res6cue

 
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to "abandon" UHF fireground. In fact, that is one of the few things the surrounding counties got right so far...Westchester, Rockland, Orange fire depts all operate on UHF fireground, making interops easy.
 
44-Control monitors all UHF fireground in Rockland by way of receivers at all 12 trunked system sites. They "vote" the strongest signal so that the clearest transmission is always heard on the consoles in the radio room. There is no reason that Westchester couldn't do the same, assuming they ever get this new trunked system built out.
 
If you're advocating for some sort of fireground system that goes through repeaters or a trunked system, vs analog simplex line-of-sight...then I'm afraid you're going down the wrong path. K.I.S.S. when it comes to fireground comms, do not unnecessarily complicate things or depend on equipment at fixed remote sites. Nothing is safer and more reliable than two radios communicating directly line-of-sight, period.
 
 
 
You're never going to have "one system" for multiple counties like that. The best we can hope for is that Westchester and Orange both get their acts together and finally build out their 700 MHz systems. Obviously Rockland is already ahead of the pack, having operated on the 700 MHz system for three years already. Time for the others to get on board so that the systems can be interconnected via ISSI. That will solve quite a few of these "interoperability" issues.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

I believe that you're the one who needs to research the facts.
 
Here is the exact timeline of events:
 
21:56 - 911 call to Rockland reporting CPR in progress aboard tugboat Pilgrim
21:57 - Stony Point FD and Sheriff's marine units dispatched
22:19 - Haverstraw Fire Inspector spots tugboat at Tilcon's Haverstraw location
22:30 - Sheriff's marine unit on scene, boarding tugboat
 
The Rockland County Sheriff's marine unit was on scene and boarded the vessel 34 minutes after the initial distress call to Rockland 911, which was 11 minutes after the location was positively identified by cell phone ping.
 
Now go ahead and explain where you came up with that ridiculous bit about how:
 
 
45 minutes hadn't even elapsed between the initial 911 call and the Sheriff's marine unit boarding the vessel. Facts matter.
 
Except for the unavoidable and unfortunate delay in finding the vessel due to them reporting their location incorrectly, it was a pretty straightforward operation by Rockland units.
 
I stand by my initial point, which is that the bulk of the confusion was limited to Westchester units.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

and members wonder why no one is on this site anymore. at least this wasn't a paid vs volunteer bashing. good job!

At around 1730 hrs on July 2nd, 2014, there was a hardware failure with the simulcast controller for UHF fire paging on 470.800. The failure was caused by a lightening strike in the rear parking lot at 44-Control, which caused damage to the port on the controller that gets the audio from the consoles in the radio room. For just under two hours, there was no dispatch audio coming out over 470.800, however the tones and dispatch audio were still broadcasting fine over 46.18. Most departments still had low band pagers issued out, with some UHF pagers already in the mix. Yes, departments were advised to muster manpower to standby at the firehouses so they could minimize the impact of those who had UHF pagers missing calls during those two hours. The failure did not result in a doomsday scenario, as all departments were able to monitor dispatch over 46.18 with the low band equipment that was still in place.
Within a few weeks of the failure, a more robust backup UHF paging solution was aggressively implemented. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a failure like this to smack some sense into those controlling the purse strings.
Note that none of this had anything to do with the 700 MHz trunked system, which continued to operate at 100% capacity during the UHF paging failure.

Thanks, Sgt! We appreciate and thank you for your time in bringing your knowledge to our forum. Your post helps everyone know more about your unit, and we hope that others in positions similar to you will do the same to clear up any future misconceptions and provide helpful information to the hundreds who will read and reference your post. I'm sure the information you posted will be called upon by many people in IC roles in the future.
Also, as noted in other posts above, to note to members of the forum, please don't make a topic with an assumption that just because you don't hear a unit on the scanner, that it's no longer in operation.In other cases, it could be as simple as they changed the frequency they operated on, or your scanner is broken and no longer in operation lol.

