abaduck

Very well said. It's time for some plain speaking: I dare say Henry was a basically nice kid and a good guy. But he made a series of bad to disastrous decisions that night and, to be blunt, he died an a$$hole. The family are going to have to deal with that sooner or later.


Yes - and I'm not thinking of Officer Hess; the Henrys and their lawyer are making more enemies in more places than anyone could or should, however much money they have: this could get even more ugly for them, if they continue on this road.

Mike

Lets throw another wrinkle into this. 1st its not that Pelham will not provide additional taxes, in reality they can't. Because the population is so small, the per capita costs to improve are never going to happen. The real issue for Pelham, Pelham Manor and any other small community FD or understaffed FD (career, combo or vol.) is ISO's plan to change the rating system this year.
Under the new plan, any dept that responds to fire calls with fewer than 6 firefighters (2 in / 2 out, MPO & IC) will automatically become an ISO 9.
What does this mean for Pelham?
Annual insurance premiums for commercial and residential properties in Pelham is approximately $5.1 million. In Pelham Manor the premiums are approximately $5.9 million. Combined, the property owners in Pelham and Pelham Manor pay roughly $11 million per year in premiums.
Both PFD & PMFD are ISO PPC 4's. If the 2 depts do not restructure the way the respond to fire so the have at least 4 interior qulified members + an MPO & IC, Both villages will see the ISO change them to 9 and the insurance premiums will go up by 40% per year. Thats a combined increas of $4.4 MILLION.
This increase is more than the current combined budget of the 2 fire departments.
Meanwhile the Pelham Village Mayor and Board are considering reducing manning.
I suspect nothing will change until the ISO rating does and then the finger pointing at village hall will begin.

FYI, pace is hosting a rally today...
This is what is going around pace today.....
EVERYONE: BALLOON RALLY ! "Wings of Hope!" All you need to do, is get a white balloon and draw the #12 and angel wings on it to represent DJ being your angel for the day. You can tie the balloon to a backpack, a mailbox, your car..anywhere that people will see it and want to join! MTV AND BET will be watching to see what we do! LET'S MAKE THIS BIG!
Makes me e'ffing sick
edit: I understand the need to mourn your friend or loved one, but just because he "was a saint" before that night, the one screw up might be the biggest mistake of his life. I'm sure we've all made mistakes along the way, and some of us, more then others. I know I have, but I also know when presented with that situation, the right thing to do, is not what he did. Blaming Officer Hess should be the last thing on these parents mind. Blame yourself for not providing the knowledge to your son to do the right thing there. Blame the friends who probably told him to leave the scene. Don't blame the guy who was on the hood of your kids car, fearing for his life, and for those around him. He was presented with a threat, and neutralized it; exactly as he was trained to do.

measure twice cut once!

ALS is spot on. This isn't a matter for the board, most especially in the present economic climate.
If members felt that strongly about it, they could have had a whip-round or formed a charitable trust to acquire the vehicle privately. That this didn't happen suggests a lack of enthusiasm amongst the membership.
I'm all for preserving history, and I put my money where my mouth is; I have an entire garage and basement full of ancient computers saved from scrapyards. But I don't expect to be supported by taxpayer dollars.
Mike

ALS is spot on. This isn't a matter for the board, most especially in the present economic climate.
If members felt that strongly about it, they could have had a whip-round or formed a charitable trust to acquire the vehicle privately. That this didn't happen suggests a lack of enthusiasm amongst the membership.
I'm all for preserving history, and I put my money where my mouth is; I have an entire garage and basement full of ancient computers saved from scrapyards. But I don't expect to be supported by taxpayer dollars.
Mike

We are all entitled to our opinion...and you stated yours very well...and here is my opinion...the board did the right thing. I understand some history is important, however sooner or later they would have to find a way to store it...and that means adding to an existing building, or if they every built a new one added cost to increase the size to store it, or to pay to store it somewhere else. I've seen this happen time and time again. I also for one lose no sleep that there isn't a museum in Westchester for emergency services. Who would run it and what benefit would it have..other then getting some antique apparatus out of some firehouses or to not have the need to use taxpayer dollars to build an area to store them. Most of us need money for equipment and operational things...and sometimes its just not fiscally responsible to spend money on such things at certain times. I hope whoever bought it gives it a good future life wherever that may be.

Some drivers are accidents waiting to happen at 55. I've driven many many hours in Germany, cruising at a legal 110-120 - and watching out for Porsches coming up behind at 150-160! And, I might add, been and felt a lot safer than I've felt on pretty much any American road at any speed.
As always, rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools.
Mike

Found this story about a Japanese FF that made the ultimate sacrifice during the tsunami and his comrades. I think it shows that firemen are firemen the world over.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110405/wl_asia_afp/japandisasteraccidentnucleartsunamifirefighter
Cogs

If you are there on a fire call like a smoke detector sounding, it's yout building until you give it back to the owner. Other than locks, etc. mentioned above, clues to an SRO also might be cleaning schedules posted. Count the names, Also, names on items in a cupboard or fridge. Check the normally uninhabited places like the cellar or attic Are there beds or flimsy partitions made out of things like appliance boxes?
If you have summons power, write the violation. If not, call for a code enforcement official. Do this before you release the building. Take pictures of everything. If it's not in your code, remember thet every code has a catch-all section so use it.

