DCJPells

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Posts posted by DCJPells

  2. Posted

    All departments sending personnel to stand by at other locations should send members who can do all the jobs from that location that may be normally encountered.

    As to the expectation of what should be sent? What is expected from your own department? Do you send one person (driver) out on a rig for a call or worse yet an actual structure fire? Do you man your station at all times? Can you respond and arrive to your own calls within national standards? It seems some want better then they provide on a regular basis (my own Department included). So be realistic in what you want from others.

    It is not always easy or practical to send the adequate number of FF's on a standby on the rig. If it is coordinated with members in POV's following or meeting at the standby, it should not be an issue.

    I agree with the exterior FF's position. Any officer wants All around (interior) FF's so they can use them as necessary. Nothing is worse then having a lot of members but ones who can not go interior and be short with interior members. It is a false sense of security.

    The best is to coordinate wants and needs with each other (regionalization?) to serve our customers (citizens, taxpayers) and do your jobs the way it should and needs to be done, which we are entrusted to do. Not hide under kingdoms and fears or hold grudges and favoritisms.

  5. Posted · Edited by DCJPells

    Got my letter yesterday and I'm #71 on the list... Anyone think that they will get that far for me to have a legitimate shot at getting on? I was scheduled for the FPAT on the 25th Oct but I am shipping to Military active duty on the 21st and I have to postpone it... Will this effect my chances (if any) of getting hired?

    If anyone can shed a little light on this for me that would be great!!

    Thanks

    First -Is where you live. If you don't live in one of the Districts that have career firefighters and are hiring, chances are you wont get a canvass letter no matter how well you've done (excluding Firefighter/Paramedic).

    Second - The #71 doesn't really mean anything but the grade does. due to grouping, scores are sent as an eligible candidate, not ranking.

    If you contact DC Personnel and give them a reasonable excuse for missing the FPAT, you would probably be eligible to take the test at another time. I believe the military is a reasonable excuse.

    If a position did come up and you were called, if you were not able to take it because of the military, you would not be removed.

  6. Posted

    From all members at Arlington Fire District (Dutchess County), our condolences to Yonkers Fire Department and the Joyce family.

    The Firefighter's Prayer

    When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage;

    Give me strength to save some life, whatever be its age.

    Help me embrace a little child before it is too late

    Or save an older person from the horror of that fate.

    Enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout,

    And quickly and efficiently to put the fire out.

    I want to fill my calling and to give the best in me,

    To guard my every neighbor and protect his property.

    And if, according to my fate, I am to lose my life;

    Please bless with your protecting hand

    my children and my wife.

  8. Posted

    alot of peopl efrom what I saw today at DCC. I heard arond "330".

    This is from one of the technicians at DC Personnel.

    " Saturday, June 27, 2009 is the written examination for the Firefighter and Firefighter-Paramedic titles. We expect approx. 330 candidates to participate this year. Approx. 25 candidates are scheduled to participate in the Firefighter-Paramedic written examination"

    Also the FPAT is going to be scheduled in October. Possibly October 3-4 and Oct. 24-25

  10. Posted

    I think a lot of the hesitation in terms of separating from PD dispatch has to do with knowing the area well. At least thats a common reason i have heard time and time again. Giving you additional information like "124 main street across from xyz school, or ifo the sams restaurant." Maybe you wouldn't get those two additional items from county?

    Dutchess 911 is a great example. Granted, i don't know much about what goes on on their side of the radio and how many PSAPs exist in Dutchess. But, i know they have a decent number of dispatchers on shift regularly, they have a solid radio system (which i believe is being or has already been upgraded) with great coverage, and so much of what goes on is pre-arranged. My understanding is that if a certain mobilization (i believe they have MCI levels and obviously alarms of fire) is requested they push a button and the appropriate units are dispatched and backfill units are sent in to cover territories.

    No clue if westchester has that (i assume it's capable).

    DC is set up as one PSAP for Dutchess with a back up at City of Poughkeepsie. The City is a PSAP for City proper and does there own dispatching and is a backup for County. This covers 37 FD's in Dutchess. PD is different. A call to 911 in City proper is City 911. In the rest of Dutchess except Town of Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill, Polling is done as to closest PD. The Exceptions are passed to those dispatch centers (TOPPD and EFPD). All cell calls to towers in Dutchess are routed to DC911 as well as the 911 surcharge for cells in DC proper. Calls can still be made by 7 digits to all the PD agencies and many still dispatch themselves as well.

    A well designed Enhanced 911 system with mapping will pinpoint a caller to an address and have associated cross streets. Some phone systems do not play well with E911. An example is a CENTREX system (dial 9 to get a line) may have extensions that are physically off site from the address that resides in the telex referance. This can be fixed but needs to be known. Also you have VOIP which needs to be addressed.

