JohnnyOV

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Posts posted by JohnnyOV

  3. Posted

    Have they been prudent with their finances? Have the fire taxes stayed flat over the years or have they been going up every year? A strong membership does not mean a dept is fiscally responsible.

    2009 - Property Tax income: -1.20% from 2008 2009 Budget

    2010 - Property Tax Income : -3% from 2009 2010 Budget

    2011 - Property Tax income: +/-0% from 2010 2011 Budget

    2012 - Property Tax income: +/-0% from 2011 2012 Budget

    firedude and fireboyny like this

  7. Posted · Edited by JohnnyOV

    My fire department exist to help save lives and property of the residents that we serve.

    I guess until your on a EMS related call where you save someones life, you may never understand.

    That someone may not just be a resident of your district it may even be one of your family members or a brother firefighter!

    Since people are making it personal, I have been. I've been an EMT for almost 6 years, worked as an EMT while I was in school, personally started a campus based EMS response where I used to volunteer as an EMT, and recently I finally had a CPR save of someone who was a resident of our district in a parking lot that I just so happened to be in the area of .

    Did I feel great about the save? Absolutely. But my personal butterfly feel good feelings is not enough to justify adding another 1300 alarms to my department a year, which would bring our totals to almost 2100 calls a year. For an all volunteer department with no "staffing," it would burn everyone out in a month. Aside from the burnout, you're still taking firemen or two away who could respond to an alarm, which we're typically doing 3 a day of, and having them babysit while they wait, with a cop and a medic, on an ambulance from 2 towns over.

    In career departments, you're reducing the manpower of a company to have them respond on an ambulance or a utility, or removing an entire company out of service if you're doing first response, with no extra manpower to back fill additional apparatus, unless you're doing call backs for ems runs. Some departments even remove 2 from either the engine or truck and have them staff the ambulance when an EMS run comes in, and leave the remaining crew to operate reduced manpower... now try and explain the good in that to me?

    The fire department was created with the intent of extinguishing fires, saving lives and protecting property from fire.

    Some change is good, and being trained in EMS is one of them. But placing EMS as a priority over a proper fire response, which is exactly what is occurring, is not one of them.

  8. Posted · Edited by JohnnyOV

    The basis that "we are a fire department" is * and void being that fire department is in the field of Emergency Services and you WILL do some sort of patient interaction with in your career, whether it be at a structure fire down to the measly public service pump out. No matter how you look at it, the 2 of them, fire and ems, must work together . The 2 of them have worked together and some are very successful in doing so.

    The attitude that One is better than the other needs to stop because going into an incident with that attitude and mind set, you will: 1 Make your self look like an A*&, 2 Hurt Someone and 3 Possibly Kill Someone.

    Open your mind, train with each other and don't let 300 years of tradition impede modern progress.

    Just my 2 cents...

    Then we should also learn the basics of law enforcement and be cross trained in that as well, because at some point, we'll deal with more then just a fire code violation such as a drunk, a violent person, child abuse, domestic violence, drug addiction... (that's sarcasm for those who can't recognize it)

    I completely agree that firemen should know first aid/CPR, have their CFR, or maybe even EMT. If your department can handle the work load and have the appropriate backup of sending an entire company out to an EMS run, all the more power to you. Just don't do it in a way that jeopardizes your response for your primary function...

  9. Posted

    FIRE Departments should not help people/patients?

    That is not what I am saying at all... That's a complete strawman argument and you know it.

    Currently we have fire departments building fire engines around EMS transporting jobs. What happens when the first due engine company (and mind you its the only fire company for miles) is tied up transporting a taxi ride, and a structure fire comes in? Volusia County, FL and many others have taken the disgusting option of doing this. Removing FIREFIGHTERS from their primary role of rescuing life, and protecting property, to becoming a cash money machine for the government by transporting patients. They already overtook the contracted county ambulance company, and turned them into a department of the county, why deplete your resources even more. Hell, lets not stop there, lets add a pump panel to a garbage truck, and cross train the sanitation workers to do Fire since they're always out on the road. Pick one job and stick with it. Theres a reason many places try to cross train their cops as firemen, and visa versa, and when it fails, they revert back to the old system. Someone's life or property is going to be lost because the firemen were busy dealing with a passed out drunk somewhere, or the cops were on a V&T stop with 1 in custody and unable to respond to a call that would typically be handled by a fire department.

    post-172-0-12394000-1328278457.jpg

    If you want to send firefighters on life or death medical calls based off an EMD dispatch, that's your departments choice and I hope a good risk / benefit analysis was done off it. But to either break up a company like many places do, or place an entire company on every single medical call, unavailable to respond to their primary function, in my eyes, is ludicrous.

