dwcfireman

I watched both videos...both were quite handsome to watch. First, I have to say I've never seen a roof plume up like that. It puts perspective on the fact that you don't know what happened prior to your arrival. That roof is definitely compromised, bu the FD won't know until a bystander says something.
As for the second video.....where's the support to stop the garage door from closing? I can understand how you can approach an oped overhead door and believe that it will stay up, but there is no definitive reason for it to stay up. A little force from even blowing smoke/hot gasses can move a heavy object (especially when tat object has wheels on a pre-defined track). I'm sure a well placed 2x4 or even a pike pole would have prevented the closure. [bTW, don't take this comment as a Monday morning QB remark; I'm simply stating something obvious because it can and will save a life. I'd rather make it seem like a MMQB remark than attend a LODD funeral.]

Took my CDL road test in an 1988 Autocar. Beast of a truck!
Courtesy of the Oshkosh website, this is what we're using at HPN for heavy snow removal. It's amazing how far the technology has come along, and this thing is a beast! And, yes, it's all wheel steering.

In my opinion, if you have this type of vehicle (METU) available at your disposal, why not utilize it for different types of incidents i.e. MCIs. I am sure that Yonkers would be more than happy to send their METU wherever it is needed, but there should be a County METU that responds to the same types of incidents as the Yonkers METU. What if there is an major incident that requires more than 1 METU? The recent train accident could have been much worse with so many more casualties. In that case, more than 1 METU would be needed.
I understand that the main purpose of the DES METU is to evacuate SNFs, but the evacuation of SNFs is not something that needs to be done on a regular basis. With that being said, instead of having the METU sitting around collecting dust, they should use it for MCIs, large scale rehab at a fire scene & so on. It would be a good use of the federal tax dollars.

I'm going to focus on the waste part of the issue. Why do we pay for (again, the source of the money is irrelevant) a piece of apparatus that will sit and collect dust and rust for it to be used once in a blue moon? If the WCDES METU was granted for the sole purpose of evacuating nursing homes and similar facilities, does that mean that we actually have a problem evacuating said facilities? Do we have to evacuate these facilities that often that we need a vehicle SOLELY for that purpose?
We've reacted wildly after every terror attack and every natural disaster to get the best, shiniest equipment, yet a lot of this equipment ends up sitting idle. If we have a METU, why can't it be used in MCI situations, not just to be able to get the motor running every now and then, but to use that darn thing? And couldn't it be part of a larger, regional task force, where it and similar units from around the area can work as a team to respond to large scale MCI calls?

I'm going to focus on the waste part of the issue. Why do we pay for (again, the source of the money is irrelevant) a piece of apparatus that will sit and collect dust and rust for it to be used once in a blue moon? If the WCDES METU was granted for the sole purpose of evacuating nursing homes and similar facilities, does that mean that we actually have a problem evacuating said facilities? Do we have to evacuate these facilities that often that we need a vehicle SOLELY for that purpose?
We've reacted wildly after every terror attack and every natural disaster to get the best, shiniest equipment, yet a lot of this equipment ends up sitting idle. If we have a METU, why can't it be used in MCI situations, not just to be able to get the motor running every now and then, but to use that darn thing? And couldn't it be part of a larger, regional task force, where it and similar units from around the area can work as a team to respond to large scale MCI calls?

I'm going to focus on the waste part of the issue. Why do we pay for (again, the source of the money is irrelevant) a piece of apparatus that will sit and collect dust and rust for it to be used once in a blue moon? If the WCDES METU was granted for the sole purpose of evacuating nursing homes and similar facilities, does that mean that we actually have a problem evacuating said facilities? Do we have to evacuate these facilities that often that we need a vehicle SOLELY for that purpose?
We've reacted wildly after every terror attack and every natural disaster to get the best, shiniest equipment, yet a lot of this equipment ends up sitting idle. If we have a METU, why can't it be used in MCI situations, not just to be able to get the motor running every now and then, but to use that darn thing? And couldn't it be part of a larger, regional task force, where it and similar units from around the area can work as a team to respond to large scale MCI calls?

I'm going to focus on the waste part of the issue. Why do we pay for (again, the source of the money is irrelevant) a piece of apparatus that will sit and collect dust and rust for it to be used once in a blue moon? If the WCDES METU was granted for the sole purpose of evacuating nursing homes and similar facilities, does that mean that we actually have a problem evacuating said facilities? Do we have to evacuate these facilities that often that we need a vehicle SOLELY for that purpose?
We've reacted wildly after every terror attack and every natural disaster to get the best, shiniest equipment, yet a lot of this equipment ends up sitting idle. If we have a METU, why can't it be used in MCI situations, not just to be able to get the motor running every now and then, but to use that darn thing? And couldn't it be part of a larger, regional task force, where it and similar units from around the area can work as a team to respond to large scale MCI calls?