  11. Posted

    If I am not mistaken the 15 and 8 hour you mentioned is not fire training. It is safety training which is required by PESH. The original Essentials covered the 15 hour part. Departments had to comply with the 8 hour refresher.I believe this still stands today. The joke about it is not only the time needed to but to satisfy the requirements there is no means of demonstrating what you have learned. All is required is you have to be shown the specifics topics.

    Everybody calls it Safety training. This is the only NYS requirement that you will find for a volunteer to take. Anybody find anything else that is required by other than AHJ, please send me the law, standard, etc.

    Yes FF1, FF2000 Basic, Essentials, etc covers the 15 hours and the 8 hours is what everybody calls OSHA training but I beg to find anyother requirements.

    The 229 and 100 for Career is cited thru General Municaple Law (209-w), Executive Law (159-d) and NYS Code of Rules and Regulations (426).

  12. Posted

    Unless there is more involved then stated, it seems like the only state certificates received from this academy is FF I, FF II, Haz-Mat Ops, and FF Survival.

    JBJ

    Is there more that is needed for a new member?

    Also it’s funny how things progress. In NFPA and OSHA, there is no mention of hours. It is you shall be taught and able to perform A,B,C, etc.

    New York State took those and came up with two training levels, Volunteer and Paid.

    Volunteer it is 15 hours initial and 8 hours annual (Yes those are the real numbers)

    Paid it is 229 and 100.

    These are drastically different and as such, Jim Burns pushed to have training changed when we went from the original training programs to the FF2000 (with testing (performance standard). When the FF 2000 came out, it was broken down into Basic, Intermediate and Advance to compromise. FF Basic only got you on a fireground, FF Intermediate an interior member and FF Advance a Leader?. Of course many places, Basic was the only thing used so again it was changed to the present which emulates NFPA and most of the rest of the country.

    Hours are not the specifics as much as performance should be but you have to cover everybody and have course outlines as well.

  13. Posted

    The last paragraph does state "volunteer firefighters graduate with the minimum requirements for volunteer firefightres" so...are there 2 sets of standards?

    You can take that at face value if you want. I do know a little about the County as I have been in contact with them before. The city of Richmond will hire someone who has the Hanover Couty Volunteer Training Academey because it meets the standard for career personnel.

    Other areas that I know that there is one standard, Kansas, Ohio.

  15. Posted

    I'm not sure I understand your comment. Does Maryland have two different standards for firefighter training? One for volunteers and another for career?

    My concern is that there will be vast differences in training without a single common standard for "firefighter". No distinctions for interior, exterior, etc.; if you're a firefighter you have all the training to do the job.

    This is what you have in NY now. To the point that the NYS Department of Labor has two different standards. One for career and another for volunteer.

    Also many places have the different status of Interior and Exterior as well as Fire Police, EMS, Administration, etc.

  16. Posted

    A Fire Protection District is controlled by the Town and they can contract to who they want or gives the best cost. Another Fire District, A City Fire Department or a Private Fire such as Rural Metro all can be used within certain parameters.

    Just Clarification

    Fire District is a Political Subdivision of the State so they levy the taxes (Commissioners)

    Fire Protection District is under control of a Town or a Village (In its proper). (Town or Village Council)

    A Fire Department is the membership of the above. (Chief, Asst. Chiefs, Company Officers, Etc)

    City Fire Departments are a Department they same as DPW or Police and are a part of the City and City run. Some have Volunteers and Fire Companies (Beacon) and some are almost entirely Career (City of Poughkeepsie)

    A Fire Company is an entity of a Fire Department, usually a nonprofit and in the case of a Fire District, supplies the volunteer manning for the Fire Department. (Not sure of City or Village).

    There are also Hybrids such as a Joint Fire District/Village Fire District (I believe Pawling is one.)

    There are also Private Fire Organizations that are volunteer such as JH Ketcham (Dover) and Milan (Milan). They cover a Fire Protection District of those towns. They negotiate with the Town what the costs will be for the coverage and the Town levy’s the amount to the taxpayer.

  19. Posted

    Good Topic!!!

    One of the things that is being worked on in Dutchess is a better definition of Structure Fire. Right now, a smell of smoke is the same as a report of fire blowing out of a building. We are working to get this changed which will allow all departments to do things. Thinking a higher probability of a fire and a lesser probability of fire is a risk management decision and how I envision it. AFD does not have to worry about water as much so front load the FAST or other resources as needed. Rurals can get the 5 tankers going, other Mutal Aid resources (Manpower). Place files can get additional ladders, etc,.

    I am an advocate of working together, training together, regionalization and "gasp" consolidation.