FD828

if you want this job, move to Yonkers ASAP. If you are fortunate enough to get this job, I believe you do not have to stay in Yonkers.

I fear the days of choosing a career as a firefighter because it is a good, secure, fairly paid with good benefits job are just about over.

Logistically they are at the far end of the village near the Ct border. This leaves the south end of the village, the commercial area, pretty much the resposibility of PCFD. BTW, the engine that covers that area will not be staffed daytime if it incurs o/t. Rye Brook pays their ff on parity with the PD. The salaries and bene's for an eight man dept., plus a big station which is uncerutilized, plus the apparatus, and work charts add up. It would be interesting to see how cost effective it is. You also have to look at the politics involved. After the Rural Metro debacle, this dept. was formed to appease Tony Pagano.You also have to know that Rye Brook held the contract over Pt Chester's head with regards to using 60 Control. Rye Brook did not wish to purchase a radio system opting for 60 Control, the PC Village Mgr caved in order to sign the contract. The career ff in PC were directly affected. While I praise both depts and the volunteer service, it appears that RB is playing games with their fd and provides a band aid type of service.PC too is playing games and making money on the backs of their ff and gives little in return. PC cites many "active" members on the volunteer rolls, how many are capable of fighting fires, or better yet how many live in town? So I go back to a district were hopefully knowledgable people will properly staff and fund an entity which can provide a true, valuable service without putting ff in danger. Perhaps then proper staffing could be achieved along with proper apparatus and equipment.

I can understand that Rye Brook didn't want to spend the money on a radio system (and the manpower to run it), but how did that have any effect on the Port Chester Dept? You say they held it over PC's head? Do they have separate contracts? Or did the village of PC see it as an opportunity to reduce the manpower in Port Chester?(don't need a ff to man the radio) Save some money? Couldn't Rye Brook use 60 control and Port Chester continue to self dispatch as have been doing for 100+ years? You also mention that the engine used to cover the downtown area of Rye Brook will not be filled if OT is required, is that because they won't hire any ff's?

Really so how do we operate that thier our several problems. Because I havent noticed any and I'm from this department. See what it comes down to is that people love to start s*** when it's not neccesary this topic was originally started asking about operations so how did it come to RBFD dosent need to exist is that neccesary to say..... Matter of fact does that have anything to do with operations no it dosent. And to M ave if you dont have anything but negative things to say to people or insult them cause of thier writing keep it to yourself. Everyone else enjoy your weekend and stay safe

I wasn't trying to start a battle over your department, I was responding to Stopgoblue's comments that nobody knows the facts and should stay out of it. The fact is PC does cover Rye Brook, but is it run the way it should be? Operations issues are what is being discussed. If you can't take critisism about your department that you and others can learn from and maybe take some positive things away from a constructive and adult conversation then you are in the wrong field. I have been to many fires in Port Chester, if you truely don't think that there is room for improvement in your department (just like any other), then I am sorry. That is niaive at best.

And for the record I feel Rye Brook should exist, needs more fire fighters, officers and a chief of their own.

Well here is how we can resolve the issue.. YOu dont belong to rye brook or PCFD , this topic has been around for YEARS pcfd and rbfd get along great ,PCFD has been around for 175+ years and whas been and always will be providing coverage to rye brook and was even before rye brook was thought of in the 1980's......... port chester 10573 , rye brook 10573, DONT critize if you dont know the facts.. worry about your deptartments problems not ours!!!!!!!!!!!

charlie melillo

Charlie, then how come before Rual Metro came along, when the Village of Rye Brook asked to have an engine placed into the village of Rye Brook the Port Chester FD/village refused even though Rye Brook was paying for a HUGE portion of the fire protection costs? And seeing how PC operates first hand with my own eyes there are several "problems" that are very evident at EVERY fire. And nobody was trying to bash any department, it was a discussion about how things could/should be IMPROVED. Just because "We have been doing things this way for 100 years kid" doesn't mean it is still the best way to do things. Sometimes you need to change with the times.

