Bnechis

If you own a telesquirt (I do not know if there are any left in Westchester), you can have it identified as an engine of ladder (particularly if you don't have one). There were 4 snorkels (Bedford Hills, Mt Vernon, Scarsdale & Verplanck) I believe all have been replaced with tower ladders (verplanck's is articulating).
Now I have mixed thoughts on the "quint" designation. If you actually run it as a true quint (with proper staffing to be a quint [min. of 6]) it would be nice to know it. That being said I don't believe anyone in Westchester is really running a quint. They are running an understaffed engine with an aerial or a ladder with not enough hose/water to work as an engine.

 
Reports are that BFD was accusing Scott for causing back injuries to the members and wanted Scott to pay the medical costs and disability costs. Apparently wearing the packs without the waist strap puts undue weight on the upper back. Well hello....if you use a product in a way that the manufacturer says you shouldn't, the liability falls on you not the manufacturer 

.The response of the FDNY small boat to Rye illustrates what some think is one of the great weaknesses in Westchester fire protection is along the Sound Shore where fire fighting capabilities are shaky to .non existent. From the Bronx line to Connecticut there are billions of dollars of boats, marine facilities and shore front properties yet there is little meaningful  fire protection.   

Their is a science to fleet management and many departments have no idea about this.
What is the best time to replace a rig? Much depends on its condition, wear and tear etc. A small department that runs 300 calls a year vs. a busy one doing 10,000. etc.
But their are a number of factors to consider:
1) NFPA standards list 25 years max life, but only if the vehicle has a safety upgrade at 15 years. How many safety updates has the industry seen in the last 25 years? seatbelts, antilock breaks, automatic traction control, tilt testing, etc.? What is the liability on keeping rigs longer than this?
2) Resale value. At 10 years and 1 day the resale value of apparatus dramatically drops. Their are some large depts. that have a very progressive program to remove all rigs from primary service at 8 years and place them into the spare fleet. They are sold before their 10th year. The maintenance costs avoided, plus the resale value mean these departments actually spend less (over a 30-40 comparison) than those depts. that keep the rig until its only value is for scrap metal.
3) Maintenance Costs. Most apparatus components are covered under warranties, almost all run out by 8-10 years. The cost of maintaining older apparatus is dramatic compared to new (particularly when many costs are covered by warranties). Experience shows that in a fleet of 20 vehicles, the 2 oldest may take up to 80% of the maintenance budget. And it is not uncommon for depts. to spend 5-10%/yr. of the cost of a replacement on older apparatus. This does not take into account the down time which is hard to measure financially. As many major manufacturers have gone out of business these costs and time goes up.
4) Budget Cycle - Most depts. never set a long term replacement cycle. This creates major financial stress and causes delays in purchasing which will increase costs (particularly interest costs for bonding). If you have 100 apparatus in your fleet and you determine that the average life you want is 10 years, then every year you need to buy 10 new rigs. If you have 4 rigs and you want 20 years than every 5 years you need to buy a rig. This pattern must continue forever. If the rig ages get to close together, your costs get piled on in a very short period. If you have a steady pattern it is easier to budget and maybe even save for.
Replacement cost (average):
2 engines $500,000 each
1 ladder $1,000,000
1 Rescue $250,000
Your average is $562,500. If you buy one new rig each year you need to budget $112,500 every year (plus inflation) and you will maintain your fleet at no rig over 20. and a new rig every 5 years.

Their is a science to fleet management and many departments have no idea about this.
What is the best time to replace a rig? Much depends on its condition, wear and tear etc. A small department that runs 300 calls a year vs. a busy one doing 10,000. etc.
But their are a number of factors to consider:
1) NFPA standards list 25 years max life, but only if the vehicle has a safety upgrade at 15 years. How many safety updates has the industry seen in the last 25 years? seatbelts, antilock breaks, automatic traction control, tilt testing, etc.? What is the liability on keeping rigs longer than this?
2) Resale value. At 10 years and 1 day the resale value of apparatus dramatically drops. Their are some large depts. that have a very progressive program to remove all rigs from primary service at 8 years and place them into the spare fleet. They are sold before their 10th year. The maintenance costs avoided, plus the resale value mean these departments actually spend less (over a 30-40 comparison) than those depts. that keep the rig until its only value is for scrap metal.
3) Maintenance Costs. Most apparatus components are covered under warranties, almost all run out by 8-10 years. The cost of maintaining older apparatus is dramatic compared to new (particularly when many costs are covered by warranties). Experience shows that in a fleet of 20 vehicles, the 2 oldest may take up to 80% of the maintenance budget. And it is not uncommon for depts. to spend 5-10%/yr. of the cost of a replacement on older apparatus. This does not take into account the down time which is hard to measure financially. As many major manufacturers have gone out of business these costs and time goes up.
4) Budget Cycle - Most depts. never set a long term replacement cycle. This creates major financial stress and causes delays in purchasing which will increase costs (particularly interest costs for bonding). If you have 100 apparatus in your fleet and you determine that the average life you want is 10 years, then every year you need to buy 10 new rigs. If you have 4 rigs and you want 20 years than every 5 years you need to buy a rig. This pattern must continue forever. If the rig ages get to close together, your costs get piled on in a very short period. If you have a steady pattern it is easier to budget and maybe even save for.
Replacement cost (average):
2 engines $500,000 each
1 ladder $1,000,000
1 Rescue $250,000
Your average is $562,500. If you buy one new rig each year you need to budget $112,500 every year (plus inflation) and you will maintain your fleet at no rig over 20. and a new rig every 5 years.

