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I see a "use" for the rank.. Engineers, Chief Drivers, ect. Someone who the probies can take direction from when there is no white hat around. Doesn't matter, as the Fire Service wont do it, even if it was good for them.

Im not saying it could be done, but it might be a good idea. I can see your point though.

Give the Senior Man the official titles then.

The fire service needs NCOs....

According to state law, the must post the election info (time/date/place) in a conspicuous place viewable by the public. Most places put it on the front door of the station. If a district has a DISTRICT signboard and/ or a website, the info must be posted there also. There is no requirement to post candidate names.

The letter of the law is:

§3:10.2 LEGAL NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION

The qualified electors in the fire district must be notified of the date of the annual election by an appropriate legal notice. Town Law §175 (1). This notice must clearly state the date of the election and the place where the election will be held. It must also specify the offices to be filled, the term of such offices and the hours during which the polls will be open. In addition, if the board of fire commissioners requires a petition to be filed to have a name placed on the ballot, the legal notice must so state (See Form 3-1).

§3:10.3 dates for PUBLICATION OF THE NOTICE OF ELECTIONS

The legal notice must be published once in the official newspaper of the Fire District not less than 27 days and not more than 34 days before the second Tuesday in December. To determine the correct dates for this publication, you must first determine the Election Day, which occurs annually on the second Tuesday in December. For example, in 2011, the second Tuesday is December 13th. Then begin counting back 27 days starting with December 12th. Twenty-seven days before December 13th is November 16th and 34 days before December 13th is November 9th. The legal notice for the 2011 annual fire district election must be published no earlier than November 9th and no later than November 16th. Only one publication is required. There are now requirements that the legal notice must also be posted. Town Law §175 (1).

§3:10.4 POSTING OF THE NOTICE OF ELECTION

§3:10.4.1 WEBSITE POSTING

In addition to the publication requirement, the Fire District Secretary must post the notice of any upcoming general or special election on the fire district website, if one exists. This notice of election must be posted on the website for at least 15 days prior to, and no sooner than 20 days before, such election.

§3:10.4.2 SIGNBOARD POSTING

A further posting requirement exists if the fire district maintains a signboard. If one is maintained, a copy of the notice of election must also be posted on the signboard. Town Law §175-c (1).

§3:10.4.3 POSTING ON THE TOWN OR VILLAGE WEBSITE

The Fire District Secretary is also required to send the notice of election to the Town or Village Clerk for posting on the website of any town or village located within the geographic boundaries of the district, or any town or fire district with which the district contracts. This website posting is only required if such a website exists. This posting must occur at least 15 days prior to, but no sooner than 20 days before, the election.

§3:10.4.4 POSTING ON THE TOWN CLERK’S SIGNBOARD—TOWN LAW §30(6)

The Town Clerk is now required to post a copy of the notice of election on the Town Clerk’s bulletin board in his or her office, and on the Town signboard maintained according to Town Law §30 (6). The Town Clerk shall cooperate with the fire district to ensure the timely notification of the upcoming hearing or election.

In my dept, the requirements for being an house or fire officer is spelled out clearly in the dept bylaws. We have time in the dept AND classes needed to be considered for running for a position. If you don't meet the requirements, you cant run. And to be able to vote on an officer as a member, you have to attend certain percentages of calls, drills, meetings, fund raisers, etc. We have a committee that oversees everything. It has worked well for us.

If the Fire District is providing the ambulance service, they cant bill. Any Fire District that has a separate corporation set up is in a legal minefield.

With the transition to laminated glass in side windows coming shortly, has anyone used the Rhyno tool?

Any thoughts/comments?

http://www.wecuttheglass.com/

You think you got it bad? Come over to Ulster County, we are still on lowband as far as fire operations. A countywide radio system is "good idea", but no $$ has been allocated for it.

A sad day.. I spent many hours washing/waxing that engine when it was new....

No more dispatching out of the Amawalk firehouse anymore???????

The DEC classes are free.

I have seen some LEO SWAT type agencies send in an armed LEO SWAT guy trained in medical, and he simpliy tosses a premade "blowout kit" to those wounded with s and the wounded applys self aid while the LEO keeps up with the team on the search for the bag guys. He does not give aid to the wounded. Sounds like a pretty fair compromise when the scene is not secured, but people are bleeding out. You can always throw the kits down a hallway before it has been secured if the tactical situation permits.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/investigations/uniondale-fire-department-spending-credit-cards-investigation-231491251.html

Yes, there are 2 sides to every story, but this one sure doesn't look good for these "commissioners" (and I use that term loosely in this case)

If there is something wrong going on, investigate and punish them if wrongdoing is found. More bad PR the fire service doesn't need because of stupidity on some individuals part.

There are plenty of us out there trying to do the best we can with the funding we get from the taxpayers, and these morons make us all look bad.

I will check that out, CPT!

looking at saving space on the truck. Someone suggested Smart Power Liberator series. http://www.smartpower.com/products/liberator/index.php

Any experience with these or others???

We understand putting all eggs in one basket, but we will be retaining a gas powered Hurst power unit and Honda Generators on the truck as backup, in addition to 12V "engine alternator" scene lighting.

Our current Rescue has a PTO powered 20KW genny that powers all scene lighting and also the onboard electrically powered hurst tool pump.

All,

I am looking for any information on combination hydraulicaly driven electrical generators (10-20KW) AND Hurst tool power units. Any good/bad points on them? Do they work as advertised? I'd like to combine the generator and hurst tool pump into one unit.

Thanks!

We just had Central Hudson give us a class on downed lines and emergencies dealing with power lines. They were very clear, they doesn't want FDs to use hot sticks or the like to move downed lines. We will leave that to them.

There is only one required course that commissioners have to take, within 280 days or so of getting elected.

Less than 24 hours, and the story is up on firefighter close calls website... Word travels fast.

How ever much $ you think it will take to do the resto, double it. As far as time, that all depends on how many USEFUL people you have on the job.

I agree with you, X635, but with out state govt's track record on getting things done in a quick manor, I think we may all be dead before that happens.

Firemoose,

Fire Commissioner elections are coming up in December. Get a candidate to run and back him. You need to start change somewhere. December 10th is a good day to start the process..

I think it all boils down to the people themselves on the board. My board/Chief/dept works together, and the district keeps the needs of the dept and the taxpayers in a healthy state.

My dept and district have no drama, which is rather unusual. We are a cohesive team, and no, the commissioners do not "steamroller" the chief, nor does the chief/dept create problems and vise versa. Our dept isnt huge, we dont run tons of calls, and we are a pretty decent family. The Chief doesnt ask for crazy things, and the commissioners do our best with in our small budget to get what we need to provide a high level of fire protection to the town.. Our meetings are open (as all fire districts in NYS meetings are), and we have one citizen that shows up to show his support for the dept/district. Honestly, I wish more citizens would get involved to see how we operate. I think all they really care about is that the big red truck shows up when they have a problem so we can fix it.