wraftery

Of utmost importance for a rookie to remember is to remember.
...to remember everything he is taught and to remember it for a lifetime and to be able to bring it out of the archives of his brain at any given moment

Of utmost importance for a rookie to remember is to remember.
...to remember everything he is taught and to remember it for a lifetime and to be able to bring it out of the archives of his brain at any given moment

That was the job I was talking about. And we did get control of the 6th floor and the building looks like it never happened. I also know Graham.

You are welcome, Tommy. It's actually few and far between that we are thanked for our professionalism. FYI I worked with Vinny Varley. He was in Qay Sanh during the Tet Offensive. We had a job in a cockloft one night and Vinny said "Nam has nothing that beats this." He since got hurt on the job and had to retire. If you see Vinnie, say hello for me

I think I know what you mean by confusing but listening to the radio transmissions I didn't sense any confusion. It seemed like a well-orchestrated response to a difficult situation. It was fairly amazing actually. I really salute all involved. I also noticed that when Yonkers FD radio was releasing companies back to their jurisdiction the dispatcher thanked them for their help. That was a nice touch!
As a Yonkers resident and homeowner I was somewhat relieved at the way in which responses were carried out during the Beech Street incident. Especially the way a full response was mustered for the Landscape Avenue job (which was reported as a structure fire). Believe me, that was very reassuring.
As someone who lived and worked in White Plains for many years I got a kick out of hearing the truck company coming up North Broadway last night to the activated alarm at St. John's Hospital (I live relatively close by) and knowing it was Tower Ladder 6 from WPFD Station Two! Years ago I knew guys who worked at Station Two -- with the engine company, though, I don't recall knowing anyone who worked the truck -- and I can only imagine what they would've thought.
I also knew a guy (Vincent Varley) who worked for Hartsdale FD. So I got a kick out of hearing E170 responding to the job near South Broadway. Then hearing them return to Station 13 on Kimball Avenue.
Quite a night and a terrific performance by all involved. As a Yonkers homeowner I give a heartfelt, "Great Job Guys and Thanks Much!"

Just as it was told to me...short and sweet
Have big ears and a small mouth.
As for the why, well you can't learn anything if your lips are flapping and as a new guy it's your job to learn

Congrats, cogs, I always enjoyed your input.

Congrats, cogs, I always enjoyed your input.

Ditto what Bnechis said

No it isn't. But get 60k pounds on a unsettled surface and you will be answering a lot of questions as to why they were not used. Personally I have seen them used twice, and each time was because it was a new chauffeur and that was what they were taught. Having them built in will create the issue when you need to set up in between parked cars, you went from making it to taking off two bumpers, or taking out the back seat to know taking out the back seat and the trunk of that police car lol.

While this looks like a good way to determine what is spent, it is very deceiving. What is in each budget may not include many items.
As an example when doing a comprehensive budget comparison of 2 depts. a few years ago:
Dept. X had 30 career members and a budget of $16m
Dept. Y had 50 career members and a budget of $12.8m
Now both pay similar salaries, so in theory Dept. Y's budget should have been about $29-30m.
So how is this possible? Dept. Y's budget did not include the following:
Pension ( Paid from the HR Budget)
Health Insurance & other insurance and medical costs (Paid from the HR Budget)
Fuel, Fleet maintenance, Station maintenance, Utilities (Paid from Public Works Budget)
Hydrant Rental/Cost (Water Dept.)
Fleet Replacement (Capital Budget)
Computers & phones (IT Budget)
Contract Fees (legal Dept.)
Grants (Development Budget)
Without understanding the budget its a meaningless number.

Meh, whatever. Or, good. Electricity isn't free, nor are the fossil fuels used to make it endless. I switched to CF bulbs over the last couple of years. New ones throw the exact same light as an old incandescent bulb.
I don't like big government, but sometimes we need a push in the right direction.

There is nothing more valueable than having that senior guy there. I am 50 and been in the fire service for 33 years and I still look to my senior guys for advice and guidance

Re: Master FF
First of all, VA is a "Right to Work" State (which I consider to be a misnomer, anyway) and public employees are not allowed to engage in Collective Bargaining. Thus, the IAFF local cannot negotiate something like Officer covers Officer. Master FF is a good concept in pointing out the good senior man as opposed to the guy who does not have 20 years experience, but has 1 years experience 20 times. It would difficult, however, to compare it with a state like NY that has collective bargaining.
Second, can it be abused jn NY? Certainly. Can it look like a good thing and backfire on you because of a couple of greedy individuals? Of course. That happens all the time in almost every department .
Personally, I believe that you should have in place a system that has you cover the rank above you (Captain covers Battalion Chief, Lt covers Captain, etc) because it establishes a learning curve to administratively prepare people for promotion. If BCs are only covered by BCs the Captains are inexperienced when promotion time comes around.
That being said, I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all the Captains out there who are working the BC slot on Christmas Day. The entire Fire Service is led by Captains on Christmas Day because all the BCs took the day off.
Nuff said

