FiftyOnePride

Personally I believe placing a standard, be it 5 years, 10 years, 50,000 miles or 100,000 miles is not truly effective or practical. Whenever you paint with such a broad brush you do not have clear, concise and effective legislation. Best example is the law that sympathomedic quotes. While a 10 year old bus may not be the best or first choice for an emergency service as a "new" first line vehicle it might very well suffice as a interfacility transport vehicle for non-emergent/non-critical patients. A 3 to 4 year old bus run 24 /7 in a high volume high mileage environment with over 100K in mileage may not be fit for a coffee run nevertheless being registered as an ambulance. I think standards aside, maintenance, mileage, and conditions of operation need to be made on a case by case basis with standards as a guide not a steadfast rule.

You should submit this to Vent Enter Search.
Commercial roofs can pose such interesting challenges or issues that need to be known to all crews on the fire ground from this to this, that, and this.
"The building is your enemy, know your enemy," Francis L. Brannigan.
I wonder what kind of additional weight load that puts on the roof top and support system for it..
(Edit: the system weights around 1000lbs, half a ton.)

You should submit this to Vent Enter Search.
Commercial roofs can pose such interesting challenges or issues that need to be known to all crews on the fire ground from this to this, that, and this.
"The building is your enemy, know your enemy," Francis L. Brannigan.
I wonder what kind of additional weight load that puts on the roof top and support system for it..
(Edit: the system weights around 1000lbs, half a ton.)

Today, I saw this in operation on top of a mixed-use, multiple story commercial office building. In Austin, a large number of businesses are installing solar and wind devices on their roofs or property for "green power" and alternative energy.
I am in no way against this, and I find it important that alternative energy sources are used. However, this is the first time I've seen this type of device, and wished to share it here as it can be a hazard to firefighters during rooftop operations or while laddering the building.
http://www.buildingturbines.com
(Video and photo by me, Seth Granville, 2-14-11)

Our Chief, Ambulance Captain, Rescue, First Due Engine, Tanker, and obviously Ambulances have them. The last two trucks we purchased actually came equipped with them already mounted in pelican cases. We added the AED to our rescue to compliment the rescue equipment we keep in it.
There are very few calls where none of those units are on the scene, so we are pretty well covered there. Slowly I hope to equip the other two engines and our brush truck with them.

Youtube credit: AP

This child, born on 9/11/2001.....losing her is definitely a National Loss. May She Rest in Peace now, and may God help this country.
http://www.reuters.c...E70C5VU20110113

"The epic snowstorm that hit the Northeast last week was matched with an epic effort from first responders, including a group of firefighters in Neptune, New Jersey, population about 5,100.
The Hamilton Fire Company crew that worked the night after Christmas were all volunteers, said iReporter Bhak Tanta-Nanta, a firefighter who filmed a 67-hour shift that spanned three days."


http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/01/man-chronicles-firefighters-67-hour-shift-digging-out-n-j-township/?hpt=C1

Here's a very short video I shot...... The weather made shooting so difficult that I wasn't able to do much more than basic photography..... Click on the image and it should open in a new window...... I gives you an idea of what they were up against......

A little birdie told me the good Lt. made a big jump in the command structure tonight. Want to wish him the best in his new slot. Lot of responsibility wearing three stripes Brother. Best of luck and stay safe, Chief.

Date:12.14.2010
Time: 1653 hrs
Location: 73 Creek Road
Frequency: Dispatch, Response, Command, Fireground 5/6
Units Operating: Fairview, Poughkeepsie Engine 2, Arlington FAST, Mobile Life Ambulance, Roosevelt 63-12 to relocate, Fire Investigation Division.
Weather Conditions: Cold, Dusk.
Description Of Incident: Initial reports of fire on the second floor, update on assignment striking a second alarm.
Reporters/Writer: FiftyOnePride
1707 - Dispatch for FID Team.
1709 - 3rd Dispatch for Roosevelt to relocate, they are awaiting a driver.

Thank you George and Kurt! I am looking forward to the challenge, it will be a great year!

Thank you George and Kurt! I am looking forward to the challenge, it will be a great year!

For those of you who think that the training is minimal, you better think again. In your free time pick up NFPA 921 (or if you really want to be on up to date, the new edition should be out anytime now). I encourage you to read and comprehend the entire document. When you have completely absorbed all of it, pick up NFPA 1033. And when you have understood Daubert and Gate keeping, by all means do not stop there...
Fire Investigation HAS NEVER been so comprehensive and scientific than it is right now. If you think a fire chief is going to stroll into court, state the facts, and not be shredded on the stand, it is not just going to happen.Cases are now being overturned because of "junk science". Look up the Todd Willingham case if you really want an eye opener.
I have been doing this as a career for the last several years and it has become such a specialized field it almost to the point you have to be an engineer in the particular case you are working on. Most investigators now have so many letters and advanced degrees after their names its almost funny.
Support the Dutchess County FID. They as a team serve a very important function for the county, and they do it without getting paid.
If you do not realize their importance now, maybe you will when the DA cannot get a conviction because he / she does not have the resources.

