Geppetto

While you guys are off the subject - I think you have Polycast confused with the United Organics fire. As I recall, several firefighters were burned at that event.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...357/1018/NEWS02 RIP

Fire slams force: 13 police officers treated for exposure to chemicals By Jeff Morganteen Stamford Advocate 7/21/08 http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9944946

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9944957

Stamford Advocate 07/19/2008 http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_9934246 There are two threads at the Advocate - this is the longer story. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9937736

http://www.centennialbulb.org/

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../NEWS/807120323

Red Tape? What does that mean? History lesson time - My slant on how things got to be the way they are - In the older states (New England, NY, NJ etc.), with their home rule mentality, each community developed their own personalities, as well as good old self-reliance. As each area grew, they each needed to have their own equipment and autonomy. Rating services eventually came into existance (such as ISO) to identify how well a community's defenses were to combat the community's risk. These actually, helped spur on this overlap of equipment, as each community did not receive credit for their neighbor's equipment - only their own. And in those days - automatic mutual aid was not as commonplace, due to the fact that there were more volunteers (and less bean-counters to cause career cut-backs) to ride that equipment. Additionally, most areas were not as well-developed. But, what did happen was every fire "unit" worked to have a "department". Although the engine is the basic building block of a firefighting force, most would agree that a "department", usually meant 2 engines and a truck company. Look for an ancient study by Kimball circa 1976 about "How to Judge your Fire department" for some insight. (One of a long line of similar texts dating as far back as fire itself!) Many units chose engine/quad or quint combinations due to limited space. Unfortunately, ISO does not give full credit for them - so others chose separate engine and ladder pieces. People living in their own small worlds - not knowing or caring what was happening a mile or two away. Today - we have well-stocked fire stations - most loaded with that departmental minimum, as well as a "rescue vehicle". (God forbid, your neighbor's "rescue" comes to your community.) They're well stocked with everything but the manpower. They have yet to build a fire vehicle with an auto-pilot. If you have the manpower - you do have it all. It's manpower that provides the service, manpower that puts out the fires, manpower that makes the "department". The equipment is worthless without the TRAINED people to use it. All it does is take up space. Should departments have reserves/spares available? Of course they should. Fire apparatus break down all the time. But ask youself, does a community need, on average, 2:1 engines for what actually gets on the road? For every one that responds, one sitting idle? That seems like a real expensive way to do business. $.02

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...8/BIZ/807080309

You would have to add quite an incentive package to attract volunteers from outside of Stamford. Most volunteers are attracted, in some fashion, with a need to protect their home community. To protect someone else's, for free, needs a big carrot. And Stamford does not have the same demographics as Kentland. If it did, you might attract some firefighters, but not homebuyers in the $800,000+ (a quite low estimate!) range. Statistically, actual fires are not occurring. That is the fact region-wide. That is not to say emergency responses are down. EMS, MVA's, automatic alarms are still occurring and as a whole, calls for service are increasing. That means you still need people round-the-clock 24/7. So what would attract volunteers? Tax credits? College incentive? LOSAP? Civil Service points? At a bare minimum, if Stamford's neighbors already have a working system in place, similar items need to be included to attract them to Stamford. Why go to Stamford, if Greenwich has a better deal? And if the Stamford volunteers can't agree on what they want, historically - from air packs to large diameter hose, this battle may be already lost. There is power in numbers. The discussion to combine the volunteers into 1 firefighting force, is still fought against by many of the "Big 5" leaders. Unless the volunteers learn to speak with 1 voice, they are facilitating their own demise.

Many of these things items HAVE come up in discussion before. Participants should realize that this thread is fairly recent. Check into the previous thread, which is still accessible in the site's history -" Stamford Make Plans to Lay Off Firefighters".

Blaze tests city's new fire reality Wynne Parry - Stamford Advocate 07/02/08 STAMFORD - When a pool heater caught fire shortly before 10 a.m. yesterday at 7 Briarwood Lane, a neighbor's call for help tested Stamford's troubled fire service. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9761205

No labor deal causes paid, volunteer firefighter split (06/30/08) STAMFORD - Not able to work out a labor deal, the city of Stamford will separate paid and volunteer firefighters in the Turn of the River District starting Tuesday. https://www.news12.com/CT/topstories/article?id=213742

Story: http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...349/1018/NEWS02

By Paul Brooks Times Herald-Record June 25, 2008 http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../NEWS/806250326

The advocate finally got their site fixed - Turn of River turns down pact with city By Wynne Parry Stamford Advocate - 6/26/08 STAMFORD - In the ongoing battle to maintain control of their district, volunteers at Turn of River Fire Department have voted down an agreement with the city that was hammered out over months of mediation. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9696262

Turn of River turns down pact with city/Belltown gets OK for court trial Stamford Advocate - 06/26/08 Wynne Parry - Staff Writer STAMFORD - One of the volunteer fire departments can take the city to court to try to stop a massive funding cut scheduled to take effect Tuesday, the start of the fiscal year, a state Superior Court judge has ruled. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9696263

Tha fact is not everybody checks every newspaper for every article. EMTBravo is sort of a one-stop shopping for regional news. I usually have only posted the newspaper article and not editorial or letters to the editor. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions. But also realize that the mass-media influences opinion. The general public sees the headline, and usually not the page xx response. We could esaily clutter this site with every letter to the editor, but that would certainly accomplish nothing. As for why it was started - There are many brethren interested in what is going on in Stamford because it has serious implications for what every department should be/will be considering. Consolidation, regionalization, sharing of resources, more efficient use of funding. Realize that Stamford actually has about 25 Engines but some of them merely occupy floor space. Maybe Stamford firefighters don't want to be this area's test case - but I am not sure that resisting what will probably be inevitable is the answer. I am sure the consolidation in North Jersey didn't go off without a few speed bumps along the way. Lee Iacocca said it - Lead, Follow, or get out of the way.

Residents sue the city over construction of fire facility By Wynne Parry Staff Writer Stamford Advocate - 05/30/2008 STAMFORD - Residents of Long Ridge Road have added their voices to a dispute between the city and the volunteer Turn of River Fire Department by filing a lawsuit accusing the city of failing to get permits for construction near their home and destroying trees. ... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9423198

Turn of River Fire Department asks court's help By Wynne Parry Stamford Advocate - 05/26/2008 STAMFORD - Faced with a devastating budget cut when the new fiscal year starts July 1, Turn of River Fire Department has filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Dannel Malloy. ." http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9381540

Officials: Cameras banned in lounges Wynne Parry - Staff Writer Stamford Advocate - 05/25/2008 The Springdale Fire Co.'s plan to install surveillance cameras in lounges in its firehouse violates a state law that prohibits employers from recording employees' activities in certain areas, according to union and city officials. http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_9374403

City, fire department mediation shows promise By Wynne Parry Stamford Advocate 05/21/2008 STAMFORD - A mediation session Monday raised hopes that the city and the volunteer Turn of River Fire Department can agree on how to manage the fire district. ... http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_9329413

Territory dispute mars volunteer fire talks By Wynne Parry Stamford Advocate - 05/19/2008 STAMFORD - Turn of River volunteer fire officials said they learned last week - days before today's scheduled mediation with the city - that city officials plan to set up trailers for paid firefighters in their district. ". http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_9306947?

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/localnews/ci_9278682

Battle continues over fire department By Wynne Parry Stamford Advocate 5/11/08 STAMFORD - Hostility between the firefighters union and the Turn of River Fire Department boiled over last week, when the union board decided to withdraw from mediation in the city's battle to consolidate paid and volunteer fire companies. . http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_9229607?