dwcfireman

I gave you a like, Jim, because it's definitely something that's gone to the wayside. A lot of members won't reply to posts, and then they get to the point where they read and just move on. It's like looking at Facebook all day....eventually you just see a few posts and move on. But sometimes there's a great topic and some awesome information that comes across the threads, and no one acknowledges that they were there, that they read anything! I'm just as guilty of this, as sometimes I'm just catching up on things or just reading a few threads before I have to run out the door.
But, you're right. We should be acknowledging each other a little more with that tiny blue button in the lower left corner.

My daughter lives in Maryland. Schools, fire, police are all county based. System works very well and the taxpayers get the advantage of lower taxes.  I have been saying for years that this system should be used in New York. However, I know this will never happen. Politics wins again over common sense.

dwcfireman - Great posts. Please keep us updated.

 
The plan is to keep the two volunteer fire companies separate, and the two along with the career staff would function as a single department.  Since they already work together on several fronts, like you said these consolidation talks seem to be more of a formality.  It seems to me that they want to create an environment where both Fishers and Victor volunteer organizations would be able to maintain their identities.  But it sounds like the plan is to have the career staff deal with more of the day to day alarms that volunteers tend to have smaller responses for.  I think the wording in the article was off on this, so it may be that the career staff may just be stepping up their non-emergency duties like inspections and fire prevention.
 
On a separate note, and I forgot about this before, is a consolidation that happened in the northeast section of Monroe County in 2004.  The North East Joint Fire District was approved, combining the East Webster Fire District, Penfield North East Fire District, and the Village of Webster Fire Department.  The NEJFD is known as the Webster Fire Department.  [http://www.nejfd.org/content/nejfdhistory/]

 
I know the masses here on EMTBravo love to talk about consolidation, and since I stumbled upon this while reading the news, I figured it could be a fun discussion where consolidation IS moving forward.  So, I'll start us off with some facts and information about the districts.
 
The Village and Town of Victor are located in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, about a 20 minute drive southeast from downtown Rochester.
 
This article states that on March 20, the joint session of the Village and Town Boards of Victor voted to bring the issue of consolidating the two fire districts, Victor and Fishers, into a single fire district.  Since the two districts are already relying on each other for manpower and equipment, to the point where they purchase equipment together (such as their ATV's), the joint boards have put though the idea to consolidate the districts.  The other reason, in which the article points to, is that a single district would also level out the taxes that property owners are paying (where taxpayers in the Fishers district would see a slight decrease, and Victor would see a slight increase).  Leveling out the tax levy, according to Victor Fire Chief Sean McAdoo, puts more tax burden back onto the taxpayers of the Victor district, as they are currently receiving more services under the current mutual aid and equipment purchasing plans.
 
The Victor Fire Department is based in the heart of the Village of Victor.  The village is tight on space, houses the Victor Central School District, and is heavily congested with traffic along Main Street.  VFD also covers the Victor Fire Protection District, which surrounds the village in the south and west sides of the town.  These areas are generally residential, with multiple subdivisions in the west and some agriculture in the south.  VFD operates with a quint, engine, heavy rescue, brush truck, and two utilities.  The VFD is 100% volunteer staffing.  [http://victorfire.com]
 
The Fishers Fire Department operates out of two stations, covering the north and west sections of the Town of Victor.  Station 1 is in the west side, comprised of mostly residential, some industrial, and agriculture towards the southern end of the district.  Station 1 is also their headquarters, which houses a quint, engine, and heavy rescue.  Station 2 is at the north end, which is a heavy commercial/retail district, including Eastview Mall, the largest shopping center in the Rochester area.  Station 2 houses an engine, brush truck, and two utilities.  The FFD is a combination department with four career firefighters per platoon (four platoons), but relies heavily on volunteers.  I don't know off hand which apparatus they staff, but I believe it is the engine out of Station 1.  I have not talked to anyone within that organization in years, so my knowledge of the career staffing is a little lacking.  The FFD also covers a large section of the NYS Thruway.  [http://www.fishersfd.org]
 
In my honest opinion, the fact that these two districts have already been working together as a single unit through training, response, and equipment purchasing, it makes sense for them to consolidate into a single district.  Although only one of the district's taxpayers would benefit financially, it's better for these two districts to completely join forces to increase the benefit of emergency services to the people they protect.  This has been foreseen by many in the area, and the fact that it may actually become a reality is enlightening.
 
