CFFD117

My department holds them in December and the term starts January 1st. I absolutely HATE elections because they are nothing but a popularity contest and the best people for the job usually walk away losers because the membership doesn't care about the important things only who they like more. I wish departments would do away with elections and have strict promotional rules and regulations based on expirence and training rather then who is liked more.
End of rant!

Dispatch the special operations trailer, pictured here:

You can't go wrong with the PowerPlus Daylighter. I's simple, bright and takes a beating. One suggestion I'd make, and I stole this idea from someone else. I can't take the credit, it's a great idea;
Most box lights come with a shoulder strap. Instead, put a big ring or a biner through the handle and clip BOTH ends of ends of the shoulder strap to that ring. Also, tighten the shoulder stap so that, when you put it over your head, the light stays tucked a little tighter under your arm. This way, it doesn't hang down too far and with the ring and biner, you can easily point the light in every direction.
Guys with a lot of experience have always said that a light, a big one, is key on the roof. You need all the light you can get up there. The coat mounted survivor light really does nothing but point at the ground when you're crawling, but it's great for a guy who has the Control position in an engine. When you're in a poorly lit stairwell and you need to hook up to and monitor pressure from the stand-pipe, it's a great light.

Fire Engineering - February 1952 advertisement introducing Scott Air pack products. The Chief orders get in there fast ! "Get the Scott Air Paks"

This is just another reason for me to justify hating politics. Serve 1 term, free healthcare for life, pension etc...
Someone who served this country before his [boehner] father was probably even born...
Oh, and according to Wikipedia, Boehner served a WHOPPING 8 Weeks in the USN before being honorably discharged. Yet a Vet who served before Television was invented cannot have Capitol Honors...
Look at Bonehead... I mean Boenhner's stance on Defense:
http://johnboehner.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=3889
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/03/04/2011-03-04_boehner_blocks_move_to_honor_frank_buckles_in_capitol_rotunda_west_virginia_sena.html
According to the initial article posted here on the forums at the time of Mr. Buckles' death:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/28/AR2011022800165.html?hpid=topnews
Mr. Boehner, you are an absolute disgrace. I cannot believe the quality of people elected these days to "represent us".

With all respect Brother "Men Of Fire" I have to disagree with you. As far back as firefighting goes, there have been hairbags that come into the service either by volunteering, or somehow scoring well enough and bluffing their way onto a career job.
But we cannot take a broad stroke of the brush and paint all junior men/women into one complete group of people in the service who do not care about keeping the traditions, the nobility and the comrade-re of the Brotherhood alive. As an example, just look at how many of our members here on Bravo in the younger age group have become such active members here, and show so much interest in those traditions, and learning "the ways" of the fire service.
I remember hearing senior men, when I was a junior man, extolling their observations that the Brotherhood wasn't what it used to be; that the Brotherhood was doomed to extinction.
Those that do believe in the virtues of our Brotherhood need to be reassured by senior men such as yourself, that the traditions you speak of are indeed still alive, and need to develop the belief in themselves that they are part of something larger than just a job, and need to be taught that they will in the near future be the ones responsible for carrying on the Brotherhood, when they move into positions of seniority, promotion, and leadership.
If we truly care enough in our fraternity to want it to survive and thrive well into the future, then senior men today need to redouble their efforts in seeing to it that these junior men are properly taught about the sacrifices our fore bearers gave to this noblest of professions. All members in senior positions, and leadership today need to be asking themselves a very personal question; are my judgments about the future being clouded by my personal disappointments about things that have happened to me through the years of my career?
It becomes very difficult at times as the years pass, to maintain the motivation to want to pass on our finest traditions. To want to help our junior members succeed in gaining the true understanding of how the Brotherhood continues to evolve, through generations of sacrifice, members being killed in the performance of their duty, members fighting to gain workplace improvements through the collective bargaining process, and members becoming sick through a lack of workplace safety.
I always believed the best way to educate our younger members about these things was to show them examples of what conditions were like before improvements were made. To tell them the stories of what our members went through to gain the improvements we have in place today.
Some things obviously cannot be easily taught. Some things members are just going to have to learn for themselves; generosity and caring for each other, being able to forgive each other for mistakes and not hold grudges.
But I truly understand how you feel. Sometimes it feels like paddling upstream against an overwhelming current. Sometimes we just want to throw it all down, and simply walk away. But the past generations of Brothers who fought so hard for all of the improvements we enjoy today; the firefighers who never got the chance to enjoy some of those improvements, because they got sick or were killed from the very things they were fighting so hard to improve; for the memory of these Brothers passed, we owe it to their memory to continue the fight. To continue to impress upon on our newer generation of firefighters that some things are worth fighting for, some things are worth giving our all for; and the Brotherhood is the greatest of attributes we share in the fire service.
It may not feel like you are making much headway in passing these lessons on, but I guarantee you when the time comes and you have moved on from the job; if you have put in the effort to share with your newer members all of the greatest things about the Brotherhood, your efforts shall not have been in vain.

