CFI609D

I wish you were right but sadly it is more of a demand rather than a supply issue.

No Syd, THANK YOU and the EFD for yet another outstanding program!

And of course my favorite: referring to SCBA as "oxygen masks"!

E204 is its Westchester County designation. FDMV has WCDES designations for engines 201 through 207, and ladders 61-64.

I know the question was specifically what ONE thing rookies should know. Unfortunately it is not that simple. When I teach I try to emphasize they need to learn to follow the Marine Corps philosophy of "adapt, improvise, and overcome." In addition, whenever I teach a probie class, I hand out something I got from Lt. Tim Klett of FDNY many year ago he refers to as "The Four Ups" which all firefighters, career or volunteer, should take to heart and live by. “Listen Up” “When you are first starting in the fire service, there is a lot going on. You are entering a culture that is unlike any other one on this planet. You will hear stories, tales and just plain B.S. But listen carefully. That is our past talking. All of the information has value….Listen to the older, over-the-hill, past-their-prime, malcontents, for the little ‘pearls of wisdom’ that aren’t in any textbooks. A lot of important information that will help keep you safe and alive on the fire ground is not written down. The fire service is very young. We are losing our experience. The firefighters that went to fires during the war years are slowly retiring. Talk to them before they leave. We are losing our history, we are losing our past. Don’t let this happen.” “Clean Up” “The firehouse is your second home. Treat it as such. And if you are the junior firefighter working, you are the lowest on the totem pole. You get the dirty work….This is based on the fact that all the junior people before you did it, or should have done it. You do it until the next probie (comes along). It is part of belonging, it is doing what you should be doing. And it is always pretty funny, because in my experience, the ones that piss and moan about doing the chores usually end up doing them by themselves for a long time. But the ones that just do it…usually find that they have help. They become accepted into the “family” a little quicker.” “Step Up” “Be involved in your company and in your department. Attend company functions, help run them if possible….Become a productive member of your Company. Above all, go to funerals and services, especially the line of duty ones. Pay your respects. Become a part of the fire service by deed and not by mouth.” “Shut Up” “Spend more time listening and doing than talking about it. Show by your actions and your deeds what type of firefighter and member of this great Brotherhood you are.”

Von Essen never held rank beyond Firefighter. He was the UFA President when appointed Commissioner by Giuliani. And several commissioners had zero fire service experience prior to their appointment (including Nicholas Scoppetta and Howard Safir). That said, IMHO the appointment of Berkman would be a poor choice and a negative signal for FDNY.

The rank of Seargant is commonly used in the metro Washington area, including Montgomery, PG, and Howard Counties in Maryland. Detroit and Oklahoma City also use the rank.

Chief - Congratulations on your well-earned retirement. And a big THANK YOU for all you have done to raise the bar on training and safety awareness here in Westchester. This is a safer County thanks to all your efforts. Stay safe and enjoy the next chapter! BAT14/CFI609D

Irvington E-178 is a 1993 Pierce

To answer your final question, Chief: absolutely! Excellent points/questions here. Sadly, I see very few FDs approach FAST training in a realistic or honest way. And when I say honest, I mean tackling a scenario with resources akin to what they will actually be responding with. Thank you for sharing this!

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.

I agree Syd and Andy, but with the inclusion of Firefighter II also.The bottom line is that FF I is not adequate on its own for combat-ready interior firefighters. There should be no difference in training for career and volunteer, nor requirements to operate as interior or on a FAST unit. FF I, FF II, Survival, and FAST should all be minimum requirements here as they are in other jurisdictions.

I wish it was not the case. Sadly, too many FDs spend more time and energy on looking good vs. operating safely and training on these mission critical skills.

