Remember585

That's because it's hard as hell to open anything with donut jelly all over your hands!!!! Just Kidding Cops..... it's all in love and respect for you. There was a photo, I think on Steve Spak's site, of a Truck Company that opened a door then opened a hydrant to control a vehicle fire until the arrival of the Engine Co. I'm going to try and find it.

Thanks fellas!

Anyone know if they're showing episode one again? I screwed up my DVR. Thanks.

I remember the old Gamewell boxes around Croton pretty well. The ones that were maintained had a UV gel that even if you washed your hands turned up underneath an Ultraviolet light. I recall my Dad's original Chief's Car having a "purple flashlight" so they could find the pranksters.

Yeah, you guys always have to be different.... Someone from an outside agency asked why we called a "10-75" for this incident. Simple, we were using "All hands," and because one can never tell how long until Con Ed shows up, and I don't own a crystal ball, the decision of the IC (me) was to call for the extra help "In case." And to answer another question of why we called upon the VAFD Engine for manpower... it was a little lean at first, but after a few minutes we had over 30 people on scene and I released the Mutual Aid. They're on site, almost always staffed and ready to respond. (Not to mention some of our guys work there and know our district and our operations). So sorry if my PROACTIVE PLANNING and LOOKING OUT FOR MY PEOPLE offends some of you! QTIP

That house is set back quite a way, how many lengths did it take to make the fire room? Good stop Peekskill.

At our most recent fire, we encountered a construction I have seen before, but can't figure out the reason behind it. It's a 2 1/2-story four apartment building built about 10-12 years ago. The first floor has metal C-joist studs, but the second floor has wooden joists. Anyone know why they would put the heavier materials on the upper level? To me, it seems like if you get a hot enough fire going on the first floor and have failure of those metal joists, that second floor is going to pancake down - no? I haven't been involved in construction since High School, so any thoughts on this are appreciated.

After further examination, the first floor is made of cement blocks, with metal studs inside to create a framework for the interior walls. The second floor is all wood, covered with the cement board with a rough finish similar to stucco.

My bad - studs. I always exercise caution with that word on these forums.... goes to some guys' heads.

We're holding a parade this year in honor of Croton Fire Patrol's (R18 / M32) 75th Anniversary. If interested in attending, please email our department at crotonfd@optonline.net. Tell 'em Roundhead sent ya!

This is horrible! My heart goes out to the Police Officer(s) that watched him decapitate the five year-old. Those are the guys that are going to need the most support!

Great posts! When I first joined, my Engine had a preconnected 1 3/4" line in compartments over the rear wheels. They were accordian packed and anytime we needed to pull them out it was a disaster. When we designed our current Engine, we all agreed we were done with accordian packed attack lines, because they never seemed to lay out as they should and became nothing more then a pile of spaghetti at the rig. Training is needed when it comes to stretching in. Let's face it, Engine Company guys only have one task, to line in and get the fire. Truckies have a ton of responsibilities and the good Truck Companies have it down to a science (OV, Can, Irons, etc.) so why is pulling a line in such an ordeal? In my younger years in the Department, calls weren't as frequent as they are now nor was training nights. I remember plenty of times when I was the nozzle guy running to grab it, getting it and running to the fire. I left a knot of hose behind me and often came up short of my target. Thankfully I matured and took more training and got the experience to learn from my mistakes. 1. Learning how to size up a building an decide how long a stretch is needed is vital. Add the length and width of the building to get your base stretch length. Then add a length (50') per floor. If the building is set back or otherwise inaccessible from the street or driveway, add as needed. For example, if you have a 100' x 50' two-story private dwelling without any setback issues, 4 lengths or 200' should be sufficient. 2. Know the length of your pre-connects! If you're stretching into a warehouse, don't pull the 150' crosslay unless you know for sure that your fire is within reach and not going to move. (Because we all know fires never spread...) 3. Know your hosebed loads. I know that on our 3 Engines they all have 1400' of 5" LDH (give or take) and at least 500' of 1 3/4" and 500' of 2 1/2". (In most cases our Engines carry more). Because we run five companies in three houses, we cross-train several times per year on all of our rigs. 4. Label EVERYTHING. Again, using our Department as an example, we have three Engine Companies. A guy assigned to E118 may be asked to pull a line off of E119, but isn't familiar with it's loads. We've put large labels on all of our crosslays and hosebed so anyone pulling knows what they're getting. 5. Hoselines can be added to, aerials can't. When possible sufficient room for the Truck or Trucks should be left by earlier arriving Engines. We should all have a general idea of the room needed for the Truck's outriggers, it's scrub area, etc. I like seeing posts like these and reading the input from everyone. Keep it coming!