Maybe a trend will start out of this?

Two things jumped out at me in this article. First it seems to be that these two departments have been functioning as one for some time so this may be a matter of formality to combine. I can see good and bad to this, as it seems to include stretching the career staff pretty thin. However if they are responding into that area already, it might reduce response time depending on their deployment. I think it is a good thing that these departments are starting the talks themselves instead of having them forced upon them by the municipalities and having to start from behind the 8 ball.
 
Second was the idea that this would create 3 organizations. Two VFD's and 1 Career staff (article did not call it an FD) that would all essentially work for the same district. So I am not sure this is really all that much of a consolidation, at least not more of one than they already have. Other than management of the career staff (which might become more complicated) I don't see a big change here. Although much depends on who will be responsible for what, such as apparatus, equipment and stations.

As someone who has a full time job on the nightshift  and every weekend this has always been a problem for me. My department's drills are in the evening with no immediate plans to change that. They'd just rather b**** about the guys that don't make it. Best quote I ever read was from this forum. "For a service that requires 24/7 availability it sucks you have to work Monday through Friday 9-5 to be able to attend any trainings". Even state sponsored trainings in my area follow that schedule.

Anytime is a good time to train. 

Seth, my FD rotates drills and truck checks every Sunday (morning) and Monday (evening).
Like many VFD's, we have many members who work shift work. We try to accommodate this by adding weekday drills and truck checks (usually Tuesday or Thursday). It works well for us. Gives everyone a fair chance at keeping fresh on their training and our equipment. 

I came across something pretty interesting at a FD I was at recently.
 
They have a lot of members who work nights and weekends, or have childcare issues that prevent from attending, So each Wednesday, at 9AM, they drill.
 
Pretty cool solution to make sure training is accessible to everybody. Do any other departments do this?

We never had much in the way of formal daytime drills, but in my old station if there were a bunch of members around during the day it was not unusual to hold a drill. We got a lot of pushback on that from members who worked during the day and felt that they were being denied the "right" to drill so those of us around in the day should not do drill reports or get any kind of credit for doing that drill. This was also briefly a problem when we were a combination department and there were occasional drills during the day for the career staff and any available volunteers. There was a certain volunteer element that felt these were somehow being used to avoid our weekly nighttime drills.
 
I am a fan of drilling in any way possible and favor a combination of day and night drills, whenever possible. I applaud that department for figuring out a way around the problems their membership was having.

 
I know the masses here on EMTBravo love to talk about consolidation, and since I stumbled upon this while reading the news, I figured it could be a fun discussion where consolidation IS moving forward.  So, I'll start us off with some facts and information about the districts.
 
The Village and Town of Victor are located in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, about a 20 minute drive southeast from downtown Rochester.
 
This article states that on March 20, the joint session of the Village and Town Boards of Victor voted to bring the issue of consolidating the two fire districts, Victor and Fishers, into a single fire district.  Since the two districts are already relying on each other for manpower and equipment, to the point where they purchase equipment together (such as their ATV's), the joint boards have put though the idea to consolidate the districts.  The other reason, in which the article points to, is that a single district would also level out the taxes that property owners are paying (where taxpayers in the Fishers district would see a slight decrease, and Victor would see a slight increase).  Leveling out the tax levy, according to Victor Fire Chief Sean McAdoo, puts more tax burden back onto the taxpayers of the Victor district, as they are currently receiving more services under the current mutual aid and equipment purchasing plans.
 