This is shameful, but it's what I have come to expect from today's GOP. Politicians like the wimpy, cry baby Rep. John Boehner who have no respect for Cops, Firefighters or the military. He's never placed himself in harm's way to protect his country or another human being. He stood with the GOP when they held The Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Bill hostage while demanding that Democrats join the GOP in extending tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. After getting the tax breaks for their wealthy corporate campaign supporters, they subsequently cut the funding for Zadroga in half before passing it. BTW, Rep. John Boehner didn't even stay in Washington to vote on the final bill which occurred on December 22nd, 2010. He along with many other GOP rich kids had already gone home to celebrate Christmas with their families. I wonder what it feels like to walk away from your responsibilities as an elected public servant whenever you feel like it, leaving your work undone. As a Firefighter, I wouldn't know that feeling, nor did I ever have the desire to abandon my responsibilities for my personal enjoyment ... Rep. John Boehner is a disgrace.
Thank you for your service to our country Mr. Buckles ... May you rest in peace ...

The answer is, never. They'll never run in regular Harlem or Hudson line service. The only time they'll operate on the Hudson line will be for Yankee Clipper trains from 153rd St., when traveling to the Highbridge Yard, to Kawasaki for warranty work or RARELY to the Harmon shops in Croton on Hudson. The vast majority of maintenance will be performed at the yards in New Haven, Ct.
In the future these cars might see service East of New Haven, on the Shoreline East. They are capable, in practice, of running over the Hell Gate Bridge into Penn, but this is not slated for any time in the near future.
The Harlem and Hudson lines have the M-7. The M-8 was paid for, in large part, but Connecticut and they want their trains running in their state. The M-8 is very unique in it's ability to operate on two types of electrical collection methods and utilize multiple voltages, including switching from A/C to D/C power. Their dual-mode abilities make them CONSIDERABLY more expensive than the single mode M-7.
There is no shortage of equipment on the two NY lines and there is a serious shortage on the New Haven Line. The capabilities of the M-8 serve no purpose on the Harlem and Hudson, there for you will not see them in revenue service on those lines.

He was the senior Supervising Dispatcher in the city at the time of his passing. He voluntarily demoted himself from Chief Dispatcher to Supervisor in 2002 to better provide for his family. I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with, and for Dennis for a number of years up in the Bronx. In addition to the street renaming, a Yankee jersey, Number 22 is hanging up on the wall of the Bronx CO, and his dispatcher number will be officially retired tomorrow as well. I learned more about being a boss by watching him than I ever have, and learned a lot about the Bronx in a few short years. We could throw out a location that we weren't sure of, and he could give us the Box number and assignment like it was second nature. Hey Doc!!! Mosholu Parkway just north of Gun Hill??? Box 8992, 79 Engine, 37 Truck, and the 52's. As The former Dispatcher "Tree Tree Oh, K" now, One Two Six would say, "He was the computer before there was a computer." He is truly missed by his friends, family and colleagues. I think the changes that have been going on in the job today would break his heart. RIP, DOC, you were one of a kind. And to quote him, channeling Vincent La Guardia Gambini, "And I'm done with this one!!!!"
Jimmy JBE Raftery
Supervising Dispatcher #47
FDNY Manhattan/Citywide Operations
Bronx Alumni 1997-98, 2002-2004, 2005-2009

A few shots from the exposure.... exposure.... which side would you call this?
These shots don't do the LDH lays justice. There's a LOT of hose out there to be picked up. Glad everyone is OK!

