LFD34

This is why we need to be careful on the roads. Many drivers are ill prepared to deal with changes to their routines and do strange things when presented with obsticles in the road. This is why their are so many occurances of firefighters being struck at incidents. I think this is just more reinforcement to make sure everyone stays safe and alert when operating at these scenes, even doubly so during storm events when visibility is reduced for the drivers.

Taxpayer funds are being used by many departments. Several federal programs such as AFD are giving grants. Many career departments have received those funds. In addition many of the city are getting state assistance for their general funds. This to is a subsidy from other taxpayers. I believe that if the fire service wants to stand on its own, it must go back to the old style where people paid individually for protection if they desired it. Otherwise it is difficult to determine a viable fair funding model for all concerned, as issues of providing protection for highways or other large special use structures distorts individual community needs. This is along the same lines as using property valuations to pay for protection. Expensive houses on large properties don't cost more to provide coverage than little houses on small plots but they pay more in taxes. As such funding is a complicated issue that needs deep thought on how to improve. This is why their has been such debate concerning consolidation.

I believe the Westchester tax number is just county tax. It does not include local (Town,Village,City Towns and Villages will have a separate school tax also). For the most part emergency services actually is paid out of the local tax not the county tax. The county tax does pay for county control, hazmat and the other special services. The bulk of the county tax goes towards health and human services. I don't disagree that we need to look at how to best optimize the cost of delivering all services within government, however we have to also ensure that we are providing the quality of service expected by the public. The quality of service requirements must be managed by our politicians, as they are also responsible for providing the needed funding. This analysis should be performed independent of structure and staffing model. It is irrelevent whether the department is career, combination or all volunteer, as these are solutions that are used based on run count, geography, population density, etc.

Does Massachusetts require CDL's for their emergency vehicle operators? I would think the training required to get a CDL with all of the appropriate endorsements should be sufficient. If the operator had a CDL than the criteria behind the awarding of CDL's should be reviewed. If the operator didn't have a CDL than this is one more reason why the fire service should start driving to this type of standard.

There are many different exhaust systems that can be used. The advantage of the exhaust system is that the exhaust does not enter the fire house, avoiding both the gas and particulates in the exhaust. There are many health reasons for avoiding this exposure. I'm most familiar with the Niederman system. The system is designed to automatically disengage from the apparatus as it rolls out the door. The apparatus are re-connected as they enter the firehouse. This has worked well, and is very reliable. This is an item that will last many years and can be capitalized. As such the annualized cost is more reasonable. This capitalization can be incorporated into other changes.

Is this issue driven by White Plains council on its own? Does both labor and fire management both support the schedule change. If so then what is the real issue, and why is this coming up?

Isn't chief a civil service position? If so how could he bypass everyone?

Biggest advances for firefighting are sprinklers and smoke detectors, along with better inspection programs.

There are already many rules that protect employees, such as maternity leave etc. The issue is how to fund a ready workforce that is capable of handling emergencies. I think limiting this to presidentially declared disasters isn't enough. I believe more to the point would be to take all emergency responders and treat them in much the same fashion as the National Guard whereby they could be activated and ordered to respond by both the governer of their respective states and the President. Either FEMA or the NFA could create standards that all personnel would have to stay current with.