firemoose827

Thats not bad for $90, considering another corny visor light I saw that straps onto the visor and needs to have the visor down to use costs like $200...a little ridiculous for the light if you ask me. This one seems well priced, and its low profile and sits out of the way when not in use and is not too obvious and screams "Im a volunteer" like most bar lights that are 3 sizes too big for the truck!! lol Let us know if you get one and maybe try to take some pics too.

I agree with you sir. I am in a split community...Our Village is large and has a good network of hydrants, but our town is even larger and does not have any. We rely on tanker shuttles and can usually get a decent tanker op in place within minutes...it doesnt take long. And being used to water shortages, you learn to make the best of what you got on hand, Ive seen trailers extinguished in under 2000 gallons, you just gotta know what your capabilities are. And to build on Antiques comment on the tank reserves....all of our MPO's are trained to fill the tank of the engine while pumping the attack lines while getting nursed by a tanker shuttle...this way if there are no more tankers on scene yet, you have another tank to work with for protection. All that said and done....the ideal thing would be to blitz this fire hard with the deck gun, emptying the engines tank, than using the deuce and a half to mop it up on tanker water...those deck guns knock lots of fire in a short time if used and positioned correctly. Afew comic side notes...did anyone notice the MPO almost falling out of the cab cause he was rushing? How about the one attack crew closer to us keeping the Telephone Pole well covered with the stream? It has already been beat to death but what the heck....the CHIEF OFFICER running around with his nomex shorts and t-shirt, or the volunteer that parked his truck directly across the street instead of down the road a little to keep the space available for trucks...." these are a few of my favorite things" !!! LOL ( lyrics to the song...)

Our County does not require that, but my chiefs want everyone to at least acknowledge they are responding so they know who they have and where they are going as far as officer. Only one chief will usually go to the scene, than the rest go to the station for rigs. If the chief isnt going than the first assistant will go. The line officers always go to station and they only call enroute, the rest of the time they keep silent.

Here in my County they label the officers for radio communications, only a FEW have actual chiefs cars, and I mean a few....Like maybe 4-5 chiefs in the county have one that they purchased used from some big department down by the city. They start with the dept designation, which ours is 50, than the unit number... 5011- Chief 5012- 1st Assistant 5013- 2nd Assistant 5014- 3rd assistant 5015-Captain 1 5016- Captain 2 5017- Captain 3 5018- Lt 1 5019- Lt 2 5010- Lt 3 (they ran out so they issued 10) Engines- 5021-23 Ladder- 5081 Rescue- 5061 Brush- 5051 Tanker- 5041 Ambulance- 5091-92 EMS Officers 5001- Captain 5002- 1st Lt 5003- 2nd Lt

Great post! You made a few excellent points in regards to roof work and scene safety. One thing to point out in todays fire service is the use of Towers with remote controls in the bucket too, so the use of the chauffeur to move the ladder from the turn table in most places is obsolete now. Do they have remote control boxes for the straight sticks anywhere? Just curious to know. There are only 2 aerials in my county and we have one of them, a 95' Tower ladder, and it has the remote controls in the bucket but I was curious to know, in my lack of aerial experience, if there was such a thing as remote controls for sticks. Thanks.

Thats a great Idea and could very well work. Just like Bomb techs send in the robot to grab the bomb and place it in a Bomb Barrel, Haz-Mat Techs could use the Robot to enter the IDLH and collect a sample of the material and run the Meters to determine the hazard and plan for it. Use the robot as a recon team but instead of placing Techs in harms way and need to Decon them and rehab them before they can re-enter. I am on a team and know how hard it is today to get Technicians to JOIN teams let alone show up for calls, using the robot will save your manpower for the actual plugging and containing ops. Good idea. I understand where you are coming from but realize one thing too bro....robots cant be burned!! lol If they get melted than put them in the repair shop and VOILA!! Hes back in action. Use the robots for recon missions to scout ahead of the attack team and test the floor, look for the seat of the fire and locate victims...be an extra set of eyes for the search team and search twice the area twice as fast. Set them up with the TIC so its less the team has to carry, and the robots view can be seen in the HUD of the masks....it could very well be the future of firefighting, who knows for sure!! lol

So what you are saying is that all the "Militia" that "Volunteered" to fight for our freedom are not considered Patriots....But all the teenagers that enlist in todays Armed Forces with the promise of $30,000 for college and job placement in the field of your choice complete with training (All Incentives by the way...) are MORE patriotic?? I dont get that. Also, another point I see you make about volunteers receiving "Too many Incentives..." You are saying its OK for a volunteer to loose their life saving the life of a stranger.....But its a BAD thing for that community to try and offer some sort of incentive, or GIFT to those that give of themselves selflessly as a token of their appreciation for the brother they lost ????? Im both a Professional EMT and a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT and I see FAR more acts of selfless duty to community, friends, neighbors and family from the volunteers I serve with than ANY paid professional I know....and Im talking about the complete package here gentlemen. I have also volunteered to build homes for "Habitat For Humanity" and noticed the "professionals" that were helping like carpenters and electricians, do only the BARE MINIMUM to get the job done while volunteers like myself went above and beyond to make sure the home was safe, sound, and comfortable....Its all about the HEART of the person and the sense of duty to their community and the people they live with, and the fact they seek nothing in return other than a smile and a friendly conversation. The "Patriots" that left their farms, stores, businesses and families behind to pick up the rifle and man the line to defend our country expecting nothing in return but the freedom of a nation, without training in military tactics or even shooting a rifle, are far more patriotic than someone pretending to be in todays society because they work more hours on the ambulance to get more overtime and be able to buy that "Nintendo WI" Even faster.... Sorry....End of MY rant!! lol Its all Doc's fault for inspiring me with his post!

