FFPCogs

I would agree, although if I remember correctly almost all Germans have to do compulsory military service, so I'm sure more than a few have driven vehicles similar to this.

Industrial rig at Merck in Darmstadt Germany. Merck is a German chemical and pharmaceutical corporation Year: 2006 Manufacturer: Mercedes-Benz Country: Germany Merck Darmstadt Mercedes Rosenbauer 2-27 TroTLF Mercedes-Benz 3535/Rosenbauer DA-EM 241 1993 One of two Industrial Engines. The nickname is Iguana Here's some basic info: Chassis: MB 3535 Bodywork: Rosenbauer (the cab itself was modified by Eller GmbH) Manufactured: 1993 Water tank: 4000 l Foam tank: 4000 l ABC dry powder: 3000 kg CO2: 300 kg Pump output: 6000 lpm @ 8 bar The crew cab in the middle of the bodywork has 4 seats (facing backwards, with BA sets fitted into the backrests). One additional BA set is mounted in the driver's cab. The water tank (and presumably the foam tank as well) is situated behind the crew cab, above the rear axels. A hosereel is mounted in the pump locker, above the pump's control panel. The powder and CO2 tanks are installed above the two front axles. There are 4 hosereels behind the driver's cab, 2 for each agent, on both sides (the smaller one for CO2 and the larger one for powder). There are two roof monitors. The vehicle is also fitted with a 'shower' system (decontamination purposes? the German description didn't say what it is for exactly!).

She just got refurbed again last year. Here she is in her latest incarnation..sad to say after another 10 12- years, probably her last too

SFD has 5 fully staffed firehouses in what had been the Stamford Fire District (basically from LI Sound north to Bulls Head and Greenwich to Darien West to East). These stations house U-4 (on duty Deputy i.e. Shift Commander) Engines 1,2,3,4 & 5, Trucks 1 (TL), 2 & 3(Ladders) and Rescue 1. Each unit is staffed with four. Additionally SFD has Engine 6 in Glenbrook, Engine 7 in Springdale and Engines 8 & 9 in Turn of River (1 in each TRFD station) also staffed by four. As for the VFDs, the resources excluding personnel are as follows Glenbook -2 Engines, 1 Ladder 1 support unit Belltown - 2 Engines, 1 Tower Ladder, 1 medium duty Rescue Springdale - 2 Engines, 1 Suppprt unit TRFD - 2 Engines, 1 Ladder, 1 Rescue, 1 Tanker Long Ridge - 2 Engines, 1 Pumper/Tanker, 1 light duty Rescue. 1 Tanker (2 career personnel on duty 24/7, FM on duty M-F 8-4) As far as responses go, to the best of my recollection the City is dispatched to ALL calls citywide with an Engine (or other unit if no Engine is available) dispatched to life threatening medical calls and a full box assignment for fire calls (which I believe is 3E's, 1T &1R with a 4th E dispatched with traffic, upgraded to code 3 response as FAST if confirmed WF) For calls in the VFD districts that VFD will also be dispatched. VFD responses vary from nonexistant to 100% which is why SFD is dispatched to all calls. Hope this is what you were looking for Merry Christmas

Because ISO isn't about firefighting ability or even capability, it's about meeting textbook benchmarks and checking the box. I've seen a good number of ISO Class 1 rated FDs burn buildings to the ground on a regular basis. But hey at least the residents benefit from the rating in their premiums.

Frankly a dues paying member not getting the recognition he deserves is pretty disgraceful in my book. Rest assured FP Roma is remembered by this fireman

It is unfortunate that some are not "officially" remembered, but like Alan I don't believe that's because there's a concerted effort to omit them. Some may have been overlooked but the thing is they can really only be forgotten if we let them be, so let us promise ourselves that we will not let that happen. Of course the 343 hold a well deserved special place for us as firefighters and we should honor their sacrifice and their heroism until the day we die. But so too must we honor the other 2653 who perished along with them that day. All had their lives cut short for no other reason than they were at the WTC or the Pentagon or on flight 93 that fateful day. Every one of the 2996 people who were murdered on 9/11 had a family and friends and colleagues who were left with a huge unfillable void in their lives by these senseless deaths. Each and every one of those people deserves to be remembered not just as a statistic, but as a person with hopes and dreams and a destiny left unfulfilled. Kieth Roma is one of them and if he cannot be "officially" recognized so be it, but he and all of the victims can be remembered by each of us here. Whether we do it in public or in private, as long as we remember those lost they will all continue to live on. What we do now, how we remember, becomes more important with each passing year. There will come a day when no one alive was alive on Sept. 11, 2001, so how we remember the events and victims of 9/11 today will be all that future generations have...let us be sure to leave them with something worthy of the lives that were taken.

