Remember585

No, I am not saying that. Pay attention! If you choose to do stuff that can and will put you at risk for a needless LODD, then you should not be given a "heroe's farewell" nor receive benefits that SHOULD go to firefighters whom die doing the right thing! I don't think we should reward stupid behavior? And to give out trophies for a shiny truck or a lot of members in line KNOWING that they partake in dumb things, such as riding atop a rig, is insane. Stop rewaring bad behavior and stupidity. Do we give kids candy when they run with scissors?!

You're forgiven...spelling is the least of all our worries! If you send a rig into another district for coverage, you stay there and let those left in your town to cover. If you don't have the resources to do this, then stay home. PERIOD! I agree that our home town is our #1 priority, so if we can't send something to cover our own, we should not send anything out - period. Politics will always, ALWAYS rule us. That and pride will ruin things forever. I recall a few times where departments, including my own, have responded Mutual Aid when we shouldn't have. Why? Because too many people are afraid to admit they can't help out......STUPID STUPID STUPID! Bottom line, for me anyway, got the manpower and apparatus to send, go for it. If you don't - stay home!

What about the departments that spent thousands of dollars to put in thier own repeaters and secure thier own frequencies but STILL use 46.26 like it is a CB channel?! The tornado day was absurd, units less then 2 miles from 60 Control were being covered by agencies over 20 miles away.... Chiefs should have the intelligence and insight to get units off the primary during busier times, why wait until you're going on 3 or 4 calls before you think of it?

Wearing a seatbelt in an emergency vehicle is not law, at least in NY. As far as I recall, wearing seatbelts still isn't law for taxis and limos either.

I'm curious and maybe someone can help me here. If you are riding on the back of a rig and fall off, will you received the same benefits as a firefighter who dies actually fighting a fire? If you do - then point me in the right direction so I can start pushing for a change. We should not reward stupid deaths the same way we would for those lost doing the right thing. We all have to grow up and do what is right - sometimes it is hard, I'll admit it, but we got to step it up and make these changes - or we will be attending funerals that could of and should of been avoided. There is no pride in going to a LODD funeral for someone when we could of avoided it.

In our FD, we have two tags. One goes on your rig and the other goes to either the "door control person" or Accountability Officer. Green Tags - Interior Red Tags - Exterior Blue Tags - Explorer White Tag - EMS We got the idea from Montrose about a year or so ago. From what I understand our Chiefs and thiers wanted to try and get tags that were similar so at a Mutual Aid incident there would be less confusion. Prior to these we had the tags that were paper and laminated. Same general idea, but so many of us (me included) lost them or they fell apart over time. The new ones also have photos on them so they can make it easier to ID the members. As soon as you get gear and are able to respond on incidents you should be issued tags.

What is, in everyone's opinion, a proper APPARATUS response for an inside gas leak? Should it be a minor alarm with just 1 & 1 or more? I'm not talking about the number of personnel, that's a whole different subject. I am asking what rig assignments you guys think should handle these. To take it another step further, what should the jobs be of these rigs? What's a good action plan for an inside gas leak?

I'll admit that I too have been foolish and rode in the hosebed and/or backstep a few times too. And now that I think about it, in every case it was because the Chief(s) at the time approved it for some stupid reason or another. Someone mention keeping in service during hometown parades. Here's something that will make you laugh. While I was Captain (I won't say which year) I told the guys riding the Engine to bring thier gear with them so if there is a call we are prepared. Well, I guess I had a crystal ball this day, because we got banged out for a wreck not too long after getting to line-up. The Chief sent us and EMS but held the Rescue back so they could continue shuttling people. Anyway, we were on scene at this wreck and the Chief came to me and said to pack up, we were letting another company handle the call so we could get back to the parade in time. What's more important? I'm sorry if this sounds like a "personal matter," but I know of other stories JUST LIKE THIS and am trying to make the point that parade or not, we have to do things the right way all the time. Riding the step is not something that we should do - ever. Why preach safety if we ignore it parade day? In town - stay available. Out of town - don't respond back. Again, we made that mistake because of a Chief decision and we looked like @$$holes for doing it. If the rig is that vital to town - don't take it out. Be safe...rant out.

I guess I was getting a little tired while writing. What I mean about the public's opinion is this. If we are only doing things to please the public, we are doing them for the wrong reasons. Everything we do should be to motivate us and to keep us safe. Obviously we shouldn't be a group of stumbling, drunken idiots in uniform. We should conduct ourselves in a professional manner everytime we are called upon. To me, and I don't know how you may feel, doing the right thing and getting everything done as it is suppost to be is part of what makes this enjoyable. If I can't enjoy what I am doing then it can't be fun anymore. My points are serious and true, but I don't think we have to suck the fun we have out just to get it done. Make any more sense? (It's 04:00 and I'm starting to fade again)...

