antiquefirelt

Good points. I'd add that military veterans tend to be less whiny employees. They understand rules and while they may question or comment, most often they fall in line. This is in great contrast to many new hires in the last 10 years who seem to have a sense of entitlement. For most vets, the job of LEO or firefighter wil not be the most demanding thing they've done, unlike the 18-20 something wonders who've washed cars or interned in an office. I find they're more like to have a "can do" attitude. Add this to what was quoted above and you should see why veterans are given "credit" years. BTW- I'm not a vet, but I have been a supervisor of many municipal firefighters and I have to say, given all things being equal (well not even equal) I'd take the veterans I've had any day.

I'm not sure who said "expendable" but that's far from my feeling. My job is to make decisions that are in the best interest of the firefighters under my command and the citizens whom we're serving. Thankfully I've yet to have to order someone to do something they felt was too dangerous, but conversely I've had to stop actions I felt were beyond the balance of risk vs reward. It's not getting easier though, experience is getting harder to come by every day. New people are far behind in experience compared to just 20 years ago. As for the scenario above, I can't imagine saying or thinking if 3 out of 4 comes back, thats a good order, but if you've ever sent 4 guys in on an aggressive interior attack and thought there was no chance they weren't all coming out, you've fooled yourself into minimizing the risks of the job. You'd better be thinking: where are those guys? Is that line moving? Is the smoke changing? What else is going on that could hurt them? Your comfort level will be with your experience and the experience and training of that crew. You cannot expect firefighters to enter a structure with smoke and fire inside, with little information on the million variables you cannot see and know with certainty they're 100% safe, fire is far to dynamic. To eliminate all risk to ourselves would be to tell the citizens, "You're on your own, we're here to protect your neighbors house from your house fire". And even then, we'd still be at a somewhat higher risk than average.

Our PD has one Charger and they hate it. Basically as was noted the visibility poor and it's not a comfortable full shift ride. The town I live in has two and they seem to be happy, but they are not in the car nearly as much as the "city" cops. I just wonder if the Green cars have any merit at that cost? Just to say "We're Green"? Meanwhile things that actually make the job better get cut from dwindling budgets. Someone needs a reality check.

Part of the "Safety Culture" we need to address is the sudden need for everything to fit into a tidy documented algorithm. Fires are dynamic incidents with tons of variable with numerous weights given to each. There will never be a safe yet effective manner of entering these values into a computer to show the desired plan of action, yet some people fight to achieve this. How many people argue that if a house is 70% involved an interior attack is unsafe? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, I know that we'll rarely agree on determining what 70% looks like? What is involved? Heavy smoke, fire? No one on the "anti-safety side" is anti-safety. We just view safety in a different manner. I prefer my safety to come from effective decision based on solid training backed up with quality experience. Some argue that the experience is too hard to come by so we must build in technology and policy to make these decision for us. My big issue with this debate is the people who advocate far less aggressive postures to ensure the safety of personnel above all others. The public expects that we'll assume a little more risk that they will, that's why they give us shiny trucks, expensive gear and call us when their house is burning. If we're serious about reducing risk to ourselves than lets start by addressing the number one LODD cause and demand rigorous fitness standards to all firefighters. We can talk about air management, RIT, safety vests and "Go-No Go" policies all day, but until we're in better shape and drive better we'll still be killing more brothers and sisters than the incidents themselves.

I've wondered about the NYPD and fast cars? Is there a need to exceed the 113 top speed of the hybrid? I really am asking and have no agenda. Do NYPD officers have many high speed chases? I suppose the 0-60 MPH take off would be important, but high end top speed? My view of NYC makes me think rural America see more "high speed" chases than NYPD. The part on spending $25k+ on a cruiser because it's Green is disgusting as they continue to make personnel cuts or withhold new recruit classes.