It has been my experience that many departments, well at least the proactive ones, leave personnel behind to staff the firehouse when attending parades or other times a good number of members will be out of town. In fact in some cases staffing actually increases at these times as those left behind are committed to responding or better yet staffing the firehouse. Now if only VFDs would get on the bandwagon and staff their firehouses regularly the instances of inadequate responses could be dramatically reduced.

Educating the public on how and why we do what we do is always a good thing, but the reality is most people don't really care, nor should we expect them to. By a huge majority all the public knows and cares about when it comes to us is that there's a building with big red trucks with sirens and flashing lights down the street and that we show up with those trucks when we're called. Beyond that there is very little time in their busy and hectic lives to give us even a passing thought..and that should come as no surprise since, by that same large majority we don't spend our time thinking about how and why they do what they do. I mean how many of us give any thought to why an accountant does their job as they do or why that cashier at the grocery store checks and bags our items the way they do....unless the way they're doing it inconveniences us. Where all of this comes to prominence is when we're dealing with the bean counters, who to be fair, also have a job to do...even if we don't like that we're the target of that job. Educating them becomes a primary concern when funds for staffing or equipment or training come under scrutiny. We have to be able to justify the expense of the services we are providing and why we provide them the way we do. I think this article does a good job of explaining some of that, although I think we're all aware that there are a number of other reasons why members "stand around" outside beyond simply FAST/RIT. I know most of you who "know" me here will find this hard to believe, but sometimes I over think things, look at things a little deeper than what's on the surface. After reading this I find myself doing so again. I asked myself why would we have to explain ourselves to a public that for the most part really doesn't care why we do what we do....well I think in some way this has more to do with us than it does with "them"...here's what I mean: After 9/11 there was a huge upsurge in respect and support for firefighters and fire dept.s everywhere and an equally large up tick in the level of interest of what we do. And we all benefited from that to one extent or another. But (there's always a but) in the 15+ years since, those levels have naturally waned, as these things often do. But from our end, I think some became accustomed to that public attitude and the accolades that came with it and thought it would last forever. But alas nothing does...life goes on after all and people outside the fire service fell back into their routines and worrying about their own lives. To take it a bit further (and anger some I'm sure) there are some FFs and dept.s who one could argue tried to use the tragedy of those 343 lost brothers to further their own agendas, even though they had no direct connection to the events of that dreadful day. Now the point of all this pontification may seem like it has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic at hand, but in fact it does because the event of 9/11 and it's aftermath have shaped our collective perception of how we think the public sees...or should see...us. Many firefighters, being "insiders," have a hard time understanding why anyone would question our actions, on the fireground and off, and some may even become angered by thought of having to explain ourselves. But that is on us, not them. They are why we are here and they pay our way, so they have every right to ask "why are so many FFs standing around"....even if they really don't care about the answer. But back to the beginning, most people might question why so many FFs are standing around, but in the end they really don't care...they only want to get the service they need when they need it and it's up to us as professionals to give it to them. If we can educate a few along the way that's great, but if we can't that's ok too, as long as we do our jobs the best we can and remain humble in doing so.

Yes it does and if we'd get back to understanding and teaching this instead of trying to regulate every move on the fireground in the name of "safety", the fireground would become a much more productive place. Know your tools...including your rigs, how, when and where to use them to the best effect and then use them as the situation dictates to get the job done. There was a thread on here a few months ago about radio etiquette with a video in which a "bad" word was used. The issue has also appeared on Statter 911 recently. Now the use of "bad" language is not why I bring this up here, I do because the short sweet and concise content of that comment is the point. Early in the video of a 2 alarm job in Queens(?) a member notifies an interior officer that he has a line in place at the top of the second floor stairs and asks that officer what he wants him to do. The officer replies "put the f#ckin' fire out"!!....and THAT my friends is the point. Our job is to "put the f#ckin' fire out" in the quickest and safest way possible using all the tools at our disposal, is it not? That million dollars worth of equipment sitting out in front of the fire building isn't there just for show. Those big red trucks with flashing lights and sparkling chrome are more than just glorified taxis and parade pieces...they are one of the many tools at our disposal, nothing more, nothing less. And when the situation dictates they should be used as such to put the f#ckin' fire out!!!

I don't think that's a cupola, but rather an air conditioning unit I believe. And I see no problem with using the aerial to remove it as shown.

