Kingston fire chief expands response to Ulster

[shadow12083 17]

Kingston fire chief expands response to Ulster By Paul Kirby, Freeman staff11/11/2008

KINGSTON - The city's fire chief has agreed to expand the automatic response of city firefighters to include structure fires along the state Route 28 corridor in the neighboring town of Ulster.

Landi questioned whether the chief had the authority to expand the area of automatic response without first broaching the idea with the Common Council. Landi had obtained an internal e-mail sent by Salzmann to firefighters detailing the expanded area.

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?...74969&rfi=6

Something I thought interesting from the story is local officials starting to exam mutual aid and question who is the person who decides that.

[BIGD3265 0]

Once again the powers that be are trying to save money. They are too worried about the cost of overtime while the fire Department sends a crew out to help a neighboring department and back fill with their own guys (not that I am bashing that). But they have 3 paid houses with 14 guys on duty between the houses. So what if you send a crew out to give a hand. The area they are talking about is the area around the NYS Thruway covered by for many years by Ulster Hose #5 whose district it is and the Hurley Fire Department (both vollie houses) with a tanker on anything fire related in the area due to lack ok of water. To top it off if a call goes out in the area is BS or big 98 percent of the time it’s BS. KFD'S station 2 is in up town by Dietz stadium a short response to the area talked about (I would say about 3 to 4 min max). So way not call KFD. They will be faster then Ulster or Hurley. It’s the right move on Ulster’s part to better protect the people. Besides to get good M/A you have to give it as well. Now all the departments around Kingston are vollie departments and respond in at KFD's request. I have known Ulster; Spring Lake, and Hurley as well as two or three more to go. It’s just the city officials trying to put their nose in where it doesn’t belong. Just my thoughts

[Patch6713 18]

I think the automatic responce is good. Also, it isn't for all calls in the area, it is only calls that are built as structure fires. I talked to a deputy chief of Kingston and he said that they will probably only respond a handful of times a year. Also, the amount of SF calls out there that become anything major that KFD will have to call back people on overtime definatly doesn't mach the amount of times the UH #5 goes into the city with their apparatus. I think I read that KFD called MA over 50 times one year and only went out on MA like 5 times so it isn't a bad idea to even out those numbers a little.

[TSull 33]

I think the automatic responce is good. Also, it isn't for all calls in the area, it is only calls that are built as structure fires. I talked to a deputy chief of Kingston and he said that they will probably only respond a handful of times a year. Also, the amount of SF calls out there that become anything major that KFD will have to call back people on overtime definatly doesn't mach the amount of times the UH #5 goes into the city with their apparatus. I think I read that KFD called MA over 50 times one year and only went out on MA like 5 times so it isn't a bad idea to even out those numbers a little.

The bean counters do not care if the Ulster Vollies came into the city 1,000 or 1,000,000 times and the city responded out only 5 times a year. They will knock anything that has even the possibility of incurring overtime and other costs.

[Patch6713 18]

I guess what I was getting at is the amount of overtime Ulster has and will continue to save KFD will way surpass what they may spend on the automatic response.

[BIGD3265 0]

We will see how it works out..and i am sure it will since we are only talking about a hand full of calls a year.

[Patch6713 18]

A handful a year, one of them being yesterday already.