We still have a Municipal Fire Alarm system with Gamewell boxes, but are in the process of determining their future. Over the years we've slowly taken out the street boxes so very few remain, and 85% of the system are on private buildings connected to the fire alarm or sprinkler systems. The cost of keeping up the municipal system is pretty high for a FD with no fire alarm division or city electrical persons. We're currently exploring three options: maintain the system and require better funding to ensure reliability; replace the wired boxes with remote radio boxes; or dismantle completely requiring businesses who require FD notification to utilize a private alarm system.

This is the exact thought I had when I saw the panic and pandemonium on the news: "Great, they won." Obviously "Won" is an overstatement, but we certainly haven't won either. While someone should have anticipated the reaction, it shows that many people live in fear that anything out of the ordinary could be terrorism. They have put fear into the hearts of many, caused us to change the way we live and cost us a ton of money not to mention the lives of thousands of Americans. So while we go on living our lives in relative freedom, make no mistake that terrorists can score a few of these things in their Win category.

Opposite thing happening up here. Most PD's are going with a single color and decal graphics due to the extremely low resale/trade-in value of two color cars. PD where I work still uses them, where I live they went all white with decals. Sage: I can't for the life of me figure out how they would be cheaper? At best the same price, but cheaper? To even switch up the line for a few minutes and assemble unmatched colors must be more money as opposed to less. I think there are municipal discounts for cruiser packaged units or otherwise stripped down muni cars, but I can't see the paint making the difference. Of course I really don't know this specifically, just theorizing.

There are some notable places that use modern articulating platforms regularly, but they are not without limitations and issues. Typically they require a much larger footprint, than most platform apparatus. They also are much slower to set up and most often require a turntable operator (a good idea all the time, but not always required when staffing is short with other units). The up and over of power lines is a scary thought when there's heavy smoke obscuring vision. But on the plus side up and over or out and down are certainly advantageous at times. Like anything else, these apparatus compliment other well design aerials in a FD or area, but rarely are they best as a single truck in a FD. I think Manchester, NH runs 2 or 3 right now, probably the most per station of any FD in the US.

You've evidentially not really looked at the statistics which actually show the opposite is true. Now, the media has played up the assault rifle/semi-auto weapons whenever they had the chance, making you more aware of these types of weapons when their used. But in fact the use of these weapons in violent crime has not increased since the sunset of the Brady Bill. You need to remember along with all the other libs, that murder is a crime more serious than a gun violation, so a criminal with intent will not hesitate to carry a weapon regardless of the law. On the other hand, law-abiding citizens have their defensive capability limited by the Brady bill, while proving there are not enough LEO's to have an adequate and rapid response to violent crimes. Waiting 10 minutes for LE when someone breaks into your house may not be in your best interest. Do you know how many times a year private firearms are used to prevent a crime from happening? The statistics themselves are incomplete as many go unreported, due to fear of legal action from the use of the firearm in a defensive posture. On the type of weapon? Guns are inanimate objects with no feelings, they don't commit crimes, people do. Thus far in my life I've proven capable of owning a rocket launcher or ICBM, why not? I've owned plenty of firearms, never used them irresponsibly. In one local paper they note the Pittsburgh shooter had a high-power assault rifle. An AK-47? Not really a high power cartridge, I own hunting rifles of far greater power than 99% of assault weapons. They just don't look as scary. Why not make all vehicles utilize a breathalyzer before operation? Wouldn't this save more lives than banning assault weapons? Drunk drivers kill thousands of people and the technology exists to prevent or limit this, but we don't infringe on everyones rights, right? How about cars that go over the speed limit? No need to own one period, right? How is a Ferrari any different than an AK-47? Both on their own pose zero threat. Of course I cannot support the NRA as they take things too far on the other side. I'm all for registering my weapons, I have no reason not too. The concern that the government will someday come take my guns is just a little too far out for me. Though Nagin pulled that crap in New Orleans so maybe they're on to something. I agree that LEO need better protection, information and weapons to ensure they've got the upper hand. This must include putting people in jail for a long time or killing them. Along with some reduction in sniveling about every police procedure by lawyers and liberals out to make money when cops do their jobs.

