Westchester Mask Service Unit- Feasable?

[x635 4,066]

Could Westchester County benefit from a county-run or contracted Mask Service Unit?

Do we all need our own cascade systems, to worry about every bottles testing date, etc.

DES, or their chosen contractor such as AAA Emergency Supply could pick up and deliver empty bottles as needed.

Each bottle could have a bar code to keep track of it. Each deparment would have a wireless barcode scanner, and could scan each bottle for inventory, which would wirelessly go to a computer program, where you could order bottle replenishment. Each department would have an increased stock of bottles, and the contractor would have to be able to respond to scenes with a cascade system, as well as making routine and requested stops at all firehouses.

Likewise, the Mask Service Unit could have a mobile or fixed repair center where the same system as described above could apply as well to repair of packs and hydrotesting of bottles (something which the contractor could account for)

To me, it jus't doesn't make sense to have multiple departments with cascades and the financial upkeep. If we could all share in purchasing and maintainence with SCBAs, we could save ourselves a lot of money and time. Money that could be spent on other important yet neglected things, such as increasing 60 Control dispatcher salaries so it's on the level with the responsibilty and workload they have.

Just another idea to use DES to make things more efficient and to save money.

[mfc2257 464]

When I was an officer in Millwood I consistantly asked for the commissioners to consider selling Rescue 36 while we can/could still get a decent amount of money for it. There was a time when Millwood, The Department of Civil Defense, and U-12 out of Buchannan were the only mobile units filling bottles.... Hence the reason why R-36 went to the appartment fire in Pelham, and the Propane Truck vs. overpass in White Plains.

Now just like with Tower Ladders, Westchester County (especially Volunteer Departments) are saturated with Cascades.

[Guest bibbles10504]

Yea, thats definitely a good idea. It would be convenient if they could come to the structure fires with a cascade system on the truck. But I think that having a mask service unit would be beneficial

[exmrvfc 0]

I think there are too many questions to make this feasible. For example does every fire department run Scott ?? If they do, do they run with steel bottles or carbon fiber? If you turn in a carbon fiber, do you get a carbon fiber back? Does anyone still have 2250s instead of 4500s? How do you prorportion the cost of the bottles and MSU among municipalities that are different in size?

I agree redundancy among neighboring FDs should be eliminated and resources better allocated. If your mutual aid dept has a tower ladder should you have one too? Maybe you should have a straight stick to compliment it. Does every department need a heavy rescue, definitely not.

I am hopeful that more "sharing" and cooperation among the battalions happens as it would make everyone better off. An example of this is the Special Ops section that DES has started under Chief Pitocco (HazMat and Tech Rescue).

[RWC130 594]

I also think having a Mask Service Unit would be beneficial to

all Fire Departments here in Westchester.

[Remember585 815]

A lot of Departments like to be self-sufficient and in most cases, they can come up with the money to buy all the toys they want.

I don't think we will ever have one in our district because we have Buchanan to the north, Yorktown to the east and Millwood and Briarcliff to our south. Why spend the money?

A County unit or two - not a bad idea - but who is going to pay for it since all these departments are buying them? It would be a waste of money to have so many redundencies.

[Guest]

We did it in New Jersey. As part of homeland security.

New Jersey Air Trucks

Each vechicle contains 4 types of air cylinders based on what the majority of departments in a particular county are utilizing. The vehicles are stationed at career departments to guarantee deployment in a timely fashion with personel trained and capable of supporting the operation of the vehicle. The county fire coordinators dictate the deployment. In return for providing the manpower and a home to support the vehicle, the host departments operate the vehicles as part of their fleet, including maintenance. I'm not 100% on the actual agreements with each dept, but the system works.

The vehicle does not do SCBA repair.

Edited March 22, 2007 by FFD55

[Guest]

Good idea. BUT, too many freakin' dept's in this silly county and that equals too many different Mask set-ups.

exmrvfc has it right. 2250 or 4500? Scott or MSA, or maybe one of the other obscure ones. There are just too many variables.

[Guest]

We have 20 departments in my county...4 bottle types cover 80%. We happen to fall into the other 20%. In our case, we have a sufficent amount of spares and simply utilize the truck as a on-site refill station...our mutual departments have the ability to bottle swap

[yfd910 8]

It may seem like a good idea on paper, but I don't think it's feasible. Too many questions to go along with it. I think it will be another over used and abused thing like mutual aid. I think the County is too big for one unit. What would happen in the case of fires at opposite ends of the county, even if they're not at the same time? How many people will staff it? 24/7? On call? Paid? Volunteer? Who's going to fund it? Will it be equally divided among departments? What happens when one department uses it more than the others? Who's going to be in charge of it? The County, but with all the departments paying for it?

I'm not sure which departments have their own cascade system, which I would guess most do, but I don't think there's a real need for a county wide MSU before other issues are addressed like a county wide or southern westchester department, automatic mutual aid or responses, etc.

I'm not trying to be negative about it, but you all know when it comes to more than one fire department and sharing resources, like in L.I., there are way too many questions, and most depts. don't like to share.

If the DES dispatchers need raises, I'm sure there are other ways for them to get a raise without relying on the local departments spending their own money to buy equipment and funding something that really isn't needed.

[Guest partyrock]

There is one simple reason why it won't work at this time. No one has to do it. NJ came in and said this is what we are going to do. NY is very large and extreamly varied in its make-up so I think a state wide system is out. As far as the county goes, it has absolutely no say in how depts operate. They can offer a service and hope depts choose to participate.

[Guest]

Just to clarify a bit...in NJ, it is not statewide and is limited to 5 counties in northeastern NJ. The units were turned over to the county offices of emergency management...the county fire coordinators. in the case of our county, the decision for location was determined by the county chief's association (All chiefs career/vol). The host departments accepted the responsibility for vehicle maintenance in return for getting the vehicle added to their fleet. Agreed staffing was a minimum of 2, which is all you need to operate. Whether the staffing was dedicated or the shared responsibilty of an engine/truck co, that was up to the host dept as long as the vehicle maintained 24hr availability.

The state made the purchase based on input from the counties. Not the other way around.

They have only been in service about a year, but so far so good.

I'm not saying the system is perfect or we found the answer to all problems, we just put together something that works.

Edited March 23, 2007 by FFD55

[ONLOCATION 24]

This would take a Collective Agreement and Communication (Everyone being on the same page).........And not to say that people would have to give up things that make them stand above the rest as far as equipment......Great Concept.....But I don't think so

[Guest]

This would take a Collective Agreement and Communication (Everyone being on the same page)

Onlocation, you are 100% correct on your statement above...and that is what it took.

All, Please don't take my responses as argumentitive (sp?). It is sometimes difficult to have a 2-way conversation in a text forum because you never know if you're exactly answering a question or further clouding the subject. I'm just trying to pass on some stuff but would be just as happy doing it over some cold one's.