EMTbravo

Thanks. That issue is currently on the list and is being worked on.

Also, just to note, the software we are using for EMTBravoNewEngland.com is also serving to see if it is a viable canidate for the next generation of the EMTBravo Network Forums. Not to worry though, that upgrade still a ways away. (Summer 2007 or later)

Members- We have launched a new forum, http://www.emtbravonewengland.com We launched this website after noticing a lack of a place for Fire And EMS personnel and those with an interest in emergency services to communicate interactively online in the New England area, much like we do on this forum.. We hope you will enjoy and participate in this forum. Please help us to get the word out to all interested in New England Fire and EMS operations that we are here. http://www.emtbravonewengland.com If you ever have any suggestions, comments, questions, concerns or feedback, please feel free to contact me anytime at EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com! -EMTBravo EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com

Members- Effective immediately, the moderation team will no longer respond to complaints from non-verified members regarding forum moderation. There are some on here who like to intentionally cause trouble and incite conflict, and hide behind a screename. Many of these members use multiple screennames. Some are even keyboard bullies, who like to make threats to myself and other members. They like to complain when there posts, usually a bash or attempt to incite a conflict or tension, is deleted. All members of which I speak of who behave like this are non-verified. Therefore, we have instituted this new policy. We work very hard to maintain this forum as a friendly, positive, and constructive place to exchange information. We do not have the time or willingness to deal with those who can not stand behind their posts and actions or follow the clear purpose and rules of this forum. We encourage all active members to join our verification program. -EMTBravo

Members- Based on the trends we have monitored, we have expanded and reorganized our Incident Alert Forums. There are now 8 dedicated sections for Incident Alerts from: -Westchester -Putnam/Dutchess -New York City (Significant Incidents Only) -Rockland/Orange -Connecticut -New Jersey -Regional (All areas not listed about including upstate NY and LI) -National/International. We just spent close to 5 hours sorting the topics into the different categories from the old Regional IA forum, so all past IA's should now be in the right places. Our hope is that this makes it easier for you to browse through incidents from YOUR area. We also hope, if you have accurate and orginal information, that you will particpate in posting incidents from YOUR area. As always members, please help us get the word out that we've expanded our IA forums to feautre these areas. Thanks! EMTBravo, Forum Administrator EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com Truck 4, Deputy Administrator & Incident Alert Director Truck4@EMTBravo.net **Coming Soon: An Easy To Use GUide To Posting IA's**

Members- We've reverted back to our old photo layout system, until such time whereas something that suits our needs presents itself. Although the new photo system offered a better way to navigate the photos, in the end it wasn't compatible with what we wanted and needed for the site. Although there are fancy gallery systems and the such out there, we want to keep our photo layouts just that.......simple layouts that are about the photos. In addition, many members couldn't see the photos properly in their browser. So, please visit http://www.EMTBravo.com, all the photos from the past week have been converted to the old format and accesible from there. -EMTBravo

With this number, I have some goals in mind that I hope the members of this forum will help me with. -More of our current members will enroll in our Verification program. -More members from Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, CT, NJ, and the NYC Metro area will share information from their communities. -That our current members from Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, southeastern CT, northern NJ, and the NYC Metro area , will pass along this site to people they know and encourage new active members. -And most of all, more of the very active "lurkers" we have will start posting and share the information we know they have, and particpate in our discussions.

Thanks Rob and all. I really, REALLY appreciate the kind words and positive feedback...it makes it very worthwhile to know that people are enjoying and learning from this site. I always love to hear it whether via a post, email, or in person. There's a select few who enjoy making runnning this forum difficult, and that coupled with all the stress of upgrading the sites recently along with everything else makes reading this post really refreshing and rejuvinates my spirit. I spend way too many hours and even make myself sick worrying about this site. So thanks for this thread. I need a boost every now and then, lol. Also, thanks to Rob, Mike, Tommy and Chris and ALL the members who contribute to help keep this forum and EMTBravo running, and to the sponsors who make it financially possible.

Let me clarify, this isn't JUST about apparatus....this is about the whole concept of some people trying to intentionally suppress information that in a normal world should be shared. We all should learn from one another, and it amazes me that some people actually look to stop that. I feel that some people are personally afraid or not confident in their ideas or their actions, and that's why they are so against people posting on here.

