dave0820

Listen joe as a member of buchanan we train alot and dont take more parades than we deem necessary this was no exception because when we got back we went straight back to our normal training schedule

Lighten Up Francis.

http://blog.suny.edu/2014/06/volunteer-firefighters-eligible-for-free-suny-degree/
"Great news for volunteer firefighters in New York: the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, also known as FASNY, offers up to 100% tuition reimbursement at a New York community college by maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements in a volunteer fire company for up to 80 college credits–ultimately, an Associate’s degree."

http://blog.suny.edu/2014/06/volunteer-firefighters-eligible-for-free-suny-degree/
"Great news for volunteer firefighters in New York: the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York, also known as FASNY, offers up to 100% tuition reimbursement at a New York community college by maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements in a volunteer fire company for up to 80 college credits–ultimately, an Associate’s degree."

His personal pride and pride in his company have nothing to do with the amount of companies, then or now. That has more to do with politics than anything else. It is not something an individual company officer has any say or influence in.
A work ethic like that is rarely seen anymore, but it is sorely needed.
Calling them "morons" is uncalled for.

Great anecdote from a retired Deputy Chief of the Syracuse FD.


Best line in the story:
"Because if you don't have company esprit d'corp...if you don't think you're good, no one else will...and these guys were good"

http://videos.syracuse.com/post-stan...the_meani.html

Keep the surveys coming.... K
The only way we can improve EMTBravo is by hearing from our members.
-Thanks

Big thanks to the 43 members who have taken the survey so far......we look forward to hearing from more members...

So far, based on the survey, these items will take place. Other survey responses are under consideration. Survey responses are still coming in, and we are learning from the and hope even more members will pitch in with their thoughts.
Re-establish Buy-Sell-Trade forum in a "Classifieds" format, so other members do not interfere with the seller and making posts to negatively question the item with the seller. It's not a discussion forum, it's a courtesy for our members to be able to sell non-commercial items of their to their targeted audience Make navigation and search tools more prominent Improve moderation to address "flaming" and conflict between members in threads Work with members who forgot their log in information and are having trouble logging, or experiencing technical difficulties and automatically assume they are "banned" Update cover photos more often Investigate ways to improve Incident Alert section with several good ideas from the survey response Add events to the events calendar module and improve integration with the site. Rebuild the site's reputation that has been damaged by the slander and rumors spread by the "haters" Find the members who made excellent posts who don't post anymore and encourage them to come back -Stay The Couse" and don't change too much, just work on reviving the site Develop a mobile "EMTBravo App" for iOS and Android phones Highlight the good
Thank you to the members who had kind words and thoughtful responses. Again, if you haven't taken the survey, we would appreciate hearing what you have to say.

Take The EMTBravo Survey

-Seth G. "x635" and Rob C. "RWC130"

Date: 5-5-14
Time: 0615
Location: 7 Frost Lane
District: Hartsdale
Units: See below

Description: Fire in a single family wood frame raised ranch style residence. 89 y/o male possibly started a fire secondary to a cooking accident. Removed DOA by HFD with severe burns and smoke inhalation. 85 y/o wife trapped in bedroom banging on window upon arrival, E-170 made rescue of victim, and GPD*EMS transported victim to WMC with smoke inhalation..
06:30hrs Main body of fire knocked down
06:40hrs Fire under control
Units Operating:
Hartsdale Engine 170, Engine 171, Engine 169, TL-15, C-2172 (IC)
Greenville Ladder 4
Fairview Engine 174
Scarsdale Ladder 28 (FAST)
Greenburgh PD EMS Car 76
Greenburgh PD Car 60, Crime Scene Unit
WCPD WCPD Arson K-9 Daisy
WCDES Battalion 14, C&O Team
Units Relocated:
Elmsford FD Engine 237 HFD Station 2
Eastchester Ladder 15 HFD Station 2
*Please PM if you have any updates or corrections*
News article about the fire: http://greenburgh.dailyvoice.com/news/elderly-hartsdale-man-killed-woman-rescued-early-morning-fire

