AFS1970

Here in CT the local OEM director can designate any unit he sees fit as an Auxiliary fire unit, which gives it the right to have red lights and a siren. I am not sure if that is the same in NY, but I bet there is a similar way around your statutes.

I know in CT open burning is not allowed except for cooking or in fireplaces. There is a definition of fire place, which the uncovered pit did not meet due to the lack of a chimney. A few years back there was a house in my fire district that the owner had build a really nice uncovered fire pit. It was at least 50 feet (maybe more) from his house or any neighboring structure. On the shore of a lake. The bottom and sides were all Belgian block. The bit was about 3 feet deep. He would often sit outside with family and friends and enjoy the fire. The real problem was he had neighbors and they called us frequently. We would go there and talk to him. I ended up consulting with the fire marshal, looking up the statutes, and finally advising the homeowner on how to avoid our regular visits. The funny thing was the neighbors complained about the smoke, not the fire itself, so had he built a fire place with a chimney, there probably still would have been a smoke issue. The topography of the neighborhood was such that his back yard was several feet lower than his neighbors, so the smoke rising above the level of his house was often blown towards their house, and they complained about the odor. So my advice to him was to turn it into a cooking fire. Buy a cheep grill top at a yard sale. Throw it over the pit. Keep a hot dog there until it burns so much it needs replacing. Then you have an allowable outdoor cooking fire. I can tell you that on my last couple of visits there, the hot dog looked pretty bad. The neighbors were referred to the health department for air quality testing. I never found out if they went that route or not, but the calls stopped coming in.

Two recent incidents that I was working in dispatch for bring to light the status of non emergency vehicles. We had a situation with a phone wire, possibly a pole but PD had the street blocked and FD was on scene as well. We called our phone provider which is now Frontier. They are the worst to try and get anywhere quick. They can never give an eta. After a couple of calls they finally gave us the report that they would be at least 40 minutes longer as they were stuck in traffic on I-95. Would lights and sirens have helped, probably not, I-95 in our area at rush hour is packed solid and very little moves until the congestion eases up. The troopers and EMS that routinely respond there all have trouble even with lights and sirens. The other day we had a call to check on a suicidal party. Police were primary with EMS staged in the area. Prior to going into the apartment dispatch got word that the subject had a dog in the apartment who was not very friendly. The PD Sgt. called for Animal Control. Animal control in our city is a division of the PD, they drive black and white trucks, they have the police patch on the truck but the lettering says animal control instead of police. These trucks have no sirens and only have amber lights. So they were called and responded but the PD Sgt wanted them to expedite, so he said on the air that he wanted them to come Code 3. This being an impossibility, we had a good laugh about it. A while back there was a thread here about ASPCA Police responding Code 3 to calls, and the ensuing debate on if they even had any emergency roll at all. This will be the problem with adding more lights and sirens, that each agency will define their own criteria for use. I am sure if you sat police and fire chiefs down together they would question some of the response modes used by the other department, simply because looking at something from a different perspective inevitably yields a different answer. So Con Ed will eventually decide on their own to start using the lights for other calls. Just like our animal control rarely would use them unless they self define. This was the only time I ever remember them being requested Code 3. So I would have to say we do not need to add more vehicles into the mix, some say there are already too many.

So yesterday I was in NYC for the Steuben Day Parade, I got home around 7. By 9 I was hearing news of the explosion. I had already heard about the bombing in NJ earlier in the day. I spoke with a friend who is an EMS Chief in NJ. He told me they were all notified to be on alert. Then reports of an explosion at a mall in Virginia started coming in, followed by reports of an active shooter at a mall in Minnesota. Fairly quickly they determined the one in Virginia to be a transformer explosion (wasn't that the initial dispatch in 1993?). This morning I got up and started hearing the news media fall all over themselves to remind us who was not at fault. In Minnesota it turned out to be a mass stabbing (if only we had some common sense knife control) by someone asking victims if they were muslim and stabbing those that said no, all the while speaking of allah. The local police there say they have no idea what his motivation was. The news media says this was not terrorism. We will hear no more about guns, because it turns out that the attack was stopped by a good guy (off duty cop) with a gun. We have to get out of this national state of denial we are in. The media, politicians and even the investigators are refusing to even look at the most obvious possibility because it might offend someone. Well here is an idea, if you want to kill me and destroy my country, then I do not care one bit if you are offended.

Stamford Police has announced their exam. Recruiting is ongoing. All applications are being processed online. Further questions can be E-Mailed to spdrecruiting@stamfordct.gov

Anyone know of any NYS EMT refreshers, in Westchester or if not Putnam county? The Westchester website has nothing listed after last February for initial or refresher classes. I am looking for a class for a coworker who needs it.

I think he means the new "Fresh Orange Theme" that seems to be the skin now. The only thing I find hard to read now are the member names.