Up here in the far Northeast corner EMT-I's are probably utilized more than any other license level. Due to the shortage of medics and the rural nature of the state overall, most smaller communities cannot afford medics for their call volume. So as a result our EMT-I's have a more skills they can practice. A few highlights: IV access, 12 lead EKG, intubation, EPI, Narcan, D50, aspirin, Nitro, and Albuterol. Basically they wanted EMT-I's to be able to handle 90% of the calls for service. Most of the drugs must be given with OLMC permission and having requested a medic intercept (don't need to verify they will intercept though). I agree with ALS, I'd always want the medic if I could have them, but of course the system must be designed to fit the needs and the resources. We have two medics per shift plus a day medic 0700-1900 every day, and all our other personnel are EMT-I's.

That's awesome, it describes a few of our local cops to a "T".

I'm no truck driver, so someone can correct or better my explanation. Double clutching is the act of depressing the clutch disengaging the gear to Neutral, letting the clutch out and then depressing it again and engaging the next gear. Basically you're double pumping the one clutch. Some throw in a quick goose of the throttle while the clutch is out and the transmission in neutral to keep the RPM's up, but I think that miht be truck specifc? The vollie FD I started with had all manual shifts and 4 of 5 of the apparatus required double clutching to properly synchronize the gears and shift. We upgraded to newer manual 6 speed Eaton trannys that were like shifting manual Honda Accord. Everything in my current job is an automatic with no reason to change.

Not possible in a Union environment. Here's some of the arguments I've heard: *Some shifts are given specifics tasks that might be more visible or notable, making some members more likely to shine. *What are the merits based on? Supervisors reviews? Some supervisors are less likely to praise than others, again, favoring those who work with officers who might spend more time writing. *It's a team effort, so when one person shines it because many of us have made it possible. *Merit requires some deciding what's more meritorious than something else, leading to questions of favoritism and fairness. You think hiring the best candidate for the job is FUBAR with allegations of race try promoting on anything that cannot be proven in writing. While I'm pro-Union, this may not sound it: Unions tend to create and maintain the "lowest common denominator" principle when it comes to work expectations. I know one mid-sized Career FD where if one union guy is "volunteering" for a task, all other persons on duty drop their brooms and hit the chairs. No work is done if anyone is doing anything at all outside the job description. I'm hoping this a Union gone wild, but me thinks some of this happens all over. The Union will always question managements intent and that's fine, it's the system we have. Of course there are plenty of administrations out there that have failed to take care of their people to satisfy City Hall. So the whole mistrust thing is not unfounded. We've been fortunate to have had only three issues go to grievance while I've been on the job (13 yrs FT). Two were promotional issues and the third was a chief being an a**. The Union won all three.

