JBJ1202

I don't think it is at all reasonable to compare the history of Westchester County Emergency Services to the history of any of those cities departments, and it is simply absurd to compare it to art in general, or history as a whole. Thats like comparing visiting the Museum of Natural History with stopping at a truck stop that has the worlds biggest ball of twine. Even with the rich history of the cities you mentioned, their museums aren't worth more than a few hours, or more than one visit. Does everything that has happened need a museum? Does every facet of society that has advanced in the past 200 odd years need its own museum, and if so do we need one of these museums for every geographical subdivision? No, because national, well established, well funded, and professionally run museums take on the task of representing all these things as a whole for the entire nation. It's a great idea for individual departments to preserve their own history as they see fit, so as to pass it on down to their future members, thats called tradition. Just like you would keep family heirlooms and keepsakes to pass on to your own children to teach them about their families history. History, tradition, and understanding the sacrifices of those who came before you are important parts of the fire service and all emergency services. The place for handing down these things to future generations however, is not in a museum, but in the fire house, during training, or while critiquing a call. The senior men need to pass these things on, and the junior members need to pick the brains of these senior guys or all the tradition that makes our jobs great will disappear.

Money always has to come from somewhere, just because the government doesn't take it straight from the taxpayers hands and hand it to a museum desn't mean that the museum or the people running it aren't doing so at your expense. Almost all museums receive tax exemptions, revenue lost in one area has to be made up in another, and for a museum to run totally off of donations and be well off enough to really do a good job of showcasing whatever it covers, well that would be quite a lot of donations. Something that I don't think you are going to see in this economy, especially with such a specific audience who has an interest in something like an emergency services museum for just one county. The entirely unique exhibits of the Museum of Natural History draw millions of visitors from around the world every year from which to solicit donations, I don't think the Westchester County Emergency Services museum would have quite the same draw or donation pool.
As far of the Hall of Flame museum goes it is run by the National Historical Fire Foundation, its a museum that showcases the fire service on a national and even international level, it covers multiple continents not just one county so while they are funded mostly by donations, they have a fairly larger base to solicit from. Also its tax exempt, so again, not putting anything into the system, just taking from people who do.
Insofar as how your city chose to handle it, it seems the museum is going to be administrated by the Old Settlers Association which is, tax exempt. This good ol boys association, (founded to hold confederate soldiers reunions, and the only way to become a member is to be a direct descendant of someone who lived there before 1900), only has about 300 members so I don't think they operate on membership dues, and judging from their IRS filings it doesn't look like they run totally on donations either. In fact they seem to own a few trailer parks which they rent out space in, I am assuming to people who are not eligible to join their association. The money always comes from somewhere and right now noone in Westchester has any to give! So until some super Westchester buff wins the lotto and opens his own museum that he actually wants to share with the general publis, I think we are out of luck.

I am a volunteer, and if it isn't already obvious, I don't like going to parades. Sounds like I just got up and addressed a room of parade haters anonymous. The only agenda I have here is to get people to take a look within their own departments and evaluate what the actual priorities are. Whats more important, going to parades, or ensuring that your community has the best possible coverage day and night? As for those of you who say you have better coverage on days with parades I find this pretty disturbing, where are these people the rest of the time? Why is a day with a parade more important to cover? My point is that everyone seems to get so geared up for parade season but when it comes to important issues like manpower and response times most everyone throws up a wall and doesn't really want to discuss it or immediately starts calling it a volly bashing. To the people that make sure they have adequate coverage on the day of a parade, why don't you do this everyday, and to the people who don't ensure coverage, well like BNechis said, why are you even there at all? As far as this being a paid vs volunteer debate I really don't see how you could make that assertion. The practice of taking units and members out of service, and out of district, for a parade, is as far as I know exclusive to the volunteer service. I don't know of any career departments that follow this practice, this isn't a paid vs. career issue, this is a topic meant to get you thinking about where your priorities should be, and where they actually are.
(Also I did not in fact know how to search, I'll try it out if I ever create another thread)

Just because it was asked before doesn't mean it was answered, in previous threads it was mostly people just trying to defend what their departments do rather than answer the actual question, which leads me to believe that they have their own doubts about their own departments practices. StopGoBlue, I appreciate your response, sounds pretty reasonable in terms of apparatus depending on how far away the parade is, however, saying plenty of manpower doesn't really specifically address my question as to how many interior members are available. Sounds like you come from a fairly large department and are lucky enough to have a large membership, a better way to ask for you may be to address what percentage of your interior qualfied firefighters attend the parade and what percentage are actually available to provide coverage back at home.

