SageVigiles

I was hoping somebody on here could help me identify some stuff about this old helmet I have. Here's what I know about it so far: 1. Its from Minisink Hook and Ladder in Goshen, NY 2. It was worn by one of the first 3 Chiefs of Minisink H&L. 3. Its a Bullard helmet made in San Francisco. Here's what I'd LIKE to know. 1. Around what year it was manufactured/used (roughly) 2. The significance of the paint scheme. It appears that the helmet was red previously and was then painted with this black-over-white scheme. I BELIEVE the red on the top of the shield is because Minisink is primarily a truck company, but if someone could confirm or correct that for me I'd appreciate it. I know this one is really crappy but oh well. Thanks in advance for any help!

Rest in Peace Brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and coworkers.

Someone passed this on to me via facebook. Its posted under New Jersey because that's where his home Rescue Squad is. Assuming this kid actually SAID this stuff and it wasn't paraphrasing on the part of the author, he is a buffoon and a statistic waiting to happen. Another reason to support the new EMS standards for New Jersey? Probably.

This is the dumbest decision they've made in the last two weeks, following their hair-brained decision to re-sign Mark "Too short to see over the O-Line" Sanchez. And THAT was the dumbest decision they've ever made. What the hell are we going to do with TWO quarterbacks who can't throw the ball? Unless Tim Tebow's job is going to be praying for Mark Sanchez to be traded to some semi-pro arena league, I don't know why he's here. (For the record, if that IS why he's here, I will throw my prayers in with his and hope that they are answered.) People are saying its because he can run the ball, but I thought that was a runningback's job. If our run game was so important we never should have let Jones and Washington go a few years back. Granted, Washington's release was SOMEWHAT more understandable due to his injury, but still. We need an O-line that isn't terrible and a Quarterback who isn't a Nancy. I've been a Jets fan all my life, but this is testing even MY patience. Seriously considering watching the Giants more closely. Best Tebow related Facebook status I've read all day ""Congratulations New York Jets...The first NFL team in NFL history to ever acquire a mascot for a 4th round draft pick..."

New Haven County in CT has the SHARP (Sponsor Hospital Area ResPonse) Team which can operate at major emergency incidents. If you listen to CMED New Haven they are the "Romeo" units that you'll occasionally hear on the radio. According to their website they are usually called to: MCIs Complex or Difficult Extrications/Rescues HAZMATs Multi-Alarm Fires I've seen them show up to a call in West Haven for a man trapped. Didn't get to see them operate though, the patient was DOA but they made it on scene about the same time we did. They do get around outside the New Haven area as well for some strange calls, usually up the shoreline. Izzy might know more about them. http://www.sponsorhospital.org/aspxpages/SharpTeam.aspx

Got a call this morning from DCAS to schedule a test prep session in Manhattan. Despite all the discouraging news I keep hearing regarding this test, I'm very excited to give it another shot. I took #6019 back when I was a senior in high school and if nothing else it was great practice.

Does that remain true if its a county department? Or is ISO calculated by the county instead of the local municipality in the case of a county department?

I'm going to pose a question here, and I don't intend it to be slanted one way or the other, I want to legitimately hear people's opinion on the issue. IF this were to happen in Westchester or in CT, would it be a good thing or a bad thing? There have been countless discussions of consolidation on this forum and this is an example of it ACTUALLY happening and a fire department ceasing to exist as a result. I realize the article doesn't give too much context or details of the merger, but I'm speaking at face value based on what we know from this article, assuming its correct.

New Fairfield uses this concept extensively and with great success. 1. When a developer wants to build a subdivision, etc in town they are required to install a tank. Tank size is dependent upon the size of the subdivision, its been awhile since I've been active in NFVFD so I don't remember the exactly volume. (If anyone is interested I can get you in contact with one of the guys who manages the program to get the details) 2. IIRC, the development's contractors are responsible for installation of the tank but it must be approved by the Fire Departments Water Supply Committee before considered acceptable and added to the in-service hydrant list. 3. Fire Department personnel are responsible for filling the tank and addressing maintenance concerns after installation and initial approval. (Painting, new PVC fittings, etc) When the FD fills the tanks we usually turn it into a tanker shuttle drill. Great way to pre-plan your water supply for a particular neighborhood and work out the kinks for apparatus placement and radio coverage issues. This way everyone knows what's expected of them when an incident DOES happen. One caveat, in my experience we only used the tanks if we were far from a "normal" water source (lake, pond, reservoir, etc) just because its better to have that essentially limitless supply and you don't have to refill Candlewood Lake after you use it. But the initial units will determine where water supply is going to be.

I'd have to echo what Chris and others have said. I saw some pretty crazy stuff between my time as a Junior Firefighter and a Police Explorer. Homicide scenes, drownings, etc. My agencies always called in a CISD team for the really intense scenes and my officers were always available to talk to if anyone felt they needed help. Honestly I think it was a good experience for me. This is the world we live in, and trying to sugar coat it isn't going to help anyone. Learning to process these types of incidents and be able to put things in perspective is one of the most useful lessons I learned during my time as a Junior/Explorer.