For any LEO's out there who are looking for some good reading material, I just finished the book titled "On Combat", written by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Lt. Col. Grossman is a former Army Ranger and West Point Psychology Professor, and is the director of the Killology Research Group. He studies human aggression and the psychology of combat, and has been on the lecture circuit for a number of years speaking at Law Enforcement conferences. Below is an excerpt from his book that I thought was an excellent piece and just wanted to share it. If you haven't read On Combat yet, I highly reccommend it.
On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman
By LTC (RET) Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing."
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:
"Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident." This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.
Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.
"Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.
"Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf."
If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed
Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools.
But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep's only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial.
The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.
Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camouflage fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa."
Until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.
The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.
Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?
Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones.
Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population. There was research conducted a few years ago with individuals convicted of violent crimes. These cons were in prison for serious, predatory crimes of violence: assaults, murders and killing law enforcement officers. The vast majority said that they specifically targeted victims by body language: slumped walk, passive behavior and lack of awareness. They chose their victims like big cats do in Africa, when they select one out of the herd that is least able to protect itself.
Some people may be destined to be sheep and others might be genetically primed to be wolves or sheepdogs. But I believe that most people can choose which one they want to be, and I'm proud to say that more and more Americans are choosing to become sheepdogs.
Seven months after the attack on September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer was honored in his hometown of Cranbury, New Jersey. Todd, as you recall, was the man on Flight 93 over Pennsylvania who called on his cell phone to alert an operator from United Airlines about the hijacking. When he learned of the other three passenger planes that had been used as weapons, Todd dropped his phone and uttered the words, "Let's roll," which authorities believe was a signal to the other passengers to confront the terrorist hijackers. In one hour, a transformation occurred among the passengers - athletes, business people and parents. -- from sheep to sheepdogs and together they fought the wolves, ultimately saving an unknown number of lives on the ground.
There is no safety for honest men except by believing all possible evil of evil men. - Edmund Burke
Here is the point I like to emphasize, especially to the thousands of police officers and soldiers I speak to each year. In nature the sheep, real sheep, are born as sheep. Sheepdogs are born that way, and so are wolves. They didn't have a choice. But you are not a critter. As a human being, you can be whatever you want to be. It is a conscious, moral decision.
If you want to be a sheep, then you can be a sheep and that is okay, but you must understand the price you pay. When the wolf comes, you and your loved ones are going to die if there is not a sheepdog there to protect you. If you want to be a wolf, you can be one, but the sheepdogs are going to hunt you down and you will never have rest, safety, trust or love. But if you want to be a sheepdog and walk the warrior's path, then you must make a conscious and moral decision every day to dedicate, equip and prepare yourself to thrive in that toxic, corrosive moment when the wolf comes knocking at the door.
For example, many officers carry their weapons in church.? They are well concealed in ankle holsters, shoulder holsters or inside-the-belt holsters tucked into the small of their backs.? Anytime you go to some form of religious service, there is a very good chance that a police officer in your congregation is carrying. You will never know if there is such an individual in your place of worship, until the wolf appears to massacre you and your loved ones.
I was training a group of police officers in Texas, and during the break, one officer asked his friend if he carried his weapon in church. The other cop replied, "I will never be caught without my gun in church." I asked why he felt so strongly about this, and he told me about a cop he knew who was at a church massacre in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1999. In that incident, a mentally deranged individual came into the church and opened fire, gunning down fourteen people. He said that officer believed he could have saved every life that day if he had been carrying his gun. His own son was shot, and all he could do was throw himself on the boy's body and wait to die. That cop looked me in the eye and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself after that?"
Some individuals would be horrified if they knew this police officer was carrying a weapon in church. They might call him paranoid and would probably scorn him. Yet these same individuals would be enraged and would call for "heads to roll" if they found out that the airbags in their cars were defective, or that the fire extinguisher and fire sprinklers in their kids' school did not work. They can accept the fact that fires and traffic accidents can happen and that there must be safeguards against them.
Their only response to the wolf, though, is denial, and all too often their response to the sheepdog is scorn and disdain. But the sheepdog quietly asks himself, "Do you have and idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?"
It is denial that turns people into sheep. Sheep are psychologically destroyed by combat because their only defense is denial, which is counterproductive and destructive, resulting in fear, helplessness and horror when the wolf shows up.
Denial kills you twice. It kills you once, at your moment of truth when you are not physically prepared: you didn't bring your gun, you didn't train. Your only defense was wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy. Denial kills you a second time because even if you do physically survive, you are psychologically shattered by your fear helplessness and horror at your moment of truth.
Gavin de Becker puts it like this in Fear Less, his superb post-9/11 book, which should be required reading for anyone trying to come to terms with our current world situation: "...denial can be seductive, but it has an insidious side effect. For all the peace of mind deniers think they get by saying it isn't so, the fall they take when faced with new violence is all the more unsettling."
Denial is a save-now-pay-later scheme, a contract written entirely in small print, for in the long run, the denying person knows the truth on some level.
And so the warrior must strive to confront denial in all aspects of his life, and prepare himself for the day when evil comes. If you are warrior who is legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that the bad man will not come today. No one can be "on" 24/7, for a lifetime. Everyone needs down time. But if you are authorized to carry a weapon, and you walk outside without it, just take a deep breath, and say this to yourself...
"Baa."
This business of being a sheep or a sheep dog is not a yes-no dichotomy. It is not an all-or-nothing, either-or choice. It is a matter of degrees, a continuum. On one end is an abject, head-in-the-sand-sheep and on the other end is the ultimate warrior. Few people exist completely on one end or the other. Most of us live somewhere in between. Since 9-11 almost everyone in America took a step up that continuum, away from denial. The sheep took a few steps toward accepting and appreciating their warriors, and the warriors started taking their job more seriously. The degree to which you move up that continuum, away from sheephood and denial, is the degree to which you and your loved ones will survive, physically and psychologically at your moment of truth.

