Medic137

Date: 04/13/2018
Time: 10:49
Location: 390 Ludlow St / 860 Canal St
District: SPD-2 / SFD-2
Battalion: South End
Channel: Tac 2
Weather: 78 Sunny
Units: SPD: 2A20, 2B35, 8S2 (Patrol Sgt), 8D (Patrol Lt), K9-1, 2P231 (Parks), 3D47, 1C27, K9-6
          SFD: E2, T2, FM103, FM109, FM110
Writer:  AFS1970

Description: Caller reported helicopter landing on roof of building which they believed to be suspicious. PD arrived and found this building formerly had a licensed heliport on the roof. PD determined that pilot had previously landed here but the building was now under new ownership / management and the heliport was no longer maintained and in poor condition, however heliport is still recognized by FAA. 
 
SPD requested fire marshal to evaluate condition of roof. and safety for take off & landing. SPD also consulted by phone with CT State Police Aviation unit. Roof was determined to not be suitable for take off. Fire Marshal requested Engine & truck to stand by due to aircraft on unstable surface. Helicopter was removed by crane at 17:35 and placed on flatbed, then was escorted by police and fire to parking lot of West Beach on Shippan Ave. Helicopter was then removed from flatbed and was able to take off safely at 18:21. 

 
Do not try an introduce open-mindedness, common sense or any attempt to try to get to the bottom of this story. It will delay the mob mentality response, which must proceed unabated! Flying off the handle at the slightest slight, real, perceived or completely imagined, is the way to get things done!

I have read on a number of sites the backlash, almost all based on the board being unpatriotic or trying to be PC.
 
Beyond, what the board reported as being a safety issue, no one knows what the motivation is. 
 
But, I have witnessed, flags getting larger and larger on the back of rigs, to the point that we are disrespectful of the flag.
 
On engines, I have witnessed hose being laid over a flag that's so large that without wind or driving it hung below the level of the bed.
 
On ladders, I have witnessed grease and tattered ends on the flag where it whips against the turntable gear. I have also seen where it rubs on ground ladders as they are moved in and out of the ladder tunnel.
 
On all rigs, I have seen filthy flags, because the dirt that swirls around the rear of the rigs.
 
On the safety side, I have seen them hiding flashing safety lights, turn signals and break lights. Saw one get burned by high intensity flood lights and have seen firefighters grabbing the flag to help them climb the rig.
 
This is not patriotic, nor is it how the flag should be respected! I am not saying they should be removed, but consider how we are displaying them.

This is the company that lowballed Montefiore and destroyed Our Lady Of Mercy EMS, which was a great EMS service, putting profits over people, and causing people to lose good paying, stable hospital jobs.

These were some fun stats from todays visitors to EMTBravo, gathered by Google Analytics. Due to the infinite ways you can compile stats on the site, I may make this a regular feature featuring fun information gathered about the site. "Like" this post and if I get enough "Likes", it'll become a regular feature.
Today, we'll be looking at sessions and locations. These numbers fluctuate daily.

Total number of Sessions within the date range. A session is the period time a user is actively engaged with your website, app, etc. All usage data (Screen Views, Events, Ecommerce, etc.) is associated with a session.As of 21:46hrs today, we've had 42,348 total sessions today. As reflected, people visit EMTBravo.com from around the world. These numbers fluctuate widely daily, and if I get enough likes to this post to continue the series, I'll break down even more stats from EMTBravo members from around the world visitsTop Ten Sessions by locations:
1. United States 41,788(98.68%)
2. Germany 137(0.32%)
3. Canada 96(0.23%)
4 (not set) 52(0.12%)1
5. Mexico 48(0.11%)
6. United Kingdom 30(0.07%)
7. Brazil 16(0.04%)
8. China 15(0.04%)
9. France 12(0.03%)
10.Australia 10(0.02%)
And some who didn't make the top ten but are still interesting :
13. Japan 9(0.02%)
16. Italy 6(0.01%)
17. Russia 6(0.01%)
22. Ireland 3(0.01%)
24. Myanmar (Burma) 3(0.01%)
27. Aruba 2(0.00%)
61. Saudi Arabia 1(0.00%)
52. Jamaica 1(0.00%)
48. Croatia 1(0.00%)
34. Guatemala 2(0.00%)
25. Poland 3(0.01%)

