firemoose827

Huntington Manor is combination now I believe. A friend of mine that used to volly with my father and I in Northport is now a career firefighter in Huntington Manor. The VA in Northport has career staff?? I used to play golf on their 9 hole course all the time and never knew they had paid staff! lol Must be a recent thing? I am a little upset that Cobleskill never made the list, Im getting 6 figures here im my dept, $000,000 a year.

Get well soon and feel better.

Rest In Peace, all my prayers to your family and friends in their time of need. God Bless all of our troops and keep them safe.

In my area there are too many EMT's that get pushed through the system, and allowed to "Pass" the exam, and the only reason is that we are so short handed for help...Its pathetic. I asked a new EMT to do an assessment on a PT, they took the Pulse Oximeter and put it on the pt's finger, than stared at me...WTF?!! It all boils down to the instructors and how well they teach, and get the attention of the students and make it a fun learning environment, getting the students to participate and learn. The ones that just read verbatim from the slides and tell you to read umpteen chapters for the next class don't really get the material into the students heads, it puts them to sleep. I favor more of a hands on approach to training and feel it helps me understand the material better. But today, too many are being rushed through the system in order to fill the ranks with more EMT's to respond to calls that are not getting answered. Now you want to add more skills to the EMT Basic? Its a good concept, but I feel that what was mentioned earlier about getting the current EMT's to master the basics first is what is more important. Get the Basic EMT to be able to perform that patient assessment and recognize the signs and symptoms for what they are and treat them accordingly, AND transport to the "Appropriate" facility. Than...Maybe we can start to Think about adding more skills. I believe the system is set up fine as it is, EMT-B, EMT-I, EMT-CC and EMT-Paramedic, if you want to start an IV and Intubate than take the Intermediate course, you want to push drugs take the CC or Paramedic. Keep it simple, master the basics, provide the care the patient needs. Just my Humble opinion! LOL

Congrats on the Baby! I wish you all the happiness and health in the world. Take lots of pictures because they grow fast. My best to you and your family.

Charge it at the door before entering. I want to know if the engine has any pump problems before I enter. Also, you can bleed the line and make a quick size-up before entering. When you get to the door flake the hose out behind you in an "S" pattern which will make the stretch easier to do when its charged.

Lets get some discussion going here. You respond to a structure fire and discover it to be an attached 2 car garage. The garage is working good, and there is moderate smoke coming out the front door, all the windows in the residence are intact. Whats the SOP for your dept to handle these fires? Where does your first line go? Second line? Search procedure? Tell me everything you can think of for handling garage type fires, dont just answer my questions, be thoughtful and go through everything off the top of your head. Anyone?

Im playing around with different ideas for decon and what tools to carry and use for our team. We carry numerous types and sizes and styles, and I want to narrow it down to one, with a back up. What teams out there use decon frequently and can add the advice Im looking for? What does your team use and carry? What back-up do you have? Any advice would be great, thanks!

Let me explain myself a little better, sorry for the confusion! lol I thought it was straight forward but I see where it could be taken off topic. In my county team, we have 4 systems for decontamination set up in our trailer. We use 3 portable shower set ups mostly, for 3 stations of decon located on a tarped area for containment of run-off water. We also have a large, re-usable collapsible tent system that is folded like an accordian and pulled open from either end, and has 3 stations inside the tent with hookups for water, heat, and drainage of the contaminated water into a large bladder for disposal. The first part of the tent is an area for the victims to disrobe and place their clothing in bio bags for disposal. Than they go into the decon area where jets of water from the walls and ceiling wash their bodies as they are scrubbed by decon personnel in level "B" suits. The third section is where they can shower, and dress in disposable scrubs. Than we have another tent thats similar to the other, but not as elaborate, and only has two rooms and is inflatable. Or, we can use the 2X6 lumber cut to 4' lengths and connected with hinges to form a couple of 4'X4' catch basins for the manual rinsing of the victim by decon personnel in a series of 3 different baths. I was looking for what other teams use for their primary decon set up at haz-mat scenes so I could compare and maybe use their ideas to simplify our operations.

