wraftery

If you listen to the radio xmissions, it is difficult to differentiate between the words "first' or "third' referring to floors, especiallly with SCBA. A better terimology is to say "Number one" or "Number three" Floor. FD's should get used to using the term "Number_____Floor" to reduce the chance of miscommunication.

The major problem with accountability is the myriad of systems in use throughout the US. Until the fire service comes with one standard system, we're just blowing smoke. All you need is a little mutual aid that exceeds your "planning zone" (for want of a better term) and the accounting system changes. It's worse by far than the 'Ten signal confusion'...my green tag is your red tag is his blue tag. I've also witnessed company officers walk up to an unmanned IC board, chuck a fistful of tags on the table and walk off to freelance. That guy believed he was accounted for. The NIMS powers that be are the ones that have to set the standard. That standard has to address all the questions and scenarios described in this thread by guys like Barrry Nechis and Bob Benz. It does no good to post 'here's my system' because it is not OUR system...your...mine...everybody's, from Maine to Hawaii. As far as who is the accountability officer goes, NIMS addresses this already. It is the responsibility of the IC. He can do it himself for small incidents (with less than 7 things to think about, if you remember what span-of-control is about). If the IC wants to put the fire out instead of losing sight of the overall picture by counting heads, he appoints a person to do the task. Under ICS, that person is already addressed. it is the Resource unit leader or RUL (found under the PLANNING section in your model ICS chart). IT IS NEVER NEVER THE SAFETY OFFICER!!!

Note that ladders are placed in the "Egress Position." Tip is at the windowsill, not obstructing the opening. Angle is shallow so as to facilitate head-first emergency bailout by interior crews. Tough roof to work, too. Slate, wet and steep. Best done off an aerial device, and clear the area below. Slate sildes off the roof like a bunch of axes. That is a long and very narrow street. I would say that somebody did some good thinking enroute or on arrival for the truck to come from a distance and get the front of the building.

I missed those points, Lieu, thanks. HFD's Baker has jack controls on 2 sides but normally only the driver does the jacking. Preferrably the second man 'safety spots" the curbside outrigger. (He can look thru a place in front of the turntable and see the driver + radio comm) He then pins the curbside jacks. Jack controls on the pedestal? What a concept! You should go for the Patent.

On levem ground, you can drop all 6 jacks at the same time...much quicker than one at a time. The jacks have to be pinned as a safety factor in case of "weeping" of hydraulic pressure or catastrophic hydraulic failure. On solid pavement, the additional placing of jack pads is not necessary. HFD's SOP's require jackpads all the time (as do the SOP's of many FD's).

IF YOU ARE DIRECTLY UNDER THE OH WIRES, YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR AERIAL AT 90 DEGREES TO HIT THOSE WIRES

Sorry. While I was looking for pics, Seth was posting them

1. Leave it to be said that certain persons and the last HFD Chief were not the best of friends. 2. If you have 6 story OMD's you need a ladder on the 1st alarm assignment. You call it fanatical, I call it nesessary. Note that the present Chief is also making sure there a ladder on the 1st Alarm assignment. 3. Yes, HFD had 2 ladders at one time. When one ALF went out for refurb, we bought one from WPFD so we would have a ladder. When the reurb was done with, we kept the other as a reserve. Why? Not because thhe Chief was fanatical about ladders, but because both Greenville & Fairview had spare engines, but none of the three had a spare ladder. 4. When there was no spare ladder among the three districts, plans were to make sure every dept always had a ladder on the 1st alarm assignment. Most times, this was done by assigning another FD's ladder to be first due via Automatic Mutual aid. A FF was usually assigned to that apparatus to act as a guide. There was a time that both Hartsdale's and Greenville's ladders were OOS. The Fairview ladder was then put at HFD Sta 2 because that station is centrally located, and covered three FD's. 5. The baker was bought when Mack just got out of the TL business. Baker Boom tried to do it like a general contractor and blew it. Many of us wanted to refuse acceptance, but the Board did not agree. They are rugged, and since there is only one set of outriggers, you can gain about 8 ft closer by putting that outrigger between two parked cars. 6. Yes, Barry, it takes at least two to operate the aerial one up, one down. We have to steal one from an engine. Do I like that? Of course not. But in the 2010 economy, I don't see NFPA manning in the forseeabe future. The action plan now is to avoid layoffs. (By the way, we professionals operate their buckets, we don't fly them.) Is consolidtion the answer? Maybe. But everybody has to do it for it to work. And the bigger the Dept, the bigger the layoffs. I think I covered it all.

