Do Westchester Taxpayers Deserve More From Us?

[x635 4,066]

I was doing some thinking in regards to several recent incidents, and I thought of the following question....do Westchester taxpayers deserve more then what they are currently getting from us?

At one time back in the day, many Westchester departments protected small working class communities, farmland, and light industry. These same departments today are protecting corporate headquarters, multi-million dollar houses, and large shopping developments and schools. At one time where Westchester taxpayers paid reasonable taxes for service, they are now paying quite hefty sums of money.

So, with the changes, I feel the taxpayers deserve more. But, what do they deserve? Hey, we're there, right? That's good enough! WRONG!!

These people have the right to know that their firefighters have IMMEDIATE and consistent access to an unlimited primary and secondary water supply, regardless of if they have hydrants or not. If they do have hydrants, they have the right to have them checked periodically, and consideration by their water district to add hydrants if needed or none exists, if their is a need. If they don't have hydrants, they should know that their fire department has access to a regularly practiced and standard plan to activate a water source, such as a tanker shuttle, upon the confirmation of a working fire. Water on the fire....one of the most fundamental and necessary parts of our job yet one of the most overlooked ones during training and preplanning. Do we have a plan? Do we have a backup plan?

They have a right to get an ambulance in a timely manner. They are paying taxes, the school bus and garbage truck come without major issues, why do we have such trouble getting a life saving service out?

They have a right to know that their firefighters are protected, and compliant with OSHA....Transmit a 10-75, FAST team comes automatically!!

They have a right to a truck company. If a truck company is not available within the town, then they need to know they have one coming upon transmission of the 10-75. Truck companies on a structure fire shouldn't be special-call.

They have a right to know their house is still protected just as well even if there is another emergency going on in town.

They have a right to know that their house is protected with the same resources and the same staffing whether it's 3 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon, whether its the middle of winter or the middle of summer.

They have a right to know that firefighters have trouble free communications system

They have a right to access to pre-arrival instructions.

They deserve to know their firefighters post-critique any significant incident, and takes steps to improve the next operation. They need to know their department openly accepts criticism and critique from neighboring departments, chiefs, and battalion coordinators and learns from each incident. They have the right to know the same mistakes won't be made twice. Chiefs....you think a department is doing a poor job? Send them a certified letter letting them know your concerns at an incident and your willingness to help them to a solution...don't just trash talk them among friends. Who cares if they don't invite you to their next fire or social function...that's there problem! Any REAL fire chief would be happy to know how his peers thought he could improve his next incident. After all, you don't get to see everything as an IC.

They have a right to know that their firefighters are not just comprised of very young men and women 18-25, but a proper mix of personel with experience and training. They have a right to know why their fire departments are losing so many more experienced members

THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE, AND HOW THEY CAN HELP TO FIX THEM!

In another thread that has since been deleted, and in similar threads,I heard several members making comments to the likes of "Hey, it was just a vacant house" and "Nobody was hurt" so what's the big deal???? . True, but what if it had been somebody's house, and all their possessions were inside? Would you have worked any harder or differently? Nobody was hurt, but is that luck or a solid operation? On any incident, you didn't do a good job because you just showed up. Doing a good job goes way beyond just showing up and stretching a hoseline. (Thanks for the line M!) This is the fire service, this is a profession, not play time!!!! As said, taxpayers deserve more! They deserve competent, well-trained, and professional firefighters, and the right number of equally trained firefighters!!! Why should an abandoned crack house in Yonkers receive a better response then someone who is paying $19,000 a year in taxes? How can a social event be better planned and staffed then a fire?

c

This list can go on and on, but I'm sure you catch my drift......... It's time to step up to the plate, stop hiding and duct-taping problems, and looking for a PERMENENT solution to bring the modern Fire Service into the modern day WC. Heck, take it a step further and let's come up with our own innovative solutions! It's not fair to provide substandard service to the people, and property we are sworn to protect. It's time to make the problems known to your legislators and get the funding....the people pay taxes, the money is there, fight for it!! Fight for legislation to improve the fire service! Fight for a better fire service!

Even the the littlest idea picked up by your average line firefighter on this forum can be a catylyst for tremendous change.......

[TRUCK6018 50]

Most of the issues stated comes into play when a department gets their ISO rating. Water supply, staffing, apparatus, training are all factors during ISO's visit. Bottom line, does it have an effect on taxes? To buy those upgrades to receive those extra points that could make or break a grade advance, could raise operating costs, thereby raising taxes. On the flip side the improvements should lower the homeowner's fire insurance. Unfortunately, it's not always seen that way.

