Newburgher

Members
 View profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    142

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Newburgher

  3. Posted

    Not being very familiar with FDNY procedures, are these high pressure pumpers a regular engine company? Or, are they a special piece of apparatus that are staffed by the company they are quartered with when needed? My guess would be, they are staffed like all other engine companies, and have first due areas just like everyone else, but I don't know if that's the case. Thanks

  8. Posted · Edited by Newburgher

    My job tried it for a day. Mixed reviews, E-One is new to us, so nobody knew what to expect. . It turned like our pumpers, and we had no trouble setting it up on streets where we frequently have to shortjack now. A few of the concerns were the inability to set up on hills that we can now, ( the bubble gauge has either green or red, no in-between) and the vertical stack wouldn't work for our exhaust vent system, unless we converted our reserve rig somehow to match Set-up time was maybe a little slower than our ALF/LTI light duty aerial. The cab was OK, however, there were concerns about the huge hump that was present to accomodate the AC unit and low profile roof. You couldn't see out the front of the truck or communicate with the Company officer from the back seats, unless you bent way down. Likewise, the company officer couldn't see the fireman in the backseat for the same reason. We currently use ALF/LTI aerials

    sfrd18 and x635 like this

  12. Posted

    Guys.. This dept has been doing this for years this is not new. If you look close you will see the lights do not block any doors or equip on the side.As for the cost, the members paid out of their own pockets. And yes, they still respond with this rig. You have dept's all over that install lights for Christmas again this is not new.

    If you look close, tell me how it can go down the road, or better yet, operate the aerial device without the delay of removing some of it. Just because they've been doing it or years, doesn't make it right. Departments "all over" that do this, and make the rig unusable for the duration they play dress up with the rig, tell me the really shouldn't have spent someone else's money to buy the apparatus in the first place.

    Is it an in service piece of fire apparatus, or a big toy? Can't be both

  13. Posted

    I'm not criticizing the video or department. I have a problem with a piece of apparatus, that the fire depatment has because they "need" it, being used in this way. The only way that it doesn't affect the "utility" of the rig, is if it is completely removable. How long does it take to remove all of that? There is no way that thing is functional at a fire the way it sits. There are decorations in the basket, wires on the boom, lights on the rims, etc. Can it be raised, rotated, and extended? Can the rig respond at a speed faster than a crawl without getting those wires and lights flung off the rims and tangled or whipping against the body? How about compartments? Is access difficult because of the wires and crap all over that thing? Ground ladders? How manywires are going to get tangled there?

    I guess the fire can wait, it always waits

    BFD1054 and x129K like this

  14. Posted

    I didn't realize we could say anything on here that criticized a fire department, especially if the word volunteer is in the original post.....

    At least that Tower Ladder wasn't needed to respond to an emergency in the 40 plus hours it was decorated (and presumably out of service)

    "Sorry Mr. Taxpayer, that $1,000,000 fire truck you bought for us wasn't available to come save your family because, well, it was Christmas time and we needed to make a kick-ass video with it. How were we to know there would actually be a fire in our district. There wasn't one last week. Can't those dispatchers schedule these calls a little better?

    PCFD ENG58, DonMoose, x129K and 4 others like this

  18. Posted

    "Professional", now here's a word misused more often then once. "Training" for the most part nothing more then a paper trail to cover ones a**. Ive seen both Career and Volunteer members with enough certificates, diplomas and training hrs. to stretch a mile and they're friggin clueless, like a deer in headlights when they're on scene. Not everyone can apply what they've learned or for that matter even want to try. Doesn't matter whether you have an IAFF sticker on your car or "Ex Chief" on the back of your turnout coat you have to want to learn and apply yourself otherwise it's for naut. JMO.

    Just to clarify, the context I used the word in, doesn't include the word paycheck.

  20. Posted · Edited by Newburgher

    Again I ask why waste the manpower of the exterior guys that can do jobs that you will have to put interior guys to do when you need the interior guys to do what their trained to do. Yes if you call an engine for M/A you should get SCBA guys I am not arguing that but would you automatically throw out some great resource on the fire ground of exterior guys that can preform task to free up SCBA guys to do their job?

    As it was said already, why should the IC have to figure out who can do what. He should be able to say, get this done, and not hear " I don't know how" or " I'm fire police" or whatever else they might say.

    Final Note how nice is it when those exterior guys help you pack up after kicking the crap out of your interior guys in the fire where they should be!

    I don't know about other departments, but we pick up our own hose. I don't remember any time we didn't.

  22. Posted

    Come right out and say who you're talking about. When the department with the "20+ minute response time" can be on the scene quicker than the one that has a firehouse just outside the city limits, it should help paint the picture of what is going on here.Before you say it'll never happen, it already did.

    This business isn't a game, and if you think it is, you're cheating the citizens who deserve a professional fire department as well as your Brother Firefighters and their families who are expecting the firefighters to come home in one piece.

    791075 likes this

  23. Posted

    And yet if you know how to you can use all of those guys. Not saying it's right for a rig to show up without scba guys buy also don't knock the help for things like ladders some vent work, and hose humping along with other things think about it this way let the guys on air do what they need to do and have the guys who are not do what needs to be done outside. It's better use of manpower.

    Shouldn't the correct way be that, if you are a firefighter at a fire scene, everyone has the same qualifications and you don't have so pick like you're starting a game of kickball? Why should it be the IC's job to figure it out. How about, if you aren't qualified, you don't go. If it leaves empty seats on the rig, maybe a bigger problem will eventually be noticed.

    How hard would it be for the 2 Depts involved to have an understanding that if the Volunteer Dept is called into the Career area on M/A they must have the same amount or more interior F/F's as staffed on the same career rig that is requested. Career has a staffing of 4 on an Engine...the volunteer company coming in M/A must have 4 or more as well. Career Ladder has 3....volunteer M/A ladder must have at least 3.

    It wouldn't be hard to do, in fact it should be done. Unfortunately, their feelings will be hurt, and they'll quit because they are being discriminated against. A fire is a fire. Doesn't matter if it is in a paid or volunteer district. Why there is such a different standard is so hard to imagine.

    there is a bigger issue then. the administration of these depts are flawed. the chief or commissioner should require a certain level of training for their members. Either way there are other reasons volis arent called to assist career depts. I'd be nieve to say otherwise

    They should, but they won't.

    My question is; what are Junior members doing on apparatus responding to a mutual aid call in the first place?

    Good question. Why are exterior members going too? Why not admit there is a manpower shortage, and respond with what you have, or don't go.

  24. Posted

    Because the career departments have firefighters who are staffed in house ready to go. If I was an IC of either a career, volly or combo department, if dept x is a little closer, but need to page out for members, have them respond to the firehouse, and then finally get going, or department y that might be a little farther away, but can instantly have a staffed rig on the road, I'm going with department y.

    You also have the issues of training. Volley vs career. 10 hours minimum per year, versus hundreds minimum per year. I think the answer is clearly obtained why departments call who they do, when they do.

    I was typing the same response, you beat me to it. The other issue I was adding, which goes along with training is, the volunteer rig shows up with six people, of which, 2 are junior members, 2 are exterior only, and 2 are SCBA trained with several courses, that equals a t man rig in my opinion.