As many of you know, EMTBravo.com recently launched a new photo system. I want to scour the membership for decent shots of the following: (I define "decent" as being a photo of decent size, in decent lighting, and decent framing. ) -New Deliveries -Recent Incidents -Spy Shots (of upcoming deliveries) -Updated Apparatus -Buddy Shots -Training -Anything else that would be of interest to the EMTBravo Memberhship. With the new photo system, it's easier and faster for me to get photos posted, and smaller sets posted.....so if you've been discouraged in the past, please submit again! I can't promise that all photos will be posted.....but we will get as many good photos that are of interest to our membership up as soon as possible. RESEND me photos if you've sent me something and I haven't posted it, or you haven't heard from me. If you have the photos- and they are YOUR original photos- then please email them to me at EMTBravo@EMTBravo.com Please provide your EMTBravo.com Username for credit and information that would be helpful in viewing the photos. BTW, if you know someone in your department who takes good digital photos.....let them know about the site and suggest that they send them in to EMTBravo.com to share. Thanks! -EMTBravo

Thanks for the input and help guys. I have a better idea what the problem is now....the photos are too big for the format. I'll work on that issue this week. Also, remember to view the site properly at this time your browser window must be opened to full size (maximized), and other menus (favorites, history) closed.

I've had a couple of reports that people haven't been able to view the photos on the EMTBravo Photo Index ( http://www.emtbravophotos.com ) I am unable to find the cause of this, and everyone I have spoken with can see the photos using different computers and browsers. Is anyone else having this issue, or had this issue, and if so...what did you do to resolve it? I'll use for example...can you see all the photos of Poughkeepsie's new engine?

To note, this site was founded on the principle that sharing information leads to working together better. I'd like to see more members to go from "lurkers" to active posting members. A lot of people read this board, and there really is no reason to hold back if you have information to share. Also, there are some members who just enjoy causing trouble. That's what we DON'T want on this forum.

Recently, I recieved a complaint that a member shared that a neighboring department was recieving a new apparatus. This information was common knowledge for a while now in the area, in fact the dealer has even been sharing it with other clients. The member who sent me the complaint felt that the members from that department should be the ones to share that information. Granted, I wish more members from every department came on here to share what's going on in their departments, but some don't. And there's a lot of interested parties who want to know. My reply to this member was that there have been a large amount of deliveries to this area since this forum was started, yet we hardly hear about them or see photos. I am encouraging members from throughout the area to share information, and I gladly welcome these types of threads. If we're not bashing the agency, then it's completly fine to discuss....as long as the member presenting the thread is presenting fact or asking a question, and not speculating or speaking out of place. It seems anytime a department gets a new fire engine, station, equipment, personel,even a new technique they are using, that information is regarded as "top secret". It seems some departments want to keep what happens in their departments within their departments. I see problems with this. First, if accurate information is not openly shared, that IS the foundation of a rumor with the wrong facts being spread. Secondly, there are a number of people with an interest in a departments operations (as seen by the interest expressed on this forum) as well as the citizens, AKA the taxpayers, who's dollars go to pay for this equipment. Many departments even make it a game to make this information completly inaccesible. This forum is about the sharing of information. Unfortunely, some don't want to post the information they have.....only complain about the information others post. Or worse yet, try to squash their participation in this forum. This forum is about the sharing of information...and as we grow our member base, sometimes we don't have active members from all the areas we want information from, so other members "in the know" have to post. It bothers me that those people who complain that "people are talking about their deparment " who are registered members here just sit back and brood, yet cannot figure out how to hit the "New Post" or "Add Reply" button and set the facts straight, or give us the information that we want to know. I can fully understand departments not wanting their members represented via a "MySpace" profile, or even presenting information on internet forums that they may not have the correct facts on or information that should not be public knowledge yet. What concerns me is that members will come on here to share what should be common knowledge, and then getting chastised or even disciplined for it for no reason. It makes no sense to me. I encourage the members of EMTBravo who have the factual information to back up their posts and stand behind their posts to share information with us when it is appropriate to share that information. I provide these forums as a place to share information and ideas, as a place to grow so that we can all work better together. The "Top Secret" nonsense needs to stop. If members are seriously concerned about information about their department, then do something about it. Whether it be a press release, blog, updated website, or even posting on this forum, give those that are interested a way to know what's going on. What is said on this forum is also said on the street...meaning people just don't talk about things here. By the way, if you are ever concered about the validity of a post or a members behavior, please feel free to contact a moderator or myself at anytime. -EMTBravo

Members- res6cue has been appointed as a moderator of The EMTBravo Network. I'd like to take this chance to welcome him and introduce him as a moderator. res6cue was appointed based on his experience in the fire and EMS service, and his extensive knowledge of the web and forum operations. Also, he consistently contributes factual, well written posts to this forum and assists other members. His role will be assisting myself and the Deputy Admin's with keeping this forum a positive, constructive, and friendly place to exchange factual information and ideas. The moderators, who are members as well, are here for other the members. If you need help using any feature of the forum, have an issue with another member or a post, are worried that something is not proper, or any of the other host of issues or questions that can come up, please contact a moderator. -EMTBravo

If you are having trouble with the new EMTBravo.com mainpage loading, please post the following information on this thread so I can attempt to resolve the issue. For those who it is not loading correctly, please provide me with: -Your browser type and version -Mac or PC? -Monitor Size? -Resolution? -What types of errors are you having specifically? Please note that the site is designed to work best and is tested with Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox using Windows XP and a 1054x768 MINIMUM screen resolution.

