Westchester

We can go back and forth all day about this. Single Training Standard, Fire Fighting training or SOPs is excellent, but like anything it comes down to training. Tell me how many departments have monthly training where the only thing they think about is how long is the training? Or whats for dinner after? If the department can't get all members to train a practice together we can talk about this till were blue in the face. Or the best is when members come to training late or stay behind in the firehouse and still get credit for training. How many of you out there sometime see members sitting in the car waiting for the first rig to come back from a call and they sign in for service award points. I'm sorry but there are some volunteer firefighters that are not willing to train or have a excuse not to.There are some villages that have multiple companies and don't train together. So what's the sense in writing all this if our own brothers/sisters won't take the proper courses to be Nationalized. I want the State to have single traning standards , but we still can't get radio frequencies if westchester has to go the manhattan. As firefighters we should be directing our efferts on bread and butter firefighting and communications. I know firefighters that have been in paid and voluntter and forgot had to hit a hydrant, or they chatter to much on the radio. Damn I've seen A paid department out side of NYS go to the wrong address and breach the homeowners door to find the fire was across town. If we can't get our own men/women to retrain on the basics, why continue to discuss this. I hope one day NYS implements these standards of training so we are all on the same page, but at the end it all comes down to unions and the mighty dollar

Ok if it's not stand your ground, then it's profiling. Was self defense by GZ needed? Every American has the right to defend their lives, but provoking a confrontation this was not going to end well. I believe in the right to bear arms, but only buy people that need it, and have a extensive back ground check. GZ had no reason for a gun. He was a buff like some people when act like a fireman or the hero of the day. How many probies in our service have you seen buff it out with all the bells and whistles in their car, or first one to show up for a call. I'm sorry to say but this topic is going to become racist and not about the Dispatcher/Zimmerman situation.I own a gun for work and I'm always thinking about " what if I have to pull it out, and against who, and if I do and fire it how will I feel knowing that what I did was justified in the legal system or by God.

I agree with a national standard but like anything else there are so many problems with NYS and requirements. As far as the bail system that is now in place, the powers at be are looking into severe back injuries due to this harness. A new design is being created as we type, and a new class and video we ( Interior ) have to take. The olny problem I see is departments that see no calls. All the training in the world and all exams passed are great, but when it's go time now what. NYS changed EMT requirememts to become Nationized, I can't remember if I ever resucued someone of a cliff in the mountains using a basket and tri-pod set. Due to NYS Nationalizing the EMT course amd CME course there has been a 20% decline in orginal EMTs recertified.The other problem is that there are not enough instructors at the DES in Valhalla, not enough courses offered even at Camp Smith. I have a Member that wants to take EVOC 1 and the course isn't being offered and nobody knows when it will be offered. So before we burn or computers up with typing comments lets first get the courses and the instructors then the students will show. They may never use all the training but a least they have it. I know some villages that train more bread and butter ops than paid city companies

This is a very sad time for all, who hate to see race play a part in this. I took have been following this case. I agree with Arbrow06 scene safety. Police even wait for additional units to respond. George Zimmerman had gun muscles. If he did not have a weapon he would never of followed Travon Martin. It's a sad day in our country with violence. Being a PoliceOfficer, Fireman/Firewomen, or Medic is a dangerous job. Not only do we have to deal with the 911 Emergency but also civilians. In New Jersey a EMT was stabbed a couple of days ago.Back to the dispatcher. The dispatcher tried to get is much info as possible for the responding units. George Zimmerman had no business following or confronting this young boy. Stand your ground law is a good law, but fists vs gun don't work.I remember EDP calls, police would always go first check theerr scene then have EMS enter the scene. Our world is getting out of hand.

Goose you are 100% right, but again we all know it, and at sometime within our roles as a Captain, Chief, etc. we all tried to fix these problems, but when does it stop. If it's not getting Ambulances out or Fire Trucks out when does it stop. My whole discussion started with IVAC Captain Lewit pleading to the Village Board for some help or guidance. IVAC has no budjet from the Village. There fund rasing has dropped, and now village residents see the problem and they are scared. IVAC is now requesting mutual aide from other villages which inturn takes a ambulance away from that town.

The scary part is that "your guy sat in the village for 45 minutes for an ambulance" after 10 minutes did he call for mutual aide, Christine Quinn's aide I faster service in the city( 30 Minutes ) I hope you you questioned your fellow medic why did the police on scene or the medic call for another resource. How do you tell family members the ambulance will be here soon, have a cup of coffee while you loved one is circling the drain. Thats why we all have to stand together and think of a way to fix this. Since the State or Local Goverment maybe it's time for VACs and FDs to come together and merge or minds and resourses

I believe and I may be wrong.Sorry.I think during one of the audits the state does several years ago Dobbs VAC had some problems either with records or something else, and I was informed they they were out of service for a period of time to correct it and IVAC covered them for awhile. I apoligize if I was mistaken, but if you remember not to long ago when new officers came into Dobbs VAC they cleaned house and a lot of old timers left and Dobbs VAC had very little coverage infact IVAC covered them through mutual aide. Thank God for the Greenburgh Police and Dobbs Police for making it easy for IVAC, Hastings, Ardsley for helping. Buy the way I'm not talking out of my a**. You know what happened when the State came for the audit, infact I believe they have 1 cabinet fully stocked and locked just in case of inspections at Hospitals or Headquarters. Tell me I'm wrong. The whole conversation was about problems IVAC now has and is getting worse. P.S I've donated alot of hours and years. I've been in this field for 40 years.I remember when IVAC had a Cadillac for a Ambulance and it was only Red Cross First Aid

Yes. But here is the problem. If there was to be a large scale incident or MCI every volunteer member that hasn't been around or hasn't had a call on there shift for months would come out of the wood work, same goes for the fire service. If EMS (River Towns) merged not only would members or paid see more incidents for real life training but there would be no delay response. Again I hear 60 Control page out multiple times for crews short and can't get out. But instead of REMSCO having meetings not pertaining to this serious situation it's going to be the Department Of Health to pull rigs off the road and fine VACS. Example IVAC has been warned once and I know Dobbs was suspended awhile ago for a month. Again Board Members of VACs or Captains of Vacs have together and sit down with Dept of EMS or 60 Control and repair or rebuild this problem.

