BFD1054

Date: 02-24-04 Time: 1730HRS (TOD) Location: Bear Mountain PKWY EB btwn Carhart Ave./Rt. 6 Frequencies: 460.100 (Peekskill PD), 453.225 (PFD) & 46.26 Units: Peekskill PD Cars 250(Supervisor), 262, 263, Peekskill FD E134, Cars 2341, 2342, 2343 & 2349 Description: Peekskill PD dispatched Car 263 to the BMP EB for a reported car off the road btwn Carhart Ave. and Rt. 6. SP Cortlandt advising PPD of a car into a tree. PPD Car 263 o/s advisng up to 7 cars off the road, officer reporting pedestrian struck (unconfirmed), Car 263 requesting additional units for traffic/shut down BMP EB as well as a 75(Peekskill EMS), also advising of extreme icy conditions, units use caution. 1735HRS-Car 2341 advising 60-Cont. that this incident is in Mohegans district, requesting they be advised, also requesting NYS-DOT be advised to send a sand/salt truck to the scene ASAP. 1736HRS-Mohegan FD dispatching E255, E257, U40 & the VAC. 1744HRS-Mohegan Car 2261 requesting remaining units do-not commit to the parkway, all responding units respond to station-4 for paperwork. 1754HRS-E257 10-8. 1756HRS-Car 2343 advising 60-Cont. all Peekskill FD units going 10-8 from the BMP. 1838HRS-Car 2261 advising all remaining Mohegan units 10-8 from the BMP. 1844HRS-All Peekskill PD units clear from the BMP. Writer: BFD1054

DFFD227, it was dispatched as between Carhart Ave.(Peekskill) and Route 6(Mohegan). As CG206 stated, it is a stretch of the Bear Mountain Parkway that is approximately 1/4 mile long and is on the Peekskill/Mohegan border. From what i heard on the radio, it sounded like it was south of the Route 6 exit.

Date: 02-24-04 Time: 1805HRS(TOD) - 1907HRS Location: 3 Cynthia Rd. c/s Westbrook Dr. (Town of Cortlandt) Frequency: 46.26 Units: E255, L35, Cars 2261, 2266 Description: KEI-603 Mohegan dispatched E257(cancelled) & L35 to 3 Cynthia Rd. for a reported car into a house. As per Car 2261, E255 was released from prior call on the BMP and sent on this alarm, E257 cancelled. 1810HRS-Car 2261 requesting all units respond 10-20, negative injuries. Driver apparently passed-out behind the wheel and struck a house. 1817HRS-L35 going 10-8. Car 2261 returning to the MVA scene on the BMP. 1827HRS-Fire Marshall-27(Cortlandt) on scene. 1907HRS-All Mohegan units 10-8 Writer: BFD1054 ***Note: busy night for Mohegans Bravest...as LMFD units cleared this scene, they were dispatched to yet another MVA IFO 395 Furnace Dock Rd. - Car over an embankment: E254, LMVAC & 35M1 took this job.

Definately sounds like a sweet job! What could be a better summer job than that??? Fire, EMS and the beach, what more could anyone ask for? I mean, you would have to deal with being in "dirty Jersey" lol but it'd be worth it! I was curious as to what the pay would be too, probably not that great, but who cares, you get paid for an awesome job/opportunity and you get to live near the beach and have an awesome summer! I would love to do that, too bad i don't have my EMT cert yet :sad: #-o BFD1054