1) The land owned by the Bedford Fire District is actually located on the corner of Old Post Road and Southbrook Rd, directly across from Greenwich Road. Not at Route 172 and Route 22.
2) Bedford is in committee to replace Engine 110, a 1987 Seagrave Engine. The members of the department and district feel that replacing the engine is what they need to better serve the community.
3) As a Chief of a neighboring department that has an excellent social and working relationship with the Bedford Fire Department I can say that the departments in our area (especially the 13th and 16th Battalions) train multiple times a year and we run through as many "Water Supply" and structural firefighting scenarios as we can plus we all run together on a regular basis.
We all know the resources the BFD has to offer. Engine 109 is the scene engine, going directly to the seat of the fire. while Engine 108 lays to or from a water source, while the mutual aid tankers nurse or set up for shuttle operations. The Chief Officers of BFD have done a great job for pre planning all of their box alarms for Greater Alarms. On any reported Structure Fire in their district, they get at a minimum of a mutual aid Ladder Company and Tanker, and as the incident envolves so do the resources called in their predetermined Greater Alarm polices.
4) In this time with all of the talks of how Fire Departments should be consolidating, sharing resources is the most economical and fairest option for the taxpayers of the Bedford Fire District and the Town of Bedford.
5) Lastly, in regards to the Pound Ridge Incident, The Chief called the resources he felt were necessary for THAT incident, and in no way was he trying to "shaft" BFD out of the mutual aid assignment.
Thanks for reading and have a great Thanksgiving!
J.Nickson
Asst. Chief BHFD

good work truck always had loose shifting patterns, had to open vent window on passenger side to shift into 4th gear

All cars being ordered are being ordered blue. Just because you say that a single manufacturer makes the paint and now has stopped making it doesn't mean the cars will no longer be blue....
Also the fact that I just took this photo this past week shows you the new blue color...

When they were 1st available to us out of Westchester they got overused.
What finally mad everyone think about its use was an extended extrication we had on a local road (car wrapped around a telephone pole). The closest landing zone was 1/2 mile away. 2 patients both critical. 1 ambulance was sent to LZ, got the crew an transported to the scene. Other went to the scene. The more critical patient was removed and transported to the copter. 10 minutes later the 2nd was extricated and was transported by ground to Westchester Medical Center. The medevac crew had advised that the 2nd patient should go by ground.
The 2nd patient was in the treatment room at WMC before the 1st patient, because the flight crew was "stabilizing the patient for flight" for close to 30 minutes.
We stopped using them after that,

Pretty soon they will need to update that with "2014, got rid of the worst PCR software system EVER". (EMSCharts).
But as usual I digress. The origianal post was 'Peekskill Fire Protection Jeopardized by EMS".
I think jeapordized is a strong word. Maybe "compromised', 'weakened'. But I bet others would say, "Peekskill citizens get enhanced service for their FD dollar with the only FD in Westchester to perform ALS." I bet a look at the number of fires versus the number of lives saved by the fire medics would support the second one.
If COP fire protection is negatively affected by EMS, why then is not ALL fire protection done by FD's that commit ANY resources to EMS also negatively affected?
The answer is that it is part of the job of serving the public. It is like saying that responses to car fires endanger the protection of structures. When was the last time anyone "saved" a burning car?

What if? What if? What if?
You can "what if" things to death and the bottom line always seems to be we respond to the call we have. We don't decline to respond so we can remain available for the call that we MAY get.
What if Engines 131 and 134 are on another FIRE call when your hypothetical structure fire comes in across town? Does it matter that the call is EMS or FIRE? It shouldn't. It's still our customer calling for help.

My favorite is when two neighboring VAC's each have one EMT/driver on and get toned out and neither can get a full crew! Why not consolidate and rotate departments with a full crew? These two VAC's have a very low call volume so one full crew would be much more beneficial then two incomplete crews. The phrase "take it with the medic" is common place now.

The judges are reviewing the quotes to see just what was said...the air is thick with anticipation of their decision, there's alot riding on the outcome. This could finally put the debate of paid vs volunteer to rest....
OK looks like they've reached a decision......let's get back to the ring for the English Professor's call....
"After reviewing the quotes, we have reached a decision...
Actually what was said is "people who work (or volunteer)"...people being the noun (i.e. who) and work or volunteer being the verb (i.e what they are doing), so this round goes to dave0820"!!
So there you have it folks, in an unexpected 3 to 2 call, the judges have confirmed that volunteers ARE people. Wow what drama.............

Why wouldn't a dispatcher send PD to these kind of calls, that makes you think you have to inform the dispatcher on how he or she should do his job? Perhaps, next time you advise that you have fire blowing from the 2nd floor window, should we ask "well are you putting water on it?"

I wonder what percentage of Firefighters could have made the 2 moves that that tradesman did?

Kind of amazed at the level of misinformation presented here. The basic facts are:
The Somers Fire District did originally end the WEMS dispatching contract as of 12/31/13. At their request, they extended the contract twice, currently slated to end 9/30/14. WEMS agreed to this for the benefit of the district and the town. This gives them the needed time to fully switch to 60-Control, which is the current plan. The plan for WEMS is to re-locate our dispatch center to our HQ where it can better be managed at the end of the current contract.
Prior to WEMS being contracted in 2002, SFD employed their own dispatchers. They felt rather than continue to manage staff, it would be beneficial to outsource for personnel. The staff is shared between the two services which saved SFD a considerable amount of money rather than having dedicated dispatchers. In addition to dispatching, the dispatchers provide a considerable number of services including monitoring security cameras for four stations with over a dozen pieces of equipment. They also help manage the LOSAP system, state reporting, and possibly most importantly they provide a 24 hour emergency presence in town, since there is no full time police department. This was well appreciated with the recent storms of the last few years.
The SFD continues to evaluate the costs and benefits of using their own dispatchers, with WEMS, or switching to 60-Control. There's really no "drama" or "controversy".

