Firemn2742A

Mile Post Markers:
First, you claimed that you referenced to the calltaker the Taconic/BRP Interchange which is MPM 0.00 on the Taconic. Simultaneously, it is MPM 19.12 on the Bronx River Parkway.
Then you claimed that it was right in front of the TMC which is MPM 12.62 on the Sprain Brook Parkway, NOT the Taconic. The Lower Taconic branches off before reaching the TMC.
Now, you claim it was a quarter mile south of the 9A ramp, which could reference EITHER the 141/9A Interchange located at MPM 2.87 on the Taconic OR the newer 9A ramp which is located at MPM 4.67 on the Taconic. Now, you say a quarter mile south of that, which would put you at MPM 4.42 (from the new ramp) OR MPM 2.62 (from the 141/9A ramp). Now the second one would put you on the Lower Taconic.
Now, this whole time, this calltaker is probably thinking to herself "...well, he can't mean the Taconic at all, now can he, because the TMC is on the Sprain, not the Taconic. Maybe if he gives me the MPM, I'll know exactly where he is, so I don't have a Trooper driving all over the place looking for this van!..." So she asks you for the MPM to help clarify things, but at this point, you've decided she's too "mildly retarded" and it all goes down hill from there. Did I get that about right?
See how just reading the next MPM you saw could have avoided all this confusion? You can try to spin this all you want, but it seems obvious to me (and others here) that her follow-up question was reasonable, and not really anything you should have gotten angry over.
Any dispatchers here agree/disagree? Maybe JBE, will chime in. Asking for a MPM a reasonable follow-up question?

Mile Post Markers:
First, you claimed that you referenced to the calltaker the Taconic/BRP Interchange which is MPM 0.00 on the Taconic. Simultaneously, it is MPM 19.12 on the Bronx River Parkway.
Then you claimed that it was right in front of the TMC which is MPM 12.62 on the Sprain Brook Parkway, NOT the Taconic. The Lower Taconic branches off before reaching the TMC.
Now, you claim it was a quarter mile south of the 9A ramp, which could reference EITHER the 141/9A Interchange located at MPM 2.87 on the Taconic OR the newer 9A ramp which is located at MPM 4.67 on the Taconic. Now, you say a quarter mile south of that, which would put you at MPM 4.42 (from the new ramp) OR MPM 2.62 (from the 141/9A ramp). Now the second one would put you on the Lower Taconic.
Now, this whole time, this calltaker is probably thinking to herself "...well, he can't mean the Taconic at all, now can he, because the TMC is on the Sprain, not the Taconic. Maybe if he gives me the MPM, I'll know exactly where he is, so I don't have a Trooper driving all over the place looking for this van!..." So she asks you for the MPM to help clarify things, but at this point, you've decided she's too "mildly retarded" and it all goes down hill from there. Did I get that about right?
See how just reading the next MPM you saw could have avoided all this confusion? You can try to spin this all you want, but it seems obvious to me (and others here) that her follow-up question was reasonable, and not really anything you should have gotten angry over.
Any dispatchers here agree/disagree? Maybe JBE, will chime in. Asking for a MPM a reasonable follow-up question?

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with TMC. I have called them with the same type of report and never had a problem. BTW that is NOT the Taconic and the BRP split. BRP doesnt start until way down by the Kensico Dam near Virginia Road. Lower Taconic Parkway is several miles south of the area of the TMC on the Sprain Brook Pkwy.
I do understand your frustration dispatchers should and can assist callers by knowing buildings ,, certainly the building she was sitting in lol.

Dispatching / Calltaking is a very stressful job. I don't want to change this topic but many examples come to mind that make me think of help not arriving because information was not received.
I have received calls from people saying "Could you let me in the building , I am right outside." Turns out the person is standing two counties a way, outside a different police department with the same name. Other callers perhaps from another state say "I'm on the Thruway near the tolls" Turns out they are on the New England Thruway (I-95) not (I-87) NY State Thruway.
I think the New York State Thruway Authority takes calls in one room up in Albany. I understand this is not the case here but answering all the questions for the dispatcher is important. Male or female I know dispatchers that try hard to get the job done.
Communication is key. Sender and receiver. Drawing information out of callers can be very difficult. People stay just send them , "Dont ask me questions", "You know where I am" , "Over Here" The list goes on...
Be Safe , be part of the process.