On the topic of FASTeams....i have previously stated my feelings of if/when a FASTeam should be dispatched. I have said that it would be great to at least start a FASTeam to thier HQ to assemble this way if they are needed, at least they just have to get on the rig and respond, saving about 5-10 minutes if they had to wait to assemble. We (Buchanan) were very lucky the other night for the 10-75 at 142 Bannon Ave. Croton is our first-due FASTeam unless otherwise noted. I am not sure if they were at HQ for training or what, but i know many of the Teams members were at E119 (FAST Eng) HQ's. This was excellent because i was told that from the time of dispatch to the time responding was something like 47 seconds and they were on-scene probably 5 minutes later. We have never had a problem with Crotons FAST, because they are "fast" and they get the job done! Weather it was coincidence or not, they got there real quick and actually ended up going to work, hence Peekskills Team being called. But the majority of the time, this isn't so. Team members are usually not all at thier HQ when they are called and can take a descent amount of time to assemble. FASTeam response to the tri-village of Buchanan, Montrose & Verplanck, who are all covered by Crotons Team, is always rapid. However, i still believe that it would be beneficial to everyone to at least start them to thier HQ on a reported structure fire to be at the ready. The morning of the Buchanan fire, Crotons FASTeam was called to Ossining for a 10-75 and i believe either 10-20'd or cancelled en-route. Ossining has been a real busy department as far as structure fires this past year, and many times the fire is small and k/d quickly and the FASTeam is no longer needed. My point is, Ossining seems to have the right idea in that they are not shy when it comes to calling the FASTeam and they won't hesitate, thats the way it should be! Hell, lets face it, the FASTeam is to benefit us, the firefighters, so why should there be any hesitation in calling them? I know plenty of guys from different FASTeams and i have never heard any of them complain about getting cancelled en-route or whatever, they'd rather get the heads-up and start out because they understand that their job is to help us if needed. Its simple, FASTeams are essential on any fire scene, especially in the first few minutes, so lets wake up and protect our own! BFD1054

I've known Johnny for a pretty long time now and i have to say that the County has actually made a great choice, surprisingly! Johnny has been in the business for a long, long time and definately knows his stuff in the world of Emergency Services! With his vast knowledge of fire and EMS, i know that Johnny will be a great addition to the WCDES and have a lot to offer! My best wishes go out to Johnny on his retirement from the LMFD and the best of luck to him with his new position! BFD1054

I actually was unable to catch 3rd Watch on Friday, but did tape it and caught the ending. How messed up was that episode, my god! You had to see it coming though, Doc was losing it, i thought it was gonna be him having a drug problem, he seemed like he was high all the time recently. Never did i expect him to go postal and blast the Capt. But as Seth said, it is not entirely unrealistic. Fire, EMS & PD jobs can be terribly stressful on a person and the job may actually break some people. I too, like Seth, stopped watching the show for a while, but recently got back into it. I was getting aggravated when on each episode a different character was having flash-backs and stuff. I am really upset that there are never any Fire episodes and rarely EMS episodes anymore. The FF characters are pretty much all gone and as HFD211 said, the only EMS characters that are left are Carlos and Kim and Kim is getting kind of sketchy too. I just really hope the show doesn't go totally to the PD. I mean, i love the PD involved episodes, they are really action-packed and i like all the characters, but there are/have been way too many law enforcement shows, especially about the NYPD. I love Bosco, i'd have to say, if i were a P.O., i'd probably be just like him, a total smart-a**, although in "real life" he'd probably would have been suspended or thrown off the force a long time ago! Anyway, i hope they bring back more of the Fire aspect, but it looks doubtful. I just think it must be hard/expensive to do actual fire scenes. Just like the rest of you, i'm sure, i can't wait til this Friday's episode! BFD1054