Ok...Enter the slow dumb guy!! Can someone explain this concept to me again please? lol From what I gather, multiple departments in one county that have trouble with staffing Share one rig and staff it for calls? So you might get 1 FF from dept A and 3 from dept B but they ride together on the engine to get it out the door....Did I assume this correctly? It sounds like a good Idea and Im interested in more info to try and bring the idea up here in my County.

I agree with that completely, hence my topic on Training Standards in NYS. Here is the link, tell me what you think about my idea to standardize the training in NYS for ALL firefighters and need to refresh that training on a 3-5 year schedule. NYS Training Standards Need Change The training for career guys/gals should be the same for Volunteers, fire is an equal opportunity killer, so we should train like our lives depend on it. Good topic. I agree too, everyone should pitch in and help out with community affairs, it doesnt take much and if many people helped out the work would be minimal. The problem you have now is not ENOUGH people volunteer in their communities and therefore the work needed to be done is greater for those that DO choose to help, this deters people from volunteering I think.

There is more info on Firefighter Close Calls.com Rest In Peace Brother, all my prayers to your family and friends.

This better stick to the current topic about Fuel Tax Breaks...No More personal insults or accusations you can not back up with fact in a PROFESSIONAL manner. This is a warning...Next off topic post buys this thread a ride to Trashville.

This statement says it all Chris...Why not have Bills that will assist ALL firefighters with paying for gas? Career guys need to drive the rigs around to do Building Inspections and such, so why not help them too? Career guys that are off duty need to come to the station for training, right? Or do you do training during shift, Im not sure, but they need to use gas to get there... My point is, we dont need the Gas Tax Break as volunteers. My department has a utility vehicle that we can use to drive to Training Classes all over the County and thats on dept fuel card account. When we go to the Fire Academy in our own vehicles they usually get it approved to reimburse us for the fuel. SO I dont see why we need the Fuel Tax Break. I do see that we ALL need to start advocating for ALL of us and fighting for better conditions for ALL of us regardless of what we do or dont do. I dont see the need for the City of Albany residents to pay for the fuel I consume here in "podunk" county USA when they already pay taxes for the fire protection in their city, its pointless. Its just the times, and the economy people, we need to band together until we are through this mess and into better times and better fuel prices and cost of living...I know I am strapping the blue light to the handle bars of my 10-speed bike and tying a rope with grappling hook so I can "Borrow" someone else's fuel to get me to the station!!! lol

I agree with that comment 100% brother, there are a few of us left, not too many, but we are out there and we keep getting the crap. Its a shame...

Ok, so what your saying is this....because volunteers accept incentives it makes them bad at what they do....but those of you that receive PAY and BENEFITS are OK? That doesnt make much sense. I think the incentives are a great thing for the volunteers, it shows that the communities they serve appreciate them and are making sure that they and their families are taken care of in return if they should be injured or Killed. I was injured in the line of duty and got no pay or benefits for a year....My dept didnt help me, the county didnt help me, NO ONE helped me. I payed for lawyers to fight for my workers comp benefits and to get the medical coverage I was supposed to get in order to receive the surgery I needed. I feel that these incentives, although I agree that we dont need all of them, are a positive thing for the volunteer fire service. Lets face it folks...to volunteer 20-30 years ago it was affordable and easier....Gas was cheaper, the training to be an interior firefighter was 39 hours, costs of living were cheaper...there wasnt as many extra things to attend like physicals and fit tests. The departments were more kind to their volunteers giving them uniforms to wear, T-shirts to proudly wear, pagers, turnouts, banquets (free), in my old department they had Clam Bakes and Family outings to picnics and fishing trips....today I need to PAY $150 for my Uniform, $10 per dept T-shirt, I have to BUY my own pager if I want one instead of getting one loaned to me, In my old dept I had to BUY my own turnouts or use sets from 1970 that I think Johny and Roy used....Its ridiculous today to be a volunteer. But I still do it, and I still train my but off, and Im still somewhat proud to be one. Why is it, when incentives are discussed for volunteers, certain members of this site feel the need to try and take that away from us? Why are we not all working together to get better treatment for ALL of us across the board? It used to be that way also...Brotherhood was always there, not today. Its segregated brotherhood. This is just my opinions and in no way a bash against anyone. So please save the threatening PM's and public assaults.

Congrats to all, especially Jack, he has worked tirelessly the past few months to make this site great and he deserved it. Everyone deserved the promotion and you all work hard. Congratulations!!!

