VCharlatan

First I'd like to take issue with the statement that parades are an integral part of team building or public visibility. Company drills and training and learning to work with others while taking classes at the training center are how you foster a team mentality, not strutting down the street in every town that decides to have a parade. As far as visibility goes, I feel like parades draw the wrong types of people trying to be visible, the guy you haven't seen at a call in six months but who shows up for the spread and to make himself "visible". If you really want positive public image for your department participate in a fundraiser for a good cause, put a team together to do a walk or run for a cause, participate in something greater than the department showing what you do to give back. A question I'd ask about the guys involved in this debacle, are they good responders, do they pull their weight where it's really important, on the fire scene? On the flip side, how many of the members who actually marched aren't around regularly to attend drills and calls? The chief in question sounds like a real prima Donna to me, immature, bombastic, and if he thinks that his offensive racist language was acceptable because the members he was berating weren't minorities, then he's just flat out incompetent.

 
ALL of Westchester County, paid and volunteer, has serious issues. 

 
 
http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/12/06/fraitag-hartsdale-fire-district-letter/95031842/

Regardless of who takes that job or whether the person fails or succeeds in it, as I look at the cost to this fire department, I have to wonder how is that allowed to happen.
 
 It is stated that this fire department cost is MORE than the police, sanitation, roads, and the library - COMBINED. Something is seriously wrong there. And it seems that this individual is clearly upset with that. I can't say I blame her. I think if she were to fail it would be that despite her best interest, she may run into a brick wall put up by others who would try to resist this change in an effort to defend their own interest.
 
 In many places today, the "Good Ole' Boy System" is still Alive and Well.

When those soldiers who are standing fast are called to service they will be capable of shooting the enemy because they're all fully trained and qualified.  When these so called "fully trained exterior firefighters are called to push into a dwelling fire, he or she cannot.

 
I think that may be a cultural thing in the NY and New England area.  Down here there are a ton of two-hatters, and most stations welcome them in with open arms, because they value the different ideas and different experiences. More than 50% of our officers are career firefighters elsewhere.

Those "support" soldiers still have to qualify on the range, get thru chemical training and then while driving supply trucks they have had to fight, some being killed, other injured and some captured. They are placed in support rolls because that's where they are needed and that's where they will perform best, not because they are unwilling or unable to do it!

This afternoon Port Chester local turned in 4000 signatures from village citizens, with help from their brother and sisters from locals throughout Westchester. This is 1000 over amount needed to force a referendum , so village taxpayers have their say to bring back the professionals.This shows that you can't pull suprises that effect public safety. So the village board can eat their words and the chiefs can have a good cry tonite. Job welll done.....

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.