I thought about pictures to add to the size up info, but mainly, I wanted everyone to think about sizing up a fire, and talk about all the different dangers that could be faced at a garage fire, especially an attached garage. I see everyone is thinking, and applying tactics to cover the worst case scenario which is what I was looking for. More info; This is a basic ranch style home with the garage attached the the Left side of the house ( looking at the house from the street). There is a mud room off the garage that leads to the kitchen/dining area, front door/foyer area, living room, than the far end is where the bed rooms and bath room are located. Its 1 AM on a Wednesday night in November. The house was built in 1995. There is a car in the driveway and the front of the car is burning as well. This is a stick built house with 2X8 rafters, 2X6 exterior stud walls, and the garage has a 2 hour rated sheet rock wall and a 2 hour rated self closing fire door separating the garage and the living area.

Decontamination of victims, for Hazardous Materials purposes. ANy kind of Decon that you employ.

I also prefer the wood cribbing, it grips better, easy and cheap to replace and can be modified to fit in your truck and carried any style you wish. The plastics may be easier to clean, but they are expensive and are too slippery. They have the grip tape to put on them but I still prefer the wood chocks. I prefer the step chocks for ease and rapid deployment at car accidents, and they can be made easy enough with some 2X8 pressure treated lumber and some old rope or seat belts for a handle. The box cribbing works well for special rescues requiring good stabilization. But now with the rescue struts they have and other rescue sets its getting easier to stabilize a vehicle at 2 am in the blizzard conditions.

I see what everyone is concerned about, as far as response times. But what is wrong with career staffing on the initial response with a tone out for volunteer back up as soon as the career rig calls en route? By the time the career rig gets on scene and stretches the initial attack line there should hopefully be volunteers there with additional rigs and manpower. I know that Part Time paid-per-call departments work well, if they offer pay for response to calls you can get more of the PT staff to respond and back up the career crews. Eight FF's for 3 alarms? Is there a FAST in place? You have to account for MPO's and officers, so who is fighting the fire? Its unsafe. Train the volunteers and career guys side by side, get them working together with the career guys offering knowledge to the volunteers so they are on the same page. It is possible that we can all work together.

Is it me, or do certain EMS providers read as far as the "Nearest" and than stop? The protocols all tell the EMS provider to transport the patient to the "Nearest Appropriate Facility", in other words a facility that can provide the level of care the patient needs...NOT the one that will get you back to bed faster. I have been noticing lately that there is a GROSS need for re-education of our EMT's and Paramedics (in my county any way) to express the Need to transport the patient to the Appropriate facility and replace "Nearest" with "In a timely fashion that meets or exceeds the Golden Hour criteria" for trauma patients. My county has a small, poorly equipped and understaffed community hospital called "Cobleskill Regional Hospital". It can do very little for Stroke patients, OB patients, or broken bones, can do nothing at all for burn victims or psych patients. To make a long story short, its a "First Aid Station" or "Clinic" for the locals to go to after hours to get attention for their sniffles and aches and pains when their doctors offices are closed. BUT, most of the squads in our area, mine included, always seem to transport the patients they treat in the field to this facility...Why? Because its local. We have a Level II trauma center 35 minutes away in Cooperstown NY, a level I trauma center in Albany Medical Center where the Life Net Helicopter is stationed, we have a stroke center located in Schenectady called Ellis Hospital all of which are about a 40 minute ride without L&S. But do you think the squad will transport to these facilities? Very Rare. I listen to the scanner when Im at my PT job for the ambulance I work for and hear all the squads taking patients that need a high level of care to our hospital, and can usually predict when we will get the call to transport that patient to a better facility to the nearest 5 minutes!! Its realy pathetic I know, but they do it, and the only thing it does for the patient is prolong the needed treatment and gives them another ambulance ride and a bigger insurance bill...All because the EMT needed to get back to dinner, or a family party, or the football game...Have we as EMS providers lost our sense of duty for the patient? Have we forgotten what our jobs are, to provide the best level of care for the patient including transportation to the "Appropriate" medical facility that can treat and care for the patient properly? It is something that has been bugging me now for a long time. What does everyone else have to say about this issue? Advice?

