dwcfireman

 
I like the folks at 60 control.  They're just like you and me.  the only difference is that they are not at the scene.  They have to put together a picture of what's going on through your words, and piece together the information of what's going on.  It's a difficult and thankless job, and I'm glad they're there to do it!
 
Praise to thee, dispatchers.  Your are the ones that are sh@t upon when things are going sour, but you are the ones that can get us the sh!t we need when the tough gets going!  Keep up the good work!

Never looked down at the dispatchers at 60 Control. Bickered with some at times, but everybody has a difference of opinion now and then. I also always considered them my co-workers, just like the firefighters riding with me. We would many times invite them to our firehouse for a meal or coffee. To me, they did a great job. Of course, some in my profession treated them, lets just say, differently.  

"Two-driver fire truck."  I guess the reporter really knows what the T and D stand for in TDA! hahaha
 
I find it a bit funny when people are surprised that a TDA requires two drivers, but it is absolutely awesome what the rig can pull of when it needs to make those tight turns.  Even better, those two "paid drivers" also happen to be firefighters, so once the rig is placed and the stick is up, they go to work!  Amazing how that works!

 
First you have to get the apparatus to the scene quickly and efficiently. Position it properly, secure your water source, feed numerous lines at different pressures and volumes, proportion foam additives, continually monitor all those lines, communications, equipment leaving the truck, some with electrical or hydraulic lines connected to the truck, etc. etc.  That 'glorified driver' is like a conductor for a Philharmonic Orchestra.

We had a mayor publicly call us "A bunch of glorified truck drivers" when we were negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. He also stated in the newspaper article that we "just drive the trucks to the fire, the volunteers fight the fire." We kicked his butt in arbitration. His motives (I think) were to divide the career and volunteer members. Didn't work.  But the public, unfortunately, thought otherwise till we educated them on how our department worked. But that's ancient history.

Dammit, Seth, you made me hit the blue button again! hahaha
 

New Foam pumper for Engine 14 in Newark. This rig was bought thru a grant with the NFD paying 25%. Pictures were taken Wildwood this past weekend, the rig will enter service in a few weeks. Engine 14's current 2003 E-1 pumper will be re-painted, re-furbished and assigned to Engine 18.

Members of Engine 14 training with their new rig today. This rig can flow some serious water!

I know a few troopers of the same size who used to drive the 5.0L Mustangs.
We used to chuckle watching them getting in and out of those cars. 
 
 

"The truth is, the public is completely responsible for the high number of calls that the fire department responds to. "
 
The real truth is not just in the public.  Yes, the public is becoming more reliant on 911 services to assist them to see a doctor, but another statement from the article shows the other side of the story, too:
 
"Her doctor told her to call 911 for a ride to the emergency room; he didn’t have any appointments until later in the week. "
 
Is this really what doctors are advising their patients to do?  I understand in some extreme occasions where someone is extremely sick, such as a 60 y/o female with bronchitis, where 911 service is possibly necessary, But, how many doctors are telling their patients to just call 911?  And, before I get ostracized for this question, I am completely aware of the medical services shortage when it comes to doctors and nurses (my girlfriend is a RN and she is called into work on almost every day she has off).
 
"When 911 is called for rides to the emergency room, resources are squandered, urgent care for those who truly need it is delayed, and myths about firefighters padding their numbers responding to little old ladies who just need a ride to the ER are born. "
 
Let's break this down into two parts.  The first, which is already evident to us, is the squandering of resources.  If doctors and nurses are already short-handed, what would make any medical professional think that there are enough ambulances to assist with day to day medical issues?  Doctors know that 911 EMS services are also short-handed, so why would they compromise the 911 services in the same way that their own practices are compromised?  Calling 911 for a non life-threatening issue seems to be the way of the game these days, and it's getting a little out of hand.  Then again, I'm sure the insurance companies love it!
 
The other part from the above quote is the padding of numbers.  Why would there ever be a myth that FDs "pad" response numbers?  I thought we had the common goal as EMS and the Police to save lives?  Or am I wrong on some weird political agenda?  I'm glad the writer (Michael Morse) mentions that sometimes an EMS trained engine is more than often closer than an ambulance, and that interventions can begin well before a transport is available.  This comes hardy as we are in a time, as stated above, 911 ambulances can be scarce and we need responders on scene "applying band-aids" to the problem to secure the best chances for survival.
 
*sigh* I'm more than sure I could keep ranting on about this, but I'll leave it at here for now.