Listening to DeBlasio I can only shake my head, what a dope. "Intentional" uh duh ya think!! The very nature of a bombing (or mass shooting) is to instill fear...no not just fear but terror...in people. To make them afraid to go outside, to gather in peace, to go to work, in fact to simply live their lives normally. Ignoring the obvious does not make people safer, it makes them ignorant of what's going on around them. Well I got news for ya Mr. Mayor this was an act of TERRORISM no matter who did it. Time to can the PC bullsh!t and start calling these attacks what they are...TERRORISM. We, as a nation, have got to face up to the reality of the world we live in today otherwise we aren't going to be prepared for the next attack...and make no mistake, as we sit here typing away, that next attack is being plotted by someone somewhere right now.

And all this surprises anybody???? As I'm learning, out here in NM we also have a "Fire Fund" derived from a percentage of insurance premiums. The difference, at least as far as I can tell, is that FDs out here have to meet operational benchmarks to receive funds. The more benchmarks reached the more an FD gets. And out here it is based in large part on your ISO rating. To help manage this fund and it's use there is a division within the State Fire Marshal's office that goes around the state to: 1) Help departments increase their rating 2) Watchdog the money to ensure it is getting spent where, by law, it's supposed to be spent... on the operational side of things i.e. rigs, training, equipment, LOSAPs ect. Now I'm sure there are pitfalls and areas where oversight and such could be improved within the system here, but it strikes me that they have the right idea. Whatever you want to call it, money such as this should be dedicated solely to improving the operational capabilities of a department and yes there should be benchmarks to be reached to keep the tap flowing. Let me just clarify that I'm not accusing anyone in Hartsdale or anywhere else of any wrongdoing, but I think this is another case of traditions not in step with the realities and needs of today. Yes it's the way it's always been done, but for any number of reasons, the way it's always been done might need to be changed. In a time when many departments, career and volunteer alike, struggle with operational shortcomings, couldn't that money be better spent on dealing with those shortcomings rather than: "department social functions - such as installation dinners, picnics, banquets, holiday parties; appliances, furniture, televisions for the firehouse; dress & parade uniforms, hats, boots, jackets, t-shirts" ??

Awww boo hoo hoo...may he rest in a pit of fire writhing in agony for all eternity

No long diatribes, no long speeches, no posts the size of novels simply....RIP 343..We will never forget

