Stench60

Very nice website, nice to see a couple of clippings of our old seagrave. How is the restoration on her coming?

Ice Cream Truck my tail............ The only thing that truck could be called was a Lemon!

3/4 and a long coat any day of the week .............. and anyone who says bunkers in the winter, never had a pair freeze up and put you on the ground.

I've been told that this is legitimate, the Museum did not want the items. As a long time member of the fire service and a long time fire antique collector it just breaks my heart to see this taking place. As a long time active member of FASNY, I can't begin to describe my anger at hearing of their refusal to take this important part of fire service history and at least place it in storage for future generations, especially in light of the fact that they constantly ask companies to keep the Museum in mind for a repository of their historical items.

Someone needs to determine whether these items are legitimately being offered for sale or if there is is somebody off the reservation looking to make some money. According to a contact these may be items that were placed in the Mt. Vernon Public Library on loan for the preservation of the history of the Mt. Vernon FD and it's members. It's a shame that the Firemans' Home was not considered as a suitable repository for these items, especially the minute books, the sound shore/ southern westchester is very sparingly represented.

I heard it broke up after the Warriors shot Cyrus.................... Can you dig it?! Sorry, couldn't resist

If your living near Bloomingdales your closest response is probably West Harrison, a great department who, I'm sure, would be glad to have you come aboard. I'm sure if you contact the firehouse or the chief they can fill you in on any membership requirments. Good Luck

I wouldn't want to be the guy who has to police up all that brass.......... might as well use a shovel

This is from the ISO website ( I'll take the spanking if I'm remiss in posting this copy) " Fire alarms Ten percent of the overall grading is based on how well the fire department receives fire alarms and dispatches its fire-fighting resources. Our field representatives evaluate the communications center, looking at the number of operators at the center; the telephone service, including the number of telephone lines coming into the center; and the listing of emergency numbers in the telephone book. Field representatives also look at the dispatch circuits and how the center notifies firefighters about the location of the emergency." The major blackouts we had were only one example of the need for a secondary means of informing the members of an alarm, remember in this day and age it only takes one knucklehead to cut a single pair of telephone lines and you could well end up losing your "modern" communication abilities. In this day and age of "being prepared for everything" it can't hurt to have a horn or whistle as a backup. Hudson ............. 8am whistle..... time to leave for school

I don't know about the NFPA, but it is part of your ISO rating. If I recall correctly this has to be an immediate and uninterruptible means of alert, the text messaging that many claim as secondary means of dispatch doesn't qualify as it takes minutes at best and occasionally a day or two for messages to be received.

Now that I look, wow............ Before he looked like the ayatollah The stories that could be told...................

I'm beginning to wonder what's more frightening, recognising the store fronts from when I was a kid, remembering the rigs ( one of which I was a driver on ) or seeing some faces I recognise. Ang, is that Pop Chute driving the Patrol? I recognise Matty Twardy and Mr. Pitocco ( even after I joined and was introduced to "Pete" , I still called him Mr. Pitocco; I couldn't break an old habit ) in front of Brooksville and that's one of the Bohrer brothers in the front of Put's rig waving. And for somebody from Mt. Kisco, is that Peter or Paul Hughes driving the Independent? As for the price of gas, well I remember the old man pulling up and asking for $5 worth and getting well over 3/4 a tank of regular ( meaning it had lead).

Congratulations Tim, Now you're going to have to explain to me how to post photos.

Another cold, miserable, night....... They finally built something on this lot this past summer, a drive-through Walgreens. And maybe somebody from Rye can correct me, but I believe that's Doug Dahlgren from Rye in the top photo.

Great Photo of a miserable night. Seriously, while it was a cold night and we were stuck for what seemed like forever ( not as long as Whte Plains's Ladder though) and froze our #%&@'s off in retrospect it's great to see. This picture stirs up some great memories of names and faces that probably took in the Garr's Fire as their last big one before fading from active firefighting, it brings a smile to the face and a tear to the eye. The funny thing is I just today copied two photographs of a multi-alarm fire in the same buildings circa 1950 to be put up in the firehouse. Thanks Ang........ Ps. John, I still call it Eastport..........