I'm going to focus on the waste part of the issue. Why do we pay for (again, the source of the money is irrelevant) a piece of apparatus that will sit and collect dust and rust for it to be used once in a blue moon? If the WCDES METU was granted for the sole purpose of evacuating nursing homes and similar facilities, does that mean that we actually have a problem evacuating said facilities? Do we have to evacuate these facilities that often that we need a vehicle SOLELY for that purpose?
We've reacted wildly after every terror attack and every natural disaster to get the best, shiniest equipment, yet a lot of this equipment ends up sitting idle. If we have a METU, why can't it be used in MCI situations, not just to be able to get the motor running every now and then, but to use that darn thing? And couldn't it be part of a larger, regional task force, where it and similar units from around the area can work as a team to respond to large scale MCI calls?

That was my point exactly in response to an earlier post about it not being local tax money.
Taxes are taxes and waste is waste..

Funny that we get worked up over the trivial things about the fire service, but we don't get as agitated about the important stuff.
Anyway, what other parts of buildings are becoming "lightweight?" Is there any one around here that works construction and is seeing cheaper cost-effective construction?

Not really.
Its been asked, but rarely has the fire service got up and real made a stink. How hard did we lobby for it? Did we complain as loudly as when the state threatened to take away the blue light?

How about the fire service lobbying against it?

HOLY $H!T!!! I did not realize that stairs were being built "lightweight" as well. Thanks for this heads up....I would have never known.
It's a shame that construction and the respective building codes allow this kind of construction at all. I understand that it's been proven safe [when it's not on fire or damaged by water or nature], but at what point is someone going to stand up and say enough is enough? Is it 5 FF-LODDs? 10? 1,000? And why can't the almighty insurance lobby step in and say, "Hold on, these homes burn to the ground and cost us millions extra in payouts. Stop this."? Oh, wait...I forgot it's about the bottom line. Apparently it's worth it to someone.

given The vast discussion of Last weeks; condos in edgewater of Lightweight Construction a buddy of mine who's living in southern Pa. had this Post arrive from an Incident in Bryans Road Maryland which is a bedroom community along the Potomic River.....
(The 1st Photo shows extensive Basement Damage to a residential fire In which the "Engineered strandboard I beams" burned 87% away and are sagging in the photo,)
"This is a photo from the basement of the House Fire today. Notice the burnt out I-beams. These are the engineered beams that are common in construction over the last few years. The floor in the living area above had sagged about a foot and was on the verge of collapse when noticed by interior Officers and crews. Fortunately no one was injured and the area was cordoned off. Just another reminder of what can and will kill us. Thanks to Mark Kaufmann for sharing the photo."
below (2nd Picture) shows The general configuration of these OSB I beams in another larger structure, Obviously These are being supported By 2x 6 headers and studs for a larger structure...obviously larger then a single fam dwelling

Just to expand on what the brother said here:
We had the light weight hose in service for about 2 years (give or take), however, it was discovered that the hose (where it meets the coupling) was deteriorating at an incredible rate and leaking. So far, they seem to blame the fact that our roll-ups are stacked outside and exposed to the elements all the time. So, we went back to the tried and true. No one minds, it always works
MOST important? It's a good tool, I'll give ya that, but I'd say that the Control Man's best friend is a pipe wrench. When all else fails (wheel, vice grips, spanner, ect.) the pipe wrench will get the stuck cap off and water flowing. Water will still get to the nozzle, pressure gauge or not. Worst cast, maybe you just test the will of the nozzle-man

Ossining has a lot of firefighters and a lot of apparatus. And being that many units directly surrounding Valhalla were called in, It makes sense to bring in 1 & 1 from OFD. Armonk and W. Harrison are better left alone in a situation like this to cover other calls, especially since they're both responders to the airport (which the county considers a big deal). You also have to remember that you can't strip all of your neighbors of equipment and manpower. Sometimes you have to call in someone from a few towns away so you can keep responders available for everything else. It's really like a game of chess when you bring in mutual aid and stand by companies.

Looks like a good job by the IC in what (hopefully) will be a once in a lifetime incident.
I hope Critical incident stress debriefing was offered to the first responders and I would hope Metro North would offer something to the passengers as well. By what I have read some very horrific images were witnessed by first responders and civilians.
Chiefs and commissioners...when you swore in the 18, 19 year old gung ho members they put their trust in you. Physically and mentally. So did their parents who probably signed "consent" forms. You don't want them resigning over this, leaving your organization and being forever "broken" over what they witnessed.
Good job guys.

There is a member on this thread who is obviously intentionally trying to hijack threads and create conflict. He's made several inflammatory comments in other threads on other matters, and I just removed a post of his in the Somers Firehouse Fire Incident Alert thread trying to start the same argument he's trying to make here. He's been warned before about this behavior, but seemingly doesn't care. His behavior and assertions are offending numerous members of this forum, intentionally creating hostility, and taking threads off course. Therefore, his posts must be approved by a moderator prior to being seen by the general membership going forward. This isn't just one post were talking about, this is a pattern of behavior across different threads and it needs to stop. I don't care if people accuse me of censorship regarding this, something needs to be done since this type of repetitive behavior without regard for its consequences damages this forum and inhibits constructive and interesting discussion and dissemination of accurate information.
The dispatchers on duty at 60 Control did an excellent job during this overwhelming and unprecedented incident. Many people don't understand what it's like to work in a multi-jurisdictional multi-discipline communications center, and the complexities that come along with it on a normal day, let alone during something like this. This forum, and I, will not stand by them and not let a member purposely use this as a venue to try and tarnish and second guess such strong and solid work with such unfounded, unfair, and intentionally inflammatory claims.
I ask that this issue ends here, and constructive discussion regarding this incident resumes. If you have any concerns regarding this, please contact me.

