FFPCogs

In 2016, more so than at any other time in most of our lifetimes thus far, Democrats are going to vote Democrat and Republicans are going to vote Republican. The country hasn't been this polarized and divided in quite some time. Fact is there's nothing any candidate can do to swing voters of the opposite party, the line are too firmly drawn. The middle ground, like the middle class, is disappearing as rhetoric replaces reason and ignorance overwhelms intelligence....and that's bad for the politicos and bad for us.

In 2016, more so than at any other time in most of our lifetimes thus far, Democrats are going to vote Democrat and Republicans are going to vote Republican. The country hasn't been this polarized and divided in quite some time. Fact is there's nothing any candidate can do to swing voters of the opposite party, the line are too firmly drawn. The middle ground, like the middle class, is disappearing as rhetoric replaces reason and ignorance overwhelms intelligence....and that's bad for the politicos and bad for us.

You bet I do Willy. Those of us who lived through Danny boy's tenure as Stamford's mayor know full well what the rest of the State had in store. It's no surprise to any of us he's ranked as the WORST governor in the country and this debacle is just one more on a long list of him living up to that well deserved honor.

Thanks Danny boy...good job.

Thanks Danny boy...good job.

So, instead of having one person in distress, you'll have two.
Not to mention the fact you have to train constantly to remain proficient with this technique.
Does this option cost extra?

The "buddy Breathing" device is great for FAST teams so they can connect a fresh bottle to you when the arrive, all without disturbing your air flow. The fact that you can dip into someone else's air supply should be made illegal! I'd rather drag you out with almost no air than have you take half of mine....and that's not me being selfish. I don't want to see a LODD, And never do I want to see 2 at once. "Buddy breathing" can be extremely dangerous if you are not ready for it.

Agreed. Excesses and outright theft abound across the spectrum of departments nationwide and more often than not it turns out such activity was / is no secret. The corrupt are usually only a very small percentage but the root of the problem goes much deeper than just the guilty. Bottom line: knowing this stuff is going on and doing nothing about it makes one as guilty as the guilty...and a coward too.

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas everyone!!


Here's a Christmas time joke I heard many moons ago, hope it gives you a chuckle and brightens your holiday just a little bit more...

One snowy Christmas Eve Santa was out delivering his toys and making his rounds.
After a few stops he came down a chimney to find a bright eyed little girl standing there with a glass of milk.
As Santa turned to go she asks -
"won't you stay and have a glass of milk with me Santa"
to which Santa replied -
"Ho Ho Ho gotta go, gotta deliver toys you know"
and in a flash he disappeared up the chimney.

A short time later Santa comes down another chimney to find a wide eyed young boy standing there with a plate of cookies.
As Santa turned to go he asks -
"won't you stay and have some cookies with me Santa"
to which Santa replied -
"Ho Ho Ho gotta go, gotta deliver toys you know"
and in a flash he disappeared up the chimney

After a few more stops Santa comes down yet another chimney to find a gorgeous nubile young woman lying on the floor, naked.
As he turns to go the woman asks seductively -
"wont you stay and fool around with me here on the floor Santa"
to which Santa replied -
"Hey Hey Hey gotta stay, can't get up the chimney anyway"....


I'll leave the rest up to you



From my family and I to you and yours, Merry Christmas all and may 2016 bring each of you the bounty to sustain your wants and needs and the blessings to fulfill all your hopes and dreams.

Stay well and Stay Safe

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas everyone!!


Here's a Christmas time joke I heard many moons ago, hope it gives you a chuckle and brightens your holiday just a little bit more...

One snowy Christmas Eve Santa was out delivering his toys and making his rounds.
After a few stops he came down a chimney to find a bright eyed little girl standing there with a glass of milk.
As Santa turned to go she asks -
"won't you stay and have a glass of milk with me Santa"
to which Santa replied -
"Ho Ho Ho gotta go, gotta deliver toys you know"
and in a flash he disappeared up the chimney.

A short time later Santa comes down another chimney to find a wide eyed young boy standing there with a plate of cookies.
As Santa turned to go he asks -
"won't you stay and have some cookies with me Santa"
to which Santa replied -
"Ho Ho Ho gotta go, gotta deliver toys you know"
and in a flash he disappeared up the chimney

After a few more stops Santa comes down yet another chimney to find a gorgeous nubile young woman lying on the floor, naked.
As he turns to go the woman asks seductively -
"wont you stay and fool around with me here on the floor Santa"
to which Santa replied -
"Hey Hey Hey gotta stay, can't get up the chimney anyway"....


I'll leave the rest up to you



From my family and I to you and yours, Merry Christmas all and may 2016 bring each of you the bounty to sustain your wants and needs and the blessings to fulfill all your hopes and dreams.