Its that time of the year again, time to leave your district with little or no coverage to make people in another district( sometimes far enough away to be in a different area code/county/state) think that you have a full fledged state of the art firefighting force. Little do they know that what they see is usually all you have, and as for for coverage back home there may as well be a few cows wandering around the empty bays in your firehouse. Don't jump on me right away, I have seen things like this go on in a few different departments. My question to all of you who are so eager to share parade dates and shine each others brass is; when you go out of district, what apparatus do you take, who do you take, what rigs do you leave behind, who stays in the district, and what percentage of your those people who stay behind are interior firefighters? Just curious.

Our national deficit gets hashed, rehashed, and beaten to death every year. Doesn't seem like we have found a solution for that yet either so I guess we should just give up dialogue about it? Talking about something isn't solving a problem but its a means with which to start the ball rolling in order to effect change. What I think are some fairly egregious breaches of the public trust have been discussed here and for the most part everyone seems to either find no fault with it or wishes to turn a blind eye and hope it will either go away or someone else will deal with it. Well change comes from within and if you really care about the job you are supposed to be doing then maybe you should get involved in the discussion. Not only here but maybe the next time you are at the firehouse and everyone is getting ready for the parade. Maybe you may want to interrupt someone from shining the tires and say, "hey, who and what is going to be here while everyone else is 25 minutes away?" Especially if you plan on staying back, because you don't want to be the one standing there holding your hat trying to explain to a taxpayer why a fire in their garbage can that should have been out in minutes is now the Great Dustbin Conflagration of 2011. I understand staffing in the volunteer service is tough, and you'd be hard put to come by a district that can meet NFPA standards 24/7. I also understand that for the most part we all try to do our best to remedy this situation and whether many of you like to admit it or not we all know its a problem. My real problem with parades is that when we already know there is a problem, many of us actively take part in making it worse, and even if its just for a few days a year, thats too many. If you really want to go to parades that badly why don't you get several departments together, hash out how man guys each department can spare without compromising staffing( at least not any worse than a normal day), acquire a parade rig (I am sure one of the departments you band together with at least has a spare if not an antique), and all march together. For those of you who want to bring company pride and respect into this, company pride isn't something you can be awarded by a judge for walking down the street. Its not something the public is going to judge you on or give to you. Its the respect you're going to get from other companies and departments who see you doing your job and doing it well.

85 MPH, Thats the right lane of I-684 !

What kinds of training props are in your department? Forcible entry, pitched and flat roof cutting, mask confidence, through the lock, and wall breach are some of the first props that come to mind.
Whether homemade or manufactured, training props are a great way to keep your members sharp in skills that aren't performed in the field every day. Manufactured items seem to be hit or miss. You need to do your research on a product before spending potentially thousands of dollars on it. Homemade props are a great way for fire fighters to be involved from the beginning. They are also pretty inexpensive to put together most of the time and can last a while. Also having these props in and around your firehouse makes the training frequently available and easy to schedule and execute.
My department purchased the Multi-Force door from Firehouse Innovations Corp last summer and have had been very pleased with it. We also made our own pitched roof simulator about four years ago. It was a first generation for us and the next roof should be made this spring/summer.
Thoughts?
JBJ

