BFD1054

All i can say is Bloomberg!!! As some of you have mentioned, its apparent that this man is not quick to be on the side of emergency service workers (i.e. FD, PD or EMS). It is absolutely absurd to start making these companies change their nicknames after all these years. Their nicknames have nothing to do with their abilities to fight fires or do any other task. As stated by other members, when people call 911, they want experienced & trained personel to show up. I don't think they care too much what it may say on their patches or trucks! Making companies get rid of their nicknames is not going to accomplish anything whatsoever. The City needs to spend more time worrying about things that actually matter!

Michael, I had replied to your post on "the lounge" forum & gave you a website listing FDNY firehouse locations. You may also want to check out the FDNY Fire Zone. It is located near Rockefellar Center & is a center to learn about fire safety & other FDNY information. It is run my members of the FDNY (mostly retired) & is an excellent place to visit when you're in NYC! They also sell shirts, patches, pictures & other collectibles there! Here is their website: http://www.fdnyfirezone.org/

Does anyone know much about Gowans Knight fire apparatus? I know some depts. in the northern county (Croton-Falls, Pound Ridge) have rigs manufactured by them. I was just curious if anyone knew anything good or bad about them, or if anyone was willing to share info from experience.

Michael, You may want to look at this website, it has the street addresses of firehouses throughout New York City, including Manhattan, where you are staying. You may want to find a firehouse near your hotel & go visit it. The firefighters are usually really nice & if they know you are a firefighter from Germany, they may give you a tour of their firehouse. They may also have shirts & patches for sale. Good luck & have fun in New York, its a great City! http://www.fdnewyork.com/add_main.asp

*Chief of Department - Jerry Andrews (Car 2551) *1st Assistant Chief - Alfred Roush III (Car 2552) *2nd Assistant Chief - Tom Grant (Car 2553) *Captain - Mario Cilento (Car 2554) *Lieutenant - Stu Bayer (Appointed on 01-17-05 by Chief Andrews) *1st Lieutenant - Michael Swankie (Car 2556) *2nd Lieutenant - Rob Gioia *Out-going Chief of Department Michael Scott was elected as a Trustee & also appointed a Deputy Chiefs posistion. *New Safety Officers - Andy Cody (SO-1) Reed Outhouse (SO-2) Congrats to all our new officers & to all new officers throughout Westchester! Best of luck in 2005!

How about...."La Casa Caca?" I believe that belongs to E73 in the Bronx? I love that one lol!

The Lieutenant Andy Fredericks, FDNY, Memorial Seminar & Exhibits Presented by the Elmsford Fire Department Saturday, January 14, 2006 Registration, Refreshments & Exhibits: 8:00am Seminar: 9:00am - 1:00pm Speaker: Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn (FDNY retired) 40+ years of experience in the fire service Topic: "Firefighting Strategies and Tactics" Where: Westchester Marriott Hotel 670 White Plains Rd. (Route 119), Tarrytown, NY. Additional info, contact Assist. Chief Syd Henry @ 2ndasstchief@elmsfordfd.com or phone # (914) 592-9369 Or visit the EFD website: http://www.liveoakeng.com/seminar.htm

Once again, the Elmsford fire seminar was excellent! This year was my 3rd or 4th time attending the seminar & i am soo pleased to see how much it has grown! The EFD always manages to get the best speakers you could ask for! I believe i heard that there was approximately 500 people in attendance on Saturday, which is amazing! There were guys from all over New York, not to mention New Jersey, Pennsylvania & as far away as Virginia! DC Norman was an excellent speaker & very knowledgable on the topics of garden apartment & townhouse fires. He kept the day going smoothly by adding some personal experiences as well as adding a bit of humor here and there. Personally, i know that i took alot away with me when i left the seminar! DC Norman definately opened my eyes as a firefighter & officer, and made me think of many things to watch out for at these fires! Hands down, this was another successful seminar & the members of the Elmsford FD & all else involved should be very proud of themselves for all their hard work, that has obviously paid off year after year. I can't wait til next year, where Chief Vincent Dunn (FDNY ret.) will be the guest speaker. Chief Dunn was the speaker a few years back & he is an excellent speaker & teacher in the fire service. Also, i would like to say how nice it was to see that the EFD has renamed the annual seminar to "the Lieutenant Andy Fredericks, FDNY, Memorial Seminar and Exhibits." Andy was not only the speaker at the first annual semiar back in 2001, but was also a big part in getting these seminars off & running. I was lucky enough to have had Andy as an instructor in a few classes i took over at the Rockland FTC, before he was tragically killed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Andy was an excellent instructor, a pleasure to be taught by & unbelievably knowledgable in the fire service. Again, congratulations to the Elmsford FD & all else involved on a job well done once again! We all know how much time & hard work goes into planning these seminars, but it is all worth it because of the knowledge that the attendees take away with them! These seminars are a blessing to the fire service & i would reccommend that anyone who hasn't attended one in the past, attend this years! And for those who have attended the seminars in the past, i don't have to tell you that this years should be just as good!