Operating budget is 50K a year, but operating cost is between 10-15K. There is much more that could be cut or trimmed back, but the FID team? Minimal costs to maintain their day to day operations, they are the most active team in the Department of Emergency Response. It'll be a whole different ball game if either the Chiefs have to make their determination alone, or they have to contract out for investigatory services, and figure out all the liability issues. I doubt most Chiefs in the county want to spend days in the court arguing over NFPA 921 and 1033.
I urge everyone in Dutchess to get a hold of their fire commissioners, county coordinators, and put some pressure to get back the team.

And sit in court for multiple days on top of it when the need arises...

I've seen some of the greatest career departments in my lifetime, and they're sure professional. I've seen some volunteer departments who really have they're act together, and are very professional. I've also seem some of both that weren't very professional at all.
It all starts at the top. If you're lucky to have a progressive chief, and high morale, good organization, a thorough and comprehensive training program, and most importantly, your department knows how to fight fires, if it's involved in EMS and does it well, and the dept has all the right equipment, then you are fortunate to be part of a professional organization.
Sloppy, lazy, complacent departments with vindictive bosses, a hateful, lackadaisical membership, backstabbers et al, can come in any form, shape or color. Go to the firehouse tomorrow and redouble your efforts to keep pushing for a "more professional" department. None is ever perfect, and there's always room for improvement in any organization. It's worth the fight!

One can only, in my mind, begin to consider the concept of a professional firefighter, when they go outside of the box as categorizing Jakes as paid or volunteer. The article did a very good job at highlighting what I think the general consensus is, it is not what you are paid, but how you go about the job. Simple as that..

The next evolution utilized the air driven Paratech rescue strut system The struts where lowered into place using webbing and the driven to 200psi, and the collar locked in place by using either the webbing or a pike pole. The strut, once secure is the nailed to the upright.

Two struts in place.

I am not 100% familiar with VTL for emergency vehicles.. but I do remember the original sections on blue lights, and if this is an addition, than EMS is really left out, unless I never caught a particular section pertaining to EMS, which I doubt there is..
Either way, we just had a single rotating blue light changed on our two new rigs from the original red (dome replacement), and the difference is astonishing, day and night, not to mention with NYSP started doing this a few years ago. I remember going down I-90 in the middle of a snowstorm and only being able to see the blue clearly from a farther distance than I could see any of the other colors.
I doubt anyone would give private, FD EMS, or pure EMS rigs a hard time if they added blue as well.

A priority system based on a sequence of standard questions and adding any other pertinent info to decide the response seems to work up here. Granted I've been to life threatening and fatal priority 3's and 4's (NLS side of the scale), and been to very minor almost "laughable" for better lack of an appropriate term priority 1's. From my time spent behind the wheel of an ambulance, in our rural setting, RLS for the majority of transports results in minimal time gained. Not that I am denying their credibility in the ease of transport, but it is just something to think about.

James Giberson Ladder 35
Bruce Gary Engine 40

gb17's eloquent post in the apparatus photo thread gave me an idea; let all the brothers and sisters of the FDNY, NYPD, and PAPD know that we have not forgotten, and we still say thank you everyday. If we all contribute what we can, we can create a Wall of Remembrance here on Bravo. If we start now, come September 11th, nine years later, we can really build this up appropriately.
You Shall Not Be Forgotten:
FDNY-343
NYPD-23
PAPD-37
These numbers of MOS who perished, cannot convey the individuals behind them. Let us try and honor each and every individual, each human being, each firefighter and police officer behind these incomprehensible numbers. God Bless all our fallen heroes, from these wonderful people, to Pat Joyce from YFD, to the 21 US soldiers killed in Afghanistan in the last 48 hours. God Bless America, and watch over all of you on the line doing the job.

Personally, if this is for safety, which is certainly is, as blue makes a HUGE difference both day and night, it should not matter to anybody.

51-11 was recently delivered. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure. 11, like our recent delivery, 31, were both made by Yankee Fire, for Rosenbauer. 11 is an International Workstar featuring 4wd, with a Rosenbauer Central body on it. CAFS system, 500 gallons, 1500gpm pump.



I'll have more pictures of the compartments, including how we mounted air-packs to two vertical pullout trays. 11 will be in service shortly.

51-11 was recently delivered. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure. 11, like our recent delivery, 31, were both made by Yankee Fire, for Rosenbauer. 11 is an International Workstar featuring 4wd, with a Rosenbauer Central body on it. CAFS system, 500 gallons, 1500gpm pump.



I'll have more pictures of the compartments, including how we mounted air-packs to two vertical pullout trays. 11 will be in service shortly.