What kinds of training props are in your department? Forcible entry, pitched and flat roof cutting, mask confidence, through the lock, and wall breach are some of the first props that come to mind.
Whether homemade or manufactured, training props are a great way to keep your members sharp in skills that aren't performed in the field every day. Manufactured items seem to be hit or miss. You need to do your research on a product before spending potentially thousands of dollars on it. Homemade props are a great way for fire fighters to be involved from the beginning. They are also pretty inexpensive to put together most of the time and can last a while. Also having these props in and around your firehouse makes the training frequently available and easy to schedule and execute.
My department purchased the Multi-Force door from Firehouse Innovations Corp last summer and have had been very pleased with it. We also made our own pitched roof simulator about four years ago. It was a first generation for us and the next roof should be made this spring/summer.
Thoughts?
JBJ

Here’s a look at the EMS Units On-Scene
Car 5 Chief of EMS Command
Car 51 Manhattan Division Chief
Car 5C EMS Deputy Chief (Medical Branch)
Division Captain 2 (Bronx Div Captain) Deputy Medical Branch with Staging
Division Captain 4 (Queens Div Captain)
Conditions 20 (EMS Lieutenant) Triage/ front half of the bus
Conditions 15 (EMS Lieutenant) Triage back half of the bus. After triage began and units determined half of the patients were deceased this unit took the role of the Transport Officer.
Conditions 03 (EMS Lieutenant) Treatment Officer
Conditions 14 (EMS Lieutenant) Hospital Group Sector Officer
Conditions 53 (EMS Lieutenant)
M.E.R.V 2 (Bronx Major Emergency Response Vehicle)
M.R.T.U (Mobile Respiratory Treatment Unit)
L.S.U 2 (Bronx Logistical Support Unit)
L.S.U 4 (Queens Logistical Support Unit)
15Z (ALS Ambulance) 03V (ALS Ambulance)
20X (ALS Ambulance) 20Y (ALS Ambulance)
52V (ALS Ambulance) 52X (ALS Ambulance)
15A (BLS Ambulance) 20D (BLS Ambulance)
15G (BLS Ambulance) 52D (BLS Ambulance)
15I (BLS Ambulance) 52E (BLS Ambulance)
20C (BLS Ambulance)
FDNY Counseling Service Unit was at the scene and also at hospitals, EMS stations and firehouses.

I listened to this come over on the Bronx North frequency. After they transmitted the 10-32 (ground transport incident) it was switched to Citywide. While monitoring for almost a hour it was clear that a major challenge for Westchester County EMS agencies at a similar incident would be EMS command. The initial response had the Division Captain and a lieutenant on it, with two additional lieutenants special called immediately upon arrival. The EMS command structure at MCIs is pretty set with it's designations (medical branch, treatment, transport, staging.. Etc) You just dont have that in most if not all other places in the area. How many EMS Supervisors are working at 6 am on a Saturday in Westchester? Until those officers can get on the scene you'd have to utilize on scene EMTs and Paramedics for those those positions, on top of patient care. FD would most likely assist with filling in the blanks until EMS could handle. Tremendous tasks at hands for all PD, EMS, and FD agencies.
Ive looked at this incident from the fire and EMS side and have discussed the potential for this to happen in my district specifically.
The fire response to this would include regular mutual aid departments for manpower and equipment, but multiple special units would be needed as well to performed the tasks stated above. Knowing who and what is available to you is key.
EMS would need a major mobilization to fulfill the needs for the incident. Maybe that means five ALS ambulances initially in my case, with additional BLS and ALS coming from secondary agencies. As stated above I feel the command side of EMS would be slow to develop simply because the resources just aren't available.
Just some thoughts...
JBJ

I'm not trying to start any problems here...............but if we're gonna start talking FACTS and DATES, then let's get a couple of things clear................FDNY had ALWAYS been doing rescue work, but never had a DEDICATED unit to respond to these types of jobs prior to the formation of the first Rescue company..............FDNY Rescue Company #1 was organized on January 18, 1915, and was placed in service OFFICIALLY on March 6th, 1915.............over 15 years prior to the formation of ANY of NYPD's ESU units.......
And there's no jealousy or hatred here, as I started my career on the NYPD (4-8 Pct).........

