Remember585

"Uh, huh-huh uh huh." B&B - YES! Rog and the crew - YES! Now all they need to bring back is some more reruns of In Living Color & The State, then I'd be set for life!

ALS brings up good points about training in the fire service, how it should never end until your life does. It got me thinking. What is it that motivated you to get into the fire service, and what is it that keeps you going? Also, does anyone personally influence you to do it too? I think - with some exceptions - most people are in it for the right reasons, and stay with it because they love to do it - paid or volunteer. Let's hear what you got to say! Here's my deal. I am a fourth generation volunteer in the Croton FD. Over time, close to 3 dozen members of my family has either served or does serve in the emergency services. My Grandpa was a Chief 3 times in CFD. My Dad twice. I grew up having most of our family parties held at a firehouse - somewhere. I used to listen to the scanner and dream about being as awesome as all of them. Not to mention that so many of the guys in Croton are like an extended family to me. It has been beyond my imagination to be a part of the brotherhood. That's why I joined. I am still big into this stuff because I can't imagine my life without it. One of these days I hope to get my fat a** in shape and to get on the job somewhere, anywhere. I continue to train and better myself for several reasons. First, the sadest one. I lost my Uncle to a house fire in 1997. I wasn't there so I don't know what happened. But I do know that I will always do what I do as long as I can to honor my Uncle, someone I still miss today. Second, I want to know as much as I can so I can share it to my members. Even after I am no longer an Officer, I will still share my training and experiences with them. Third, I know that training can save your life. It did for me! After going in to help a couple of my crew (a cousin and a good friend) I realized that what I knew about staying calm and getting my a** out (even in a bucket) makes a major difference. I still believe that if I went hysterical, I may not be bothering you all today. And lastly, I do what I do because I hope that one day, people will look back in time and remember me for being a mentor and a leader, not so much as a "Good Ol' Boy." What inspires me is the guys that have been members of my Department, or others like it, that have put in 20, 30, 40 + years and continue to train and to respond! I also am impressed with career personnel that take the time to teach us dumb vollies, and, in rare instances, continue to take classes on their own time as well. That's the people I look up to. Enough about me.....even I am sick of hearing myself!

I am surprised nobody jumped on this subject yet. I have been fortunate to not only sit through so many lectures and classes over the years, but I've also been blessed with the actual hands-on experiences from so many great instructors. This year, I sat in on a handful of lectures at Firehouse EXPO in Baltimore. I listened to Jim Crawford, Butch Cobb, Vincent Dunn, Peter Lamb and Mike Smith. I gotta tell you, I liked all of them quite a bit. In addition to these guys, I've also sat through a few things with Andy Fredericks, Mike Dugan, Billy Goldfeder and Timothy Sendelbach. The one thing that all these great teachers had in common was the ability to put you in the story they are telling and the unmatched skill to bring the subject home for you. I find that I am more intrigued by someone who can relate to what I am seeing or I have done, and that's important to me. I hate those guys that think thier s*** doesn't stink and talk down to you. I have to give credit where credit is due though. Those of us in Westchester County have a countless number of mentors and instructors right here in our backyard. I've taken courses at WCFTC and Camp Smith with great teachers like Bobby Benz, Tom Moriarty, The Kerr Brothers, Billy Fitz and even ALSFirefighter himself. There's a ton of other CFI and SFI's I can think of that are A+ too, but you guys have names I can't spell even if you told me it again. The NRFD, YFD, WPFD and FDNY guys we get at WCFTC are fantastic! The whole fire service and its future depends on our teachers. Whether it is someone with 30 years on the job in the big city or one of the salty old guys in your volly house, keep your ears open and absorb as much as you can. Just because you sit through every course at the Training Center doesn't mean you know it all. Take the time to not only learn the fire service stuff, but take a moment to learn about your Department, your Company, your crew, and most importantly, yourself. A good teacher is a good student, and a good student will be a great leader someday. That's how I feel anyway...

Yup, I'm pretty sure we'll see him in 2006 in our area.......almost willing to bet on it...

I'm not allowed to post things that are bothering me? Is this what happened to the post I made last night? Anyone know where it went? I didn't spend 20 minutes writing for nothing.

