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That park is incredibly difficult to access. Some areas not even accessible by ATV. I can think of one small area in the middle of the park you may be able hoist a patient out, but the rest of the park is heavily wooded. The park has several miles of fairly technical mountain biking trails and its been sheer luck that this hasn't been an issue sooner. Graham Hills has also been the site of a few brush fires, but none in the last 10 to 15 years. Even if you know the park front to back, its can be hard to describe your location and even harder to find someone based on a description of their location. Can 60 or state police obtain GPS coordinates from 911 calls? Then can anyone do something with those coordinates when they get them? How long does it take to get the county ATVs activated? This was lucky, and the individual wasn't too badly injured. However a punctured lung, lacerated organ, or impalement could kill someone in 2 hrs. These questions don't just apply to Graham Hills. This area is littered with isolated hiking and cycling trails.

The four lengths are for disaster preparedness and drafting in the event of a major water main failure; it stems from 9/11 when water mains in lower Manhattan failed, and water had to be supplied several blocks from the river by fireboats, engine, and satellite companies. At 2000 gpm a piece each of the new engines reduces dependency on the fireboats and satellites in such situations.

While I was at 58/26 last night Engine 35 stopped by.

Catching up on recent FDNY & Westchester deliveries.

Lower window for F.A.S.T training. Main window for bailing out will be installed on Monday.

The Sleepy Hollow Fire Department is currently constructing a window simulator to conduct Bailout training on our RIT Bailout System at Headquarters on Beekman Ave. Just wanted to share some pictures and maybe ideas with other Departments. Construction should be completed by Monday and ready for use. Will upload final pictures then. Based on the window simulator at the FDNY Training Academy.

It was supposedly going to be part of the changes this April, but was dropped from the final version. I've heard 2 stories. First, Remac has questions about when the cooling will begin, before or after rosc. The second is FDNY stalled it awaiting the delivery of the next round of vehicles which will have the saline coolers.

A system in North Carolina, Wake County was an early adapter and has published a lot research. It has since spread to agencies across the country. There are a variety of methods of induction used including cooling blankets, ice packs, and cold saline infusions. FDNY is awaiting the next round of ambulances before they begin cooling patients in the field.
Benefits of hypothermia for spinal injuries is still hypothetical and not well researched. In post arrest patients cooling has shown a small increase in survival rates, but a substantial bump in survival to discharge and patients remaining neurologically intact.
With cooling, you're not necessarily going to save more lives, but you're going to give people a chance at going back to a normal life.
Thanks Goose for the correction

I know this is not new, but the article is interesting nonetheless. For those who have used it, like it? Love it? Hate it? Why?
I know most of you reading this are pre-hospital, but I still want to hear your thoughts. We used it recently in my ER, but the outcome wasn't a happy one.
I welcome any input. Thanks...
http://www.usatoday....ling29_ST_N.htm

We use a system designed partly in house and in conjunction with Petzl. I don't know if this exact system is available commercially, but I would think that some variation is out there. It works in conjunction with the Gemtor harness that is worn over our bunker pants.
Seems like a good system as far as it's being simple, straightforward and easily deployed. It uses a hook, which I've seen placed in MANY different locations in and around a window, or used as a tie off point when wrapped around a heat riser or radiator (Personally, I think the odds of having time to tie off before using this last resort system, are poor). The hook works great as long as it is held in place until constant tension is put on it, meaning, you are out the window and it is holding your whole weight. You have to hold it with the trailing hand as you roll out of the window, but with repetition, this becomes second nature. The descender device pays out quite nicely, as long as you packed it correctly with enough tail to get it past the window sill. Once out and hanging, you grab the EXO descender and it will lower you as you pull the lever. It takes some getting used to as pulling too hard will cause you to drop VERY fast.
Currently, the whole device and 50 feet of rope are stored in a pouch on our right hip. It's not the greatest thing. It's about 8 more pounds and it's location makes you a few inches wider.....not good. As I understand it, an alternative location and bag design is working it's way through R&D, but who knows how long that will take. Talk is that it will be located somewhere around or just below the lumbar region. Not exactly sure how that's going to work with the mask, but we'll see.
One thing that I cannot stress enough with this and (I assume) every system is; you need to train on this device at great length. I know that in the academy, a proby will slide from low platforms, hight platforms and do it repetitiously. I believe that this system is very good and reasonably safe, but it is definitely a last resort and you need to know how to use it when it's getting so hot that your best option is to go out the window. Do it blind, do it while timed and under pressure. This is not the kind of thing you talk about and slide once or twice. You should go through several scenarios with the device and have slid more times than you can count before you consider yourself comfortable. Maintenance and care is another issue and you need to keep the rope clean and you need to repack and inspect this device regularly. Think about it like this, this is mountain climbing equipment. Do you think anyone climbs a rock face without checking their gear? We do not use our own system for drilling (we use a spare), but we do repack it 4 times a year as a company. As an individual, you should check it at the start of every tour, or whenever you can (drill periods and such for volunteers).