No it wouldn't. He would do the same thing he always does, ignore the facts and yell louder than the other guy. Not to mention it would taint the Emerald Society's tradition of staying out of these kinds of political games. Sinking to their level is not going to solve this. The courts are.

Believe me, Westchester is not the only place with these problems.

Similar to HAZMAT, Tech Rescue or any other special ops discipline. But when that incident happens you'll get everyone out on scene so they can say "I was there man, you don't know what I saw"

Good point, I wasn't going to go too deeply into the IED/VBIED component other than the brief snippet I mentioned, but, as with Columbine, that is an issue we need to be concerned with. But that's going to be a risk v. benefit the Incident Commander is going to have to make the call on. Wait for EOD to arrive and totally clear the building or start treating patients? I'm not saying either way is right or wrong, just demonstrating that someone is going to have to make that difficult decision. Agreed, as with anything, taking a class is not going to make you proficient. My point is that typically first responders are not aware of these kinds of things, and a program needs to be put in place to prepare for them. Planting the seed for discussions and planning is more along the lines of what I had in mind. Naturally that means at some point we're all going to have to check our egos and have a (GASP) interdisciplinary discussion on how we're going to respond to these calls. Everything I said was open-source gathered from the book "Columbine," I left out some of the other things I've learned that might not be for public consumption. However, if you or anyone else believes anything I said is an OPSEC concern I will gladly remove it out of common courtesy. I must say, this is becoming one of the more productive discussions I've seen on this site in a LONG time.

Take a look at this, regarding SWAT teams and Tac Medics Columbine Timeline: 1110: Suspects arrive on campus 1119-1124: First 911 call for "sound of explosion" Shooting begins shortly after 1124: First School Resource Officer arrives on scene and engages suspects unsuccessfully (Does NOT pursue suspects into the building) 1133: Jefferson County SWAT Commander orders paging out of SWAT and Command Post 1149: Denver Metro SWAT Arrives on Scene 1206: SWAT makes entry behind cover of firetruck, begins evacuating patients while conducting search 1208: Suspects commit suicide The suspects had already done the most damage before SWAT was even on scene. Hell, they killed themselves 2 minutes after the team entered. Some victims didn't get evacuated by SWAT until after 3PM. Unless you have a full time ESU/SWAT like some of the larger municipalities, your SWAT team isn't going to have time to get set up before the shooting ends. Neither is your Tactical Medic Team. Virginia Tech and so many other incidents have learned the same thing: Wait for SWAT doesn't work in an active shooter, unless you have a full time SWAT/ESU driving around waiting for a job. The sooner PD can stop the threat, the sooner EMS can begin triage and treatment. IMO, there isn't time to stop and treat people. Stop the shooting and you will be able to SAFELY and effectively operate as EMS/Fire responders. This is not to take away from Tactical EMS at all, its definitely necessary in many instances and its an EXCELLENT program to have in place if you can have it. But as I understand it, the priority in an active shooter is not providing treatment, its ending the threat. JCESU or Helicopper or someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems the most logical conclusion. Maybe this is a good reason for a "Tactical/Active Shooter Incident Awareness" type course, so that the front line Firefighters and EMTs on every rig know what's expected of them at an active shooter incident and can begin setting up triage, treatment and transport areas. Knowing how and where to set up staging areas, knowledge of cover and concealment so you can avoid becoming a target. These are the things the everyday non-tactical responder can do to prepare for this type of incident. And one more thing about staging. At Columbine the 2 shooters called false fire alarms for months before the incident to see where the FD and PD staged their units. They placed them the same spots almost every time. Guess where the two scumbags planted their bombs outside??? If you get the chance, read the book "Columbine" by Dave Cullen. You get a good picture of the lessons all the emergency responders learned at that incident. It would be folly not to use their knowledge.

Rest in Peace First Lieutenant Compton. We've lost another TRUE American hero.

Update: Turns out it was not Ammonium Nitrate or any other potentially hazardous fertilizer. Still, a good reason to keep your eyes open though.

Good looking out by the guys at Mahopac Falls!

Good looking out by NHFD. Never know what you might find on a call!

Took the words right out of my mouth. The Cap has said many things I don't agree with, but more importantly he's said many things that have made me reconsider my position on issues.

Until they get rid of the separate NFPA standards for volunteer and career fire departments (1710, 1720) you're going to have a hard time making that argument hold water.

Definitely interesting. In CT we have what's known as the "firemen's rule" (though it also applies to law enforcement, etc) that prohibits public safety personnel from suing for these types of injuries.

From The Secret List last night

Found this blog, they also have a facebook group. Glad to see some people standing up for what they believe in. http://meritmattersusa.blogspot.com/

Massachusetts just calls them "Call Firefighters" or something to that effect. I agree you're not a volunteer when you get paid for responding.