Front Line Apparatus at Fleet Demo Day

[Guest MahopacFF101]

Sorry to be the bad guy but this just shows how much non essential equipment is in Westchester County. If all this can be shown at Playland it's obviously not needed on the "front Line" IMHO

[osufire90 18]

Some of these vehicles are not necessary unless there is a major disaster, they are not used to respond to everyday calls. When the apparatus sit there and are not being used, people complain about the large waste of taxpayers money. However, when a disaster occurs and the proper equipment is not available, people complain about that as well.

[helicopper 1,050]

Sorry to be the bad guy but this just shows how much non essential equipment is in Westchester County. If all this can be shown at Playland it's obviously not needed on the "front Line" IMHO

I respectfully disagree. Very few resources there were "first due" or "front line" and those that are first due were covered for the afternoon. Many of the resources were still available, including the vehicle that I was there with, and could (did) respond from Playland.

Given that many of the vehicles there were support vehicles or specialty response vehicles, I think your logic is flawed and you're attempting to stir a pot that doesn't need to get stirred.

[StOpGoBlUE 11]

i disagree as well an outstanding display of equipment by yonkers pd,fd and county pd as well im glad my hard earned money goes to new technology and equipment that will be used in small ways and big ways.........

[mfc2257 464]

So what was there that was not needed? R-4 is a stones throw from it's first due and NRFD has equipment on it's other rigs to get a job started. R-1 was a little further away from it's first due but YFD has a spare heavy rescue and the truck companies to cover. The technical rescue team would probably respond faster from playland than if they had to assemble on any other day. The helicopter was in service and WCPD patrols Playland anyway they were in their first due. Collapse Rescue, USAR, and the flatbed are support rigs and responding from playland probably wouldn't put them too far outside the normal response. The vollie equipment that was there was more than covered by the redundant volley apparatus that surrounds their district.

Conclusion: the career equipment that was there wasn't an example of waste. The vollie equipment that was there may be an example of over redundancy and waste, but until the fifetoms are dissolved in the Tri state area you'll not see any improvement.

[norestriction 10]

Sorry to be the bad guy but this just shows how much non essential equipment is in Westchester County. If all this can be shown at Playland it's obviously not needed on the "front Line" IMHO

you asked a legit question and all who disagreed gave you a respectful answer except for the one who had to stand out.

[ny10570 745]

Is he really an a-hole for this? Its a valid question and absolutely true in respect to the volley world. Ed did a good job clarifying what would to the casual observer appear to be several vehicles out of service.

Vehicles go out of service all of the time for maintenance, training, calls, etc. Publicity and community outreach is important. So long as accommodations are made to maintain protection I see no harm.

[Dinosaur 844]

Sorry to be the bad guy but this just shows how much non essential equipment is in Westchester County. If all this can be shown at Playland it's obviously not needed on the "front Line" IMHO

Because apparatus or vehicles can be assigned to training or a public relations detail for a few hours one day doesn't make it non-essential. There is preventitive maintenance and other service that takes vehicles out of service for periods of time as well.

Your point can just as easily be made about front-line apparatus leaving district to another county for a parade.

How about Lake George? How many pieces of front line fire apparatus make the annual journey to Lake George for an entire weekend? Does that mean that those trucks are non-essential?

Is there duplicate, redundant or down-right useless apparatus in the metro area? Absolutely. I don't think a lot of it was at Playland yesterday though.

[PFDRes47cue 653]

Same thing happens when you have parades. Apparatus are taken out of service but they are covered until they return. If something big comes in, you respond from the parade. With most of the response times departments in Westchester have, responding from parade would probably get them on scene faster than a typical response originating in their districts.

[billfitz 109]

FYI - for the past 2 years this has become a useful drill to exercise deployment of our USAR resources as well as mutual aid. The 2 frontline units that participated were backfilled with fully stocked reserve apparatus prior to leaving the city (When we send mutual aid out and it goes to work our policy is to backfill them with reserve rigs). As far as the USAR resources it gives us an oppurtunity to deploy vehicles, trailers and other equipment - this allows us to identify best practices and more importantly any shortcomings.

Edited June 12, 2011 by billfitz

[FFEMT150 214]

so we really need to have this conversation again? As heilcopper said, this pot being stirred need not... There are much bigger wastes of money out there. we in westchester are blessed for what we have. Think of the "have nots" in the country.

[JBE 328]

Much ado about nothing. Sorry I missed the fun. Maybe next year.

[bad box 371]

Sorry to be the bad guy but this just shows how much non essential equipment is in Westchester County. If all this can be shown at Playland it's obviously not needed on the "front Line" IMHO

I disagree (I agree with 'Helicopter'& 'billfitz's' statements), however I do feel that way about departments that take most or all of their personnel along with their aerial apparatus or 'heavy rescue' out of district to parades remote from their first due response area ... sometimes in other counties or states. It's difficult to explain to the taxpayers that the $900,000.00 piece of apparatus that you absolutely needed in order to be able to protect a specific target hazard(s) suddenly isn't so vitally important when there's a trophy on the line.

Edited June 13, 2011 by bad box