Dispatching / Calltaking is a very stressful job. I don't want to change this topic but many examples come to mind that make me think of help not arriving because information was not received.
I have received calls from people saying "Could you let me in the building , I am right outside." Turns out the person is standing two counties a way, outside a different police department with the same name. Other callers perhaps from another state say "I'm on the Thruway near the tolls" Turns out they are on the New England Thruway (I-95) not (I-87) NY State Thruway.
I think the New York State Thruway Authority takes calls in one room up in Albany. I understand this is not the case here but answering all the questions for the dispatcher is important. Male or female I know dispatchers that try hard to get the job done.
Communication is key. Sender and receiver. Drawing information out of callers can be very difficult. People stay just send them , "Dont ask me questions", "You know where I am" , "Over Here" The list goes on...
Be Safe , be part of the process.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with TMC. I have called them with the same type of report and never had a problem. BTW that is NOT the Taconic and the BRP split. BRP doesnt start until way down by the Kensico Dam near Virginia Road. Lower Taconic Parkway is several miles south of the area of the TMC on the Sprain Brook Pkwy.
I do understand your frustration dispatchers should and can assist callers by knowing buildings ,, certainly the building she was sitting in lol.

Well, given your own admission that you were breaking her chops, I couldn't possibly imagine why she didn't bend over backwards for you. Did you tell her on the call she was "mildly retarded"? If you did, you should probably call and apologize, as your description of the location was wrong. I wonder, does that make you "mildly retarded" for giving an imprecise location?
Now that I think about it, the TMC would have to be, what, eight stories high to actually see where the Taconic/BRP interchange is? So, if she did take an elevator to the eighth floor (which doesn't actually exist), then maybe, yes, she should have been able to see the Kensico Dam and the location you were giving her.
Now, if you told her the location was where the Taconic meets the Sprain, you'd be onto something! Because that's the interchange which is right in front of the TMC.

You are correct.
A town cannot run any type of fire protection in NYS. They have no power or levy over the operations of the district as they are two separate governing entities. All they are allowed to do, is collect the taxes that the district asks for, and hands the check over to them each tax year. I'll use Yorktown as an example: The Yorktown Heights Fire Department, does not exist. The Yorktown Heights Engine Company Number 1, which is a social organization that supplies the manpower, and the Yorktown Heights Fire District which sets the operating budget and purchases all the equipment and apparatus for the Engine Company members to use exist. They work in operation together to provide fire protection for the town, but in the legal sense, are no way a department of the town, or a department at all. The Chief answers to and works closely with the Board of Fire Commissioners of the district
I'm pretty sure I have this right, but Cities and Villages have an actual Fire Department in their government (a department of 'The city of X" = X fire department). The Croton Fire Department, is an actual department that falls under the Village of Croton - on - Hudson and subsequently answers to the Village Board which sets its expenditures at the recommendations of the Chief of the department. As a real mind turner, they also contract out with parts of Cortlandt for Fire protection. There is no "Fire District" line per se. This is why when Tarrytown had their LODD, the Village was slapped with "Serious Violations" from PESH,"The Village of Tarrytown exposed the employees of the FD (Fire Department) by not developing a permit-required confined space entry program, or provided the necessary training." (http://tarrytown.pat...-manhole-deaths) Had this happened in a town with a fire district, the town itself would have 0 liability.
edit: if consolidation were to occur, there would have to be one large Fire District. i.e. "The Northern Westchester fire District" which could span across towns and villages (I'm not sure about cities).

This is an interesting thread. IMO it really does a lot to demonstrate the mindset held by many members of the Fire Service in this region which is such a disservice to those we are sworn to protect and to our own fellow Firefighters....with the exception of helicoppers question regarding manpower (and he is a cop, not a Firefighter), and one other question and answer in regard to White Plains manpower, the whole thread so far is all about how many apparatus respond, with no mention of personnel.
Guys, Firefighters put out fires...Firefighters who are adequately trained and certified for interior firefighting and physically capable. A certain amount and type of apparatus, of course, is necessary, however, listing how many apparatus respond to structure fires is not only worthless in terms of assessing a department's capabilities, it is misleading.