Sssshhh...it really is EFD's Rescue 5 making a comeback. At the last minute they're going to switch out the door decals. But at the apparatus show, who's going to bother looking at a new Rescue if it says Eastchester on the doors?
Here's how the conversation would go..
FF1 (name is Chester): "Woo wee...that sure is a pretty Rescue Vinny..."
FF2 (name is Vinny): "Chester, Eastchester..Where the hell is that?"
FF1: "It's up in Westchester."
FF2: "Run that by me one more time Chester..."
FF1: "It's only a few miles south of Port Chester.."
FF2: "And that's in Westchester Chester?"
FF1: "Yes. Port Chester and Eastchester are in Westchester."
FF2: "Where is the beer concession Chester?"
FF1: "THIRD BASE!"

Youtube credit:justonmckinney
REMEMBER FELLAS....IT'S JUST A COMEDY....

We all must maintain the ability to take a step back and laugh, especially at ourselves or a parody of ourselves. Humor can solve a lot of problems in this world....if only people would lighten up, and laugh a little more. Life's too short.....and I think it's a scientific fact that people who laugh more live longer....

ALERTS TERROR THREATS IN 2011 EUROPE
The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross."
The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.
Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's Get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was
precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.
Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far, no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.
John Cleese - British writer, actor and tall person.

The street pull-box has not become obsolete. Not one bit. Unless you can show me a fool-proof, never fail method of reporting an emergency, there will be a place for the street pull box. Oh, remember that this device has to be available to everyone. How many people don't have cell-phones, or home phones? Not many in Dobbs Ferry, but in some inner-city neighborhoods, there are still some without.
How about a child? That same group of kids who maliciously pulls the box after school might actually have an emergency to report and no phone.
How about a catastrophic event? I don't know about you, but on 9/11 or the 2003 black-out, I couldn't make a phone call on my cell for hours.
Dispatch has taken steps to reduce malicious false alarms. Almost all pull-type boxes have been replaced with an intercom style. The person pushes a button and speaks with a dispatcher. Between the hours of 7am and 11pm, if no contact is received by the dispatcher, no units respond. If a "no-contact" box is received after 11pm, one single engine responds to investigate.
It doesn't happen often, but I have responded to more than one "ERS" (intercom pull-box) alarm that turned out to be an all hands fire. While the alarm was phoned in as well, it was the ERS report that had us out the door 30 seconds earlier.
The street alarm box still has a functional place in many areas. Cost? It is an almost invisible line item on this city's budget. It is a small price to pay for a tried and true system. This is a great example of positive redundancy.
Lastly, in light of the recently introduced "UCT 911" system and it's many shortcomings and failures, it's nice to know that there is still as system out there that will put the public in direct contact with Fire or Police dispatchers and not some low-rent, ineffectively trained call-taker.