Something to keep in mind was the point mentioned by M'Ave. Devices such as the Exo, F4 and a bunch of others will hold you in place while you are hanging out the window. Pull on the lever without a brake hand on the rope and you will drop really fast. Anyone looking into some sort of system should consider a device with a double brake. It will hold you in place until you pull the lever like the others but if you panic and pull it to much and you will once again stop. This was pointed out to me by members of my job that are currently evaluating different systems and devices. The CMC Escape Artist comes in a double brake model and appears to be one they are liking the most so far. Just something else to consider in your quest for the right system.

One of the first things is your department should have criteria for what an "approved instructor" is and then choose those within that pool to be labeled as such by the AHJ.
For members I recommend that each have the FF Survival curriculum as it reinforces other self rescue skills other then bailout and reinforces calling the mayday. From there they should get a good lecture on the system, components, construction, limitiations and operations and then be able to bailout until they show a level of proficiency meaning they are building muscle memory and planting the operation needs into the old brain.
As far as on going training, personally I believe it should be every 6 months. But realistically it should be at a minimum annually. Any type of skill you learn, your brain starts to lose the neuron pathways you built when you learned how to do it around 6 months, so you begin to lose proficiency aka speed and the correct way to do it safely. Within a year you can lose the ability to do it correctly at all. This isn't my thing but discussed in varying books on learning and tactics with military/law enforcement.

Be extremely careful with the CMCs. I haven't used one in 2 years, but at the time the two loops of rope were separated by a pin. On 2 occasions during testing two separate devices locked up at the window sill when one of the ropes crossed over the pin. The first locked up after the member exited the window, and the second locked as the member was trying extend his slack resulting in him being caught with his head still up in the window when he tried to bail. Turns out without tension its not hard to push the rope across the pin during packing. I can only assume a similar situation can occur while being jostled in the pouch or during deployment.
While the Petzel can be opened into a free fall, the double action of opening the lever is not conducive to panic operation and a person in panic tends to either clutch or flail. Both of which release the descender and stop the fall. When deployed properly you will come to rest below the window sill and ideally out of the way with time to calmly descend at your leisure. As with any device, practice makes perfect. Use needs be second nature and reflexive. For complex skills some physical therapy research points to 50 to 60 repetitions per year with no more than 6 months between repetitions.

yes, you can't stop for a mai tai and snacks, but you can quickly and calmly get out of there. By the end of the required 10 evolutions guys of all comfort levels were able to rapidly descend and stop within a few feet of the ground. Younger guys, people with more experience on it, or with a climbing background were able to free fall and stop right above the ground. I've also watched members lower themselves along with an "unconscious" ff on an adjacent hook. The system is both fast and precise.

Anybody using the CMI Guillotine (bad name for something used with rope)? Looks real simple to me.
http://www.rocknrescue.com/acatalog/CMI-Guillotine.html

The quick escape, made by the same company is a better device. The guillotine destroys a rope due to many friction points and sharp bends and it requires several slides to get adjusted right. Not a concern with your personal device and rope, but a definite training problem. Allegedly the difference between dry and soaked bunker gear is enough to lock the device and prevent it from releasing. The quick escape is essentially the same thing without the brake plate. Friction is applied by clenching the system.