There are differences in many things as you move from region to region in the United States; income, accents, history, culture, politics, demographics, etc., etc., etc. The question you raise is not merely applicable to law enforcement. There are vast differences between New York and Texas. I don't think the differences are as great as you believe nor do I think you properly articulated your argument without disparaging cops in NY and the northeast.
I think there is something to be said for the anti-police, anti-government sentiment in the northeast being a contributing factor to your supposition. I think as the country tried to become more politically correct and public service changed from being a calling to a secure job with benefits, we lost some of the service focus that contributed to law enforcement being what it used to be. There are still many hard-chargers in civil service but there are now an equal number of deadbeats just studying for promotional exams with no concept of the job and/or using the stability to advance their education for their next job.
You're flat out wrong about some things. Cops in ESU aren't trying to be firefighters and who says that rescue is a fire function? ESU predates many of the FD rescue resources in Westchester County. Yonkers E-rigs of the 80's were the first paramedics in the city and had the only extrication equipment for many years. The County PD ran an ESU that provided extrication services all over the county before a lot of FD's got their own hurst tools. ESU is not the same as SWAT either. The LAPD runs SWAT but they don't do most of the things that ESU cops do - it is an apples and oranges comparison. In Jersey City, extrications are performed by EMS not fire or PD. White Plains has a police / fire special operations command that works collaboratively.
Duplicating resources? Are you kidding me? You really think that ESU in the couple of cities that have them in Westchester are the duplicative resources and squandering the funding that exists for emergency services. Hmmm, the 59 fire departments, 43 police departments, 60 or so school districts are definitely not duplicative. Who says that EMS is a fire function? PD is an first responder and in many places they are the only BLSFR that responds. We've already covered in other threads that BLSFR is not strictly limited to PD or FD exclusively.
OK, who decides what the core responsibilities are? What do you do when an agency can't/won't/doesn't fulfill it's core responsibilites? Competition exists on many levels in public service and it can be healthy. There are plenty of examples of intra-disciplinary rivalries that are unhealthy; you're broad sweeping generalizations about inter-disciplinary relationships and responsibilities are way off base.
Pity there isn't a negative rep button anymore. Comparing patrol cops in Texas with ESU cops in NY or asserting that certain functions don't have cross-over between disciplines is way off base. There should be collaboration and less division and that's not strictly a PD/FD thing.

I've been a Law Enforcement Dispatcher in NY, and a Texas certified Law Enforcement Dispatcher here in Texas with a large urban police department, working the busiest sector. My father was a police officer and ran a police supply store, so growing up I was always around "old school" Police Officers who couldn't imagine todays world. And a large number of my friends are Police Officers. And, as a citizen, I'd rather have a police officer here ASAP if I got robbed, instead of having them delayed because they are duplicating the services of the FD. And the taxes I pay for PD are to keep my family safe. I pay taxes for the FD and EMS to provide their services. Where I used to live, a lot of the time, the cops were tied up doing EMS and the rest trying to fill in the gaps. Down here, I can't leave my house and go anywhere without seeing a police officer on patrol.
Not just here, but other places I have visited, i.e. Los Angeles, where "ESU" has another name...SWAT.
Exactly.
But why do they have to be cross trained if there is already an agency providing the service? Unless it enhances manpower for that agency.
Why is it healthy? All I've seen it do is breed hate and ego.
Agree, but shouldn't be that way. Your agency should get funding based on it's core responsibilities, not just duplicate services to get grant money and waste it. All and all, these grants don't come from anywhere. They come out of our taxes.
I can see Law Enforcement doing Search and Rescue and other types of rescue related to policing, but don't duplicate FD services.
VERY true. But Cops want to do cop stuff, and firefighters want to do fire stuff. Cops can grow into and do all sorts of fun Law Enforcement things like SWAT, Aviation, Marine, Detectives, K-9, Crime Scene, Instructors, Community Policing, etc etc. Firefighters can go onto be officers, work specialized units, arson investigation, fire prevention, intructors, etc. All of which keeps the respective jobs hands full. And cops use grants to buy cop stuff, and firefighters use grants to buy firefighter stuff. As I said, it's a very different mentality. I don't understand anymore why there is such competition to fill each other's roles when there is enough to do already.
Another example is internal with PD's. County PD has a large number of resources and experts to offer agencies, but yet some departments still feel the need to duplicate their specialized services.
I love cops, I love firefighters, it's just a breath of fresh air down here to see a cop actually loving being a cop and nothing else.It refreshing to hear a cop say "Let's hang around the house of this guy with a warrant....see if he shows up....informant said he's been coming and going lately" instead of "Let's take in that rescue call".