Date: 02-18-04 Time: 2115HRS (TOD) - approx. 0730HRS (time all Buchanan units were picked up/returning) Location: 142 Bannon Ave, Bannon Ave. Apartments c/s Cortlandt St./Seward St. Frequencies: 46.26 (Dispatched) switched to 46.42 for fireground operations. Units: Buchanan Cars 2551-57, E160, E161, R26 & U12, Montrose Cars 2271 & 2273, E121 & LT8, Verplanck L46, E128 (re-located to Buchanan HQ to cover) VFD's Bus for re-hab, Croton Cars 2082 & 2083, E119 w/208FASTeam (CFD FAST members ended up going to work), Peekskill Cars 2341 & 2342, E130 w/234FASTeam & L45, Battalion-17 (County Coordinator Shwartz), WC Cause & Origin Team Zone 4 1404 w/numerous members, Ossining re-located one Truck to Montrose to cover tri-village w/ladder & Mohegan on stand-by for Peekskill FD (Ladder), Cortlandt VAC Cars 8811 & 8812, 88B2, 88B3, Cortlandt ALS 35M1, Buchanan PD Cars 266 & 268(Chief), Buchanan Highway & Water Depts. & Con Edison Gas & Electric. Description: Working fire in a 3-story multiple family apartment building (19 apartments). Fire started in a rear basement apartment and was aggressivly attacked by first-arriving units and fire was believed to be k/d. Due to the buildings' age and construction type (balloon frame), fire was able to spread vertically through open areas in the walls and eventually spread horizontally across the top floor. Fire also spread through the area between the ceiling and roof and crews worked hard pulling ceilings to k/d hidden fire. Unfortunately, crews were pulled from interior attack several times due to the integrity of the structure. Operations were switched back and forth from interior to exterior and finally to all exterior using master streams from the buckets of LT8, L45 & L46 and ground hand-lines, until crews could re-enter for overhaul. Note: there was a confirmed fatality in this fire, 1 male in his late 30s/early 40's was found in the reported room of origin in the rear of the structure. As a member and officer of Buchanan FD, i want to thank all those who were involved in this incident, everyone did a great job, worked well together and worked hard all night. Writer: BFD1054

AS I HAVE PREVIOUSLY POSTED, BUCHANAN'S NEW UTILITY-12(2003 E-ONE CASCADE/LIGHT SUPPORT UNIT) IS NOW IN FULL SERVICE!!! ALSO, THE OFFICIAL DRY-DOWN DATE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.....SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 3:00PM-7:00PM AT BUCHANAN FIREHOUSE, 3159 ALBANY POST RD. THE NEW RIG LOOKS GOOD AND HAS A HELL OF A LOT TO OFFER, NOT ONLY TO US, BUT ANY OTHER DEPT. REQUESTING ITS SERVICES. I HOPE SOME OF YOU WILL STOP BY AND CHECK IT OUT, SHOULD BE A FUN DAY! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! BFD1054

Thanks BrotherFF, i didn't even look on Firehouse.com to see if we were on, didn't realize someone had posted anything. Luckily, the person who posted the pic/info is an ex-chief/Engineer (for U-12), so needless to say he knows what hes talking about. As far as E-One goes, they are a first for our Dept. We actually wanted to go with a smaller rig, but due to the weight of the compressor and other equipment, we had to get the International cab/chassis and E-One had everything else we were looking for. There were a few problems in the beginning with the rig, but nothing major and everything is all straightened out now. But hey, what new piece of equipment doesn't need some breaking in? Anyway, thanks again for the Firehouse.com info, much appreciated! BFD1054

Chris498, you make some great points! I have to admit though, i am kind of getting tired of hearing the excuse "i really don't have the time to volunteer." Although i'd rather get that as an honest answer, it still kind of ticks me off. I have a full time job, go to college full-time at night and i still find time to volunteer, hell i just made Lieutenant in my department and can find time for my duties. People can find time, some just don't want to. I think when recruiting, we also should make it clear that there are many different jobs to do in the fire service. You don't have to be the guy stretching the line through the door, you could be a driver, fire police or whatever! We need help in all aspects, i give a lot of credit to all volunteers because i know it takes a lot tot do it! Stay safe all! BFD1054