Date: 01-07-05 Time: 2348hrs (TOD) - 0230hrs (approx.) Location: 1st St. & Westchester Ave. (IRO Buchanan Highway Dept.) Frequency: 46.26 Units: E161, R26, Cars 2553, 54 & 57, Buchanan PD Car 267, NYS DEC-PD & Westchester County DOH Emergency Spill Response Reps. Description: At 2348hrs, Buchanan FD was dispatched to 1st St. & Westchester Ave. on a reported fluid spill. BFD Car 2554 10-19 reporting fuel leaking from a large commercial dump truck. Crews from R26 & E161 used booms, pad's & speedy dry to contain the leak until the arrival of the County DOH. The fuel was leaking from a private contractors dump truck that was parked behind the Village Highway Dept. while the company was doing work in the area. The truck had a 50-Gallon fuel tank on it and it was estimated that approx. 20 gals. leaked out onto the street. It was observed that the fuel tank was ruptured (the u-bracket was twisted & punctured the tank), but it was not clear how long the tank had been leaking due to the fact that the company was not on location that day at the work site. The recent snow & rain made it difficult to determine if any fuel had made it into the storm drains, but it did not appear that that was the case. County DOH made contacts & a clean-up crew was on site later in the morning & worked throughout the day to clean the site. All units cleared at approx. 0230hrs. Writer: BFD1054

Frank was also an Associate member of the Buchanan Engine Co. He worked for the Hendrick Hudson School District as a bus driver. Frank was a super nice guy and will be missed by all that knew him.

Date: 12-24-04 Time: 1358hrs (TOD) Location: Boston Post Rd./Pelham Pkwy. Frequency: 46.26 Units: E1, E2 Description: Pelham Manor dispatched to Boston Post Rd. & the Pelham Parkway for an MVA w/Extrication. Writer: BFD1054 1400hrs-PD requesting 2 ambulances on a rush. 1402hrs-60 Control advising Pelham Manor that FDNY is receiving numerous calls for a car fire in the same vicinity. 1410hrs- Pelham Manor handling, NYPD ESU and FDNY also O/S to assist.

Date: 12-13-04 Time: 1521hrs Location: Jefferson Woods Complex Strang Blvd. & Lee Blvd. (Town of Yorktown). Frequency: 46.26 Units: Cars 2262, 64, 66, E258, E250, L35 Description: KEI-603 Mohegan dispatched for a reported fire in the boiler room at the Jefferson Woods Complex. 1523hrs-E250 10-17. 1524hrs-E258 10-19 w/smoke showing in the rear. 1525hrs-As per Car 2262, L35 to locate a hydrant & stand-by. 1526hrs-Car 2262 advising possible fire in the wall, companies opening up, (1) line stretched, Car 2262 also requesting the TIC. 1527hrs-L35 10-19 at the hydrant at the entrance to the complex. 1531hrs-Car 2262 advising (1) line stretched, Co's opening up the walls on the #1 & #2 floors, checking for extension to the #2 floor. 1542hrs-Car 2261 10-17 from previous PIAA (Rt. 6 & Lee Blvd.), U40 re-locating to Station 2 to cover. 1545hrs-Car 2261 10-19. 1547hrs-Signal 10-30 as per Car 2262, advising E258 he can shut down the hydrant. 1552hrs-E250 10-8. 1557hrs-L25 10-8. 1617hrs-Car 2261 requesting the Yorktown Fire Marshall to the scene. 1619hrs-KEI-603 Mohegan advising unable to contact Fire Marshall via phone, will be toning out. 1620hrs-KEI-603 Mohegan toning out, requesting FM-51 to 10-1 Fire Headquarters. 1651hrs-As per Car 2261, all Mohegan units going 10-8. Writer: BFD1054