Thank you. I absolutely respect your opinion. The cost if the overhaul seems reasonable for the role you have described. I hope it serves Rockland and surrounding communities well.

You're certainly in the minority with your thinking, especially when it comes to the people whose opinion actually matter, meaning those who work and live in and around Rockland County. Those who understand the purpose of the helicopter and who have appreciated the fact that Rockland has operated their own helicopter for nearly 40 years. Ask the river departments from both counties how much of a "waste" the helicopter has been over the past few decades when they need the bridge or water to be lit up, or need infrared search capability. You know, Westchester County didn't always have a fancy set of brand new helicopters, so who do you think provided those services for all of those years?
Your comment "going to turn out to be some sort of VIP transport vehicle" makes very little sense. Do you realize that this is the same helicopter that Rockland has owned and operated since 1986, and is not something new for the county? The existing helicopter was sent out for a much needed refurb and updates, but it's been the same exact helicopter for the past 28 years.
As far as the helicopter being used for brush fires, it's quite valuable being up in the air when something breaks out in Bear Mountain/Harriman State Parks. This isn't out west where huge water drops are required for wildland fires, most brush fires in the parks in this area are dealt with by cutting fire lines and letting the fire run its natural course. It's nice to have a helicopter with infrared capability up in the air within 30 minutes to spot for the Forest Rangers and ground crews.
It's nice that Westchester found $9 million to spend on a pair of brand new Bell 407's, but that wasn't in the cards for Rockland. There was an attempt to purchase a Bell 407 with the same capabilities as Westchester in 2006, but it never happened. Instead they came up with $320,000 of asset forfeiture funds and gave "old reliable" a refurb.
Anyways, as I said...the people in and around Rockland appreciate the fact that the county has operated their own helicopters for 40 years now, and they understand that the current model does have limitations. There are no shortage of other agencies in the region that have additional capabilities (WCPD's two helicopters, NYSP, NYPD, West Point, etc.), and I'm quite sure that if Rockland spent $4.5 million on a brand new Bell 407 with all the bells and whistles that WCPD's helicopters have, many would complain that it's a duplication of services and a waste of taxpayer's money...instead of making comments about how the current model is a "waste" because it can't drop 100 gallons of water on a brush fire in the woods.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

No one single agency operates it. Oversight for the helicopter is governed by a board that represents all of Rockland's emergency services (H.E.L.P., see below).
The helicopter is equipped for aerial observation and air support operations (search, illumination ,fire spotting, etc.). It does not have medevac, hoist or firefighting capabilities (e.g. Bambi bucket). It is equipped with a 30 million candle power searchlight and a FLIR camera.
http://rocklandgov.com/files/9013/5998/5543/Helicopter3Panel.pdf
http://newcity.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/rocklands-emergency-helicopter-getting-a-makeover-tha806786a2d4