It was taken out of the old NY Code because the legislators "didn't see a need for it." And you'll probably never see it in the Int'l Code either. I thought it was a great law but those that make the laws don't see things the same as us FF's. You only see those signs if you CRAWL!

That's called a Low Bridge Hazard

TRY THIS AT HOME. It's from Town Code, Greenburgh,NY It shall be the duty of every building owner in the Town to display and maintain the assigned street number of his/her building or buildings in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. A. The numeral or numerals comprising the number displayed pursuant to this chapter shall be not less than five inches in height. All numbers shall be placed on the front of every building in a prominent and conspicuous place and in such a manner as to be plainly visible at all times between sunrise and sunset from the street, roadway or primary route of access to the premises. All numbers displayed pursuant to this chapter shall be in marked contrast to the color of their background and shall be readily distinctive and legible. B. Additional requirements for obscured premises. (1) Owners of building(s) more than 50 feet from the edge of the road, street or right-of-way providing primary access to the lot shall, in addition to posting and displaying the assigned numbers on the building, post and display the assigned number on a post, pole, mailbox, lamppost, sign or other similar structure readily visible from the road or street not less than 15 feet from the curbline or access boundary. (2) Owners of building(s) obscured by trees, shrubbery or any other impediment to the clear and unobstructed view from the road, street or right-of-way providing primary access to the lot shall, in addition to posting and displaying the assigned numbers on the building, post and display the assigned number on a post, pole, mailbox, lamppost, sign or other similar structure readily visible from the road or street not less than 15 feet from the curbline or access boundary. C. Numbers displayed pursuant to this chapter shall be placed so that they will not be obscured by trees, shrubbery or any other obstructions. D. Where practicable, numbers displayed shall be placed near a light source so that the designated number may be readily seen at night.

Not knocking FDNY because everybody is doing the same thing. We are supposed to be moving toward common terminology but we are coming up with complicated terms for simple items. NIMS is the biggest culprit. They stress common terminology, yet they have a whole glossary book to explain all their abbreviations. So I think FDNY's medium sized boats are not Zodiacs (Which is a brand name but I can picture that boat because of Jacques Cousteau. To me, the word Zodiac is a common term). FDNY's Non-Zodiacs are MARCS (Which are actually RBI's or Rigid Bottom Inflatables), a bigger version of the Zodiac and has a small cabin. I would bet that FDNY got the Marcs on a grant, and the grantwriter knew that acronyms go a long way when you want money from the Feds. "Senator can we get a MARC?" sounds nuch more important than "Senator can we get a boat?" So, your question was "what would I call a 16 foot boat on a trailer?" I'd call it a "16 foot boat on a trailer." Sounds stupid,, but I think you are a dispatcher,so what would you send me? EXACTLY! You would send me a 16ft boat on a trailer. You would not send a Full sized fireboat, a 41 footer, a 21 foot RBI, or a small rowboat. So that, to me, explains Common Terminology, and how far we have strayed from it in order to achieve it.

Milton Harbor is too shalllow for Rye's Boat to go underwater. Also a thought: MARC...How does that neme get along with NIMS Typing, Common terminology, etc. We can't even call a boat a boat. "Command to Dispatcher we have a flood with people stranded; is there a small boat available to respond?" "Negative, Command but we do have two Marcs that are ready to respond. ETA 2 min." "No, dispatcher, I asked for a boat, so send me a Rescue instead." "Do you want ALS or BLS?" And so on and so on.