Date: 12-12-04 Time: 1738hrs (TOW) Location: Frequency: 46.26 Units: E174, E175, L1 & R3 Description: Fairview dispatched a full department response for a residential fire alarm activation. Writer: BFD1054 1938hrs-E175 10-19, nothing showing. 1939hrs-R3 on location w/smoke showing from the garage, E174 advising they will take a hydrant. 1940hrs-L1 on location. 1943hrs-R3 advising of a dryer fire, under control at this time, co's checking for extension. 1948hrs-E175 requesting (1) Engine from Hartsdale to re-locate to FFD HQ. 2010hrs-E174 re-locating to Fairview FD HQ, Hartsdale can return.

TRUCK6018 & RES20CUE, thanks for all the info! Sounds like it will be a good rig, best of luck with it! TRUCK, thanks for answering my questions, i was just curious. I thought i had remembered you guys saying you had some problems with Seagrave, just wasn't sure.

Date: 12-08-04 Time: 1532hrs (TOD) Location: Westchester Ave. c/s 1st St. & 4th St. (IFO Village Pool) Frequency: 46.26 Units: BFD E160, Cars 2551, 52, 53, 54, 56 & 57, Cortlandt EMS 88B1, Peekskill FD-ALS 39M1 & BPD Car 266. Description: Buchanan FD & Cortlandt EMS dispatched to a reported MVA w/injuries, Westchester Ave. between 1st & 4th streets. Upon arrival, units found an elderly male walking around w/no apparent injuries, but a car w/significant damage to the passenger side. 92-year-old male driver was traveling on Westchester Avenue when he lost sight of the road due to sun-glare. His vehicle then collided with the raised bucket of a backhoe at a construction site along the road. The entire passenger side of the 4-door Buick was caved in from the force of the impact. The roof of the vehicle was resting on the passenger seat head-rest. The gentleman had just dropped his wife off at a near-by beauty salon, guess you could say it was her lucky day! He originally wanted to RMA, but after considering the mechanism of injury, the EMS crew talked him into being evaluated & he was transported BLS to Hudson Valley Hospital by Cortlandt 88B1. Pictures of the vehicle may be soon to follow. Writer: BFD1054

I happen to like the colored christmas lights that Washington Engine puts on the front of E119 every year...very cool! We don't go to crazy, but we do some decorating. We have a tree on the meeting room floor, lights all around inside & out & wreaths above the bay doors. I definately think its cool to bring the holiday spirit around the firehouses/ems stations.

Congrats Ed & the rest of the Somers FD! The rig looks great, sounds like its set up real well! I definately like the new KME chassis, looks great, best of luck to you guys with it! Quick question....the last engines that Somers FD purchased were Seagraves (E180 & E181), any specific reason(s) why you guys went with KME on the new rig? This may have been discussed before, i just don't remember. I was just curious if there were problems with Seagrave, or if it was just because KME had better options for what you were looking for. You'll have to keep us updated as far as a wetdown date!

Oh come on ALS...you know i'm on your side, no need to make fun of me or my town lol! And as for Remember585...there are actually 6 traffic lights in Buchanan lol! Two of them are between my house and the FH, and they are 2 blocks apart, same road & set so that when 1 turns green, the next one turns red...what a bummer lol! Now that i'm a Lt, i gotta go to the FH to ensure that the rigs get out, but they usally get out before i get there (not such a bad thing). And like theres that many more in Croton lol? We have the circle, you guys have the dummy light, really not much difference! And yes there is a dentist in Buchanan, but no, not any vets. I believe you're thinking of Verplanck that is dentist-less lol!

