M' Ave

Good shots! New if only there was some fire, lol. Just for clarifications sake, that is the KO Curtain. There is a blanket, but that's different. That which you've pictured is carried by every truck company and brought by the first due roof man at all fireproof high rise fires. The blanket is much larger and carried by SOC units.

I agree completely that the builder really doesn't matter, but the Seagraves prior to 2006-07 were really nice and simple. The run like champs, pump like crazy and start every time. They're nice and compact, all business. We'll see what this builder has in store for us....

It's not so much that we "changed" to anyone. Simple dollars, low bid wins and by all accounts KME was the low bid by a lot. Lucky us.......

We are in the process of converting the whole fleet to 2000gpm pumps, but not high pressure. The high pressure pumps have a third stage and as was stated, are being built by Seagrave.

The doors have been squared off? As in, even the exterior is changed?

Here's some trivia for you: The rail line visible in the background is most certainly the Getty Square branch of New York Central's Putnum Division. The Putnum line survives from Van Cortland Park to Putnum County in the form of the North and South County rail trail. Train Operations ceased in the early 1970's.

It is a fantastic operation.....but I miss low level platforms, F series hood units and some classic rough and tumble railroading that is lacking in the new and sanitized perfection. AND......they're almost through killing the "rail-fan window". Once the last of the M-3, M-4 and M-6 cars are gone...you will no longer be able to stand and look out of the front of the train.

The NYC Subway system is vast and carries a tremendous amount of people. As a matter of fact, it could carry every person in China twice a year! Do the math, that's over 2 billion rides a year. 54 deaths is a pretty low percentage. It becomes even smaller when you remove those deaths that are associated with track workers. No one wants to see a single fatality, but the most reasonable way to avoid such things is simply to educate people and hope they heed the warnings. I ride the subway most days. I stand perpendicular to the tracks, I keep an eye over my shoulder and I don't stand close to the edge. In a large and populous system, I think that's all the safety we can get.

Very sad.....people just doing their jobs or volunteering their time and already doing something dangerous. Hey, maybe the NRA will blame this on the media too and suggest armed guards at all fire scenes

I'll second that. Had a great career in Mott Haven and finished his run on City Island. No one ever has a bad thing to say about the "Doc". RIP Brother.

NYC has about 44 battalions. That's 28x YFD battalion contingent for 42x the population in NYC. However, NYC is only 15x the land area, so that leaves YFD battalions responsible for a much larger geographic area, comprised of hilly, rough roads coupled with a strong call volume. I'm sure that the grand plan here was thought out well enough by people who know the needs and conditions of the vehicles. .....and the powers that be wanted to drop down to 1 battalion. I'm sure getting to a run in Colonial Heights and then back for the next run on South Broadway woulda been no problem.......ugh, stupid politicians....

Interesting story.... It'd be incredibly interesting to be a part of the same experience in China. Why not? I'd like to see how the Beijing F.D. (As one example) operates. Ya never know what you might learn, or simply find interesting.

I was detailed to a truck company a couple of weeks ago and they had one of those wonderful spares with the 4 rear facing seats and no window glass. It also had no hear and no working radio speaker in the rear.....real sweet ride. I enjoyed sitting in the middle with black vinyl in my face for 9 hours. The backstep of the Ferraras is fantastic. Much better than the newer engine layout. I prefer the two seats facing each other and the the tool storage in the middle. Some of that was pretty well thought out....the rest of the rig, well there seem to be a lot of issues.. I thought the new rearmounts had a 500lb tip load, up from all of the previous trucks, no? Lastly, you're certainly right about those tillers. They should keep a few around as quality spares. I know I saw 34 truck with a rearmount recently.

There is no such thing as an effective warning light. You could cover every inch of the apparatus with lights and people will still pull out in front of you, still not pull over and still try to drive around you when you're backing into the firehouse. What's effective? Keeping your eyes and ears open and being patient behind the wheel....and NOT RUSHING! As for FDNY changing lights, I assure you they simply buy the cheapest at the time. Next topic..... I have also hear 2013 for the engines.....too bad the spare fleet AND our front line 2002 engines are already held together with duct tape.

