Remember585

EMT or Medic - you don't need a badge nor a uniform. You need to show not only the patient, but the crew, family and by-standers that you know what you are doing and carry yourself in a professional, confident manner. A badge nor a uniform doesn't mean jack. Been doing EMS for 15 years, certified for 13 of them and only wore a uniform time to time when working EMS. Most of the stuff I have done is in my free time, in my personal clothes (no Van Halen shirts...) and because I know what I am doing and I keep everyone informed of what I plan on doing and what I have found....they respect me.

If, hypothetically, the suicide phones on the TZB aren't working and someone tries to use it in hopes of being talked out of jumping.......can the family sue if they jump?! Hmmmmm............ I think too, like others have said, if people want to go they go. Those that call probably don't want to die, they just want help. And lastly, if they walk on to the bridge to use the phone, do they pay the toll?

Well said, the straight-sticks are slowly vanishing from existence 'round these parts. I agree JBJ too - the Seagrave plant was real impressive, I hope to go there again one day and take a look at the new building. PS - how is the new rig of yours coming along?

AMEN BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Croton FIRE Marine 12 - 25' Boston Whaler with 250 gpm firefighting and rescue capabilities. It is in service and in the Hudson River at Croton Yacht Club. It now has twin 125 hp motors. Here's a photo link: Marine 12 Marine 32 - 16' Starcraft aluminum boat used primarily in the Croton River and reservoir systems. It has a 20 hp motor and is used for rescue/recoveries. It is stored on a trailer at Station 3 and is tower by either Rescue 18, 55B1 or 2081. Zodiac - We also have a 12' soft-bottom zodiac vessel powered by "people with oars." It is stored at Station 3 and is used as needed. Croton POLICE Boat 1 (I think) - Used for patrolling the Croton River and if needed for operations on the Hudson River. It usually is in service on weekends and holidays in the Summer with at least two Officers - usually at least one Diver. It is a 17' 18090 BW Pro Sports Boat with a 90 HP motor. Here's a photo of it:

Good question. At our job (60 Control) we try to keep all communications, not just the dispatch, minimal and to the point. Usual dispatch script is like this... "60 Control to Armonk EMS and 45M1, 123 Anywhere Street between A Street and B Lane for a 73 year-old male with chest pains, Armonk EMS and 45M1 123 Anywhere Street for a 73 year-old male with chest pains, 15:33, 642." With many agencies buying pagers with the playback feature and the added advantage of an I-page (text message) from 60 Control, repeating the dispatch is almost obsolete. I listen to several other agenices and even a couple of area counties and listen to the "Harvard Sentences" they use to dispatch a simple job. It personally drives me nuts.

I have, and I am still not that impressed. It's a personal choice, you can all stop attacking me....jeez!

I love red. I just don't care too much for the black stripe, not much help at night. I remember seeing those green rigs at a prison fire (I think) on that show The Bravest. I miss that show, bring it back!

I did the same thing a couple weeks ago, had my camera out for a good shot..... And the memory card was in my laptop at home.

Very sad. I met Joe a few years back and could tell he was the kind of guy that everyone has described him as. Thoughts & prayers with Joe, his family and the BMFD.

Well put. I've seen those old, smaller chocks get squashed a couple times, and despite our best try, we can't do it to the crushing chocks. DOUBLE CHOCK 'EM!

Nothing is perfect, but we seem to settle on this statement instead of pursuing a better result. Stat or any Medivac shouldn't be a consideration too far into your call. We have had the discussion of starting out fire resources based on information from dispatch, knowing your area, past incidents and other crucial factors. If you know you have a ground transport time that is 2, 3, 4 or more times longer then a flight to WMC, then instead of WAITING until you or one of your units arrives and finds a helluva mess, have them ready to go sooner. I will admit that we have had the bird a few too many times when ground transport would suffice. It all comes down to knowing your area and the resources available to you. Without traffic and assuming the driver is following all applicable laws, we can get to WMC in as little as 10 minutes. Do we need the chopper, probably not. Especially when it is a State Police unit that we can't communicate with, but that's a different topic. I am not a Medic nor an ALS provider so my knowledge of what they can do is somewhat limited. I have been a BLS provider for nearly 14 years. There's been calls where we can credit STAT for being a part of the life-saving chain and there's been an equal, if not more, times where it's called and not really needed, and their crew would agree. Take the time to learn what they can offer, host an outreach, I promise it will open your eyes.