Dont agree at all... Sorry but Rye brook FD is a great accet to the Village Of Rye Brook residents and very helpful when thier is a fire call in rye brook and rigs are coming from downtown pc. Just think if thier is a fire in mid afternoon and rigs have to come from downtown pc with all the schools getting out and traffic on the road its safer and better that rye brook has a fd........ Also i would be careful what u say thier are rye brook fd personell on here just sayin.

If only more people thought the way you did! If I lived in Rye Brook, I know I would want a closer engine coming to my rescue with a staffed crew instead of waiting for one to show up from downtowm PC. And just as a side note, most of the Rye Brook guys have pretty thick skin!

As it stands money raised in the volunteer districts for fire protection is supposed to be used to fund each volunteer department, and not SFRD. This is a hold over from the days when the City of Stamford and the long gone Town of Stamford (what we now call North Stamford) themselves merged. For a number of years dating back to long before 2008 money has been syphoned off from the taxes raised "up North" to fund SFRD. Under the proposed revisions in the Mayor's plan each department would be funded exclusively from the funds raised in their districts. In other words the taxes from the people of downtown (SFRD district) would be the sole source for SFRD funding and the same for North Stamford (SVFD district). As a result there would no longer be the tax dollars from up North available to help fund SFRD as there are now and that shortfall would result in a tax increase for the downtown residents/businesses to maintain the current service level there. It has been stated that many up North may actually enjoy a slight tax reduction if the plan is implemented, as they would no longer be responsible for helping to fund SFRD.

But alas this situtaion being as convoluted as it is means that it is not quite that simple. Fact is SFRD maintains 4 pieces of appartatus and their attendent crews "up North" at present and those have to be paid for by someone and rightfully they are being paid for (at least in part) by the residents of Glenbrook, Springdale and TOR. And since both BFD and LRFCo utilize SFRD as well they must also contribute. But the funds being collected are in excess of the costs associated with those SFRD assets stationed up North and their responses into the districts. Also as we saw with Malloy the VFDs are being underfunded as well. In effect this whole mess was Malloys attempt to get hold of the potential tax dollars up North which could then be used anywhere not just for the fire service. This whole debacle was, is and always will be about money and anyone who thinks otherwise is either extremely naive or seeking to push an agenda. At least for some of us we readily accept and admit this fact, and in doing so can then expend our resources on what will best serve ALL ......others it seems would rather spend precious time, money and energy on developing covers for their agendas under the cloak of "public safety".

Cogs

Talk about agendas! Tax reduction for up North? The mayor's plan doesn't detail a line by line cost analysis, doesn't show about salaries, OT, sick, vacation time etc... How can you sit there and believe that? You honestly think the cost of this debacle will be the stated cost? Stating that the monies collected from the residents up North exceed the costs of SFRD operations and responses in those areas? They(SFRD) respond to EVERY call or emergency unlike the volunteers who do NOT (except Belltown). Do you know the actual cost for all those responses, manpower, stations, utilities, ets..? The obvious agenda highlighted by your statements is about slamming the SFRD and the union that represents it.

COUNTY WIDE FIRE/RESCUE/EMS DEPARTMENT................except for the cities

That would take an act of God for that to happen! I am all for it, but it will never happen.

Well put and couldn't agree with you more brother. The guys at RBFD are some the greatest colleagues and guys I know. Portchester has their own issues within the FD they need to get sorted out and improved upon...take care of home first...that's what I say.

Well said yourself!

Better then Rural Metro, whosever idea that was?

Rye Brook FD and PD don't need to exist. Port Chester FD, EMS, and PD can and do cover this area.

