helicopper

Yup, between the County and the City they have about 30 police helicopters and are always in the air. The left coast definitely makes the most of these assets. This rescue was made by the crew of Rescue 5, a soon to be retired Sikorsky H-3.

Yes, that's a big difference. I was thinking that 2M per unit was a waste of money but 200K is a bit more reasonable.

The Westchester County Police Academy has had one of these for years - probably 10 or more. Every cop trained by the academy has been through this simulator and through a multitude of training simulations including simunitions where "rounds" are actually exchanged. It is a very useful piece of equipment and has a real value in training tactics, decision making, and other things that simply can't be taught in the classroom.

If that is the case why not mirror the federal legislation instead of limiting it to consumable supplies and a $10,000 limit? Don't fire districts have contracts with the towns they support? Couldn't it be spelled out in the contract that the town would bill under the federal legislation? How have FD's been reimbursed during the past 30 years?

Any idea why FASNY proposed something more restrictive/limiting than the existing Federal legislation?

Impressive. It's good to see someone really thinking and being proactive about things. The level of student interaction and involvement is equally impressive.

But wait, there's more... Order in the next 20 minutes and we'll add one crusty old bomb technician and two, that's right TWO, decrepit old police cars to your order. All you pay for is shipping and handling (and feeding the cranky old bomb tech).

A degree is never a bad thing to have in your back pocket and you should absolutely obtain one that (1) doesn't pigeon-hole you into a single career and (2) get involved in something that interests you. Every pilot is one medical away from being grounded and you never know when a medical condition or accident will ground a career pilot so having another option if/when that happens is simply good planning. Just like paramedics and EMT's are one lift away from a debilitating back injury. Continue working with your faculty advisors and physicians. The FAA is a colossal bureacracy and it may take time to have your issue resolved (hopefully for you favorably) but they will eventually give you an answer. Good luck and happy flying!

Date: 09-19-11 Time: 10:05 (approximately) Location: 78 Orchard Street, c/s HIgh St and Moquette Row South Frequency: 484.7125 Units Operating: YFD, YPD, Empress EMS Weather Conditions: clear, cool Description Of Incident: Fire throughout 2 story frame structure. All-hands on arrival by Batt. 2. Several first due companies already committed to fire at nearby nursing home. (additional run-down info to follow) 10:15 - Second alarm - Squad 11 (FAST), E314, L70, MSU (with delay), Car 2 10:18 - Car 2 assuming command. Exposure 1 = street, exposure 2 = 2 story frame separated by 5 foot alley, exposure 3 = rear yard, exposure 4 = attached vacant 2 story frame. All companies working. 10:22 - Car 2 directs E314 to secure large main hydrant at Nepperhan and Myrtle and replace E314 on the 2nd Alarm. E313 replacing 314 on 2nd alarm and enter scene from Ashburton Ave on Orchard St. 10:30 - Batt 2 reports main bodies of fire knocked down on all floors and basement. Companies continue to open up. Reporters: helicopper Writer:

It is a crash-rescue style truck and probably serves two useful purposes. One is an aircraft suitable apparatus due to the proximity of Riker's Island to LaGuardia Airport and the other is good old fashioned disorder control!

Some good law enforcement news for a change... Link to Full Story

The collision speed in this case was probably HALF your estimate.

Putnam Valley's board can't put pressure on Putnam Valley let alone the State of New York. Statistically is that stretch of highway a deathtrap? In years past (I haven't reviewed the data recently), the numbers of fatalities was actually low in Putnam County.

It would be nice if they did build an overpass but as you say, they'll just keep driving faster and faster. Given the state's budget though, I'd be surprised to see this anytime soon.

Well, I can understand your saying things to ease the grief in the doctor's office but here it boils down to a factual analysis. I'm not Monday morning quarterbacking and this wasn't a t-bone collision. Based strictly on the kinetics and vehicle damage, it was a survivable collision for a vehicle occupant; in fact, the driver of the other vehicle walked away physically unharmed. Again, I completely understand that you're trying to ease your wife's grief but for those on this site that are looking at the accident, the physics are the physics.

