storm419

Looking at this i have to wonder, do they staff the firehouse now? Like are there 4-6 guys per rig in the station 24/7? That to me would be what that sign is saying. I know in some towns (not Westchester), the house is manned at all times. There are bunks and rooms where guys sleep the over night. I have a feeling that while their hearts are in the right place, they are not giving the people of Port Chester what they deserve. I don;t think we have to wait for someone to die or be seriously hurt to start doing what is right. Letting guys go solely to help a line in the budget was not a good move. As a career guy i am also offended that they say they are "Professionally Staffed". This is not their job. This is what they volunteer to do. The guys who's profession this was were let go in the most egregious manner possible. 

Saw this today on my way to Costco. Seems a little bit unprofessional  if you ask me due to the circumstance

WPFD right now has 134 firefighters on the line compared to 169 about 10 years ago. The rescue at headquarters is in service 24/7/365, and is one of only two fully staffed rescue companies in Westchester County, the other being Yonkers. Right now we run bare bones across the board, 3 men on each rig (engines, ladders & the rescue) with a fourth man going to the ladders or rescue depending on availability. That means if Ladder 34 is open and one man calls in sick, has a personal day or comp day/vacation, then the rig is shut down and the 2 remaining FF's (or LT) are sent to be the fourth man on either L-32, TL-6, or R-88 at the DC's discretion.  During the summer months especially, L-34 is shut down entirely and we ride 3 across the board, filling vacancies with OT. The city will not fill vacancies on 34 with OT, they brown it out, leaving the entire south side of the city without a ladder. The next nearest ladder is 32 and if that is tied up at an alarm, it's TL-6 which is about 10-12 minutes from L-34's first due area. If they were to shut down the rescue and man L-34, you'd just be shuffling responsibility mainly on L-32's shoulders which would pick up about 1,300 alarms per year on top of the 1,500 it already takes. 

WPFD right now has 134 firefighters on the line compared to 169 about 10 years ago. The rescue at headquarters is in service 24/7/365, and is one of only two fully staffed rescue companies in Westchester County, the other being Yonkers. Right now we run bare bones across the board, 3 men on each rig (engines, ladders & the rescue) with a fourth man going to the ladders or rescue depending on availability. That means if Ladder 34 is open and one man calls in sick, has a personal day or comp day/vacation, then the rig is shut down and the 2 remaining FF's (or LT) are sent to be the fourth man on either L-32, TL-6, or R-88 at the DC's discretion.  During the summer months especially, L-34 is shut down entirely and we ride 3 across the board, filling vacancies with OT. The city will not fill vacancies on 34 with OT, they brown it out, leaving the entire south side of the city without a ladder. The next nearest ladder is 32 and if that is tied up at an alarm, it's TL-6 which is about 10-12 minutes from L-34's first due area. If they were to shut down the rescue and man L-34, you'd just be shuffling responsibility mainly on L-32's shoulders which would pick up about 1,300 alarms per year on top of the 1,500 it already takes. 

 The WPFD currently operates out of 5 Fire Stations, located throughout the city, under the command of a Deputy Chief per shift. The WPFD also operates a frontline fire apparatus fleet of 5 Engines, 3 (Now 2) Ladders, and 1 Rescue,

January is not prime leave time in career Departments , what will they do in July/August ?????

WPFD right now has 134 firefighters on the line compared to 169 about 10 years ago. The rescue at headquarters is in service 24/7/365, and is one of only two fully staffed rescue companies in Westchester County, the other being Yonkers. Right now we run bare bones across the board, 3 men on each rig (engines, ladders & the rescue) with a fourth man going to the ladders or rescue depending on availability. That means if Ladder 34 is open and one man calls in sick, has a personal day or comp day/vacation, then the rig is shut down and the 2 remaining FF's (or LT) are sent to be the fourth man on either L-32, TL-6, or R-88 at the DC's discretion.  During the summer months especially, L-34 is shut down entirely and we ride 3 across the board, filling vacancies with OT. The city will not fill vacancies on 34 with OT, they brown it out, leaving the entire south side of the city without a ladder. The next nearest ladder is 32 and if that is tied up at an alarm, it's TL-6 which is about 10-12 minutes from L-34's first due area. If they were to shut down the rescue and man L-34, you'd just be shuffling responsibility mainly on L-32's shoulders which would pick up about 1,300 alarms per year on top of the 1,500 it already takes. 

WPFD right now has 134 firefighters on the line compared to 169 about 10 years ago. The rescue at headquarters is in service 24/7/365, and is one of only two fully staffed rescue companies in Westchester County, the other being Yonkers. Right now we run bare bones across the board, 3 men on each rig (engines, ladders & the rescue) with a fourth man going to the ladders or rescue depending on availability. That means if Ladder 34 is open and one man calls in sick, has a personal day or comp day/vacation, then the rig is shut down and the 2 remaining FF's (or LT) are sent to be the fourth man on either L-32, TL-6, or R-88 at the DC's discretion.  During the summer months especially, L-34 is shut down entirely and we ride 3 across the board, filling vacancies with OT. The city will not fill vacancies on 34 with OT, they brown it out, leaving the entire south side of the city without a ladder. The next nearest ladder is 32 and if that is tied up at an alarm, it's TL-6 which is about 10-12 minutes from L-34's first due area. If they were to shut down the rescue and man L-34, you'd just be shuffling responsibility mainly on L-32's shoulders which would pick up about 1,300 alarms per year on top of the 1,500 it already takes. 