In VT, at the EMT level, Narcan is administered 2mg IN for adults (1mg in each nostril) and 1 mg IN for pediatrics (0.5 mg in each nostril). The IN Narcan drug kit comes with 1 IN applicator with 2mg of Narcan in the sole vial. The IN dose of Narcan can be titrated for pediatrics by simply not administering 1mg in each nostril and instead only administering 0.5mg per nostril.
While it is not "official" protocol, most ED docs have no problem with you giving a pediatric dose of Narcan to adult pts provided the adult pt is breathing adequately without additional ventilation after a pediatric dose of Narcan is administered. In that way can it be titrated to avoid combative patients or unwanted situations.

Those violent reactions usually occur when the drug is given too fast via the IV route. I haven't seen it happen when given IN.
Like ALL drugs, narcan must be given carefully, with good judgement and when indicated.
I think we're forgetting an important fact though. The issue is respiratory depression. This is easily managed by any BLS trained provider. You don't need a magic drug to fix it. You need a BVM.

Gentlemen, I would like to start by thanking anyone who was involved with on scene operations as well as all of you who took the time to bring us refreshments and food during our definite time of need. While I was not on scene, I would like to try to clarify some of the still foggy details.
1.) @RWC130, Engine 138 was successfully removed from the building before any damage was sustained. That goes for E-139, E-140, and T-1 as well. R-24 was badly burned and while it's not been deemed a total loss yet, it's in bad shape. We did lose 2142, a 2006 Chevrolet Suburbam 2500 as well as ex-2143, a 1998 Chevrolet Suburban 2500.
2.) @JM15, Mack your somewhat correct. We do currently have a tanker in the final/paint stages at 4Guys and we were visiting for pre-paint inspection. Myself and 3 others attended. Truck looks phenomenal, once I'm done here I'll post a few pics.
3.) Our tanker was full until, like GBFD111 said, an ex chief deployed the contents into the 1st arriving Porta-Pond. Standard practice is to leave the tanker full in quarters in preparation for an alarm, we're no different, our tanker stays full.
4.) The alarm system was functioning properly and it did activate. The original call was for a commercial alarm. Anyone who has any doubts regarding this fact, pm me your cell numbered I'll be glad to send you the ipage.

This is one of those exceedingly rare cases where I can offer a valid comment: 1- we had a fire, 2-I was there and 3- I think the article referenced was about the fire.
This came in as a working fire, and one of our officers confirmed it in less than 3 minutes. It took me 10-12 minutes to get there in an engine, going from first tone to on-scene, and I was there third, I believe. I was then directed to a hydrant at BOCES, which google has as 1.9 miles away and a 6 minute drive (by car, not tanker.) in order to fill tankers.
Our chief called tankers from Yorktown, Katonah, Goldens Bridge and Millwood. And we had our own 3000 gal tanker and a 2000gal tank engine. At times I was filling two tankers at once with a 5 inch line to each and maxing out the hydrant- to which I was hooked with a 5 inch and a 3 inch intake line.
Being that I was out of the engine setting up, and running 200 yards to cut a chain on a gate to help the tankers with their approach, I missed a lot of radio traffic. It sure seemed to me they arrived at my spot fast and empty.
What I am trying to get across is there were no complications, but it was a big hassle as compared with the hook-up and look-up type of water supply that many of my less rural brother MPO's are blessed with.

As a non resident I don't believe you have any standing to say anything. It's likly that you wouldn't even be permitted to attend a Town of Chester meeting. And pardon me for saying, but it sounds like you have a real hard *n for this MLSS and an unrelistic/unsupported/unsupportable belief in CVAC simply because they happen to be a VAC! Please! Remember Corona VAC in Queens. I say lets wait and see how this develops. Maybe the leadership really knows what they are doing and didn't banrupt the organization. Anything is possible.

Now here is another question for the agency. The suspended EMT is at the bay with another EMT & a driver when the call for the 4Y/O comes in ......Two minutes later another call comes in for an injuried 80 Y/O man. The question is why were they not already signed on & enroute to the first call. Two minutes is really a long time to be sitting around when everyone (crew wise) is there.

I am just having an image of a bunch of tired, wet, hungry firemen trudging away from a smoldering foundation and hearing the OIC say, "Wow, that should have been an easy save. I guess we really suck. We need to get way better at this". I just can't see that happening.

So far that's almost 8 million in replacement cost and there are only 9 out of 59 depts. listed. Good thing the tax payers are willing to keep digging deeper to pay for rigs that in many cases have difficulty getting out the door with proper staffing.
How much $$$ are we going to spend before we agree that every square mile in Westchester does not need 3 engines a tower ladder and a rescue?