The fallen of 09/11/2001....... FDNY Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics killed on 9/11 Company Fatalities: FDNY Chief Peter J. Ganci, Jr., 54 FDNY Commissioner William M. Feehan, 72 FDNY Marshal Ronald Paul Bucca, 47 FDNY Chaplain Mychal Judge, 68 Battalion 1: Chief Matthew Lancelot Ryan, 54 Lt. Paul Thomas Mitchell, 46 Battalion 2: Chief William McGovern, 49 Chief Richard Prunty, 57 Faustino Apostol, Jr., 55 Battalion 4: Lt. Thomas O'Hagan, 43 Battalion 6: Chief John P. Williamson, 46 Battalion 7: Chief Orio Palmer, 45 Lt. Stephen G. Harrell, 44 Lt. Philip Scott Petti, 43 Battalion 8: Chief Thomas Patrick DeAngelis, 51 Thomas McCann, 45 Battalion 9: Chief Dennis Lawrence Devlin, 51 Chief Edward F. Geraghty, 45 Lt. Charles William Garbarini, 44 Carl Asaro, 39 Alan D. Feinberg, 48 Battalion 11: Chief John M. Paolillo, 51 Battalion 12: Chief Frederick Claude Scheffold, Jr., 57 Battalion 22: Lt. Charles Joseph Margiotta, 44 Battalion 43: Lt. Geoffrey E. Guja, 49 Battalion 47: Lt. Anthony Jovic, 39 Battalion 48: Chief Joseph Grzelak, 52 Michael Leopoldo Bocchino, 45 Battalion 49: Chief John Moran, 42 Battalion 50: Chief Lawrence T. Stack, 58 Battalion 57: Chief Dennis Cross, 60 Chief Joseph Ross Marchbanks, Jr, 47 Division 1: Capt. Joseph D. Farrelly, 47 Capt. Thomas Moody, 45 Division 11: Capt. Timothy M. Stackpole, 42 Division 15: Chief Thomas Theodore Haskell, Jr., 37 Capt. Martin J. Egan, Jr., 36 Capt. William O'Keefe, 48 Engine 1: Lt. Andrew Desperito, 43 Michael T. Weinberg, 34 Engine 4: Calixto Anaya, Jr, 35 James C. Riches, 29 Thomas G. Schoales, 27 Paul A. Tegtmeier, 41 Engine 5: Manuel Del Valle, Jr, 32 Engine 6: Paul Beyer, 37 Thomas Holohan, 36 William R. Johnston, 31 Engine 8: Robert Parro, 35 Engine 10: Lt. Gregg Arthur Atlas, 44 Jeffrey James Olsen, 31 Engine 21: Capt. William Francis Burke, Jr., 46 Engine 22: Thomas Anthony Casoria, 29 Michael J. Elferis, 27 Vincent D. Kane, 37 Martin E. McWilliams, 35 Engine 23: Robert McPadden, 30 James Nicholas Pappageorge, 29 Hector Luis Tirado, Jr., 30 Mark P. Whitford, 31 Engine 26: Capt. Thomas Farino, 37 Dana R Hannon, 29 Engine 29: Michael Ragusa, 29 Engine 33: Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, 42 David Arce, 36 Michael Boyle, 37 Robert Evans, 36 Keithroy Marcellus Maynard, 30 Engine 37: John Giordano, 47 Engine 40: Lt. John F. Ginley, 37 Kevin Bracken, 37 Michael D. D'Auria, 25 Bruce Gary, 51 Steven Mercado, 38 Engine 50: Robert W. Spear, Jr., 30 Engine 54: Paul John Gill, 34 Jose Guadalupe, 37 Christopher Santora, 23 Engine 55 Lt. Peter L. Freund, 45 Robert Lane, 28 Christopher Mozzillo, 27 Stephen P. Russell, 40 Engine 58 Lt. Robert B. Nagel, 55 Engine 74 Ruben D. Correa, 44 Engine 201 Lt. Paul Richard Martini, 37 Gregory Joseph Buck, 37 Christopher Pickford, 32 John Albert Schardt, 34 Engine 205 Lt. Robert Francis Wallace, 43 Engine 207 Karl Henry Joseph, 25 Shawn Edward Powell, 32 Kevin O. Reilly, 28 Engine 214 Lt. Carl John Bedigian, 35 John Joseph Florio, 33 Michael Edward Roberts, 31 Kenneth Thomas Watson, 39 Engine 216 Daniel Suhr, 37 Engine 217 Lt. Kenneth Phelan, 41 Steven Coakley, 36 Philip T. Hayes, 67 Neil Joseph Leavy, 34 Engine 219 John Chipura, 39 Engine 226 Brian McAleese, 36 David Paul De Rubbio, 38 Stanley S. Smagala, Jr., 36 Engine 230 Lt. Brian G. Ahearn, 43 Frank Bonomo, 42 Michael Scott Carlo, 34 Jeffrey Stark, 30 Eugene Whelan, 31 Edward James White III, 30 Engine 235 Lt. Steven Bates, 42 Nicholas Paul Chiofalo, 39 Francis Esposito, 32 Lee S. Fehling, 28 Lawrence G. Veling, 44 Engine 238 Lt. Glenn E. Wilkinson, 46 Engine 279 Ronnie Lee Henderson, 52 Anthony Rodriguez, 36 Engine 285 Raymond R. York, 45 Engine 320 Capt. James J. Corrigan, 60 Haz-Mat 1 Lt. John A. Crisci, 48 Dennis M. Carey, 51 Martin N. DeMeo, 47 Thomas Gardner, 39 Jonathan R. Hohmann, 48 Dennis Scauso, 46 Kevin Joseph Smith, 47 Ladder 2 Capt. Frederick Ill, Jr, 49 Michael J. Clarke, 27 George DiPasquale, 33 Denis P. Germain, 33 Daniel Edward Harlin, 41 Carl Molinaro, 32 Dennis Michael Mulligan, 32 Ladder 3 Capt. Patrick J. Brown, 48 Lt. Kevin W. Donnelly, 43 Michael Carroll, 39 James Raymond Coyle, 26 Gerard Dewan, 35 Jeffrey John Giordano, 45 Joseph Maloney, 45 John Kevin McAvoy, 47 Timothy Patrick McSweeney, 37 Joseph J. Ogren, 30 Steven John Olson, 38 Ladder 4 Capt. David Terence Wooley, 54 Lt. Daniel O'Callaghan, 42 Joseph Angelini, Jr, 38 Peter Brennan, 30 Michael E. Brennan, 27 Michael Haub, 34 Michael F. Lynch, 33 Samuel Oitice, 45 John James Tipping II, 33 Ladder 5 Lt. Vincent Francis Giammona, 40 Lt. Michael Warchola, 51 Louis Arena, 32 Andrew Brunn, 28 Thomas Hannafin, 36 Paul Hanlon Keating, 38 John A. Santore, 49 Gregory Thomas Saucedo, 31 Ladder 7 Capt. Vernon Allan Richard, 53 George Cain, 35 Robert Joseph Foti, 42 Richard Muldowney Jr, 40 Charles Mendez, 38 Vincent Princiotta, 39 Ladder 8 Lt. Vincent Gerard Halloran, 43 Ladder 9 Gerard Baptiste, 35 John P. Tierney, 27 Jeffrey P. Walz, 37 Ladder 10 Sean Patrick Tallon, 26 Ladder 11 Lt. Michael Quilty, 42 Michael F. Cammarata, 22 Edward James Day, 45 John F. Heffernan, 37 Richard John Kelly, Jr, 50 Robert King, Jr, 36 Matthew Rogan, 37 Ladder 12 Angel L. Juarbe, Jr, 35 Michael D. Mullan, 34 Ladder 13 Capt. Walter G. Hynes, 46 Thomas Hetzel, 33 Dennis McHugh, 34 Thomas E. Sabella, 44 Gregory Stajk, 46 Ladder 15 Lt. Joseph Gerard Leavey, 45 Richard Lanard Allen, 30 Arthur Thaddeus Barry, 35 Thomas W. Kelly, 50 Scott Kopytko, 32 Scott Larsen, 35 Douglas E. Oelschlager, 36 Eric T. Olsen, 41 Ladder 16 Lt. Raymond E. Murphy, 46 Robert Curatolo, 31 Ladder 20 Capt. John R. Fischer, 46 John Patrick Burnside, 36 James Michael Gray, 34 Sean S. Hanley, 35 David Laforge, 50 Robert Thomas Linnane, 33 Robert D. McMahon, 35 Ladder 21 Gerald T. Atwood, 38 Gerard Duffy, 53 Keith Glascoe, 38 Joseph Henry, 25 William E. Krukowski, 36 Benjamin Suarez, 34 Ladder 24 Capt. Daniel J. Brethel, 43 Stephen Elliot Belson, 51 Ladder 25 Lt. Glenn C. Perry, 41 Matthew Barnes, 37 John Michael Collins, 42 Kenneth Kumpel, 42 Robert Minara, 54 Joseph Rivelli, 43 Paul G. Ruback, 50 Ladder 27 John Marshall, 35 Ladder 35 Capt. Frank Callahan, 51 James Andrew Giberson, 43 Vincent S. Morello, 34 Michael Otten, 42 Michael Roberts, 30 Ladder 38 Joseph Spor, Jr., 35 Ladder 42 Peter Alexander Bielfeld, 44 Ladder 101 Lt. Joseph Gullickson, 37 Patrick Byrne, 39 Salvatore B. Calabro, 38 Brian Cannizzaro, 30 Thomas J. Kennedy, 36 Joseph Maffeo, 31 Terence A. McShane, 37 Ladder 105 Capt. Vincent Brunton, 43 Thomas Richard Kelly, 39 Henry Alfred Miller, Jr, 51 Dennis O'Berg, 28 Frank Anthony Palombo, 46 Ladder 111 Lt. Christopher P. Sullivan, 39 Ladder 118 Lt. Robert M. Regan, 48 Joseph Agnello, 35 Vernon Paul Cherry, 49 Scott Matthew Davidson, 33 Leon Smith, Jr., 48 Peter Anthony Vega, 36 Ladder 131 Christian Michael Otto Regenhard, 28 Ladder 132 Andrew Jordan, 36 Michael Kiefer, 25 Thomas Mingione, 34 John T. Vigiano II, 36 Sergio Villanueva, 33 Ladder 136 Michael Joseph Cawley, 32 Ladder 166 William X. Wren, 61 Rescue 1 Capt. Terence S. Hatton, 41 Lt. Dennis Mojica, 50 Joseph Angelini, Sr., 63 Gary Geidel, 44 William Henry, 49 Kenneth Joseph Marino, 40 Michael Montesi, 39 Gerard Terence Nevins, 46 Patrick J. O'Keefe, 44 Brian Edward Sweeney, 29 David M. Weiss, 41 Rescue 2 Lt. Peter C. Martin, 43 William David Lake, 44 Daniel F. Libretti, 43 John Napolitano, 32 Kevin O'Rourke, 44 Lincoln Quappe, 38 Edward Rall, 44 Rescue 3 Christopher Joseph Blackwell, 42 Thomas Foley, 32 Thomas Gambino, Jr., 48 Raymond Meisenheimer, 46 Donald J. Regan, 47 Gerard Patrick Schrang, 45 Rescue 4 Capt. Brian Hickey, 47 Lt. Kevin Dowdell, 46 Terrence Patrick Farrell, 45 William J. Mahoney, 37 Peter Allen Nelson, 42 Durrell V. Pearsall, 34 Rescue 5 Capt. Louis Joseph Modafferi, 45 Lt. Harvey Harrell, 49 John P. Bergin, 39 Carl Vincent Bini, 44 Michael Curtis Fiore, 46 Andre G. Fletcher, 37 Douglas Charles Miller, 34 Jeffrey Matthew Palazzo, 33 Nicholas P. Rossomando, 35 Allan Tarasiewicz, 45 Special Operations Chief Raymond Mathew Downey, 63 Capt. Patrick J. Waters, 44 Lt. Timothy Higgins, 43 Lt. Michael Thomas Russo, Sr, 44 Squad 1 Capt. James M. Amato, 43 Lt. Edward A. D'Atri, 38 Lt. Michael Esposito, 41 Lt. Michael N. Fodor, 53 Brian Bilcher, 37 Gary Box, 37 Thomas M. Butler, 37 Peter Carroll, 42 Robert Cordice, 28 David J. Fontana, 37 Matthew David Garvey, 37 Stephen Gerard Siller, 34 Squad 18 Lt. William E. McGinn, 43 Eric Allen, 44 Andrew Fredricks, 40 David Halderman, 40 Timothy Haskell, 34 Manuel Mojica, 37 Lawrence Virgilio, 38 Squad 41 Lt. Michael K. Healey, 42 Thomas Patrick Cullen III, 31 Robert Hamilton, 43 Michael J. Lyons, 32 Gregory Sikorsky, 34 R. Bruce Van Hine, 48 Squad 252 Tarel Coleman, 32 Thomas Kuveikis, 48 Peter J. Langone, 41 Patrick Lyons, 34 Kevin Prior, 28 Squad 288 Lt. Ronald T. Kerwin, 42 Ronnie E. Gies, 43 Joseph Hunter, 31 Jonathan Lee Ielpi, 29 Adam David Rand, 30 Timothy Matthew Welty, 34 EMS Battalion 49 Paramedic Carlos R. Lillo, 37 EMS Battalion 57 Paramedic Ricardo J. Quinn, 40

