Westchester County Technical Rescue Team

[TFD141@aol.com 26]

The TRT is starting up shortly...next meeting is Sept 20 Westchester County Fire Chiefs meeting at 19:30 hours at Westchester County DES , then right after that a general membership meeting...any interested people that want to join, please watch for the next notice.

[Guest]

What agencies is this technical rescue team being composed of? And I would imagine if it is a multi agency team that they would have county wide jurisdiction correct?

[BFD1054 1,552]

TFD141...out of curiosity for myself and others on this board, what is the BASIC training desired to join the Team? And for those interested in joining, will there be continuous training?

Thanks in advance!

[4truck48 25]

Doesn't the County already have Technical Rescue Squads set up now? Yonkers FD and Greenburgh Squad 6 have been training together for years. So have New Rochelle and MT. Vernon and White Plains FD. I think that this web site even has pictures of some of the training which was done in August.

[JustSomeGuy 0]

The squads from westchester are going to have a TRT, assigned to the squad, that is my understanding.

[Monty 35]

What agencies is this technical rescue team being composed of?  And I would imagine if it is a multi agency team that they would have county wide jurisdiction correct?

←

Some years ago, up until 2004, there was a group of firefighters, mostly volunteer that trained at the FTC. The idea was that the team would be similar to the NYS Regional Response Rescue Team. The team wouldn't have any jurisdiction per se. It would be a resouce for the local incident commander - obviously primarily Westchester, but I'm sure elsewhere too if requested.

The team leaders went before the County Legislature to get approval for a formal county team and funding. However, there was some concerns rasied by the career sector which resulted in a stalemate for a while. The legislature actually passed a resolution June 6th 2005 to allow DES to create special operations teams.

Unfortunately, it seems to have taken pretty much until now to make every one happy about how to move it forward.

[JustSomeGuy 0]

Not to start to an argument, I was just curious do volunteer agencies have a squad system such as the career depts of lower westchester? I am unaware.

[GFD70 4]

Does this team have any equipment or apparatus. What are the plans for how they will repond to an incident. Also, aside from the drills held at the training center, what other training (i.e.: NYS courses for Trench Collapse, Structural Collpase and Confined Space Rescue) is required to be a member?

[Monty 35]

Does this team have any equipment or apparatus. What are the plans for how they will repond to an incident. Also, aside from the drills held at the training center, what other training (i.e.: NYS courses for Trench Collapse, Structural Collpase and Confined Space Rescue) is required to be a member?

←

I can't speak directly to the Westchester team, I'm sure these questions will be answered in due course.

Though based on my experience with the team in Albany (now about 9 years ago) when they started, they only required essentials and hazmat ops. Each team member would need a signature from their chief to cover them under the home departments insurance. There was no plan for reimbursing time spent with the team - so one major career department wouldn't agree to allow their members to participate. However, there was a good mixture of career and volunteer team members.

The team went through the various training classes, confined space, ropes, trench etc. Eventually, there were certain standards required to be deployed with the team. Those that didn't have the required training still participated in team meetings, drills, work details etc and could be called upon for support roles with team deployments.

[Guest Chip025]

This all sounds like a duplication of services. Why do we need another Team if we have Westchester teams already? Instead of financing another one lets get the funds over to the Teams that are active so they can continue doing the job while relieving some of the tax burden on the residents of Westchester County.

[Monty 35]

This all sounds like a duplication of services. Why do we need another Team if we have Westchester teams already? Instead of financing another one lets get the funds over to the Teams that are active so they can continue doing the job while relieving some of the tax burden on the residents of Westchester County.

←

Interesting thought (reducing taxes) given the thread on the Philly Firefighters article.

I must admit I am not aware of the current teams or what they offer. Do they offer, or plan to offer a county wide resource? I believe there were a mixture of career and volunteer units that responded to the Hawthorne Tornado.

How are these teams composed? I wonder if there is any interest to expand membership outside of the current organisations.

[res6cue 67]

Well, I just want to say good luck with getting your team up and running. I hope you have the same amount of success our team here in Rockland had!

[HFD23 37]

Squad 6 ( Hartsdale Greenville and Fairview) have a group of members with all the curent training and are continuing to train with it.

Yonkers has a team and will respond when needed just as the responded to the tornado in hawthore with REs 1, Sq11, the collaspe unit, and a Truck company and Batt Chief.