Stay well and Stay Safe

Amen to that M

Unfortunatly, this issue is not confined to "rural" NY. Declining volunteerism is an issue from the city line, north. That said, there are a lot of dedicated volunteers who could (and would like) to do more. The current system is truely a hindrance and a serious overhaul is needed. Smaller town and village fire departments shouuld be combined into larger area districts. The pool of active volunteers would better service a larger area and more call volume. In areas where necessary, by population and call volume, could be supplemented by a career staff.
Towns and villages really need to give up a little control and allow for a vastly superior, efficient reorganization. Emergency services can operate more effectivly on economies of scale, to some degree.
I live in Westchester, in a high-tax community. I work in the poorest congressional district in the United States. The residents of said congressional district recieve vastly superior Fire and EMS service. Why does anyone think this is acceptatble? Everyone, regardless of municipality should demand equal emergency service protections.
This is not a volunteer/career issue. This is not one municipality vs. another....this is a life safety issue for citizens and responders. We can better utilize our emergency personel, improve and better utilize volunteer service and compliment with career firemen when needed.
Lets smarten up.

Well it's that time of year again so time to post my favorite Christmas song. Greg Lake, disgusted with the over commercialization of the season released this video in 1975 and his message is as fitting today as it was then, if not more so.




They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin's birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winters light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire
They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a silent night
And they told me a fairy story
'till I believed in the Israelite
And I believed in father Christmas
And I looked at the sky with excited eyes
'till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise
I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve
From my family and me, God Bless and Happy Holidays all. May your Christmas be bright and the next year bring you all the happiness and success you deserve.

Well it's that time of year again so time to post my favorite Christmas song. Greg Lake, disgusted with the over commercialization of the season released this video in 1975 and his message is as fitting today as it was then, if not more so.




They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin's birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winters light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And their eyes full of tinsel and fire
They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a silent night
And they told me a fairy story
'till I believed in the Israelite
And I believed in father Christmas
And I looked at the sky with excited eyes
'till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise
I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave new year
All anguish pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear
They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
Hallelujah noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve
From my family and me, God Bless and Happy Holidays all. May your Christmas be bright and the next year bring you all the happiness and success you deserve.

Thank you Peter...we need it....joe fdny/usn ret.

In prior posts I mentioned the possibility of adjoining departments assigning a specific dedicated engine with a four man crew for a daytime shift M-F to respond to any call in either jurisdiction. You would only need two persons from each dept. each day, thereby spreading the load. It guarantees a quick response with a full crew and enhances the relationship between the departments and their personnel. Alternate firehouses on a weekly basis.

No apologies needed you did express some great ideas

Sometime the lack of diversity is a myth used to perpetuate a certain agenda.
In my old department we once had an unusually diverse group of 6 recruits. One happened to be female. Our Chief was quoted as referring to them all as "The new guys" and a reporter seized on the fact that only 5 of the 6 were in fact guys. Completely missing the point that 2 were Colombian, 1 was Middle Eastern (I forget where exactly) and only 1 was a white male. They didn't even notice that one of the instructors of this group, who was a Captain was also Colombian. Mostly because that did not fit the agenda of the article.
I am all for anything that recruits more volunteers. I was not thinking of any standards being lowered, when I said diversity for its own sake, I was more thinking of a department starting such a program, getting a few recruits and patting themselves on the back for being so diverse all the while not having really meeting their goal but having a few new poster children to parade in front of the community. I am not against diversity by any means, but it should be part of a more comprehensive recruitment plan.

But it is one that is fast becoming a..or dare I say THE...major factor. And it's not just Hispanic or Black we're talking about here, there are numerous other ethnic or minority groups that fall into the non traditional "supply" of volunteers including Indians, Eastern European immigrants, Asians and of course women to name a few. These are the resources available and we have to reach out to them every chance we get. For better or for worse the simple fact is average white, middle class 18-25 year old males just aren't as interested in volunteering as they once were. Sadly many feel there's not much in it for them or they just don't care, plus it's dirty, hot, manual labor that many find "beneath them" to do. But you know what it really doesn't matter why they aren't flocking to our doors, it only matters that they aren't. We have to recognize what we have to work with and then work with it. Right now we are seeing a decisive shift in the communities who are willing join, the question is what are we going to do about it.?
I definitely didn't get that read from the article, but since you mention it, no one should be lowering their standards for the sake of numbers or a "rainbow coalition" of members. This is not the line of work where that should be acceptable, not when lives depend on us. Now sure, diversity is a wonderful thing but in our business that is only true when it compliments or enhances what we, as a service, bring to the table. Diversity for it's own sake or to satisfy some kind of "politically correct" agenda will do nothing other than guarantee mediocrity...and diverse mediocrity is still mediocre no matter how many different shades it comes in. There's enough of that already in this country and no place for it in our business.

If you are looking for common sense, forget about it. I recently moved to an area covered by a volunteer department. I stopped by the station, 1/2 mile from my home on the same street, to inquire about membership. I was told that my NY credentials were not recognized in GA. One day an engine came up the street, responding, when it passed my house it was not the local dept, but the neighboring paid department. I have seen them responding into our area several other times.
So, I'm usually available 24/7, have lots of training, 30+ years of experience as an EMT, Officer, Driver, Interior Firefighter, but they can't use me and they also can't get their apparatus on the road 100% of the time either.

