waful

All the information comes from the report given at the September township meeting. These regular meetings are attended by Town Supervisors, other town officials, police chiefs, town OEM officers, VAC officers, hospital administrators, physicians and Stellaris and WEMS management. I'd rather pass along that information than have people state incorrect information.

In my opinion your Mom is right. Get not only your Bachelors but an advanced degree now before family and work obligations get in the way. Most importantly do not expect that your experiences in firefighting and / or emergency services will be very similar to your predecessors. The one thing you can be sure of is that during your working life, the fire service, and in fact the world, will undergo enormous, and oftentimes, rapid change. A well rounded undergraduate and graduate degree will make you much more capable of anticipating and positioning yourself for the changes you will see. Don't limit yourself to a fire science degree either- you will be studying that stuff for promotion anyway- get the most well rounded education that you are able to- researching and writing, public speaking,government, history, psychology, technology, etc. are just basic skills which are necessary to function as an effective, progressive, fair leader in almost any field of endeavour. Consider a bachelor's in management, organizational leadership or some such with a minor in fire science or emergency management. After that you will have a better idea as to what to study for your Master's Degree.
Don't believe everyhting any of us in the Fire Service tell you (it's very hard to be objective about yourself)- seek out contrasting opinions, as you have done here. Spend time (such as in college) with people who have no connection to the fire service or emergency services. Learn from them too.
Realize that as a Firefighter you will be working with many dedicated, hard working people, but you will also be spending your life working alongside many who just want a decent civil service job and who do not have the same pride and work ethic that you do. This can prove to be a big shock and an enormous sense of dissapointment to a "gung-ho" young guy such as yourself. If you think you will be able to motivated these types and change their attitude, I would suggest that you first find a brick wall and bang your head against it as hard as you can a few times and make sure you enjoy that.

We cannot even get departments to agree on an standardized accountability system that can be used county wide, and everyone wants to jump into completely consolidating 60 fire departments (not including brigades and county teams)? How about we start with basic things like radio communication, accountability, mutual aid staffing and training requirements before we go completely changing the tax lines, which is going to be a complete logistical nightmare.
On a side note, is it possible to completely remove all districts lines including fire protection, fire district and city limit lines, and create a Westchester County Fire District or Fire protection district? NYS fire laws are pretty stringent, and I'm pretty sure there has to be a majority vote from the tax payers in the fire district to absorb another or dissolve their own.

I respectfully disagree. An apparatus that is designed properly and not only for current needs, but future ones, can be more than sufficient.
Mohegan has run Pumper/Rescues for a while, and they run more MVAs then a lot of us do - without a true Rescue. Their E252 as well as E258 can handle both jobs - as far as I have seen.
New Rochelle has a Rescue, but if it isn't staffed and/or available, I'm 95% sure they're able to handle accidents with 1 & 1 - as is Eastchester FD.
I may be wrong, but I don't think Bedford is running as much on I684 anymore, since Bedford Hills reclaimed that portion of their fire district.
As far as Bedford making the decision to buy a new R44 - that's their choice. They would know their district and their department better than any of us looking in from the outside...

Just to expand on what MCD87 posted, after 9/11 many lessons were learned. One is that EMS had no equipment capable of properly protecting them for operations in that type of environment. The same applied to much more typical incidents, MVAs, structure fires, construction accidents, etc. As Capt Nechis pointed out NFP requires protection for all hazards we face and for years it just wasn't addressed. We had a jacket and helmet. Hardly the all hazards protection required. As an added bonus the new PPE allows all members to operate in the warm zone of a hazmat incident bringing more hands to provide patient care and allowing us to safely transport critical patients not fully contaminated to medical facilities with decon stations. Maybe the gear is overkill (flash protection without airway protection seems pointless to me) but its what we have. BLS units have no problem securing all of the equipment. ALS now that we're carrying our cold saline coolers have zero free space. My truck is as stripped as possible, but between our fisher price snow shovels and sked removing the scoop is actually dangerous. In the patient compartment it is now impossible to secure all of our bags, and our WMD mark 1 kits are either locked up and stuffed in without our spare drugs or stuffed behind a difficult to remove trauma bag about 6' off the ground. Its nearly impossible for shorter members to get to.
The haztac style extra compartment was considered, but the extra space it offered while substantial would be under utilized. Going with the crew cab gives us more options for patient family transport, a better seat for ride alongs(currently to converse with the crew up front ride alongs end up in a very dangerous position were there a collision), and keeps our gear within reach. Were we to roll up on that chemical or biological incident we can at least mask up before retreating to properly prepare to enter the scene.
As for the safety of storing our gear in the passenger compartment, we are not regularly exposed to the toxins and carcinogens that bunker gear is exposed to. Still not ideal, but its better than what we have now.