NEW RO Fd also has collapse equipment as does White Plains..

As stated above the other Squads will be continuing to train and get equipment

[GFD70 4]

Also, just to add, the Town of Greenburgh had a Tech. Rescue Team which is made up of members of the Greenbugh Police & Fire Departments.

[Guest Chip025]

Interesting thought (reducing taxes) given the thread on the Philly Firefighters article.

I must admit I am not aware of the current teams or what they offer. Do they offer, or plan to offer a county wide resource? I believe there were a mixture of career and volunteer units that responded to the Hawthorne Tornado.

How are these teams composed? I wonder if there is any interest to expand membership outside of the current organisations.

←

The main problem with a County team that is based on a Volunteer response is there is no way the team can say how many members will show up when this resource is needed. Also those that do show up will they be the trained ones or the "support" members. How long will it take to deploy? The teams that are in existence can gaurantee manpower 24/7 and are available locally and nationally. The Specvial Operations Task Force made up of these squads from career departments is being used as a model for the rest of the country.

Edited September 12, 2006 by Chip025

[HFD23 37]

The main problem with a County team that is based on a Volunteer response is there is no way the team can say how many members will show up when this resource is needed. Also those that do show up will they be the trained ones or the "support" members. How long will it take to deploy? The teams that are in existence can gaurantee manpower 24/7 and are available locally and nationally. The Specvial Operations Task Force made up of these squads from career departments is being used as a model for the rest of the country.

←

Also note as stated above, the Westchester County Squad sytems as a model for the rest of the country in Fire Engineering Magazine The July issue page 32 down on the bottom right of the page.

[TFD141@aol.com 26]

Not to start to an argument, I was just curious do volunteer agencies have a squad system such as the career depts of lower westchester?  I am unaware.

←

Yes, the Westchester Regional Technical Rescue Team which will be moving under the WCDES umbrella. We have been training just as long as the squads. We have people trained to various levels using the NYS OFPC courses. All will meet the NFPA guidelines for TRT. We will all eventually meet these guidelines.

The Squad concept work for the career side. A combination of a regional team (similar to State and federal team models) and squads will make up the volunteer section.

I worked with the rescue treams in Hawthorne, as the first rescue truck there because all of the local FD's are volunteer in Mount Pleasant. I was the apparatus officer and Captain of Rescue 75. So to answer the next question most will want to ask; I have completed every TRT course NYS offers, and as a matter of fact, Chief Bill Fitz (YFD) was my instructor once or twice. As to my other qualifications, I hold a Master's degree, a 4 year Construction Management degree, and have 36 years of service with a major utility and fortune 500 corporation. I have 20 years fire service management experience and combined that with 10 years as a fire officer presently serving as Captain. I have operated at hundreds, if not thousands of hazardous materials spills and been the IC on the largest hazardous materials spills in NYS back in the 1990's.

I respect both Chief Fitz and Reed of (NRFD) and the work they have done to set up and get the squads running. I hope just because the career side has created working TRT squads. that does not diminish the work of the Westchester Regional Technical Rescue Team, which is comprised of volunteer and career members. Remember, most all TRT's nation-wide start out as volunteer. Most remain that way today. I have tried for 5 years now to get us together on one team and system. One day that may happen.

[TFD141@aol.com 26]

This all sounds like a duplication of services. Why do we need another Team if we have Westchester teams already? Instead of financing another one lets get the funds over to the Teams that are active so they can continue doing the job while relieving some of the tax burden on the residents of Westchester County.

←

Same reason we do not have one firehouse in Westchester.

[TFD141@aol.com 26]

The main problem with a County team that is based on a Volunteer response is there is no way the team can say how many members will show up when this resource is needed. Also those that do show up will they be the trained ones or the "support" members. How long will it take to deploy? The teams that are in existence can gaurantee manpower 24/7 and are available locally and nationally. The Specvial Operations Task Force made up of these squads from career departments is being used as a model for the rest of the country.

←

Volunteers do it everyday responding to the same calls career do. It is actually easier to be career, because you know who you have. It is tougher to work put teams together each call, but it works for over 350 years and still going!

[Guest Chip025]

Volunteers do it everyday responding to the same calls career do. It is actually easier to be career, because you know who you have. It is tougher to work put teams together each call, but it works for over 350 years and still going!