We too have experienced difficulties making preconnected crosslays work. The rear bed preconnects tend to lay out better and generally are much easier to add to or to marry to a larger line to get more length. The crosslays tend to be more difficult to pull on congested streets, with cars, trash cans, bushes, etc. messing up the stretch. A main bed lay allows you a whole street to make the hose clear the bed. Here's some of what we've found with the ones we've tried: Special Load Crosslays or speedlays: harder to stretch on congested streets. Always more complex to load and the reload is specific to the bed width length and height. These include triple layer loads, minuteman loads and modification or similar loads. I will note the Minuteman does pull nicely 99% of the time regardless of street conditions as you need merely 8 feet to clear all the hose from the bed and you take the load with you to the objective. While the minuteman load take only the length of the bed to clear all the hose, the triple layer takes 33% of it's length or 66 ft for a 200 foot precon. Basic flat load crosslay/speedlays: Unless you have decent manpower these are problematic. It's too easy to end up with most of the hose on or at the engine once you reach the initial objective (front door). Very easy to load, and can be modified with pulling loops. Does one guy pay all the hose onto the ground while someone else pulls the whole thing which gets heavier and longer as you go? Or does one FF take the first 100 feet and a second take the remaining? What happens when you get all the hose clear of the bed and the hose is off? Do you drop what your carrying here and pick-up just a few folds? Rear bed special loads: Includes horseshoe, triple layer, and modified loads. The horseshoe works well to bring a working length or two with you and this can be connect to either a larger line or static bed for much greater length and versatility. The triple layer works well here as you have open street to complete the stretch, even if you can get 6-8 feet before you take a 90 degree turn it can be done with another FF at the bed pulling the remaining hose out straight. The space in the rear bed generally allows for more options and longer overall lays. Rear bed flat loads: Probably the most common load of all, though many only use it for supply or infrequently used hose today. The major issue is still manpower. Having each FF stretch 60-100 feet (two or three folds?) each can take anywhere from 2 to 4 FFer's . Or more likely in short staffed Fd's one man runs with the nozzle and another pulls hose into the street, then must follow along clearing pinch points or corners. Of course this is the easiest to load and allows for the most versatility in length or connection options. Our FD determined that all hoseloads needed to be evaluated for functionality. Any 200 foot attack line must able to be stretched by a single FF. The load has to end with the working length of the hose at the objective, not at the engine. Also, the load must clear the bed in as minimal distance as possible to allow for turns in direction or around cars, fences, hedges and such. This required a modifies triple layer with a horse shoe finish for our crosslay/speedlays. The load works very well, but is far too complex to reload when you don't do it at least weekly. Where bends go, how coupling lay and loop lengths are critical to the success. We just received our new Rescue Pumper which was specced with hosewells for 200 foot donut loads. These accomplish the stretch forward off the front bumper where you have open street and no obstacles. The donut rolls un-spin when pulled and clear the well in 25 ft. The donuts are connected together forming loops through which the FF slides an arms allowing them to pull the entire loads off and proceed to the objective. When the loop closest to the hand tightens up, it is dropped as this is the first 50 feet. You're now dragging the rest of the load until the next loop tightens and is dropped. And so it goes until you run out of hose or get to the objective with all the hose left in the lay. If you stop well short of the full length the hose is already nicely formed into a 25" long "s" shape. There are two of these wells on the bumper, each holds 4 lengths of 1.75". Given the way the rolls are coupled together to form the loops, you can disconnect and reconnect at any length required. This allows for a 50 ft. trash line for dumpsters and trash cans or connecting the two hosewells for a 400 foot rear yard line (not so great on FL). The load also can be disconnect from the bumper discharge and reconnected to the 2.5" or 3" line from the main bed for real long lays, mop up or after blitz attacks. Reloading is so simple a caveman could do it. Roll the hose into a donut, place into the well, connect the couplings and you're done. Amazingly, we have yet to have a critic in our FD after they've trained on the load.

Not sure how it works in NY, but Medicare says that if you bill them, your billing rules must follow their guidelines, which says you cannot bill in this manner. I think they only allow the transporting service to bill the patient, and tell you how much you can bill for BLS or ALS responses. I say this as we started billing for ALS "Fly-car" responses about 2 years ago. We bill the service who statutorily covers where the incident happened. If we go to the town next door, they can then bill the patient for an ALS call vs. billing as a BLS run if our medic did not respond. The difference (ALS to BLS) in our Medicare area is around $130, but we bill between $225 and $275 for the run, depending on if the medic is needed or not. This forces the mutual aid EMS service to pay out of their budget, which has an added benefit of helping motivate them to hire or train to the medic level. Basically we decided our taxpayers could not afford to subsidize ALS in other towns.

We too had a set of high lift/low pressure bags with exhaust inflation tips. We took them out of service years ago in favor of hi-pressure/low lift bags. The training and use of all lifting equipment is extremely important and we could not see the justification for keeping the hi-lift's when we were cribbing an inch at a time anyway. While I'm sure it's happened and could again, I've yet to run into a scenario where we couldn't use the high pressure/low lift bags to remove a victim. Most time the amount of lift travel required is very little, but the amount of lift force can be considerable. While it's rarely bad to have as many tools in the box as you can, I'd say that your FD's ability to maintain trained competent personnel is a significant factor in adding more Hi-risk/Low Freq use equipment.