Re: Master FF
First of all, VA is a "Right to Work" State (which I consider to be a misnomer, anyway) and public employees are not allowed to engage in Collective Bargaining. Thus, the IAFF local cannot negotiate something like Officer covers Officer. Master FF is a good concept in pointing out the good senior man as opposed to the guy who does not have 20 years experience, but has 1 years experience 20 times. It would difficult, however, to compare it with a state like NY that has collective bargaining.
Second, can it be abused jn NY? Certainly. Can it look like a good thing and backfire on you because of a couple of greedy individuals? Of course. That happens all the time in almost every department .
Personally, I believe that you should have in place a system that has you cover the rank above you (Captain covers Battalion Chief, Lt covers Captain, etc) because it establishes a learning curve to administratively prepare people for promotion. If BCs are only covered by BCs the Captains are inexperienced when promotion time comes around.
That being said, I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all the Captains out there who are working the BC slot on Christmas Day. The entire Fire Service is led by Captains on Christmas Day because all the BCs took the day off.
Nuff said

Chief- I like the concept, but I would need to know more about all that goes with it. In my last career dept.,I could see the "bean counters" loving this concept. There would be no more overtime for the company officers, and many officer positions would be left unfilled, and "master F/Fs " put in their spot to save money. That is the only negative I see. Otherwise, the concept is great.

There are senior guys, and guys that are just guys with time. There's a huge difference and it doesn't take long to figure out which is which as long as you yourself have your head screwed on straight.

The Virginia Beach FD has a rank called Master Firefighter. It is not a promotional rank where you take the test and go on a list to be in the running in the position. To qualify, you must have at least 6 years OTJ and have attended a list of required courses such as Ladder Co. Ops, Engine Co Ops, Initial fire attack, and so on. Once you pass the courses, your Company Officer puts you in the officer's seat and he rides the jump seat. The Co. Officer observes and evaluates you until he's satisfied you can handle the position. He then gets approval from Battalion and you get the title. All who pass the procedure become Master FF's.
A Master FF can ride the officer's seat in the absence of an officer ( and Co. Officer duties in house). Pay increases by 10% when appointed as MFF. To take the Captains test, you must have 2 years as a MFF
This kind of makes the position of senior man a little more official and adds a pay incentive. I think it is a pretty good system and recognizes the guy who would otherwise be our "Senior Man"

The Virginia Beach FD has a rank called Master Firefighter. It is not a promotional rank where you take the test and go on a list to be in the running in the position. To qualify, you must have at least 6 years OTJ and have attended a list of required courses such as Ladder Co. Ops, Engine Co Ops, Initial fire attack, and so on. Once you pass the courses, your Company Officer puts you in the officer's seat and he rides the jump seat. The Co. Officer observes and evaluates you until he's satisfied you can handle the position. He then gets approval from Battalion and you get the title. All who pass the procedure become Master FF's.
A Master FF can ride the officer's seat in the absence of an officer ( and Co. Officer duties in house). Pay increases by 10% when appointed as MFF. To take the Captains test, you must have 2 years as a MFF
This kind of makes the position of senior man a little more official and adds a pay incentive. I think it is a pretty good system and recognizes the guy who would otherwise be our "Senior Man"

They are titled like that just to confuse people

Best Wishes and Congrats to New Rochelle FD Chief Doug Kelly Working Last Tour of NRFD Career as 1-Squad Deputy Chief Tonight. Photo Credit To: Journal News.

You could write your Rep/Senator to fix the obamacare law to treat volunteer FF's fairly in light of what they contribute to the community.
or
You could ask the elected officials in DC to cover Vols for nothing, using some money they get out of things like exempting themselves.
or
You could write your Rep/Senator and to repeal ALL 2409 pages of the law they didn't read before they voted. If they don't, we'll find somebody else to vote for.
BUT
Whatever you write will probably not be even read by your elected official. It will be semi-read by a 20-year-old intern and he will send you a form letter
Didn't our forefathers fight a Revolution because they had no representation?

You could write your Rep/Senator to fix the obamacare law to treat volunteer FF's fairly in light of what they contribute to the community.
or
You could ask the elected officials in DC to cover Vols for nothing, using some money they get out of things like exempting themselves.
or
You could write your Rep/Senator and to repeal ALL 2409 pages of the law they didn't read before they voted. If they don't, we'll find somebody else to vote for.
BUT
Whatever you write will probably not be even read by your elected official. It will be semi-read by a 20-year-old intern and he will send you a form letter
Didn't our forefathers fight a Revolution because they had no representation?

You could write your Rep/Senator to fix the obamacare law to treat volunteer FF's fairly in light of what they contribute to the community.
or
You could ask the elected officials in DC to cover Vols for nothing, using some money they get out of things like exempting themselves.
or
You could write your Rep/Senator and to repeal ALL 2409 pages of the law they didn't read before they voted. If they don't, we'll find somebody else to vote for.
BUT
Whatever you write will probably not be even read by your elected official. It will be semi-read by a 20-year-old intern and he will send you a form letter
Didn't our forefathers fight a Revolution because they had no representation?

Virginia Beach will open on-line applications for FF in first week of January See VBgov.com.