firedude

Here is the original question
What are they?
How does one request them?
What is the response time?
Who responds with them? ??????????????????

The mass decon units (MDU) and the mass decon support units (MDSU) are not the same as the Scene support trailers (SST).
MDU's are trailers that contain mass decon equipment
MDSU's are former para transit busses used to move the MDU's or personnel.
SSt's.......dont have a clue. Maybe they are just decoy units to keep everyone busy guessing.

The pickup is used by the public works to carry their confined space equipment. All of the public works confined space equipment is stored in the truck 24/7. They(public works) have certain employees trained in confined space. This truck and equipment is totally separate from the FD. Currently it is set up that the FD is notified of any confined space entry by DPW, if it is expected to be a extended entry the FD will be asked to standby on scene. Ladder 25 carries a complete confined space rescue set up. The career staff is trained in confined space rescue, with the volunteers trained in confined space awareness. Public Works and the FD started joint training in 2001 or 2002. In that time training has taken place annually with public works and other neighboring depts. The most recent confined space rescue training was completed in January with a public works foreman and three police officers attending(below is a link to a article in the local rag).
http://www.myryesoundshore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1397:to-the-rescue&catid=34:news&Itemid=53

Yes, because they are. The high cost of Westcheser is due to out of control, egotistical people who could care less about the taxpayers, and politicans who can't plan for the future.
I have a:
-Fully staffed career FD, with new apparatus and new stations planned and excellent response times. More training is required for firefighters down here then in Westchester. Some Engines are ALS first responders.
-COUNTY based operated EMS system with all dual Medic MICU ambulances, the medics respond from a station and start around $55,000 a year and a 23 year retirement pension, with excellent response times. They respond from dedicated EMS stations. Ambulances are replaced every two years.
-A Police Department that focuses on crime, and actually patrols proactively instead of reactively with excellent response times.
-Emergency services share an MDT system
-Excellent School system
-Abundant recreational oppurtunities
-Abundant higher education oppurtunites
-New hospitals being built and opened
-DPW which is on the ball and takes care of problems quickly, and require education and continuing education
Where in Hartsdale, I paid for a Ladder truck that was falling apart and staffed by one firefighter/driver, down here for less taxes I have a 5 man Tower Ladder Quint in great condition that responds with a 4 man Engine company with a brand new Engine. Greenburgh ambulances have a high response time, weren't properly staffed, and often called mutual aid. Most ambulance calls took two police officers off the street for a couple of hours.
For half the taxes I was paying for in Greenburgh.
All this because it's not about the egos down here, and the governments have master planned for everything. Also, the community is very involved and the agencies make sure of that.
I agree with the expenses in Westchester, but these governments are getting more money in taxes the down here, yet the whole emergency services system is in shambles, and I don't see it ever getting better.
I feel the rigs that I comment on are really spec'd nicely, because they are. We have really well-spec'd rigs down here as well. Westchester has very old strutures, and very unique challenges. The taxpayers could really give a crap, and no department (FD-EMS-PD) wants to work together to eliminate redundancies and increase service. Things are never going to change because no one can get along.
Westchester is light years behind us......it's 2011, and having a unified MDT system still isn't a standard.
And, emergency service personel can afford to live in the communities they serve, and don't have to commute a couple of hours to get to work.
And that's just one of many reasons I moved down here.

I think the same questions can be asked about slicktop vehicles. Quoting Bull McCaffrey are we trying to sneak up on fires? Slicktop vehicles were designed for law enforcement to be less visible to traffic violators.
With how low profile LED bars are today, I can't even see how much a slicktop vehicle adds to fuel economy.

That's what he meant professor....jeesh Next you'll be giving out report cards on here....lol

Here are some pics of 2161 and 2163

Harrison Fire just took delivery of there new 2011 Tahoe. The car is replacing the old 2163 Ford Expedition. I will be trying to obtain some more photos of the interior.