Having lived in Austin, Texas for over three years now after living in Hartsdale, NY for 28, and having worked with law enforcement agencies in both areas, I've noticed something.
THIS IS IN NO WAY A KNOCK AT POLICE OFFICERS, JUST MY OPINION AND OBSERVATION
Down here, cops want to be cops. They want to go out and make arrests, do felony stops, nab DWI and aggresive drivers, etc. They go out and find work, or are dispatched to it-work is plentiful. They follow up with previous victims, and take pride in the sector they work, and knowing it well. They'll help the FD when needed, but they don't duplicate any services. In fact, they get along quite well in most jurisdictions. Most have no interest in firefighting or doing anything the FD's doing. In fact, most people pursue either a law enforcement, EMS, or FD career. People just don't take tests until they are offered something.
It seems like Police Officers in NYC Metro area want to be into everything. Several muncipalities not only have ESU, but some have technical rescue teams, etc. Now, given the infastructure in NY, that's no a bad thing. But someone, seemingly an ESU officer, make some observations about a recent rope rescue Yonkers FD was involved in, which led me to thinking.
I believe STRONGLY in the ESU concept, however I think they should be more focused on tactical operations and supporting other law enforcement endeavors then tying themselves up with what the FD's already doing. These are highly trained police officers, with special equipment. Why tye them up on something the FD is already doing, and why is it a competition? Why are there more officers interested in getting rope certification then assualt rifle certification? Why aren't there more officers assigned to Hudson River patrols? ESU does a great job, but they should really be there for law enforcement work. I mean, I could understand having to rapell to get to a suicide victim or for SWAT purposes, but for rescuing stranded workers from a ledge...that's what the firefighters signed up to do.
Which leads me to wonder, why in the northeast, with less police officers, funding being cut, and crime rising, would officers want to deal with things beyond the law enforcement scope? Why would they want to direct funding towards equipment the FD already has and duplicate services? I know a lot is grant-funded, but if you don't need it let it go to someone who does. I think money would be better spent on having more K-9 units.
Why do officers down here have such a focused law enforcement different mentality, and in NY they want to do everything? I don't see firefighters wanting guns and handcuffs. Cops should be proud and excited that they are cops, and should take every bad guy off the streeet they can.
In certain situations, PD should work with FD, like in HazMat situations. And in certain places, like NYPD's Transit Bureau, should have confined space training, since going into tunnels to shoo them of transients and patrol, is part of their job.
Again, this is not a knock at LEO's, this does not apply to all LEO's, just some comparitive thoughts. I think cops in both areas do a great job at whatever they are assigned to do, I just see such a profound difference from down here to up there.

Good to see FDNY is sticking with what has proven to be THE BEST aerial platform. No one else even comes close.

The village I live in is currently exploring changing local elections to be in November instead of March. Some are arguing that this will take away the importance of their local election, as it would be overshadowed by the more publicized national and state elections. Personally I don't care either way because whether it's for local, presidential or firehouse elections, you can always find a flaw with each candidate. If you were to have Fire Commissioner elections at the same time as bigger elections, I don't think it would matter - most people around here just look at the fire department as "existing" and "there when they need them." The only ones that really ever make the effort to show up for votes pertaining to an FD are it's members, their families, the few supporters and the few haters. Most people don't pay any attention to us (paid or volunteer) until we inconvenience them with a road closure or have to help them.
So to say that you think most taxpayers wouldn't want to assume liability, you're giving them too much credit and assuming they're paying attention to us in the first place. More often than not in our village, citizens think we are paid because that's what they had in the city before coming here, and the way we conduct ourselves at every incident is with a level of professionalism that they should expect. Our rapid, capable and well-manned responses done by unpaid volunteers is commonly referred to as "the best deal in town" by our Village Board. We're there when we are needed and our community knows this, expects this and occassionally appreciates this.
Our operating and capital budgets are always at the mercy of our village, so "essentially," yes, we are under their control.
As for the way fire districts are run, I am not part of one nor do I have any interest in talking about them.

