FD123FD

Some quick useful info to offer to your membership.
Mike Blackburn from Providence and Mike Healey from Rockland have been working on a National Fire Service Members Assistance Program.
http://www.treatmentsolutions.com/national-fire-services-member-assistance-program/
This is a topic that seems not to be addressed and unfortunetly our brothers and sisters don't know where to turn.

The following video shows Bloomfield Police Department's Acting Police Chief James Behre speaking at a council meeting.
Acting Chief Behre lays out a history of Councilman Carlos Bernard asking for favors including ticket fixing, favorable treatment for Hispanic officers, and violating the chain of command by contacting officers directly with assignments.
Less than 48 hours later, Acting Chief Behre was placed on administrative leave.

http://www.njlawman.com/police-blog/046-acting-captain-addresses-council.htm

Sir,
You seem to have done your research, which is good. I wish there were more Firefighters out there like you that would actually look into the data. Hopefully you can help improve the fire service in your area.
1. I am well aware that the unfortunate loss of the brothers and sisters in Arizona is an anomoly. Even though this could happen again. Learning from our past incidents is key.
2. I am glad you still agree that out LODDs are still high. Because in fact they are. If anyone is content that the LODDs have been below 100 for the fith year in a row they should be ashamed. I want to see these numbers lower.
3. I know exactly what multi tasking is. I know its part of our trade. So your jab really isn't appreciated. With a little research you can easily find the facts of the EMS incident. The EMT screwed up. There were 2 calls with an interval of 2 minutes, the 2nd being a non priority. He decided to send a crewed rig to the later. He has a history of not following policy. If his history wasn't haunting him there is a possibility the board wouldn't have given him a suspension. He admitted that he was wrong and knowing so he should have taken the 60 day instead of quiting. WHY DO WE DO THIS JOB? I don't know too many that would quit!!
4. I am familiar with the data and thank you for posting it for everyone else.
5. I agree with your statement. It is very true.
I am not on here to argue or have a heated conversation with you or anyone else. That is a waste of my time. I am sorry you disagree that the Ellenville blog isn't a rant and rave, but that's my opinion. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

Some good posts on this topic and some are completely absurd. Not going to waste the time copying and pasting. Just going to try and make a point...
The process isn't necessarily broken, you have the right to vote for who you want if they meet the Company's minimum qualifications.
1. What may be broken or completely screwed up is your departments qualifications to run for office. If your department doesn't require you to be SCBA Interior Certified or be a qualified driver operator and so many more certification, then shame on you and your department for allowing this to be. Bylaws need to be structured properly.
2. If your a district then your Chief's need to be approved by the Board of Fire Commissioners and your Company Officers should as well. I know your all saying company officers don't get approved by the Board, well THERE ARE rulings to the contrary (I'll dig them out and post them one day soon). If he Board would approve an unqualified FF then shame on them for allowing an incompetent officer.
3. I know there are FFs out there that have those "Feel Good Binders" and have taken every FF class out there and still can't apply what they have learned. Well again if the If he Board would approve an unqualified FF then shame on them for allowing an incompetent officer.
If your in the fire service for the right reason you just don't pack it in because you were voted out. You stick it out and work on changing the ways of your department because you care on its success. Make recommendations to the bylaw committee for changes. Go to the Board of Fire Commissioner meetings and recommend they review the Districts Officers requirements. There are things you can do.
NYSOFPC has a typing called Firefighter Training and Education: Best Practices
This isn't 100% your answer, but it is a building point for you. Take it to you meetings. Don't be afraid to speak up. Remember if nothing is said, nothing will be changed.

I agree with most of what you are saying. My point, however, is that before even starting to worry about special operations, etc. we need to get our line firefighters better trained, better drilled, and better prepared. FAST training is very important but too many FDs are cutting corners and not spending enough time on the fundamentals.

Personally, I don't think they are ready to be interior firefighters after only FF I, forget being assigned to a high-intensity rapid intervention unit. IMHO: FF I, FF II, and Survival should be successfully completed prior to taking FAST. And it is not just an issue of courses and formal training as FAST skills need to be practiced as a unit on an ongoing basis.