I have fielded my share of calls from insurance companies in the past about the closest water source to a given structure. More times then not all the insurance companies care about is whether the location is within 1000 feet of a water source. A yes or no answer can (and has) been the difference in the company insuring the homeowner. When it's explained to the insurance agent about ISO, they react like you're speaking a forgein language.

[ajsbear 11]

I think first and formost is more available training. I know we need FF1 and 2 for the newer people coming in but there are dozens of tother classes that need to be given. Plus refresher courses for the members who have been around since things change over the years. In addition more coordination between county training facilities. Sometimes your own county training center is not easy one or closest one to get to.

Also the BS with firehouse politics has got to go. We are all here for one reason, or at least I hope we are. Lets just help one another instead of pointing fingers, making acusations etc.

How's that for a start?

[x635 4,066]

Training, as important as it is, is irrelevant to my feelings and my post on this issue. You can have all the training you want, but if you don't have the ability to equip, LEAD, and properly deploy those trained firefighters, then the training is useless.

[Guest WolfEMT]

If the job is getting done, then why mess with something that is already working to its potential? It kinda goes along with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" way of thinking...

[TRUCK6018 50]

I think the question at hand is how often does it work to its potential? Not from our point of view, but from the public eye.

Sure, our primary goal is to all go home safely. Does the public see it that way? Does the public see us with the adequate resources needed to preform a task in a timely fashion?

Most of the new residential construction are close to million dollar homes. Homes constructed of firefighter killers. Lightweight truss construction, laminated I-beams, all the fun stuff that the longer the response takes, the more dangerous fighting the fire is. On top of all that is the several thousand foot driveway barely wide enough to drive a car on, let alone get a pumper or ladder on with no water source in sight. Is all of this exagerated? No, not really. Minus the driveways, it's most true unless it's with in a hydrant district.

Granted, none of this is our fault as firefighters. The political boards at your local town hall allows this to happen but when it hits the fan, who's going to get blamed?

We are. For not getting there within minutes, before the trusses fail. For not having the resourses to get in these driveways. Fore not having the availible water on hand for these several thousand square foot monsters called houses. These houses that the homeowner pays stupid amount in taxes for us to protect.

The brass in the fire department needs to stop this type of construction before it happens. They need to approach the planning boards, the fire bureau who ever oversees this in your town. Sure, there are minutes collecting dust in some vault to show that has happened, unfortunately the politicians have there own agenda. It will cost that developer too much to put a water system in. There's no code that says you can't have long driveways, the usual replies. So we need to accommodate.

We can't accommodate because of budgets. Raising the budget will raise taxes. Taxes are too high already.

So again, who's fault is us not having the immediate resources to fight these fires in a timely fashion?

[Pudge3311 5]

Truck6018 brings up a good point. All these homeowners care about is paying the least amount of money while still having their nice big home. Another good point is that these town boards need to realize that they let homeowners have nice windy driveways that cant fit the apparatus of today. So whose fault is it that the nice big engine that the town bought for us cant get near the fire? Its their fault for not making the homeowner provide an adequate (sp?) driveway for us to get up.

Do we owe the taxpayers more, sure we do. Until we can staff every piece of apparatus they have purchased with trained people and can get out the door of the firehouse in a few minutes we will always owe them more. But if they, the town boards and the homeowner dont help themselves, how is it our fault? Its a two way street and at the moment both lanes are falling into disrepair.

[ja3kfd 34]

Everyone brings up a good point, we owe the taxpayers more,are the taxes to high ? Our town tax at least in Somers , not that crazy for what we get, Fire Tax about 100.00 for me Is that High absolutely not and most of us can say Fire Tax is not High. County Tax and School Tax is what is nuts. Anyways everyone deserves more, we all need to take a stand with the area and various boards, if we can not get pressurized water Hydrants lets at least get Dry Hydrants that work and are easily accesible. NYC Watershed needs to make the Resevoirs more accesible to all of us that have millions of Gallons of water but no easy access to them,Time is always of the essence when that house is burning. Maybe the time has come for Mergers, also it has definately come, for the Fire Chiefs of each Dept. to sit down do your response maps so when you have a 10-75 your first person can call it in and the response can start, Maybe the time has come for ego's to go by the wayside and do the right thing for the Taxpayers and the Public at Large. The games and stubborness that some display some day will turn around and hurt us or some one we love.

Something else to ponder, most of us know how homeowners and architect's can appeal to the state and get varriances for the Building Code.

Why can't they (The State) take a stand and demand 3rd. floor sprinkler Systems or for that matter make them put it in the whole House?

Know what when you are Building that Million Dollar House what is 5 to 10 Thousand more? Do Not make them extend Water Mains, than make them install 20,000 Gallon storage tanks every 5,000 feet and make the Homeowners Responsible for them.

Yes it is a 2 way Street in Disrepair but it can always be fixed and the time has come.