I spent a lot of my career working in a very busy F.D.N.Y. Truck Company and finished off my last 6 years in the Rescue. I enjoyed (Spelled L-O-V-E-D) working in both companies. I did lot's of fire duty and worked at many unusual emergencies.I worked with some of the best, most knowledgeable firefighters while in both of these units. That being said, every firefighter anywhere who is worth their salt puts their life on the line every-time they go to work, regardless of how busy or slow their unit is. It's great to have company pride as long as we don't lose sight of the fact that we are all in the same business and should not be in competition.. .
Stay safe Brothers ...

This is not text book, the engine is facing the wrong way, forcing the men to stretch around the rig, the truck and engine are nosed into one another, if the engine chauffeur had a bad hydrant he is now screwed and either has to back stretch 3 1/2" by hand to another hydrant or be supplied, and as far as the few guys you see RUNNING, slow down, act like you've done this before, can't help anyone if you break your back slipping on ice. Aside from that, good aerial placement, and this really isn't a long stretch at all, 5 lengths maybe 6 for good luck. Every stretch is harder without that fifth man though, 2nd due engine comes into play huge here, especially with the hassle of stretching around the rig.

The engine was there prior to the trucks arrival, since the preferable method for stretching is straight off the back towards the fire building the engine chauffeur should pull past the building, someone once said "hydrants before the building don't exist", meaning the chauffeur should notice them but only consider them as a last option, often times the chauffeur sees the fire, gets tunnel vision and thinks he has to take the first hydrant he sees. It's always preferable to pull up to the building with the back step even with the door to the building, then once the men begin the stretch the chauffeur can fly to the next hydrant.

SOP is for the engine to stop with the back of the rig parallel to the entrance to the fire building, the men then stretch 1 3/4" or 2 1/2" into the building depending on the size and nature of the fire. The chauffeur then drives to the hydrant and connects or if this is not possible (because a truck blocked him out) he can be supplied or stretch 3 1/2" back to a previous hydrant. FDNY uses dead lays, nothing is preconnected, it is up to the control man to determine how much hose is needed, pull it, break the line, give it to the chauffeur and provide the chauffeur with the details of the stretch. The high rise packs are for use in high rise buildings with standpipe systems. These standpipe systems are supplied by either a gravity tank on the roof or a main fed pump, all of these systems can also be supplemented by an engine streching 3 1/2" hose to the siamese connection.

How is this any different then if he raced cars on the weekend for compensation, or any other side job where he is injured? Why is it such a big deal to people about getting injured as a volunteer, when a good bit career personnel have side jobs that are dangerous as well (electrician, roofer etc. etc.). What happens when they get injured there and cannot return to work at the station? Wouldn't it be the same as if he was injured in a fire as a volunteer.
edit: Don't take what I said the wrong way, I am all for career public safety employees working side jobs to supplement their pay. You have to be able to put food on the table, and put some away for later too.

