efdcapt115

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions from your perspective. I repped you for the post, but a couple of your comments bothered me. You referred to members of SFRD as "my union Brothers". If you are so neutral in the discussions up there, wouldn't that be "our Brother firefighters?" Further, my understanding (and it is far from being totally knowledgeable about Stamford I do admit) is that the Chief of SFRD's proposal would unite the entire city, while the side you advocate for continues to advocate for a split department for the city. Is my take on that incorrect as well? But like you said, enough about Stamford. So you continue to believe that after 10 years of battle in Afghanistan, our objective is to root out and destroy "radical Islam." Yet you also admit that the place of refuge for the fighters our troops do battle with come over from the tribal regions in Pakistan. In a recent interview I saw with Imran Khan, a man who is garnering much support in Pakistan as of late, he stated that there are over "one million armed men" in the tribal regions. Do we root out radicalism among-st all of these men, or do we create more radicals merely by our military presence in Afghanistan? I supported the notions you have espoused; for years. I have come to the conclusion that it will not be done, and this is by no means an admission of failure, or defeat on the part of our military. As I stated before, I think our objectives have largely been met. It was not the Taliban who attacked us on 9/11; they gave refuge to Bin Laden and Al Quieda. Al Quieda has suffered major degradation thanks to the work of our military, CIA, and allies within the region. Taliban will never lay down their weapons. They've been carrying them for more centuries than America has been in existence. When we refer to Taliban, we might as well just say "the men of the region who carry guns." Having degraded Al Quieda to the point of insignificance, I think we have won. The Taliban will continue to lob mortar rounds into your Base....forever. They will never lay down their weapons and make peace, nor will they be able to mount attacks on Americans on the Homeland. They have no ships, no air-force. Let them think they made us leave, really who cares what they think? Let them return to their tribal ways, and take out their frustrations on each other, instead of continuing to provide them with an enemy that unites them. That would be us and the Coalition. I don't know if you saw this, but Maj. General Peter Fuller was relieved of his command yesterday, because he made some "disparaging statements about the Karzi government." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/04/peter-fuller-fired_n_1077204.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl8%7Csec1_lnk2%7C110149 My overall impression of Karzi is he is a backstabbing, two-faced, traitor toward the United States. Why do we continue to prop his government up? He stated if the United States and Pakistan were to go to war, he would side with Pakistan: Talking about being isolated from reality, our national debt (on the Federal level only) is about to surpass 15 TRILLION dollars. Yes, Washington D.C. is isolated from reality. The worst part about this blood-letting endless war is that those same idiots in DC are the ones who tie the commanders hands in Afghanistan, and don't let them finish the job the way it should be done. Rather, we get this 10 years and counting, protracted endless war, that is creating more enemies than it is killing. If they would have let Stan McCrystal, David Patreaus, or any of the other competent Generals fight the war with adequate resources and rules of engagement, you and everybody else working or fighting over there would have been home a few years ago. I guess I've made the point I was trying to make. Once again, I do thank you for providing fire protection to our military, and protecting the Base there.

Please keep these extremely decent young people in your prayers tonight. They were on their way to the Childrens' Home to help out with the kids. Update: Two fatalities, 3 critical. http://emergency.acu.edu/ http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/Abilene_Christian_University_Bus_Crashes_Killing_At_Least_One_133270448.html?ref=448

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/11/04/miami-dade-to-decide-on-police-unions-final-offer/

