TRUCK6018

As the follow up article explains, this was not the case. The driver was 31.

Looks like Holla Hose's old Maxim. I think Ossining only replaced it within the last 2 or 3 years.

Another question worth asking, does that $1.2 mil include tools and equiptment supplied by the manufacturer? BTW, love the colors. It would make a great code 3 model to match West Haverstraw's Sutphen: http://www.code3.net/images/fire/12291_00.jpg

Neither! It was not a joy ride or operated by juniors. How can "a number of young members" be driving one vehicle? This is what the article doesn't explain (from Southern Maryland Online)http://somd.com/news/headlines/articles/2124.shtml : Comments from another BB said that the writer of the original article likes to bash the area FD's: It also isn't mentioned that the "birthday party" in question was for an appearance for fire prevention purposes.

Colored helmets are good for quick identification to tell if a firefighter is where he shouldn't be. This is not accountability. It will not tell you who is missing as a tag would, if there was one extra. It won't tell you where that person belonging to the tag is. That (done properly) is accountability.

When an IC radios to dispatch that "all units are 10-8, 10-2, it is not a cue for each individual unit to do the same.

Several other posts about tradition got me thinking. If it weren't for breaking tradition what would we have? Steel helmets Rubber coats Rubber boots and gloves. Steel 2.2 SCBA cyl's Open cab apparatus Wooden ladders Sedan command vehicles Leather hose and buckets Most of the things we take for granted we wouln't have at all: Light weight turnout gear (Nomax, Basofill) Leather bunker boots Lightweight helmets Carbon composite 4.5 SCBA cyl's Aluminum ladders Lightweight hose Enclosed cabs. SUV command vehicles I think you get the idea

There's also a drive in a little closer on Route 55 (off the Taconic) on the Poughkeepsie, Lagrange boarder.

It is a good message, just executed the wrong way. As far as being harsh on them, Hartin is shooting down the "American firefighter" as a whole, making (false) general statements about the firefighters all across the United States: False statement False statement False statement Maybe the first to call it 3-D, not the first to use the technique. Yeah huh? All the more reason to ventalate (a concept not mentioned in the article) which I guess doen't get done because we're too busy "unspooling massive hoses and kicking down doors to spray the hell out of anything that looks like a flame". Or is that rehashing the age old fog vs smoothbore debate? Not even worth commenting on. No kidding, we "3-D firefighting" to point this out? To some change is, to most it is not.Sorry for the long post but for some guy to introduce this as some great technique (when it's far from new) and American firefighters are primative (which most are not) doesn't suit me very well. Rant off

Duck? Staying low, yes. The article doesn't mention anything regarding a very important part of fighting fires. Ventalation Isn't this how you close in on a fire? This guy is claiming that an indirect attack is new and inovated. This is something I learned in Essentials and IFA some 20 years ago. Dueling handlines, um, ok. This is what I thought not to do, have two handlines come in from opposite ends, but anyway... The concept is nothing new. In many departments the truck company with utilize a water can to hold the fire until a hose line can be deployed. I guess this guys greatest inovation since sliced bread is really nothing new at all. Most disturbing, nothing is mentioned about anything other than putting water on the fire in which is just a small part of the big picture of firefighting.

Ok, I meant until the structure is turned over........

Agree 100%! First off, media should be kept at a bystander distance unless authorized by the IC. The only time anyone involved with FD operations talks to the media is with the permision of the IC or PIO. In order for media to go into the structure permision needs to be optioned from the IC, after all fire operations have stoped and if it is safe to do so. If there is any suspision of arson, I would get permision from PD as well. Once the structure is turned over to the home owner, the IC owns that structure and is the one that's held accountable for any thing that happens.

Just because a department has their own license doesn't mean they are dispatched by someone other than county. Every department should have a license. It's not a license to dispatch, it's a license to operate on a given frequency. Somers has it's own dispatch center at headquarters but it is operated by Westchester EMS whereas Mohegan's fire dispatch is owned and operated by the fire district.

While I agree that everyone should be stage at the firehouse durning hazardous weather, it is unlikely that all the chiefs will use only one vehicle. With departments that have more than one station, it is not uncommon for the chiefs to be standing by at different stations. Additionally, if a minor alarm comes in, you don't need a chief and two assistants to commit. One assistant chief is usually all that is needed to respond and the others should remain avalible. One incident that sticks out in my mind that anything less than an SUV would have been usless is Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Durning that storm the three chiefs suv's were worth their weight in gold.

Years of tradition unimpeded by progress. What we had before? Crown Vic's and Impalas? If it weren't for breaking tradition, there wouldn't be suv's as chiefs cars. At a time SUV's were the exception to the norm. The reason some departments use pickups as command vehicles is it can double as a utility for hauling equiptment. Something that can't easily be done with a SUV.

Personally, I think what Truckie Buff's biggest problem is he didn't think of it first. As has been stated, he has yet to make his point on why the stairs are a bad idea. His idea of "constructive criticizim" is anything but constructive and is nothing more than pointless banter. While he's criticizing Somers for doing it, he's also criticizing numerous other departments from the little guys to the big cities.

I've seen the retractable ladder/stairs that Pierce has. I feel it's clumsy to bring up and down on level ground. If the rig is parked on an incline it makes it even more difficult. It's also very difficult to operate with one person since it has to be pulled out and down.

Those stairs are common on Rescue 1's trucks. The stairs are an alternative to the more common ladders secured to the rear of the boxes. There are pros and cons. The biggest pro being safety to access the top mounted compartments as previously stated. Rescue 20 is spec'd to have hopper for speedy dry that gets filled from the top. The stairs makes filling it easier. One of the biggest cons in the stairs are the compartment space you lose because the stairs are recessed. They do fold up for some storage space.

Guys, this should prove that this guy is a liar and is making stuff up. 635, you don't think he's spoken to the site's owner? You better check with EMTBravo to confirm this. :flamed:

As a matter of fact, there are many here that are current chiefs and many that are past chiefs! I'm sure most of them see things differently than you. I agree with every one here that parade judging is a farce! Who cares who's diamond plate is shinier. A piece of fire apparatus isn't worth the dollars spent on it if it not properly equiped and the firefighters properly trained to operate it. In seeing what the WCPJA has done at parades, I wouldn't want them to judge. Do the host departments specify which participating departments get judged? I know for a fact that mid way through parades the judges have pack there bags and left. Hows that for fair competition when only the first half of a parade gets judged.

Saw and briefly played with them at last year's Firehouse Expo. Was not impressed with them at all. The "Battery Combo" unit doen't have interchangable heads. With the spreaders of the "Handy Rescue" system, you have to "reset" them with a release to close them, they will not close under it's own power, therefore doing any sort of pinching or crushing is out of the question. The batteries for the units are it's own. Forget about standerdizing with any other battery operated power tool currently availible. While I'm sure there are pro's for this thing, I couldn't find them. A choice between this and other battery operated spreaders I'd go with the Power Hawk hands down. Additionally, the Ogura is not NFPA 1936 compliant.

I think what is meant is that no hospital in Westcheser is a stroke center ,not "No(rthern Westchester) Hospital".

My department looked at one probably close to 10 years ago and then it was in the ball park of $800,000.

Thinking about it now, there is one manufacturer that makes a tower with out a pre-piped waterway: http://www.metz-apparatus.com/