1075thebox, you definately summed it up perfectly! Training is essential no matter what. There was a time when guys didn't train, didn't want to train and didn't see any reason to train. Times have changed and we need to be training as much as possible. I've heard a lot of people complain that now "Firefighting Essentials" is not enough and they need to have Firefighter-I to be at the least interior qualified. Personally, i try and train as much as possible and take as many varying courses as my schedule allows, because if nothing else, it may save my life one day! We all need to suck it up and make sure we're all getting the required training for the better of our departments, communities and ourselves! I totally liked your "#2" on your list. We all need to keep up the morale in our companies, there needs to be more of a sense of family and brotherhood. "#3" is great too, i know my department (Buchanan) pretty much relys on word-of-mouth to gain new members. Luckily, within the past year, we have been getting a lot of high school age kids to join, and then they get thier friends to join, which is great for us and a great age to start. Other than that, we hardly advertise. Luckily for us, our department really doesn't have to worry about the whole paid/volly thing because we are all volunteer. But i totally understand what you mean, i see it in a lot of departments and individual people. As you said, the career guys go through a hell of a lot of training to get where they are and continue thier training for the rest of thier careers. Instead of comparing, we as volunteers should just train more, so that hopfully we to can be as well trained as the career guys. #6 hit it on the head to! You never know who is out there listening and watching, so be as professional as possible. Watch what you do and say, trashing people and being stupid is not for emergency scenes. We should all be wearing proper protective gear at scenes as well, which also makes us look more professional. Sorry everyone for rambling on, i just totally agreed with everything 1075thebox had to say and wanted to shed some light on his comments. EMFAS_26-21, you hit it on the head as well. You may feel that way, i know i feel that way, but as you said, unfortunately, not enough people feel that way. I feel the same way, hell screw the paycheck, a simple "thank-you" from a homeowner after a fire or other emergency or a patient in the ambulance is enough for me! Knowing that we are appreciated and needed is enough reason for me to volunteer my time. Just my thoughts and opinions. BFD1054

Eh, who wants to see those ugly mugs DFFD227? Just kiddin John, the page is nicely set up and the pictures look good too! Not a bad idea though DFFD227! BFD1054

John, the website is awesome, looks real good and nicely put together! It has a lot of valuable info, especially the section for the F.A.S.Team! Keep up the good work both with the site and the Company!

Date: 02-10-04 Time: 1705HRS Location: 929 Paulding St. Frequencies: 46.26, 453.875 Units: E131, E133, E134, L45, Cars 2341, 2343 & 2349 Description: Peekskill Fire dispatched to 929 Paulding St. on a possible structure fire. 60 Cont. advising units responding that the fire was reported on the 3rd floor in the rear of the structure. 1706HRS: Car 2341 10-19 transmitting a signal 10-20/10-30, fire was on a rear wooden deck, under control at this time. 1711HRS: Car 2341 requesting Peekskill PD to the scene. 1712HRS: PPD RMP-251 en-route, on o/s @ 1715HRS. 1729HRS: Car 2343 advising all Peekskill FD units going 10-8/10-2 Writer: BFD1054

Date: 02-08-04 Times: 1519HRS - 1601HRS Location: Saw Mill River Pkwy IAO Exit-39 Frequency: 46.26, 453.375 Units: Cars 2032 & 2033, E-199, R-10, MA-9 & KBHVAC Description: FDBH dispatched to the SMRP/NB IAO Exit-39 for a reported MVA/Roll-Over. Car 2032 advising all units that the SMRP is shut-down NB, units can access going SB in the NB lane, also requesting State DOT for heavy ice condition at the scene. Car 2032 advises medic and bus on location, neg. extrication. Approx. 1535HRS-Car 2032 tranmitting a signal 10-30. Approx. 1540HRS-E199 going 10-8/10-2, all other FDBH units remaining o/s awaiting the arrival of DOT. 1601HRS-Car 2032 advising all FDBH units picking-up/returning, scene turned over to WCPD. Writer: BFD1054

CM36, the new Utility-12 can fill 2 bottles at once and carries 2 full Scott air-pacs with 2 spare bottles. We can fill 2.2's, 3.0's, 4.5's, Scuba (dive) bottles, Tower Ladders, other Air trucks and we carry 300 feet of low pressure hose for Confined space operations and can power air tools as well. If you have any other questions about U-12 or any other Buchanan Unit, feel free to contact me! BFD1054