Yeah I second the appreciation for the many posts you've written describing life on the Base there. I think everybody here appreciates and respects what you are doing over there. Aside from the fact you are in the middle of the controversy with Stamford Fire Rescue. I honestly wish that weren't the case. It kind of skewed my view of what you were writing, because in the countless pages that have been written about the situation in Stamford, I come down squarely on the side of the Brothers of SFRD. Any plan that could possibly put SFRD firefighters' jobs on the line, obviously abhors me. My questions to you are regarding the war. Obama has indicated a major pullback in Iraq. Bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan. The original objective of the incursion into Afghanistan was to get that b@stard and his cronies. To a large extent, this has been accomplished. Al Zawahiri remains at large; I'd give it 90+ percent chance that he is not in Afghanistan. So my question to you, a private contractor working for the U.S. government, boots on the ground; when do we leave Afghanistan? We've been there longer than we were in Vietnam. This conflict has taken much longer than WWI or WWII. Longer than the Revolution. Longer than the Civil War. The longest war, am I correct? And what have we accomplished for the trillions we have spent in both Iraq and Afghanistan? The thousand of dead soldiers, and tens of thousands more gravely wounded? Do you think our troops will ever eliminate the Taliban? Do you think the Karzi government plays it all ways? Is there graft and corruption rampant within Afghanistan? Is the drug trade flourishing? When does it end for us? What is the end game? Maybe we'd be better served to ramp up the drone program, run it out of Kandahar AFB, and just continue to bomb cells of bad guys in the tribal regions of Pakistan? A lot of questions, and maybe due to military censorship, you're not able to address these issues in a public forum. Understandable. I just think not one more ounce of American blood should be spilled in Afghanistan. I don't think the conflict is worth the lives and money we lose and spend. The problems back here at home need to be given priority now. It's way passed the time to wrap it up; Afghanistan historically takes down Empires, and our continued pouring of resources into the country is like a Black Hole. Never ending war. Feeding the military-industrial complex that Ike warned us about. America is broke. Downgraded credit rating. Federal deficit that is well on it's way to breaking the back of this country. State budgets in crisis all over the country. Defaulting municipalities, laid off public employees, vilified firefighters and police officers, a growing public outcry and civil unrest starting to take root. A President who has gone back on just about every single campaign promise. Close Gitmo. Not. End the Afghanistan war. Not. We got Bin Laden. We got a vast majority of Al Quieda. We got some serious payback for 9-11. We're broke. Time for our honorable troops and civilian support personnel to come home? If not, why and what objective are we looking to accomplish? Thanks and stay safe.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. But I had asked you to provide some sort of a tax-dollar breakdown to back up the statement that RBFD is a "financial strain" (I think was the wording you used). BNechis had alluded earlier to other nearby departments who also face difficult staffing issues. I would hope if the conversation up there does turn toward the establishment of a fire district, the decision makers would look at the larger picture, and consider bringing in those other departments in the discussion. I stand by my comments about bringing in a consultant to help figure out how that would be possible; establishing a larger fire district to include places like Harrison, and the other departments BNechis named. The one stumbling block I see with including the City of Rye unfortunately; as I understand it would take an act of the State Legislature to include them, because they are a city. Towns and villages, easier. And Port Chester; staffing a shift with ONE career firefighter? C'mon! Talk about inviting disaster.

If you really want to talk the turkey here, the Con Ed infrastructure is ancient and getting worse by the day. There are entire neighborhoods in Bronxville, where the primary and secondary lines have no insulation on them. You look at the wires; they are green. Oxidized copper. When there are electric problems, when a fuse blows (and you get some of the little remaining insulation burning, just a little flicker of a flame) and people call 9-1-1 reporting a "transformer explosion", my former dept would have to stage at the site, and sometimes wait hours for the one-person-staffed Con Ed truck to show up. By the way, when did Con Ed and it's union decide they could get away with one per rig? No safety issues there at all right? The best reason reason I can think of to get the wires underground from a firefighting perspective, as impossible as it may be right now due to economic conditions, is the way overheads interfere with ladder truck operations. Countless times the stick gets taken out of the game in Westchester, because of overheads. Always envious to see FDNY ladder operations on....say a Brooklyn street. Laddering with the aerial in NYC is SOP; in Westchester it's NGH (not gonna happen) in too many instances.

Hi Joe, Florida is all about "Open Government." The public's "right to know" in most cases (there are exceptions, but are usually decided at the Appellate level, long after the information has been released) overrides any discretion the agency might want to exercise. Same reason they have cameras in the courtroom, and arrest photos are immediately posted on the Sheriffs' websites. From the Florida A.G. website: http://www.myflsunshine.com/ In this case, more than likely the FHP records, which are looked at constantly by the media, were immediately pounced upon, and a FOIL was filed (if even necessary).

Radio transcript in the link. Apparently the Troopers Supervisor advised Trooper to back off pursuit. Trooper also conducted (from what they described on the TV news as) a felony traffic stop (weapon drawn) without waiting for back-up. Supposedly Trooper has taken leave time. This story is ALL over the news in south Florida: http://www.local10.com/news/Radio-recordings-from-speeding-officer-incident-released/-/1717324/4421892/-/12vfdci/-/index.html

I'm posting this update NOT to stir the pot, rather since this was viewed by so many here (and the video virtually went viral) it's important that both side's positions be heard. Also there's a LE website mentioned in the story I thought our Brothers/Sisters in Blue (or in the case of the FHP, Brown) might enjoy. http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/02/2484605/miami-police-reckless-driving.html http://www.leoaffairs.com/

Welcome to the board. Would you please elaborate how RBFD is a "strain financially"? Can you provide a break-down of a Rye Brook tax dollar, percentage-wise? Where does the money go; what percent of that dollar is spent on fire protection? Do you know if the Rye Brook administration has ever considered contracting with a consultant to offer a report with possible options for improved, more efficient fire protection? Thank you!