2-Years, Miss ya' Bud!

Thats about what I pay, but "fire and EMS" is at $435 and its a fully paid system. Plus I save on my ISO rating.
Then you are statistically way over due. I suspect a large number of SFD's calls are for other than structure fires. I hope no one you know ever has any other issues that a prompt response would be important.
And you've worked as a medic for how long?
Thats good, because it sounds like your expectations meet the current conditions.
Can you tell me: "What is the cost of fire protection"?

Exactly, some people should read this.

3-4 Interior firefighters and an officer should suffice for any type of request for an engine or truck, whether it be a relocate or a deployment. If departments wanted extra manpower when requesting units, they would call for extra manpower. When special units are called such as Rescues, manpower should be assessed and deployed based off the scale and type of the incident. A request for an additional hurst tool is quite different then a request for a car pinned under a overturned semi-trailer.
Departments that are requesting an additional 3 engines and 2 trucks for a room and contents fire, really need to think about why are they requesting so many resources on an initial assignment, that by the time they arrive on scene, will more then likely not even be needed. A department should be able to handle a bread and butter operation by themselves, with no outside help. However, we all know that man power is down, so an outside FASTeam, and a relocate is not a bad thing, and as always, if you don't need em, turn em around. Certain (not all) Battalion COORDINATORS (note they are NOT chiefs) also need to realize a) when they are stripping entire departments for a single job, and branch out past their own battalion and b ) the scene is not theirs to command.
I'll use my department as an example: on any initial report of a structure fire, A FASTeam is immediately dispatched along with our department, regardless of whether it is in the hydrant or non-hydrant district. Our M/A departments were asked if they were OK with this policy before it went into inception, and they had no problem providing a FASTeam on the initial dispatch, rather then the 10-75 assignment.
In the hydrant district, a working 10-75 brings in the BC, VAC/Medic, and the relocate of 1x1 to our HQ. Each additional alarm brings in an additional FAST, transfers the relocated 1x1 to the scene, and relocates another 1x1. 2nd alarm brings in a Cascade, and 3rd Alarm brings in the Field Com unit. The non hydrant provides the same, but with 3 tankers to the scene and additional engine for the draft or dump site. Our non-hydrant district has almost no access for 1 ladder, so after the first relocate of a ladder, 2nd alarms and above only bring in an additional engine on the relocate as the truck will remain on stand-by for the duration of the incident for the rest of the district.
There are a few specialty boxes that provide a different type of response based off the building type and hazards involved however. Each box was set up to try and not pull more then 1 apparatus from each department for the entire duration of the incident, regardless of the scale of size (3rd alarm in our residential, 4th alarm in our commercial district), however in some cases, it was impossible. Department Chiefs were contacted to see if they had any problem sending 2 pieces of equipment and manpower to a scene if that was the case, and those who are on the box, had no doubts they could cover both their district and provide aid to ours with multiple units pulled.
http://www.yorktownf...ent/operations/ / http://maps.google.c...08&source=embed

