x635

One of the benefits of ESU is that they are always on the road, with all the tatical equipment they need. They constantly monitor the radio, and assign themselves to a majority of jobs, or at least start rolling that way. In many instances, it seems Police Officers are outgunned, at least to me. The LAPD North Hollywood shootout in 1997 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout ) was a turning point in LAPD history, and led to them staffing SWAT better and patrol units with better weapons. I believe that more federal funding should go towards funding the "Tatical ESU" model in cities with high violent crime rates. I know many situations that Yonkers PD ESU and Mount Vernon PD ESU have put an end quickly to situations that could have turned deadly with equipment and training the patrol officers didn't have. Westchester County PD should also have a 24/7 ESU team, especially for the central and northern parts of the county. I know they have SWAT, but I am talking ESU staffed 24/7. Maybe they could respond from Westchester County Airport, that way, if need be, they can be flown to scenes in the region.

While many people think Roto-Rays are a northeast and mid-atlantic thing, I know of one agency here in Texas that uses them. The Sam Bass Volunteer Fire District ("Compensated" firefighters and volunteer FF's) is an independent fire district within the City Of Round Rock. They serve the Brushy Creek MUD (Municpal Utility District) section of Round Rock. This is a front shot of Engine 2, a 2002 Pierce Quantum:

FULL STORY: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news...4/0404fire.html

Congrats! FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/article/20090404/NEWS02/904040364 I love the following quote....very true!

Tim Wilson was in my probie class.....great job by all!!

Gas Station + Friend + Match = Near Disaster FULL STORY AND VIDEO: http://lafd.blogspot.com/2009/04/gas-stati...r-disaster.html

Ridiculous! FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/article/2009904030360

Awesome story, strong work by all those involved! FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/article/2009903250364

This is great, lol! http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gc...=34617206.story

I've read some things online, but I hope someone can simplify this for me- what is "double clutching"? Is this still used in modern trucks? I drive a manual transmission, how much harder is it to drive something with a double clutch?

FULL STORY: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090402/ap_on_...ent_er_patients

Does FDNY staff their "Tac" units full-time? And by whom? Where are they quartered? And if they are staffed, how did these units escape budget cuts? http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/specialunits/soc.htm I recall seeing one of them lifting a boat into the Hudson with that US Airways flight on the news.

Yonkers PD has certainly come a long way with their fleet....I remember doing jobs with ESU when they had the old blue and white suburban that had the hood held shut with duct tape...and when that was out of service, with all their gear jammed in a patrol car. Now, each delivery they get keeps getting nicer and nicer. Yonkers residents are really lucky to have such a well funded, well prepared emergency response.

I don't understand- are they testing just due to procedure? Last I had heard, weren't they delaying an academy class and not filling 1,000 open positions?

Nice shots Rob! Glad to see you joining our growing group of members submitting photos! Thanks for posting this awesome truck!

While on my way back from Houston yesterday afternoon, all I know is I was on some Texas highway north of Houston (very lost but that makes for fun exploring!) I spotted this mint '57 Chevrolet Police package. I'm sure some of you would enjoy this photo, so here it is:

http://lafd.blogspot.com/2009/04/stress-awareness.html

Looks extremly serious. Thoughts and prayers are with all those involved.... PHOTOS: http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/Hou...ks_collide.html STORY: "No skid marks in firetruck accident" http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6349761.html Street view of intersection: http://blogs.chron.com/newswatch/2009/03/s...ays_housto.html

"The Hotelicopter" Chris192's new side job. http://aprilfools.hotelicopter.com/photo-gallery/ Very well done April Fools day joke!!!

Basically, "Compensated" is a way to get around the traditional career firefighter system. The term "compensated", is what is used by them to define the firefighters who are paid and are not volunteers, although a lot of the paid staff were volunteers at one point. Some are also part-time. Since they are a independent "MUD", or Municipal Utilities District, they are not technically part of the city, which is covered by the City Of Round Rock Fire Department, fully staffed by career union firefighters. They have a completly seperate set of rules. Eventually, I believe they will be annexed into the city department. I don't know much more then that. http://www.sambassfd.com/

Just for reference, this is Sam Bass FD Truck 2, a 2004 Pierce Dash 85' w/ All Steer

I stand corrected. It was Ladder 16 from Station 16 and Engine 7 from Station 7. Ladder 16 was only 6 months old, Engine 7 almost a year old. They were responding to smoke condition in an area where a planned smoke test of the sewer system. Reports say that area residents were notified with fliers, and the FD was notifed. Regardless, FD has to respond if they get a call. Houston is a pretty progressive department. There is a throrough investigation underway, and once the report comes out, I think they will come up with some new response concepts, and it highly likely that there will be some disciplinary penalties. On a side note, another multi-fire truck accident occurred in October 1957 in Houston. Two firefighters were injured when pumper units from Stations 7 and 16 collided while en route to a trash fire.

I had the oppurtunity to view the trucks this morning. Both the truck and engine are totalled, and that's putting it lightly. It is probaly one of the most scary sights I've ever seen. It really is a miracle all firefighters survived and are doing well, and thoughts and prayers are with the civilians who were seriously injured. On another note, Houston will be doing a comprehensive investigation, as well as NIOSH, obviously. Both apparatus involved were Ferrara on Ferrara Igniter Chasis, and the cabs seemed to have held up pretty well-given the severity of the impact. Also being looked at are the Opticom devices on the apparatus and on the traffic signal. Both apparatus were from the same station (7).

Congrats to Yonkers! They are always adding to their arsenal....and really adding to the entire emergency services community in the region. FULL STORY: http://www.lohud.com/article/20090328/NEWS02/903280352

I'd like to apologize to all the members who I offended or angered by my views on the NYS Pension system. I didn't express myself correctly. Firefighters deserve and earn their pensions. The only reason I brought Hartsdale into the discussion was because it was mentioned specifically in the article, and that's where I have my knowledge of the pension system to base my opinion on. I have a total of 6 years in the NYS Pension system, and am experiencing great difficulty in rolling my pension that I supposedly "earned" into a 401K plan. My first three years, with Westchester County, I had no problem with. However, my three years with Hartsdale seems to be "frozen" and the State is investigating, but they are so short handed it is taking forever. I am frustrated with the state and the department I used to work for, but I should know better then to get involved with it on this forum. I believe that the pension system is part of the compensation package for firefighters. However, it needs better management so that it is "economy proof". Tax money does pay for our pensions, after all- and a lot of it depends on the stock market and investments. In retrospect, I do understand why "senior guys" take steps to insure a secure retirement. As long as departments allow that, then that is fine. I stand by some of my opinions, including the fact that not everyone should have to have a civil service job in order to have a secure future. I hope those who were angered at me understand. For those who wondered what happened to the original thread, I caused it to go out of control and off topic, so I consulted with a staff member who agreed it should be removed. I was also recieving some viscious emails because of that thread. Many people have misconceptions of me and what happened to me, and it really bothers me that some people believe some of these rumors....but I digress. I guess it was the way I expressed my opinion, not my opinion itself.