[sigh] The vehicle is nothing more than the conveyance for a person or persons to a scene. It shouldn't matter what the side of the vehicle says.

I respectfully disagree. The vehicle collision was survivable. The outcome was a result of the doctor being struck by a vehicle; an exponentially more dangerous scenario than being the occupant of a vehicle with airbags, seatbelts, and crumple zones. This is a tragic accident but the speeds in this case were not excessive.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article533826.ece (video embedded in article linked above)

Five years ago, just before the July 4th weekend, central NY and specifically Broome County were hit with severe rain and record breaking flooding. It seems that the records are being broken by last night's rainfall occurring on the heels of Irene and our other heavy rains. Endicott, Johnson City, Vestal, and Binghamton all have areas with mandatory evacuations. Other areas are also being hard hit. The FDNY T2 Incident Management Team is preparing for assignment to Broome and the Western NY T3 IMT is on stand-by for assignment to other affected areas. The NYS T2 IMT is still on assignment in Schoharie and is augmented by T3 teams from California and Ohio. If you were up in Broome, Delaware, or other parts of the state in 2006 for mutual aid, get ready for the sequel!

It's not UNcommon, but capabilities vary from agency to agency and even aircraft to aircraft.

Dan, it may be that this hits a little too close to home for your to be objective but I think every law enforcement officer on here will tell you that almost every contact with a violator - from a traffic violator to a mass murderer states that "they did nothing wrong". I'm not suggesting that photographers are in the same category as violent felons so let's not misinterpret taht. The public perception that law enforcement officers "need someting to do" is probably as old and frustrating and photographers being asked what they're doing. He was doing his job; that is what he's out there to do. Whether a photographer or a "couple" or a group just hanging out, he probably would have contacted any of you to find out what you were doing there. I'll be the first one to say that photographers have the right to ply their trade but not with impunity. They should be responsible and employ some discretion and a little bit of understanding about what the "other side" is doing.

For a long time Google Earth and other sites had critical infrastructure pixelated so it couldn't be used by our enemies. You're right, though, they can/do use such things to their advantage. I'm not advocating 1984-esque controls on information but I've seen people attempting to take photos of security features at critical infrastructure. There is an issue with that. I would argue that from your vantage point 1/2 a mile from the bridge (and at night) you can't see the security features but that would simply be my opinion. I guess I'm not stating my point well so I'll try one last time. There has to be a balance between security and the right to take photos. I wasn't specifically referring to your incident when I responded and some of the interactions that people are all fired up about are within airports, at bridges or dams, etc. There are security concerns at those locations.

Evidently the first responders couldn't be relied upon to follow rules and regulations and not post such images publicly. There are also different standards for those operating under the color of law or with special privileges and access.

So the documented instances of surveillance by criminals and terrorists against government facilities and infrastructure aren't something that law enforcement should be involved with and we're merely hassling photographers? There are regulations at military installations, airports, and area bridges and tunnels restricting photography so it is not just urban legend. Is it perhaps misunderstood? Yes, but it is misunderstood by both sides. There are cops who think the blanket prohibition is correct and there are photographers without an ounce of common sense. I'll take this one step further. You assert your right to photograph whatever you want and you post your photos of the XYZ bridge or entrances and security measures at the 123 building on your website. Now the bad guys don't even have to do the work, they copy your photos from your website and bingo, they've done their recon. Property owners, too, have a right to restrict what you do on their property so security guards and the owners or their agents absolutely have a right to tell you to get lost if you're on their property. The link you posted doesn't provide anything more substantive on the subject either.

I'm happy to report that the last of the mutual aid to Schoharie County will be demobilized tomorrow and the entire operation will be turned back over to the County on Sunday. Unfortunately, the counties south and west of there, Broome, Chenango, Tioga, etc. will probably still need assistance so the mutual aid calls may stlil be coming.