My name is Vincent Antonecchia, I am a Sergeant with the Westchester County Police and the Commanding Officer of The Westchester County Police Aviation Unit. After being alerted to the content of this forum, I am compelled to respond professionally, clear up any false information or misconceptions and provide accurate details about our capabilities and the mechanism for requesting our services.
We are still very much assisting regional jurisdictions and municipalities. The Unit consists of six police officers, including myself and we are all trained as Tactical Flight Officers. One officer is our Unit mechanic. He is A&P/IA licensed through the FAA and has extensive experience and training in the commercial aviation industry. We currently have two Bell 407 helicopters and there are four commercially rated helicopter pilots with varying backgrounds, training and experience. Safety is our number one priority and we strive to be available and provide whatever resources we can to Police, Fire and OEM's. Recently, at the request of the Westchester County DPW, we used our infrared FLIR technology to locate a large underground steam leak at the Westchester Medical Center and prevented the need to dig multiple and costly search holes.
We are available 24/7/365, but obviously limited during inclement weather, high winds, crew availability and concurrent operations. Due to manpower limitations, calls for service and budget constraints, we staff the Unit five days a week from 0900/2400 hours. Our services are FREE as we are a regional asset and regularly operate outside of Westchester County. Any municipality requesting air support should contact the WCPD Desk Officer at (914) 864-7890. Any specific questions concerning the Unit and our capabilities can contact me directly at (914) 995-5019.
The following is a list of our most commonly requested services and capabilities in no particular order:
Bambi-Bucket (fire fighting) operations. We do not require Forest Ranger of SEMO authorization to be called, but requests should be based on common sense, severity and requesting agency protocols FLIR (Infrared) searches (day & night) - Great for locating suspects, lost hikers or "Hot-spots" at fire scenes Ice/water rescue Scene Illumination Aerial photography (Video and/or stills) Surveillance and/or reconnaissance Live video microwave downlinking Project Lifesaver Special Response Team and/or equipment insertion or extraction Scene Illumination Locating and identifying fuel spills/contamination of waterways Force multiplier We are currently conducting hoist training with the WCPD Emergency Services Unit and Marine Unit and will have this completed in mid-May.
Thank you to all who have supported our cause and utilized our services. We look forward to providing whatever regional air support is necessary to increase safety and enhance or further your mission success.

Thanks for the confirmation.
It's remarkable, given the post you made over the summer regarding the (lack of) availability of the pilots because the county is concerned with OT being out of control, and yet the county can find $9 million to spend within the last 8 years for two fully equipped, state-of-the-art helicopters.
I'm not hating on the PD or the aviation unit, so don't anybody get it twisted. I actually think it's fantastic that they're so well equipped, and I know they keep very busy, so this isn't a case of some outfit buying a very expensive piece of equipment that will only get used a handful of times a year at most. More power to them for managing to pull of getting two of these 407's...I only hope they staff them properly so that when their services are requested, they can actually have a crew to operate them.

According to buddies of mine at County PD, yes they did.

Am I seeing double, or did the county purchase a second Bell 407 in 2011? Two separate FAA registrations (N509PD and N592PD), two different years of manufacture (2006 and 2011), and two different serial numbers on the registrations (53703 and 54073).
They didn't publicize the second one like they did with the first, that's for sure. I couldn't find a single article online announcing the purchase of the second one, nor is it mentioned on the DPS website.
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=509PD
http://flic.kr/p/aumzx4
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=592PD
http://flic.kr/p/cDa4v7

Could you elaborate on where one could go to do as you've mentioned?

I haven't really seen anybody "crying."
What I do see is another blatant attempt to bash volunteers as you often seem to do. It seems you only post when it's a pro-career topic or anti-volly.
I get it, you're a career FF (apparently) and you're proud of that. I get it and I totally understand it. I have nothing but respect for career firemen and am proud to call many of them my friends.
Just don't understand why you continually waste your breathe on bashing vollies?
Stay safe sir

What would that have to do with the Spring Valley FD? They are not "taking jobs" form union people. How could that be if there were never paid positions to begin with?
I guess if your a union guy (for the record I am also, and also volunteer) when you have work done on your home you always use labor from union locals to do the work. Not electricians, plumbers or carpenters that are not in a union right? Good man.