This topic has been thrown around way too much, its kind of silly, at least in my opinion. But alsfirefighter, you should be in bad moods more often, your venting made alot of sense lol! You were straight-foward, honest & didn't hold back (not that thats different from when you're in a good mood lol). I've said it before...who gives a good god damn what color lights are on a PD vehicle? And by the way als, i too feel like a complete a** when i actually use a blue light & sit at traffic lights & have everyone stare at me lol! Anyway, i have alot of friends in law enforcement & if blue lights on their patrol vehicles make them safer, then i'm all for it! Do you think that police officers sit around and b**** about FF's having blue lights & EMTs having green lights? I highly doubt it! What about FD Chiefs & EMS officers having red lights/sirens, do you think PO's get their panties in a twist over that? No, because we're all in this wonderful world of emergency services together! Most PD's don't go out and ticket guys with way too many lights than they're suppose to have, right? So if they're not bustin' our chops, lets not bust theirs! For all you buffs out there with the light bar, grille lights, deck lights and whatever else you may have, just know that the PD's can start really cracking down if they want! Don't get me wrong, i have a blue light too, but i don't have any expectations when i use it, most of the time i don't even bother turning it on. As alsfirefighter said, firefighters have alot more to worry about than the PD's using blue lights. Instead of bitching about this nonsense stuff, do more fire training, take classes, anything to better you as a firefighter, because this certainly won't help. Next time you see a PD vehicle with blue lights, you'll realize why they use them, they're bright as hell, hence making the police officers' jobs safer! For those of you who hate seeing PD cars using blue lights, don't go to San Juan, Puerto Rico! Their cars have red & green light bars, very festive for the christmas season!

March 5th & 6th, 2005 The 23rd Annual Emergency Medical Services Seminar. Topics include: -Preserving a Healthy EMS Workforce -Small Potatoes, Common Pre-Hospital Pediatric Problems -Emergency Vehicle Safety -Current Legislative issues impacting fire and EMS -Applying Critical Incident Stress Management Tactics in Large Scale Events -Dispatcher Awareness During Times of Terrorism -Selected Legal Issues for the Volunteer EMS Service -The State of Emergency Services in New York State This will be held at: Warder Academy of Fire Science 600 College Ave Montour Falls, NY 14865 (607) 535-7136 The Academy is located in the Village of Montour Falls, Schuyler County, at the intersection of NYS Route 14 and College Avenue. Montour Falls is approximately 40 miles south of exit 41 or 42 of the New York State Thruway and 20 miles north of Elmira and NYS Route 17. Elmira Corning Regional Airport is approximately 18 miles from the Academy. Car rentals are available at the airport. Mail in your Registration Form to: FASNY 107 Washington Ave Albany, NY 12210 or fax it in to: (518) 426-0139 For any questions, please call the FASNY Office at: 1-800-2FASNY2 Download Registration Form

HFD211... You can also try On The Job Embroidery & Apparel Inc. Thye are located at 90 Calvert St. in Harrison. Their phone # is (914)381-3558. One of the owners is the Paramedic Supervisor of Harrison EMS. Hes a great guy and easy to work with. They've done alot of work for Cortlandt EMS, patches, jackets & shirts, all high quality work! I know they also have done alot of work for NYPD as well.

George, glad you asked, yes tere actually was some controversy with this job. The alarm was received from 911 by a passer-by who actually stopped and helped rescue the 2 other boys. The address was entered into the computer at 60-Control & the dispatcher was given 4 choices. The address, 213 Albany Post Rd., came up in Buchanan, Montrose, Peekskill & Croton. For whatever reason, there was a mis-understanding and the Montrsoe FD was dispatched. Luckily, the Tri-Village response was activated and Buchanan & Verplanck FD's were put on stand-by. Montrose E123 got to 213 Albany Post Rd. in their district to find nothing, except for some confused residents. One of our FF/Drivers (now an Assist. Chief), lives 2 doors down from where the fire was. As he left his house to respond to our quarters, he saw fire on the #2 floor of his neighbors house and saw the Police Officer already there. Realizing there had been a terrible mistake & knowing he wouldn't be able to do much without apparatus, he responded to the FH and transmitted the update. Thankfully we were all on our way to the FH anyway, so i pulled up along with 2 other guys and an officer and off we went as the 1st due. Montrose had their guys on their apron with the Ladder, so they immediately responded to our scene, knowing that we'd be calling them soon anyway. If not for the Tri-Village response, this tragedy could have been far worse! We never really figured out how much time was lost, but we don't believe it was much. Since that fire, Buchanan & the surrounding communities have gotten together and came up with a plan. Addresses on Albany Post Rd in Croton added a 1 as the 1st number, Montrose a 2, Buchanan a 3 & Peekskill a 4. So that fire was at 213 Albany Post Rd., and it has now been re-numbered as 3213. We have been working to put this into place with any street that runs through several municipalities. Ironically, Verplanck FD had an EMS call on Westchester Ave the other day & their Capt kept reporting that he couldn't find the address & it was finally determined that it was in Buchanan. Buchanan FD, Cortandt VAC & Cortlandt ALS were all dispatched, luckily it turned out to be an RMA lol! So needless to say, Westchester Ave will also be re-numbered!