Date: 1/22/11
Time: 00:51
Location: 632 Anderson Hill Road "Full Moon Restaurant"
Frequencies: 46.26 / Fire 19 / 33.96
Purchase Units Operating: 2411, 2412, 2413, E238, E240, TL53, U10
West Harrison Units: 2501, 2502, E265
Town of Mamaroneck Units: 2232, 2233, E36 w/ FAST
Port Chester Units: 2393, E61, E64, L31
Harrison Units: 2162, 2163, E10
Mamaroneck Village Units: 2241, L21
Valhalla Units: 2482, R9 w/ FAST
Elmsford Units: L55 w/ FAST
Westchester DES Units: Bat 15, C&O Zone 2, Car 25
Weather Conditions: Cold (Damn cold!)
Description Of Incident: Fire in three-story frame OMD, restaurant with apartments above.
Reporters: Remember585
Writer: Remember585
Relocated to Purchase HQ: Armonk E286 / White Plains L34 (Changed over the course of the fire)
00:51 - Purchase dispatched for a Commercial Alarm.
00:55 - E238 on location.
00:57 - 2413 reports smoke in building, forcing door.
01:00 - 10-75 transmitted, Purchase retoned, West Harrison Engine, Town of Mamaroneck FAST, Bat 19 dispatched.
01:01 - Port Chester 1 & 1 to relocate Purchase HQ. E61 & L31 assigned.
01:05 - 2501 responding.
01:07 - 2502, E265 responding.
01:09 - E61 relocating. 2232, 2233, E36 responding.
01:12 - 2501 advising E265 to assist with hydrant.
01:13 - 2502, E265 on location.
01:16 - 2501 reports a 3-story frame, restaurant on first floor, apartments on two floors above, bring E61 to the scene. Heavy smoke from structure.
01:16 - Harrison to relocate Engine to Purchase for coverage.
01:19 - 2501 requesting L31 to the scene, backfill with another unit.
01:20 - 2501 advising 2393 to have L31 get the roof.
01:21 - Harrison Engine, Mamaroneck Village Ladder to relocate Purchase HQ.
01:22 - 2163, E10 relocating to Purchase HQ.
01:23 - 2412 responding. 2232, 2233, E36 on location.
01:25 - E10 dispatched Purchase College for water flow alarm at Performing Arts Center.
01:26 - Port Chester units dispatched to an Anderson Hill Road address for a water flow alarm.
01:30 - 2412 on location.
01:33 - Bat 15 requesting a Bee-Line bus to the scene. 2501 requesting another Engine to the scene.
01:35 - Port Chester E64 dispatched to the scene.
01:36 - 2241, 2242, L21 relocating to Purchase HQ. E64 responding.
01:38 - 2163 reports Harrison units clearing the college, 2501 requesting them into the scene, E64 to Purchase HQ.
01:40 - 2162, 2163, E10 on location.
01:41 - 60 Control advising 2501 that 2411 is coming with a delay.
01:45 - E64 out at Purchase HQ.
01:49 - Bat 15 requesting Greenburgh cascade unit to the scene.
01:54 - C&O Zone 2 dispatched. 2501 reports all units still operating.
01:55 - Bat 15 requesting the Valhalla FAST to the scene.
01:57 - Bat 15 requesting L21 to the scene.
02:00 - White Plains Ladder requested to Purchase HQ.
02:02 - 2482, R9 responding.
02:04 - 2411 is on location.
02:11 - R9 on location.
02:24 - Bat 15 reports fire is darkening down, 4 L/S/O, using all hands.
02:26 - L34 out at Purchase HQ.
02:36 - 2393 requesting EMS for an injured FF (eye injury I believe, transmission broken).
02:37 - Bat 15 requesting an additional ambulance to the scene for standby.
03:30 - Elsmford FAST dispatched to the scene.
03:31 - North White Plains Engine requested to cover West Harrison HQ.
03:32 - E64 requsted to the scene and on location.
03:33 - Armonk Engine requested to relocate to Purchase HQ. E62 & TL2 on standby in own HQ in Port Chester.
03:45 - E286 enroute to Purchase HQ. E75 enroute to West Harrison HQ.
03:49 - E75 relocated to West Harrison HQ.
03:54 - L55 on location.
04:08 - E286 out at Purchase HQ.
04:27 - 2411 reports the fire is under control.
04:30 - 2241, L21 in service.
04:36 - E36, L55 in service.
04:51 - L34 released from Purchase HQ.
04:52 - E10 in service.
04:59 - R9 in service.
05:10 - E61, E64 in service.
05:32 - E75 released from West Harrison HQ.
05:41 - Bat 15 in service.
05:45 - E265, L31 in service.
05:48 - E286 released from Purchase HQ.
06:28 - All units in service from the fire scene.
Lohud article

