helicopper

And prior to that were the strobes. Did the rules change regarding candlepower or are they simply being ignored? It does still state one light visible from 360 degrees so what's with the grill lights, deck lights, and other lights that are not authorized?

Stand by, are you saying that your scenario involved a tow truck hooking up a car with an injured person still inside it? If that's the case there is certainly a big issue and the tow service should be dealt with by the local authorities.

My bad! The bottom line is we still need to find a way to do it better!

Where in the article does it state that she reported a fire and the PD responded first to "check and advise"? You're jumping to a conclusion there. The article states that PD was sent to a woman screaming call, not a fire call. If the story was that they sent PD to a fire and not the FD, I'd be right there with you advocating an overhaul to the 911 system but I still wouldn't advocate using seven digit numbers to reach individual FD's. If you read the example that bnechis posted, if that homeowner had dialed the number to the Scardsale FD, they would have had to notify the New Rochelle FD and that would have resulted in a delay also. The point is that we need to simplify the system. The article points out that their 911 system is antiquated and my post stated that we should be overhauling ours as well so things like this don't happen.

I can't believe you're actually advocating seven digit numbers instead of 911. The problem here wasn't that they dispatched police to a fire call; it was that the woman didn't tell anyone what was going on and the call was terminated before they could find out. What if this was a domestic and instead of a fire at her back door it was an ex with a gun. Here comes the FD bouncing into the backyard because she called your seven digit number instead of 911 and you responded. Now we've got dead or injured firefighters. This is a great example of why the whole 911 system needs to be overhauled and updated. No more political PSAPS - one PSAP for wired and cellular phones in Westchester County, centralized communications, and trained dispatchers to handle the workload.

Was there a victim in the car being hooked up by the tow? Why should they wait until Fire arrives to hook it up if there is no fire/injuries? As for policies or rules, most municipalities have regulations for tow services and there is generally a rotation of authorized tows or a preferred vendor who has met some sort of minimum requirements to be an authorized tow for the community. I'm guessing that the municipality to which you're referring has no such thing. Has an officer from your department spoken with the PD or the tow services to resolve this?

Hopefully you'll include a certain helicopter in that effort! THAT will make for an interesting summer next year!

I truly believe that these guys bashed themselves and no matter what the outcome of the investigation, they have tarnished their, and by extension our, images with their conduct or lack of conduct, whichever you prefer. Yes, I really would expect them to touch a patient and/or perform CPR without gloves. You can "protect" the seizing patient and/or perform chest compressions (if indicated) without gloves. Best option, no, but given the circumstances you can do a great many things without contact with BBP. If they had called 911 and STAYED ON SCENE to await the ambulance, we wouldn't be having this discussion. The bottom line is they just left and that is a disgrace. On the subject of PPE, don't all restaurants in NYC have to have a medical emergency kit containing at the very least a pocket mask? Wasn't that a big push a few years back? That makes the PPE argument moot.

Perhaps, but you go with what ya got and we got a lot of Fords. As for all the other criticism, when you're rolling up alongside someone and they glance over this logo is more subdued than a standard paint job so it will do the trick. I can attest to the fact that with or without push-bumpers, antennas, a cage, etc., people will do stupid things anyway so the operator of this car will have plenty of business. Push bumpers on highway cars are essential. You don't want to be caught in the traffic jam created by the dummy who stayed in the left lane when his car stalled and you don't want to be the cop stuck behind him hoping and praying that you don't get rear-ended before the tow arrives. It's also not truly unmarked so it has many other uses than just enforcement. Maybe, if they're not on the phone or texting. Hmm... If they're on the phone or texting and not paying attention, perhaps that's exactly why this car is out there.

That's something that the taxpaying public should be made aware of. Save $50 or $100 in taxes, pay $100-200 more in insurance and risk not having enough resources show up when your house is on fire.

Great post. Creating a culture where the TIC is used routinely provides two benefits - one, it's being used as a matter of course and not "oh yeah, go get that thing out of the dusty box on the engine, and two, it's training everytime it is used. I've harped on the need to regularly use it to learn how to interpet the data that it provides so you know when something unusual is going on. If you only break it out once in a while you can miss a lot of info. The issue of not relying on technology is well stated to and that's why the 360 degree visual recon (when possible) is so crucial too. (And for your crusty old guys who hate anything that requires batteries or has an on/off switch!!! ) Bottom line is that combining the use of sound fireground tactics with the use of the best available technology is the best recipe for a successful conclusion.

Thanks for the numbers LTNRFD. I was wondering what the impact would be on the taxpayer. The reality is that they don't equate these cuts to reality, that is actual people working an actual job and the operational impact losing 21 positions will have on the department. To them it's all - reduce the tax rate. These cuts may reduce the tax increase from 12% to 8% (totally ficitional numbers used only for illustration) but the taxpayers will actually be getting screwed twice. There's still a tax increase and the service they receive is being cut. Sadly, even if the union defers their raise, they're out the 15 positions that were vacant and elminated and in all likelihood they'll be facing the same nightmare next year or even sooner if the State keeps cutting aid to locals and schools. It ain't over yet - not by a long shot!

