M' Ave

The first time a fire department fails to respond to an alarm, should be the last. They should be shut down as an individual agency and blended with those that surround them. THERE!! That's your solution. Consolidation! That word has been kicked around on this site and in Westchester Co. for longer than a decade. When will someone who has the ability to institute change, actually do it? There are loads of dedicated guys in this county. Spread out the responsibility and you'll better serve the public.

I'd be willing to bet that's true. He's usually not in the first car, so they say. As for what happened....looks like something went wrong with the front suspension. I don't think it simply bottomed out. Watch the video again, there's a loud crash and the front suspension sits.

In light of a recent and tragic L.O.D. death, along with others that I'm familiar with, I'd like to know what kind of health monitoring exists in the volunteer fire service today. I know when I joined a VFD 12 years ago, I had to go through an OSHA physical and it was fairly comprehensive. However, members only had to have this physical every 5 years. Additionally, as long as one passed the pulmonary function test and could duck walk, you were okay to continue on. More than a few guys of "generous proportions" were allowed to continue to serve. I've read too many stories and known too many people who have suffered injury and very sadly death and it can be directly attributed to their physical health. At work, we have to have an annual physical which includes pulmonary function, EKG, heart rate on a stair master, eyes, ears, typical vitals and a full blood work-up. Members who's heartrate is too high, have hypertension, extremely high cholesterol or are excessively overweight, ect, are removed from full duty status and assigned to work somewhere where they can work on these problems without risking their health. The Job did a casual study some years ago where members would work a normal tour while wearing a heart monitor. These members, in good health, had extremely large swings in heart rate. At times, they went from a rate in the 60's to a rate close to 200 in seconds. This is what happens when you're resting and then the tones drop and the housewatchman tells you it's a phone alarm for fire and people are reported trapped. I know we walk a fine line in the VFD of wanting to retain members without placing too much strain on their personal lives. This is a tough balancing act, however, we might be shying too far away and ignoring very real health concerns. We need to protect our members and their families. This is highly stressful and dangerous work. We don't need to make it more-so by not protecting ourselves. What is being done? What can be done differently?

True, personal responsibility should go along way. Your peers have a responsibility to look out for you too. A little tough love doesn't hurt. Hopefully, when you catch a guy trading up a pant size at the quartermaster, you make sure EVERYONE knows it. That said, obesity is only one issue. I know guys who spend 4 solid days a week in the gym and are in great shape, yet they've had a heart attack. Solid health monitoring is a must for this line of work. There is too much that can go unseen, besides the obvious hefty member.

RIP. Condolences to the family of the fallen brother and his dept.

We are WAY under headcount, so there will be no layoffs. However, 20 companyies is 60 LT's and 20 Capt's who will be at the top of the list looking for new homes. As for firemen, it depends on how full each company's roster is. I'd bet a lot of them are low, like 14-18 guys per company. Without the 5th man, engine's need 19 for a "full" roster. This is all hypothetical. 20 Co's aren't getting closed. I wouldn't be surprised if it's "0", but it could be somewhere between 5-8.

No, I don't. Equipment doesn't put fires out or drag people out of a burning home. Manpower does and most career fire departments are short changed and manpower is always an issue on the volunteer side.

No. Remember, we're talking about 1800 firemen, 400 Capt's/Lt's, 50 chiefs and about 400 pieces of front line firefighting apparatus are on duty at any given time. We readily move units from boro to boro and such, to cover areas where companies are operating at large fires. Since the dept. covers, essentially, 5 counties, we're are own mutual aide. It would take an unprecedented event to require resources from outside the city. This was the case on 9-11.

I understand what you're saying here, but your two initial quotes are still wrong. "Without CFR you could close 20 companies no problem"...uh, nope. And, "stop the cfr progra, it does not work". It does in fact work. Studies have proven it works. The 2 minute head start hardly explains waiting 5 and 10 times that long for a bus. That's not your guys fault, it's the system. It happens non-the-less. As for canceling a CFR engine en-route, why would you do that? 2 EMTs CANNOT perform adequate CPR, in terms of depth and compression rate over that time period. Your logic fails to respect the bigger picture on many fronts, sorry.