Be careful out there on your MARC. Bluefish hooks can do a lot of damage to a Zodiac.

Virginia Beach FD calls their boat Fireboat 1, and their zodiacs are Zodiac 1, Zodiac 2. Makes more sense. I agree with you, Barry. Calling a zodiac a Marine Unit is...well...just a little Dinghy.

Speaking of insurance, a well involved engine compartment fire is usually enough to total a car, so have no qualms about doing damage to the hood. Often in these fires, the hood release fails. Forget the "thru he headlights" or "thru the radiator" methods. In a modern car, ther's too much stuff behind them for water penetration. You can use a Halligan to pry up the side of the hood. I've found a good technique. Stand at the side of the car, and make a couple of holes in the top of the hood with the pick head of an axe, and put water in the holes. Take a good swing to make a good hole, and aim for the un-reinforced parts of the hood (single layers of metal). The way you find the single layers is the fire draws them for you. Look and you will see the single layers as triangles. Try it on your naxt Mercedes

You have to always think of what bad stuff is or could be in the car. Wear full PPE including SCBA because: *Cars are made with a lot of plastic. If plastics were burning indoors you would make sure you had SCBA on. Why is a car different? *What fuels this car? Gasoline or something unique and dangerous? *The wind could shift *You don't know what's in the trunk *You could hear a moan and have to rescue the baby in the back seat *The propane BBQ tank in the trunk could decide to open it's relief valve and spew Propane LIQUID because everybody lays the tank on its side. *Because Poop Occurs

There's sometthing awry here, soldier. How about you ask your E-9 for his input?

I'm heading out tomorrow to look for a telegraph office so I can talk to the guys at the firehouse for free. Do I have to know Morse Code?

Personally, I would say a year. Why would you need them beyond that? There are exceptions to that. For example, if the vehicle was in an accident with claims pending, you obviously want to keep the "Prior to" sheets. I would also keep all paperwork on a vehicle until the warranty expires. Remember. it's my personal opinion

efdcapt115, Look what law is still on the books! The mayor of each city of this state and the mayor of each incorporated village may issue, under the seal of his office, to each policeman and fireman appointed by the duly-constituted authorities of such city or village, a certificate of the appointment and qualification of such policeman or fireman as such, and specifying the duration of his term of office; and it shall thereupon be the duty of every street surface and elevated railroad company carrying on business within such city or village, to transport every such policeman or fireman free of charge while he is traveling in the course of the performance of the duties of his office. Every telegraph or telephone company engaged in business within such city or village, shall afford to such policeman or fireman the use of its telegraph lines or telephones for the purpose of making and receiving reports and communications in the course of the performance of his official duties. Don't "flip your tin" just yet. There are a couple of bumps in the road...read close: 1. It says the Mayor "may" not "must". Good luck to you when you ask the Mayor. 2. It's only good "in the course of the performance of the duties of" our office. The second one is definitely argueable in that I think it's every fireman's duty to go to at least once in his career to a St. Pat's Parade someplace. (And also to at least one LODD funeral) Keep the tradition alive

HFD Checks are much like efdcapt115 described, and done every first day of a shift's day tour (work schedule is 10's and 14's so that means every 3rd day it gets done) Basic checks are done every tour,Saturdays we check and run everything we own. I think what you want, however are sample checksheets. Try erush@hartsdalefire.org or IFSTA used t have a set of sample forms. I don't know if it still exists but they were pretty good

It's at 58 Pondfield Rd Bronxville..But in case you want to know, Chief Dunn and I have been negotiating a price for me to come up and install an imported Italian Espresso machime in that dead space by the tailgate. The one I have in mind is copper with the Vigile de Fuoco emblem etched on one side and Batt2's logo on the other. My travel expenses are not the problem. My Italian fabricator cannot meet the specs. Chief Dunn wants the grinder to start automatically when Yonkers tones out the Safety Battalion for a working fire. The fabricator knows everything about Cappuchino, "ma niente" about electronics.