Thanks to everyone for the input. At this time, I have decided to keep the new format, and keep working with it. I am ending the input threads, and am going to start one for bug reporting...so I can work out issues if the new EMTBravo.com page isn't loading correctly on your computer. If you have further input, comments, questions, or suggestions about the new site, please contact me via email at EMTBravo@EMTbravo.com Thanks again!

Thanks to RWC130 and all for their input. You are correct that it's difficult that I want to please everybody, and it is. However, I am going to continue doing what I think is in the best interest of the site and its members. I realize that it is impossible to make everyone happy, and am confident that this new layout will grow on everyone. As mentioned, I think this page will work out in the long run better for us all. As time allows, I'm still improving on the design, and as this is a member driven site, member input is important to me in designing the page. However, this input process will soon be ending, and I will be making the decision to keep or get rid of the new format.....as of now, my thoughts are 98.5% that is is going to stay. My main concern right now is that it is loading correctly in a majority of the members browsers, which is an issue I am still working on. I will also work on improving the spacing of the IA's. Also planned is a reintergration of the sponsorship ads. Among many other things. I've got some other things planned with the new design, so stay tuned and bear with me. It just takes some time...

If you wouldn't mind, what resloution are you using, and what size monitor? And do you have any extra windows open in your browser, such as Favorites? I'm still working on the site, and unfortunetly still trying to make it compatible with 800x600 resolutions. Is anyone else using Safari having similar issues?

Andy, you're using a Mac, correct with the Mac-brand browser? Also, can you specify "doesn't load right" , so I can look into the issue so it does load right.

Thanks for the input. One of the reason why I posted this was because I don't understand what people are saying when it's too complex. I feel it's pretty easy, what am I missing? The feature photo and latest photos are in the middle, the left sidebar you have EMTBravo.com links, recent forum topics, and Recent x635:The Blog entries. On the right sidebar are the latest incident, FireEMSAlpha articles, and sponsors. Everything's right there, I know the old EMTBravo.com, everyone had there way of reading it that they got comfortable with...but I feel this new layout makes things a lot easier. As far as the new photo system, people have been asking me for a long time for a way to search through, organize, and sort the photos. That is why I went through with building this new system. Also, I'm still working on it, so please add what you do or don't like so I can make it better. I know that it's not the EMTBravo people are used to, but I hope people will give it a chance to grow on them before they completly condemn it.

I've gotten a lot of feedback from several people, many longtime fans of the site, in person and via email, who don't like the new EMTBravo.com They cite it being too confusing, they don't like the colors, or they just plain don't like it. This new redesign is the most radical change of EMTBravo.com ever. EMTBravo.com has more or less remained the same in appearance since it's inception over three years ago. Many people are creatures of comfort, and have become very comforatble and familiar with the former EMTBravo.com layout. Sometimes, we don't like change at first, but we grow used to it with time, even grow to like it. I solicited input from a lot of members before making the changes, and redesigned the site with this input in mind. It is still a work in progress....as EMTBravo.com will always be. These new changes have also recieved a lot of positive feedback, and a lot of people- especially those who spend more time on the internet- like it. I try to make EMTBravo.com as easy and friendly to use as possible, and I firmly beleive this design does that well.....and takes the increasing amount of content that the EMTBravo sites produce, and ties it all together in a very clean layout. When these forums were upgraded, many people took time to get used to the change, and didn't like it at first either. But we tweaked it with members input, many grew to really like the new forums, and it accomplished it's goal for both the members and I well. So, my question is to you, with the above in mind? Should the new page stay or should it go? Please add constructive input as to why it should or should not. I am asking this question because I'm still on the fence myself. I've also grown used to the old EMTBravo.com, but I really like the new one- and it's potential- as well. This is a member-driven site, so I ask you. Version 3.5 (http://www.emtbravo.com/oldindex.php) will only still be available for a limited time, so please add your input.

Thanks for the support, res6cue. I'm getting some feedback from several people that they don't like the new design. Some cite it's too confusing, others they don't like the look, and some just plain don't like it. There will be another thread and poll on this momentarily.....

As part of our new photo managment system (see this thread for details), you can now recieve an email when EMTBravo.com posts new photos. TO SUBSCRIBE: http://emtbravophotos.com/?page_id=9 Enter your email address. You will be sent a confirmation email (if you don't recieve it within a few minutes, don't forget to check your junk folder). When you get that email, click on the link to confirm and you're all set. Whenever we post a new photo spread to EMTBravo.com, you'll get an email containing what was posted and a link to the photos.

Please someone confirm they figure out how to get to the photos using this new system, lol. And it's still in development, so it will be made easier. I personally like how you can now sort through the photos, and see when the photos were posted. And get an email alert.