LOL, you dont need a paved driveway, your in the country...Suck it up!!! LOL If you want Narcs and 12 lead call me at work, 24 hour shift every saturday in Station 3, Cobleskill. LOL And one more thing, about me getting my ALS back...NO!!! Did I say that clear enough for ya?!!! LOL Stay Safe and talk to you soon hopefully.

That is another frustration of mine, you hit it on the head NWFD. One of our EMS COORDINATORS took a cardiac patient, pale, extremely diaphoretic, substernal CP 8/10, multifocal PVC's, the whole nine to our LOCAL HOSPITAL instead of Albany or Schenectady where he needed to be. The doctor got on the radio when he called in the report to the ED and told him "Negative, you WILL divert to Albany Med, we can not care for this patient here!!" He ended up getting in trouble. So its not just training, this coordinator is a Paramedic, CIC, been doing this for 25-30 years now and he still messed up. My other favorite is the radio reports I hear some times! My last favorite one was for a stroke patient. KNOWN History, paralysis to the right side with facial droop, not fully alert, and this squad is located about halfway between Coby Regional and Albany Med and they took him to Coby!! Their report stated that "They advised patient of the need to go to Ellis or Albany Med and they REFUSED and demanded to go to Coby." The patient refused??? A minute ago they were not fully alert!!! LOL So now they are covering themselves on the radio reports to the ED!! I agree totally. I was merely stating that the hospital is a certain level of care, meaning they should have the capability to render the appropriate care to the patient. I just try to keep a mental note of the best facilities for certain patients based on experience with them both personal and professional. Like Ellis hospital in Schenectady has the best Stroke center and can specialize in stroke care. St Peters in Albany has a great Cardiac Center and good cardiac doctors so I take cardiac there. Albany Med is a Level I trauma with a great staff and specialties in many different fields as well as a HUGE ED with plenty of equipment and staff to handle anything. The Life Net Chopper is based on the roof of Albany Med as well. Good posts, thank you all so far.

My brother dies and you want to see pictures? Sick bunch!!! lol

Congrats brother, keep up the good work!

Congrats brother, keep up the good work!!

Wow...I live near Albany, mind sharing with us exactly WHICH depts turned you down?? Maybe I can help you get in one, I know a lot of people around here, so tell us who turned you down.

Congrats bro, you are a welcomed member of this site and I look forward to every post you make. Keep up the good work brother.

Hope you feel better soon Doc!! Dizzy...Lightheaded...Must be all the Bravo you deal with on a daily basis!! lol Take it easy brother and get well soon, let us know if you need anything. Brian

Funny you should mention that! Heres a link to a good video! Paramedic Vs EMT I have always just used whatever shears were on hand, they have always worked for me. Usually in order to cut fast you need to "slide" the shears through the material, using the crotch of the scissors to do the work, but each has their own technique. Maybe you should use a serrated one hand opening knife with safety tip, they work well to remove clothing as well. Good luck on your search and enjoy the video.

Ok, I guess I need to do my "parental" thing again here. This thread is about the permission to PARK an ALS Fly Car on church property and has NO BEARING on religions or their beliefs. I removed some POOR TASTELESS comments that had nothing to do with an ALS Fly Car parking on church grounds. Keep it civil or this entire thread will be trashed. Discuss the churches decision to not allow them to park there or dont say anything at all. I agree with a few of you here, there is not enough information to go on here. What happened to make them come up with the decision? What was the priests reasons for not allowing them to do so? Did the EMS people do something to provoke this? We need MUCH more info in order to make any kind of decision.

Ok guys, this was a thread about the IAFF decision to support Obama, not intended to become a pissing match about delegate loyalties, campaign promises and arguments about IAFF members and non members. SO, as is usually the case this topic is here by closed. There is no additional constructive ideas and opinions being shared and this is a Firefighting web site anyway, so take your arguments about voting and campaigns to PM or E-mail please. Thank you.