Remember585

I've got a question that may or may not fall in line with this. If a career firefighter in "Any City" lives in "Any Village," instead of actually joining the volunteer FD in his hometown, could that guy be a "Mutual Aid Member" under the current laws? I understand that he would need the blessing of his job, which most wouldn't want to ask for, but is this an option? If a firefighter from a career department doesn't have the time for the meetings, etc. of the local volunteer house, can he still be of use at incidents? I'd hate to see a capable, competent career firefighter willing to help out time to time not be able to do so.

New episodes or old ones? I love the originals and can't wait to get even dumber, courtesy of MTV.

Fun day? One of our brothers transmitted a MAYDAY (correct me if I am wrong) and was injured. How's that a fun day? Brothers - if you read BFD1054's Incident Alert for this job, one of our own needed help within TEN MINUTES AFTER ARRIVAL! This is not uncommon and we need to ensure we have guys on the scene while we're making that initial push that can help us out if s*** hits the fan. Bad s*** happens quicker than we can expect, and we need to absorb this information and prepare ourselves. I hope the brother has a fast and full recovery.

Another point I failed to mention in my first post - if you can't access the battery, TURN THE KEY OFF! It may not solve all of your problems, but it will reduce some of them. If you have to, another option would be to pull the main or all of the other fuses in the car. Have options...

Good stuff Cap! As a general procedure for us, we will make every effort to remove the connections on the battery before making any cuts. When we do have to make the cuts, a simple pair of dikes or other cable cutters does the trick. A suggestion made by one of our Captains a while ago was to take a rubber floor mat (if there are any) and put it on top of the battery before closing the hood, reducing the chance of any metal to metal contact. If we cut a terminal, we will cut out a 1-2" section so the wires run very little chance of making contact again. I've been to plenty of accidents where the battery has been broken and the acid is spilled - be mindful of where you walk on the scene. You don't want your boots or even your pants to become damaged. (Same can be said for hydraulic fluids too). A simple thing to remember that I learned in a hybrid vehicle class we hosted - NEVER CUT THE ORANGE CABLES.

Ditto!

I personally would prefer not to see any rank or former rank sewn on coats. If that guy wearing the coat is an Ex-Chief and either moves, gets fatter, gets skinnier or otherwise resigns, than I have a coat that says "Ex-Chief" on it that I can't exactly hand out to just any member. This was the same reasoning that our department stopped putting company names/ numbers on our coats several years ago - if a new FF comes in to Engine 118 and the only coat that fit him was from R18 - it made no sense. The coats are too expensive to alter, so for me, I think they shouldn't show ranks unless it's a snap-on or velcro patch. At least then you can swap it when the time comes with the successor. Along the same lines, I'm over the whole white coat thing too. When I get done as Chief I will have a coat that's still good for another 4 years that I can't wear - wasted money unless my successor is as portly as I am. Helmet fronts with the rank for CURRENT officers is fine by me. An Ex-Lieutenant or Ex-Captain is still a senior guy in that house, and he doesn't need a special helmet front to show it - IMHO. Our Line Officers have white helmet fronts, Deputy Chiefs have gold ones and Chiefs have the white hats. Simple, and we all know who is who. If an Officer isn't on the rig, then it is the senior member in that company that should be riding shotgun, and that person will identify themselves as the "Officer" of their rig on the radio at a scene. Our firefighters now have helmet fronts with their company # on the insert and their department ID# on the line below. If FF so-and-so transfers to another company, he just pops out the two brass pins and puts in his new company's insert. Done. Like a few of you said, our dress uniforms should be the place to recognize past officers.

Cover your calls??? Perhaps have standby crews???

I hate Lydia's new partner. I've always hated Sammy's wife Tammi, I hope they kill her off. Other than that, I love this show and either watch it every week or catch up on it on the DVR. It's up there with Blue Bloods as the two shows I like best, since everything else is just another Law & Order...