As a Westchester Dispatcher I can tell you that most of us have learned which units belong to which Departments. It happens over time that you get the hang of things and remember them. Occassionally a unit comes up on the air we haven't heard in ages and look at each other and say, "Who the flock was that?" It usually occurs with Mini-Attacks and Utilities since in many cases they don't run as much. BUT - we have a great CAD and we have a screen that shows a Run Card and lists that Department's resources. Being a buff my whole life helps too - I know not only Westchester IDs but Putnam, Rockland, and Dutchess. So sad...... I would love to see us use a numbering system that is station or Department specific, but who would pay for all the fancy gold leaf to be changed?!!

They provide a BLS First-Response, right? If the County wants an ambulance in that station, then provide the space, the personnel, the rig and the money to make it happen. I bet there is something else going on here that isn't mentioned.

The horns atop the cab of that Rescue - and correct me if I am wrong - violates the NFPA 1900 standard for fire apparatus, right? Aren't all audible warning devices to be mounted forward / below the driver's area now? It's funny to me how many people firmly believe a fire truck should be RED because people associate it with a fire truck. So why install TRAIN HORNS on a fire truck?! Wouldn't complacency of hearing these horns in a train community make the normal driver ignore it - at least the first time or two it is blasted? We have hundreds of trains passing through our little butt-crack of a community and the trains are as common a sound as dogs barking. Then, don't forget the SYPSTC condition people have when they realize they have a fire truck comming up on them with a billion lights and a combined 500 watts of noise coming out of it. PS - SYPSTC is Sh!t Your Pants, Stop The Car....a problem I know I see too often.

That poor dog....

ALS, you forgot to mention the hospital was spitting distance from your scene! We had, until recently, used the Code 1 and Code 2 rule in the FD. Code 1 was emergency mode and Code 2 was non-emergency mode. It was easy enough. We never said 10-20 or "Respond with Caution" since our first EVOC class in 1995. Now it's non-emergency mode, or it is emergency mode. Simple enough. What helps too is our SOG which basically says if there is no life-threatening problem or potential for one - we go non-emergency mode. Sure, I am like everyone else and I love the sound of the sirens, but it makes sense. I will never understand why lights and sirens are used for stupid, non-emergent calls like lockouts, lock-ins, pump outs, etc.

It ain't perfect, but I like ours. Engine 123 - it's an Engine. Rescue 7 - a Rescue. Mini-Attack 28 - a Mini-Attack. Doesn't seem like it can get easier to me...

Thats a shame....Allentown, the Mack home - covered by KMEs....

I think you can look in your own backyard. Cortlandt Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

It's today!

Remember too - don't straddle a charged line.

Good question, I think it has been asked before. Departments with a FAST (that I know of): Ardsley Bedford Hills Chappaqua Croton Dobbs Ferry Eastchester Elmsford Fairview Greenville Hartsdale Hastings Irvington Larchmont Millwood Mohegan Mount Kisco Mount Vernon New Rochelle Sleepy Hollow Ossining Peekskill Pleasantville Port Chester Scarsdale Valhalla West Harrison White Plains Yorktown VA Montrose Sadly there is no set standard for FAST training in Westchester. Every Department seems to have their own philosophies and rules pertaining to it. Some Departments don't even have every member trained in the NYS FAST class. What people don't realize is that a FAST must be members with a decent amount of experience, a great amount of training, a strong will and an understanding that the job isn't about saving our own - it's also about keeping them out of trouble. Too many FASTs stand around like a live manger scene at Christmas and don't put forth the effort to be pro-active. Our Team requires: - Experience (decided upon by the team on a case by case) - Essentials & Initial Attack OR Basic & Intermediate OR FF I - Survival - FAST - CPR - NIMS Compliance / ICS Training We're still working on the wording of it, but the members are also trained in Rescue Ops / Rescue-Tech Basic, Ladder or Truck Company Ops, AVET and many other classes including building construction and structural collapse training. We drill once a month as a Team in addition to our Company and Department Drills. Hope this helps.

We're all going to hell.... but at least we'll laugh about it!