As the primary recruiter here in Stamford I can only say this: I will seek out anyone, anywhere....I don't care where you live, what your race is, what religion you practice or don't or what's between your legs...if you're willing and able to do the work we need you to do, than I'm happy to have you. If a department needs members (and who doesn't) and they don't tap ALL the resources they have available to them, than they're committing suicide...it may be slowly or it may be quickly but the end result will be the same, their organization will end up in the dustbin of history.
OK, that said, let me also add that making our VFDs more diverse does not have to mean we are turning our backs on our history and traditions. Sure, diversity can mean the end of "our culture" as we know it, especially if prejudices and ignorance hold sway, or diversity can enhance, strengthen and reinforce our culture to not only stave off our own extinction, but make it better...the choice is up to us. The responsibility for what our VFDs are now and what they can become rests squarely on our shoulders, no one else. We CAN embrace diversity and still remain who we are, but it takes willingness and work. It is the job of those of us who ARE our organization now to pass along our history, our traditions and our culture, those things that define us, to those who are coming along after us and who WILL BE our organizations in the future, even if they don't look like us or practice our religion or use the same restroom...for if we don't, we won't have a future

As the primary recruiter here in Stamford I can only say this: I will seek out anyone, anywhere....I don't care where you live, what your race is, what religion you practice or don't or what's between your legs...if you're willing and able to do the work we need you to do, than I'm happy to have you. If a department needs members (and who doesn't) and they don't tap ALL the resources they have available to them, than they're committing suicide...it may be slowly or it may be quickly but the end result will be the same, their organization will end up in the dustbin of history.
OK, that said, let me also add that making our VFDs more diverse does not have to mean we are turning our backs on our history and traditions. Sure, diversity can mean the end of "our culture" as we know it, especially if prejudices and ignorance hold sway, or diversity can enhance, strengthen and reinforce our culture to not only stave off our own extinction, but make it better...the choice is up to us. The responsibility for what our VFDs are now and what they can become rests squarely on our shoulders, no one else. We CAN embrace diversity and still remain who we are, but it takes willingness and work. It is the job of those of us who ARE our organization now to pass along our history, our traditions and our culture, those things that define us, to those who are coming along after us and who WILL BE our organizations in the future, even if they don't look like us or practice our religion or use the same restroom...for if we don't, we won't have a future

As the primary recruiter here in Stamford I can only say this: I will seek out anyone, anywhere....I don't care where you live, what your race is, what religion you practice or don't or what's between your legs...if you're willing and able to do the work we need you to do, than I'm happy to have you. If a department needs members (and who doesn't) and they don't tap ALL the resources they have available to them, than they're committing suicide...it may be slowly or it may be quickly but the end result will be the same, their organization will end up in the dustbin of history.
OK, that said, let me also add that making our VFDs more diverse does not have to mean we are turning our backs on our history and traditions. Sure, diversity can mean the end of "our culture" as we know it, especially if prejudices and ignorance hold sway, or diversity can enhance, strengthen and reinforce our culture to not only stave off our own extinction, but make it better...the choice is up to us. The responsibility for what our VFDs are now and what they can become rests squarely on our shoulders, no one else. We CAN embrace diversity and still remain who we are, but it takes willingness and work. It is the job of those of us who ARE our organization now to pass along our history, our traditions and our culture, those things that define us, to those who are coming along after us and who WILL BE our organizations in the future, even if they don't look like us or practice our religion or use the same restroom...for if we don't, we won't have a future

While both written testing and seniority are good barometers to use for promotions, I think there is a third leg to the triangle that is often overlooked, and that is an actual ability to lead. The senior man may be the most experienced and know his way around the fireground and the good test taker the most knowledgeable with a wall full of certifications but that doesn't mean either can actually lead others. Remember too that much of what officers do takes place off the fireground, especially the higher up the chain one moves. Keeping a crew or shift or department working smoothly with the myriad of personalities, pressures and administrative demands in play is no easy task, and it's been my experience that some who are promoted just aren't up to it. Personally, although probably impractical, I would like to see some form of practical testing used to gauge a candidates all around leadership skill, on and off the fireground, coupled with the written and seniority criteria.

While both written testing and seniority are good barometers to use for promotions, I think there is a third leg to the triangle that is often overlooked, and that is an actual ability to lead. The senior man may be the most experienced and know his way around the fireground and the good test taker the most knowledgeable with a wall full of certifications but that doesn't mean either can actually lead others. Remember too that much of what officers do takes place off the fireground, especially the higher up the chain one moves. Keeping a crew or shift or department working smoothly with the myriad of personalities, pressures and administrative demands in play is no easy task, and it's been my experience that some who are promoted just aren't up to it. Personally, although probably impractical, I would like to see some form of practical testing used to gauge a candidates all around leadership skill, on and off the fireground, coupled with the written and seniority criteria.