Really? Are you serious?! You actually can't close ONE company without a problem. Get a couple of multiples going and you end up with companies all over the city being relocated and running like mad! As for the CFR engine program....let me start with this: I HATE EMS! I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT! That's why I'm a fireman and not an EMT/Medic. That being said, it is an extremely effective lifesaving tool. Your B.S. line that it doesn't work deprives the rest of your statements of credibility! To be blunt, it makes you seem as though you might be going through life with your eyes closed. We've performed CPR more times than I can count, for several cycles of the AED until the first EMS unit arrived. I've worked with crews that had pre-hospital saves, though fewer than those that passed. How worth while is it to have 4 extra guys to rotate in on compressions during an arrest? Do you really think the two BLS members are enough while ALS is tubing and pushing meds? IT AIN'T! We've been on traumas and car accidents with serious injury and had victims packaged and ready to be stuck in a bus the moment (sometimes 10+ minutes later) they arrive. To a lesser degree of importance, we've sat with people in minor pain, for 20 minutes waiting for a bus. Not miracle work, but I'm sure it's nice for that person to have the comfort of first responders on scene. I don't like EMS work, but that doesn't change the fact that countless lives are saved (or at least made more comfortable) every year by the speedy response of a CFR engine. The FDNY can't spare a single engine or ladder company. Not one. They might not be busy all the time, but they're needed when it counts. If running EMS helps justify they're existence to those who don't understand how the fire service works, then I'm all for it. The CFR engine program saves lives, both at EMS and by keeping more companies open and available when fires break out.

It was a bad choice indeed! Nothing like setting the bar low as can be. I was hired prior to use of the CPAT, but we did go through it at the end of the academy while obtaining our FF 1&2 national certs. IT IS A JOKE. After completing the Functional Skills Training course at The Rock week after week, the CPAT was a breeze. I don't think I remember anyone breaking a sweat..........

There are a few single trucks left around the job. In Manhattan, Ladders 3, 8, 20 and 25. In Brooklyn, Ladder 102. Lastly, in Queens, Ladder 116. Moving them in with Engines doesn't accomplish what they're looking to do. Rigs and buildings might seem expensive, but it's manpower that actually costs something significant. The reason moving single Co's doesn't do what they want is, they're looking to close companies and still be able to have response times APPEAR the same. Although, they don't take into account how much longer it takes the 2nd or 3rd due units to arrive. Nor do they factor in the fact that a truck might get into a box and have no engine for 30 seconds, a minute or maybe longer. We're talking about a dangerous game of fudging numbers and the mayor is getting warmed up. As for the 5th man, we've been without the Door Man since Feb. 1. Don't worry.....there's only been a few dozen fire deaths since the city effectively doubled the amount of time it takes to stretch into a building..... Interesting that 3 years ago the city said, give us the 5th man or we're going to have to close fire companies. Now he's got the 5th man AND gunning for companies. As for layoffs, no there won't be any. We're at least 300 under headcount right now. Some closings would effectively eat up that difference, in the short term. We're not going to hire for another 18-24 months minimum.

This is true, but lets be clear. The issue is not REALLY that this test doesn't do a good job of determining who'd be a better fireman. That's just a clever legal foothold to dig into, somewhere to place the blame. You know what they should do? Make the test HARD. Not the nonsense open-book exam that it is, legitimately hard. Make this an exam that you actually have to study for. Do whatever you have to, give out the study materials, but at least make the test an event that you have to put some effort into... ...but that will never happen, because it wouldn't get the "desired" results that certain racist organizations are looking for.

They must have gotten confused....that rig looks like it's Europe bound (from the back at least!) Those that matter get it......

I used to work for a shipbuilder. Anytime you build a large custom vessel, you have issues. They are very complex and unique to the point that no amount of sea-trials can shake out every issue. They are early in their career and some problems will pop-up. As long as the builder covers the costs associated with repairs, nothing to worry about. As for guys grumbling, well, there may be some legitimate issues. However, firemen hate new stuff. That's how it is and will always be. It'll become more comfortable over time. I don't work in the Marine Unit, but that's a general observation. I have to call myself out too! New things often suck, but sometimes they're better and we still have a hard time adjusting.

Add 73/42 to that list. Also, 64/47. They have two separate quarters about 25' apart. They share a kitchen, but that's about it. Two separate housewatches.

I'm a little late to the party here, but I read this at the beginning of the thread and I need to call this out. Why is posting a dept's name such a problem? What is heard over the radio is available to anyone. We're not in the business of keeping secrets here, we're in the business of saving people's lives (or at the very least, being there quickly when they call). Going after someone's agency because they mentioned a manpower shortage of another is a really short-sighted move. I've heard dept's paging for manpower over and over again without a timely response. This is not acceptable. Some departments are manned well and others are not. Those that cannot field a crew in a respectable amount of time (to me this is less than 4 minutes) do not have the capability to act as emergency response agencies. Even if you can get a crew together MOST of the time, that's not good enough. Calling 911 should never be a crap shoot. Consolidation Consolidation Consolidation!!!