If I look at this using a cost/benefit analysis it seems pretty clear that the benefits of these mutual aid runs outweigh the risks.
The risks we're dealing with are that a fire will occur at home while units are operating on the MA fire. How many fires does any village in Westchester get per year? One, maybe two? Maybe even double that? So the odds of a fire happening at home are very low on any given day. Same is true of a neighboring village. Now, the odds of them happening simultaneously in the home and neighboring villages is tiny. So the mutual aid engine and chiefs can respond with a fair degree of certainty that there won't be a fire at home. If there happens to be an incident there are other apparatus and deputy chiefs to handle it, and one of the chiefs at the MA fire can always respond (if it's mutual aid, their response time is likely to be fast). The risk score here is quite low because the likelyhood is very low and the severity is mitigated by many factors.
As for benefits, there are many: developing a good relationship with MA departments, improving cooperation, training personnel, giving incident commanders more exposure to large scale incidents (training), potentially impacting recruitment and providing a boost regarding retention (firefighters might be becoming bored and spending their time elsewhere), and most importantly, saving lives and property that might not have been saved if fewer personnel responded. This particular MA fire might double the number of fires a village firefighter has worked! Doesn't this OTJ training make for better trained firefighters? This makes the village money better spent, doesn't it?
The benefits clearly outweigh the cost. There's a plan in place to deal with reduced personnel in case something happens - even without a MA fire to blame for the less than ideal response, the reality is that the volunteer fire service is an environment where you never know if you'll get a sufficient response for any given incident. What if an incident occurred while the department was at the county training center? Should there be no departmental training?
It seems to me that the benefits of sending members on MA calls significantly outweighs the risks.

The Chief shouldn't be doing that. A probie nobody likes should be.
If Con Edison was on the scene confirming the hazard of electricity was eliminated, then it's putting out a simple fire. Period.
Operating on the roof... not that big of a deal in my opinion, we climb up there to wash the rigs, pack hose and fix antennas, right?
Settle down. Nobody knows all of the facts, right?
I hate how FFCC has become a place for people to post pictures of things they personally don't like because, often times, they've got a grudge against the person(s) or department(s) in the photo.
We're our own worst enemies...

I don't (ever) post because I often feel like I have nothing to add. I have no experience other than as family. My grandfather was FDNY. My brothers were volunteers in Dutchess County.
But I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of you. As a family member, I understand the sacrifices you make, the training you make time for and the time you are away from your families, friends and other activities so you can serve your community in the most amazing way I can think of.
I salute your bravery, your commitment and your expertise. Our communities are better places because you live, work and volunteer here.
Consider this a long distance hug from a very grateful community member.
-Heather

Would my family be able to go into 1 of there Mosques and not follow their rules????

I had a playful argument with an older ex-chief at drill the other night. We discussed the smooth bore he found on the hose bed on our engine during a recent fire we had. He started to bash the nozzle and say that any good firefighter knows that a fog nozzle is the best kind to use. Intrigued by his remarks I asked him why he felt that way. He explained that the smooth bore nozzles knock everything in the room around and mess up the evidence of the investigation later on. I proceeded to tell him that the untrained firefighter with a fog nozzle could very well do that also, and that the fog nozzles disrupt the thermal layer and if your not carefull and do not coordinate with the vent team you could steam yourself and the crew and become human lobsters. The argument went back and forth, and ended at the end of the night with a playful smack on the back of my head and me being called "A stubborn @$#%^"
So, at risk of being yelled at and accused of starting a thread that has already been talked about, I searched in the database and found this one started back in 2006, and thought i could please interest all of you in sharing additional, up-to-date information about the two types of nozzles and what your preference and personal experiences are with them. This way I can arm myself with more info for "round two" next Monday night!
I figured that since this post has been retired, there have got to be atleast 100 newer members that have not participated in this discussion and thought it would be beneficial to everyone, creating another positive learning evironment for the younger members.
So, without further adieu....Let the games begin.
PS-keep it civil and clean, offer info both positive and negative but keep it professional, and remember there are members out there who want to know this stuff but are afraid to ask.
Thanks and Stay Safe.