Damn good post brother!!! I will be the first to admit I don't know everything. Nobody does. But I think I know the most important thing in the emergency services that I can, and that is to CONSTANTLY SHARPEN MY SKILLS AND LEARN AS MUCH $HIT AS I CAN! My best mentor, my father, taught me from day one (literally as I came into this life) to always keep myself on top of things, whether I ever become a firefighter for a living or do it for nothing as I do now. "Once you think you know everything, it's time to quit, because you will get yourself or somebody else hurt or killed." My great-uncle, who passed away this past January, used to say this to the guys in my father's generation. And I think these words rings true today, more then ever! ALS mentioned the always changing world we serve. He's not kidding. When I took Essentials in 1994, people believed that was enough to send people into a fire the next day. All you had to do was show up and get your certificate. Luckily, over time we have expanded our "basic" training to include so much more, which doubled the actual course time. I am proud to say that a majority of the members in our Company have expanded beyond this minimum. Many guys have 100, 200, 300 and even almost 400 hours of courses under their belts! Some people still, to this day, laugh about us for taking so much stuff. But trust me when I tell you, watch a fire scene where the right mix of training, confidence and calm are in place, and you will have a great fire attack with no unneccessary injuries. Training doesn't have to be scheduled, something I've said before. If you work all day and don't have time to go to a class on building construction, then pick up a copy of Firehouse or Fire Engineering and read about it! I've probably spent $300 on books in the last few years th give myself some more knowledge to better serve as an Officer. Too many times in too many places people are made an Officer by popularity, not qualifications. Hell, any Chief in Westchester could even log on to this site and learn something! LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE! If you are a Chief, and the "All-the-time guys" are asking for a change, listen to them. These guys are the core of your Department that come to drills and calls. They will be the ones going in on that first line and popping that car door. You can not be an effective leader if you don't listen, and listening is part of training! Feedback is almost as good as, if not better sometimes, then having a drill. Don't take fire for granted. No two fires are the same, and no two fire scenes will ever be the same. Keep your mind sharp, your eyes and ears open and your a** down low! Great topic Tommy. I didn't mean to ramble on!

Received this earlier in the week. The following courses have openings at Camp Smith (in Peekskill, NY). Remember - this facility is rumored to be closing down in the year to come, so take advantage of it NOW! #1602 Basic Structural Collapse Operations 10/29 #2587 Firefighter Survival 11/5/05 #1625 Medium Level Structural Collapse Concepts 11/8 #1614 Basic Trench Collapse Concepts 11/8 #1547 FAST Tactics 11/12 & 11/13 #3103 Principles of Building Construction: Combustible 11/12 & 11/13 #3141 Managing Company Tactical Operations Series 11/14-11/18 (all week) #1548 Fire Officer II 11/19, 11/20, 12/10 #3142 Health & Safety Officer 11/19 & 11/20 Contact Don Ettinger at 914-788-5001 FOR INFO!!!

Image forwarded to the local PD for evidence. Expect a ticket,or ten, very soon. And the band just whistled dixie.....

I'll do my best to post them for you.

Any structural call in that facility is a General Alarm response with Tanker 10 as well. As you said, it is unique and chock full of surprises. We are currently working on pre-plans, however, most of that facility is being rebuilt. Over the years we have responded to many fires and other special incidents in this complex. For all of you who may come into this facility, remember this. The very large building is Building #6. For almost 2 years now we have been ordered to never operate on the roof itself, so personnel need to stay on the catwalks and in aerials. Another thing, the MNRR Fire Brigade is there during normal business hours, and in addition to their normal jobs, they handle fire and medical emergencies routinely. They are a great asset to us.

This sucks! There is nothing left to listen to. All I hear is the same s*** every hour on Z100, K104 and K-Rock. If you ask me, I prefer the sound of my breathing over the radio anymore. Anyone ever flip between K104 and Z100, and it is the same playlist??? Drives me nuts. Time to invest in XM.

BUMP

Stop blowing smoke up his a** - the site, as well as him, SUCKS! JUST KIDDING!!!! This has become one of my favorite places to visit during my "down-time." It is a good resource, when used right, and is quite entertaining from time to time. If only you could post more pictures of yourself in "Cadet wear..." Keep up the good work, you're doing a damn fine job. PS - Still looking for my post!