Photo of New Ladder 50

Try this:
Simply say, "Like a good neighbor, WCDES is there!" on 46.26. Poof, the units show up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I79Jmgb8nyw

yeah, there to... the recent call was not Northern Westchester, but in Putnam County.... try finding anything in Putn am Valley.... alot of small back roads which goes on for ever ... did 2001 give directions ?? maybe ?? whats the big deal? ( I have heard many agencies give directions to units ) I was in the back of R77 and we got to the job with out a problem... and yes the GPS in the cab was on and working...
as for the " Hawthrone call " if it was the TRT call, it was allot colder then summer, because I was complaining about how thin the gear was, as I was freezing... maybe it was late winter ? Again, I was in the back of the rig, but from what I was told we were redirected to the scene by the IC... so did the rig go down the street and come back maybe ? but there are better reasons then they were lost... You can go to any Dept, and see the same thing... PD, FD or EMS..
I remember plenty of times responding to calls in CFD, and making a wrong turn or not going the way the IC wants and having to " recalculate "... the King's college fire - E 119 responded to one gate of the complex, as ordered, only to turn around and head out to another entrance, back down the same road we just went code 1 to... so lets not assume they are clueless, until you know the full story..

Hi, my name is John I am a retired Fire Fighterfrom the PortChesterF.D. 1969-1990 also former Paramedic with Abbey Richmond Ambulance.I am also a Reisterde Nurse and worked for many years in the ER at United Hospital in Port Chester

State: VT
County: Windham
City/Town/Municipality/Dept: Stratton Mountain Volunteer Fire Co
Unit designation/identifier: Platform 1
Chassis & Body (or Aerial) Manufacturer and model: Pierce
Pump size, tank size (water/foam), aerial type & length: 1500/250/105'
Estimated delivery date: Early 2011
Status: Delivered
Notes: New truck will replace current platform 1, a 1985 Pierce Arrow
Picture is courtsey of Pierce MFG

Plattekill Fire 2010, End of year Run Report
441 EMS Alarms
63 Out Door Electrical
51 PIAA’s
39 Mutual Aid Request
28 Automatic Alarms
25 Structure Fires
21 Public SVC
18 Investigations
10 CO Alarms
8 Brush Fires
8 Control Burn
5 Vehicle Fire
4 HAZMAT Incidents
1 Furnace Malfunction
1 Mattress Fire
723 Total Alarms

Please post any parade or trade shows dates for 2011 and any other info you have on them. And make sure you add them to the calendar.
I'll Start,
Mamaroneck Fireman's Carnival is June 28th to July 5th. The Parade is June 29th at 7pm.
Thanks

These are photos that I took at a 2 alarm fire back on 8-2-10 in downtown Louisville. I edited the photos to only show the apparatus that were on scene.
First on scene was H&L-1

Engine 11 pumping and attacking the fire.

Engine 5

Tower 2

Squrt 17

Poster:

Stratton Ski Resort

I have been in the EMS for 42 years and have seen a lot of people come and go. I have also seen needless death and disabling injuries caused by not only speed, but the simple fact that red lights and sirens scare the devil out of drivers you are trying to clear. I have been Captain of my unit for 16 years and during that time I have had to sit many drivers down in my office and explain the facts of running full code 3. Most calls can be classified as either an Alpha or Bravo response mode. We use a Bravo response unless we are specifically instructed by EMS control to proceed as an Alpha response, however the first EMT on scene makes the call response status. I live in a rural area where it takes 15 minutes to get a rig to and ALS mutual aid may be responding from over 20 miles away. A Bravo response is at the discretion of the charge EMT as to use of lights and sirens. We use EMTs who are designated as first response unit.
In most cases I have seen traffic yield to just red lights so our drivers are instructed to use the siren only when necessary. The difference in on scene time can be measured in seconds between speeds of 55-60 mph and greater than 60 mph. In our district a cardiac arrest is usually a matter of rapid assessment and calling the TOD, because our protocol allows us to use our discretion to initiate resuscitation. If a patient has been down for 30 minutes or more the probability of a successful out come is very close to zero. Our state protocol allows us to discontinue resuscitation when it is obvious that the patient is not responding.
In summary, I agree with you in the most part, however there are times when lights and sirens are the right choice. I would not agree with suspending all responses with lights and siren. There are times when they are necessary when utilized properly. This is where discretion becomes the better part of valor. A dead or injured EMS responder is just another patient to work on.

