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I'm listening to 46.26 this afternoon, and its absolutely ridiculous. Does anyone else get really annoyed and angry listening to the stupidity and nonsense that is on the air? This afternoon, 46.26 was really busy with multiple departments going to many different legit incidents. However, what annoyed me was all the uncessary traffic and jibberish going on. I'll list some. 1.A PD calling 60 Control on air to cancel the a 45-Medic. USE THE PHONE! 2. Department using the air to announce a drill tonight. UNCESSARY! 3. Department stepping over another department being toned to a possible fire to announce a drill. RIDICULOUS! 4. Another PD calling 60 control on air to advise of Medic's status. Use the phone! 5. Three different dispatch centers dispatching three different FD's to the same call at the same place on the same channel (46.26) at the same time (as part of a dual response plan) at the same time? WHY CANT ONE DISPATCH AGENCY DISPATCH ALL THREE AT ONCE? 6. Multiple retones for a EMS crew And that just scratched the surface of how listening to 46.26 raised my BP today. And people wonder why I don't listen to a scanner. Why cant ALL departments WORK together for a unified, professional radio system??? Just needed to vent, I cant beleive how long these problems have been going on and there is not even an attempt to fix it yet.

Going off topic for a sec as well to talk about 10 codes. The main problems with 10 Codes in this county is that for every agency, there is a different meaning! That's ridiculous. There needs to be a standard set of 10 codes that everyone adheres to (Snickers at thought of eveyrone adhering to the same standard in the WC) 10 Codes aren't neccarily bad, and there a heck of a lot more buffy, fun, and quick to say then plain english. Don't get me wrong though, Plain english has it's advantages as well.

I heard once the new bare-bones Seagrave is delivered, that one of the two, either the Mack or E-One, would go out for refurbishment. Also, anybody know anything about two Ferrara engines supposedly on order?

Just curious what is your favorite photo of the year that was posted on EMTBravo.com during 2004? I will have to post my list in a little bit..

Isn't it ethically right as well?

Will any of PC's operations change due to this switch?

Tonight, I had the awesome privledge of being at BHFD HQ's when the brand new Tanker 5 was delivered. It's a 2004 Seagrave, and it's hot! Really, really, hot! Hands down the most awesome tanker in the WC, and maybe the whole country. It makes a really nice stablemate for TL-57. It's huge, yet in the same way, very compact if that makes any sense. It sounds awesome, looks awesome, it's layout and specs are amazing. I have arrangements to shoot it tommorow, hopefully, depending on weather, and workload since I will be at work, and as soon as I have the photos, I will submit them to EMTBravo.com as soon as I can. In the meantime, I will try and post some of the sneak peaks I got tonight. Special thanks to all my friends at BHFD for letting me stop by and showing me all its features. Also stay tuned to www.bedfordhillsfd.org, the official website of Bedford Hills Fire Dept., for further details as well.... The New Tanker 5 is Here! The Revolution Has Begun!

Bump for tommorow....

Utility 5 is Somers FD's Traffic Incident Response Unit. It's equipped with tons of flares, road signs, cones, lighting equipment, speed-dry, and other equipment needed to manage/mitigate existing and potential traffic situations. It responds as an auxillary unit from the Lincolndale Firehouse/HQ's, usually staffed by members of Somers FD Fire Police, and is normally requested at MVA's and other incidents where traffic conditions need to be moderated. As far as I know,I heard it get dispatched and call 10-17 while at work to the MVA w/ extrication at Route 100 and Moseman, and the MVA at Route 100/Route 139. Didn't hear much else since I was busy at work and didn't have too good a chance to listen. I also don't know where it is on the line card, I think it responds generally when Fire Police is requested or other special calls by command. RES20CUE or Truck6018 would know better about the specifics of this unit. I think a unit like this is a great idea, especially in traffic laden Westchester County. If U-5 had a large arrowboard, more scene lighting, and markings as a Traffic unit, it would be the perfect model for the county.

Have a great time, and bring me back lots and lots of Cheerleaders!