According to the Croton-Cortlandt Gazette, week of 4/15 thru 4/21, the Village of Croton has approved the purchase of a new Engine 119 at a cost of no more than $410,000 in the 2004-2005 fiscal year. This will replace the current Engine 119, a 1984 Mack CF pumper, which will be removed from service and sold once replaced. If all goes well, we hope to go out to bid this fall. =D> On another note, Tanker 10 has yet to be "totalled" by the Insurance Company. At this point, it is unknown if it is totalled and if it will be repairable. As soon as I know, you all will know. On another note, a new 55B2 is currently being built by PL Custom. Should arrive and be in service in August 2004. =D>

There will be a Hurricane Katrina Relief Concert SUNDAY 10/23 at Croton Point Park. More Details at www.engine119croton.org! Here's the direct link to the flyer: http://www.engine119croton.org/images/images/katrina.pdf

To add on to BFD1054's comments.... CCVAC goes by the 60 Control "time frames" unless a member requests otherwise. For example, we get paged out, if no response, 2nd page after 3 minutes, and if still no response (VERY VERY RARE) a 3rd page and Mutual Aid will be started out. And Mike is dead-on - we are fortunate to have so many members with swing-shifts or whom are retired that handle so many of our calls. Not to mention we're blessed with Mike's boyish good looks and never-ending charm. (CAMPAIGN ANYONE????) In Croton (this is funny) we are SUPPOSE to get 3 minutes to get a crew or the CPD tones us out again. After 2nd page with no crew, Mutual Aid is dispatched. Here's the problem. They almost always call OVAC even though we have asked time and time again for them to call 60 Control. We have our district split up for Mutual Aid coverage between Ossining & Cortlandt. The biggest problem we have is no commited crews. It's basically a free-for-all 24/7 now. Sometimes, a member will call CPD to say they are responding, and they either acknowledge you, ignore you, bite your head off or refuse to acknowledge you unless you are on the rig. We also have some Desk Officers who don't hear us responding that call Mutual Aid even though we're going. Topic hijacked enough I think.... I like the assigned crews - but having the pager call system is nice too, because it gives you some flexibility. I guess, in the interest of our clients, we should consider having staffed rigs all the time to cut down our response times.

Are we talking about crews that ride the rigs in a volunteer Department? For example, our Department requires a crew of at least 3 on each Engine & the Truck, at least 2 on Rescue 18 and a minimum of 1 (duh) for Tanker 10. If it is a General Alarm assignment, the 2nd & 3rd due Engines can respond with two, after getting authorization from Command. Personally, I think it is easier to control your personnel if they are on the rig from the start. I see many outfits that respond driver only, and arrive on scene with little to no help - or - too much help that isn't controlled. We are a 5 Company Department. We have three engine companies, 1 Truck company & 1 Rescue company. My company runs an Engine and the Tanker - so we have an order from our Captain (a total d*** ) that we all go to the firehouse to ensure both rigs get out the door. Works great, and many times when one of the other Engines goes out the door, we have manpower report to our station to standby if needed. On average, our Company has 11 members per incident - of course there's times with less and times with more. (Some alarms bring out over 20 people). As a Department, we still hold our own in the "Volunteerism is Dying Era" with an average of more then 24 members at General Alarms. One thing that I have noticed too - if you want to keep your people coming, don't hold them in quarters all the time! #1 - it annoys people to drive to the firehouse for nothing, especially at night, during bad weather, etc.. #2 - you deprive your people the chance to learn more about the buildings these calls are at! #3 - the more calls you go to, the more likely you are to get into GOOD HABITS and wear the gear, pack up, grab the tools, tag in, etc. Just my 2 (and a half) cents.

If my memory serves, I recall them having 10 men assigned to each tour, with 3 on each Engine, 2 on Rescue and 1 on Ladder 1. I think the 10th guy handles the communications - but this is based on my 1996 experience down there. I'm sure someone can better explain their resources nowadays.

Man, it's been quite some time since our last update. As of now (10/21), here's the plan. We went back to the current cab type with the Detroit Motor. We made a slight change in the compartment layout to accomodate some more of our equipment. We are hoping to see constructin begin VERY SOON with an early Summer 2006 arrival. Here's the basics. 1500 GPM Waterous Pump 750 Gallon water tank 10KW Harrison Generator 6 FRC 500W Floodlights 10-Man cab with seating for 8 (Compartment in crew area in place of 2 seats for our portables, TIC, irons, water can, etc.) FRC Gauges Whelen warning lights & Federal sirens And a load of other things to make the rig as practical as possible for us, and to provide us with the safest possible working environment. Most importantly, 648 can never, EVER touch it.