Joey was a "plank holder" in Squad Co. 61 (Bronx), when we were "transformed" by DC Ray Downey (RIP 9-11-01) from an engine co. to a squad co. in SOC. As a newly formed co. we were constantly drilling and preparing to "go-online" as a squad, and many members of the hand-picked company were the original engine members. Joey loved going to the "Rock" every day tour for the months of training- he was always "up" for any type of hands-on activity. Especially when it came to "ropes". He was one of my "rope fairies"- guys who loved to take out the high-angle and confined space gear and rig up scenarios to drill on. I remember one "24" tour where we had spent the whole day training at the "Rock";came back to quarters for the night tour and had chow;drilled again for an hour on "firefighter removal" from the cellar, and then the brothers sat in the kitchem while I did paperwork in the co. office. Around midnight I heard footsteps (not Santa's reindeer) on the roof, so I climbed the scuttle ladder to check it out. There on the roof was Joey and the rest of the crew, setting up to do a "pickoff" from the top floor bunkroom. I was beat, and looking forward to lying down on the couch- but what could I say? I became the "victim" in the window for them to "rescue". You had to admire Joe's burning desire to excel at all phases of firefighting and rescue.
When I got promoted up a rank, he made me a "cutdown" halligan as an officers tool, w/ my nickname welded on it- that was the type of guy Joe was! His Dad (Joe,Sr) is a retired and well-loved Deputy Chief from the South Bronx (Div 6) and my heart gors out to him and the family, and the brothers who knew Joey on FDNY and LI where Joey was also a volly in his hometown. Sorry for this rambling message, but I'm surely going to miss Joey and his quiet but infectious smile and personality. Joey, R.I.P.,brother!

Date: 10/29/11
Time: 18:11
Location: S.Riverside Ave / Clinton Street
Frequency: Fire 10 , FireGround 5.
Units Operating: Full Department Croton FD , Ossining Engine 98 Utility 51 & TL42 ,Buchanan Utility 12 air cascade unit
Montrose Engine 121 , Yorktown Engine 272.
Weather Conditions:Snow Storm
Description Of Incident: Working fire
Reporters: peterose313
Writer: firefighter59
18:15 Signal 10-75 transmitted - Ossining FAST to scene
18:22 Command reports Heavy fire in the basement.
18:25 Bucanhan FD Cascade dispatched to scene. Cause & Origin requested.
18:30 Car 2082 interior with heavy fire at this time
18:42 Montrose Engine 121 relocate to S/B , Ossining Tower Ladder 42 relocate to S/B cover Village of Croton.
18:49 Montrose E-121 re-directed to the fire scene to go to work.
18:52 Yorktown Engine 272 requested to re-locate Harmon Firehouse for coverage.
19:26 Natural gas still on - Con Ed is on the scene.
19:28 Verplank FD requested to S/B for Montrose FD.
19:30 Second Alarm - Yorktown E-272 , Ossining TL42 to the fire scene to work.
19:31 Peekskill FAST requested to respond to the scene.
19:43 Millwood Engine 248 requested to relocate to S/B Wayne Street firehouse.
21:15 Extended operation for all companies. Request Rehab from Red Cross - Salvation Army not available A/T/T.
23:01 Ossining units released by IC. Overhaul in progress.

Here's a few of our older alarm repair trucks. Our current one looks like the Hartsdale truck. I like the old panel truck!
52 Mack L model, and a 1929 American LaFrance city service truck are also pictured.

Wow I am pleasantly surpised. Good luck to MVFD firefighters. May these new vehicles improve their safety on the fireground.

Wow I am pleasantly surpised. Good luck to MVFD firefighters. May these new vehicles improve their safety on the fireground.

Driving home from work and I saw black smoke billowing into the sky. I happen to be right in the vicinity so I parked away from the scene and got my carmera. Great Job Fairview!

Great Job to all who responded! Thank you to all the mutual aid, we can't do it without you!
No, we didn't find it while out and about. The majority of our alarms are dispatched internally, and we are on our own frequency, so many of you don't hear us.
The entire campus fire alarm system transmits to the fire house, and we self respond from there. A box alarm was received via the alarm system, immediately followed by a phone call on our internal fire phone.
I was the first to arrive, with nothing showing, by receiving reports from evacuating residents of a fire on the #3 floor. First attack crew was in the fire room in less than 6 minutes, and radioed they had fire showing, resulting in the 10-75 via county radio.
As a special treat this week- we are currently undergoing our tri-ennial inspection and evaluations from the VA Fire Service Program Manager, so the whole operation was evaluated by him!
The box was transmitted 4 minutes before shift change, so there was 2 full crews in house at the time of the alarm, resulting in 11 personnel on scene, before mutual aid; a very rare occurrance!
Quick knock-down, No civilian casulties, and only 1 very minor FF injury (cut finger)
Again- Awesome job by everyone!