The simple solution would be to just hit reset on the pager and not go... but we all know we can't do that. What kills me is how many more electronics are on our fire apparatus now. Especially around the pumps. Take a cold night like we're having now, a little bit of water and in no time, watch how many components start crapping out on you. It's almost moronic if you ask me. For me personally, I try to keep the bunker pants in the front hall so I don't put them on and go into shock. I would love to leave the coat inside too, but my wife doesn't care for that idea too much. All of our Engines are outfitted with a small propane torch should we need to thaw caps. I know that we preach to everyone that they should never run around an emergency scene, but it is EXTREMLY IMPORTANT NOT TO this time of the year. Try keeping some good rock salt on every rig, and make that call to DPW / DOT, etc. for more if you're going to need it. With so much snow on the ground lately, roads are narrower, cars are parked further into the road than normal and hydrants are buried. Be prepared to commit extra personnel to the "dumber" tasks of shoveling out hydrants, throwing down some salt, etc. Stay warm and be safe.

Croton EMS did 800 even.

In one of TR54's photos it almost looks like E238 has a stick...but it's L31. I agree, rough night to be fighting a fire. Glad you all went home unharmed.

Very scary stuff. And the ultimate insult is the fact that politicians are cutting police jobs all over the country.

Date: 1/22/11 Time: 00:51 Location: 632 Anderson Hill Road "Full Moon Restaurant" Frequencies: 46.26 / Fire 19 / 33.96 Purchase Units Operating: 2411, 2412, 2413, E238, E240, TL53, U10 West Harrison Units: 2501, 2502, E265 Town of Mamaroneck Units: 2232, 2233, E36 w/ FAST Port Chester Units: 2393, E61, E64, L31 Harrison Units: 2162, 2163, E10 Mamaroneck Village Units: 2241, L21 Valhalla Units: 2482, R9 w/ FAST Elmsford Units: L55 w/ FAST Westchester DES Units: Bat 15, C&O Zone 2, Car 25 Weather Conditions: Cold (Damn cold!) Description Of Incident: Fire in three-story frame OMD, restaurant with apartments above. Reporters: Remember585 Writer: Remember585 Relocated to Purchase HQ: Armonk E286 / White Plains L34 (Changed over the course of the fire) 00:51 - Purchase dispatched for a Commercial Alarm. 00:55 - E238 on location. 00:57 - 2413 reports smoke in building, forcing door. 01:00 - 10-75 transmitted, Purchase retoned, West Harrison Engine, Town of Mamaroneck FAST, Bat 19 dispatched. 01:01 - Port Chester 1 & 1 to relocate Purchase HQ. E61 & L31 assigned. 01:05 - 2501 responding. 01:07 - 2502, E265 responding. 01:09 - E61 relocating. 2232, 2233, E36 responding. 01:12 - 2501 advising E265 to assist with hydrant. 01:13 - 2502, E265 on location. 01:16 - 2501 reports a 3-story frame, restaurant on first floor, apartments on two floors above, bring E61 to the scene. Heavy smoke from structure. 01:16 - Harrison to relocate Engine to Purchase for coverage. 01:19 - 2501 requesting L31 to the scene, backfill with another unit. 01:20 - 2501 advising 2393 to have L31 get the roof. 01:21 - Harrison Engine, Mamaroneck Village Ladder to relocate Purchase HQ. 01:22 - 2163, E10 relocating to Purchase HQ. 01:23 - 2412 responding. 2232, 2233, E36 on location. 01:25 - E10 dispatched Purchase College for water flow alarm at Performing Arts Center. 01:26 - Port Chester units dispatched to an Anderson Hill Road address for a water flow alarm. 01:30 - 2412 on location. 01:33 - Bat 15 requesting a Bee-Line bus to the scene. 2501 requesting another Engine to the scene. 01:35 - Port Chester E64 dispatched to the scene. 01:36 - 2241, 2242, L21 relocating to Purchase HQ. E64 responding. 01:38 - 2163 reports Harrison units clearing the college, 2501 requesting them into the scene, E64 to Purchase HQ. 01:40 - 2162, 2163, E10 on location. 01:41 - 60 Control advising 2501 that 2411 is coming with a delay. 01:45 - E64 out at Purchase HQ. 01:49 - Bat 15 requesting Greenburgh cascade unit to the scene. 01:54 - C&O Zone 2 dispatched. 2501 reports all units still operating. 01:55 - Bat 15 requesting the Valhalla FAST to the scene. 01:57 - Bat 15 requesting L21 to the scene. 02:00 - White Plains Ladder requested to Purchase HQ. 02:02 - 2482, R9 responding. 02:04 - 2411 is on location. 02:11 - R9 on location. 02:24 - Bat 15 reports fire is darkening down, 4 L/S/O, using all hands. 02:26 - L34 out at Purchase HQ. 02:36 - 2393 requesting EMS for an injured FF (eye injury I believe, transmission broken). 02:37 - Bat 15 requesting an additional ambulance to the scene for standby. 03:30 - Elsmford FAST dispatched to the scene. 03:31 - North White Plains Engine requested to cover West Harrison HQ. 03:32 - E64 requsted to the scene and on location. 03:33 - Armonk Engine requested to relocate to Purchase HQ. E62 & TL2 on standby in own HQ in Port Chester. 03:45 - E286 enroute to Purchase HQ. E75 enroute to West Harrison HQ. 03:49 - E75 relocated to West Harrison HQ. 03:54 - L55 on location. 04:08 - E286 out at Purchase HQ. 04:27 - 2411 reports the fire is under control. 04:30 - 2241, L21 in service. 04:36 - E36, L55 in service. 04:51 - L34 released from Purchase HQ. 04:52 - E10 in service. 04:59 - R9 in service. 05:10 - E61, E64 in service. 05:32 - E75 released from West Harrison HQ. 05:41 - Bat 15 in service. 05:45 - E265, L31 in service. 05:48 - E286 released from Purchase HQ. 06:28 - All units in service from the fire scene. Lohud article