Extra manpower. That's one of the key things in my mind during responses in the inclement weather.
This past winter we had a few fires, and a couple of things were good learning experiences for me.
At fire #1, we had downed power lines and tree limbs in the road in front of the building. The first arriving Engine saw this and instead of pulling past the fire building, stopped short to steamer a hydrant. The Truck wasn't able to get the front of the building, so several portable ladders were thrown.
Additionally, the building was an auto body shop on the main level, with an apartment above. The apartment entrance came out on the back of the fire building on to another street. We special called another Truck to go here and position in the event we needed them. (Luckily we didn't)
The roof guys had to shovel snow out of the way of their vent holes. In an earlier post on this fire, someone mentioned how the weight of the snow could hamper roof stability. Luckily this was a building built years ago with real wood beams on real stone. It was a safe enough construction which allowed the guys to open up, giving the guys inside some much needed relief.
At fire #2, we had a fire in a masonry building up a long, steep driveway. The first arriving Engine "dug in" and came up the hill dropping supply line on it's way. They had to park about 150' from the fire building, so the stretching of lines in nearly waist high snow was exhausting. We still had chains on the rigs and this was 3-4 days after the snow fell. Prior incidents have kept us from being too quick dropping the chains, knowing we have quite a few driveways like these that aren't cleared too often.
Additionally at this fire, as Tanker10Engr mentioned, our closest hydrant (at the bottom of the drive) was apparently the go to location for every plow. The next closest hydrant was about 500 feet down a windy road which the 3rd Engine brought up to the 2nd Engine at the bottom of the driveway. Luckily the bulk of the fire was K/D with the tank water of both Engines (1750), and we needed a steady supply to finish the job. We called a Tanker task force to supplement the delay in hydrant access and to accomodate the low pressure we were getting.
As a responding Officer, no matter the weather or incident type, the #1 concern is our safety. We can't control the weather, but we can sure as hell do our best to prevent injuries from fatigue and overexertion.

Providing members the basic Confined Space & Awareness Safety program is almost impossible in Westchester County. How often have you even seen this course offered at WCDES? NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!
For the past few years, one of our members was granted a status of "Supplemental CFI" which allowed him to teach NYS OFPC courses in house for us. During this time, we managed to provide the CSAS class several times, HMFRO Original & Annual Refresher, Scene Support Ops and other courses. I don't have the exact nummbers in front of me, but we GREATLY BENEFITED FROM THIS!
A few months back, WCDES informed our Instructor that he could no longer do this, as it was only a "trial period" and they didn't want to continue it. To say that this is a major blow to our well-documented and repeatedly proven operations is an understatement. The second blow came a couple of weeks ago, when DES pulled the plug on using our firehouse as one of their satellite training facilities - citing "lack of attendance." Not for nothing, nobody ever bothered to A: advertise our firehouse as a satellite, B: Never took the time to explain to us (THE CHIEFS) what we needed to do to host classes here and C: Who cares if 6 people show up to a class? That's 6 people that benefit from this training!
As a Training Officer / Instructor myself, if I have one student, I am giving them my time. AND I DO IT FOR FREE!
I KNOW I will catch s*** for saying this, but I am very displeased with the way this county operates. People can say I am over-reacting or not seeing the big picture, but the proof is in the ink. If the classes WE ALL NEED are not offered often enough, then how the hell are any of us going to ever meet or come close to meeting those requirements that apply to us?
If a career FD is entitled to have an MTO, why can't volunteer departments? Don't the Instructors require the same training as the career guys? We have half a dozen guys whom have completed FSI-1 and have extensive training and experience themselves. Three of our guys are even certified by NYS to teach THIER PROGRAMS - BUT THEY CAN'T. What sense does that make?
Sorry for ranting and steering away from the original topic. But in defense of the TFD and almost all of us other volunteer FDs in Westchester - HOW THE F*** CAN WE EVER BE EXPECTED TO MEET OSHA/NFPA/ Other REGULATIONS WHEN THE PROGRAMS AREN'T OFFERED A FRACTION OF HOW OFTEN THEY SHOULD BE?
/Rant