From another site:
"The amended charge of manslaughter reflected that Burke had acted under influence of extreme emotional disturbance."


In common language, it appears the prosecution accepted that he was genuinely as crazy as a bedbug and not guilty of murder by reason of insanity. It's hard, but it happens. Given the circumstances of the crime I'm sure they would have tried for murder if they felt they had the slightest chance of making it stick.


Mike

Dispatch the special operations trailer, pictured here:

*sigh*
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12860842
Mike

I am going to get on my very young and gung-ho soapbox right now and speak my mind. Feel free to let the flame war ensue since I'll be opening Pandora's Box right now.
Currently we have numerous, very active threads going on in the main board and that is fantastic. I am happy to be part of a very active discussion board that allows for open discussion on any topic we so choose totalk about. There is always a new post or discussion or someone chiming in on something that provides a new direction, or insight on the topic.
What does bother's me though, is the priorities that I feel many people have, as to what is actually important to the fire service, and it reflects on the types of threads posted and the activity of each thread. Currently we have threads about types of colors on chiefs cars, blue lights, other secondary/tertiary discussions as to who should have what. I have no problem with these threads as they enlighten others as to certain laws and other regulatory information.
What does bother me though is when you have a member post a topic about resources in the county and what department has special teams, only one person answers… Why? Do we really care so little about preplanning and foresight before an incident that we would much rather discuss the correct angle of chevrons over running an incident efficiently and smoothly? I know I personally was really looking forward to seeing what departments have around the county, so in case my department ever needs assistance to something we cannot ourselves handle butsomeone else can, they can be called upon.
We also have the "Tactical considerations" forum, which is a fantastic idea, but it rarely gets used, and when it does, only 2-5 people chime in with an answer. If you're wrong with an answer, who cares? It's only online training and you'll learn from your mistake. It's better done here, then out at an actual incident.
Sure I like to "buff out" every now and then as much as the next guy and get ideas from apparatus photos, but I think proactively talking and learning from other people about pre planning actual operations, or what an IC would have done differently at a fire is much more important then who won what at who's parade. There is such a vast wealth of knowledge on this board, it puzzles me that no one wants to actually release information for whatever reason they so choose.
Not a day goes by where I do not learn something new about the fireservice, and this board has definitely supplied me and numerous other people with a plethora of information. I can only hope that more people talk about the operational and tactical side of the fire service, as to me this is what truly matters and where departments stand out. The general population does not care about your roto-ray, or your undercover chief's car. They want their fire put out quickly and efficiently and their family member cut out of their car without any more harm being done. Sure things look cool, but to me, what is far, far more important is providing a homeowner or taxpaying company relief when we show up because operationally, we look like an organized, well oiled army doing everything in our power to help them out.
I'm not sure if I'm totally off base here and singling myself out, and this is no way a shot at anyone in particular but this is just an observation I have been making over the last few months and felt like it was time to share my opinion.
edit: transfered from M.Word and the format was screwed up

If you don't use it at least once a week or its something that will save your butt...you don't need it. Some of you have home depot in your pockets.
I do have one question..for those of you that carry a spanner "wrench." Is there a shortage of spanner wrenches on your apparatus...and I see many students who carry a single folding spanner wrench...you normally need 2. Often the longest lays come from your supply line so you need a LDH spanner if you need one for that.
PFD...you carry 2 window punches? Your one of the ones who said you carry a spanner wrench. Also a k tool? how do you keep your pants up? lol.
Remember the biggest thing with a device to cut...you have to be able to use it one handed and get to it with either hand. Gerbers and leathermans suck for that and cut very little as they don't open wide. I carry a cutter that looks something like pruning shears and cuts cable tv wire, rdx etc. I carry chocks..not on my helmet..tired of pulling one and having them all fall out..I use extinguisher plastic pin locks and drill a hole in my chocks and put them on my coat. Otherwise a few nails. Survior light went bye bye. Got hung up on it and saw no purpose in having a light on my coat that pointed to the ground. I love the Vulcan..the blue led's stand out when your partner is searching the other side of the room and they are lightweight. All those fancy helmet lights..another thing to get hung up on or inhibit your ability to slide between studs if you have to wall breach. No thanks...I want to be light and slim.