Did anyone have the local Codes Enforcement Officer come take a look at the station? He/she can close the doors and put a nice red tag on the front until the health issues are dealt with, which would hopefully make the powers that be act a little faster, considering their firefighters are not allowed to access the equipment. Just a thought to help you out. Hope it gets resolved!

Good luck with the new truck everyone, and have a good time on Saturday.

Happy First Anniversary to you Both Seth, and heres to many many more. Hope all is going well for you guys now. Moose

Points taken, and thanks for the reply. I guess this is one of those "Agree to dis-agree" points that we all too aften have here!! LOL Its different for each response area...those of you with large traffic problems and drivers who are immune to the L&S will have these issues. People like me with large response areas but less frequent call volume have less trouble getting people to move for us. That, and we have an aggressive Fire Prevention campaign all year round with open houses, informational meetings with parents and teachers, and public announcements in papers and radio stressing the importance of the local emergency services and allowing them the right of way when they see the Red/Blue/Green lights approaching. Smaller communities understand that it could be their loved ones involved, or their house burning, so they generally move for us.

I am all for lights and sirens when used correctly, and when they are used in conjunction with due regard and defensive driving. Accidents happen because of the driver getting caught in tunnel vision and becoming complacent by responding to X amount of calls per shift. Lights and sirens dont cause accidents....DRIVERS cause accidents. The first due unit should go L&S and provide a report for all other units. I have been told by the dispatcher before that we are responding to an "Omega" response, meaning lift assist only, to find the person in full cardiac arrest MANY times. I have lost faith in that form of dispatch and will always respond L&S until I confirm there is no threat to life or limb. Same goes for fire calls, have the first unit respond L&S, the rest should go without all the time unless the unit on scene is reporting life hazzard and resources are needed to effect the rescue. My only question with some of the above opinions is for the request for manpower. If that request for manpower is for a structural fire, or wildland fire where weather is a factor and rehab of firefighters is crucial, shouldnt that manpower need to get there as soon as reasonably and safely possible? When the manpower is responding from across the county and response time is already high, L&S should be requested to get that help there in a reasonable time frame to keep the scene running smooth and safe. I KNOW....You should be calling for the manpower as early as you can so it gets there BEFORE you need it, but I thought I would ask the question anyway.

Hey everyone, I just recently went to the Academy in Montour Falls to upgrade my training from the 24 hour class to the new 40 hour Technician-Basic Class. I actually brought my camera and remembered to take pictures! Hope you enjoy. (Be Gentle...) Here is one of me, taken by my friend from the County team that went with me. (He snuck this shot while I was doffing the suit!) Here is the Entry Team for our Mock excercise on Friday doing a recon mission. The Decon Corridor after the entry team makes a rescue. For my last shot, I give you the Academy Engine 1, a KME. Nice Truck. Hope you enjoyed, if you have any advice or criticism of my photography please share, Im trying to make it a hobby of mine so Im open for suggestions. Thanks Moose

Thanks Guys for the comments. I took like 80 pictures but just posted a few to see what the reaction would be, I even tried a rig shot to see how that would come out. Unfortunately it was being worked on by staff and couldnt be moved to a better spot, hence the cones, but I still like the truck and wish we could have played with it while we were out there but the chief wasnt there to ask!! LOL Funny side story...while taking the technician class one of the students from Ithaca said there was an actual spill in his district involving Chlorine and another chemical at a city pool. All the instructors cell phones went off at once about 5 minutes later!!! No one responded cause it turned out to be nothing but we were all trying to talk them into bringing us for practical experience!!! (They didnt like that idea!! )

Hope I didnt offend anyone with my post... I was just saying that in my 9 years as EMT, and 3 as Critical Care I always used the basic, cheap set of ears and was able to hear fine. I was even one to stay with the ER doc and nurse as they did their assessments to confirm that their lung sounds and mine matched. I was wrong some times, but arent we all! LOL That, and I could never afford a Litman!! Stay Safe

Wonder if anyone has been reported missing in the area in the past few weeks. Seems to be a lot of killers preying on joggers, probably because they are alone and its easy to get close to them without being noticed with all the joggers wearing MP3 players or CD players. Hope this is just a weird sick joke, but my vote was serial killer unfortunately. Another psyco with bad parents and a bad childhood screaming for attention.

I agree with you. Luckily the IC had the brains to hold them back but at the same time not be a prick about it either. He didnt do it just to flash his authority he did it out of concern for the safety of the EMS Crew. He did the right thing. Our squad bought us EMS turnouts, and they have helmets on the rigs with extrication gloves and goggles too. Anyone caught on the scene of an MVA without any of these will be brought up on charges. This stemmed from a call 2 years ago when a car rolled over on its side and there was a driver pinned under the steering wheel. One chief got on scene after the ambulance had already arrived to find the entire crew standing in or near gasoline leaking from the engine, and the engine still running. Needless to say the squad captain had the order in less than a month later and the entire squad now has to take "Fire Scene Support Operations" regardless if you are a firefighter or not.