Seth, i definately hear where you're coming from with the RCFTC! I was just there 2 weeks ago for Fire Behavior/Arson Awareness & Fire Reporting Systems. I can't remember the last time WCFTC offered Fire Behavior/Arson Awareness. I actually bumped into a Chief from a lower Westchester Dept when i was there. He was attending Fire Attack-I i believe and he shared the same feelings about their facility! I find that Rockland not only offers a wider variety of courses, but their facility is far better as well. Their Instructors are excellent, always enthusiastic to teach, and always ready to talk outside of class if needed. I just feel they are more welcoming and just an overall pleasure to work with. I just want to say that these are just my personnal feelings & opinions, and i'm in no way knocking the WCFTC, as they to have excellent instructors, some of whom are my friends. And yes, the flashover simulator is an excellent tool & i would encourage any FF to try and get into one of the courses over in Rockland. You will be in class for a couple of hours, going over flashover, what it is & how it occurs and safety concerns to take into consideration. After that...its baking time lol! The course can be a little pricey, so a Dept. may consider sending 5 or so guys over at one time, then send another group then next time. But its definately soemthing that all FF's should get into! This article just goes to show that training means everything, and if not for their training, these guys may have been lost! Hats off to the Chief for recognizing the signs & pulling his guys out! Glad to hear they got out and it sounds as if they got out without injury.

DFFD227, this was actually a good question, and remember, the only "dumb" question is one that doesn't get asked! As some of the guys have said, every Dept. is different. For a structure fire, i don't care how small the fire may be, you better have a 2nd line ready to go! As tbendick stated, that 2nd line may be used for anything, but generally at a structure fire you have at least one line stretched as back-up. And yes, if the line is stretched, it should be charged & manned (hence the reason for having a back-up line). On the topic of car fires, again, this depends on different issues. If 1 line is in operation for suppression, it doesn't hurt to have a 2nd as back-up, just in case something goes wrong. If there is any exposure threat, a 2nd line should be stretched for protection, without a doubt. As Remember585 stated, this depends on many things. If manpower is an issue, than stretching a 2nd line may be more of a pain and a waste of manpower & time.

Cutty, as John stated, each alarm will vary. For us, regardless if it is a residential or commercial alarm, we generally handle them the same. Every auto-alarm gets 2-Engines & the Rescue (providing we get the manpower, of course). If info is received from say, 60-Control that the alarm company is attempting to cancel, or possible 10-16 or whatever, the 1st due will continue in normal response, all other units will 10-20. Again, this is at the discretion of the OIC. They may decide to continue the 1st due, and hold all other units, or whatever else they feel is proper. We usually don't base our response on the alarm company's info, not that we don't trust it, but we'd rather confirm something ourselves. I would say a piece of apparatus makes it to an AA 95% of the time. The only time it doesn't happen is if a Chief gets on scene, confirms the 10-16 and doesn't feel it necessary to have a rig respond. As far as manpower being geared up and ready to go, we're pretty good with that. We get our guys in the habit of being in full PPE & once they get off the rig, they better get tools (some tools are mounted in the jump-seat also) & know thier assignment. If the Chief has the guys stand fast, they better be standing there in full PPE, with tools lol! The Chief may just decide to send an officer in with 1 or 2 FF's to investigate, and those guys WILL go in with full PPE & tools, including the TIC. Well, i don't want to ramble too much, as i have already, but this is just a little insight to how my Dept. handles AA's, hope it helped!