He's correct, in so far as trying not to take a hydrant before the fire building. However, this is more of a preferential move rather than rule of law. It's one more step, having to stretch around the rig and towards the fire building. However, this building was pretty close to the corner and it looks like the next hydrant was across the perpendicular cross street. You're better off stretching around the rig than trying to stretch a line across a two way street and an intersection.
If this were a building or area that guys responded to a lot, the chauffeur might know to respond up the block from the other direction. However, we so many streets and hydrants, it's unlikely that you'll have the luxury of that knowledge. Who know's, might be a detailed ECC from another borough, or maybe that was typically that engines 2nd due area.
All in all, it does look like the job went well in a pretty text book fashion. Those dopes running looked a little silly, but the engine was bringing the line in in a steady professional manner. This was a bread and butter kinda fire. It was already vented, you didn't have to go hunting for the seat and the door couldn't have taken too long to force. The roof was laddered within a minute of the trucks arrival. There was water on the fire and the main body of fire was knocked down in under 3 minutes. I'm sure that there were 2 roof-men on the roof and at least one O/V had gotten up there. With a top floor fire in a building like this, the second due truck woulda sent a couple of guys to start checking the top floors of the adjoining buildings.

These are photos of a situation I came across this past fall in Antelope Island State Park which is located just north of Salt Lake City, UT...... I was driving through the park when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what appeared to be an Excavator buried in the sand on the beach...... I turned the car around for another look and I was not hallucinating....... I did see an Excavator buried in the sand..... The story I was told was that a couple had set out to go out in the lake with their kayaks and had driven their Ford 4x4 pick up onto the beach..... As they made it onto the beach, the truck sunk into the sand/clay and they were now stuck and unable to get out...... They called a friend with another truck and he came out to help and also became stuck..... They then called another friend with an excavator to get them out and he also became stuck...... Actually he became buried....... As I was leaving, the news media satellite trucks were descending on the scene....... They were able to get the trucks out using rolls of chain link fence under the trucks tires but I am not sure how they got the excavator out.....Someone later told me they had to get a crane and lift it out..... As they say, No good deed goes unpunished....

I saw what appeared to be an excavator buried in the sand out of the corner of my eye as I drove into the park.....

I wasn't seeing things.....

As I pushed through the brush to get close, I noticed that these spiders were everywhere......The hell with the deer ticks!!!!!!!!!!!

I also came across this mule deer who seemed to be curious as to what all the commotion was.....

Wow, this isn't good.....

Working to free the original truck.....

These guys were headed towards the action too.....

This guy stopped for a drink.....

Everybody's helping out....... I'm not sure if its true, but I was told by a friend who lives nearby that they lifted it out with a crane..... I just hope the excavator owner had a "friend"