8 of 19 responses refer to either the grill or lighting package....these are fun and stuff, no one who's seen the rigs cares to comment on designs as they apply to practical functionality? Okay, I'd like to know how the crew area is laid out. Can anyone who's seen them first hand comment on how tool storage is handled on the backstep? Is it like the Seagrave TLs or like the Ferrara rear mounts with the tools stored in central compartments? Anyone aware of the tip-load? Is it 250 or 500? Are there any notable changes to the trailer portion compared to the last batch or tillers?

When it comes to ladders, you won't find an aerial in the spare pool that isn't held together with ductape and has rust you can put your finger through. Most are in really sad shape. On a side note......do we REALLY care what the grill looks like?

Does Chevy not make a diesel Suburban anymore?

The uniform allowance is a whopping $450.00 a year. Seeing as we are issued all of our uniforms, money can't be spent to replace items. By the time you pay for alterations to the class A uniform and its dry cleaning, or wash all of your regular stuff each week, that money doesn't go very far. It's no bonus, it's an offset. Next time you see one of those "veteran members" with his worn leather, gunked up boots, please express your displeasure as a tax payer in person.

There is a member on page 18, 3rd from the last, named Tom Grimshaw. He has well over 30 years OTJ and now spends a lot of his time in the PT Unit at The Rock (unless he has retired in the last couple of years). Incredibly nice guy, good with the probies and a great role model for staying in shape. He ran the NYC Marathon for over 30 consecutive years, or something like that. He was very helpful when I went through the academy, thought he deserved a mention.

I couldn't agree more. The embarrassment is only in the article. And as was said before, this is a proud time for this job. It's been impressive to meet an incredible number of members of this job (and others) all working to help strangers in hard hit areas. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home and at work, like I'm sure many of us are.

I used one when I was moving with a bit of an extended storage period in between. It couldn't be easier, P.O.D, that is. I don't know the rest. They came quickly, dropped the P.O.D. in the driveway. When it was full I called them back and they came in short order to pick it up. It spent a few months in a climate controlled warehouse in Rockland Co. without issue. I needed something from it once and with a couple of hours notice, they had my P.O.D. pulled and sitting in the parking lot for me. It was easy and convenient, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

...ya know, bread and fry a sponge with the rest of the chicken parm! On a serious note: we regularly TRY to accommodate everyone, and for less serious issues than being vegetarian. If a few fish haters are working we don't get fish..... .....6 companies in 8 years is a sure sign of a problem child.

This article is an embarrassment to the job and more so to this disgrace of a firefighter. The article would have you believe that this is a dietary issue and that the other firefighters are making him feel like an outcast because of his dietary choices. I've never worked in that firehouse, but we all know what the firehouse kitchen is like. The kitchen is sacred in the firehouse. It's where a group of firefighters, working together for 24 hrs, come together as a unit, cook and eat. Everyone coming together is key to the cohesiveness of the firehouse. Not everyone likes what is put on the table every night and no one is forcing food down your throat. Plenty of people I work with don't eat shellfish or cheese and some guys ARE cutting down on their meat intake for health reasons. That's fine, but everyone still pays and everyone still cooks. If nothing else, it's a highly important symbolic activity. We have a rule, if you're "out on the meal" then that's it, you're out. Don't be fooled by the NY Post rhetoric or this guys nonsense story. The trouble didn't start because one person decided to change their diet. It began when that one person decided that the whole firehouse and a sacred aspect of it's culture had to change for him. We drill together, we laugh together, we eat together and we put ourselves in harms way together. You can't shun one of those things and expect everyone to maintain the same level of respect for you. If any serious credence is lent to this story, it will be one more slide down the tube for society.

...and you are correct. Until that locomotive is on the ground and it is being hoisted by ship's gear, its on the shipping company. Purchaser will refuse payment to G.E. and G.E. will sue the shipper. You might imagine....but in fact, most locomotives only have two lifting points and they're actually marked on the frame, or on the body in the area of the frame where it should be lifted.

Sage is right. It has SENTIMENTAL value, not monetary value. Are you EMS or in privates?