It would actually be nice to see Ralph Stupple get it, considering the fire district decided to eliminate his position and demote him not too long ago. That would be the stand up thing to do, considering the circumstances.
 
He is also extremely qualified, after having served as an assistant chief for many many years and serving as a westchester county fire instructor for many years as well.
 
But hey, what do I know......If you advocate for doing the right thing, you must be the crazy one.

I still maintain that no fire department in NYS works a 3 platoon system.  All work a 4.  The hours of their shifts get them to 40 or somewhere near.  So no I don't know any departments doing 24 on/48 off in NYS.    

As of January 1st it is 30. It was 27 for the last 15-20 years

As of January 1st it is 30. It was 27 for the last 15-20 years

As of January 1st it is 30. It was 27 for the last 15-20 years

Reread the RFP. It requires the developer to provide it. Also the city can not de-map Cedar st. Only NYS can since it belongs to them.

you are absolutely correct'  what was I thinking.  I know nothing of rocket science 

Leaving your (100' ladder) tiller behind and taking the much smaller squirt because you lack a tillerman is not what I'd consider to be an "excellent plan B".

so if crossing borders is ok for an incident, yonkers and mt Vernon should be able to go a few blocks into the Bronx  and fdny should be able to go a few blocks north because they were in the area,  and why stop at fires  take in all their ems calls also  might be a cardiac arrest  and save a life. Good communications is what is needed  If I am first due  and I have apparatus from another district already on scene my game plan has to be modified very quickly.  

I'm sorry but if you can not staff a ladder with at least a driver and tillerman, then maybe you should not burden your community with the cost of a fully equipped ladder ($1- $1.5 M). Your ladder needs at least enough staffing to do truck work 

So if the chief drives, who runs the fire? Or does he park the truck and not have anyone doing laddering, FE, SAR, vent, salvage and overhaul?
 
i am sorry but showing up with a one man squirt instead of a ladder COMPANY is not an excellent plan!, it's covering up a departments shortfalls so the public doesn't know you are faking it!
 
save my baby! Save my baby! ...... I'm sorry ma'am but we brought the toy truck instead of the big expensive one that we told all the taxpayers we had to have to protect you. 

I'm sorry but if you can not staff a ladder with at least a driver and tillerman, then maybe you should not burden your community with the cost of a fully equipped ladder ($1- $1.5 M). Your ladder needs at least enough staffing to do truck work 

So your saying the 37 Port Authority Police Officers who gave their lives on that day were "glorified security guards " ? 

I'm sorry but if you can not staff a ladder with at least a driver and tillerman, then maybe you should not burden your community with the cost of a fully equipped ladder ($1- $1.5 M). Your ladder needs at least enough staffing to do truck work 

It maybe the reality, but that's the whole point of this thread. We have more apparatus in Westchester than FDNY, but more than half never goes out the door and the rigs that do are almost always understaffed. Maybe instead of maintaining 100's of unnecessary equipment, we need to worry about staffing.
 
the point of the testing was to show that they did much worst. In fact the chances of survival for a victim was much better with a four man crew that arrived latter than two 2 man crews that arrived sooner.

While 2 is better than 0. This is not an acceptable response. Read the NIST studies that show a four member or more crew that takes minutes longer to arrive still performed significantly better than a fast arriving two man crew. 

It maybe the reality, but that's the whole point of this thread. We have more apparatus in Westchester than FDNY, but more than half never goes out the door and the rigs that do are almost always understaffed. Maybe instead of maintaining 100's of unnecessary equipment, we need to worry about staffing.
 
the point of the testing was to show that they did much worst. In fact the chances of survival for a victim was much better with a four man crew that arrived latter than two 2 man crews that arrived sooner.

It maybe the reality, but that's the whole point of this thread. We have more apparatus in Westchester than FDNY, but more than half never goes out the door and the rigs that do are almost always understaffed. Maybe instead of maintaining 100's of unnecessary equipment, we need to worry about staffing.
 
the point of the testing was to show that they did much worst. In fact the chances of survival for a victim was much better with a four man crew that arrived latter than two 2 man crews that arrived sooner.

While 2 is better than 0. This is not an acceptable response. Read the NIST studies that show a four member or more crew that takes minutes longer to arrive still performed significantly better than a fast arriving two man crew. 

It maybe the reality, but that's the whole point of this thread. We have more apparatus in Westchester than FDNY, but more than half never goes out the door and the rigs that do are almost always understaffed. Maybe instead of maintaining 100's of unnecessary equipment, we need to worry about staffing.
 
the point of the testing was to show that they did much worst. In fact the chances of survival for a victim was much better with a four man crew that arrived latter than two 2 man crews that arrived sooner.