There's water mixed in with all of that human waste in the Hudson? Who knew! Congrats to Yonkers, any idea when these vessels will be in service?

Sounds good. How about putting some time in at Croton EMS??!!

It's gorgeous, but it needs Scotchlite...

I'm working that night. I will try to make Spam Night whenever that happens!

Why is PD needed at an activated CO alarm? Ahhh..... Had to do it..... don't take it personally and drop a bambi bucket full of water on my house!

We just switched our dispatch from our PD to 60 Control. Overall, it has been very good. The biggest problem we had with our PD dispatching us was inconsistency, and to be honest, I don't blame them. They were depending on an Excel spreadsheet to tell them what to dispatch on what types of calls. Many times, it wasn't read because those working the desk had done it so long they just went on instinct. Having a CAD system like 60 Control has eliminated so many of our problems when it comes to that, and for that I am glad. When it comes to MVAs, FD isn't always needed nor is EMS. Most PDs will respond and assess what resources are needed and if it sounds severe enough or if multiple calls are coming in, most are smart enough to know that they should start FD and EMS out, knowing if they're not needed they can always return. With us, our FD goes on all MVAs. Many times the FD isn't needed for anything more then traffic control or to help out EMS. We never hang out at a scene we're not needed on. I will say this much, when a PD gets a call or multiple calls of a rollover and/or a car that has left the roadway, it might be wise to start out EMS and FD instead of waiting until a unit can get there.

Here's some photos from the car into gas main with fire incident today on Mount Airy Road.

Con Ed had to get it from the street.

21 Mount Airy Road - Mount Airy Woods.

You gotta quit that work stuff Mike! A car backed over the curb, ran over the gas main then struck the electrical meters. It ignited almost instantly, and luckily the driver pulled away and escaped. Car 2082, who lives across the street, saw what happened and reported it to 60 Control. E118 arrived first, pulling two 1 3/4" lines and using the deck gun to protect the building. A third line was stretched around back to the 2nd floor. Crews set up protective lines to keep the fire from getting control of the building. Some extension was found in the walls and they were opened up (after extensive work to move stuff out of the way) to complete extinguishment. All occupants were evacuated and no injuries were reported. On Scene: Croton FD: 2082, 2083 (IC), E118, E119, TL44, E120, R18 Ossining FD: 2332, 2334, E98, U51 FAST Montrose VA: 2571, 2573, E225 Buchanan FD: 2551, U12 Croton EMS: 5511, 55B1, 55B2 Cortlandt VAC: 88B1 Ossining VAC: 7405, 74B1 Westchester Cause & Origin Zone 4 & Car 24 Westchester Battalion 10 Croton PD: Car 1, Car 33, Car 30, Car 31, Car 32, Car 38 Con Ed Gas (At least 12 reps) Relocated to CFD Station #3: Montrose: 2273, E121 Ossining: L41 Briarcliff: 53B2 Stand-by in own Quarters for VA & Tri-Village: Buchanan E161

Can deliveries be made to say, 4 Dana Road???

Joe, The only low pressure bags in my area that I know of are not in an FD, but with A&P Towing. They have a box truck full of LP bags and equipment. From what I recall all of the departments around my area, including ours, use HP bags.

It happened on the other side of the country, yet it still stings like it was here. RIP.