Just a couple of things Willy. I only gave up because, of all the positions I was offered at the time, the one out here in New Mexico provided me with 2 motivators: 1) A good salary to support my family, and 2) the most growth potential. As I found out a couple of weeks into this job, my current employers became quite familiar with my posting here after an internet search as part of my background investigation. While not privy to all the intricacies involved, they did like what they saw and how I presented my points of view. I guess to some degree EMTBravo helped me land this job..so for that let me say here and now THANK YOU! I guess also that one should always be careful what they put on the internet, it is an open book for those who are looking. Had this opportunity not come up, I would still be back in Stamford working my ass off and fighting the good fight to bring about meaningful changes to "the system". I love my department, where I remain an Associate member. It is where I started and still, to this day no matter where I go, it is my home. While I am extremely frustrated by the nonsense that ensues there and to be frank, quite angered by the difficulties thrown in our path, I did not desert Stamford due to those factors...in fact like many FFs I thrive in crisis and strife so that was all in a days work. I left to do what was best for my family and for an opportunity that I would not have had otherwise. Not that any of this is important or means anything to anybody, but I just wanted to set the record straight. In closing I just want to address your last point: "Of course many NFD members are watching to see just how things turn out for Big Brother Stamford". I'm pretty certain at this point that those NFD members will see an all career department in Stamford before too long... I really can't see how it can go any other way.