This really isn't about drinking in the firehouse. It is about drinking responsibly.
I have written before about a visit to a friend's FD in another state. He took me into his rec room which had a bar. I asked about it because the station I was a member of at the time did not have such a thing. He showed me the glass covering the bottles, the dual locks securing the glass. He told me how one key belonged to the line officers and the other to the bar committee,the bar committee all had to be certified bartenders which involved a class on when to cut people off. Both had to be present to unlock the bar. They had a strict no drinking and responding rule, and if you did and were caught the line officer who failed to stop you was also in trouble. This place managed to keep the tradition and add some responsibility.
Many years ago when I took Fire Officer 1, one of our scenarios was a call comes in, you are in the station with some other FF's. As you are about to leave, another FF responding from elsewhere comes in the station and is visibly intoxicated. What do you do? Note that in this scenario there has been no drinking in the station, you are the only officer present, the crew is short and this firefighter if allowed would bring you up to a full crew. Granted it is designed as a no win situation, and I can tell you that no matter what answer each group gave the instructor showed us how there would be dire consequences, but the point is not all drinking has to happen at the station for it to be irresponsible.
As an aside, I am glad the judges have rules that volunteers are in fact people. However I also wish that they had extrapolated from those statements that volunteers are in fact firefighters.

The judges are reviewing the quotes to see just what was said...the air is thick with anticipation of their decision, there's alot riding on the outcome. This could finally put the debate of paid vs volunteer to rest....
OK looks like they've reached a decision......let's get back to the ring for the English Professor's call....
"After reviewing the quotes, we have reached a decision...
Actually what was said is "people who work (or volunteer)"...people being the noun (i.e. who) and work or volunteer being the verb (i.e what they are doing), so this round goes to dave0820"!!
So there you have it folks, in an unexpected 3 to 2 call, the judges have confirmed that volunteers ARE people. Wow what drama.............

Not for me but obviously for some it does. QTIP Brother! Sense a lot of animosity and possibly hidden guilt here! Plenty of Combo Depts. to out there where Career guys have been invited thru more then one locked door to hoist a few with fellow Volunteers. Seen it plenty of times. Also have seen the old adult beverage in the Soda Machine trick over the years in Career Stations. Does the truth hurt?

Should we assume that no Career firefighter has ever been out very late drinking on his night off and came to work early the next day with pleanty of alcohol left in his syatem? And when that happens, do his career brothers report him, or do they just cover for their union brother? Why when a firefighter does something wrong can we just say he was a firefighter? I will NEVER understand the hate some career firfighters have for Volunteers. What this guy did is bad for the fire service in general.

I remember when he did his field time with Bill and I!
Congrats!

If you don't say something to them, you are not helping anything. I say something to the tool bags wearing sunglasses, and the party ribbons on their lapel. I don't give a $h1T if someone gets offended.

Sadly much of the fire service etiquette seems to be slowly fading away. And those of us who have been around awhile are to blame. If we look the other way when members act disrespectfully or distastefully then the fault lies with us, the "older guys" who should know better. I more often than not find myself at odds with both the younger members and the admin of my FD, as I always speak up and see to it that the nonsense stops when members Facebook or Twitter or act disrespectfully at solemn or formal occasions. When such situations arise I hear the standard lament, "it's not 1980 anymore, it's a different time, you can't expect guys to act like they did years ago, wah wah wah, blah blah blah. I'm so f><king tired of that lame ass BS excuse. As I see it here's the deal, there is a right way and there is a wrong way to conduct yourself when in uniform and that goes doubly so for when we're present at funerals or other significant events. I think many will agree, but I also think that beyond agreeing we have to act when we see the wrong way happening...if we don't who will. I joined my first FD at 16 and believe me, my friends and I were hellions in the extreme. The older members made it clear what was and what was not acceptable....just as it had been made clear to them before us...and they made sure we learned exactly what that meant. I truly am thankful I had men like that around to show me the way...and sometimes do more than just show...because I came out a better person and a far better fireman for it. No matter how many volumes of the latest new age, progressive, politically correct management theory drivel is shoved down my throat I KNOW that what I learned and how I learned it is what works best and is the right thing. Society might be crumbling all around us and there may not be a helluva lot we can do about it outside our world, but in our world we still have control...so when guys need straightening out it's up to us to do just that. 10, 15, 20 years from now those same guys will be thankful we did

I, along with 25 of my Brothers spent 2 days paying our respect to Lt Walsh and FF Kennedy. I have to tell you that there needs to be a class on proper etiquette taught to the younger generation of firefighters. I can't tell you how many members I saw carrying cases of beer on their shoulders walking the streets where our Brother was being celebrated. Guys just walking by the church with 24 on their shoulder. I don't really know if they were career or volley and don't really care who they are affiliated with but their actions disgusted me as well as other New Rochelle Firefighters. If you want to have a few beers between the service and the last drive past the sea of blue please go to a bar. If you want to tailgate and party in front of the civilians like morons please go to a football or baseball game. In front of the church and on peoples lawns is not the place!!!!