The Victor Fire Department is based in the heart of the Village of Victor.  The village is tight on space, houses the Victor Central School District, and is heavily congested with traffic along Main Street.  VFD also covers the Victor Fire Protection District, which surrounds the village in the south and west sides of the town.  These areas are generally residential, with multiple subdivisions in the west and some agriculture in the south.  VFD operates with a quint, engine, heavy rescue, brush truck, and two utilities.  The VFD is 100% volunteer staffing.  [http://victorfire.com]
 
The Fishers Fire Department operates out of two stations, covering the north and west sections of the Town of Victor.  Station 1 is in the west side, comprised of mostly residential, some industrial, and agriculture towards the southern end of the district.  Station 1 is also their headquarters, which houses a quint, engine, and heavy rescue.  Station 2 is at the north end, which is a heavy commercial/retail district, including Eastview Mall, the largest shopping center in the Rochester area.  Station 2 houses an engine, brush truck, and two utilities.  The FFD is a combination department with four career firefighters per platoon (four platoons), but relies heavily on volunteers.  I don't know off hand which apparatus they staff, but I believe it is the engine out of Station 1.  I have not talked to anyone within that organization in years, so my knowledge of the career staffing is a little lacking.  The FFD also covers a large section of the NYS Thruway.  [http://www.fishersfd.org]
 
In my honest opinion, the fact that these two districts have already been working together as a single unit through training, response, and equipment purchasing, it makes sense for them to consolidate into a single district.  Although only one of the district's taxpayers would benefit financially, it's better for these two districts to completely join forces to increase the benefit of emergency services to the people they protect.  This has been foreseen by many in the area, and the fact that it may actually become a reality is enlightening.
 
Maybe a trend will start out of this?

 
I know the masses here on EMTBravo love to talk about consolidation, and since I stumbled upon this while reading the news, I figured it could be a fun discussion where consolidation IS moving forward.  So, I'll start us off with some facts and information about the districts.
 
The Village and Town of Victor are located in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, about a 20 minute drive southeast from downtown Rochester.
 
This article states that on March 20, the joint session of the Village and Town Boards of Victor voted to bring the issue of consolidating the two fire districts, Victor and Fishers, into a single fire district.  Since the two districts are already relying on each other for manpower and equipment, to the point where they purchase equipment together (such as their ATV's), the joint boards have put though the idea to consolidate the districts.  The other reason, in which the article points to, is that a single district would also level out the taxes that property owners are paying (where taxpayers in the Fishers district would see a slight decrease, and Victor would see a slight increase).  Leveling out the tax levy, according to Victor Fire Chief Sean McAdoo, puts more tax burden back onto the taxpayers of the Victor district, as they are currently receiving more services under the current mutual aid and equipment purchasing plans.
 
The Victor Fire Department is based in the heart of the Village of Victor.  The village is tight on space, houses the Victor Central School District, and is heavily congested with traffic along Main Street.  VFD also covers the Victor Fire Protection District, which surrounds the village in the south and west sides of the town.  These areas are generally residential, with multiple subdivisions in the west and some agriculture in the south.  VFD operates with a quint, engine, heavy rescue, brush truck, and two utilities.  The VFD is 100% volunteer staffing.  [http://victorfire.com]
 
The Fishers Fire Department operates out of two stations, covering the north and west sections of the Town of Victor.  Station 1 is in the west side, comprised of mostly residential, some industrial, and agriculture towards the southern end of the district.  Station 1 is also their headquarters, which houses a quint, engine, and heavy rescue.  Station 2 is at the north end, which is a heavy commercial/retail district, including Eastview Mall, the largest shopping center in the Rochester area.  Station 2 houses an engine, brush truck, and two utilities.  The FFD is a combination department with four career firefighters per platoon (four platoons), but relies heavily on volunteers.  I don't know off hand which apparatus they staff, but I believe it is the engine out of Station 1.  I have not talked to anyone within that organization in years, so my knowledge of the career staffing is a little lacking.  The FFD also covers a large section of the NYS Thruway.  [http://www.fishersfd.org]
 
In my honest opinion, the fact that these two districts have already been working together as a single unit through training, response, and equipment purchasing, it makes sense for them to consolidate into a single district.  Although only one of the district's taxpayers would benefit financially, it's better for these two districts to completely join forces to increase the benefit of emergency services to the people they protect.  This has been foreseen by many in the area, and the fact that it may actually become a reality is enlightening.
 
Maybe a trend will start out of this?