Willy again I'm not arguing your assertion that career personnel receive more, and it could be argued better, training. What I am saying is that there are minimums which can be set to ensure the level of competency of everyone on the fireground. Will some be "better" or train more than others, of course, but the minimum standard in terms of recruit training material/ hours and training hours spent by all members on various topics and evolutions could be the same across the board. What happens over and above these minimums would be gravy. Now sure career guys might knock out in a day what takes volunteers two weeks, which would allow them to devote time and energy to other training pursuits, but in the end the minimum competency standard met (and verified and recorded) by all would be the same. As I also said all the training in the world is only worthwhile if it translates into actions on the fireground...and as I'm sure you'll agree not every FF is a stellar FF when it counts, be they paid or volunteer. The whole concept in Stamford from the perspective of some of us on an operational level was to rebuild the volunteers into a capable, competent force, fully integrated into a unified combination chain of command. One that was able to perform on the fireground effectively whether paid personnel showed up or not. After all that IS the mission of the fire department, any fire department, is it not? Unfortunately, over the years a deep seated complacency set in and severely degraded that ability. It was from this point that we had to start. After studying a number of different options we developed what we believed was the best way to reverse this decay while remaining firmly rooted in the realities of Stamford in 2010 and beyond, not the good ole days of yesteryear. None of us thought for a second that the "solution" lay anywhere other than with the VFDs themselves and as such we worked to rebuild these departments from the only place that mattered...from within. What became evident early on was that the "leadership" had no interest in creating a better service, or even one that was viable, if it presented even the slightest threat to their status quo. What they failed to understand then and still don't now is that the status quo as they knew it was over the minute those Charter votes were counted. Now there was much more to this than just rebuilding the operational capabilities of the VFDs including regaining the trust of the public and building bridges to the politicians on which we all depend. But these were subsidiary concerns to the main goal of building a force of knowledgeable and capable volunteer firemen that actually responds to and deal with calls. Everything is related so rebuilding that force of well trained and effective volunteers was key in dealing with every other issue facing these departments. Here again a little expansion of viewpoints would have enlightened the leaderships that every other concern be it political or otherwise would have been much easier to face had they been able to point to a viable and effective volunteer system when dealing with them. If there's any lesson to be learned here, and maybe it applies to your current battle up in Norwich, it's that VFDs much step up, must work together, must face facts and must change when necessary to become an effective service before they can expect or demand any kind of support.