So, he will not allow his village workers to respond with the village dept to calls within the village...but he's perfectly fine with town and county workers who volunteer with surrounding depts responding mutual aid into the village to bail them out? Ridiculous.
When you start to exaggerate that badly to make your point, you lose credibility. SVFD averages 1,000 calls per year, which works out to 2.7 calls per day. Taking into account that a number of these calls come in at night and on weekends, the percentage that come in during weekday working hours starts to dwindle. Then take into account how many of those weekday working hours calls are not false alarms, but are instead legitimate calls, and the number dwindles even more.
Of the 929 calls they've responded to so far in 2013, 414 have occurred between 0700 and 1800 hrs Monday through Friday, which is a pretty generous 11 hour workday (there were only 328 calls between 0900-1700 M-F). 150 of those alarms were not in the automatic alarm, telephone alarm, or alarm sounding category; they were legitimate calls to varying degrees. That leaves 264 that were most likely false alarms, which works out to be about 1 per weekday. "Every five minutes"? Hardly.
They are also at the top of the chart as far as legitimate fires and incidents are concerned, so they're hardly chasing 1,000 false alarms each year. Yes, 534 of their alarms this year have come in as an automatic alarm, telephone alarm, or alarm sounding...so assuming that all of them were false/nuisance alarms, that's a 57% false alarm rate. It's probably a little bit lower than that assuming a few of those turned out to be legitimate causes, but it's still over 50%. However as broken down above, less than half of those types of alarms have come in during weekday working hours.
The bottom line is that these numbers matter. It matters how many calls come in during normal working hours, and it matters how many of them are BS alarms vs legitimate alarms. If the mayor wants to make a stink about guys lollygagging at BS calls for "3 hours" while on the clock, then let him back that claim up with some data.
Instead this guy wants to settle old grudges, that's really what this is about. Anyone familiar with this guy's history understands this is not about him "doing good for the village", it's personal.
He should've sat down with the FD to come up with a policy that made sense, such as limiting the types of calls they can respond to initially. You know, hang back for automatic alarms unless it turns out to be a legitimate call, then they can respond if a request for additional manpower is transmitted.
Here's the breakdown of their incidents in 2013 so far, for those interested in raw numbers:
929 Calls in 2013 as of Dec 4th
416 AUTOMATIC ALARM
69 ALARM SOUNDING
49 TELEPHONE ALARM
45 BRUSH/MULCH/RUBBISH OUTSIDE
36 SMOKE/ODOR OF BURNING - INSIDE
32 STRUCTURE FIRE
30 HAZMAT
27 ELEVATOR RESCUE
25 VEHICLE FIRE
24 ELECTRICAL OUTSIDE/WIRES/POLE
21 OVEN/APPLIANCE/COOKING FIRE
20 NATURAL GAS - OUTSIDE
18 HAZMAT
16 CO W/ SYMPTOMS
15 SMOKE IN THE BUILDING
14 SMOKE/ODOR OF BURNING - OUTSIDE
14 ELECTRICAL INSIDE
11 UNKNOWN TYPE - OUTSIDE
9 UNKNOWN TYPE - INSIDE
9 DUMPSTER FIRE
8 FLOODING CONDITION
6 ASSIST POLICE/EMS/UTILITIES
3 EXTRICATION CALL
3 BOILER/FURNACE
3 BARBEQUE GRILL/OUTSIDE EQUIPMENT
1 WASHDOWN
1 STANDBY
1 RUBBISH FIRE INSIDE
1 PUMP OUT
1 COLLAPSE
1 ACCIDENT - NO EXTRICATION

Rockland County has a longstanding countywide Mutual Aid Plan that all 26 depts participate in. There are no "1 to 1" agreements per se, although some depts do establish AMA arrangements for certain types of calls, e.g. a dept might have one particular neighboring dept dispatched automatically for a FAST to all reported structure fires within their jurisdiction. These arrangements still fall under the overall countywide plan, however, and are established in the county's CAD system. 44-Control is the single point of dispatch for every fire dept in the county; there are no other PSAP's that dispatch fire anymore.
https://rocklandgov.com/files/5213/4211/7836/Mutual_Aid_Plan_Revised_2011.pdf