Look online for Vietnam Deck of Cards by Red Sovine. I've got a 45 somewhere in a box. Merry Cristmas to all, most especially to our Marines, soldiers, seamen and airmen.

My condolences to the members and officers of the Glenbrook FD, but more importantly my most heartfelt sympathies and thanks to the Costello family.

This is another case of losing what at one time was a basic and necessary skill for not only your pump operator but your engine company as a whole ( and please, I do realise that in many departments that drafting and relaying are still common practice and this is not directed at you). As has been touched on in a previous post any community from the largest city to a small hamlet that normally works with a hydrant system may be thrown into a situation where either, or both, of these procedures may have to be accomplished whether it be a water main break, low pressure situation or a mutual aid call. These are evolutions that can be easily incorporated into your regular drivers training/ drill routines possibly with the exception of those communities whose only drafting sources are salt water ( a nightmare of its' own). The best part is that with the new draft pond at the training center, doing engine co. training at the burn house or drill tower can now accomplish two different evolutions if you feel up to it. It all gets back to knowing the basics, if you know those everything else will be a piece of cake.

Also in Port Chester, 110 Willett Ave. between N. Main St. and Marvin Pl., this was the home of Reliance Eng. & Hose Co., No. 1 ( Engine 60) and Harry Howard Hook & Ladder Co., No. 1 ( Ladder 31 & Tower 2) from Jan. 1866 to fall 1907. It also housed the fire alarm system. From 1907 until 2006 it had served as the village rooms and later the building department. It was sold this spring to a private owner who has gutted it and will be using it for commercial space.

In all my dealings professionally with the issue, the one subject that has come up and been stated repeatedly is the fact that no building is ultimately exempt from ADA requirements with the exception of private dwellings. Public facilities, whether they be firehouses, DPW garages or city hall are all subject to compliance regardless of their possible usage by disabled people (see the Braille requirement at the drive up teller). If a permit is pulled, and the work is a greater than xx%, ADA compliance must be confirmed for the CO. Where municipalities skirt the issue is by claiming that the work is planned for the future or by keeping the work under xx% of the building. However at some point the work must be done. The only time I have seen any leeway on this is in a landmark issue when it would alter the fundamental character of the structure (a handicap ramp up the front stairs to the Lincoln Memorial for example).

39, almost perfect.....

GARRISON, JOHN H. June 14, 2006 John H. Garrison, a lifelong resident of Tarrytown, died June 12, 2006 at the age of 70. John was born in Tarrytown February 29, 1936 to Raymond and Florence Galassi Garrison. He graduated from Washington Irving High School and served in the Army Air Force in Korea. John was a deliveryman for Diamond Dairy from 1967 to 2003. John also spent nearly 64 years of his life associated with the Tarrytowns Young Men's Christian Association. He started out as a youth member and progressed through the ranks serving seven General Directors and CEOs. John held many positions during those years - Assistant Youth Director, Day Camp Counselor, Assistant Day Camp Director, Financial and Business Manager. He is most remembered for his work in the Aquatic Program, having taught swimming lessons for more than 50 years. His dedication to the youth of these communities has been the trademark of his life. For the past 16 years, John has volunteered his time as Swimming Instructor. He will be sorely missed by those whose lives he has touched. John was also very active in Volunteer Fire Services. He was a life active member of Washington Engine Co. #2 where he held numerous offices including Captain and Financial Secretary and he served on the Board of Directors for many years. He was also Co-Chairman for Washington Engine's 2005 Tower Ladder Truck Committee. He served as the Chief of the Tarrytown Fire Department in 1991. John was an Honorary Member of Riverside Hose Co. #4, Tarrytown; Associate Member of Briarcliff Hook and Ladder and Associate Member of Ossining Fire Patrol Co. He was a member of Tarrytown Fire Chiefs Association and the Tarrytown Fire Education Center, serving as its Treasurer. He was a member of the Mt. Pleasant Fire Chiefs Association, serving as a Director. He belonged to Westchester County Volunteer Fireman's Association where he was a life member and Director. He served as a Director of the Westchester County Fire Chiefs Association and was a member of the Westchester County Parade Judges Association. John was also a member of the Hudson Valley Volunteer Fireman's Association, the Firemen's Association State of New York and was a life member of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs. John also belonged to the Tarrytown Seniors. John is survived by his aunts Catherine, Nancy and Lucinda Galassi as well as many Galassi and Garrison cousins. He is also survived by his godsons William H. Logan, II, Bryan Carson and Bruce Carson. Visitation will be at COFFEY FUNERAL HOME on Wednesday (today) from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 PM. His Funeral Mass will be Thursday at Transfiguration Church at 11:00 with Interment to follow in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Fireman's Home, 125 Harry Howard Ave., Hudson, NY 12534 or Phelps Memorial Hospital, 701 N. Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 would be appreciated. COFFEY FUNERAL HOME 91 N. Broadway Tarrytown (914) 631-0983 www.coffeyfuneralhome.c om