 
I know the masses here on EMTBravo love to talk about consolidation, and since I stumbled upon this while reading the news, I figured it could be a fun discussion where consolidation IS moving forward.  So, I'll start us off with some facts and information about the districts.
 
The Village and Town of Victor are located in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, about a 20 minute drive southeast from downtown Rochester.
 
This article states that on March 20, the joint session of the Village and Town Boards of Victor voted to bring the issue of consolidating the two fire districts, Victor and Fishers, into a single fire district.  Since the two districts are already relying on each other for manpower and equipment, to the point where they purchase equipment together (such as their ATV's), the joint boards have put though the idea to consolidate the districts.  The other reason, in which the article points to, is that a single district would also level out the taxes that property owners are paying (where taxpayers in the Fishers district would see a slight decrease, and Victor would see a slight increase).  Leveling out the tax levy, according to Victor Fire Chief Sean McAdoo, puts more tax burden back onto the taxpayers of the Victor district, as they are currently receiving more services under the current mutual aid and equipment purchasing plans.
 
The Victor Fire Department is based in the heart of the Village of Victor.  The village is tight on space, houses the Victor Central School District, and is heavily congested with traffic along Main Street.  VFD also covers the Victor Fire Protection District, which surrounds the village in the south and west sides of the town.  These areas are generally residential, with multiple subdivisions in the west and some agriculture in the south.  VFD operates with a quint, engine, heavy rescue, brush truck, and two utilities.  The VFD is 100% volunteer staffing.  [http://victorfire.com]
 
The Fishers Fire Department operates out of two stations, covering the north and west sections of the Town of Victor.  Station 1 is in the west side, comprised of mostly residential, some industrial, and agriculture towards the southern end of the district.  Station 1 is also their headquarters, which houses a quint, engine, and heavy rescue.  Station 2 is at the north end, which is a heavy commercial/retail district, including Eastview Mall, the largest shopping center in the Rochester area.  Station 2 houses an engine, brush truck, and two utilities.  The FFD is a combination department with four career firefighters per platoon (four platoons), but relies heavily on volunteers.  I don't know off hand which apparatus they staff, but I believe it is the engine out of Station 1.  I have not talked to anyone within that organization in years, so my knowledge of the career staffing is a little lacking.  The FFD also covers a large section of the NYS Thruway.  [http://www.fishersfd.org]
 
In my honest opinion, the fact that these two districts have already been working together as a single unit through training, response, and equipment purchasing, it makes sense for them to consolidate into a single district.  Although only one of the district's taxpayers would benefit financially, it's better for these two districts to completely join forces to increase the benefit of emergency services to the people they protect.  This has been foreseen by many in the area, and the fact that it may actually become a reality is enlightening.
 
Maybe a trend will start out of this?

 
I know the masses here on EMTBravo love to talk about consolidation, and since I stumbled upon this while reading the news, I figured it could be a fun discussion where consolidation IS moving forward.  So, I'll start us off with some facts and information about the districts.
 
The Village and Town of Victor are located in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, about a 20 minute drive southeast from downtown Rochester.
 
This article states that on March 20, the joint session of the Village and Town Boards of Victor voted to bring the issue of consolidating the two fire districts, Victor and Fishers, into a single fire district.  Since the two districts are already relying on each other for manpower and equipment, to the point where they purchase equipment together (such as their ATV's), the joint boards have put though the idea to consolidate the districts.  The other reason, in which the article points to, is that a single district would also level out the taxes that property owners are paying (where taxpayers in the Fishers district would see a slight decrease, and Victor would see a slight increase).  Leveling out the tax levy, according to Victor Fire Chief Sean McAdoo, puts more tax burden back onto the taxpayers of the Victor district, as they are currently receiving more services under the current mutual aid and equipment purchasing plans.
 