I have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Perhaps the way it is run now, it is a disaster. But what they need is to make it a real department and staff it properly including officers/chiefs, and make a true M.A. agreement with Port Chester. I can't speak much about the PD, but I imagine they would need to hire more officers if they were to take over Rye Brook's district. As for EMS, we already cover Rye Brook as well as Port Chester and Rye so there would be no change there. But there needs to be a fire department in Rye Brook. The district is too big to rely on the FD responding from downtown Port Chester. If way back when, when Rye Brook was asking/demanding(depending on who you ask) that Port Chester locate an engine into the village of RB (being that they were paying for a huge portion of the fire protection) and Port Chester did just that, maybe Rual Metro would never have come to town and maybe there would be no RBFD. But as we all know that is not what happened.

You are correct, the Rye Brook FD ff's work 7a-7p 7 days a week. They have no officers and they have no chiefs of their own. The Port Chester FD is always dispatched along with Rye Brook to all of their calls. (The Port Chester chiefs are in charge of the RBFD) They have a 2 man minumum for staffing, with I believe 4 men assigned to each (2) group. They have tried to get the Village of Rye Brook to hire more ff's so they may staff their station 24/7 without success. At 7pm 1 of the career Port Chester ff's drives his engine (59) and stays at the RBFD till the Rye Brook ff's return in the morning. Makes absolutely no sense, Rye Brook is mostly a bedroom community. Why would you want to reduce the amount of firefighters in your town during the hours when the most harm can come to the most people? Politicians can screw up anything.

If you are a resident of the City of Bridgeport, you may qualify for extra residency points. As for NOT taking the test.... I would highly advise taking every test you possibly can (if you want this for a career) There is always a chance number 1, and if I am not too off based, a large % of the residents did not pass the last test even with the extra points. Plus there will be a psych eval and a oral interview as well. Bottom line if you can sqeeze out the $, take the test.

I know that where I am in Putnam county, if mutual aid is requested it is usually specific. For example,1 tanker from department A, FAST from department B, Ladder from dept. C this way they are not stripping 1 particular department of all their resources. Where I work EMS in Westchester, if we only have 1 ambulance left because the other 2 or 3 are on calls and a mutual aid request comes in from 60 control, we still send out our last unit.

From what I heard (hopefully someone else can say for sure) the car pulled out from a street on the right, the engine swerved trying to avoid the car, but struck it and then went off the road.

Drive defensively especially at intersections! This could happen to any one of us. I was glad to hear the firefighter is ok.

Advocate

Do you know who we need to blame for these troubled 12 year old kids ?.. we need to blame fathers that abandon their families and abandon their girlfriends or their one night stands after getting them pregnant...and people that refuse to work because living off the government dole is easier...

I refuse to take responsibility because I am not part of the problem, my tax money that is taken from my check every 2 weeks is part of the solution.

I would love to volunteer my time but I can't because I am busy working my A job and my B job so I can pay my ever increasing property taxes so the government can pay for social welfare programs for these kids and their families, programs that I or my kids will never benefit from even though I FUND THEM.

You are absolutely right in that the blame starts with the parents or lack there of. But seeings how you can't change what has happened in the past that got these kids where they are today, the only thing you can TRY to change is their future. Until they start making birth control mandatory (temporary sterilization if possible) for those on the Government's wellfair programs, the only thing that people can do is help change the direction the kids are heading. I am a little surprised that you being a police officer, wouldn't want to change these kids before you have to deal with them on a adult level with much more serious crimes. I know it takes a special type of person to take on that challenge and I know it is not for everyone, myself included, but someone has to do it.

Seth, I respect your opinion but I can't agree.

We have no clue why this kid is at this facility in the first place, it could be for any number of crimes... I'm pretty sure that this is the kind of kid that you don't want hanging around the fire house and I could bet you apples to oranges that this kid would rather start fires rather than help put them out.

As far as social responsibility goes, I'm a cop, my job is to hold people responsible when they break the law and thats what I do and thats what happened to this kid, he is being held responsible for what he did.