We do not make any attempt to standardize other public safety vehicles, not even any attempt to make DOT trucks look the same, which might be an important traffic safety issue. Some departments are not even standardized with their own fleets. We have several variations in Stamford, mostly now Black & White but a couple of leftovers from the blue days. Then we have frequent visits from the State Police that could be any color, although mostly grey now. UCONN police, which has at least 4 color schemes that I have seen locally. So I would say that standardization is nothing that police departments seem to care about or desire themselves. Besides, which big department gets to decide the color scheme? New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami?

Not entirely about NYC DEP but I am not in favor of agencies copying other agencies livery. I think each agency needs to develop its own identity, what in commercial circles would be called brand identity. I realize there are traditional colors and there are only so many designs to use, but why must everything be sanitized into a single logo. We see it all the time in patches, where a department is willing to part with their own history to look just like some department they want to emulate. I am not a fan of this way of thinking.

Yet how many threads right here in EMTBravo are about response times and who gets to the fire faster? Would we really be willing to accept a delay instead of a disaster, and then what are we going to consider a disaster? Is a lost life due to a slow response any more or less of a lost life due to a seat belt free collision? I do not pretend to know the answers to these questions but we need to discuss them before we can discuss adapting the high standards of the aviation industry. I should also point out that while the aviation industry does have high standards, there is a TV show called Air Disasters and no similar show called Firefighting Disasters.

Although forgotten in most of the body counts there were also NYS Court Officers, an NYC Fire Patrolman, 2 private Fire Guards (who were retired from FDNY) and several private security officers.

Date: 09/06/2016 Time: 15:49 Location: East side of Stamford District: SFD-1, SPD-3 Channel: Tac-1, SPD Weather: 77 / Cloudy Units: SFD: E1 SEMS: M2,M3,M901 (Supervisor) SPD: 25, 1C51,1E34,2A53,2A24,2B45,2B297,2C296,3A55,3B292,3C41,3D48,3D29,3P231 (Parks Police),4A49,4B43,4D50,K9-4, 8S1 (Patrol Sgt.),8S2 (Patrol Sgt),8S4 (Patrol Sgt.), 103 (CSI),305 (BCI),501 (BCI),62 (BCI Capt.),73 (BCI Lieut.) Writer: AFS1970 Description: Initial report of one victim. EMS response upgraded to 2nd Ambulance & Supervisor on reports of second victim. A 3rd Ambulance (M1) that was coming back from Norwalk Hospital (103A) was staged in the area until victim count was confirmed. Multiple Police units in area for investigation and suspect search.

The NFL knows they can do what they want. How many here would be willing to not watch a single game, to not patronize bars and restaurants that show the games, to boycott sponsors of NFL games, or to not work special details at Stadiums? For better or worse, major league sports are such a part of our society that they know they are essentially immune to protests.

Minimum standards will always be a problem, in any department career or volunteer, as long as we accept the minimum. That being said, I know that in days past Glenbrook & Turn of River both worked towards better standards for officers, although I think both have since been watered down or worked around. I know Spingdale had standards but they were old enough to be based on a system that no longer existed and would not be seen as anything other than a quaint historical note by most neighboring departments. BFD fought tooth and nail against any kind of standards increase for firefighter or officer when I was there. I am not all that familiar with Operations in Long Ridge. However based on what I have either experienced or observed in a few area departments, any time a standard is proposed somebody is always suspicious about the motivation and the charge is usually made that it is being done to move up one candidate over another. Some, like New Canaan & Darien have been somewhat successful in this area. Some like Greenwich still have a double standard. I am not sure if anybody in our area is doing an NFPA physicals, but then again I have been out of the mix for quite a few years. I know the ones from St. Joseph's in my day were not, the ones from Concentra were even worse. I once talked with a doctor about the need for physicals and his answer while probably based on common sense and years in practice was nowhere near the NFPA. As for reaching response goals, most of those gave that up years ago. This was due partially to the changing nature of responses, the increasing volume of responses and a dependence on career staff that eventually turned into a sense of complacency. That being said, there was also a growing culture that tried to beat down volunteers who wanted to be active and try to reach goals. I can remember being asked by senior members why I was at the firehouse and being told I should just go home, they would page us if there was a call. Those were often the same members who would make a point of canceling rigs that rolled behind them. Guess what, that kind of behavior chases members away. I can't imagine that any one station was more than a little different from the others. Some of these attitudes are still present in some surprising areas.