"Bottom of Da Hill" - you keep accusing a dispatcher of just dispatching his department to an incident. Don't you think that he/she would have to answer to a Supervisor? How do you know someone didn't call on the phone and tell him/her who to send?
Do everyone a favor, STOP!!!! You are making your whole department look foolish,

Bottom of Da Hill give it a rest already! You are just making yourself look even more and more clueless. No one agrees with you here (how can you not see that?), no one with any education will agree with you here, and no one wants to read any more of your posts trying to hijack and ruin this thread with your personally biased, absurd claims of favoritism. I'm starting to suspect you're just upset your department wasn't called. Again, wrong incident, wrong thread, and wrong time to be making such stupid claims.

Thank you! I was there, and the troops did a fantastic job. I have never seen anything like this in my career, and hopefully this will be the only time. I understand it's easy to Monday morning quarterback, but people forget that there is mass confusion, communications breakdowns, and just utter chaos with incidents like this. It's best that those of us there take this as a learning experience and pass it on to the next generation of emergency personnel, because they will need to learn from this so the job is done even better next time.

Bottom of Da Hill, on 03 Feb 2015 - 11:28 PM, said:
why stand by fd units from ossining isnt that a little far away?maybe armonk or west harrison white plains ?
Bottom of Da Hill, on 04 Feb 2015 - 01:47 AM, said:
or maybe just maybe the dispatcher is a member of said FD? thats what it is?you have fairview hartsdale sleepyhollow tarrytown just a few miles away.favoritism with few dispatchers i noticed.
Bottom of Da Hill, on 04 Feb 2015 - 02:06 AM, said:
i know all about mutual aid very well and i agree with you to a point.but there is favoritism.
Bottom of Da Hill, on 04 Feb 2015 - 03:16 AM, said:
the grand scheme should get what you need there sooner then later kinda like a fast team? thats my experience tells me its not a parade.get what you need ASAP.i dont think the dispatchers should have that kind of power to show favoritism to the dept they belong to.
Well all the departments you listed including Ossining are a 12-15 minute drive to Valhalla's station. It's not about speed and who is closest for relocations, it's how to balance all of the resources in the county. A relocation is not an emergency per se. It is better to skip over several departments so that wide gaps in coverage aren't created in the process. Hawthorne, Valhalla, North White Plains, Elmsford, Thornwood, and Briarcliff had units committed to this job during rush hour. Leaving TFD, SHFD, PHFD, WHFD, AFD, untouched meant that whichever company relocated to VFD would have had a full complement of second due departments nearby available to respond to another major incident.
You're hung up on Ossining but the fact of the matter is that they've got a half dozen engines two trucks rescue and support equipment plus a lot of manpower. I'd like you to name a major job North of White Plains from the past 20 years that they haven't been on or relocated for. An 3 man engine or 1 man truck from Hartsdale on a relocate... That's just silly. If I was Greenville, Hartsdale, or Fairview I'd decline the request for a relocate knowing that if have to call back manpower to cover my first due.
The box was filled appropriately and just because a few Ossining members work for or have previously worked for 60 control does not indicate favoritism. If it's big and in northern Westchester you can be sure Ossining, Bedford Hills, and/or Yorktown are going to be part of the job.

Ossining has a lot of firefighters and a lot of apparatus. And being that many units directly surrounding Valhalla were called in, It makes sense to bring in 1 & 1 from OFD. Armonk and W. Harrison are better left alone in a situation like this to cover other calls, especially since they're both responders to the airport (which the county considers a big deal). You also have to remember that you can't strip all of your neighbors of equipment and manpower. Sometimes you have to call in someone from a few towns away so you can keep responders available for everything else. It's really like a game of chess when you bring in mutual aid and stand by companies.

Thank you! I was there, and the troops did a fantastic job. I have never seen anything like this in my career, and hopefully this will be the only time. I understand it's easy to Monday morning quarterback, but people forget that there is mass confusion, communications breakdowns, and just utter chaos with incidents like this. It's best that those of us there take this as a learning experience and pass it on to the next generation of emergency personnel, because they will need to learn from this so the job is done even better next time.

Thank you! I was there, and the troops did a fantastic job. I have never seen anything like this in my career, and hopefully this will be the only time. I understand it's easy to Monday morning quarterback, but people forget that there is mass confusion, communications breakdowns, and just utter chaos with incidents like this. It's best that those of us there take this as a learning experience and pass it on to the next generation of emergency personnel, because they will need to learn from this so the job is done even better next time.