Works good for management, now you have less people speaking from one sheet of music. It certainly makes "divide and conquer easier for City Hall when you are already divided. Some much for firefighters just being firefighters.

While I'm all for the top candidate getting the job, the residency clause generally has a purpose. First, if you have a test that any candidate who passes will work, sometimes the best test taker is not the best person. A municipality must look out for itself. Giving preference to residents helps employ residents whose money stays locally. Also, candidates from away are less likely to stay as local residents who have ties to the community. Locals tend to know the area better which is always a benefit.

Very good article. This is the type of writing and article FE used to kick Firehouses's a** with; but for awhile FE went limp. We need more articles that can be used in the streets, written by those with knowledge and experience that validates the writing. I'm tired of authors with more letters after their names than years on the job. Good work Chief!

By most accounts, there are two Rosenbauers, the Central States Rosie or the General Safety Rosie. Both were independent builders before Rosenbauer bought them. Almost to a man, those that own General Rosie's are happy, and those with Central States got junk. We own a Central Mistakes Pre-Rosie and it is junk. We have had many issues and Rosenbauer after buying Central States laughed at our chief when he asked if they'd help us with some of the outstanding issues. Fine by us, we've moved on and found there are plenty of better builders that are smaller, but build better quality and stand behind their work. Those who own the General Safety Rosenbauers tend to be big fans and repeat customers though. I think if you dig deep enough you'll find any big fleet FD's that buy Rosenbauer, demand Generals. It seems Rosenbauer bids the Central States where money is tighter and General when they want to compete with Peirce, Seagrave, Marion, etc. The FD next to us failed to heed many warnings and ordered a Central States Rosie Commercial Cab pumper with foam and have had nothing but trouble for the past 8 months. They're convinced they have to live with a truck that may go into "limp mode" and will not go over 20 mph to a call! The workmanship is poor and the engineering is a joke! If you are thinking Rosenbauer at all, demand a General Safety Rosie!! I've not seen or spoken to anyone specific, but if I was in the NY-CT area I'd look hard at Gowans Knight. Again, I have no experience with their apparatus over time, but the workmanship looks good and they seem to be very accessible.

I noticed the same thing. Very cool that they took the plunge and made the trucks standout much more, but it seems the principle of the chevrons was lost on someone.

I gotta say another nice piece for Nanuet. These guys do a great job with their apparatus, we took a trip to look at rescue pumpers and Nanuet was one of the standouts out of 30+ FD's we look at. Did this replace the ALF pumper? If I'm not mistaken, this must be one of the first that they didn't buy from Tom Shand? I know someone there joked with us that you could tell who Shand worked for at the time they got their apparatus by what was on their floor. Not that they were trying to line Tom's pockets, but that he was so good at ensuring a FD got exactly what they needed and with impressive innovations. So, tip of the hat to Nanuet for another nice truck. They also get my respect for protecting by grandparents who moved to Nanuet a few years ago.

I find this interesting, since most of the systems in our area do not have any excess in personnel or units, so if you're stuck on the 5 th floor with two ton Tessie, you'd be on your own. So, while they handle the majority of their calls w/o the FD, they do need assistance, never mind making the scene safe at MVA's and similar rescue type calls. I would doubt many municipal FD's would want a third service providers using them to assist making a profit, which is what it's all about on the "commercial side" with "full discretion of what resources they require." Maybe cities should, in fact I know they should, look closer at the details of the contracts for these services. Many commercial companies have come in to communities with low ball contracts saying they'll only bill the patients, only to come back later asking for tax dollars to make the deal work, after the city has disbanded its municipal EMS system. I will note that I know there are some decent third service EMS systems and tons of decent medics working for third service providers, but from where I sit, this is not the overwhelming majority. The system is set up to provide low quality based on a for profit service.

Two quick ideas I didn't see here yet: 1. Snowballs. They work great as they stay together until they get to the heat, like the ABC bombs and we've yet to see cracking from them. 2. Out a cast iron pan of water into the stove and close it up, the steam will kill the fire in the chimney.