SteveOFD

Tim, Happy Birthday, just remember you are catching up to me. There is a great saying on a magnet that I picked up in a Times Square gift shop: "Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that people who have the most live the longest." Hope you had a Happy Day.

For more info see this thread at RadioReference.com. See specifically post #19.

This is a little behind the times, but since it has not been posted, from The Journal News legal section Thursday, November 19, 2009: "Bond Ordinance(s) (City of Mount Vernon) dated October 28, 2009... 2. $307,000 Bond...$150,000 radio communication system for use by the City Fire Department, $57,000 various fire-fighting equipment, $50,000 passenger vehicle. $50,000 study of and planning for possible improvements to various City Fire Stations. 3. $535,000 Bond fire-fighting vehicle...to be used in Station Four. 4. $535,000 Bond fire-fighting vehicle. 5. $750,000 Bond to pay maximum $825,000 cost of fire-fighting vehicle. 6. $750,000 Bond to pay part of $1,750,000 cost of partial reconstruction of Fire Station Three. 7. $150,000 Bond installation of emergency generating systems for various City fire stations." J/N listed a total of 36 bonds issued for City projects. Good luck with the MVFD projects, it's about time.

As a member of E99's Apparatus Committee, we have spec'ed the new rig to fit in the current house. Let me tell you that even with our current rig, our apparatus room is so small that no matter how well you position the rig in the room you cannot open the cab doors all the way, they hit either wall. And the fact that are ramp (oops, I mean sidewalk (ramp)) is going downhill, it is always a challenge to back it in.

Caught Super Dave Osborne on Spike TV over the weekend. For those who don't know who Super Dave is, he is The World's Greatest Stuntman, except for the fact that none of his stunts ever proceeds the way he has planned for them. Picture Evel Kneivel but everything going wrong. From what I have read on Wikipedia this will be a four episode run. According to Zap2it.com here is the TV schedule for my area (Cablevision Ossining South). Check him out on SpikeTV or their website.

What's with all the WOOD ground ladders? It looks like every rig has these.

Here's another good one from about starting a saw.

This seminar will also be held at the Rockland County Fire Training Center on November 18 @ 7PM, and the locations listed on the attached NYSFC's webpage.

While checking out the FCC's website I came across a pending application that Westchester County has to add two more frequencies to license WPMJ238. This is the license for the current eight County Fireground frequencies. The pending application can be viewed at FCC application 0004010222. The new pending frequencies are 458.1125 & 465.5125MHz. What these freq's will be used for are unknown at this time. All I can say is that these two freq's are proposed to be added to the license with the current eight FG freq's, so it would surmise to say that these may also be FG freq's.

I know this is short notice, but I only found out about this the other day. The National Association of Home Builders has submitted proposals to rescind the requirement for Fire Sprinkler Systems in NEW Residential Construction. These proposals will be voted on at the International Code Council's Code Developement Hearings to be held in Baltimore, MD on Wednesday October 28, 2009. I attended, and voted, for the inclusion of this requirement in Minneapolis last year. The Fire Service was well represented and was THE KEY in having this life saving requirement placed in the ICC's International Residential Code. If you are a member of the ICC, or your municipality is, (each municipality can have four voting members) the International Residential Code Fire Sprinkler Coalition needs your help with this vote. I am sure the NAHB will have many more members attend this year to vote AGAINST this requirement. Check out the above links for more information, but we again need to be represented at this important VOTE!!! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE TO REGISTER FOR THIS VOTE SO CHECK OUT THESE LINKS SO RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLERS ARE REQUIRED BY CODE.

IRC FIRE SPRINKLER COALITION WINS AGAIN FOR RESIDENTIAL FIRE SPRINKLERS. Read the full article at FireRescue1.com Congratulations to President Ronny Coleman, the IRC FireSprinkler Coalition, and everyone who supported this life saving measure in Baltimore. Good Job!!

C'mon, putting the Engine out of service for Rain? Firefighters are supposed to be able to make due with almost anything. Get some string, two pulleys attached to each outside mirror, and back in to the drivers seat. When it rains, just pull the string back and forth and the wipers will move back and forth. No Problem.

While out and about last week I came across a flyer that Scarsdale FD will be having an Open House for their new CrimsonFire E54 & L28. This will be on Saturday Oct 31, 2009 @ 2PM at Scarsdale's Crossway Firehouse. Cross streets are Mamaroneck Road and Lincoln Road.

cas2383, just an FYI the EMTBravo search feature (top right) will provide a wealth of info on theis system if you type in "trunked system". With that said Jack got the info right that you are asking for. For more detailed (yet understandable) info on how trunked systems operate, and I think everyone who uses, or may use the system, should read the Radioreference Trunked Radio Wiki.