Excellent points. But it can be done.The only way things change is when someone important dies due to poor response time then something gets done.

All forget that the villages I'm talking about are in the the Town od Greenburgh. As we all know village resident pay for ALS service why can"t they pay for a EMS service. Jared from Greenburgh Police has done a great job running his side of ALS/BLS Fly Cars. Why can't Greenburgh run the whole show. Then the Greenburgh Paramedics won't have to do side work for Ossining,Portchester, etc. If Greenburgh sets up area stations in vacant lots or purchase EMS buildings ( like IVAC which owns the building ) they could hire more EMTs/Paramedics. I have researched and done the numbers it could work. My main concern is with the village my family lives in and then the other villages surrounding us.The IVAC board members must go and a cleaning of the house must happen. Afyer talking with some members in IVAC there main problem is within the 4 walls. There seems to be a power struggle there which in turn effects the residents of Irvington

As Goose metioned in his posting the information you wrote about is correct.But even though what you said is true we still have no answer for this situation that is destroying EMS or Fire Service. Who cares about health insurance if we can't get patients to the hospital and are organizations like IVAC making a patients chief complaint worse or not getting the imediate attention by a delay in transport. I have worked in the medical and EMS/FD for many years, but I have never seen a situation developing in Irvington in my life. Maybe I should open my tired eyes more and see the whole picture surrounding me and my family. Bottom line is, we went past the bottom line, and we have no way of fixing it.

Goose you made a excellent professional observation. Thank You.

I give Sleepy Hollow Vac credit. You saw the problem and addressed the problem as soon as they can. But for a while Tarrytown Vac was covering Sleepy Hollow. Irvington was covering Tarrytown. Dobbs was covering Irvington. Poor Ardsley not only takes care of Saw Mill and Thruway but has Avalon Retirement Development and still does mutual aide. Hastings is part of the FD and they cover Ardsley and so on.If someone doen't see the problem then Empress or Westchester EMS will take over

Or Officers are bad and Members are giving up. Look what happened in Tarrytown with alligations against a member and some bailing out to join Sleepy Hollow. Is that right. Fix the problem in TVAC and the Members will stay

REMSCO and the Department of Emergency Services all work within the County guidelines, If they see Ambulances or Fire Trucks not getting out the door and other agiences filling in for them, a chain affect will happen and a patient or home will be left without coverage. The County has to address this situation, if enough VAC's of FD's stand together and say we have a problem

Maybe the problem is internal. Every office has a different mind set and members are volunteers and don't like to be talked down too.

I agree with all of your posts I live in Irvington and work in Manhattan. I have tried to work on problems with the 911 system for years. Where in Manhattan as you know FDNY Ambulances are situated in different areas on streets or in Hospitals. But if local volunteer agencies make there problems known to Village Goverment, Town or County Goverment maybe we can have a solution for this ongoing problem. I understand to have paid EMS or paid Firedepartments in our Villages or Towns will be a very costly problem to the tax payers who are barely making ends meat+ salaries for EMS or Fire are low. But when I see my Village Ambulance Corps wating on the apron for a driver or EMT or hear the Captain od IVAC to say " If anything happens to me, the ambulance will not roll, I on 7 days a week" it scares me. And I see other villages and towns with the same problem. But it's happening to much with lives of our loved ones at stake. Yeah Volunteer Fire Service is seeing a slow down in new membership, but when a structure fire in confirmed all Rigs roll and everybody shows up. When it comes to EMS( like Irvington) they have a schedule of members in time slots. If the Captain is showing the Village of Irvington during the work section empty slots thats real real bad. If a Cardic Arrest call comes in it will take of course longer to get EMS there. I personally have been trying to figure a solution to this area problem, and I have found only one solution. To merge Villages or Towns and have central stations in certain areas to provide EMS care. I hope that Captain Lewit of IVAC follows this all the way!

If Volunteer Ambulance Corps get together and go to the county, maybe a merge of services could be done. As more and more residents move or village employees can't leave to volunteer the villages have a big problem. If IVAC gets a paid crew for day times Captain Lewit said they have $200,000 saved up + they get third party billing from insurance companies.Does it make sense for them to pay 2 people to sit around and do maybe 4 calls a week. If Irvington, Dobbs, and Tarrytown merge it's possible to have a paid crew. They could do what Greenburgh Police do have a paramedic at Dobbs headquarters and respond to area calls. It's just sad to see this problem happen all over, but IVAC has been hit hard and fast. I don't know if it is a internal problem with the Officers or the membership. I heard they lost alot of members in a short time, and very good members. The Village of Irvington sholud look at this problem very fast and try to aide or guide IVAC so they can respond in a more timely manner. I'm getting old know with more and more health problems and I wonder what would happen to me if I called 911. How long would it take for IVAC to repond and how many crew members would show up to carry me down my stairs. I'm posting this because I'm scared!