Stacked Tips SHOULD be the Prefered method of extinguishing a large volume of Fire. IT'S MY OPINION that I belive the problem of Smoothbore vs Fog streams starts in the Firehouse from the top of the food chain. Some of.. Not all Senior Firefighters and Chief officers that were crawling down hallways of the past say 30 years ago (cir 1981) have not yet FULLY UNDERSTOOD the Fire Today is not the same Fire they fought "back in the day". Today were fighting Fires in Several types of Construction that are not able to withstand a fire. Buildings basically are built on a Concrete Footing and then Doused in Gasoline (Synthetics)
Fighting Fires was never Rocket Science but we do have to change with the times.
Remember "KISS"... Keep it Simple Stupid
We could debate this all day. The Leadership has to FULLY UNDERSTAND the Fire behavior changes.
Some examples of light reading among MANY others would come from the Following:
Brannigan Building Construction.
ANY of the Reading's from the "Great" Late Andrew Fredericks (RIP)
How to read Smoke by Dave Dobson (great seminar).... fund raiser idea
FDNY Lt.Ray McCormack.
FDNY Lt.Timm Klett.
Lt.Chip Chapman Milford CT FD.
Wind Driven 7 story Building Experiments Fire Study by NIST.
Just some of these readings alone should (I hope) open up some eyes.
Back to those Masterstream nozzles.
The Tip sizes starting from the largest size to the smallest are as follows. 2inch, 1-3/4inches 1-1/2inches 1-3/8inches.
I see no reason but to use only the 2inch or the 1-3/4inch MAYBE the 1-1/2 size.
I hear it sometimes and it drives me nuts "We use the smaller tip size to get the reach of the stream??"
Move the Master Stream device closer to the Fire (Respect your Collapse zones). Dont use a smaller tip on the nozzle your waisting precious time..Your making the Large GPM Master Stream a Useless low GPM Handline on a Million dollar Ladder truck.
Another "Myph".. We need the Fog Nozzle for Exposure Protection by forming a Water curtain???.
Put the BIG GPM on the Fire FAST as possible and you wont have Exposures.
Look at Buff Pictures of the past ..What do you see 15 Handlines flowing low GPM results. Use bigger lines with matching Tips and you will use less hose. Great idea for the up and coming 3 man Firefighting team in a Chevy Tahoe idea coming out of Townhall.

After having spent 21 years as a career firefighter, 17 years as a volunteer firefighter (8 of those years in chief's ranks) and several years in fire equipment sales I would have to say that it's due to misinformation (both from fire service personnel who never did real life field testing of smooth-bore vs. fog nozzles as well as from salesmen with no firefighting background), stubborn chief's who refuse to admit that they may be wrong and the fact that many in today's fire service don't seem to understand that in order to control a heavy volume of fire we must overwhelm it with a large volume of water that will penetrate to the seat of the fire. As was pointed out by antiquefirelt, if you view a photo of a stream from a stacked tip equipped master stream operating side by side with a fog tip equipped master stream both being directed into a heavy volume of fire you will notice that the stacked tip stream is penetrating the fire while the straight stream from the fog tip appears to be making a 90 degree turn away from the fire.