So I recently found a second letter by the VFD Chief's to our Board of Representatives about the IAFF contract. It wasn't exactly what I had thought but I think I was pretty close. That kind of frightens me that I can think like a Chief, as it was made abundantly clear to me that I would never be a chief officer. One thing to note in here was that up until the management agreements, the VFD's chiefs did have a major role in negotiation with the career firefighters in their departments. Sometimes those chiefs were members of the union themselves and directly benefited from those contracts, which is a whole other can of worms. After the management agreements, the role was still there but most if not all of the chiefs essentially abdicated that role. I do know from one letter I saw that the city did not encourage participation from the VFD chiefs in this process, but they could have asserted themselves back then for better or worse. Now they have no direct role, and I think this is why they get their dander up over certain subjects of negotiation. I am only in regular contact with a couple of chief officers any more, so my ideas may not be the insight I think they are, but anyway here is the second letter which was received before the board voted. p29076_ltr_160808.pdf

Historically T4 (an open cab snorkel I believe) was at station 4 in the Shippan section of town. This is a fairly wealthy neighborhood although it is close to many less wealthy areas. However geographically it was about as far removed as you could get being at the top of a peninsula that extends into Long Island Sound along our eastern border. Any new Truck 4 would have to be put somewhere where responses make more sense. I can think of two stations that would be decent options, although both have their pluses and minuses in terms of response factors. As for the quints, I think we only have one left and that is now considered T4 ( a reserve) but due to being a quint can be put into service as an engine also. Makes for a versatile reserve. When we had quints at E5 & E6 they were never realy utilized as such. I know there are staffing issues when you call a quint a quint, but I never understood why those companies could not respond as EITHER an engine or a truck. The fix could have been accomplished in our dispatch computer but there was no desire to do this, so they were considered engines and the IC could use them as needed once they were on scene. I personally consider Stamford's quints as a failed experiment.

for the 27 years I have been dispatching an additional alarm has always been 1 & 1. Interestingly enough if part of that assignment is missing, we do not fill it out with something else. So if the initial box was a 2 truck box the second alarm gets the third and a third alarm will be just a single engine. We do not add second local engine or call a truck from another nearby town as a routine measure. Although in my VFD days I did go as the 4th alarm truck to a fire once, although that consisted of staging then being the RIT (in a manner of speaking) then relocating to station coverage. I never gave this much thought until this thread, but perhaps additional alarms should be thought of in terms of manpower and not apparatus. So that if you need 8 firefighters it does not matter if they are on 1 engine & 1 truck or 2 engines or 2 trucks unless there is some specific need for apparatus, like water supply or master streams.

I can sort of see the labor relations angle, but if that is it, then it is even worse. To use and abuse patriotism for such an agenda, on either side, is more than distasteful. Citizenship is never a matter for negotiation, and those that think it is should not be elected to office.

Date: 08/20/2016 Time: 18:31 Location: Bedford St District: SFD / SPD2 Channel: TAC1 / SPD Weather: 79 / Partly Sunny Units: SFD: E1,R1 SEMS: M3 SPD: 2CMC4 (UNIT INVOLVED), 1E34, 2B9, 1A24, 1D30, 3B57, 8S1 (Patrol Sgt.), TE1 (Traffic Sgt. / CARS), 8S4 (Patrol Sgt.), 95 (Youth Sgt.) 8D (Duty Lieut.) Writer: AFS1970 Description: Police motorcycle struck by car. Transported by EMS (with FD on board) with PD escort.

While I agree that many of the flags we see displayed are being displayed improperly, the fact remains that the flags in Arlington were ordered removed, not relocated. This is absolutely an attempt to stifle patriotism. If the real concern were to display the flag according to the US Code then that would be an easy enough policy to write. If anyone in this country actually wanted to follow the law about flags, then we would arrest everyone wearing an Old Navy 4th of July T-Shirt, because the flag is never supposed to be used to advertise commercial goods or services. Then again our flag should not be lowered to half staff for music performers who die from self inflicted drug overdoses, nor for foreign nationals, especially when killed oversees and not on US soil, yet both have been happened in recent memory. If I lived in Arlington I would certainly attend the next commission meeting and ask many questions, especially if they start the meeting with a pledge of allegiance to the very flag they don't want displayed on apparatus. Just to show that I am not beating a dead horse, it appears that the issue has been resolved somewhat:

I remember two cases from my VFD days of chronic lift assists. The first was an elderly gentleman named Mo. He was mentally sharp as a tack but his body had given out on him. He walked with a walker, but that did not make it any easier for him. He was barely verbal. He had a live in health aide, who simply was not strong enough to lift him up. So almost every evening he would get up from the chair and with the help of his aide and his walker he would make it to the bathroom. That was about it for him, he lacked the stamina to get off the toilet and go to bed. His aide would call us and we would go help. Yes it was repetitive, although rarely did it interfere with other calls. I vividly remember that I could see on his face how embarrassed this grown man, who had raised a family, felt to have a crew of younger men come in and help him off the toilet. I did my best to reassure him, but I never felt that he was even a little bit OK with needing us like that. He eventually was unable to stay alone and the house was sold. Oddly enough we used it as a drill house during the new owner's renovations. I remember thinking of it as Mo's house even as I was cutting the roof off. The second was an elderly couple. The wife had a stroke many years before. She was non-verbal and spent most of the day in a chair, watching TV. The husband was frail but did his best to care for her. Their daughter came over as much as possible. Their insurance paid for an aide for half a day, so the aide would get her out of bed and dressed and into the chair, then go home after lunch. As she was not mobile that left her husband and daughter to get her back to bed, which they could not do alone. She was heavy and unable to help at all. We responded almost every night. Most days this required using a scoop stretcher to move her. The daughter came by the firehouse looking for help with the insurance company. We were more than happy to give copies of the reports to her. We worked with her and they finally decided they would pay for a lift, so the daughter could get her into bed. It was better than nothing I suppose. However we were still there to help her a few times until they were finally able to argue successfully for an aide at night. So there are other agencies available, but they will not be paid for so the families are in a bind. When they are paid for there is no guarantee the help is adequate. Besides everyone knows when you call the FD will show up and handle the problem.

Geography & Traffic are also factors in deployment. While call volume may be able to be handled by the current rigs the distances traveled by some apparatus, especially the Truck companies is frankly unacceptable. I would like to see a fourth truck company and possibly a second rescue company in service, as well as a second command car.

Date: 08/09/2016 Time: 20:36 Location: Barn Hill Rd District: Long Ridge Rd Channel: Ground 4 / Greenwich Patch Weather: Clear 74 Units: Long Ridge: C711 (Chief), V714 (Lt.), V715 (Lt.), E71, E73, E74 Banksville: E158, MA11, 2581 Stamford: E8, E9, T3, U4 (Deputy Chief), U121, U122 (Callback Mechanics with ATV) Westchester DES: C4, B13 Pound Ridge: MA21 (With ATV), 2402 Croton Falls: U64 (ATV), 2073 - Stage at Banksville Armonk: U52 (ATV) - Stage in Quarters Writer: AFS1970 (Updated info from EMSFirePolice) Description: Initially called into Greenwich Station 8 as smoke in the woods off Barn Hill Rd. The caller was no longer in the area but reported seeing smoke in the woods while swimming in the Greenwich Reservoir (which is in Stamford). The caller was no longer in the area when he called. This area of Long Ridge is only reachable via Taconic Rd in Greenwich and is closer to Banksville FD, so an automatic response is sent on all calls. Long Ridge arrived and was initially unable to locate any fire. Caller agreed to come back to area and show FD where in the woods this was. Caller was concerned about his trespassing on Water Company & State property. Recall was transmitted holding E71 & E73. Actual fire area was on cliff overlooking the reservoir, approximately 50 square feet but difficult to access. V714 special called ATV's from Westchester County departments due to access concerns. Stamford's ATV is at the mechanical division and had a 45 minute ETA. ** Note: Exact units from Banksville & Pound Ridge may be inaccurate, anyone who can update my run down please do. The only Chief from NY heard on the air was Banksville and he was not using his number on our channel.

The "metropolitan" nature of our growing downtown and south end areas is exactly why we can not afford to rob Peter to pay Paul in terms of apparatus & manpower deployment. The area that is still in the middle of one of the largest urban redevelopment projects in the history of the state, including many high rises was, not that long ago, thought of as a place we could close a truck company to open another engine company in the northern residential areas. That is just madness. One of the engines (E9) that was opened up in the northern areas is frequently called downtown because it is the closest available rig for the assignment. In my opinion the rigs being career or volunteer are incidental to proper deployment. However there are some that are short sighted enough to just want expansion at any cost no matter if it is good for the citizens or the department, they are just as wrong as those that want to maintain rigid borders.

Pete, I will agree that neither side really wants integration. That being said integration is probably the only option that contains any long term survival for the volunteers. One does not need to look very far from home to see other communities that have dealt with similar issues. The solutions are there for the taking. One side effect that any integration plan will have is fleet reduction (call it consolidation if you want) because 1 department will need far less duplication than 6 departments ever did. I will disagree on one point. I think the volunteers will have a voice in their own destiny. However that is probably not the voice of the current leadership, which seem to be divided into two camps: 1) Fight to the death over minutia and 2) total capitulation for its own sake. I do not think either camp is right. If you see each individual issue as a battle, the old adage of choosing ones battles wisely comes into play. They need to decide what is worth fighting for and what is not, which oddly enough is similar to the union negotiating process. As for the scales being weighted to the union, yes they are. However I don't blame the union for this. The VFD's over the years created a system where non response became the rule not the example. There were many factors that contributed to this, too many to list here. Some are systemic and not specific to Stamford by a long shot. The fact of the matter is that adapting back to a response norm is proving difficult. I think the saving grace will be new members who did not know the old system, because the dinosaurs are just sitting in their tar pits waiting to become fossils.