And it is no small feat to pick up an entire community and move it across state lines! (I read that Star article about Elvis, the following story was about how to construct your own aluminum foil hat without using tape. It worked fantastically!)

I'm entirely impressed that someone in a position of leadership would actually take the time to show up here and be responsive to members questions. Well done sir...Bravo!

The primary reason I voiced an opinion in this thread is because the conditions that the career firefighters face, alone or with one other in both departments, can be extremely dangerous to their health and safety. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people nowadays will use the terms "consolidation and regionalization" as politically correct terminology. Yet, try and talk specifics, offer ideas, and the conversation dies. This has never been a thread about career vs. volunteer in my eyes. It's a thread to advocate for safer working conditions for my Brother firefighters, and that is an issue I will never be silent about. I understand what you want, and I hope everyone who reads this thread understands what career firefighters who raised an opinion here want; safer conditions for our Brother firefighters. It is that simple.

Heard about this last night, and as soon as I saw who the registered owner was, I was a bit shocked. Those of you who follow the sport will remember in 2004, a similar plane owned by Hendrick Motorsports crashed near the Martinsville Speedway, killing all 10 aboard, including Rick Hendrick's son Ricky, his brother and two nieces, along with members of RHM: http://floridakeyssheriff.blogspot.com/ http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-nascar-rickhendrick-planecrash

Just doing a little brainstorming. Starting at the core basics, we have two career firefighters working 7am-7pm-7days in Rye Brook, and they respond together on one rig. From what I've been able to gather re-reading this thread, there are two career firefighters staffing two engines in Port Chester. One small part of an improvement could involve teaming up the two Port Chester firefighters onto one rig, and doing an automatic aid agreement with Rye Brook whereby both departments respond to both communities. Two rigs, with two firefighters on each, immediately responding to all fire calls in both communities. Initial career response of four firefighters on two engines. It would be helpful if one of the rigs was a Quint, so the four firefighters once assembled have ladder operations available. Wouldn't it be helpful to Rye Brook's political leadership to be able to commit to two firefighters, 24/7 staffing, if they received the same in an automatic-aid agreement with Port Chester? What both communities would be receiving with such an agreement would be guaranteed career staffing of four firefighters for the cost of two per community. The career firefighters get a staffing agreement. It's a bargain deal for both communities that might make the Rye Brook administration open their purse to staff 24/7, and make Port Chester fill both slots, and not have to separate their career firefighters any longer; knowing they get two more 24/7 from Rye Brook. The volunteer component of Port Chester obviously plays a critical role; providing Incident Commanders, officers, and firefighters. Why not simply concentrate on building that component into two companies; an engine and truck, and these two units also respond with a minimum of two firefighters (more is obviously better), but two ff's get the rigs rolling. Now with three engines and a truck, you've got eight firefighters responding. Add the Chiefs, and your initial response is 9-10. ISO is not my purview, but I'm sure BNechis could expand on how to work with that issue. Just some thoughts on how to get a consistent around the clock response. Yes it would cost money to staff two positions 24/7 for both communities, but the key to making this attractive is the auto-aid component that is a two way street. You end up seeing Rye Brooks rig in Port Chester as often as the other way around, and both administrations feel like they are getting "a deal." Rye Brook and Port Chester members, feel free to educate me as to what I'm missing with my ideas, what is already being done, etc. Thank you.

Thanks again for the reply Charlie. But I honestly don't see this as an argument, rather just a discussion. BNechis's response above is a good one, that gets to the root of the topic. I've added what I could in suggesting bringing in a consultant, because that fresh set of eyes on operations many times is very helpful for people like the village board members you mentioned. Having run solo on engines, trucks and a rescue earlier in my career, I know what that feels like to a firefighter (career or volunteer). It's overwhelming, stressful, dangerous. If there is a way to address not having that happen in Rye Brook, Port Chester, and the other places the Captain mentioned, it's worth exploring the options. A consultant could give the elected officials some options to consider maybe they hadn't heard before or thought of themselves, and maybe act upon. I mean this sincerely when I say no firefighter, career or volunteer should have to run solo on a rig anymore in 2011, and there are ways to figure out how to solve that issue.