Many of you that know me can all agree on one thing, I like to have fun. Sadly, and I don't know how the rest of you feel, but having fun is becoming harder and harder to do. And I, for one, love what I do and hope to someday share that fun with younger generations. I've spent thousands of hours over the last 14 years or so reading books, magazines, articles and websites trying to further my knowledge so I can be a better firefighter, officer and trainer. But the one thing I don't see enough people writing about is how we, the people, are ruining the culture so many of us are proud to be a part of. We're the ones making it harder and harder to get things done, and it isn't because of the standards we have to meet. It's our ATTITUDES and the attitudes of our LEADERS that are burying us. Here's an example. Lately on this website, more focus has been spent talking about parades. Sirens or no sirens. Lights or no lights. Frankly, I don't care either way. I think that we put too much stock in what the public thinks of us and not enough time and thought into doing things for our own good. What bothers me is this, the last time the training forums were touched was June 22nd (a bonus goes to whomever figures out this date’s significance). That’s over TWO WEEKS AGO! Where are our priorities people? Who cares if the Police get blue lights? Who cares if ABC Fire Department won 4 or no trophies at a parade?! Let’s look within at why the volunteer fire service is screwed. Since it all starts at the top, let’s look at it in order. Chief Officers. How many of you belong to an FD right now that has at least one Chief Officer that everyone doubts the leadership abilities of? If you say “not me,” you’re either very fortunate or already wearing that white helmet yourself. As a Chief Officer and it doesn’t have to be THE Chief, you are responsible for two major things; setting an example for your members and ensuring they get home safe. If you are driving along in your Chief’s car following your engine with guys in the hose bed you shouldn’t say, “This is a bad idea,” you should be stopping that rig and ending it right there. Better yet, you should have a set policy that states that this act is forbidden. Saying it isn’t OK for calls and drills is fine, but why do we look the other way for stupid things like parades? I know our FD has a no riding policy, but every year on our fire prevention day we give CHILDREN rides around the block. Can you say, “Huh?” If you, as a Chief Officer, can’t take the 30 seconds to don your PPE, how in the world do you expect your peers to do so? If you run around a fire scene screaming on the radio and changing your strategy every minute, how the heck do you think things will go right and everyone will go home safely? I hate to quote Vanilla Ice, but seriously – “Stop Collaborate and LISTEN!” Get the job done, and get it done safely. The safety of the troops is YOUR JOB on and off the playing field AND whether you are or aren’t there! Set policies, set an example and TRAIN THE TROOPS. Line Officers. Although you are not responsible in most cases for running incidents and setting Department policies, you ARE required to get them home safe and to set the example! I spent six years as a Line Officer, starting at the age of 21. I don’t care what others may think, but this is too young and too inexperienced to do the job right! I busted my a** taking classes and getting certificates, but the experience wasn’t there yet. Now, with over 10 years in the Department, I know what mistakes I’ve made and I’ve promised myself not to make them again. When I took the oath (and yes people, it is an oath) of Captain, I swore to myself to do three things. First, increase our training. Second, be honest with everyone and lastly, get them home safe every time. Luckily, I achieved the first one, almost mastered the second one and came close to the third one. Nobody was permanently injured physically; however I think a couple may have been hurt emotionally. Accidents happen, sure. But preventing them should be just as easy. Take the time to do the little things. Wear your hood. Take time to rehab when you’re tired. Pick up the chamois and dry off the rig. Little things like these grab peoples’ attention and in most cases, will earn their respect. As a Line Officer you are like the quarterback, calling the plays and keeping the team together on the field, whereas a Chief is like the Coach. Remember guys and gals, being their friend is fine, but when game time comes they have to respect you, even if they get mad at you. Firefighters. You may think at this level you have no responsibilities, but you are wrong. First and foremost, you are responsible for you. In addition to this, you are responsible for your crew. If you do one stupid thing it can hurt someone you work with. As a “grunt” you should always be attentive, hungry to learn and willing to try new things. I know from personal experience that Officers look to those that are willing to take that step, not those that dodge drills and suddenly disappear when you need them most. If you take on this life of a volunteer firefighter, you CAN NOT allow it to be just a hobby. Your safety, the safety of your crew and the future of your organization depend on you and the pride you must take in it. If you can’t give up 2-3 hours a week to make a firehouse drill, then maybe this isn’t for you. If you can make time to go to a parade on Thursday night from say, 5 until 10 – why not skip it and go to the ladder drill on Monday? Winning trophies has yet to save a firefighter’s life to my knowledge. The bottom line is simple, we have to respect our past and those before us while at the same time adapting to our ever-changing environment. We have to keep doing it with a smile on our face, and not for the public, but for us. Smile because you are proud of your Company because they put out a car fire without getting hurt. Smile because your Chief made a stand and banned alcohol in the firehouse. And smile, because you know that by doing the right thing you all went home safe, and the fun can continue next time. I'm sorry everyone, but I am tired of coming on here and seeing more time spent talking about parades, new rigs and blue light laws then trying to better ourselves and doing as much as we can to survive. We are our own worst enemy, because we don't accept the blame as often as we should. Chief sucks? Who voted them in? Officers lack knowledge, stop electing inexperienced people! Have fun, stay safe and do the right thing. We can't survive if we aren't willing to do the right thing FOR US, not the public. Feel free to add your thoughts....