I can't put a number to it and it's not always the doctor themselves saying it, but in my experience it is a very, very, very common thing for a person to call their doctor and be told to go to the ER and oftentimes that includes calling 911 for an ambulance to take them.
 
 

"The truth is, the public is completely responsible for the high number of calls that the fire department responds to. "
 
The real truth is not just in the public.  Yes, the public is becoming more reliant on 911 services to assist them to see a doctor, but another statement from the article shows the other side of the story, too:
 
"Her doctor told her to call 911 for a ride to the emergency room; he didn’t have any appointments until later in the week. "
 
Is this really what doctors are advising their patients to do?  I understand in some extreme occasions where someone is extremely sick, such as a 60 y/o female with bronchitis, where 911 service is possibly necessary, But, how many doctors are telling their patients to just call 911?  And, before I get ostracized for this question, I am completely aware of the medical services shortage when it comes to doctors and nurses (my girlfriend is a RN and she is called into work on almost every day she has off).
 
"When 911 is called for rides to the emergency room, resources are squandered, urgent care for those who truly need it is delayed, and myths about firefighters padding their numbers responding to little old ladies who just need a ride to the ER are born. "
 
Let's break this down into two parts.  The first, which is already evident to us, is the squandering of resources.  If doctors and nurses are already short-handed, what would make any medical professional think that there are enough ambulances to assist with day to day medical issues?  Doctors know that 911 EMS services are also short-handed, so why would they compromise the 911 services in the same way that their own practices are compromised?  Calling 911 for a non life-threatening issue seems to be the way of the game these days, and it's getting a little out of hand.  Then again, I'm sure the insurance companies love it!
 
The other part from the above quote is the padding of numbers.  Why would there ever be a myth that FDs "pad" response numbers?  I thought we had the common goal as EMS and the Police to save lives?  Or am I wrong on some weird political agenda?  I'm glad the writer (Michael Morse) mentions that sometimes an EMS trained engine is more than often closer than an ambulance, and that interventions can begin well before a transport is available.  This comes hardy as we are in a time, as stated above, 911 ambulances can be scarce and we need responders on scene "applying band-aids" to the problem to secure the best chances for survival.
 
*sigh* I'm more than sure I could keep ranting on about this, but I'll leave it at here for now.

New utility, new chief car, refurbed air trailer.... Now to start working on a new ladder!  In all seriousness, NWP has been extremely proactive and is doing an excellent job moving forward!

"The truth is, the public is completely responsible for the high number of calls that the fire department responds to. "
 
The real truth is not just in the public.  Yes, the public is becoming more reliant on 911 services to assist them to see a doctor, but another statement from the article shows the other side of the story, too:
 
"Her doctor told her to call 911 for a ride to the emergency room; he didn’t have any appointments until later in the week. "
 
Is this really what doctors are advising their patients to do?  I understand in some extreme occasions where someone is extremely sick, such as a 60 y/o female with bronchitis, where 911 service is possibly necessary, But, how many doctors are telling their patients to just call 911?  And, before I get ostracized for this question, I am completely aware of the medical services shortage when it comes to doctors and nurses (my girlfriend is a RN and she is called into work on almost every day she has off).
 
"When 911 is called for rides to the emergency room, resources are squandered, urgent care for those who truly need it is delayed, and myths about firefighters padding their numbers responding to little old ladies who just need a ride to the ER are born. "
 
Let's break this down into two parts.  The first, which is already evident to us, is the squandering of resources.  If doctors and nurses are already short-handed, what would make any medical professional think that there are enough ambulances to assist with day to day medical issues?  Doctors know that 911 EMS services are also short-handed, so why would they compromise the 911 services in the same way that their own practices are compromised?  Calling 911 for a non life-threatening issue seems to be the way of the game these days, and it's getting a little out of hand.  Then again, I'm sure the insurance companies love it!
 
The other part from the above quote is the padding of numbers.  Why would there ever be a myth that FDs "pad" response numbers?  I thought we had the common goal as EMS and the Police to save lives?  Or am I wrong on some weird political agenda?  I'm glad the writer (Michael Morse) mentions that sometimes an EMS trained engine is more than often closer than an ambulance, and that interventions can begin well before a transport is available.  This comes hardy as we are in a time, as stated above, 911 ambulances can be scarce and we need responders on scene "applying band-aids" to the problem to secure the best chances for survival.
 
*sigh* I'm more than sure I could keep ranting on about this, but I'll leave it at here for now.

New utility, new chief car, refurbed air trailer.... Now to start working on a new ladder!  In all seriousness, NWP has been extremely proactive and is doing an excellent job moving forward!

