99subi

This could be a fire where nothing much went wrong. Or it could be a fire where nothing at all went right. The outcome is that firefighters showed up to a well involved fire where residents had self-evacuated, could not make an interior attack, and performed surround-and-drown operations while they watched the building burn down. We don't know if they had 5 members show up or 50 members show up. We don't know if it took them 5 minutes or 25 minutes to arrive on scene. That was my whole problem with this article. It seems like this article is praising a group of individuals for unfavorable outcomes and potentially shoddy performance. "Great job showing up and watching a house burn down."
This gives the volunteer fire service, the residents, and the public a false (poor) sense of what is expected and what is favorable. The volunteers now know that they get a pat on the back regardless of whether or not the building is saved. The residents gain a false sense of security since the newspaper has just told them how great their local department is (that just allowed one of their neighbors houses to burn down without mounting a coordinated interior attack). The public now thinks that the volunteer fire service does a great job (when we all know that most volunteer departments are seriously lacking in manpower, training, and professionalism these days). I would imagine that this fire was not much different than the Vista helmet cam fire where everyone bashed them on this very website for their poor performance (we saw the article that they Huffington Post wrote about how great they were). This article is complete bullshit. Write an article when rescuers make a save. Not when a bunch of losers watch a house burn down.
Don't mistake me for a career firefighter who love to bash volunteers. I am not a career fire fighter and have never been one. I spent 10 years in the volunteer fire service as a Firefighter, Lieutenant, and Captain and quit because I believe that the volunteer fire service is a façade and a waste of taxpayer dollars where members are more concerned with social functions than they are with training and firematics.

As a fire instructor I had to again notice the push back from the chief who stated he only had to take a 60 hr course, and now it is 112 hrs. "Who wants to drive 2x a week to Carmel". It is thinking like that NY State is on the lower
end of FF-1 course hours. And that always leads to the Career vs Volunteer debate. The last class of recruits traveled 5x a week, 8 hrs a day, for 16 weeks. That is 640 Hrs. With the constant threat of failing out due to poor grades, or not being able to pass CPAT. 19 out of 20 that started finished. It isn't a game, it isn't about how many members your
dept has, it is about giving the customer the service that is expected from a group of people that raised their right hand a swore to protect to the best of their ability the life and property of the residents of their community. If we do nothing the fire will still go out. The ends don't justify the means. TRAINING TRAINING TRAINING AND DEDICATED MEMBERS.

I couldn't disagree more. I know of more than a few guys who have ZERO business being in the "fire service" yet they are still considered "volly firemen" and they parade around on scenes dressed in half turnout gear doing absolutely nothing but getting in the way. In the professional world this is not tolerated.
Now before you freak out i will say there are MANY great volly firemen in this county and i RESPECT that greatly. Not to get way off topic here but ever think the vol fire service should be a little more selective when letting people "join" aside from just being a resident of that particular area and having a clean background?

I couldn't disagree more. I know of more than a few guys who have ZERO business being in the "fire service" yet they are still considered "volly firemen" and they parade around on scenes dressed in half turnout gear doing absolutely nothing but getting in the way. In the professional world this is not tolerated.
Now before you freak out i will say there are MANY great volly firemen in this county and i RESPECT that greatly. Not to get way off topic here but ever think the vol fire service should be a little more selective when letting people "join" aside from just being a resident of that particular area and having a clean background?

You'd also be pretty upset when an ambulance doesn't show up at your emergency...

You'd also be pretty upset when an ambulance doesn't show up at your emergency...

The barracks is nice but it's not manned. They have an emergency call box at the front door Unless you catch them at shift change or they have someone in being questioned there. Out side of that only the 7-11 and mobile gas station are manned 24/7

"The plan couldn't even get the votes of the estimated 100 volunteers of the Yorktown Heights Engine Company No. 1, which serves the district."
That is the most telling part of the entire story.

Is it really necessary to build a new Station that won't be manned 24/7/365? Maybe it's time for Yorktown to consider incorporating themselves into the Towns/Villages FD tests and take some of that $$$ to hire a handful of Career Guys if they're so worried about adequate Fire Protection and shorter response times. After all it is 2014, nothing wrong with having a Comb Dept.. Ive always wondered where much of the property tax revenue for some of these smaller Communities who have Volunteer FDs, VACs. Private Refuse Collecting Cos, etc. etc. goes? I believe Yorktown has a very small PD and was once told by a resident there, they only have 4-5 POs a shift, covering roughly 40 sq miles which is incomprehensible so I can't even imagine how a Volunteer FD can handle providing F/P for an area that large with adequate response times. JMO.

He wouldn't be any worse than the clown we have in the white house now.

He wouldn't be any worse than the clown we have in the white house now.

He wouldn't be any worse than the clown we have in the white house now.

You ever try and put out a fire inside a private dwelling with a 2.5? The line is fine, just need someone to operate it!

You'd also be pretty upset when an ambulance doesn't show up at your emergency...

You'd also be pretty upset when an ambulance doesn't show up at your emergency...

You'd also be pretty upset when an ambulance doesn't show up at your emergency...

I think there are far more unprofessional things on the radio. Like, third tones for a crew... An EMT is needed....
XXXX on scene, working fire, retone for all available personnel...

KUDOS to any Volunteer EMS agency to ADMIT they have a problem and DUE something about it.

TOMVAC closed down 3 to 4 years ago due to declining membership and not being able to cover the increased call volume. Mobile Life covers the town now.. We have 18 hours of in town ALS coverage, and the other 6 hours are the "slowest" call volume covered by Mobile Life the next town over. It has worked out well. While it is sad for the organization to shudder itself, they chose to go out honorably by admitting they could not provide the coverage that was expected, instead of limping along providing a shell of coverage.

Wasn't looking to "prove" anything and you're right. This whole thing is nothing but our assumptions and discussions. Just like 90% of the other discussions on here.
Just like people think seeing chief's cars parked at shopping malls hours away from their district is questionable, I think prisoner transports as emergency operations are foolish. That's just my opinion. No biggie.

Unless you can prove there was and/or wasn't an emergency then this whole thing is a mere assumption. IMO this is a non issue. Whatever they were doing must have warranted them to use their RLS, and if it didn't and they got into a mess they would own it. In addition im sure they are/were well aware that if someone like an off duty boss saw them and made a quick phone call and found out nothing was going on, they would get some grief as well. They know the deal and made a decision based upon it.
just my .2

Unless you can prove there was and/or wasn't an emergency then this whole thing is a mere assumption. IMO this is a non issue. Whatever they were doing must have warranted them to use their RLS, and if it didn't and they got into a mess they would own it. In addition im sure they are/were well aware that if someone like an off duty boss saw them and made a quick phone call and found out nothing was going on, they would get some grief as well. They know the deal and made a decision based upon it.
just my .2

There are certain situations during prisoner transport where stopping may be risk. And as for authorization, they are law enforcement officers with peace officer status in NYS...

Its sad that in the year 2014 some emergency services in the United States still depend on teenagers in high school......

Please don't compare serving in the military with being a volunteer FF. There is no comparison at all.