OFD arrived with ladder 41, Engine 97, Engine 100 ,2331 and 2334. and 25 Ossining Firefighters. There were no Sing Sing Fire brigade members. OFD was escorted in and a count was taken of the FF. There was no delay upon arrival. We arrived at the block and was advised by corrections officers that there was a loud pop followed by smoke and then the electric going out. Once the keys to an exterior door and gate was obtained, a 2 1/2 was stretched through the door and down a set of stairs where the smoke was coming from. The stairs lead down to a utility hallway that housed steam pipes and electrical conduit. 3/4 of the way down the hall the fire was located (with T.I.C.) in an electrical room. Upon a second confirmation that the power to the block was shut off, the room was entered and a large junction box on the ceiling containing feeder cables were burning along with combutibles on the floor, The fire was extinguished and the smoke was evacuated from the building.
Upon leaving the complex, the FF were counted and the apparatus' examined. There was no contact with inmates, many of them were still in their cells until they were evacuated. The operation went well without incident.
2331
Special thanks to Briarcliff FD for having their Tower Ladder stand by in their quarters. (OFD TL-42 OOS )

This morning, the Rye Little League had their annual parade to kickoff the season. As usual, RFD, RPD and PCRRBEMS were there.




















I'll post some videos latter.
If you like my photos, please comment or give me a rep. It would be greatly appreciated.

The WPFD vollie's do absolutely nothing but take 1% of the 2% money the city gets. it's a disgrace to even call the vollie's since they do nothing. All the 2% money the city gets should go to the real firefighters of the city, they use that money for their eyeglass and dental, which is ran by the union, and every penny can be accounted for. the vollies throw parties which was investigated years ago by the reporter dispatch. I CANNOT SAY IT ENOUGH THEY ARE A DISGRACE.
They provide NO SUPPORT, they do NOTHING, but rob money. To call them volunteer firefighters is a disgrace. They should be called a social club.
on a day to day basis, not sure but i know one thing........ HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF WHITE PLAINS

I would like to thank all the members of the Sleepy Hollow Fire Department and all the Fire Agencies involved. Its nice to know i can count on my bothers for assistance. When mutual aid is requested its nice to know that i can depend on them to get the job done in a quick and professional manner.
Also would like to thank BAT 12,14 for their assistance, making my job a lot easier.
Special thanks to the night and day tours at 60 CONTROL. JOB WELL DONE!
John Korzelius
Car 2311

NFPA 291 Hydrant color codes
BLUE 1500 GPM or more Very good flows
GREEN 1000-1499 GPM Good for residential areas
ORANGE 500-999 GPM Marginally adequate
RED Below 500 GPM Inadequate

NFPA 291 Hydrant color codes
BLUE 1500 GPM or more Very good flows
GREEN 1000-1499 GPM Good for residential areas
ORANGE 500-999 GPM Marginally adequate
RED Below 500 GPM Inadequate

Here are some of the pictures "Mrs." SteveOFD took of Monday mornings fire.

The 5" supply line from the hydrant toward the scene.

Just short of the scene.

There was snow to contend with that morning.

Ladder 42 working at maybe it's last job.

Crew operating on the D side.

Engine 97 dropped it's whole hosebed.

Engine 96 pumping from a larger main from Wolden Road up Underhill Road.

The 5" line coming up Underhill Rd. from Engine 96.

The 5" line continues up Underhill Rd.

The 5" line up to Engine 99 for relay.

Engine 99 at the relay pumping to Engine 97. Approximately 800' from Engine 96, and then approximately 700' to Engine 97.
Mrs. SteveOFD walked up to the scene to ask if I wanted my camera. I told her I was working the job (at E99 pumping), but if she wanted to take some pictures she could. These pictures were taken as any civilian could have, she was granted no special access beyond what any civilian could have gotten.

Moving along, I need to finish up the decal artwork and tin the exterior brightwork, plus some minor details. But it's almost complete.

While a recent business trip to the sunny shores of Florida found this at Palm Beach State College training center. Nice sun roof.