Bnechis

Since our population (and area) is more than 3 times the size of the cities in Orange county, one would consider it is needed.

No, 3 members per (plus DC & Aide). We use to have 4 on engines (3 on trucks) until the layoffs 20 years ago. Back then we were doing about 4,000 calls/yr. they cut the Engine manning by 25% and now we have doubled the call volume. Why do injury rates go up when manpower is reduce? When we operated with 4 member engines: The average amount of weight carried by each member when operating in standpipe buildings (we have over 500 of these) was 127 pounds. Thats including: Turnouts, SCBA and standpipe equipment. With 3 member engines: The average amount of weight carried by each member when operating in standpipe buildings is 154 pounds. We still need the same equipment to do the job, but with less personnel, each member is carrying 27 additional pounds and walking up 4-6 stories. Knees & backs can't take 20+ years of this.

It has nothing to do with that. As we have seen Mayors do the same. The real issue here is Albany. They have no problem giving us mandates and this year they are very proud to have given us the tax cap. They claimed we would not have layoffs, even though the Mayors & Managers associations both said we would. I wrote about this 3 years ago in the consolidation study, that if they ever passed the cap, we would have layoffs, and a lot of people did not want to listen.

We had 168 in 2008, with attrition we are down to 151, take these 6 positions and 3 more attrition positions in 2012 we will be at 142. In 1974 we had 198 and they were responding to about 900 runs per year. We are now running between 8,000 and 9,000 per year. If this budget passes, we will be at our lowest manning since the 1930's and our highest call volume in our history. Speaking of History........2011 is our 150th Anniversary.

Thanks Chief. Yes in the mid 1970's, but also in the early 1990's. Whats really sad is they understand that these cost savings will drive our injury rate up and it will actually cost the taxpayers more than they will save by this budget proposal. Lo-Hud Article

The ability to communicate on a large scale during a national emergency is very important. But considered that during the single biggest emergency in the 40-50 years of the EAS....September 11, 2001.....it was not even used. CNN & other media coverage was able to inform the public reasonable well.

I dont know the details in Yonkers, but in New Rochelle the preference is dictated in the Federal Court Decree (vulcan case). Yonkers also has a similar decree (but I dont know if has residency in it).

Someone or a group of guys could do something that could compromise the integrity of the bridge....like holes and rust. But do not worry, Mr Feiner will take on security by personally patrolling the bridge once it has been replaced by a new bridge and he makes it a park.

I agree that it does not change anything (it may make it easier, because its not attached to just the edge and you have some working room. It is highly unlikely that he will put on a harness. There are some very good specialty victim harness out there that work nicely, most standard harnesses would put this victim in more danger if he tried to slip it on while dangling.

Chief, How long have you been out of New York State? Nothing can be done in this state in a week.

Thats why you lower into a police boat.....

This is not a difficult or dangerous rescue for a well trained rescue team. You attach a lowering system and a short haul system to his rigging. Lift him up about 6" or a foot and disconnect his rigging from the bridge, then lower away. Simple, safe and easy And sounds like thats what was done.

Westchester does not have a test, the test is developped and administered by NYS Civil Service. And on test day they run hundreds of simultanious tests statewide.

Sir your statement is completely slanderous…..

They are dispatched by FDNY and are a part of the system.

Only if the more Jr. officer made errors that were highly questionable and resulted in major unwanted consiquenses. Prior to that occuring the chief can always step in. But a great chief, lets his officers make errors and then learn from them.

Just because a chief is on-scene does not mean he is "in command". If he arrived after a Jr. officer is he in command or does command need to be transferred (formally or informally)? And the redundancy is needed to a) guarantee a volunteer response 24/7 and on the administrative side, there is much more to be done than 1 or 2 people should be handling. While I agree that Jr. Officers need to learn the ropes, playing devils advocate here: Some of the smaller depts. handle fewer than a couple hundred calls per year. Now the chiefs been a member for 20 years and has gone on 50% of the calls each of those years (I think thats a high average) thats 2,000 calls before in his entire career. I suspect only a very small percentage is for anything serious. now when he was a Lt. & a Capt. the chiefs then responded on everything so he never got command experience till he became a 2nd asst. So of his 2,000 calls he didn't get to command anything till 2 or 3 years ago, so he has only been to 200-300 calls as a command officer (and a sr. one might have also been there running things). While I agree the Jr. officers need training and experience, in many depts. the chiefs need it also.

Mt Vernon and Yonkers had AA not A1 New Rochelle had the NR Hospital ambulance, then Abbey Richmont, Affiliated, Empress, Abbey and now Transcare.

To get you back on topic, I suggest you bury your phone, the service cant get any worst.

If it works so well why do we keep having repeat fires in the same ConEd underground vaults. Takes 3x longer to get the power back on and its great to see CO levels of 800ppm in multiple dwellings. Thats true, its much cheaper in a right to work state to do this type of project. And the property costs are generally lower as well. A ConEd rep told me that if they buried mine it would cost me $10,000 to go 30 feet from the right of way to the corner of my house, not including the repaving of my driveway. For that money a good generator gives more back up than burying the lines. This is not including the rate increase for the million or so per mile to get it here. We also have a right of way between my home and the next, that runs power to 3 homes behind me. they would need to dig up 135' of driveway then 100' of private lawn, then another driveway, then another 100' of lawn. Plus about 40 trees and roots to deal with. They justified it with insurance reductions and drinkable water.

The village is approximatly 4.4 miles long and 0.9 miles wide (at the pointwhere the firehouse is. And while being along a boarder is generally not a great location, they are approximatly 2 miles from one end and 2.5 from the other. This one house meets the distance and time standards based on location. And while it would be nice to have the house closer to the south end, that is where PCFD is coming from and moving RBFD south would leave the north end further from both depts. Do you really think that Rye Brook needed to appease him. Or did the Mayor and Council need to save face after they spent millions on "Our Rye Brook Fire Dept" (as R/M's video claimed they were). They just changed the format. If they dropped the dept and went back to PCFD without a RBFD, it would have ment that the entire concept was stupid and a total waste of taxpayer $$$ They have since the day they decided to bring in R/M.

I have seen many "local" standards and most are "SUBSTANDARD" and in many cases were actually illegal. NY is one of the few states that does not have a statewide standard.

It is very common for the 1st unit on the scene to be the only apparatus time recorded. NFPA (1710 & 1720)and Fire Service Accreditation both also require a time when the last apparatus arrives on scene. This is to determine wwhat the total manpower was and when. Its critical for that 1st unit to be onscene quickly, but if it takes 30 minutes for the rest of the 1st alarm to arrive, we have additional problems.

Yes, so the King of England Established it....and long before their was an FD. But nice info, thanks