    SageVigiles, JetPhoto and tommyguy like this

  13. Posted · Edited by JohnnyOV

    This is an opinion piece. Is there a factual article to go along with this?

    edit: to go along with this part, "The Bloomberg administration has taken the radical — and necessary — step of accusing a federal judge of out-and-out bias in his rulings on alleged racial discrimination in Fire Department hiring." If it's true, and I sure hope it is, that's a huge step... I just want to see some proof because I haven't heard anything about it.

  14. Posted

    this is ridiculous. i dont understand what the problem is with the volunteer departments in the city. they are ran on their own and the city doesnt help them.they do a great job and all the city does is pick on these guys they get the job done as well as the paid guys do and if they weren't trained properly they wouldve been out of service a long time ago its a shame to see these small volunteer departments go. the surrounding comunity loves each and every one of these departments. and atleast they probly have a better and quicker response time than the fdny does. so my question is y pick on the vollies. i guess the paid guys are thinking that we are taking away there jobs.

    Ahh to be young and naive. I might be young too, but I know that there is a huge difference between what OFPC's recommends on volunteer training (remember NYS is a home rule state, so FF1 is not required), and FDNY's career academy. The volunteers do not go through the FDNY academy, which would make is almost impossible for them to fit seamlessly into the FDNY's operations. The last thing the FDNY is worried about, are these volunteer companies taking away their jobs. They're worried that their standards and training requirements are not kept up as adequately as the FDNY's, which could endanger the lives of the citizens and responders even more. They "pick on them" because the fail to produce training requirements, or certificates of their members to the FDNY to show that they are all adequately trained.

    Everyone might love cake, but that doesn't mean cake is good for you.

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  16. Posted · Edited by JohnnyOV

    If it's a town there would still have to be a fire district, right? I thought it was pointed out in another thread that town's cannot be in charge of a fire district, only villages and cities.

    You are correct.

    A town cannot run any type of fire protection in NYS. They have no power or levy over the operations of the district as they are two separate governing entities. All they are allowed to do, is collect the taxes that the district asks for, and hands the check over to them each tax year. I'll use Yorktown as an example: The Yorktown Heights Fire Department, does not exist. The Yorktown Heights Engine Company Number 1, which is a social organization that supplies the manpower, and the Yorktown Heights Fire District which sets the operating budget and purchases all the equipment and apparatus for the Engine Company members to use exist. They work in operation together to provide fire protection for the town, but in the legal sense, are no way a department of the town, or a department at all. The Chief answers to and works closely with the Board of Fire Commissioners of the district

    I'm pretty sure I have this right, but Cities and Villages have an actual Fire Department in their government (a department of 'The city of X" = X fire department). The Croton Fire Department, is an actual department that falls under the Village of Croton - on - Hudson and subsequently answers to the Village Board which sets its expenditures at the recommendations of the Chief of the department. As a real mind turner, they also contract out with parts of Cortlandt for Fire protection. There is no "Fire District" line per se. This is why when Tarrytown had their LODD, the Village was slapped with "Serious Violations" from PESH,"The Village of Tarrytown exposed the employees of the FD (Fire Department) by not developing a permit-required confined space entry program, or provided the necessary training." (http://tarrytown.pat...-manhole-deaths) Had this happened in a town with a fire district, the town itself would have 0 liability.

    edit: if consolidation were to occur, there would have to be one large Fire District. i.e. "The Northern Westchester fire District" which could span across towns and villages (I'm not sure about cities).

    Firemn2742A likes this

  17. Posted

    When you say 'justify keeping PSAP at the PD station" , are you referring to the E911 answering point or just a local dispatch center? The E911 has nothing to do with central station notifications due to the fact that most central stations are out of state. If they were to dial 911 they would get the local PD/FD/EMS.

    Yeah, sorry. The E911 at the PD station. Our FD alarms co's are issued the7 digit number routed to 60-control, much like others.

    My point was kinda off topic, but just a huge gripe I have with the overall way 911/notification is run in this county, and I was just venting. Sorry for the confusion

    If the call goes directly to 60-control and the PD is afraid they won't be in the loop, then give the PD dispatcher a pager with stored messaging and they will be notified at the same time the FD is notified. This way the PD is in the loop without the liability and without delayed notification to the FD.

    I know of one or two departments that do this already, which is the way it should be done if communications are going to continue to be run this way.

  19. Posted

    Watch out for septic tanks though. Don't assume that they are in a logical place and don't assume that just because a lot is vacant that the previous structure's septic isn't still in place.