I don't get it myself. Why would you want to look like a cop??? Do you have thier rights? Do you have a gun? ARE YOU A COP?! That's one of those things I suppose I will never understand. Oh, and JAIL TIME is absurd. Just my opinion.

You know what truly irritate me more then blowing / not blowing the siren during parades? If you are caught waving or talking in the line of march you get demerits!!!! I'm sorry, but I know that at every parade I go to, there's always a little cousin, niece or friend's kid that gets upset because, heaven forbid, if you turn and wave at them in front of a judge, then that useless piece of $hit called a trophy isn't going to be yours! Never mind the fact that if you do in fact bust your hump on your rig, there's always the chance one or more of the "judges" has a hard-on for you and gives you low demerits anyway. Parades are for the public and that's all we should be concerned with. Rant off.

20......always in the middle of something....

Only an IC should talk with dispatch....PERIOD! Purchasing Chief's Cars can't exactly fall under a specific replacement plan overall. They have to be Department dependent. For example, I highly doubt that a Chief's car in Croton needs to be replaced as often as the Deputy Chief's car in say, New Rochelle. What each department does when it comes to replacing vehicles in it's fleet is their business - who are we to judge?

Found this while looking up something else. Kind of an interesting, and sadly, a common tale. When will politicians learn that cutting essential services will kill people?

I came across this while reading of the Wellington incident.

I'm sorry, but I hope the a$$holes that ignored the signs and ended up in trouble get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for killing this FF. Yet another needless death in the fire service, thanks to the stupidity of the public. God bless FF Anderson, his family, friends and fellow firefighters.

FYI - the rig is not complete yet. Once it is you will see more photos of it. Ridin' Dirty - yeah, I don't think so.

Jerry's Retreat?!

Question for the Yonkers gang... Someone mentioned the deck guns aren't in yet - is this still true? The reason I ask is that our new rig's gun is still not in, and after speaking to a couple of other departments in the area, they all said the same thing. Thanks.

Three thoughts. Won't that black color make it a little difficult to see fluids on? So much for writing vitals and other info on the gloves, like I do quite often. Working in the darker scenes should be a blast, now you won't be able to see your hands... But, on the upside, at least I now have a pair of gloves to wear that will match my personality. Purple just doesn't do me any justice.

I know this discussion has been here before, but I can't find it. Personal vehicles to the scene is almost, in my area, a given. In our FD, apparatus have to have a crew before responding unless approval is given from an IC to respond with less (then 3). BUT, due to an ever-increasing cost of living in our little village, more and more personnel are moving just outside of the Village line and are unable to make the rig. We do, however, have an SOG that states all personal vehicle are to be parked at least one block from a scene, and all cars are to park on the same side of the road. This doesn't always happen, but the POV issue hasn't really been a problem for us. In my VAC, most members report to the rig, while others can and will go to the scene. We all pretty much know which end of town everyone is coming from, so those of us (and there's a lot of us) with equipment in our POVs will go to the scene if it is on our way to the Corps and start care while someone else gets the rig. For highway responses, I personally feel that no POVs should be there, but since neither place I belong to says anything about it.....I and others will continue to do it.

Mine's a 1996.....damn.

It had a few funny moments. Aside from some of the played-out usual EMS storylines, it isn't too bad. I would say I would watch it next week, but I have other plans...

What happened to the old Ossining Ladder 41 / your Ladder 39(?) that was in Port Chester for a while?