Nicely put x635! Some VAC's and FD run Ambulances have enough trouble getting one rig out, let alone 2. But as you said, for many reasons, it would be nice for every VAC to have at least 2 rigs. In my area, Buchanan, we are covered by Cortlandt EMS which runs 3 rigs and a first responder/supervisor vehicle. If Cortlandt gets tied up, they usually go to Peekskill EMS who also runs 3 rigs and a first responder/supervisor vehicle. If M/A is needed on the south end, they go to Croton FD EMS who runs 2 rigs. The other local EMS provider in this area is Verplanck FD EMS who only run 1 rig. For Verplanck, having 1 rig isn't soo bad because thier M/A providers, Cortlandt and Peekskill, both run 3 rigs each and usually don't have a problem getting out. It would be nice to have at least 2 rigs in case the 1st is tied up or 1 is out of service or whatever, but for some districts, having 2 rigs is not feasable, practical or economical. Peekskill used to run 4 rigs and i have seen them get all 4 out at once, but then they went to 3 in the mid/late 90's and having 3 works perfectly for them. Cortlandt used to have just 2 until 2002 when they went to 3. Cortlandt's district continues to grow residentially and with the addition of the NY State run nursing home on the Montrose VA Campus plus Springvale nursing and rehab center, the need for 3 rigs was obvious. Each VAC has a different size district to cover and taking that into consideration with the number of calls they're running should determine how many rigs they should run. Not to mention, you must be able to staff the rigs you have before trying to run more. I think all EMS agencies are getting busier and the need for EMS coverage continues to grow. For example, Cortlandt VAC ran a record-breaking 101 calls for the month of January! BFD1054

Nicely put x635, Welfare is the way to go, wasn't a bad idea lol! I must agree, i'm gonna go broke after paying for these exam fees, at least they could have the descency to get your score back to you in a reasonable ammount of time. I heard January for the County FF exam, now i hear February and we are in February, whats the hold-up? Christ, NYC is faster with this stuff than Westchester, what does that tell you? BFD1054

Hell yeah Muns...screw the Hummer and Vette, they're not practical...a juggling elephant, now thats practical!!! You're always thinking man! Chris498, don't feel bad, i never realized how big Somers was and how many apparatus and stations they had until i started dispatching there. And even then it was quite overwhelming! BFD1054

x635, i actually remember an MVA i think back in the summer where Greenville and Yonkers were operating. If i remember correctly, the MVA was on Jackson Ave. in the area of the SBP. Anyway, it was a serious MVA w/ejection. I believe Greenville used thier TIC and located a victim that was ejected into a wooded area. I have to say that i was quite impressed that during such an incident, somebody had thier head on to think to use a TIC. TRUCK6018, i must agree, i was going to touch upon tunnel vision, but you said it perfectly. I to have seen way too many firefighters rely solely on a TIC and continue to stare into the screen without watching thier surroundings. As you stated, we must go back to the basics, remember our training before TIC's came along. A TIC is a great tool and all Depts. should have at least one, but we all must utilize our basic search and rescue techniques and not rely too much on a TIC. BFD1054

On the front nose of our Utility-4 (Bus), it reads: "Maroon Platoon" which obviously comes from our notorious maroon uniforms. Personally, i dislike them, but hey those uniforms have won us a lot of trophies, plus they are a company tradition, so i have to take pride in wearing one. BFD1054

Thanks TRUCK6018, until reading your post, i was unaware that we(Buchanan) had recieved a grant. Until i went to our monthly meeting that is. Yes, we did recieve $22,160. To add to your post, the grant is for fire prevention and we intend to purchase a fire prevention trailer, not quite as big as Mohegans though. We will also use the money to update our multi-media for fire prevention. For more info on our grant and the intended uses of it, check out our web site: www.buchananfd.org and go to the current news section. BFD1054

In my district, Buchanan, the highway department uses large maltese cross stencils with arrows to point to the location of a hydrant. They use the stencils with highly reflective blue road paint and paint them in the middle of the street. These are nice, however when the roads are snow covered, they are close to useless. Even after the roads are plowed, it is very hard to make out the markings. In the past we have tried to get those "flags" that come off the top of the hydrant, but i believe that it came down to the never-ending money issue. I believe these "flags" that are used in many districts are probably the best way of marking a hydrant to be visible during any conditions.

I don't believe it was on the actually Truck itself, but Mohegan had tee-shirts made up when they got L-10 and the shirts read: "We get it up, we keep it up" i thought that was absolutely perfect!