I'd like to purchase my first additional lense for my Canon Digital Rebel. I'm not sure which is better to add first, a wide-angle or a telephoto zoom lens? I'm leaning towards a Zoom. My current lens is the kit lens that comes with the D-reb, it's an 18-55 and I'd like to expand my current range. Also, I hear good things about the Sigma brand, but should I stick with Canon lens?

Thanks for the advice! I actually just discovered a treasure trove of stuff, including a beautiful zoom lens and another type of lens, and a Canon hotshoe flash. Now I just have to figure out how to use them all. Time to sit down and read my Digital SLR book.

I was looking at the Spy Shots of Bedford's new Engine 109, and was curious. Anyone know if its going to fit in their current firehouse, length or heightwise?

I heard that Engine 211, the older Seagrave, was going to be disposed of once the new Engine 109 was placed into service. That should be in about a month or so.....

Thanks to everyone. LOL, The old Fire and EMS News! Ugh, I could only imagine having to keep up with that now. I should post some of the archives. 10 Years! Jeesh, I feel old! Look at how far all 3 of us have come......I remember before we all had licenses and were explorers, when this point in our lives seemed so far away. Seems like just yesterday. Time really does fly. 23 and 80.....always have been there for me and supported me whatever I was up to,lol. I'm glad to still have you guys and everybody on this board as friends. All my friends rock!

Congrats Chris!! You'll have a great time down there and learn a bunch!

I wonder why they chose Ford Explorers. Personally, I feel the Ford Exlplorer is a tad too small for an ALS Flycar, because of the weight carried by the vehicle. Is it the best choice to carry the weight of a rear console plus all the ALS gear. I feel the suspension on the Explorer is inadequate for ALS Flycar use, as well as the typical FE engine. In addition, you'd think you'd want the wider footprint of the vehicle for manuvering-stability, as well as the crash protection a larger vehicle can afford.

Add Route 100 @ Moseman Ave in Somers to my list as well.....very busy, dangerous, poorly marked and controled intersection. Seems like almost every 7-15 tour I work up in Somers there is an MVA there during rush hour.

I've been to several firehouses, mainly outside of Westchester, that still practice drying hose. Example: Hose is layed and used at a fire. After the fire, the hose is taken back to the firehouse, where it is cleaned and/or placed on drying racks. The hosebed is refilled with the hose that is dry and ready to go. (Alternate hose). Some departments swear that hose needs to be cleaned and dried before being reused. My question is: with modern day materials that hose is constructed from, is this technique still neccesary??

What a horrible situation :sad: That photo from the top of the mudslide is amazing. Really shows the whole incident. The photos, and the presentation, is awesome. Very nice work by the photogs. The composition, subjects,POV, everything is very nicely done.

These systems are also good for hearing protection from sirens.

As far as the roadways with the most potential for danger Route 9A entire stretch Yonkers-Peekskill, Route 139 in Somers, the Saw Mill River Parkway Executive Blvd-Route 119, the Bronx River Parkway Sprain Split-NYC line, Taconic from Route 202 on up, Route 117 Thornwood-Mount Kisco

We're not, but we are still a very important and very populous portion of it. We are basically the gateway to the rest of the state from NYC. NYS is spending a lot of wasted dollars statewide, in very rural counties in this state, for questionable road improvments/upgrades, yet it seems the little yet core roadways of our county are neglected year after year....my main beef is that the NYS*DOT doesnt even keep up with routine maintainence or standard safety improvments!! As with the Saw Mill....from Executive Blvd. to 119 that road is falling apart! Sure, they paved it last year, but the median, shoulders, drainage, lighting and other critical infastructure is all substandard and falling apart. Not to mention the forestry, which is quickly encroaching on the roadway, except for in Hastings where the state's subcontractors did a disgusting job clearing the forest away.....talk about stripping! That was a preventative measure for the lawsuit regarding the couple that was tragically killed.....but they didn't do anything to improve the aesthetics or safety of the road by doing the kill everything job they did there. Speaking of which, New York City and LI suck an enormous amount of our tax dollars away.