One Of These is Not Like The Other...
 

NIce car. I would have liked to see their patch as the door decal, but that is because I think they have one of the best patches around. Gotta love Currier & Ives.

I HATED the shot I took the other day and posted above, so here's a better shot:
 

North White Plains FD recently refurbished their air and light trailer.  This trailer is capable of filling an unlimited amount of SCBA bottles self-sufficiently, has a light tower for scene lighting, and electrical generation capabilities.
 
It can be towed by Rescue 33, Utility 147, or Car 2322.
 

 

I think the chief likes it! lol

I'll put it this way, because mutual aid is just that.  Someone is coming to help your citizens when you are unavailable.
 
If you are in a town that has a volunteer ambulance corps, or even a city with a contracted EMS service, and they cannot get a bus out, then under mutual aid the next available bus will be sent.  It doesn't matter if your town has a contract or not with an outside private EMS provider, because they are going to respond if they are the next available EMS provider.  Your town does not need a RFP/RFQ with a second agency to respond as mutual aid.  You only need it for your primary response.
 
Yes, there are some towns/counties/states out there that do require a RFP/RFQ for private EMS agencies to respond as mutual aid, but this is generally on a case by case basis as it is not common. 

 
This is a major factor why firefighters are generally not trained to properly deal with gas and electrical emergencies.  It takes a great deal of training, qualification, re-qualification, and maintaining the equipment to the mandatory standards; It's much like the standards for bail-out devices or EMS certifications.  It's a great deal of work, especially for volleys who barely have time these days to have them time put out fires or respond to car accidents.  Then again, if firefighters really want to be able to do the job,, they will take the training and maintain their currency.
 
And, as far as the skills go, you're right.  You can't teach it.  It takes a keen eye and a smart mind to identify curb valves versus main valves and understanding where they are located, never mind knowing the construction of the gas line system and what kind of pressures it's producing.  Only over time and responding to these incidents will you eventually become comfortable with how the system works and and how to mitigate a situation properly (I work in aviation, which is HEAVILY regulated.  I know the pain!).

 
This is a major factor why firefighters are generally not trained to properly deal with gas and electrical emergencies.  It takes a great deal of training, qualification, re-qualification, and maintaining the equipment to the mandatory standards; It's much like the standards for bail-out devices or EMS certifications.  It's a great deal of work, especially for volleys who barely have time these days to have them time put out fires or respond to car accidents.  Then again, if firefighters really want to be able to do the job,, they will take the training and maintain their currency.
 
And, as far as the skills go, you're right.  You can't teach it.  It takes a keen eye and a smart mind to identify curb valves versus main valves and understanding where they are located, never mind knowing the construction of the gas line system and what kind of pressures it's producing.  Only over time and responding to these incidents will you eventually become comfortable with how the system works and and how to mitigate a situation properly (I work in aviation, which is HEAVILY regulated.  I know the pain!).

 
This is a major factor why firefighters are generally not trained to properly deal with gas and electrical emergencies.  It takes a great deal of training, qualification, re-qualification, and maintaining the equipment to the mandatory standards; It's much like the standards for bail-out devices or EMS certifications.  It's a great deal of work, especially for volleys who barely have time these days to have them time put out fires or respond to car accidents.  Then again, if firefighters really want to be able to do the job,, they will take the training and maintain their currency.
 
And, as far as the skills go, you're right.  You can't teach it.  It takes a keen eye and a smart mind to identify curb valves versus main valves and understanding where they are located, never mind knowing the construction of the gas line system and what kind of pressures it's producing.  Only over time and responding to these incidents will you eventually become comfortable with how the system works and and how to mitigate a situation properly (I work in aviation, which is HEAVILY regulated.  I know the pain!).

 
This is a major factor why firefighters are generally not trained to properly deal with gas and electrical emergencies.  It takes a great deal of training, qualification, re-qualification, and maintaining the equipment to the mandatory standards; It's much like the standards for bail-out devices or EMS certifications.  It's a great deal of work, especially for volleys who barely have time these days to have them time put out fires or respond to car accidents.  Then again, if firefighters really want to be able to do the job,, they will take the training and maintain their currency.
 
And, as far as the skills go, you're right.  You can't teach it.  It takes a keen eye and a smart mind to identify curb valves versus main valves and understanding where they are located, never mind knowing the construction of the gas line system and what kind of pressures it's producing.  Only over time and responding to these incidents will you eventually become comfortable with how the system works and and how to mitigate a situation properly (I work in aviation, which is HEAVILY regulated.  I know the pain!).