Firefighters Pull Out of St. Pat's Parade

[Remember585 815]

Firefighters pull out of St Patrick's Day parade

By LEN MANIACE

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: March 9, 2007)

The Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow fire departments won't be marching in the villages' joint St. Patrick's Day parade Sunday.

The volunteer firefighters said they decided to pull out of the event after parade organizers tried to allow only one truck from each department to participate, a decision the fire officials said would pose a hazard if a fire occurred during the parade.

"I had to make the call for safety reasons," said Tarrytown Fire Chief Robert Scogna said this afternoon.

Faced with a fire, the department's fire fighters would have to find a way to be to the department's various firehouses to pick up their trucks and then head off to the fire, Scogna said.

"I can't fit 35 to 40 firefighters on one truck," Scogna said.

The two departments have approximately a dozen fire trucks, which in the past all participated in the parade. The change was made because a fire call last year required one of the fire trucks in the parade to around and drive up Beekman Avenue against the parade, a situation that raised safety concerns for the parade committee.

"They are going to see what's a parade without the fire department," Scogna said.

[JM15 386]

I have never liked the idea of departments responding in apparatus during parades on the parade route. I think that this brings up a lot of safety concerns and that the parade committee was right in their decision. I can only imagine how hard it would be to manuver an engine through a parade route with all of the people and children running everywhere, and lining the street. Why not have an engine crew on duty waiting outside of the parade route. Or better yet have a neighboring department come and cover your area so that everyone in your department can go have fun and not have to worry about responding. Just my 2 cents

[Guest Chip025]

I have never liked the idea of departments responding in apparatus during parades on the parade route. I think that this brings up a lot of safety concerns and that the parade committee was right in their decision. I can only imagine how hard it would be to manuver an engine through a parade route with all of the people and children running everywhere, and lining the street. Why not have an engine crew on duty waiting  outside of the parade route. Or better yet have a neighboring department come and cover your area so that everyone in your department can go have fun and not have to worry about responding. Just my 2 cents

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Hmm. Are we finally learning that this is a job and we can't all have fun.

[LCFD968 10]

Just curious. Isn't it a problem when they go to a parade out of town? You only take one rig and 30 to 40 members and your "out of service"...

[Guest alsfirefighter]

I'm not questioning anyone's decisions but just throwing out some initial thoughts. There have been a couple of good points already. Couldn't you just get a crew of 4 or 6 to staff an engine and/or truck back at the station to cover? If there is an installation dinner or such, would mutual aid coverage be an option there? Could you discuss the option of getting remaining personnel where you would need them with any ambulances in the route...might not be comfortable but you could fit a few firefighters in the back for more personnel. Also if you can't get 35-40 firefighters back to the firehouse....how did 35-40 firefighters get to where the parade would be?

[calhobs 110]

never

Edited March 11, 2007 by calhobs

[fjp326 42]

This is a shame, a St. Patty's day parade just doen't seem right without the local PD and FD marching in it. There will probably be departments from all over showing up to march, it will be strange without the local department involved. These parades are when the people of the community come out to have a good time and show their support for the people who protect them. Hopefully the bosses can work something out to get their crew there. It doesn't seem that it should be that big of a project to get this done.

[STAT213 332]

This is a shame, a St. Patty's day parade just doen't seem right without the local PD and FD marching in it. There will probably be departments from all over showing up to march, it will be strange without the local department involved. These parades are when the people of the community come out to have a good time and show their support for the people who protect them. Hopefully the bosses can work something out to get their crew there. It doesn't seem that it should be that big of a project to get this done.

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All I can say is that its about damn time. Committing your entire department (or for that matter a front line piece of any kind) for a parade is nothing but a betrayal of the public trust you are supposed to hold so dear. All you people who think that it is your right to go march in a parade and show off your trucks should be asking yourselves why you are in the fire service. Is is to help people or to march and look pretty? This is total pet peeve of mine as you may guess, but I am glad to see that some town administrators finally got on the ball with this and pulled the plug on a ridiculous tradition. I have heard people say that "well that's what mutual aid is for". Wrong, sonny. Mutual aid is for when you are stretched to your limits and unable to cover your call or calls b/c you are already tied up, not so you can go march in a parade. Sorry for the rant lads and lasses, but this really bugs me. If someone can come up with a reasonable offering for why I am wrong, jump on it but you can't tell me you have the public's best interest in mind by tying up apparatus paid for with tax dollars in a parade.