Willy, I can fully appreciate your point about the training differences between career members who attend an academy or Recruit School full time and volunteers who don't. And while it is true that career members are far more immersed in their training due to the environment in which they learn, that doesn't mean a good number of volunteers are not well trained and competent as well. What matters in the end is performance on the fireground and I have to say, in my experience, that performance is close to equal more often than not...at least for the Stamford volunteers with whom I served. As I stated in my earlier tirades, some of us tried like Hell to develop and implement changes to improve not only the quantity but more importantly the quality of our volunteers, including training standards to minimize the differences as much as possible. To that end we started at the beginning by creating our own Recruit school to teach new candidates basic firemanship and get them certified to at least EMR. The big change here was we did so as a whole, in other words all new recruits trained together as a large group of 25-30 instead of as small individual department groups or 4 or 5. We managed to get two such classes done successfully before that endeavor was in effect shut down, in part due to the fact that (not to seem conceited) I am no longer there to push, pull and force the program forward. But I digress. To be fair the course we presented was not the course we originally envisioned, which had to be watered down, but it was a start and with each minor success the validity of the overall multi step plan became more obvious and achievable. And what was that "plan"? Step 1: Bring people in to the volunteer service in Stamford, provided them standardized basic recruit level training and then assign them to a department based on a simple criteria that heavily emphasized needs over wants. In other words once the candidates completed the recruit program, the pool of recruits was to have been divided among the 5 departments with those most in need of members at any given time taking the lion's share of the available recruits from each class. Step 2: From there was to standardize the training of all volunteers using a training program developed and run by a training division comprised of qualified and certified Instructors from each VFD under the supervision of the newly created Asst. Chief of Vol. Services. Step 3: Was to use all of these trained volunteers more efficiently an effectively. How? Well, since all volunteers received the same training, which would have included any department specifics necessary such as tanker ops or tower ladder ops ect, the personnel would then be capable of serving anywhere, anytime. Which brings us to Step 4: This was all done to reach the ultimate goal of utilizing all volunteers to fill shifts to ensure station coverage at all (or most) VFD houses, with the manpower necessary to fill those shifts assigned as needed regardless of department affiliation....much like how career personnel are distributed. Now as one of the progenitors of this plan I am of course biased, but I think most would agree that each one of these steps on their own constituted an improvement, but when combined they offered a solution. As an aside this plan also included the means to standardize and quantify the competency for VFD officer candidates. Again another criteria was developed, which I have posted here numerous times, to achieve this goal including standardized testing for each rank for both career and volunteer personnel alike...i.e all LT candidates take the same test, all Capt candidates take the same test, ect ect. Is this a perfect solution, no of course not, but it is one that would at the very least reduce most of the differences between both "sides" and thus create a better combination fire department overall. I say all this because this "plan" was discussed at length and in great detail with all of the VFD Chiefs and an agreement to proceed with it was given verbally time and again. Unfortunately each step in applying the necessary steps was filled with obstacles, obstructionism and hostility by these very same "leaders". There was a way to build a better mousetrap in Stamford...one that would have ensured at least minimum standards and levels of competency among all of the City's firefighters, which in turn would have provided the residents with the service they deserve at a cost they could afford. The foundation of this plan was the long history of service to the community by all of the VFDS. Keeping that in mind, it was designed, after much thought and hard work, to make the VFDs not only viable but valuable as part of an integrated and unified Stamford Fire Department well into the 21st century...but actions speak louder than words, due to the shortsightedness and pettiness of the "leadership", it was not to be. Sad that so many opportunities were squandered needlessly, when with just a little foresight, courage and fortitude so much could have been achieved.

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Sorry LayTheLine but to me, it's best for the VFDs to close up shop completely rather than to be reduced to what you're suggesting. Beyond that it could only work if every volunteer member who is or has been an actual firefighter were forced out. No one and I mean no one who has actually fought fires there would agree to that plan and neither would I. No, better to walk away with heads held high knowing a contribution was made over the years than to be reduced to go-fers, bottle changers, hose packers and rehab specialists sitting around waiting for a promised job with the "real" fire department that will rarely, if ever, appear.

