M' Ave

CoOps and such aside.... They spec'd an Aerialscpoe.....so seagrave it is. Theyre the owners of that aerial brand.

Agreed on the hose bed...I'm always baffled by some of the high hose beds I see. We've had many changes in cab and manufacturer in the FDNY, but the hose bed has remained largely unchanged. Additionally, roll-ups and fittings are still easily accesible. Looks like a nice, purpose-built rig. Painted, steel bumpers with 45* corners (an FDNY inovation, I'm told...)

There is no doubt in my mind that housing costs are NUMBER ONE. There are many realities here, many that have set in in the Tri-state area. Everyone, even people buying the million dollar home, is working harder and longer. Many households have two working parents. How about time spent commuting? Thats getting longer too. I haven't volunteered in a few years. One day, I could find myself living in a place where I could volunteer again, but the reality is....I probably won't. Why? Because I have to work a second job, or I stay home with my child on days off while my wife is at work. After work, well, that's the time we get to spend together, not much time left for drill, meetings, ect. I'll have an hour, hour and half drive home from work...not looking to spend more time away from home. I think volunteering is great in some communities. I think it's a storied and proud institution, but in many places, it's days are numbered (or they should be). Entirely necessary training requierments have become more and more onorous. attendance in some places is dropping. Smaller dept.s are calling for Mx aide every single time there is a fire. What's the answer? Consolidation. Use the dedicated volunteer force more efficiently, let them handle a larger call volume and coverage area. Supplement that force with a reasonable career organization and spread them out as well. This all sounds familiar....like something a certain captain put out years ago.....I gues we're all still looking out for our little kingdoms and lot the greater good.

I agree. I was just giving the, "by-the-book" protocol. Reality....yes, "Major Injury" has come to mean a nose bleed in some cases.... The UCT call takers code things with an insane amount of caution...I assume it's a C.Y.A. move for the city... Also, you're right, the workload is crazy. In the last 5 years our runs are up 20%.... thats a more dramatic uptick than in years prior to the most recent 5....

Good question, one that I don't have a definitive answer to. However, I can say that EMS runs are coded 1-9. Engine Co's are dispatched on all 1-3 coded runs. Those are: Arrests (cardiac and resp.), all cardiac and resp. distress calls, major injury/bleeding and obstetric emergencies. Grouped in there would be runs related to Seizures, Unresponsive, ect.. Eng. Co's should only respond to runs when Medics are assigned, with the exception being car accidents/trauma runs. So, I'd assume that the Fly Cars are assigned in a similar manner to Engines. Any run that would normally get two busses (one ALS, one BLS) is eligible to have a fly car replace the ALS bus that would normally be assigned. I did work a few days ago for a cardiac arrest run. The first unit to arrive after my engine was a fly car. The medics began working up the patient while we continued CPR, ventilations, ect. The BLS unit arrived some minutes later with a scoop, ect. They tranasported.

YOU'RE finding out now, because experts are telling you. WE'VE known for some time now, seeing as we work in this system and have been for quite some time. This flycar thing AINT that new.

I work in the city....in the boro where this is being piloted. The change is tangable and significant. Bet on that. The End.

They have not changed the protocol. It would not be good if they did either. All that would happen is, the city would start looking to cut the number of medics down and save money by using more EMTs.

This is pretty old info being rehashed. There is no official discussion of any changes.......THANKFULLY. Our structure and staffing, on both the fire and ems side, are our greatest asset

My Co. has had a KME engine for a little over 2 years. With 25k miles and almost 4k hours, I can say it's held up well. I typically believe the builder has less to do with the quality of the apparatus and the Spec is key...However, the Truck in my quarters is a Ferrara, and it's junk. Assembly and fit/finish is far superior in the KME product. More care was taken in running wires and assembling compartments. All in all....The KME rig is a good one and the company has been quick to address issues and then taken preventative steps on the rest of the fleet. We must have about 100 of these engines by now and I haven't heard much grumbling from the shops.

That is not what MX is for. Let's not forget ....that neighboring ladder is also at the parade . You shouldn't take equipment out of town if it completely removed some lifesaving capability, like an aerial. To address the issue of vehicles put of town for training, well, ya gotta train and a quick phone call to the neighbors to be on standby and a request with dispatch to automatically send another Dept's truck Co. can solve this problem. For training. Not parades. I remember seeing Broad Channel F.D. units at Westchester parades. That's a looking haul. Now, I know they just buff FDNY runs and the area is still covered, but if you can drive your ladder from Queens to Westchester.....you look unesccesary.

Yes, I'm sure chief's make these calls. That doesn't make it a good plan. Does your Rescue carry extrication tools? Do any of your other apparatus have them? People would complain, and they'd be wrong. If you have three engines and you send one, with a small crew to a parade, nothing wrong with that. It's thought out and well planned. The issue only arrises when you take a non-duplicative resource away. About 15 years ago my volunteer dept. went to a parade, 5 minutes away, next town over. Chiefs order....the ladder doesnt go. Well, that was disregarded and it went. A Liut. and 4 firemen we're suspended. Imagine that, consequences. I will most definitely be at my next village board meeting. That rig seems to go to plenty of parades, but more often than not, doesn't make it on the road for alarms.

This is not a new topic...but it hits close to home. I live in a 6 story, fire-proof multiple dwelling. This means...there are no fire escapes. If a fire were to occur on the 4th, 5th or 6th floors, a resident could potentially be blocked from their front door....the only means of egress. Whats the other way out? An aerial ladder. What good is that aerial ladder when its 20 minutes away at a parade? Maybe farther! My local FD has several engines and one, single ladder. Why does that ladder, the only means of high-rise rescue, EVER leave town? To win a trophy? To show off? To look cool? If there were ever a tragedy, I'd expect those responsible to see criminal charges. Im all for parades. Im all for tradition. Our volunteers give time and these kind of events are joyful and proper compensation for dedication. We should have fun and maintain freindly relationships with neighboring dept's through social activities. However, our first mission is life-safety. If a town has 3 or 4 engines and 1 ladder....um....the ladder doesnt go to parades. Smarten up, send an engine. There wasnt a need to include a dept. name, because this dept. is not unique. The list of offenders is long, sadly.

It is staffed with dispatchers (2, I think) and firemen and officers.