concerns to seth@emtbravo.com

Want to change your EMTBravo username, or merge two usernames? Click here to contact us.

Members, If you look at the EMTBravo sites, you'll see a new tagline. "Helping Those Who Help Others". That line is self explanatory. EMTBravo is established to serve a community of people who have an interest in a very specific area, it is a place for people to exchange ideas, thoughts and comments and a place where people can discuss things which they find interesting or important. It is also a place where people can help one another, learn, and get help for those who serve that need it. Seth G. & Rob C. Co-Chief Of Operations, EMTBravo

Interested in advertising on EMTBravo? We are currently looking for several businesses or services of any scale to advertise on our site. Advertising helps to subsidize site costs and other operating expenses when there is a deficit in donations and other funding. We have a variety of advertising packages to meet your needs, and are willing to work with you 24/7 to create a successful custom campaign to give your business or product maximum exposure. Click the link below for further information on advertising on EMTBravo on our NEW Advertiser Information Page. All of our packages and pricing are clearly listed. http://www.emtbravo.com/advertise.html or visit EMTBravo.com and click on the "Advertise" link in the upper left sidebar. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at seth@emtbravo.com or via the message system on this forum Thank you for your time. Have a GREAT day! Seth G.

We're halfway through the year, and we've only reached 9% of our fundraising goal. Donations help to provide a source of funding to pay for our dedicated server, bandwith, domain registration and renwals, hosting costs, license and other fees, as well as many other expenses including custom software apps that are essential to the site that are expected of the site. It also provides appreciation for all the hard work and endless hours put into providing a free site for you to enjoy. Many forum websites depend on membership donations. We plan in the future to offer Premium Memberships (subscriptions that will allow you to access premium forums and other exclusive features) when we have the funding to purchase the software to manage subscriptions. We also are looking for new advertisers to subsidize costs, and are pursuing other methods to raise funds to cover other costs, such as planning for an EMTBravo muster and EMTBravo T-shirts, amongst other things. But, until these programs can be put in place, we are dependent on member donations. We are thankful for all donations, big or small, and truly appreciate all support by our members over the past 10 years. To donate, click the following link or cut and paste it into your browser: http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php/donate/ or click on the "Donate" at the top of the page Please send any questions or comments you may have via the personal message system.

Members, I'm looking to update the feature photo on EMTBravo.com several times each week again. To do that, I need members to submit that one photo that would make a great "cover shot" for the site. Mainly, I'm looking for photos from a wide variety of photographers of departments in action, or newly delivered apparatus. For example, these are the kinds of photos I'm looking for (examples):http://www.emtbravo.com/FeaturePhotos/index.html If you have a photo for consideration as feature photo on EMTBravo.com, please send to: seth@emtbravo.com (Photo MUST be YOUR photo that you took). Please include your name for credit and some details on the photo. Thanks! -Seth G. *Please send only your BEST shots, proper lighting, framing, etc......

Members, I know I've changed titles around a lot in the past, but we are going forward in a new direction with this forum. I've changed the "Director Of Operations" to the "Chief Of Operations" because that title is much more understandable to emergency services personnel. With that said, Rob Casasanta (RWC130) has been appointed as EMTBravo's Chief Of Operations. Rob has been a member of this forum since it's inception (10 years), and is the second person registered after me. He is proud to be a member, has helped to get this site to where it is today, and has always given me sound advice and guidance. He is very diplomatic, which is something we need. He has some great ideas to expand the site, like heading up the EMTBravo Muster, and has continued to show great initiative and planning for a successful future. He wants the best for this site and it's members. Rob has always been someone I trusted greatly, and is a true friend and has no "agenda". He is tolerant, understanding, caring, and honest. It has come time to appoint someone to be my equal should something happen to me health wise and to assure the future of the site. In the next few weeks, we will be forming a written partnership agreement regarding this. I will also be training him and providing him with what he needs to run the site (so, for example, we don't have downtime like we had in March). I'd like to say thank you to Rob for always being there, through thick and thin. You're a great friend, and will make a great Chief Of Operations. Thank you for taking the load off my shoulders when I need you. Now, to me. I will stay involved with the technical, financial, and development ends of the websites, so I will still be around as Deputy Chief Of Operations. Congrats! Seth Granville Founder & Deputy Chief Of Operations