And I commend you for it. I too do my best to keep my radio talk separate from my day to day language, but I do accept that society's views on appropriate language usage have changed quite a bit in my lifetime. And well sometimes, a little "emphasis" is just what's needed to get thing moving

The Chiefs are their own worst enemy and they have dragged the entire volunteer system and alot of good, hardworking and skilled volunteer firemen down with them. Not even to save their own asses and that of their departments could they suck it up and work together..and that even after a variety of means to do so were handed to them. And that my friend is not only irresponsible, it constitutes a dereliction of duty. The founding members of each VFD must be rolling over in their graves, thoroughly disgusted with what has become of their hard work and dedication. What a sad legacy for over 100 years of service to that city. After all that's been said and done...but more importantly not done...I think it may be time to thank the VFDs for their years of service and shut them down. Maybe after that it might be possible to build a new volunteer service more in tune with the realities, but quite frankly after so much damage that may prove impossible. Like many other communities, the VFDs of Stamford have become an anachronism at this point, and one that is no longer needed. For the annual price of the VFDs collectively, about 20 new career personnel (or one company and a second DC x 4 groups ) could be put on the books. That along with a redistribution of some apparatus and all of Stamford could be covered 24/7 365 by SFD. As you well know, that fact was the premise on which a few of us, with just a microscopic speck of forethought, based our attempts to develop a workable and valuable volunteer system. One that would serve into the future with, not instead of, our career colleagues. But alas it was not to be, even that speck of forethought was too much to accept. Better these "leaders" thought, to rest on the laurels and revel in the glory of the good ole days while pining and scheming for a return of their paid driver pals....what a pathetic joke, the brunt of which was borne by the residents served by the VFDs. Sorry but in the big picture, the days of the VFDs being a financial and operational value are long gone and aren't going to return. Sadly now there's not even a minimal return on the investment made in them when taken as a whole....and like it or not, in 2016 they are taken as a whole by both the politicians and average Joe on the street alike. As painful as may be to admit, it's time to pack it in and call it a day...and by doing so they just might be able to salvage a modicum of the dignity and respect so tirelessly earned by so many in the good ole days.

Some years ago I would have agreed with this, but today F@#k this, F@#k that and f@#k the other thing, IS the language of the public realm. Nobody cares how many f@#ks one gives anymore. I mean jeez, just about any movie you see has more F bombs than anything else in the dialogue for Christ's sake. On the video, honestly, if telling a crew to get their line in place and "put the f@#king fire out" over the radio gets them moving to do just that...well then that's A-OK in my book. But hey, my ears lost their virginity a long long time ago so...

I read this second letter and here's my answer to it. You gotta produce to be heard. To date and to the best of my knowledge NONE of the VFDs produce fully. BFD does make all their calls with a completely volunteer staff save a houseman, but the level of FFs responding is often in question. Long Ridge makes theirs due to paid drivers 24/7, but they are often responding alone. As for the rest, well...anything under 100% response is not producing at even a marginal level. Beyond that; NONE of them can bring a quantifiable means of measuring the competency of their officers to the table. NONE of them can produce training records for ALL of their active members that meet even a minimal standard. NONE of them ensure all of their active members attend even one live burn annually per OSHA NONE of them can say 100% of their active members are physically fit per NFPA 1582 NONE of them can guarantee a response 24/7 or try to even reach that goal NONE of them can cooperate to meet the needs of the residents they are there to serve...NONE of them. All are too concerned with only themselves and there own agendas instead of the only agenda that they should be concerned with...SERVING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF STAMFORD who have donated to all of them for decades. I think you get the idea. As one who fought for years to build things up to meet the challenges listed above and many more beyond them, I can say this: I have absolutely no sympathy for their whining and foot stomping. Boo hoo hoo, whaah whaah whaah, somebody call a Whaaahmbulance for these poor Chiefs. Look, I sat with all of these Chiefs alone and as a group too many times to count to try to work out ways to meet the coming storm. Time after time I watched as heads nodded yes but actions said no to facing the realities of firefighting in Stamford in 2010,11,12, 13 14, 15. I bit my tongue then in the interest of keeping everyone together and trying to move forward. But no more. The whole "Pavia plan" and everything subsequent to it were a farce that even the Marx Brothers couldn't dream up...and to top it off they left Mike out to dry by not taking responsibility for the abortion of a plan it was that THEY THEMSELVES dreamed up. No...no sympathy here, these Chiefs made the bed they all must now lie in because of their own arrogance. ignorance, ineptitude and pettiness and frankly they deserve what they get, or don't I should say....I only wish the memberships had been better served by their "leaders".