Wait, Engine 104 is the Mack right? Dammit - they're all going to be a thing of the past soon.

Um.......yeah.

Our Cops more then likely wouldn't notify us, just like they don't for bomb threats. They had a recent incident where someone dropped off an item at HQ that was potentially dangerous. They evacuated the entire Municipal Building, called in the Bomb Squad and created a "perimeter." If they felt that it was that much of a risk, why would they not call the Fire Department / EMS to stage as a minimum? In the VAC I belong to, where we have NYSP covering our area with WCPD, EMS (to the best of my knowledge) is always put on a standby for incidents like these.

It's "60 Control," so why should you call it anything else? I hate when I hear transmissions like," 63 to 42." Who is calling who? Another think that kinda gets annoying is the "Anytown Car 1 is responding." Each identity in Westchester is unique, so it isn't exactly vital to say which agency you're calling from. Unless of course you are from out of county, then some of us have no idea who in the hell you are!

The apparatus actually have to be dispatched first to help control the scene.

Croton firefighters seek training site By ROBERT MARCHANT THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: September 21, 2005) Village firefighters want a place of their own to hone their skills. Fire Department leaders are looking to take a small parcel of woodland off Riverside Avenue north of the village's skate park and turn it into a place where they can simulate the conditions in smoke-filled buildings and wrecked cars. "We don't get many fires in the village, thank God," said First Assistant Chief Gary Diggs, who oversees training in the department. "But that can be a hazard — the volunteers don't get the exposure they need." Diggs met with village leaders recently to discuss a proposal to build a small facility for firefighting training. The proposal calls for clearing the land off Riverside, which is owned by the state Department of Transportation, and erecting a small metal structure that could be filled with artificial smoke for volunteers to simulate conditions in a house fire. A separate concrete slab would be used for vehicle extrications. Diggs said the volunteer department was willing to perform all the labor to clear the land to keep costs down. With donated services and labor, he said, a training facility could be operational for a few thousand dollars. Diggs said large shipping containers or other metal, prefabricated structures could be used to create the training center. Westchester County offers the use of a firefighting training center in Valhalla, but Diggs said it can be difficult to schedule time there. A facility in the village, the chief said, would make it more convenient for members to train, and it could be used in conjunction with neighboring departments. The small parcel of land was taken over by the state DOT when it carried out the reconstruction of nearby Route 9 in the late 1960s. The department hopes the DOT can work out a deal turning it over to the village or the department for use at a nominal cost. A DOT representative said the agency was looking for more information on the project and was amenable to the concept. "Right now, it's going through the review process," said Michael Cotton, an assistant regional director with the DOT. The agency is asking for a site plan and specific information on how access to the parcel would be achieved. "At this point, we don't have a problem with it. Now the ball is in their court," Cotton said. Mayor Greg Schmidt said the concept was worth exploring, and the village administration was also asking for more details on the proposal — particularly financial ones. One volunteer, John Cestone, liked the idea of a local place to work on firefighting techniques. "We're pretty well-trained, but it never hurts to go over certain procedures," said Cestone, an electrician. This is a project that has been discussed for several months that Chief Diggs has been pushing. Those of us on the Department Training Committee think this would greatly increase our skills in many areas. We aren't trying to build anything mammoth, we are simply trying to get a designated area for a couple of work stations. Over the years, we have run out of places to train in the Village. To me, this would be a key place to do it, considering it wouldn't affect anyone plus we would be in the view of our public. Perhaps this could help (even if it is a small help) to recruit some new members. From what I gather, we are aiming to create our own mask confidence course and install a "pad" to do vehicle extrication on. I hope we get the support of the Village as well as DOT. It would be nice to have this to supplement the great resources we already have at the County Training Center. On a side note - Chief Diggs is also aiming to take our training up a notch in the upcoming years. We already have discussed some plans to keep our guys and gals interested and well-versed. The #1 downfall to a five Company Department is the five different ways of doing things some of these knuckleheads do. I hope to see more of a "department mindset" with all of our operations in the future. I know we got the members that are willing, able and dying to get things on track!