Thanks for adding information, as I had posted there was a lot more to this call than certainly I posted about, and was hoping someone could add to the facts. But what's up with the comment "once again talking without knowing the facts"?

No I.A. on this, but to further emphasize the need for some sort of action in this neck of the woods, I heard this morning E-58 out on an I-95 ramp with a fully involved garbage truck fire, with a chief on scene. Is that one firefighter and a chief? Where is E-59? Where is anybody else? How many firefighters responded? E-58 with a booster tank of water and a chief I guess to man the nozzle? What if this was an apartment building? I hope these two Brothers contained the garbage truck fire, and neither suffered an injury. I heard the chief called for Rye for mutual aid. Was that to cover the city or to assist at the scene? If this isn't a clear illustration that something needs to be addressed up there, tell me what is. Edit: I understand there is a lot more information regarding this incident, so everybody take it easy, don't get freaked out, just help us out with the information if you can. Thanks.

http://www.freep.com/article/20111031/NEWS01/111031009/Volunteers-smother-number-Angels-Night-fires-Detroit?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

What you heard was probably 10-20 fires burning at the same time: "Devil's Night" Fires 2008: 136 2009: 119 2010: 169 On a "typical" night DFD responds to 40 working fires.

While the Consolidation Study languishes somewhere, Rye Brook and Port Chester were not included in it anyway. The case against one firefighter apparatus staffing was addressed on my job some years ago. We had five engines, two trucks, and a heavy rescue, all with the original staffing from the 1920's; one firefighter per rig. The volunteer response had declined for various reasons, particularly during daytime working hours. The system, as it was designed; career firefighters responding with the apparatus, and volunteers responding in their POVs no longer worked. The department (and I know I've explained this a few times before, but I think it's appropriate to mention it again here) commissioned a consultant, who did address the unacceptable fact of firefighters alone on rigs. The resulting report became a template that the department did follow through on. The resulting changes reduced the total number of apparatus, and eliminated a dispatcher position, but the end product was literally the beginning of the end of solo staffed rigs. The department now runs with two firefighters per rig. It is far from adequate, it is far from ideal, but it is 100 percent better than it was. This is simple math, one firefighter plus one firefighter=100 percent increase in staffing. If problems exist in RBFD/PCFD (and one firefighter per rig staffing IS a problem irregardless of how passionately some department members would defend the system) I would humbly recommend Rye Brook and Port Chester consider funding a consultant's report. They can be done for a reasonable cost, they bring in an outside professional opinion, who not only takes into consideration the abilities of the municipalities involved to fund the end product, but more importantly for firefighters, they can offer a better option than the existing system. I say better, certainly not best, because if this was the case, our consultant's report would have resulted in at least three firefighters and an officer per rig. But because a consultant will take into account the municipality's ability and willingness to fund improvements, they stay neutral in the discussion, and are not dismissed by the taxpayers as one-sided. Along with hundreds of other Westchester career firefighters, led by Rye firefighter Bruce Kerr (Rest in Peace Brother) I walked the picket lines up in Rye Brook when they were going the Rural Metro route, a route that ultimately failed as we all knew it would. The resulting creation of a Rye Brook Fire Department staffed with career firefighters was a small step toward the solution that ultimately the two communities need to address. They still need each other, they should get together and fund a study, and the communities will need an intensive public education effort, to build the needed support for the politicians to have the will to act on the behalf of their constituents safety. Politicians also have a moral obligation to address the safety needs of their public employees. The message is simple; no more one man fire trucks. Getting there isn't nearly as simple, but it can be and has been done.

Tonight is Angels/Devils Night, depending on one's perspective. Should be interesting considering that arson had been declining on this night due to the efforts of the good people, but has risen in recent years, probably due to the continuing decline in the city's economic situation. ~Prayers for a safe night for all the Brothers of the Detroit Fire Department.

http://www.lohud.com/comments/article/20111028/NEWS02/110280325/Yonkers-Fire-Department-seeks-more-minority-hires

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299676#ixzz1cATv4JUL Detroit Wants to Save Itself By Shrinking (article is from 2010) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/08/detroit-wants-to-save-its_n_490680.html

Read on the website a fifth (brand spanking new) firehouse is opening in spring of 2012. And if you count the original firehouse from 1892 that now serves as Headquarters, with: Reserve Quint – 1996 Sutphen 75″ Quint (Reserve) Fire Boat – 1989 Deck Boat 2002 Wells Cargo Fire Education Trailer 2003 Fire Safety House from Scotty, they already have five firehouses, so the new one will make six (unless they are planning on moving out of the original building).