So, he will not allow his village workers to respond with the village dept to calls within the village...but he's perfectly fine with town and county workers who volunteer with surrounding depts responding mutual aid into the village to bail them out? Ridiculous.
When you start to exaggerate that badly to make your point, you lose credibility. SVFD averages 1,000 calls per year, which works out to 2.7 calls per day. Taking into account that a number of these calls come in at night and on weekends, the percentage that come in during weekday working hours starts to dwindle. Then take into account how many of those weekday working hours calls are not false alarms, but are instead legitimate calls, and the number dwindles even more.
Of the 929 calls they've responded to so far in 2013, 414 have occurred between 0700 and 1800 hrs Monday through Friday, which is a pretty generous 11 hour workday (there were only 328 calls between 0900-1700 M-F). 150 of those alarms were not in the automatic alarm, telephone alarm, or alarm sounding category; they were legitimate calls to varying degrees. That leaves 264 that were most likely false alarms, which works out to be about 1 per weekday. "Every five minutes"? Hardly.
They are also at the top of the chart as far as legitimate fires and incidents are concerned, so they're hardly chasing 1,000 false alarms each year. Yes, 534 of their alarms this year have come in as an automatic alarm, telephone alarm, or alarm sounding...so assuming that all of them were false/nuisance alarms, that's a 57% false alarm rate. It's probably a little bit lower than that assuming a few of those turned out to be legitimate causes, but it's still over 50%. However as broken down above, less than half of those types of alarms have come in during weekday working hours.
The bottom line is that these numbers matter. It matters how many calls come in during normal working hours, and it matters how many of them are BS alarms vs legitimate alarms. If the mayor wants to make a stink about guys lollygagging at BS calls for "3 hours" while on the clock, then let him back that claim up with some data.
Instead this guy wants to settle old grudges, that's really what this is about. Anyone familiar with this guy's history understands this is not about him "doing good for the village", it's personal.
He should've sat down with the FD to come up with a policy that made sense, such as limiting the types of calls they can respond to initially. You know, hang back for automatic alarms unless it turns out to be a legitimate call, then they can respond if a request for additional manpower is transmitted.
Here's the breakdown of their incidents in 2013 so far, for those interested in raw numbers:
929 Calls in 2013 as of Dec 4th
416 AUTOMATIC ALARM
69 ALARM SOUNDING
49 TELEPHONE ALARM
45 BRUSH/MULCH/RUBBISH OUTSIDE
36 SMOKE/ODOR OF BURNING - INSIDE
32 STRUCTURE FIRE
30 HAZMAT
27 ELEVATOR RESCUE
25 VEHICLE FIRE
24 ELECTRICAL OUTSIDE/WIRES/POLE
21 OVEN/APPLIANCE/COOKING FIRE
20 NATURAL GAS - OUTSIDE
18 HAZMAT
16 CO W/ SYMPTOMS
15 SMOKE IN THE BUILDING
14 SMOKE/ODOR OF BURNING - OUTSIDE
14 ELECTRICAL INSIDE
11 UNKNOWN TYPE - OUTSIDE
9 UNKNOWN TYPE - INSIDE
9 DUMPSTER FIRE
8 FLOODING CONDITION
6 ASSIST POLICE/EMS/UTILITIES
3 EXTRICATION CALL
3 BOILER/FURNACE
3 BARBEQUE GRILL/OUTSIDE EQUIPMENT
1 WASHDOWN
1 STANDBY
1 RUBBISH FIRE INSIDE
1 PUMP OUT
1 COLLAPSE
1 ACCIDENT - NO EXTRICATION

Rockland County has a longstanding countywide Mutual Aid Plan that all 26 depts participate in. There are no "1 to 1" agreements per se, although some depts do establish AMA arrangements for certain types of calls, e.g. a dept might have one particular neighboring dept dispatched automatically for a FAST to all reported structure fires within their jurisdiction. These arrangements still fall under the overall countywide plan, however, and are established in the county's CAD system. 44-Control is the single point of dispatch for every fire dept in the county; there are no other PSAP's that dispatch fire anymore.
https://rocklandgov.com/files/5213/4211/7836/Mutual_Aid_Plan_Revised_2011.pdf