Remember585

Rye Brook is a fully career FD from 0700-1900. They are covered by Port Chester FD the remainder of the time.

I hate to ask why you want this information... Westchester "Combination" Departments Eastchester Fairview Greenville Harrison Hartsdale Larchmont Mamaroneck Town Lake Mohegan Peekskill Pelham Pelham Manor Port Chester Rye Scarsdale

Looks like the pump is gone - is it? I like the lettering, looks like an Ossining PD car.

The NFPA appears to be more specific about your water supplies for training then actual firefighting. My guess is because they know how difficult it is to find two seperate sources at an actual fire. NFPA 1403, which is the standard for live fire training evolutions, is more specific about water supply then the NFPA 1142 "Standard on Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Firefighting" standard is. The 1403 clearly states that a secondary source for backup lines must be established, at a rate of at least 50% of the calculated flow needed for the attack. 1142, as far as I can tell, creates calculations which will tell you how much water flow is needed for your fire. Based on this, you can (should) be able to figure out if the loan source is sufficent or not. I'm a firm believer that if you have an interior attack to make, you always pull a backup line. Some might argue that manpower might be an issue, or "the fire was small enough to knock with one line," but if I am going to be the IC, I'd rather "waste" the time to pull a backup line and not need it. If it's small enough that everyone feels one line for only a minute or two is needed, then why not use a water can or two? It would be nice to hook up to two hydrants on two different main systems, however I don't think this is a reality for most of us. Spotting or hooking up to a second hydrant is good practice, but the odds of it being on a seperate main loop are fairly slim.

What you describe sounds like it could be a hot dog cart. Hudson......are you selling hot dogs in the south county too?!

Well put!

Rock, paper, scissors. If the incident is known to be on Department A's side and not Department B's, why not let Chief A assume Command and have Chief B take Operations or another role?

We definitely have the potential for this type of incident, specifically at the Metro-North Croton-Harmon Yards. Deployment from all four sides, if possible, would be the most advantageous. CFD320 nailed it, there needs to be one IC, sector leaders, etc. We keep search ropes on all companies, so if this occurred in our area, each company responding could be assigned a sector, rope off & enter. That Company Officer, a Chief or Deputy Chief, could be the Sector Boss. The ropes are only 100', so if we can make entry from multiple points on each side, we could search from one point, regroup, then re-enter. Of course, the easiest thing to do is to have preplans, CIDS, a layout of the building, and best of all, someone there to tell you where the incident occurred! If this all can be done on arrival, you may not need more then one or two companies and EMS! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING should be initiated until someone establishes Command, develops and shares their IAP, establishes accountability and finds out what exactly has occurred. You say it's an industrial accident - to me this could simply be someone with their hand stuck in a conveyer belt. Full PPE, SCBA, etc. may not be needed.

I recall a handful of times where we would be out all night, in the snow, working a fire. We get back to quarters, take the gear apart to thaw and dry. A few hours later, we're paged out for something else, and guys are piecing together their gear or other stuff laying around. When I was Captain, I worked on getting 2nd sets of gear for everyone that needed it. The trend is slowly catching on within the entire department, so we are slowly getting a 2nd set to everyone. It's not like the old days where you grabbed gear off the rig, rarely finding the right size stuff. Wearing improperly sized gear can add to and even expedite firefighter fatigue. I keep my old set of black gear in my old rack at the firehouse so I have a spare, and since I am one of the bigger guys, others can use it if they really need to.

I can tell you're rusty... Tarrytown is M5, Irvington has M4. There are some boats in Westchester that have numbers which, according to the original "plan" aren't what they "claim" to be. I am pretty sure at least one, maybe more, have lower numbers which would indicate they are firefighting vessels, but they aren't.