And their undergraduate degrees from one of the most prestigious schools in the United States... that's right West Point!

If they are a single aircraft/base operation, it is possible that they've never had a mishap. And it really isn't something to boast about. First of all, karma has a funny way of making people eat their words and second what will the press coverage be like if they do have an incident. Ouch. I'd have to do some research to see if the State Police were ever involved in a crash but I know they've had "incidents" (of any sort). AirMethods (parent company to LifeNet) is a national provider with aircraft all over the country and they have had crashes/incidents but none locally (happily). If you really want to do research on the subject, try the FAA or NTSB websites and their reporting features. Hope that helps.

You're absolutely right that there's more to the story but let's be real, do you think scene safety was the issue? This is a place in Metrotech and the two being investigated waited around for the orders before leaving. Doesn't strike me as a hostile environment - unless they were out of decaf!!! This is a horrible situation for all involved and we should wait for the investigations to be completed before rushing to judgment.

The problem is perception and right now we're being portrayed as union thugs holding communities hostage for handsome contracts and unheard of benefits. Nothing could be further from the truth but when Lohud publishes salaries that include overtime and other benefits, it leads people to believe that we're overpaid. There is little if any counter-argument to those stories and the fact that in some cases overtime is cheaper than more full-time employees or that communities have tried for years to do things on the cheap and are now paying for it. Sorry, but I respectfully disagree. The police or fire academy is definitely not like going to college; it is more of a trade school. That's why most police departments now require at least some college before you can get in the door (I don't know what the fire academy requires so I can't comment). Personally I think requiring more education is a good thing, it brings in better qualified, more experienced candidates who will be able to adapt to the changing environment of law enforcement more easily. At least that's one theory. Getting back to the original post and the problems that he was pointing out - there could not be a more important time to be professional and highlight all the things that make us a valuable commodity to a community. Some may think this applies only to paid or career services but that is absolutely not true. There is more and more scrutiny of volunteer services and their budgets these days and the public is becoming more intolerant of increases regardless of good intentions.

How true! And we constantly strive to prove it on a daily basis.

Has anyone noticed how many more stabbings and knife assaults there have been lately? Coincidence?

True, though I wouldn't call the legislators ignorant. It's just reactive and government is all too often reactive instead of proactive. Many fear for their jobs so they're now looking at what will save them or at least get them reelected. I look at it this way - if you eliminate County government you eliminate 1 pickpocket out of hundreds. Are you still gonna get your pocket picked? You betcha. On the other hand, if local governments and school districts were reorganized maybe there would only be two or three pickpockets. Harumph harumph!

What exactly are the Chief's unhappy about? It is safe to say that there will be changes at the County level under the new administration but how would that negatively impact an independent and autonomous fire department or district? Well said! It's more of the Chicken Little, rile everyone up so they're against it before they even know what is they're against!

There have been several comments made to staff about the "bashing" that is going on in this thread and others. The staff is monitoring the posts, and offensive threads are being removed, but asking difficult or sensitive questions does not constitute bashing and we all need to be able to discuss such things intelligently and without emotion. If you're too emotional to see someone else's point, please don't respond. Walk away and respond later when you can do so without attacking someone for having a different point of view than your own. This is not a "career vs. volunteer" issue. It is a SERVICE issue and if you can't handle questions about response times, staffing, equipment, etc. in a forum such as this how are you going to handle it when it is coming from the town board or your constitiuents at budget time? If there's nothing wrong with the service, refute the questions with facts. Don't attack the person asking the question(s)! That only makes you look unprofessional. If you have any other questions or comments, don't hesitate to contact someone on the staff. Thank you.

Nobody on the ground probably bothered with a TIC because it was pretty obvious where the fire was but here's an image of the IR perspective: This is from south of Croton along the river - about 4 miles away. It was definitely a crummy location but at least the driveway on the east side of the structure gave firefighters an elevated position to use.

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009912190343

In a very small number of departments there are fitness standards and physical requirements. In most, however, there is not and this applies to PD, FD (career and volunteer), and EMS (career and volunteer). While I can't speak about the officer in the video, I've seen some seemingly rotund individuals with impressive ground speed. I guess once you get all that mass moving, the velocity increases exponentially!

So just because you think you can get away with it, it's OK to break the law? Come on! The law is abundantly clear and if you choose to ignore it and put more lights on your vehicle than permissible it is still illegal. Personally I think we should take responsibility for ourselves and comply with the law but that's just me. As for your blue and clear lights, they're illegal. You're not authorized to use clear lights and as ALS correctly noted, the law says one. Sounds like you're trying make clear/red flashing lights out of the cars existing LED's. Responding with a VAC that's illegal. Red/Clear (white) are reserved for emergency vehicles only.