I wear a survivor light on my coat, but that's really no help if you're doing a search or what not. It can't be directed easily and if you're crawling, it faces down. It's really only good for control, if you need a light facing straight ahead while you hook up a stand-pipe, or other wise. I also have the Advanced Lighting unit (http://www.alcorp.com/al2000.HTM) that you'll see FDNY officers carry. A lot of guys favor this light (maybe because the job provides a charger?) because it's really durable and simple. It puts our a lot of light as well. I would suggest a modification to the strap. I didn't come up with this idea, it's thoroughly stolen, but I don't know who originated it. Remove the strap from the light and put a carabiner through the handle, then shorten the strap and clip both ends to that carabiner. Once it is slung over your around your head and over one shoulder, it will stay tucked in under your arm a bit more. This will stop it from swinging around while you're crawling. The single attachment point for the strap will also make it easier to direct. I hope that explanation is sufficient.

This is good news, but..... ....there are plenty of cave dwelling, terror loving, U.S. hating scum out there. Someone will step up and fill his shoes, we need to be vigilant going forward.

Bare minimum should be highlighted underscored and in italics! The chauffeur drives, hooks up and pumps. The officer takes a dash in to see what's going on and where the line should go, then he's tasked with directing the operation. That leaves 2 poor bastards to stretch hose? YIKES! We're talking about a lot of time and backbreaking work, especially for the back-up guy. How much running back and forth, clearing the hose past corners and getting extra slack, can one guy do? We're down to 4 firemen in addition to the officer on every engine and it shows! Missing that 5th man on the back-step adds precious minutes to a stretch. It's been proven that the addition of 1 firemen on the line cuts the time needed to put it in operation IN HALF. Staffing is everything. Training is important, so is equipment. Our commissioner loves to tote every little innovation, project and purchase as something that makes us the "best trained, best equipped fire department". (Believe me, the men get quite a laugh out of that line....) If you don't have staffing, you have nothing. That's the single most important component of firefighting.

Well, the job stopped issuing them in '95 I think. There aren't too many guys left that were issued one. You'll still find a few guys around that purchased their own, but that's just it, not everyone (in fact, most) wants to drop big money on the leather when the issued P.O.S. will do the job just fine.

I was issued a plastic helmet....I'm a buff and bought a N5A. Therefor....I now have a REAL helmet. Kidding aside, why do I have it? Tradition. That's all, they're classic. It does fit quite a bit better than the Morning Pride that the job issues. Sits tighter and lower on the head and doesn't flop around. It is a bit heavy. Oh well.

This is interesting... You know there's another fleet of vehicles who's owners are stocking up the very same way. These cars are driven further, harder and all in a shorter amount of time. The TAXI CAB! Corporations that own large lots of NYC medallions are stuck trying to figure out what to replace the Crown Vic with. While you might see more and more Escapes and such, nothing has replaced the CV as the workhorse. Separately, on the police package note: All of the photo's of the new line of PD vehicles have done a great job of showing off how great the car can look with PD graphics and lights. What they tend not to focus on is the one major area where they can't compete with the Vic. Interior space for the officers and all the necessary gear. They just don't have the same interior room to accommodate weapons, storage, electronics and two officers with vests and equipment on. I'm not a cop, I've only been in them a couple of times (IN THE FRONT, NOT THE BACK!!!) so I'll defer to the the opinions of the experts, but it really seems that they're just not spacious enough.

Nice compact vessel. You can see the function for sure. Clearly draft and clearance was a staple issue!

I believe that Seagrave submitted a bid that contained many exceptions and, while cheaper, it didn't meet spec and was passed over. A rig is a rig is a rig....the engine and trans. are the same that Seagrave would have installed. I'm sure that the spec contains some very specific components and, would there-for be the same, not matter who builds it. It's all in the spec. Could they turn out to be junk? Sure could! That said, I don't know what's so special about the Seagrave either. It's very loud in the back, it rides as though the air in the tires is the only suspension and it's out of service PLENTY. Never mind that it's not even 10 years old and there is rust you could put your finger through. I have nothing to do with the spec or ordering, but I must say, from the sidelines Ferrara is pretty impressive and eager to show-off. The web-site and photos are encouraging. Looks like someone is taking some pride in their product.