    Great point. Just because the home is tied into the domestic water system, and using sewers to waste removal, doesn't mean that there isn't an old cesspool or disbanded well hidden under the lawn. Places like Long Island are riddled with them, and jacking a truck on top of them could lead to disastrous results.

  21. Posted

    Driver's discretion. Don't park somewhere you can't afford to be stuck.

    Depends. Sometimes you just need to worry about the tow later, and get the job immediately done right.

    I can think of a couple spots where I would rather beach my engine in the rear of a property where there's a hydrant to make a quick attack and worry about getting it towed out later, rather then stretching almost 600 - 1000' of hose line to the fire...

  23. Posted

    Incorrect. Ford did not get a bail out, did not declare bankruptcy , did not take a penny of TARP money, returned to profitability over a year before anyone thought they would, rehired laid off workers, re opened shuttered factories and they should be commended for it.

    Chrysler on the other hand is owned by the taxpayers and Fiat. GM pulled a stunt by broadcasting a commercial indicating that they had fully repaid their TARP money years ahead of schedule when in reality they used one taxpayer bailout source to pay off another all while breaking up the company into a solvent half which could avoid bankruptcy and an insolvent half where the creditors and taxpayers are still eating a sh!t sandwich.

    http://money.cnn.com...rtune/index.htm

    Hence while my next car is going to be a Ford as soon as this lease is up. That, and they're coming out with some fantastic options and very reliable cars now.

    firedude likes this

  25. Posted · Edited by JohnnyOV

    Date: 1/11/12

    Time:13:28

    Location: 17 Heritage Dr

    Frequency: 46.26, Fire 11, Fire ground 5

    Units Operating:

    Pleasantville FD: E-91, E-259, TL-5, R-47, T-57 - Car 2371,2372

    Thornwood FD TL-1, E-89 for manpower - Car 2471, 2472

    Valhalla FD - R9 - FAST - Car 2482

    Millwood FD - R-36 - Cascade Car 2252

    Chappaqua FD - E 146 - Car 2061, 2062

    Batt 11

    Armonk FD - E-287 to take up hydrant on Crest view and lay in for the TL operating

    Relocate:

    Potantico Hills FD: T-12 -Relocated, then requested to the scene, feeding TL-5

    Sleepy Hollow FD: E-85 Relocated to PHFD

    Briarcliff Manor FD: E-91 relocated PFD HQ

    Mount Kisco FD: E-106 - relocated to Chappaqua

    Weather Conditions: Cool and sunny

    Description Of Incident:

    13:28 - Dispatch for possible fire, caller sees house fire behind her house

    13:31 - Re dispatch - MPPD relaying that DPW on scene with fully involved house

    13:32 - Engine 91 enroute 10-75 transmitted

    13:34 - Rescue 47 enroute

    13:36 - 2371 ascertaining if anyone on scene yet - negative

    13:37 - TL 5 enroute

    13:38 - 2371 on scene establishing command - 2 story fully involved wood structure

    13:39 - Coned electric and PVAC to the scene

    13:57 - Command requesting tanker to the scene to feed the tower ladder - PHFD Tanker 12 enroute from PFD HQ

    14:02 - Command updating 2.5 wood story 25x100, 4 hand lines in operation, fire throughout and through the roof, TL in operation as well, exterior operations, fire beginning to darken down

    14:15 - Batt 11 requesting one Engine from Armonk to Scene - locate hydrant on Crestview before the scene to feed TL, one engine from Mt. Kisco to Stand by in Chappaqua

    14:19 - Armonk HQ inquiring if request if for source pumper or attack engine

    14:21 - Armonk toning out for Driver - E-287

    14:25 - E-287 responding

    14:26 - Batt 11 per command, 1 engine from Thornwood to the scene for manpower

    14:27: CC1 - 4 hand lines, (inaudible), 1 Tower Ladder in operation, all hands working, structures integrity compromised.

    13:32: Hawthorne to standby for Thornwood

    14:35 - E-287 proceed up Heritage Dr, make a right on crestview, and hit the hydrant next to E-259

    14:38 - 60-control advising CC1 operating time of 1 hour

    14:39 - E-89 enroute

    15:00 - CC1 - All visible fire is knocked down, checking for hot spots

    photos: http://pleasantville...ulfed-in-flames

    video: http://www.lohud.com/article/20120111/NEWS02/120111004/Pleasantville-home-engulfed-flames?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

    Reporters:JohnnyOV, IzzyEng4, peterose313, Firedude

    Writers: Johnny - has the can, so someone else take the - OV

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