As far as the whole " poor, nobody cares about them, poverty and violence" argument, enough of my paycheck goes to social welfare and programs to help these kids and their families.. their situation is not my fault.... You have to draw the line somewhere

I think the main point of Seth's response was first the community service aspect as in a "punishment" for his crime, being that he is 12 years old. For God's sake we are letting murders off with less punishment in this country! I also think Seth was looking at helping change the direction of this kids life. Obviously he is troubled and everyone must be giving up on him. I commend you Seth for the willingness to help and possibly mold this kid into a productive member of society. If it doesn't work out what happens? He goes back to where he was. What if it does work? What if because Seth took a chance and helped this kid, he joins a FD and saves a bunch of lives? You never know...... (and yes I realize that Seth is not actually here doing this, but it's the thought that counts)

P.S. - there are plenty of examples of firefighters starting fires so judging him that way isn't exactly fair

If you are going to arrest the kids pulling the alarm at this type of facility then shouldn't they arrest the kids that pull them in all buildings? It has the same possible outcomes(accident while responding, someone getting killed etc...), makes no difference where the pull station was be it a school, mall, hospital or a juvy housing unit.

Very well written article....

From the Advocate

So a question to my fellow union brothers and those familar with the ongoings in Stamford. There has been a lot of talk how L-786 declared the VFD's rival organizations. My question is this, does the union body have to vote on something like that? Does the E-Board have the authority to just declare something like that? If so, does something have to be put into writing? I have spoken to several past E-Board members that state that nothing of the kind was ever done. So, where is it coming from? Proof?

And just out of curiosity, if the SVFD plan is enacted, will the officers be equally trained, tested, and interviewed the same as the downtown ones or will they just continue to be elected? If one of the paid drivers(or volunteer) is injured on duty, who pays for that? Worker's comp, the overtime to fill his/her shift? The new volunteer department? The city? The tax payers? What about the cost of apparatus maintenance and replacement? Who pays for that? Will there be 1 for 1 overtime just like it was in the past? Will there be a minimun staffing?

And what if the paid drivers unionize? Who do they bargain with? The new SVFD? Would it be like the paid drivers of Long Ridge negotiating with themselves being that they are volunteers there? No conflict of interest there......

As far as I understand it, FLSA allows you to volunteer, just not in the same system that you work. IAFF does not allow volunteering where there is an IAFF local. We all new this when we signed on. (It was NOT mandatory that we joined the union. We DID have the choice)

Incentives can be tough to make work, especially when not managed properly. One of the key elements of successful incentive programs is that ithey are not tied to one aspect alone. When I say comprehensive that is exactly what I mean. We have found plans that offer stipends for particpation, as well as pay-per-call, along with inclusion in municipal health plans and a LOSAP. Others have all that plus certification stipends, college tuition assistance for fire related courses, tax abatements, scoring preference on ALL municipal civil service exams, gym memberships and live in opportunities. Now some may look at all these "perks" and see only the expenes involved, but no matter how expensive these perks may be they are without fail considerably less than the cost of salaries + benefits to expand an all career service. This is why communities support them. And by the way while compensating volunteers does in fact negate the term volunteer by definition again it must be remembered that the definition is irrellevant as far as the law is concerned. To put this in perspective Federal law allows incentives, or nominal compensation, of up to 20% of the salary for a particular job. For our purposes the top wage of a Stamford FF is roughly $65,000 sans benefits. This allows nominal compensatiion in all forms combined for volunteers of just shy of $13,000 per member while retaining the status of a volunteer under the law. This may cause consternation to some, but for others it is an opportunity and it is one that we as volunteers have every right...if not responsibility... to pursue in our efforts to provide adequate and effective fire protection to our community..

Fire protection no matter how it is provided is an investment and the single greatest failing of Stamford's volunteers has been in not reminding City Hall over the years of that fact. I would venture to bet that had these programs been actively and vigorously pursued in years past this 70+ page discussion would not be taking place. This will change since even as we speak many more eyes are being opened to the fact that volunteers are an investment not an expense and, when utilizing the guidelines advocated, they are one that will prove cost effective.

Cogs

I have no problem with incentives for volunteers such as points on a test, a LOSAP set up, or even a brak on their city taxes, but paid per call? That is IMO wrong. You are basically paying firefighters for fire service. The law may allow this as you say, but call it what it is. Part time paid firefighters.

