M' Ave

In quarters does help. FDNY buses are stationed outdoors. They are running, literally 24 hrs a day. That's gotta take a toll.

Meh, whatever. Or, good. Electricity isn't free, nor are the fossil fuels used to make it endless. I switched to CF bulbs over the last couple of years. New ones throw the exact same light as an old incandescent bulb. I don't like big government, but sometimes we need a push in the right direction.

Great, another single purpose tool who's job can be performed with a multitude of tools already available.

...no one understood that "j/k" at the end of a sentence indicates that said statement was tongue-in-cheek?

Here's how to speak to the media: In complete silence....... . That's how to do the least damage. J/k......sorta....

100% wrong. Some engine companies are assigned apparatus with 750gal booster tanks. As I understand it, some of these have been replaced, but some are still in service. Units in Staten Island, especially the southern battalion were the ones who operate/operated these rigs.Try to be accurate when making absolute statements.....

Oh thank goodness. I don't know what we'd do without it........ **All future references to a "mini-bar" should refer to a small refrigerator filled with a variety of booze in a hotel room

.....wait, how again does the new mayor, elected Tuesday, have anything to do with a Proby not being fired 6 months ago? Also, there is only 1 judge responsible for this class of quota hires. That said, Bill diBlasio is bad news and we're in for scary times in NYC. I definitely am concerned for the PC wave that's washing over this kindergarten country. Let's all hold back a little....I mean this article quoted the FDNY Rant website. Gee, nothing says reliable source like quoting anonymous web rantings.

Right....that j-off....

I don't like diBlasio......but take it easy with the Fox News style rhetoric. I mean.....this has nothing to do with him, he was elected 6 days ago.

Every bit of this story is true. The Post is a rag, and a story like this about 1 person is a little rough, but it's a 100% true. There's a lot of men out there who couldn't complete the run and are not employed by this job.....

That vehicle isn't a perk. It is an emergency vehicle. It doesn't have a license plate, it has a unit identification tag in place of a license plate. It's granted exception from many v/t laws because it's an Emergency Vehicle. An emergency response vehicle for use in Jericho L.I., not shopping at Woodbury Commons. Look, lets be honest and fair. Chiefs in volunteer fire departments often put in a lot of time. Some departments, those with modest budgets, will simply offer to put a little flashing red light and siren in a chiefs personal car. In districts with the finances, they offer their chiefs a vehicle specifically dedicated to serve in that capacity. I think this is all well and good. Should the chief be able to use that vehicle for personal business? Of course! He's available to operate in his capacity as chief, he should be in the vehicle that is dedicated to that purpose. However, if that person is out of response range and not on department business, he should use his personal vehicle. If that vehicle is a "perk" for elected officials, than it should be properly tagged as such, not given a unofficial plate as the one in the photo has. The fire service needs to smarten up......and yes, extravagant practices concentrated in L.I. have brought a huge microscope on the volunteer fire service. After all, this is an area with 30x the number of rescue apparatus as operate in a city of 8.5 million people. Has the behavior changed? Who knows, but that picture might lead inquiring minds to think that it hasn't.

Chief Benz hits the nail on the head. In our case, FDNY regulations state that warning devices should be used when relocating to the quarters of another company. I doubt very much that this would contradict V/T law. Relocators are chosen based on availability of units in the vicinity. If an engine is relocated from one house, a truck will most likely be relocated from a neighboring house. This leaves the area with a neighboring 1+1. In order to spread protection evenly, units are often relocated a couple of battalions away. Lights and sirens are necessary for the timely re-alocation of resources. The alarm ticket we receive its titled and, "Emergency Relocation" and that's what it is. From the moment a unit receives the ticket to relocate, they essentially become that company. This is why you are now addressed as company "X acting Y". If engine X is located on 42nd st and is relocated to company Y on 85th st, what good are they if they're not in the vicinity quickly? Obviously a response to a relocation is not expedited with the urgency of a response to fire with people trapped. While responses must always be executed with caution and due regard for safety, we all know that we can ratchet it down even further when conditions warrant. Re-locations should be predetermined and set up in the CAD with the dispatcher. These decisions shouldn't be left to someone on the fireground who has enough to worry about already. They should automatically be triggered based on alarm level and emergency warning devices should be used with usual due regard while relocating, at least until the neighborhood to be covered is reached.