Dave Sanford (DC Westport FD, DC Wilton FD, Danbury FD & WRFD): he taught me the importance of training and that we never stop learning. A true gent, great leader, and mentor to so many of us who were fortunate to learn from him and call him a friend. Bernie Bodner (Norwalk FD): a true fireman's fireman of the old school, Bernie understood fire behavior like no one else I have ever met. He was completely fearless, both on the job and when he fought his final battle with cancer, no doubt linked to so many years of inhaling toxic byproducts of combustion. Andy "Father" Clarke (LT FDNY): Lt. Clarke shared much of his knowledge which he amassed throughout the War Years, serving on the South Bronx. He allowed me to ride with his engine company while I was a teen, and was kind enough to explain the principles of size-up and incident command before there were any of today's text books on the subject. Ed Smith (PGCFD & DCFD): Ed took the time to help me, "the new guy", learn and adapt to the DC way of doing things, and watched my back as I learned the ropes on TL33. He will always be my brother from another mother. Stay safe, Cap, I will always have your back as you had mine! And finally Ed Sere (FDNY): He took a young kid from the country and exposed him to urban firefighting and truck work in Harlem & the Bronx at L14 & R3. Every night buffing with Ed and his brothers was an education, with the lessons including not only life saving & survival techniques, but also an introduction to the brotherhood of the fire service and the importance of a good culture of esprit de corps in the firehouse. Thank you to all of the aforementioned who so generously helped me start my fire service career. You are all with me every day on the line and in the kitchen. My feelings are best said by the old Irish blessing: "May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out."

Dude, this has everything to do with him and his agenda, which is shared by many powerful folks in NYC and NYS. De Blasio's agenda takes PC to an entirely new level, and this is but a taste of what is likely to follow. Mark my words: law enforcement and emergency services are going to suffer greatly in this new administration, especially given that their agenda is supported by the same judges behind this class at the Rock!

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!!

Welcome to Bill de Blasio's NYC. Just wait to see what comes next!

Low-lifes that are both financially and morally bankrupt!

All turnouts purchased by WCDES used to have 60 Control on them, whether for Deputy Coordinators, instructors, etc. As to the helmet, when I first started as an instructor 10 years ago, most of us used our own helmets. I am assuming that that instructor was from FDNR and assigned to E23.

Agree, 30 years after Maryland and 25 years after Connecticut. But better late than never! Another good start would be to get away from Home Rule, which allows municipalities and fire districts to set their own minimum training standards.

Instructors want combat ready, well trained, and psychologically prepared firefighters. Anything less is creating a liability and endangering the brothers and sisters already on the line. Instructors would rather have a high flunk-out rate than unprepared firefighters.

If anything, time should be added to the programs for more hands-on "bread & butter" firefighting. Unfortunately the curriculum has expanded so much that instructors have barely enough time in FF1 to cover many of the fundamentals. Specifically, more time should be spent on: 1. Advancing lines 2. Stream selection 3. Forcible entry 4. Primary search 5. Principles & techniques of ventilation As an instructor, I stress to all my FF1 students that they should look at the class as but a beginning of a proces that should continue throughout their fire service career. Also, FF2 IMHO should be mandatory for ALL interior structural firefighters as it reinforces the fundamentals barely covered in FF1. I also believe that any interior firefighter should successfully complete the classes mentioned above (AVET, FAST, Building Construction) as they are all mission critical to being a properly trained and combat ready firefighter. And in some areas not too far from NY this is indeed the case.

Here in Westchester, home rule prevails so it is up to the AHJ as to what they want in their alarm assignments. Most departments (including I believe all of the career departments) have developed response and alarm assignments based upon the Alarm Level. In my Battalion most of the FDs have automatic responses in the CAD system at 60 Control, which makes mutual aid responses much more efficient and make life easier for the IC. There are some jurisdictions, however where the Chief prefers to request specific mutual aid responses on the fly.

New England Uniform is very good. While their prices are typical, service and turnaround are excellent. They are not in Westchester but have stores located not too far away, in Danbury and Bridgeport. http://www.newenglanduniform.net/