We were neighbors of the Bristol Family growing up, I remember kevin when he was just a little squirt. I remember him as a kid ridding in Peekskill's engine 131 as it carried his father Owen to his final resting place. I have so many good memories of the Bristol family. It's a sad day for the Bristol Family, the Peekskill Fire Dept. and the world in general. Rest in Peace Brother.

We were neighbors of the Bristol Family growing up, I remember kevin when he was just a little squirt. I remember him as a kid ridding in Peekskill's engine 131 as it carried his father Owen to his final resting place. I have so many good memories of the Bristol family. It's a sad day for the Bristol Family, the Peekskill Fire Dept. and the world in general. Rest in Peace Brother.

In NH we used a water supply system called the "Rural Hitch". The first due attack engine lays a 4" supply line with a clappered siamese at the end of the driveway. The second due hooks into the siamese with a short length of 4". On the other side of the siamese the second due operator lays out a long length of 4" with a second siamese on the far end. The third dues hooks into the last siamese and duplicates what the second due engine did with another length of 4" with a siamese at the end. This can be repeated again and again as engines arrive. When the second due engine has pumped off its water, the third due increases his pressure. Because of the clappered siamese, the second due can now disconnect and head to the water supply, refill and then get back in line. The next full engine can hook into the open spot. This system requires good radio communication between pump operators, but it works very well when everyone involved is well trained. I should also say the in that area of NH most pumpers carried 1000 gallons or more of water.
Just my two cents on water supply where there are no hydrants

The real question is why didn't YOU post anything about it? Content on this site is member driven, and it's a collaborative effort..

The real question is why didn't YOU post anything about it? Content on this site is member driven, and it's a collaborative effort..

It seems like there has been great debate recently about consolidation. The volunteer side of the business is trying their best to avoid forced consolidation with other neighboring departments to reduce the costs to the taxpayer caused by overlap of services/equipment. Volunteers argue that free labor saves taxpayer dollars (salaries/benefits/pensions) and that the long history and tradition of the volunteer fire service should supersede the seemingly decreasing quality of the services that we are seeing in many local departments (multiple dispatches, low manpower, etc.).
The paid side of the fire service believes that consolidating fire departments and hiring paid firefighters will reduce costs and increase service and consistency. They argue that municipalities could close a number of firehouses strategically and staff remaining departments with full-time paid firefighters. They contend that doing so would reduce costs to the taxpayer because they would be able to maintain the same response times as volunteer departments with fewer firehouses and pieces of fire apparatus (spares, specialty pieces, etc.). Regardless of the cost, the quality of service to the taxpayer would undoubtedly increase because residents would be guaranteed to receive a consistent response by well-trained, professional personnel regardless of time of day.
NOW...THE FIRST PART OF THIS WAS MERELY AN INTRO AND NOT THE TOPIC THAT I PRESENT WE DISCUSS. I KNOW THAT THIS ARGUMENT IN AND OF ITSELF IS A HIGHLY CONTENTIOUS ISSUE THAT WE HAVE SEEN BEATEN TO DEATH COUNTLESS TIMES ON THIS SITE!!!
It has been my observation that many Northern Westchester fire departments are self-consolidating with other departments in recent months...
Bedford Fire Department gets dispatched with Bedford Hills, Mount Kisco, and Katonah Fire Departments Automatically upon a report of any type of structure fire (Chimney, Oven, etc.).
Vista and South Salem FIre Departments are on an automatic mutual aid for any inside smoke investigation/reported structure fires within either one of their districts.
Most recently, Golden's Bridge Fire Department is on automatic mutual aid with Croton Falls Fire Department for all Firematic Calls within their fire district.
All of these mutual aid agreements occur upon the REPORT of an incident prior to any CONFIRMATION.
Now, regardless of the monetary aspect of the debate, it seems as if many of the departments that would be the first to be placed on the chopping block if consolidation did occur are consolidating themselves in order to get the job done. These departments are increasingly forced to consolidate their services due to dwindling manpower and an inability to staff pieces of apparatus in a timely fashion and on a regular basis.
Now, I come from the volunteer side of the business and it was a passion of mine for 10 years. However, it seems to me that if you are going to send twice the number of rigs (all with half of the seats empty) from multiple fire departments to the same call to get the job done, then why don't they just put the firehouse in the middle, ride the same rig, and fill all the seats.
Is this what is slowly starting to happen?
Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in this?

It would never work in Westchester, there is no bucket.