<B>Date</B>: 1/16/11<BR><B>Time</B>: 03:20 (Approx)<BR><B>Location</B>: Imperial Wok on Route 202 (Heritage Hills Shopping Center)<BR><B>Frequencies</B>: Fire 13 / 46.26 / FG 1 / 154.220<BR><B>Somers Units Operating</B>: 2441, 2442, 2443, 2445, E180, E181, E183, E185, L18, L48, R20, U88, 80B2<BR><B>Croton Falls Units</B>: 2071, 2072, 2073, E148, U28<BR><B>Bedford Hills Units</B>: 2031, 2033, TL57 FAST<BR><B>Yorktown Units</B>: 2533, E270<BR><B>WCDES Units</B>: Battalion 13, C&O Zone 5 w/ 1405<BR><B>Weather Conditions</B>: Cold, 30 degrees, partly cloudy<BR><B>Description Of Incident</B>: Fire in single story 100' x 50' Chinese / Japanese restaurant<BR><B>Reporters</B>: Remember585 <BR><B>Writer</B>: Remember585<BR><BR>03:22 - Yorktown FAST dispatched.<BR>03:24 - Battalion 13 responding.<BR>03:25 - 2533 responding.<BR>03:33 - E270 responding.<BR>03:34 - Bedford Hills FAST dispatched (Yorktown going to work).<BR>03:36 - C&O Zone 4 dispatched.<BR>03:37 - 2033, 2031 responding.<BR>03:38 - Battalion 13 on location.<BR>03:40 - Goldens Bridge Engine dispatched to relocate to Somers HQ.<BR>03:41 - TL57 responding.<BR>03:43 - 2072 on location.<BR>03:46 - 2533, E270 on location.<BR>03:47 - 2031 on location.<BR>03:48 - E148 responding.<BR>03:52 - E148, TL57 on location. 2141, 2142, 2143, E140 relocating.<BR>03:55 - Bat 13 reports 2 L/S/O, Tower Ladder setting up, fire in C/D corner.<BR>03:59 - Croton Falls Cascade unit dispatched.<BR>04:00 - C&O Zone 5 dispatched (Zone 4 not available).<BR>04:06 - Bat 13 reports all companies working, fire in the cockloft, making progress. E140 in Somers HQ.<BR>04:10 - U28 responding.<BR>04:21 - U28 on location.<BR>04:23 - Bat 13 reports fire is contained to C/D corner, not under control, ending interior operations per the IC.<BR>04:31 - Bat 13 reports DOH has been in contact with the IC.

I get it, what can possably happen in that extra 2 minutes....hmmmm since fire growth doubles every minute, lets take a 1,000 sq/ft apt. with an 10 x 12 bedroom fully involved at the 8 minute mark (thats 120 sq/ft or 12%). at 9 minutes its 240 square feet and at 10 minutes its 480 Square feet. So in 2 extra minutes it went from 12% to 48%. Want to give it a few more minutes, whats the harm? Boy I hope they closed the door on the way out or lots of other tenants will be in extreme danger.
There is a business model for the fire service, it was developed in 1910 by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. They base insurance premiums on fire coverage. Since most properties require insurance (for a morgage), and the FD is a fire insurance policy, a good dept reduces the price insurance companies charge for property insurance.
NFPA 1710 clearly states that this minimum standard is based on a 2,000 sq/ft single family dwelling without a basement (and minimal exposures). This does not discribe many properties in NYC.
This is refered to as doing more with less. Interesting that many medics call SSM (system status management) system sacrificing medics, because very few of those systems manage to retain personnel the way most municipal services do.
Actually FD's are an economic engine. Based on insurance cost reductions that range from 8 to 12 to 1. That means for every dollar of one persons taxes spent , $8 - $12 is reduced on there property insurance.
You never suggested doing things better, you suggested doing more with less.
If you think thats such a great response then you are use to a service level that is so poor, you do not know a good service from a poor one.

We received a post- arrest the other night in the local ER. She (a dialysis pt who missed her rx due to the winter storm) called 911 saying she couldn't breathe and "was probably having a heart attack." 2 minutes later PD broke down her door and found her asystolic-- started CPR. 2 more minutes later ALS arrived and loaded a few rounds of Epi and Atropine into her. Got a pulse. Gave 1 more of Epi and 1 more of Atropine. Scrambled her to me in the local ER with a pulse of 40 (mostly ectopic, med-based beats). We immediatley began the hypothermia protocol (AKA Code Cool).
Fast forward: 2 days.
She was warmed back up in our ICU from 93 degrees to 98 degrees and was extubated the day after. 2 days later she was extubated and asked ME, the one who received her and wrote her off as non-viable, ""What the Hell was I thinking bothering you people with my medical problems??? I'm so sorry I bothered you all!"
WE broke her ribs, tore her lip tubing her, and jammed lines and tubes all over the place in her tiny body, and she's apologizing to ME. This is why I do this. Beyond words. Seriously. There's so rarely a save post-arrest, and if the person survives, he/she rarely comes out of it as much more than a plant on a window sill. And she thanked ME.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, all. NEVER forget why you do what you do and NEVER assume your efforts are fruitless. This woman was proof to me to always the assume the outcome is going to be a GOOD ONE.