FINALLY - A great topic of discussion! 1) How often do you train? Our Department is getting together roughly once a week, sometimes more, for training. We aim for a couple of evening sessions as well as one or two weekend drills / classes to give some flexibility. 2) What type of training is regularly conducted? Starting two months ago, we started scheduling two rope drills per month, seeing how it's a skill that we're all weak in due to a lack of use. In addition to that, we conduct at least one department drill that pulls all companies and personnel together, usually either a live fire session at the Training Center or an acquired building, when possible. Emphasis has been put on Truck company operations recently, and this month and next we'll revisit Engine Company ops. We also try to put out one evening class with a guest instructor. Last month we did Elevator Rescue, this month we're doing garden apartment fire strategies. We've also hosted a Water Rescue course and a Train Rescue course this year. On top of all this stuff, we have an in-house NYS Instructor who regulary gives classes. This year, we've had 2 HMFRO Annual Refreshers, EVOC, Pump Ops & Scene Support Ops in addition to some others. This has been an enormous benefit, as members who are tight on time no longer have to wait for a county offered class that may or may not have openings. 3) Are your drills scheduled in advance? If so how long? Each month we put out a training bulletin with the events for that month. I aim to get this out during the last half of the preceeding month. A weekly email of all Department events is sent out on Saturdays, and additional emails and text messages are sent the days before a drill or class as a last minute reminder, so to speak. 4) How are records kept? Does anyone keep individual personnel training records beyond copies of certs ect? (one of my ideas is to keep hard copy individual records in addition to company or departmental records for each member, tracking each drill so as to insure each member is up to date on not only "new" training but more importantly the basics). Record keeping is the biggest headache. Roughly once every other month I request a print out from OFPC to track members' State training records. Whenever a member completes a course given by the county or state, the certificates come to our records officer who puts it into our Firehouse Software system. We've been spending a lot of time too, reaching out to the members and encouraging them to check their files for old certificates, just to ensure they are credited for what they've done. I have to be honest, our County Fire Training Center has been excellent with helping us play catch up and tracking down certificates. 5) Do you engage in scenario or company based drills? (For scenarios if so how often)? Some times, after or during a call, we'll run through the worst-case scenarios and toss around ideas. Most of our drills have been skill reviews more then scenario-based, however in the last few months of the year, I intend to push some scenario-based drills, pulling together the skills honed during the past few months. 6) Why is your training program designed the way it is? Or what do you hope to achieve by doing it the way you do it? My "terminal objective," so to speak, is two parts. First, it's our intention to offer our members as many chances as possible to work together, cross-training each other to handle all fireground tasks. Just because someone is an Engine Company member, doesn't mean they won't have to throw a ladder or extricate someone. Secondly, we are pushing our members to be compliant and above in all required aspects we fall under. Using the "we're just volunteers" attitude does not cover you in court, and that's why we continue to pursue compliance in everything we need. We know we don't run a ton of calls (about 300-350 per year) so we need to keep our skills up by training to be best prepared on "game day." Our Training Division was started a few years ago with "xchief2x" as the helm. He stepped down and it was put on me, but luckily I retained him to keep on doing NYS classes and helping with other drills. Our Training Division is made up of seven National Fire Service Instructors and members with either a lot of experience to offer or an expertise in a certain field. Our motto, which xchief2x (Car 2084 / Battalion 10) came up with, "Training today for a safer and more efficient tomorrow," is more of a mission statement, in my eyes. We've seen an impressive turnout and enthusiasm by our members to keep on improving themselves, and for that I am extremely proud. Calls are handled with a better sense of professionalism and a safety-first mindset. Members are quick to offer their help and ambitious to try new things. In my eyes, that's the payoff to a good training program.

WCPD SOD Marine 4 (Hudson River) has a trunk radio, and can be contacted on it if needed. A simple switch on this radio, like the others in all Fd & EMS rigs now, to Zone C can get them on to the Firegrounds (Ground Ops) channels. We've worked with M4 a couple of times this Summer on both the trunk and conventional systems. As far as the whirly bird, I don't think they have a trunk radio yet, but they can be contacted on Firegrounds. Another note of interest, the STAT choppers (or chopper now...) are also SUPPOSED to have the capability to communicate with an LZ on Firegrounds 2 or 6. It offers limited range, but it is useful.