[fjp326 42]

I was thinking more in the lines of marching. You can't tie up rigs in a small community that doesn't have any spares. Never saidf anything about the entire department being there either. If they can't keep a decent number of members on standby for the hour that the parade would take up then they are doing the right thing by not taking part.

[ENG47INE 17]

This is a shame, a St. Patty's day parade just doen't seem right without the local PD and FD marching in it. There will probably be departments from all over showing up to march, it will be strange without the local department involved. These parades are when the people of the community come out to have a good time and show their support for the people who protect them. Hopefully the bosses can work something out to get their crew there. It doesn't seem that it should be that big of a project to get this done.

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I don't know of anyother depts. going the only one I know is Dobbs Ferry is sending E-47

[calhobs 110]

You know this is really sad that this is even a subject, its a parade who cares, what is even sadder is that this was posted yesterday and has over 1000 views to it and posted on March 6th is an interesting and very good training class called every Ny responder goes home and it has only 438 views. No one will have to worry both Villages will be coverd and no mutal aid needed. Not that it was ever needed when both villages did march. The memebers that I have spoken to really dont care if we march or not. Once again its a parade who cares, no ones life is in danger.

[Guest]

YOU SHOULDN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ IN THE PAPER! STAT213, the village administrators didn't make the decision, and they where not on the ball! THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DECISION! We did as the chiefs. It had nothing to do with committing all of our trucks to the parade or whether it’s a betrayal of the public’s trust, that’s a decision for us to make. As the chief I don’t think it's a betrayal of the publics trust either, I feel it is good for moral and good for the public to see, recognize and thank their volunteers for what they do. And no one from either of the departments involved once mentioned getting mutual aid to cover so they could go to a parade. I love the MONDAY morning quarterbacking that goes on, on this site. Especially when people don't have any of the facts involved. That’s just my two cents on that. It had to do with the parade committee chairperson and her lack of respect for the TWO departments, the Chiefs and the VOLUNTEERS who serve both villages with nothing but dedication for the public they serve. If you don't know all of the FACTS about what is going on, then I think it's best to keep your two cents to yourself.

CAR 2312 SHFD

[lad12derff 283]

What part of the article was incorrect? The part where the chief was quoted"They are going to see what's a parade without the fire department," Scogna said. I guess being a chief at 18-20 years we should expect this kind of behavior. Remember it's not your bat and ball its the publics

[Guest]

CAR 2312 wrote the message not the 18-20 year old.

[EMTbravo 312]

This thread is being closed.

As we are trying to breed a more professional atmosphere here, I find it

I

[EMTbravo 312]

This thread is being closed.

As we are trying to breed a more professional atmosphere here, I find it disgraceful that some members are more concerned about going or not going to a parade then staffing a full engine with the proper amount of properly trained and capable firefighters at 12 noon on a weekday, oor getting an ambulance to a heart attack victim within 8 minutes.

This forum is provided, for the most part, for Fire, Police, and EMS discussions, the sharing of ideas, information, and techniques, and the cultivation of professional relationships. Some off-topic discussions are permitted, but this won't be a place for discussion of social club type functions. This debate rages on year after year on this forum, and most members are sick of seeing it. Unless there's a specific parade issue, I don't want to see bickering over parades. Also, feel free to post your parade in our events section.

I realize parades are a part of a community, and FD participation within reason is neccesary, but let's keep it real- time spent training, familiarizing equipment, driver/operator training etc is time better spent then taking a majority of your active members and apparatus that your taxpayers paid for away from the community they are supposed to be protecting, polishing chrome, walking down a street, drinking heavily, and then competing for a "trophy". Who cares about who can put out a fire better- it's all about the shiny trucks and whos in step. Pat yourself on the back for that trophy that's going to be forgotten about and collect dust after that night- let's see how well those same parade members do competing in a firematic competion.

Personally, I spend over 50 hours a week (not right now though) at a firehouse. I NEVER find nothing to do- there's always reviewing chainsaw operations and finding stuff to cut, putting the aerial up, throwing ladders, tying knots, watching training magazines, driving around and preplanning, building familiarizations, etc etc. Plus PT, apparatus checks, firehouse maintence, etc there's plenty to keep busy firematically.

Some people need to get their priorities straight. As parade season is about to begin, that's the EMTBravo stance on parade threads.

[EMTbravo 312]

CAR 2312 wrote the message not the 18-20 year old.

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Why was someone else using your screename?

This is a violation of the Verified Member Program.

-Seth