With all due respect, I think you have a grave misunderstanding about the role of an agency officer and the responsibilities of an agency member. It also seems that you view "professional courtesy" as an entitlement. Let me address your comments one at a time...
First off how do you know the police agencies and/or officers involved in this situation haven't gone to the offending agency in the past? Perhaps this is a pattern of behavior that needs to be resolved officially in the courts.
The defendant in this case committed 21 violations (or perhaps more) and received 21 summonses. The number of violations is what should be viewed as excessive, not the number of charges filed against him. These summonses were issued in lieu of a custodial arrest so the officers did exercise discretion.
Agency administrators, be they Chief, Captain, Commissioner, or whatever, are not parents and their members are not children (at least chronologically). There is definitely a time and a place for bringing a wayward child home to mommy or daddy but this is the case of an adult being held responsible for his actions. There's simply no reason for law enforcement to take an offender to his employer to resolve criminal acts (and reckless driving is a crime). That's like saying the State Police should take their findings in the fatal I-95 bus crash to the bus company for resolution. Where's the logic in that?
I understand where you're coming from about dealing with an agency directly and sometimes that is the right thing to do. I once stopped a vehicle operating at an excessive speed with a blue light and learned that there was no fire, the driver was late for work. He got his speeding ticket and his chief (three towns over) got a phone call about the blue light. Had the guy been running people off the road the chief would have read about the arrest in the newspaper.
It doesn't matter if it is a chief or member or civilian driving recklessly. They should be and are held responsible for their own actions. This case is noteworthy because it occurred while the offender was exercising the privilege of using red lights and siren. As the driver of any vehicle you're held responsible for the operation of that vehicle.
It isn't the lights and siren that make the risk greater; it is the driver's tendency to go faster and take more chances while using them. Psychologically it may be a false sense of security or it may be just plain adrenaline. And, highlighting points from other threads, there is a lack of supervision in many volunteer agencies that exacerbates this problem.
Finally, to receive professional courtesy one must be professional and courteous. This driver was neither. To expect preferential treatment or even infer that it is deserved in a case like this is why we hear stories of people getting tickets despite their membership in a fire or EMS agency. People get courtesy when they deserve it, not when they demand it.

Isabella has been found alive and well!

But, according to just this article, it bans the use of all mobile devices (ie. cell phones) within 500 feet of an accident. So if someone is walking down the sidewalk and gets within 500 feet of an accident...
I also don't think this will stand up constitutionally. If the Supreme Court ruled that free speech allows protesting at military funerals and subjecting military families to that kind of pain, it would be hard for them to say photographing an accident scene causes more pain.

No reason the site owner can't stir a little sh!t from time to time
I'll say this much; in my (fairly limited) experience thus far in the fire service, I've observed one thing; cops generally get to a working fire before we do - and they go in and do everything that needs to be done, and sometimes more than they really should be doing - and all kudos for them for doing it. Would anyone in their right minds consider this 'competition'? If we're not all here to serve our communities in the best way we know how, we're in the wrong jobs.
I'm pretty sure I've read of municipalities which have taken consolidation of services to the logical extreme, and have everyone cross-trained as cops, firefighters, and EMTs. Maybe that's taking it a bit too far, but if you don't have a *real good* insight into the respective jobs (and I for one don't) it's not such a great idea to pontificate about it...
Mike

Phelps and the rest of the starry-eyed cretins that follow him only be encouraged into broader actions by this unfortunate ruling. I must say, however, that I have to agree with the court on a Constitutional basis. I'm certain that not one of the Justices supports the ruling in their heart in this particular context, but the law is the law. Such is our Democracy.
What I'm afraid of is that because of their incredible offensiveness and cruelty, Phelps and his followers will eventually bring violence and tragedy upon themselves. Such are the limits of human tolerance.
I can't say I would be "glad" to see an enraged, bereaved loved one commit an illegal act, but I don't think I could condemn it, either.

No, he was off. Ironically, he and R1's Captain looked at the scaffold the other day and pre-planned it. But neither were working. The man who went down on the rope, FF Mike Giroux is one of the best. He has trained extensively with the YFD, the FDNY Rescue and others and is well thought of by our members.

I have something that is worth posting here and is something I want all of you to read and really think about. This was forwarded to me by a friend. This was written by Meriden, CT, Battalion Chief Burdick.
These are words that I whole heartily beleive in and held true in my profession being a firefighter, from the time I started volunteering my service to my present career in the fire services. Next time when you use the term "Brotherhood" stop and think about it for a second and ask yourself how you use the term, live up to your actions, consider your self part of the Brotherhood. I see the term used often here, but are you truly in the brotherhood?
Just think.

If I, as a volunteer, cannot meet the same training requirements as a career guy, what business do I have being a volunteer? We all preach that we do the same job, the dangers are the same, and that we want to be treated the same and not looked down upon by career guys, well then lets start training like them, and hold ourselves to the same standards.
I know guys from all over the fire service who are volunteers, who have the "I've been in it for 15-20 years now, why do I have to train on hose stretching or ground ladder ops since it is an easy task," mentality. Well too bad, there is the door, thank you for your 15 years of service to the town. The amount of liability on a Chief and his department now is so immense, why would you not want to demand that your firemen exceed the volunteer requirements?
Fire doesn't change when you cross the district line of Yonkers to Hastings guys (just using that as an example), lets start training and demanding accountability like it doesn't.

Don't know if this has been seen before but I laughed....


Mike

Thanks Barry... well I don't know quite how to read that... in plain English, you're not performing an 'emergency rescue' unless you have a known (by observation or information) victim to rescue, are you? A search is a search; it doesn't become an 'emergency rescue' unless you locate a victim! So I'd say that was pretty equivalent to my 'confirmed'.
I don't know what the lawyers would make of it; fortunately I'm a fireman, not a lawyer.
Mike