Bump

Intersection Safety Tuesday April 25, 2006 7pm at The New Southend Firehouse Safety class for drivers and those training to drive any type of emergency vehicle. All are welcome 2 hours of OSHA credit For information contact: 1-800- 2FASNY2

I wanted to wait until the series of articles was finished before I made any type of comment upon them. I am glad that I did. First let me state that I have been in the fire service for a very long time and I have seen some absolutely insane things in my day, but nothing in my experience compares to the absolutely ridiculous spending that takes place on the “Island”. The amounts of money that are available to these districts are mind boggling to me, and I have seen a lot of waste in both my fire service experiences and in my day to day work experiences. There is simply no way you can justify to me the amount of money that Coram, or some of these other districts, have spent on their houses or on other expenses. Now, to be honest, there is a slight amount of jealousy on my part. I’ve been to some of these houses for meetings and worked with firefighters from the island on state and regional issues and have had the way things “work” explained to me on several occasions. However it still astonishes me how they do it. It must be wonderful to be able to walk in to a board of commissioners and state that we need XYZ, and then be told OK, just go out and get XYZ and damn the price. My engine company is sitting in a firehouse constructed when Roosevelt (Theodore) was president and has not had any significant work performed since then unless paid for by the federal government. This includes the kitchen that was last renovated during another Roosevelt Administration (Franklin) by the WPA. Please understand that this is not a joke, for the first time since its construction in 1906 we are actually seeing improvements being made and paid for by our village after a years long fight.( It is a credit to our current chiefs that this work is finally beginning) To see what goes on in the districts of Long Island when we have had periods when we had to “ conserve “ resources ( including toilet paper)is, and I hate to use the word again, astonishing . This is probably because I am from a municipal fire department that not only must report to a village board but must also compete for its share of the tax pie with everything else that the village provides from the Police to the Library. This leads to a great deal of economy when you have not only the village board watching every penny but every other department jockeying for a finite amount of money and putting pressure on you to justify every expense. You cannot justify those chrome rims just because so and so got them, you have to have clear, cogent arguments for your requests and if you don’t have them, someone will be there to point that out. The funny thing is, if you read the articles, the newspaper points out that the municipally run departments (Cities and Villages) are actually the fiscally best run departments. The whole thing screams for some type of reform for the fire district system. The interesting part of the whole series is that we “upstaters” , as we’re called on the island, in Westchester are being held up as paragons of fiscal restraint and prudence. And to be perfectly frank, we are much more restrained than they have been, but let’s use this series as a warning not to let ourselves become gluttons and end up on the front page of our “Local Paper”. That being said ; I believe the other problem facing the fire service on the Island ,and nationally, is the burnout factor caused by EMS. It’s my opinion that the volunteer fire service is healthy but that the time has come for the fire service to step back from the provision of EMS services and to place them in a separate setting. As one FF/EMT stated to me recently, he can go to the average fire call and be back in 20 minutes, but EMS even with only something minor or an RMA takes at least an hour if not more. An occasional working fire, yes you can justify being gone from work for that hour plus. But an hour plus on a regular basis for the EMS just doesn’t work if you still want to provide for yourself and your family. Lastly, because it’s getting rather past my time to turn in, I have to state that the men and women that I have met and worked with on the island, from Members of the County Fire Commission to the various county and regional associations, down to the most junior Johnny in the sink scrubbing pans, have been some of the most caring, dedicated and knowledgeable fire personnel I have ever had the pleasure to know.