We can "feed" a 5" line a "snack," but not a real "feed." At best we can move 250 GPM, but an upgrade is being explored.

We have Engines called "Rescues" & Mini-Attacks called "Engines" in Westchester. Nothing ever makes sense. As far as calling a Quint a Quint, it probably makes no difference for the reason you already mentioned - they are Trucks that can be used as an Engine. Much the same as Tankers can be used as Engines too, they go by their primary role. Hey, does anyone know how to tell if a Marine unit is a TRUE FIRE BOAT vs. a non-firefighting vessel? Hmmm.....

On Saturday, August 1st, members of the 10th Battalion (Westchester) departments held a drill on the grounds of the Montrose VA, simulating a motor-vehicle collision with hazmat problem. The drill scenario was for an MVC on Route 9 in Montrose with multiple patients with varying medical conditions. Units participating were: - Montrose VAFD Hazmat Unit 3 - Montrose FD E121 - Croton FD FAST & T10 - Buchanan FD U12 (Cascade) - Verplack FD E128 - Continental Village T11 (guests from the 17th Battalion) - Cortlandt VAC 88B2 & Rehab Unit 8805 - Croton EMS 55B1 - Peekskill VAC 75B2 Members of the 10th Battalion also spent two other days training at the VA last month in preparation for this drill. New to us, our FAST has been cross-training to assist in the event a Hazmat member "goes down" in the Level A suits. Working with the VAFD, our members have been practicing wearing the suits and were used to "make a rescue" during this drill. It was a new challenge that we learned a lot from. Additional info and photos here: Croton FD

Gear, SCBAs, rigs, sure, they're ok. But it was always the moustaches (or "truckstaches") that made them men! JFlynn - You are 100% right that the faces aren't captured as they used to be. Only two photographers I can think of that can do it - Frank Becerra & JT Camp. JT has captured some of our guys' faces in the midst of a call - and those are the best pics. Great photos, thanks for sharing!

A-hole. Nothing more, nothing less. She took 4 childrens' lives and 3 innocent peoples. If she was depressed and this was a suicide attempt, I have no pity for her. Call me heartless, but she could swerved in front of one of my relatives or friends, or worse, hit another van full of innocent children. I have grown cold to stupidity when it results in the injuries or death to the innocent. I've seen too many accidents caused by recklessness, stupidity and/or substance abuse. If people want to make the poor choices that could take their own lives, stay off the roads where innocent people are! GRRRRRR......

ON SCENE UNITS Croton FD Units: 2083 (IC), 2084 (Ops), TL44, R18, M32, E119, Zodiac. Croton EMS Units: 5513, 55B1 (Rehab), 55B2 Ossining VAC Units: 7405 (ALS Chief), 36M1 Yorktown FD Units: 2531, 2532, R55, U84 Croton PD Units: Cars 1, 31, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, Truck 1, Marine 1, Zodiac, Divers NYSP: Aviation, mobile units *OVAC covered Croton with 1 ambulance during this incident.* R18 responded to the Silver Lake Park and deployed the zodiac down stream towards the scene and conducted a search and assisted divers. R18 then responded to the Boat Launch at the end of Veterans Plaza to deploy Marine 32 upstream to search and assist divers. TL44 provided rope rescue equipment and personnel on scene, then redirected to the Van Cortlandt Manor property to walk the shore up to Nordica Drive. Additional personnel were sent to Maio's Landing on Nordica Drive to walk east to check along the shore as well. Command requested E119 to the scene for additional personnel and lighting. E119 was set up on Truesdale Drive and provided lighting down to the scene via on board generator and cord reel. Yorktown FD Dive/Water Rescue Team arrived with U84 & R55 and searched the river first from the surface, then once the current eased up, divers were put to work. After roughly three hours of searching, the party was located and recovered by the YHFD unit. All operations were broken down and units were back in service around 21:00. On behalf of the Croton Fire Department, THANK YOU to YORKTOWN FD'S WELL-ORGANIZED AND OBVIOUSLY WELL TRAINED AND EQUIPPED WATER/DIVE TEAM! You guys were an excellent resource and our operation couldn't have been handled without you! ALSO, THANKS TO YOUR LADIES' AUXILIARY FOR PROVIDING MUCH NEEDED WATER AND GATORADE. Another BIG THANKS to the CROTON EMS members! Many also assisted FD operations, a true testament of the teamwork we've been pushing for. Lastly, I have to thank the nearly 35 members of my own CROTON FIRE DEPARTMENT for their efforts and professionalism, it just doesn't get said enough. Unfortunately we didn't have a positive outcome, however this incident ran smoothly and proved the value of our ongoing training initative.