Chief Mauro allowed me to do my High School internship at the Fairview FD back in 1996, an experience I am forever grateful for. I wish the good Chief the best of luck in retirement, and I am willing to bet that even retired, he will still show up at fire scenes in the greater Fairview area.

We currently have AEDs in all three Chief's vehicles, the three Engines and Truck. Money is allocated to put them on the Tanker & Rescue with current budget money, and we're hoping to have them put in all three of our firehouses. We also purchased O2 / first aid bags, and they will soon go into service, which would put them in all three Chief's cars, three Engines, Truck, Rescue and Fire Boat. CPR is required for all Active Members. The #1 reason we purchased this equipment was for ourselves. It's funny to see how many people don't get it and throw a hissy fit when you put any kind of EMS gear on a fire engine in a non-EMS department.

<B>Date</B>: 1/16/11<BR><B>Time</B>: 03:20 (Approx)<BR><B>Location</B>: Imperial Wok on Route 202 (Heritage Hills Shopping Center)<BR><B>Frequencies</B>: Fire 13 / 46.26 / FG 1 / 154.220<BR><B>Somers Units Operating</B>: 2441, 2442, 2443, 2445, E180, E181, E183, E185, L18, L48, R20, U88, 80B2<BR><B>Croton Falls Units</B>: 2071, 2072, 2073, E148, U28<BR><B>Bedford Hills Units</B>: 2031, 2033, TL57 FAST<BR><B>Yorktown Units</B>: 2533, E270<BR><B>WCDES Units</B>: Battalion 13, C&O Zone 5 w/ 1405<BR><B>Weather Conditions</B>: Cold, 30 degrees, partly cloudy<BR><B>Description Of Incident</B>: Fire in single story 100' x 50' Chinese / Japanese restaurant<BR><B>Reporters</B>: Remember585 <BR><B>Writer</B>: Remember585<BR><BR>03:22 - Yorktown FAST dispatched.<BR>03:24 - Battalion 13 responding.<BR>03:25 - 2533 responding.<BR>03:33 - E270 responding.<BR>03:34 - Bedford Hills FAST dispatched (Yorktown going to work).<BR>03:36 - C&O Zone 4 dispatched.<BR>03:37 - 2033, 2031 responding.<BR>03:38 - Battalion 13 on location.<BR>03:40 - Goldens Bridge Engine dispatched to relocate to Somers HQ.<BR>03:41 - TL57 responding.<BR>03:43 - 2072 on location.<BR>03:46 - 2533, E270 on location.<BR>03:47 - 2031 on location.<BR>03:48 - E148 responding.<BR>03:52 - E148, TL57 on location. 2141, 2142, 2143, E140 relocating.<BR>03:55 - Bat 13 reports 2 L/S/O, Tower Ladder setting up, fire in C/D corner.<BR>03:59 - Croton Falls Cascade unit dispatched.<BR>04:00 - C&O Zone 5 dispatched (Zone 4 not available).<BR>04:06 - Bat 13 reports all companies working, fire in the cockloft, making progress. E140 in Somers HQ.<BR>04:10 - U28 responding.<BR>04:21 - U28 on location.<BR>04:23 - Bat 13 reports fire is contained to C/D corner, not under control, ending interior operations per the IC.<BR>04:31 - Bat 13 reports DOH has been in contact with the IC.