I don't give a s*** if dj henry was a rhodes scholar and he went to harvard, he tried to kill a cop, one of my brothers , and yes in my book that makes him a punk scumbag.
As far as pace goes, I've dealt with some of the worst lawyers in westchester who have graduated from pace, so pace doen't impress me.
No matter what the situation was in the bar that night, it doesn't change the fact that this kid was issued a lawful order by a police officer and instead of stopping, he refused the order and struck the police officer.
As far as the investigation goes, the DOJ monitered the entire thing and found nothing wrong with it, but i guess you know something they don't.
Shoot the engine block ? What are you dirty harry ? This suggestion shows your ignorance on all things law enforcement. You strike me as the type that thinks that because you watch cops and americas most wanted and you take a few pictures of police cars, that makes you knowledgeable... IT DOESN'T.....
You know nothing about traffic stops or who should be where or what the officers are feeling?
How many life or death situations have you been in? It seems like you shy away fom dangerous professions so I will say close to none so you have no clue how fast you have to make a decision and in this case it was a decision to use deadly force. Not only does PO Hess have to live with his decision for the rest of his life, he has to deal with people like you monday morning quarterbacking what he did. It's easy to second guess from the safety of your den or your living room isn't it ?
AS I reread your post to make sure I covered all of the points you tried to make, it seems that you have some type of blinders on to the truth and seem to have out your own twists to the story. You say he was already dead before he struck PO Hess, where did you get that from ? I never once heard that version of the story.
You are just an angry person with an axe to grind against law enforcement. I wonder if dj henry had God forbid struck and killed someone in your family while he was driving highly intoxicated back to the pace campus how much different you would feel.

There wasn't much to the photos, just a dead body. I can understand how this may disturb some, but she did seem in pretty good shape considering the kinetics involved (externally, that is - she had some pretty extensive internal trauma according to the ME report). In all honesty, i find the images less of an issue then the crap that we see on commonly available cable channels. I would rather have teenagers view this documentary and see the end results of poor decision making then have them view the glorification of teenage pregnancy on MTV. Thats just me, however.

I would like to start a list of Memorial Services being held in Dutchess County for the 10th Anniversary of the attacks and murders at the World Trade Center.
This will keep people informed in advance and help to ensure a good turnout to each.
I CAN NOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDING THESE EVENTS IF YOU CAN! While the majority of the people appear to have forgotten, I can assure you that we in New York's emergency services have NOT!
I also urge each member of emergency services in the area to stop at Union Vale fire station 1 on Route 82 in Verbank, and visit the touching memorial built around a peice of steel from the WTC.
If you have information, dates and times of any 9/11 Memorial, please post.

nycmedic you couldn't be more wrong. If they did start sending EMS off at the PD text we're going to have more units chasing bogus arrests. That will make our already slow response time slower. Currently we're averaging just over 7 minutes to 1-3 segments. Add fire to the mix and the response times drop to 4:28. This doesn't include call processing. Just dispatched to 84. Firefighters, due to their numbers can quickly dismount and get to the patient. By the time we gather all our crap and wait for the elevator (because stairs scare us) we've taken another minute or two longer than the engine. So since arrest, its been 90 seconds of call taking, 7 minutes of driving, and say...2 minutes till patient contact. Thats over 5 minutes of dying brain.
Then we have AHA's research saying it takes 6 or 8 (I can't remember which) to effectively run an arrest.
Then there's perks that aren't quantified. CFR's operate in their normal response area. We get yanked all over the city. How many times have you been unsure of the jobs location until you saw the giant red signal light sitting ifo? Then we have to get the patient out of the tiny apt packed with 20 years of crap and 5 floors up. How efficiently can you clear the hallways, get your crap, and get the patient out with just the 5 of you?
Drop the I don't need firefighters bull and do what's best for the patient. Multiple hands doing high quality cpr for two minute intervals. Fire will be facing cuts, but removing the CFR program will only cost more lives.

I don want to single anyone out, but why are particular members posting incomplete IA's, without even knowing the incident location? And then asking other members to PM them with the necessary info to complete the IA? How about waiting until you have all the info, or at a minimum the incident location, and then posting it so no one wastes their time reading an incomplete IA.