Until we see on a regular basis properly trained and appropriately equipped FAST Teams, this topic will remain relevant. Six guys with hand tools are not a proper FAST Team. Six firefighters properly trained (minimum FF1, FF2, Survival, FAST) and properly drilled (working as a team on an ongoing basis practicing the skill learned in the aforementioned classes) does make a FAST Team.
While for some FDs in Westchester this is the norm, sadly they are a minority. Only when this becomes standard practice at all fires will this topic be a dead horse worthy of dismissal.
Just my $0.02!!

I honestly have never heard something so obserd. The minimum training you need to participate in the Flash Over Training is Firefighter I OR Basic Firefighter and Intermediate Firefighter OR Firefighting Essentials and Fire Attack. (the Chief must also sign and "Authorization Letter" which attests that they have a firefighter physical and comply with OSHA 1910.134). I know of multiple volunteer departments that participate in the flashover training in Rockland County and also multiple departments that participate in the in the NYSAFC Flashover training when their simulator tours New York State. NYS has some of the best fire instructors out there (and I am not just talking about OFPC Instructors). To say that the training is to dangerous for the volunteers just doesn't make sense. Was this training just set up for the career staff? What is the word from the horses mouth?
I have never heard of an insurance company not pushing training for those that they insure. I have always seen the complete opposite. If a department is not recieving training someone needs to start stepping up to the plate to ensure their firefighter start recieving the needed training.
This may sound a little harsh, but "Volunteering as a Firefighter" only really means that you are doing the job for free. You volunteered to join one of the most professional orginizations and careers in the workforce. Once your accepted its time to do a job!! You have made the comitment and you need to put forth the effort to show up at training and ask for more training. The Officers, from the Lt's to the Chief's need to put forth the effort to ensure that they can send their firefighters to all training available. The more training you attend, the better the firefighter you hopefully become. The better firefighter you become the better the service you are now offering to your customer (the Village, Town or District you protect).

This topic has had a bit of discussion on another forum. I'll sum up my view like this:
There is a time and place for every tactic, old and new alike. To discount any of them is to limit ourselves and thereby do a disservice to those we serve and ourselves. A well rounded firefighter or Fire Officer takes it all in and then based on all that knowledge and their own experience applies the right tactic at the right time in the right place.
I'll also add my general criteria for utilizing the transitional attack on a house fire: (Obviously different fires present different scenarios so there is always flexibility based on the conditions upon arrival)
1) NO known life hazard and the place is really rockin' i.e. fire out of 4 or more windows or backdraft conditions present
2) Exposures directly threatened
3) Limited manpower

Does your dept actively use a fast team from within your own dept or does it rely on a mutual aid team, IMO 2 guys standing in front of the fire scene with no formal training is nothing but a smokescreen to cover their butt. How does your dept cover the mandate. I know for career depts manpower is often the issue!

The Instruction of Firefighter I is a hot topic throughout NYS. In response to the initial post, AVET is a complete seperate class and is not touched on in Firefighter I. This is because it's considered a Firefighter II skill (yes, I know its not taught in FFII, It's at the Level of FFII). Should an AVET awarness be taught in FFI since the members will be responding to Auto Accidents as soon as they get in the department? Probably should be....BUT...at this time the NYS FFI is already at 87 hours of instruction. This is not nearly enough time to teach the topics that need to be covered. I see above that some are saying we need to match the National Statndard. That would be great...but you are realistically looking at 130 to 160 hours of instruction. Our Chiefs are complaining that 87 hours is to long, I can only immagine what would be said if the course hit that amount of hours. Now, I do think that you will see the NYS FFI be changed to meet the National Standards in the near future but it will not hit the 130/160 hour mark.
CFI609D is right on with the topics that need more time in the FFI course with the addition of Ladders. He is also correct when he says FFI should be looked at as a fundamental class for Firefighters to start their career in the fire service and they should continually strive to take additional training classes throughout their career.
I believe Officers need to play a bigger role in the training of their members. Participate in training with the members, help get new members ready for FFI (if students came ready it could save a good amount of time for other topics in FFI i.e. knowing how to put on PPE and familiarity with SCBA), post the Outreach Training Schedule and any additional training that is being offered regionally. Encourage the members to participate in these training sessions. The more training your members have, the better firefighters they become, a more of an asset to the fire department operation they are and the orginization becomes a better Fire Department.
All members of the fire service, no matter what their rank is should remember to remain a "student of the fire service". It's what will assist in keeping you alive and humble.