The Victor Fire Department is based in the heart of the Village of Victor.  The village is tight on space, houses the Victor Central School District, and is heavily congested with traffic along Main Street.  VFD also covers the Victor Fire Protection District, which surrounds the village in the south and west sides of the town.  These areas are generally residential, with multiple subdivisions in the west and some agriculture in the south.  VFD operates with a quint, engine, heavy rescue, brush truck, and two utilities.  The VFD is 100% volunteer staffing.  [http://victorfire.com]
 
The Fishers Fire Department operates out of two stations, covering the north and west sections of the Town of Victor.  Station 1 is in the west side, comprised of mostly residential, some industrial, and agriculture towards the southern end of the district.  Station 1 is also their headquarters, which houses a quint, engine, and heavy rescue.  Station 2 is at the north end, which is a heavy commercial/retail district, including Eastview Mall, the largest shopping center in the Rochester area.  Station 2 houses an engine, brush truck, and two utilities.  The FFD is a combination department with four career firefighters per platoon (four platoons), but relies heavily on volunteers.  I don't know off hand which apparatus they staff, but I believe it is the engine out of Station 1.  I have not talked to anyone within that organization in years, so my knowledge of the career staffing is a little lacking.  The FFD also covers a large section of the NYS Thruway.  [http://www.fishersfd.org]
 
In my honest opinion, the fact that these two districts have already been working together as a single unit through training, response, and equipment purchasing, it makes sense for them to consolidate into a single district.  Although only one of the district's taxpayers would benefit financially, it's better for these two districts to completely join forces to increase the benefit of emergency services to the people they protect.  This has been foreseen by many in the area, and the fact that it may actually become a reality is enlightening.
 
Maybe a trend will start out of this?

 
I know the masses here on EMTBravo love to talk about consolidation, and since I stumbled upon this while reading the news, I figured it could be a fun discussion where consolidation IS moving forward.  So, I'll start us off with some facts and information about the districts.
 
The Village and Town of Victor are located in Ontario County, in the Finger Lakes Region of New York, about a 20 minute drive southeast from downtown Rochester.
 
This article states that on March 20, the joint session of the Village and Town Boards of Victor voted to bring the issue of consolidating the two fire districts, Victor and Fishers, into a single fire district.  Since the two districts are already relying on each other for manpower and equipment, to the point where they purchase equipment together (such as their ATV's), the joint boards have put though the idea to consolidate the districts.  The other reason, in which the article points to, is that a single district would also level out the taxes that property owners are paying (where taxpayers in the Fishers district would see a slight decrease, and Victor would see a slight increase).  Leveling out the tax levy, according to Victor Fire Chief Sean McAdoo, puts more tax burden back onto the taxpayers of the Victor district, as they are currently receiving more services under the current mutual aid and equipment purchasing plans.
 
The Victor Fire Department is based in the heart of the Village of Victor.  The village is tight on space, houses the Victor Central School District, and is heavily congested with traffic along Main Street.  VFD also covers the Victor Fire Protection District, which surrounds the village in the south and west sides of the town.  These areas are generally residential, with multiple subdivisions in the west and some agriculture in the south.  VFD operates with a quint, engine, heavy rescue, brush truck, and two utilities.  The VFD is 100% volunteer staffing.  [http://victorfire.com]
 
The Fishers Fire Department operates out of two stations, covering the north and west sections of the Town of Victor.  Station 1 is in the west side, comprised of mostly residential, some industrial, and agriculture towards the southern end of the district.  Station 1 is also their headquarters, which houses a quint, engine, and heavy rescue.  Station 2 is at the north end, which is a heavy commercial/retail district, including Eastview Mall, the largest shopping center in the Rochester area.  Station 2 houses an engine, brush truck, and two utilities.  The FFD is a combination department with four career firefighters per platoon (four platoons), but relies heavily on volunteers.  I don't know off hand which apparatus they staff, but I believe it is the engine out of Station 1.  I have not talked to anyone within that organization in years, so my knowledge of the career staffing is a little lacking.  The FFD also covers a large section of the NYS Thruway.  [http://www.fishersfd.org]
 
In my honest opinion, the fact that these two districts have already been working together as a single unit through training, response, and equipment purchasing, it makes sense for them to consolidate into a single district.  Although only one of the district's taxpayers would benefit financially, it's better for these two districts to completely join forces to increase the benefit of emergency services to the people they protect.  This has been foreseen by many in the area, and the fact that it may actually become a reality is enlightening.
 
Maybe a trend will start out of this?