Being I use the same system I'm going to chime in as well. The system mentioned above I do not, and the consensus is most of my colleagues also do not like it, nor think it is practical.
For one, it is a truckman's belt type design, which is where 1 gripe came in as we can no longer where this device and our Gemtor's which our pants had loops for.
Secondly, the device is extremely stiff, and it does not have a "rope" bag as it does not utilize rope but a flat tubular nomex webbing, which was a question when the law came out and these hit on the market as the law stated "rope" in its wording. Being it is stiff it is extremely difficult to deploy through the device. Because it does not have a crosby hook and just a carabiner, it is nearly impossible to brace a tool as an anchor and pull on the device to get to the window or enough to get out the window without the tool falling out of place. The way they train you to deploy the device is flawed, the training being delivered is flawed, as the user anchors into a eye bolt into the wall where we practice. When I find buildings with eye bolts in every wall near a window I will no longer have to worry about this issue. When deploying the device with a tool you have to maintain the webbing pulling on the tool to keep it seated, when I did this while simulating the use of a tool I was prohibited from doing so by the instructor. I'm extremely concerned that this has created a bigger safety issue then it solved.
Thirdly, I do not believe that the device we have is truly a hands free system. The descenders RIT makes with a squeeze handle, (those they actually did take input from and changed the set up) seems to be truly hands free as it has a brake. What is the brake on the system I have other then your hand placement to sort of feed webbing into the device. I've seen several, and that's more then I should in my opinion, members rapidly descend toward the ground with the descender I have and that JimmyPFD does as well.
JimmyPFD: RIT didn't improve on the device you have with the ones you've seen, those are different packages and a neighboring department of yours was getting the system you speak of with the harness and pocket bag at the same time as you got yours, and they had some trial systems to see if they liked them well before that.
In the end quite honestly I would have been happy keeping (and I still carry it because of the discontent with the system I have) just my 40' of 3/8" rope with my figure 8 and large carabiner that sat very nicely in the flap storage system morning pride has in their coats.
This might ruffle some feathers...but so be it. I hear more complaints about the system I was issued then positives and nothing I've posted isn't the truth. Only thing I can say is that while JimmyPFD's department "acted quickly" in getting a system, that is part of the problem why where I'm at we got stuck with the system we got. It seemed more like a rush to get them, with no input from members on what systems were out there, and not even a trial by multiple people of size, experience etc. in its use. And to be honest...why weren't departments taking more action to protect its people before this, some FD's were spotty with issue ropes to those who completed survival, so some "acting quickly" is more a tongue in cheek comment.

Ok group, what bailout system if any, is your dept using. Likes / dislikes so far, would you change if YOU had the say. Thanks for any input.

Hey Cap,
We were issued the RIT Systems RIT belt with bailout system attached too. All the parts are on that belt: rope bag, descending device, with a carabineer instead of Crosby hook. It also has a medium/large (ladder) carabineer.
The department equipped us pretty quickly compared to other departments with a lot more resources. The dept. deserves unbendable praise for this. The following isn't sour grapes; just an honest critique. I'm glad we have it and appreciate how relatively quickly they equipped and trained us.
It wasn't designed with easy donning of PPE in mind. It is a little extra to deal with when suiting up and is somewhat cumbersome.
I went to RIT's website to post a pic of what we have and they may have learned a couple of things over the past year or so. They are now marketing it with class II or III type harness and show a FF with the rope bag in his pocket as opposed to on the belt with everything else, (which we were instructed to leave as is, as that is how it was designed to be deployed.)


The system wasn't designed to donned with our Morning Prides and appears to have been designed to put on after any turnouts. Which you might expect for a ladder type belt
It's a functional, easy system to deploy, but too much going on and around the waist and anoying when donning.
Edit: I had to correct myself in calling it a "ladder" belt. They also market a ladder belt with added padding around back and extra straps to hold tools/equipment.

This is a post just like any other post.
I think the point of this is to make sure other districts out there are following the rules. It seems that this is what the state is going to be making a point of with the new "open government" plan. From the short time I worked in Putnam County I hardly believe that the Brewster\Southeast Fire District is running some sort of corruption ring in regards to taxpayer monies. Maybe we should all take a look at how we are doing business and make sure we are on the up and up. No one is safe from the state and their investigations. Trust me I know.

Why post this? Because it highlights the fact that nobody, not even volunteer fire or EMS agencies, is above the law and even these agencies must be operated like a business. Nobody's accusing anyone of corruption, just pointing out that we have to be just as diligent with financial and business practices as firematic operations.
There are in every community those who will question the budgets of emergency services, especially now. To have an audit with many inconsistencies and omissions only gives them a bigger soapbox from which to sound off.
Given the economy and all the other issues we face, now is not the time to be pointed out as not following the rules.