←

This isn't about hurting peoples pride in career or volunteer. I was a volunteer and I am proud of that. But the reality is that the volunteer departments can never promise a specific number of manpower nor can they promise the level of training of their responders due to the way volunteer departments operate. That is just a fact that we can all agree on. Now if the Volunteer departments want to train their people knock themselves out great for everyone but when funds are involved the situation changes. There are teams in existence that need more funding to keep operational. To create another team that will usurp those funds is wasteful. There are 6 squads and trailers available. Now we are going to have to fund more trailers?

Thtas alot of money being spent on a team that can not guarantee manpower or availability. And unfortunately that will become a reality only after the time and money is wasted.

[Remember585 815]

Six "Technical Rescue Squads?" Where are they?

Yonkers, New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Eastchester/Scarsdale, , Greenville/Fairview/Hartsdale - right?

Where's the immediate help for those of us north of I-287?

Why is it an issue if additional resources are being implemented for those of us in the "bedroom communities" of Westchester?

Funding is out there - it just has to be secured and distributed evenly to give EVERYONE in Westchester the resources needed in the event of a collapse or other technical rescue regardless if they are protected by paid or volunteer firefighters.

I have met some amazing tech-rescue people that not only are paid and/or volunteer firefighters, but they aren't firefighters at all, especially members of the Greenburgh PD!!!

On the career side you say you can "guarantee" a response - does that count for when you are working a structure fire?! If it is in lower Westchester, won't most of the agencies above be working together? Redundant resources are A GOOD THING WHEN DONE CORRECTLY.

Think of it like this - if the tornado that hit Hawthorne had started further south and screwed things up down county first, I would bet that all of the down county Squads would be committed to thier home areas and wouldn't have been able to assist Hawthorne. Resources like these, the specialized ones, need to be laid out geographically to ensure the best response when the caca hits the fan.

It shouldn't be a matter of paid vs. volunteer - it should be a matter of finding the right equipment, getting the right people, training them and funding them and putting them in strategically placed locations to ensure swifter responses.

Following up and ensuring that the training is kept up is definitely easier for career units - no doubt. I can't even get people to complete thier minimum OSHA every year, and that's about 1/10th the obligation the professionals have!!!

That's my take, anyway.

[Guest]

The main problem with a County team that is based on a Volunteer response is there is no way the team can say how many members will show up when this resource is needed. Also those that do show up will they be the trained ones or the "support" members. How long will it take to deploy? The teams that are in existence can gaurantee manpower 24/7 and are available locally and nationally. The Specvial Operations Task Force made up of these squads from career departments is being used as a model for the rest of the country.

←

Very vaild point. Reminds me of a Friday night, not too long ago, while working in Putnam County (they have a County Wide HazMat team). I remember sitting at work one day and hearing Putnam 911 tone out for well over 30 minutes for the hazmat team to respond to an oil spill/leak in Mahopac Falls. I think they eventually got a member or two to get the rig. But by that time the oil had seeped into a nearby lake. I say keep the specialty stuff w/ the career depts. that way there is no question about response time, manpower, or level of training.

[mpgfire93 4]

As I read through this topic it has begun to spin off into a paid vs volunteer and funding and how many teams, manpower, and etc. If we look at the first post it says there is going to be a meeting. I think before people jump to conclusions they should attend the meeting and then see how they feel.

[JustSomeGuy 0]

I don't want to take sides, However When I joined my dept I had a short time to take the required classes to be a member of the squad. The depts that have the trained personnel are the ones that should have the squads. Career or Volunteer. We all know that training is a vital requirement of our job. However maybe instead of worrying about what bail out packages to buy your members, or what truck to get that looks most like FDNY, maybe we should be training more. Haz-Mat incidents are just waiting to happen. Now we all have residencies, commercial/Inustrial buildings but we also ALL have ROADS which Haz-Mats are being transported daily. Yes geographical placing of the squads we would make the most sense for logisitcs, but how many depts north of 287 have the appropiate man-power that are trained? The squads techinically aren't even fully operational yet. Yonkers has a great Haz-Mat team and will travel almost anywhere, definately a resource to keep in mind. If you guys are that passionate about it the classes are there! Sign Up! We have great resources in our county, and we should all be lucky that we do not have to drive 2 hours north to take a class. I have seen a lot of classes canceled, its a shame that these oppurtunities go to waste.