Every fire is a challenge.  And every fire is going to be Monday morning quarterbacked.  But I'd rather focus on those scene lights on the bucket...Those things lit up that front yard like daylight!
 
 

We're getting only 1 view from this fire...
 
1) first Due unit appears to be a ladder co. You can hear the outriggers setting up...
 
2) the first line appears to go through the rear of the building. Most homes like this on long island have a rear slider that is opposite the main stairs. You can see a significant change in smoke to steam in the basement before the front door is even open, so water was definitely on the fire. 
 
3) I hate second guessing or making it seem like my way would be the right way, but being it early morning, looking at the smoke condition coming from the bedrooms above the garages (appears that the doors are closed, and the amount of fire in the living room and dining room and the obvious compromise of the stairs, If I was one of the two guys on the front patio, I probably would have VESed them.
 
4) the "hit it hard from the yard" idea... With the obvious amount of fire, and seeing that the living, dining room, kitchen, and stairwell are involved, that whole 80* through the window might work for a single room off, but for that much involvement you need to get to its source and attack it there. Period. And if my observation from note 2 is correct, then hihfty is not even an option. 
 
 
 

I was a bit skeptical when the Ascendant was first introduced (as a single axle, 107' stick), but after looking into it I saw that there are definitely department out there that can use it, whether you're in a tight urban district or have a hilly suburban district with narrow roads.  The 110' ladder tower on a single axle has me skeptical at the moment, but I'm sure it would work for some department out there.

 
My thought process makes me believe that Assemblyman Abinanti actually thinks that consolidation will destroy the "local flavors" of Westchester.  Does he really think that the local flavors will be taken away if there was a single county-run police department?  Fire department?  School district?  Police cars and fire trucks can be outfitted with the local patches on the doors to represent their little nook in the County.  School buses can still have the name of their local area on the side.  The local flavors would not be lost, especially since consolidation of SERVICES has no impact to regular people in their everyday lives.  Pleasantville, for example, will still see people going to Starbucks and getting on the train, and fighting through traffic during rush hour.  But Pleasantville would still be Pleasantville regardless of who is paying for the services.  Oh, wait, the tax payers pay for those services, and they'd be able to afford the vente coffee versus the grande because they're saving money on their tax bills!

I was a bit skeptical when the Ascendant was first introduced (as a single axle, 107' stick), but after looking into it I saw that there are definitely department out there that can use it, whether you're in a tight urban district or have a hilly suburban district with narrow roads.  The 110' ladder tower on a single axle has me skeptical at the moment, but I'm sure it would work for some department out there.

 
My thought process makes me believe that Assemblyman Abinanti actually thinks that consolidation will destroy the "local flavors" of Westchester.  Does he really think that the local flavors will be taken away if there was a single county-run police department?  Fire department?  School district?  Police cars and fire trucks can be outfitted with the local patches on the doors to represent their little nook in the County.  School buses can still have the name of their local area on the side.  The local flavors would not be lost, especially since consolidation of SERVICES has no impact to regular people in their everyday lives.  Pleasantville, for example, will still see people going to Starbucks and getting on the train, and fighting through traffic during rush hour.  But Pleasantville would still be Pleasantville regardless of who is paying for the services.  Oh, wait, the tax payers pay for those services, and they'd be able to afford the vente coffee versus the grande because they're saving money on their tax bills!

I was a bit skeptical when the Ascendant was first introduced (as a single axle, 107' stick), but after looking into it I saw that there are definitely department out there that can use it, whether you're in a tight urban district or have a hilly suburban district with narrow roads.  The 110' ladder tower on a single axle has me skeptical at the moment, but I'm sure it would work for some department out there.

I was a bit skeptical when the Ascendant was first introduced (as a single axle, 107' stick), but after looking into it I saw that there are definitely department out there that can use it, whether you're in a tight urban district or have a hilly suburban district with narrow roads.  The 110' ladder tower on a single axle has me skeptical at the moment, but I'm sure it would work for some department out there.

This is just one of the risks when beaching your ladder.  I've never seen it as a big deal.  We used to beach our quint upstate A LOT.  Usually to get it out we would jack it up with the outriggers and place plywood underneath the wheels.