I cannot nor would I argue the fact that at present the VFDs..all of them...rely on SFRD to differing degrees for assistance at working fires. It is the goal of the SVFD plan to alleviate that situation dramatically. Will it succeed? I do not know but I will say that I agree in principle that hiring 47 additional FFs for up North will not be the end all be all of solving the issue. It will take a considerable effort in recruitment and retention of volunteers to meet the staffing needs of the future. Unlike many I do believe that this is possible given enough support from the City in making it so, For me though, to garner that support the come as you please response mode must cease and a formalized duty schedule implemented. We will see.

Cogs

So this SVFD plan goes through, what happens immediately? There are still not enough volunteers for that set up to work, as you say there has to be recruitment and retention of volunteers to meet the staffing needs. So basically you are admitting that the plan is not set up to work, not at least until they get a bunch of volunteers, train them and give them the incentives to stay, do have that right? So this plan might work in the future, IF they can recruit enough volunteers to pull shifts. Until then, you will just use the SFRD as a cruch. It may work in Belltown, but the residents of TOR, Long Ridge, and of course Springdale are NOT getting the kind of commitment that Belltown has put forth. I am still amazed that you would rather associate yourselves with the other 3 VFD's only to keep SFRD out. A true volunteer FD that responds to 100% of its' calls, trains regularly, yet is getting lumped in with the other departments that do not even respond to all their calls. Do you really believe that the other departments will step up and follow Belltown's lead or is more likely that the paid drivers will respond and the volunteers will continue to pick and choose wich calls they go on, and because SFRD will not be responding the need or desire to respond just to cancell the downtown unit will be gone as well as the need to show up for the medical call or activated alarm? Only time will tell.

And my apologies for not realizing that ALL the equipment and buildings were purchased using soley donated money.

Whether or not the VFDs would willingly hand over their properties to SFRD or the City is up to the individual departments. To the best of my knowledge no such decisions have been made, but they would be fully within their rights to sell the property, equipment ect ect. and give the proceeds to charity if they so chose. Here again I am simply pointing out some of the facts that exist surrounding the SFRD plan that could potentially sink it.

Cogs

I understand that each VFD "owns" their building, but how did they pay for that said building(s) and equipment? Taxpayer money perhaps? So perhaps the tax payers are the ones who really own the VFD's buildings and equipment.

Hiring 50+ ff's to make up for the lack of volunteers is not saving tax payers money no matter how you slice it. You can cover it up by changing mill rates but you are still robbing Peter to pay Paul. What happens when these ff's want to unionize or want the same pay/benefits as the downtown ff's? What about your tax payer concerns then? Doesn't matter right? As long as SFRD is not up there you really don't care what happens. As long as the VFD's stay in tact, public safety, tax dollars is not a true concern. I would have so much respect for all they volunteers if they really said what this is about and stop all the bs*ing about how it's about public safety and tax payers and the fake concerns about the downtown residents not having their machines anymore cause they are up north. This is and always been about the VFD's keeping what they have, staying in charge, NOT what is best for the public. I give credit to Belltown for handling their calls. They couldn't handle a real fire on their own without SFRD help, but they are responding. 1 VFD out of 5, NONE of them can handle a fire without SFRD. You cannot argue that fact.

So does this mean that the volunteers from Belltown will respond to TOR's fire house for a call in that district and take a TOR machine and visa versa? Or basically is this just a glorified mutual aid agreement? If so, basically everything is the same as it currently operates. Belltown will respond into TOR's district with BFD's equipment and so on and so on. I guess that way when TOR doesn't respond, they can say "But we did, they just came from our Belltown station." Good smoke and mirror show.

I mostly agree, yes. Unfortunately, as I have said before, the mayor is set on 1 goal. I know it is rumor, but it has been said that he was heard (mayor/larobina) that this plan is going forward wheather the BOR likes it or not. Again, rumor, but non-the-less, that is his goal no matter what anyone has to say about it.