Bring the death penalty to every state and actually use it. Perhaps then will people stop killing people, especially police officers. God Bless this officer, his loved ones and the LPD.

Date: 1/8/11 Time: 21:52 Location: Route 129 (Yorktown Road) east of Mount Airy Road East Frequency: 46.26 / FG 5 / EMS 10 Units Operating: 2082, E118, E119, R18, 55B1, 36M1, NYSP Weather Conditions: Cold, Clear Description Of Incident: Single car MVA overturned against two phone poles Reporters: Remember585 (O/S) Writer: Remember585 (O/S) 21:52 - Croton EMS, 36M1, R18, E118 dispatched for MVA rollover with entrapment. 2082 responding, add E119 to the assignment. 21:56 - E119, 55B1 responding. 21:57 - E118, R18 responding. 21:57 - 2082 on location, confirmed rollover with one trapped. 22:02 - E119 on location. 2082 reporting prolonged extrication. 22:03 - E118, 55B1, 36M1 on location. 22:04 - R18 on location. 22:32 - 2082 reports patient extricated and in care of EMS. 22:39 - 2082 placing incident under control. 22:47 - 55B1 ALS to WMC. 22:52 - E118 back in service. 23:07 - 55B1 out at WMC. 23:25 - 2082 sending 1 FD EMT & 1 CEMS EMT to fill out crew for 55B2 for a possible CPR call in the Village. 23:29 - All CFD units back in service. I just want to thank my guys & gals who did yet another excellent job at this call. We had two dozen members on scene, and working together with EMS we had a successful outcome. Good job CFD & CEMS (and of course 36M1)!

I'm glad to have known Mr. Brophy, and am sorry to see him pass. At least now he can rest in peace.

Isn't it winter from September to May up there?!

Hopefully "respond with caution" won't exist.

Extra manpower. That's one of the key things in my mind during responses in the inclement weather. This past winter we had a few fires, and a couple of things were good learning experiences for me. At fire #1, we had downed power lines and tree limbs in the road in front of the building. The first arriving Engine saw this and instead of pulling past the fire building, stopped short to steamer a hydrant. The Truck wasn't able to get the front of the building, so several portable ladders were thrown. Additionally, the building was an auto body shop on the main level, with an apartment above. The apartment entrance came out on the back of the fire building on to another street. We special called another Truck to go here and position in the event we needed them. (Luckily we didn't) The roof guys had to shovel snow out of the way of their vent holes. In an earlier post on this fire, someone mentioned how the weight of the snow could hamper roof stability. Luckily this was a building built years ago with real wood beams on real stone. It was a safe enough construction which allowed the guys to open up, giving the guys inside some much needed relief. At fire #2, we had a fire in a masonry building up a long, steep driveway. The first arriving Engine "dug in" and came up the hill dropping supply line on it's way. They had to park about 150' from the fire building, so the stretching of lines in nearly waist high snow was exhausting. We still had chains on the rigs and this was 3-4 days after the snow fell. Prior incidents have kept us from being too quick dropping the chains, knowing we have quite a few driveways like these that aren't cleared too often. Additionally at this fire, as Tanker10Engr mentioned, our closest hydrant (at the bottom of the drive) was apparently the go to location for every plow. The next closest hydrant was about 500 feet down a windy road which the 3rd Engine brought up to the 2nd Engine at the bottom of the driveway. Luckily the bulk of the fire was K/D with the tank water of both Engines (1750), and we needed a steady supply to finish the job. We called a Tanker task force to supplement the delay in hydrant access and to accomodate the low pressure we were getting. As a responding Officer, no matter the weather or incident type, the #1 concern is our safety. We can't control the weather, but we can sure as hell do our best to prevent injuries from fatigue and overexertion.

In the spirit of the season, I figured I would share some photos from our Candy Cane Run that we had on 12/18/10. Please feel free to share some pictures of your department spreading some holiday cheer this year. It can be a Santa run, holiday party, firehouse decorations - doesn't matter. I like to take time during the holidays and be thankful for all I've got, and being a part of the fire service is one of those things I'm forever grateful for. Happy holidays to all of you from the Croton Fire Department! Here's photos from the three routes we had going yesterday:

I guess I'll get the ball rolling... Croton FD - 469 Calls (up from 329 in 2009).