Much as my rig needs replacing.....I hope they take all the time necessary. The Ferrara order was disastrous. Believe the hype.....they are a nightmare. The cab is well laid out and the body is okay......but the endless stream of necessary repairs is mind blowing. They are junk, soup to nuts. There are issues related to both design flaws causing failures as well as issues stemming from poor workmanship.

You're right, a group of whiners could sue and then we won't hire for 5 years......wait, that just happened.

Good, that's your way on. However, the next promo will be in 2016. Time flies, just stick it out.

If you're gung-ho for this job, you need to take the EMT exam and get on EMS. The promotional exam is the closest thing to certainty you'll find in getting on this job. Anything is possible, but a score of 88 is not likely to be reached. The projection is to reach some of those with a score of 97.

This applies to me since I'm studying for promotion right now.....and the prospect of legal challenge to the promotion process scares me. The only thing we've got on our side is the lack of application of disparate impact. The last legal challenge was lost because the job couldn't link the written exam to actual job performance. With the promotion test, its simply the information you need to know as a boss. This this, the desperate impact clause is nullified.

Fit's gotta be the problem. I've never had much trouble with this, usually the face piece is clear once air is flowing. Take the advice that was already listed and try a different fit. I wouldn't be too concerned with perfect clarity, however. When you've got your face-piece on, how optimal is visibility anyway? Usually, not very.

The academy loses 10% as a general rule. Take a class of full of candidates who are MUCH older and in poorer physical condition, add a lot of people who couldn't get on because they didn't meet the qualifications 14 years ago and you have trouble. Who's surprised at the drop out rate? On top of that you have EMS promotees who have a job to go back to if they don't feel the academy is working out for them. I'm not taking a shot at EMS promotees by the way, I work with a bunch and they're good. 2 of 20 open competitive candidates failing is in line with the 10% drop. Topping off everything is the rhetoric from FIREFIGHTER Coombs. Academy instructors are a hard working lot who, I can assure you, do not single out anyone for anything other than their abilities as candidates. If candidates are failing out of the academy it is because they're not fit for this job and the academy is doing its part to protect people who don't belong from entering a dangerous job and also protecting those of us who work here by insuring that we are surrounded by similarly capable firemen. If only groups like the Vulcan's would advocate for improved preparation and quality of candidates instead of making excuses for those who can't hack it. When they do this, they undermine and short-change the achievements of those who gave it their all and made it through.

Nice shots. That's it to a T. The gate on the 4" outlet we don't use, but when give permits, we try to put on the 2-1/2" gate. That allows the chauffer to self augment if necessary. The front intake is great for flexibility, but we usually try for the side inlets, that keeps the rig out of the road, allowing other rigs to pass, like a TL.

The Regs do establish a standard compliment of hose and some modifications for winter operations. The Regs stipulate a total amount that must be carried, but companies do make modifications based on their response area. A standard hose bed might consist of the following: 2 beds are the same: 6 lengths of 1-3/4" on top of 10 lengths of 2-1/2". This gives you 2 16-length attack beds. More than 6 lengths of 1-3/4" is not permitted. 1 bed of 2-1/2" , 10 or 12 lengths. Attack line for commercial fires. 1 bed of 3-12", usually 10 lengths. This might be used to relay to another engine, supply a tower ladder or multi-versal or to inline pump from a hydrant. 3 lengths of 2-1/2" are kept as "roll-ups" for standpipe operations and are stored on the ledge below the suction on the chauffeurs side. One additional "roll-up" is stored in a compartment. All engines have 500gal of water. (There might be some exceptions in remote parts of Staten Island where companies have 750gal tanks, but I'm not 100%)

Like all things FDNY (and Gov't for that matter) it's about the competitive bidding process, nothing more.

What are we, The Mafia? How about, "Don't leave dead animals in boxes on peoples cars"? I gotta say.....this is a fishy story and clearly a lot is not being told to the paper (which is the way is should be). Senior guys, guys with a lot of experience are usually encouraged to stay, especially with a younger force on a lot of jobs. His son was fired? For what? That's gotta be some story too. I can't imagine a situation that would warrant dead animals and threatening messages, but there is more to this story than a Capt. who was pushing for safety enhancements with many years experience. Id say, that's all we'll ever know for sure.

34 Engine is the first of 8 (I believe) that have been ordered. They are replacements for the HP Engines already in service. To my knowledge, there are no additions to the HP unit assignment.