These are photos of Rombout Fire Departments structure fire that occurred at 226 Windsor Rd just before midnight on Sunday. Firefighters arrived to find fire through the roof of a ~ 4500 sq ft residence with high winds, heavy snow, white-out conditions, and near zero wind chill ...... Perfect weather for firefighting....... Firefighters apparently attempted an interior attack but were forced to retreat due to insufficent water and rapid fire spread due to the high winds...... I arrived as Command advised that they were going defensive....... I had a tough time keeping my lens free of snow and debris due to the high winds and only shot with one of two cameras I normally shoot with as a result...... This was clearly a frustrating fire for all who were there.....

A shot from the front...... Hughsonvilles FAST Team and Village of Fishkill......

It was snowing heavily and very windy.......

Hey, I found a hot spot........

A shot from the rear..... These guys were inside under the fire but had to pull out due to rapidly deteriorating conditions......

Insurmountable odds.....

With the wind fanning the fire and water issues.... Crews were ordered to pull back their lines and were clearly frustrated that they were defeated .....

This is shot of the Central Hudson gas man..... He had just retrieved the power meter but said "I killed the power but It's up to guys to turn off the gas.... It's too damn hot!"

While a tanker shuttle was being initiated, Rombout's Tower gets set up......

Village of Fishkill firefighters watch as 62-45 hits the fire......

The end.....

The danger of total collapse involving a bow string truss roof became a graphic reality yesterday in Chicago. The following photos give a glimpse of the peaked bow string roof, and the poor condition of the roof structure. In photo one from the street, you cannot even see that the roof apparently has different structural components and designs. The bow string section is in the rear. In photo two you can see the chimney in the corner of the 3-4 exposure of the fire building in the lower right corner of the photo, partially obstructed by the trees. Disregard where the address is marking the building, the storefront that burned and area of collapse is below it, opposite the parking lot:

Moving closer the shape of the truss becomes apparent. Compare it to the flat roofs immediately surrounding it:

In this photo you can see clearly one of the broken trusses leaning against the far wall inside the collapse zone. Be sure to click through the photo gallery and you will see more evidence of the broken truss system.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/gallery?section=news/local&id=7858152&photo=1

Sadly, the days of volunteerism in the truest sense seem to have passed us by. With more and more financial issues affected everyone, they really hit home with folks who work and then give their time for little or no pay to be members of the local FD or ambulance service. The public doesn't necessarily see that the same financial burden they feel pinches volunteer or POC firefighters/EMS personnel as well. With more people struggling to make ends meet, this scenario is only getting worse. At the same time, we've raised (rightfully) the standards for training and attendance to ensure a safer fireground. As we just saw with the Tarrytown tragedy, minimum training is a bare necessity.
In appears that in many places, besides LI and Westchester, the VFD's spend exorbitant amounts of money making the FD attractive to people, using new stations, new high end apparatus, FD social clubs, etc. In the end they end up with higher numbers, but maybe not for the right reasons? Until the public understand where that money is going and can measure the results in tangible ways, they may continue to get bilked, even if it is unintentionally. One must ponder the question that most VFD's have more apparatus than they can staff, why not slim down and move active, trained personnel to fewer companies to gain a better response. Far too often we see lines of apparatus at fire scenes with all the personnel working off the same few apparatus. The days of individual fiefdoms is coming to a close and the FD's that embrace the change early will have a position much closer to the "driver" of the regionalized bus, than those who bury their heads and the sand and are dragged into the inevitable kicking and screaming, with no voice in the implementation.
It amazes me when I see the Firehouse volunteer FD survey and so many VFD's have budgets far greater than that of my combo FD, and call volumes so far less.
Seth's has a point that there may be other alternatives to all out paid firefighters, but the discussion needs to be with an independent public committee of citizens who have no bias, just a sense of community. Too many of us fear speaking candidly with the public about our shortcomings and service levels garnered for the money spent. I can only say, that if you fear opening the books (all of them: financial, training, incident numbers) to the public you protect, you're probably not doing anyone, but yourselves, a service. The term Public Safety indicates we're doing this for the public, be your agency municipal, private or otherwise.