Actually, that is what makes a Rescue Pumper such an attractive piece of apparatus for a volunteer department to use for vehicle extrication runs. Many V.F.D.'s frequently find themselves very short
of personnel during 'normal business hours' and end up having to choose between responding with a rescue truck and calling mutual aid for a pumper or vice versa. If a V.F.D. happens to be fortunate enough to have a significant number of personnel who are trained and certified in all aspects of technical rescue (high angle, confined space, trench, scuba, swift water, ice, structural collapse, etc.)and have a high frequency of such responses, then a full sized heavy rescue rig may be the only option. Departments that purchase large dedicated heavy rescue rigs but really are only trained for auto extrication and 'light rescue' work generally end up with a big rig with the standard compliment of auto extrication tools, some cribbing, speedy dry and possibly some struts. The rest is filled with basic engine and truck company equipment. Often an air cascade and command center is incorporated into the unit also. In many cases, it's far more economical for a county to train and equip a technical rescue team (much as they do a Haz Mat Team, fire investigation team, etc.) A suitable rescue rig along with a large box truck to carry additional shoring and tools, can be centrally located and brought to any scene when needed. A mobile cascade unit and command post is another vehicle that is best operated from a central location by the county.This concept can save individual departments a tremendous amount of money and does away with the huge amount of duplication of equipment that exists within the volunteer service today.

Very interesting series of photos, and comments as well. Okay, so you guys want to talk about truck placement. I think the truck is in a pretty good spot. The fantangle of wiring and the utility pole pretty much takes the aerial out of the picture without some radical move like....taking out the utility pole while spotting the rig (jk). Could it have been further out in the road? Yes. And the Chauffer went into his SOP of dropping the outriggers, probably while he was sizing up the structure.
What are the advantages of having the truck in this position?
~easy access to ground ladders IFO the fire building.
~" " to truck tools IFO " "".
Truck positioning is not ALL about the aerial. And the Engine is in a good spot, with three sides of the building covered, and an easier stretch off the hosebed.
Photo one; obviously free burning fire on level 2. One 1 1/2" stretched into the vertical of exposure 1. This fire graphically illustrates the dangers of VES. If you performed that with a ground ladder on exposure 1 you can see in photo two, the venting has been done across exposure 1 (probably with a 12' pike pole), and the fire is rapidly moving towards the vents.
Interesting in photo two we see steam from exposure 3, leading one could assume vent has been done of exposure 3 and a line is operating on level 2.
2 lines stretched, 1 in operation.
Photos three, four, five are out of chronological order, evidenced by the large scorch-mark in photo three.
Photos four, five show heavy smoke from exposure 3. This is where the fire is venting from the front and rear of the structure, and the interior lines are pushing fire out of the building. Once again showing effective truck work via horizontal ventilation, it is done front and rear. I imagine if they had adequate manpower and the line protecting them, there were members on level 3 doing a search.
What we are seeing is an apparent flashover of much of level 2, leading one to assume an open loft/type space.
Photo six shows us the first due engine on scene was Engine One. Lines are stretched and operating from that rig. Engine 2 might have layed in the supply line, thus winding up next to Engine 1. Much of the firefighting activity taking place at this point is through exposure 2, or 3, as that's where a charged handline leads.
Photo seven shows a less intense fire after the flashover.
Photo eight makes it clear to me members interior were operating with 1 1/2" handlines with fog nozzles that simply did not have the GPM to push the remaining fire out; thus the exterior knockdown. The deckgun being used is actually off of Engine 1, as we see Engine 2's in plain view not being used.
Photo 9 reminds me of the days when we weren't putting a gate on the opposite side of the hydrant. Fire K/D, P/W/H?
This series illustrates the effective fire attack PFD performed with minimal staffing. The members may have placed the aerial too close to the front of the structure, but they then went to work, and knew what they had to do. Kudos to them for a great job.
This fire also illustrates the sturdyness of some of the type 3 construction out there. From the decorative cornice on down, this building was designed and built to withstand a fire. Can we still say that about our "buildings" today?

The rig is a 2007, not new- we just updated the lettering in honor of Pat. Thanx for stopping by yesterday, Joe !

Very nice tribute to Brother Joyce. Nice work Yonkers!