As of 10/14/09 Westchester County has received FCC authorization to use frequency pair 478/481.3125Mhz in the South Zone of the Trunked System with the conversion of FCC License KVN918 from IG(business) use to YW(trunked) use. Unknown when these freq's will be programmed for use in the South Zone. Program 478.3125Mhz in to the South Zone Bank of your scanners to find out when it is in use.

My condolences to the Joyce family, and the Yonkers Fire Department family.

Chief, just a point on this post, from my understanding of NFPA 1221(I believe) states for fireground use, the use of repeaters (of which Trunked Radio Systems are repeater systems) should (or shall) be prohibited. Only simplex (point to point) analog radio shall be used. Basically this means go to one of the eight County (or private FD freq simplex analog) frequencies. Also the System was not designed for portable use, the premise behind the system was for emergency response and communications to Control.

Billfitz, As jack10562 stated there are three frequencies available for voice transmissions in the South Zone, and five freq's available in the North Zone. The BeeLine Buses use, and are constantly on this System. I do not know the specifics of how the County System is programmed, but a standard feature of trunked radio systems is that certain Talkgroups (ie Fire, EMS) can be programmed to have a higher priority access level than othe Talkgroups (ie Buses, Public Works, etc.). What this means is that if three of the seven BeeLine Talkgroups are using the three South Zone voice freq's, then a Fire/EMS user transmits accessing the South Zone, then one of the BeeLine Talkgroups would be kicked off of the System to provide the higher priority Talkgroup the use of their freq. As jack also stated the buses may not be that busy to provide a system "busy" tone (when all available freq's are being used and your TG does not have priority to kick off another TG to access the system, your radio will get a "busy" tone when you key up the mic.), but with Fire & EMS using the same system, the combination of all these users could be maxing out the three available freq' in the South to provide 'busy's". FYI, Westchester County does have a pending FCC application to convert a UHF freq. pair they are already licensed for to trunked system use, thereby provividing a fourth freq for the South Zone.

E96 has a PowerHawk brand extrication tool. I agree with Chief Flynn and Capt. Nechis regarding this thread. It seems that every FD/Company HAS to have everything. Going one step further, and I've been contemplating this for the last week, it seems that every Company also, HAS to have everything. The reasons for HAVING to have everything is 1) we had it on our previous rig, so we HAVE to have it on the new one. It doesn't matter that you only used that piece of equipment three times in twenty years, we had it, we have to have it. 2) One (or all) of the other Company's in the Department has it, so we HAVE to have it also. It doesn't matter that a majority of the Company Members/Drivers wouldn't remember how to use it, we HAVE to have it. As long as there is the enough equipment/resources within a reasonable response time is what the big picture SHOULD be, NOT that everybody HAS to HAVE evertyhing. Just remember BIGGER IS BETTER.

Seth, According to the wjhg.com link from post #6 here is the info on delivery. FYI mfc2257, according to the pictures at NYCFireboat.com the keel for Firefighter II has been laid and it is well on its way to completion.

Where will the new Engine be kept? My recollection of the NWPFD Firehouse is that they barely have enough room for E75 (Blauvelts old Pierce), L47 (Seagrave) and R33 (the MiniRescue).

I just watched this on my local PBS station this morning and I highly recommend watching it. For those in my area, (and cable system) here are the times it will be on. For all others the full video can be found online at PBS.org. According to the PBS site it is viewable ONLINE until 9/18/09, so check it out now! The video goes behind the scenes of the California Lick fire of September 2007. The CalFire info of the incident can be found here. Fire operations are followed from the initial dispatch ("report of 50 acres possible to 10,000"), to setting up the logistics of Base Camp, following the Incident Management Team, Ground Operations, Communications Operations, back to demobilization. A very neat thing that they now have access to is a modified Predator aircraft to view real time hotspots. EXCELLENT VIDEO - check it out today, or view it online before 9/18.

The old firehouse in post #17, was that the one on Park Street near the Paramount? As a young boy I remember an old firehouse in that area before the "new" firehouse was built Crompond Road.

I saw this news report on Firehouse.com and thought this might make an interesting topic. Note the difficulting in accessing both the "A" side (upper level) and the "C" side (lower level). Westchester has many hills and we could come up against this scenario in our own backyard. Definately something to get you thinking, and maybe do some preplanning of your district.

Yes, there is a collectible for the West Hempstead Rescue. I saw it for sale at this years New England Fire Chiefs Expo. Don't ask me who had it for sale, I did not make note of it. It jumped out at me because at first I thought it was Croton on Hudson's Rescue. This was my Dad's Company, and I pretty much grew up with that rig. The WHFD rig looked to be almost a twin to CFD's. As an FYI, if I recall correctly the body was a Gerstenslager.