So many thoughts on this so hopefully this is somewhat followable. The original poster was prompted to ask his questions based off the medal day book. So on that fact I will say this I think it is dangerous for most departments to attempt to operate like the FDNY. We have the ability to put a lot of firefighters on the scene very quickly and probably unparalleled. That combined with strong SOPs that spell out where everyone goes and what they do based on the building type and location of the fire put us in a unique situation. This is in no way a knock on any other department but I think your procedures and risk management need to be based on your staffing, experience level, and what you face. In a majority of cases I believe small departments should concentrate on putting all their initial effort on placing the first line in operation. Even in the case of people trappped unless you know exactly where they are the best course of action may still be to get water on the fire.
As for the can as a truck officer when I enter an apartment prior to the line which is frequently the case when the fire is on the upper floor since the engine will be delayed in the long stretch I usually bring the can firefighter with me and leave the irons firefighter at the door (inside holding the door closed). The can allows us to knock down fire very well. As long as the fire has not flashed over the can will have an impact. The can is very effective at pushing fire back and allowing us to close doors. And in the etreme cases where protection is needed to effect a rescue the can is handy. Passing fire is a very dangerous move and should probably be reserved for known victims.

Many people have PMed and emailed mre asking about life "over there" in Afghanistan, so I thought I'd write a quick decription of how it is for those interested.
To start I am now assigned to Kandahar Airfield which, unlike all my previous jobs, is a NATO run base. At present I believe the British are the ones technicaly in charge of the base but almost all NATO countries and a few others are represented here. This makes for some interesting interactions as cultures do clash occasionally, usually with comic results fortunately. It is hot here, I mean really hot. Average temperatures this week have been just above 130 with the nights cooling down to a balmy 100 or so. It is also dusty here to the point that everything has a permant shade of tan covering it, no matter how often you clean it.
My FD here or to use it's proper name Kandahar Fire Crash Rescue Services is comprised of 60 men manning 6 crash trucks, 2 structural Engines and a Tanker along with a Chief and as they call them a Plattoon (our Depruty Chief or Shift Commander) Chief for each of the two shifts. Work schedule is 24 on 24 off or on average an 84 hour work week, which may sound like alot but trust me most would rather be working everyday as there isn't much to do otherwise. We do have a gym at the main station as well as a number of military ones throughout the base that we are free to use. There are 6 DFACs (dining facilites), 1 British, 1 French or Continental, 1 Asian and 2 American, the other I havent found yet but it is reported to be Arabic serving only Hallal food (similar to Kosher). The food itself is edible although as any former soldier can tell you, everything is cooked well beyond well done. Kandahar also boasts a Boardwalk which is just exactly what you'd expect it to be, a wooden sidewalk on which fromts a number of commercial establishments. We have a KFC and Friday's, 2 pizza joints although the term pizza is a bit of a stretch to anyone from our area, a Nathan's open 24 hours to boot a coffe shop and a French Deli/Patisserre. Along with the gastronomic choices there are a number of small "Haji" or locals run shops carrying everything from cigarettes to jewelery and trinkets to a full tailor shop that will make a hand tailored suit for you for about $250. There is also a Bazaar every Saturday with the ubiquitous bootleg movies as well as an impressive selection of junk, haggling a must.
About the FD itself aside from the above. Well I started at the main station, Station 1 which sits on the Airfield. Housed there are 5 of the 6 crash trucks and their attendant crews. I was assigned to Engine 3 one of the two structural units on base. Station 3 houses another crash truck on the opposite side of the runway. Station 3 is a luxuriously appointed Army tent with none of the comforts of home. Station 1 is more akin to a Stateside firehouse with an alarm room, offices, a large dayroom and sleeping quarters (3 to a room). The crash side of the house is busier here since much to my suprise Kandahar Airfield is the busiest single runway airport in the world with between 850 - 1000 inbound and outbound flights a week. And there is quite a wide variety of aircraft in and out of here including C-130s and C-17s, C-5s as well, F-16s, F/A/18s, Harriers, A-10s. We also get 737s, Antonov A-12s and the other really huge Russian one whose designation I can't recall as well as a few 747s. Choppers abound with Blackhawks and Chinooks, Cobras, and Apaches and a large contingent of old Russian machines like the Mil-8 and the Mil -10 for transpot duty. And of course the UAVs which are really quite impressive.