I disagree, they are both the same age and yes one is a soldier and has tons of training (but honestly how much is driving), who says that Johnny Smith doesn't have a certain level of dedication to the fire department just as the soldier does to the armed forces? Every fire department can qualify and certify a younger member just the same, you have to sit on the member and make sure he or she can do the job right, you can also send them to classes as well for this. We also send these same younger members like yourself into a burning building and say hey go rescue those trapped people and how many hours of training did you get 100?
Also driver's only spend the time enroute to and from a call worrying about the other drivers really, then once on scene the driver worries about the same things you do and maybe more (hazards, residents, assignments and size up) and you as the crew should also be keeping an eye out on the road too incase you see something the guys up front dont. The biggest issue is how much training the department mandates the driver no matter what age, if the trainer doesnt think the person is ready they don't get put on the list until they are. Make a mandated and a curriculum for driver training and those that you know wont act and operate safely dont get the ok.
I also have question for all those regarding fire calls, your the first piece of apparatus from your station responding aside from the chiefs to a residential alarm, or an inside smoke or an mva w/ injuries when do you use the siren when do you not? My fd there is a few that refuse to use the siren and upon intersections controlled by a stop light will give the air horn a tap or two, why I have no idea but lemme tell you it is very frustrating and nerve racking when your going through multiple stop lights in the middle of the day for an mva or a inside smoke and a tap of the air horn is all you hear because the officer and driver both "can't hear the radio".

Chris, I think the age limit for renting a car is now 25 years old, not 21.
I could always tell how young the driver of the bus at the VAC was by the intensity and duration of the siren. The longer, the more variations in siren tones, I could count on a very young driver pulling up to the call.....I was hardly ever proven wrong using this formula...try it and you'll see what I mean.
This is by no means a shot at our VAC members who do a great job. They all do regardless of age. But given the unsupervised chance to "play" with the siren, and you can count on many (not all) of the 18-19 year old group to use it like a newfound toy....

I agree that there is a huge difference. But my point is that 18 is just number and everyone is different. Should 18 year olds be able to crawl into a working fire to search/rescue the trapped people? I think that if someone is 18 and is responsible enough and is willing to train and follow the correct training guidelines and proves to be a solid driver under emergency conditions, they should be allowed to drive. Of course, if Johnny Smith is no good behind the wheel he should not be behind the wheel.
If there is an 18 year old who is a cautious driver in all weather and proves this, why should he not be able to drive an ambulance in the snow while people are doing CPR. Age does not always equal skill. Experience comes with training, talking, and more so doing.
There needs to be a fine filter on driver certifications.

I do not believe 18 or EMS and 21 for FD's is too young for drivers. With that said, I do feel that these must be filtered. Perhaps even more filtered than some agencies/department do. I do not think the number should be focuses on as much as the ability of the driver. Numbers are stupid and just provide a guideline. I know some young drivers that are very good drivers as well as some whom are not so good. There must be in depth driver training and certification requirements in agencies/departments. This process also must not be rushed through and all issues with someone driving must be addressed.
Our country trusts 18 year old to go into Iraq with a bunch of explosives and powerful guns and kill people to protect our freedom. We allow these same people to drive tanks that have the capabilities of running over vehicles, people, or the ability to blow up entire buildings, villages, cities etc. These same people should be able to drive fire trucks and ambulances.
On a side note, they should be able to drink to!!!

Read your weather map correctly.It is for Chicago. National weather says nothing of a blizzard. NWS.NOAA.GOV Why say stuff that isnt true.

Yes, FEMA Aid can be requested. Lets take New Jersey as an example...
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