They probably only invited reliable resources. You know, the kind that can be trusted upon to show up when there's an emergency. Not just send a few pimply faced kids and a plumber with no recognized training on a half empty rig if they even decide to show up at all...

I saw plenty of Boston guys walking around with beer, and plenty of our senior men with 20+ years telling stories of LODD funerals that seemed to pan out exactly like this one. Now I understand the problem with the selfie craze and the "look at me" mentality that plagues social media, and i agree, its a disgrace. And anyone taking pictures of a procession while they should be standing at hand salute should be shot. But don't sit there and say drinking is a new issue or problem in the fire service, and that drinking hasn't been a HUGE part of LODD funerals for years. Just today I heard a story of our last LODD funeral 20 years ago and the mountain of kegs the union provided in a parking lot behind one of our houses, and how a group of FDNY guys who were there but had to work that night liberated one of the kegs....to take to work with them. Sounds to me like a lot of vollies sounding off here with delusions of grandeur. But this is reality. And to be honest, if I were to die in the line of duty I'd want my brothers and a whole shitload of guys I never met before to get together, drink, party and send me off the right way, laughing, smiling and celebrating my life and sacrifice. I'm sure my family would understand, at least I hope they would. Now I'll probably catch flak on here for my opinion and statements but that's ok, just chalk it up to youthful arrogance and case in point of what's wrong with the fire service these days. But I know my job, I love my job, I respect my job, and honor those who've fallen and come before me, but I also understand the culture, we're not Boy Scouts. If the public cant understand that, they can go screw. Not many people have what it takes to run into a burning building not knowing if they'll make it out alive. Don't kid yourselves.

I saw plenty of Boston guys walking around with beer, and plenty of our senior men with 20+ years telling stories of LODD funerals that seemed to pan out exactly like this one. Now I understand the problem with the selfie craze and the "look at me" mentality that plagues social media, and i agree, its a disgrace. And anyone taking pictures of a procession while they should be standing at hand salute should be shot. But don't sit there and say drinking is a new issue or problem in the fire service, and that drinking hasn't been a HUGE part of LODD funerals for years. Just today I heard a story of our last LODD funeral 20 years ago and the mountain of kegs the union provided in a parking lot behind one of our houses, and how a group of FDNY guys who were there but had to work that night liberated one of the kegs....to take to work with them. Sounds to me like a lot of vollies sounding off here with delusions of grandeur. But this is reality. And to be honest, if I were to die in the line of duty I'd want my brothers and a whole shitload of guys I never met before to get together, drink, party and send me off the right way, laughing, smiling and celebrating my life and sacrifice. I'm sure my family would understand, at least I hope they would. Now I'll probably catch flak on here for my opinion and statements but that's ok, just chalk it up to youthful arrogance and case in point of what's wrong with the fire service these days. But I know my job, I love my job, I respect my job, and honor those who've fallen and come before me, but I also understand the culture, we're not Boy Scouts. If the public cant understand that, they can go screw. Not many people have what it takes to run into a burning building not knowing if they'll make it out alive. Don't kid yourselves.

I saw plenty of Boston guys walking around with beer, and plenty of our senior men with 20+ years telling stories of LODD funerals that seemed to pan out exactly like this one. Now I understand the problem with the selfie craze and the "look at me" mentality that plagues social media, and i agree, its a disgrace. And anyone taking pictures of a procession while they should be standing at hand salute should be shot. But don't sit there and say drinking is a new issue or problem in the fire service, and that drinking hasn't been a HUGE part of LODD funerals for years. Just today I heard a story of our last LODD funeral 20 years ago and the mountain of kegs the union provided in a parking lot behind one of our houses, and how a group of FDNY guys who were there but had to work that night liberated one of the kegs....to take to work with them. Sounds to me like a lot of vollies sounding off here with delusions of grandeur. But this is reality. And to be honest, if I were to die in the line of duty I'd want my brothers and a whole shitload of guys I never met before to get together, drink, party and send me off the right way, laughing, smiling and celebrating my life and sacrifice. I'm sure my family would understand, at least I hope they would. Now I'll probably catch flak on here for my opinion and statements but that's ok, just chalk it up to youthful arrogance and case in point of what's wrong with the fire service these days. But I know my job, I love my job, I respect my job, and honor those who've fallen and come before me, but I also understand the culture, we're not Boy Scouts. If the public cant understand that, they can go screw. Not many people have what it takes to run into a burning building not knowing if they'll make it out alive. Don't kid yourselves.

Yes, as many people have said before, if it gets to the point that your shirt/pants are melting to your skin, you've got much bigger problems. No question. However, it then becomes the difference of a cotton shirt burning and flaking off, or doctors having to peel and cut out the polyester from your skin, making an already terrible situation that much worse. Food for thought.

Yes, as many people have said before, if it gets to the point that your shirt/pants are melting to your skin, you've got much bigger problems. No question. However, it then becomes the difference of a cotton shirt burning and flaking off, or doctors having to peel and cut out the polyester from your skin, making an already terrible situation that much worse. Food for thought.