From Lohud: http://www.lohud.com/article/20090803/NEWS04/90803001

Sadly, I have been keeping up on this. Eminem supposedly has photos of Mariah that "she wouldn't want made public." I just keep praying he lets them out...

The lady that lives around the corner from me has a dog named, "Munson." She told me that they got it from a friend who was a huge Thurman Munson fan. Every now and then when I am out in the yard, I hear her calling, "Munson!" I always turn and look, then realize she's calling the dog...

I wrote this stuff down as I heard it so the times, although probably correct, are estimated. Armonk was requested to relocate to Chappaqua FD HQ at 15:12, retoned for the driver at 15:20 and was enroute at 15:25. It only went to cover Chappaqua and was not pulled to the fire scene.

Date: 7/31/09 Time: 14:52 Location: 621 Chappaqua Road (Mount Pleasant) Frequencies: 46.26 / Fire 16 / Ops 1 Chappaqua FD Units Operating: 2062, 2063, E144, E146, TL27, R23 Mount Kisco FD Units Operating: 2281, 2283, U13 FAST, E106 Millwood FD Units Operating: 2251, 2253, E247 Pleasantville FD Units Operating: 2371, E91 Briarcliff Manor FD Units Operating: 2053, TL40, 53B2 Ossining FD Units Operating: 2332, E98 & U51 FAST Chappaqua VAC Units: 54B1 WEMS Unit: 45M2 Ossining Medic: 36M1 Pleasantville VAC: Rehab Unit WCDES Units: Battalions 12, 16, 17 / C&O Zone 5, Car 24 Weather Conditions: Storms, rain, wind Description Of Incident: 100' x 75' 2 1/2 story Wood-Frame Dwelling with heavy fire conditions. Dispatchers: 626, 661, 667, 622 Reporters: Remember585, efermann, E106MKFD Writer: Remember585 Relocates Chappaqua FD HQ: Armonk E288 (Originally PFD E91, sent to scene.) Millwood FD HQ: Ossining 2331, E97 (Originally BMFD E94, E94 cancelled when TL40 sent to scene.) 14:56 - 2063 on location, working fire. 14:57 - Mount Kisco FAST, Millwood Engine, Chappaqua VAC, 45M2, Battalion 16 dispatched for the 10-75. 15:05 - Battalion 16 requesting a rush on Con Ed electric, downed power lines hampering firefighting efforts. 15:15 - Battalion 16 requesting the Ossining FAST to scene. 15:16 - Operations to switch to Ops 1. 15:20 - Armonk retoned for an Engine Driver. 15:30 - Battalion 16 reports fire on 1st floor, running 2nd floor and possibly in cockloft, using all hands. 15:31 - Briarcliff EMS to scene. 15:34 - Ossining FAST on scene. 15:57 - Battalion 16 requesting MKFD E106 to scene. 16:00 - Battalion 16 reports fire on 1st, 2nd floors and cockloft. Using all hands and the fire remains doubtful. 16:58 - 60 Control advising Battalion 16 that the radar indicates heavy rain and a possible storm cell coming to the area. Mapquest Link: 621 Chappaqua Road

Somehow missed that - thanks.

Looks very well thought out - best of luck with it YFD! One question - does it have on board electrical to power electric tools - like a hydraulic or diesel generator? Just wondering because I know sometimes you're working in areas that are remote from an electric outlet. Thanks - again, very nice and here's to many years of reliable service to the truck and the men using it!