My current assignment is as the Crew Chief (Capt) of Station 2 "Southside". I have with me 4 crewman and our rig is a European spec'ed Rosenbauer from Germany. Needles to say that it takes a bit of getting used to with the pump in the rear and it's overall lack of hose and equipment by our standards, not to mention its all metric. I have a pump that in liters!! Damn Europeans now I have to do math.
Our first due is about 8 sq. miles with roughly 25,000 miltary and civilian residents. Building range from one and two story PEBs (pre engineered buildings) of metal and wood. wooden B and C huts (think ranch houses except it's many offices or sleeping rooms off a central hallway), tents of various sizes up to 200 x 75 and a large number of two story masonary barracks (think garden apartments). Along with these living areas we on the Southside enjoy the distinction of being what back home would be called the industrail side of town. The majority of the mechanical shops, warehouses, stortage facilities fuel points and motorpools are in our first due, along with a host of HazMat goodies. All in all it's a diverse and challenging district.
Now what makes KAFs Fire Department somewhat unique is the fact that we are comprised of a multi national force. There are Indians, Philippinos, South Aficans and a sizeable contingent of Brits. Then there's a few Canucks and representing the good ole USA is Nate who hails form the metro DC area and myself. While English is the required language I have found that it's use is somewhat impeded by the variety of accents in use. In fact I've found that I'll need to invest in an English to English dictionary to communicate with my comrades form the UK...LOL
One of the most common questions I get is, is it safe? Well safe is a relative term in a war zone. We do get regular presents of the 81, 120 and 240mm variety from our Taliban friends outside the wire and they do at times cause casualities. The last was a soldier a few months ago. Our towel headed friends also like to try and crash our party here often by trying to get through the wire. They don't get too far. In fact just prior to my arrival about 100 or so of them got their wish with a one way fast track ticket to meet Allah...isn't that nice for them. Hopefully their buddies will be right behind. Our boys here are more than happy to oblige that wish and we all support them. Vigilance is a necessity here, just like home complacency kills. We do all we can to stay safe, but the reality is, if your numbers up then it's up. Until then I and all of us have a job to do and we just do it.
Some may think this a noble or courageous endeavor, for that I thank you, but please give your kudos to those that really deserve it, the brave and dedicated men and women of our Armed Forces. These folks are as courageous as they come and they are in a sense our kindred spirits....they too put themselves at risk to protect and serve others, all of us here and back home.
In closing I would ask a favor from all who read this. As you go through your day stop for just a minute and think about those service members over here and what they are sacrificing for you and yours. And if it should strike you please find an organization that send things over and send something to a soldier, sailor, or airman here. It couild be anything, a letter, a card and damn tube of toothpaste...anything so that they know that you remember and support them. They will appreciate it more than you know. Freedom is not free and these folks are paying the price for our freedom, please don't forget them.
Cogs
________________
Peter Cogliano
Crew Chief Engine 2 "Southside"
Kandahar Fire Crash Rescue Services
Kandahar Airfield Afghanistan

2nd Capt / Asst. Training Officer
Belltown Fire Dept.
Stamford, CT

We evaluated the actual cubic space of both the walk around and the walk in and we determined that our current walk in used 47% of the total box space for walking space. With our new rescue less than 10% of the total box space is not used for storage.
My experience is that many walk arounds do not add enough compartments and or shelving and trays to utilize the space that is not filled above the base shelf. It is also often common to see depts. have enoght basic extrication equipment to fill a small rescue but they buy a large "Heavy Rescue" and it ends up with most of the compartments empty. If you look at the compartments on R-16 it looks like they have packed most of the space.

Because apparatus or vehicles can be assigned to training or a public relations detail for a few hours one day doesn't make it non-essential. There is preventitive maintenance and other service that takes vehicles out of service for periods of time as well.
Your point can just as easily be made about front-line apparatus leaving district to another county for a parade.
How about Lake George? How many pieces of front line fire apparatus make the annual journey to Lake George for an entire weekend? Does that mean that those trucks are non-essential?
Is there duplicate, redundant or down-right useless apparatus in the metro area? Absolutely. I don't think a lot of it was at Playland yesterday though.