aacofd40

Thanks for the pics. I was surprised - or maybe never noticed before - to see the 4 hardtubes on E81. What are they used for? Down here, we have 2 on most engines and that is for drafting from the bay/rivers and underground drafting tanks in the non-hydrant areas. thanks JR

We run a fair amount of brush that we put a booster on every engine. We do run a lot of smoldering mulch - in median strips, bushes in front of malls, etc..- that need more than a can and the booster is very useful. Pull up, grab the nozzle, pull about 15 feet of hose, and drown for a few minutes.

I think the booster line is very useful for brush, mulch, trash etc.. It is maneuverable, applicable at varying distances, and quickly deployed. I would much rather have a booster line - and pull it - then have have to pull a trash line, and have to add lengths for brush. The value of the booster is not the ease of taking up, but rather having a preconnected hose of significant length for a small fire load that can be operated by a single fireman. I can't imagine pulling a booster line for a vehicle fire, any structure, or even a dumpster.

Monty - great point about EMAC and the uniqueness of DC. You are correct that EMAC is a state-to-state compact that allows - and encourages - coordination at the state and regional level. For the most part, it is separate from FEMA. Think of it as a giant run card. You get the local, then state, then the region (EMAC), and then the Feds (FEMA). What EMAC does - and it does it very quickly - is get resources (mostly people, supplies and equipment) to the affected state. This is often done within hours. Getting similar resources from the Feds can take days. It is outside of Stafford because the States needed something that would provide support during that "gap of pain" btwn when the states are overwhelmed and the feds finally show up on their white horses. DC has signed the compact. The mayor is similar to the Governor in this case. What makes this unique is another structure that the DC area has, the Council of Government (COG). The COG is an organization made up of officials from VA, MD, DC, and the surrounding counties. They have established mutual aid systems, automatic responses, they train together and respond together. At a tactical level, the fire departments have all moved to a 3 digit numbering system to improve on-scene communications. Fairfax has a 5 (so engine 540, truck 502) Prince Georges is 8, Arlington is a 1. (Don't hold me to the actual numbers). So, most mutual aid in this case, is covered through the Metro Washington COG than by EMAC. And, Chris, can't help you with the size of the DNC coffers, but they will probably not be used to to reimburse any of the Fed/State/loc folks for preparedness and security. They may at a specific venue - like hiring an off-duty cop to man the door, but since this is a National Security Special Event (NSSE) the Secret Service is going to run the show anywhere Obama is going to show up, and they won't take money -or probably much assistance - from anyone they don't know and trust. This is to ensure no special favors, special access, or any other action that could impact the safety and security of Obama. Be Safe, JR (sorry to answer both questions in one post, I am new to the posting-thing and not sure how else to do it. I know, I should read the directions, but where is the fun in that).

Greetings from DC. I don't want to put everyone to sleep with DC Policy-wonk language, but the decision to sign an emergency declaration before the inauguration was important for all of us. Disaster declarations (there are two types - Major and Emergency) are governed under the Stafford Act. What is significant for this conversation are the steps that need to be taken in order to request a declaration. In both cases a disaster must be declared by the Governor, and validation must occur (depending on type-weather, terrorism, natural) by federal agencies/organizations. Under no circumstances can a disaster be declared and any funding, resources, etc. be sent to a State without request from the governor. This is Federalism, and was a key factor in the response - good and bad - to Katrina. The DC Emergency Declaration is important because post Katrina, the Stafford Act was ammended by PKEMRA (The Post Katrina Emergency Reform Act) that allowed for the declaration of an emergency to be made prior to the incident. This is one of the first - they did a few this summer in prep of the Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast - and will help all of us - regardless of jurisdiction - be better prepared, improve response, and shorten recovery time. Be safe, JR