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The DEC classes are free.

The DEC classes are free.

Sorry, but I can't justify sending people to school for Wildfire certification when I'm fighting to get funding for basic Firefighter training.

We find that the vast majority of ours (particularly those with "no symptoms") are for batteries or other malfunctions, but the caller did not read that's what it said on the detector.

If your CO call is for an IDLH range, it wouldn't be coming from inside. These are the biggest nuisance calls. It clearly is written on the detectors (most) that three beeps means you need a battery. My favorite is how long has it been going off? 2 days. Why did you call us at 330am? Cause I couldn't sleep.

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!

That is absolutely not how law enforcement is trained nowadays. The biggest lesson learned from Columbine (and this is pretty well publicized, so I'm not touching on any OPSEC issues) is that Officers CANNOT wait for SWAT/ESU before making entry on an active shooter incident. During the Columbine incident the shooting was over in about 20 minutes, the first SWAT elements didn't arrive until 45 minutes in.
Aggressive, well trained Patrol Officers on the street stop these types of incidents, not specialized teams that take time to mobilize. I understand that many departments in NY/NJ have ESUs on the road 24/7, but they are usually not a full complement of tactical officers for a traditional assault.
Without getting into specifics, the training and tactics of Patrol Officer responding to an active shooter are noticeably different than a "traditional" building search or hostage rescue performed by a specialized tactical team.

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.

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.

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.

I don't know, nor do I care, what this Chief was doing, that business is between him, his Department and those who foot the bill. But what should be clear to everyone by now is that we are ALL under scrutiny...everyday, everywhere, anytime, any place. Whether it's driving dept vehicles or simply wearing FD apparel think before you act...or speak. A moment of carelessness and you just might find yourself plastered all over Youtube, and the fodder for forums like this...or worse still, in the unemployment line on the evening news trying to explain yourself.

Rescue pumpers are an excellent choice for volunteer departments that are not staffed with technical rescue certified firefighters and whose main rescue function is automible crash patient extrications. Considering the great staffing difficulty that many V.F.D.'s have been experiencing for years (especially during weekdays when many members are unavailable due to work responsibilities as well as late night / early morning when members are sleeping before they go to work) it frequently is difficult for one department to staff an ambulance, a rescue truck and a pumper for response to a vehicle crash. The rescue pumper provides rescue equipment, vehicle stabilization equipment, equipment for initial patient care, firefighting capability and scene support devices (cones / flares, scene lighting, etc.) and eliminates the need to decide whether a poor turnout of personnel will require making a choice of bringing either a rescue truck or a pumper. As far as 'heavy rescues' go, many departments equip them with some truck company tools and the same equipment that a properly equipped rescue pumper carries and little more other than possibly a cascade system or a command post. True heavy rescues are equipped to provide rescue technician certified firefighters with the necessary equipment to assist them in dealing with high angle, confined space, trench, structure collapse, water rescues, etc.. And, in most cases the heavy rescue rig can't by itself carry everything that may be needed at a technical rescue incident. As a result, many fire departments have additional special op's support rigs to provide large amounts of shoring, carpentry tools, pavement breakers, air compressors, etc.. Unless a V.F.D. is able to make a commitment to maintain a sufficient number of certified rescue technicians and as a result needs to carry equipment to deal with the various tech. rescue regimens, it's very possible that a rescue pumper is the best choice.

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

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.

Sometimes having people that are not FF is better than having a guy with preconceived ideas or who thinks they know better than the chief. In cases where the commish is not an FF, they should be advised by the chief of department who should be the subject matter expert on the fire service.
The board should consider the needs of the department and the demands of the taxpayers and choose the best course of action with both in mind.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As a "civilian" fire commissioner, I feel I must respond to this post. Although I have 25 years experience in emergency services, I am not a firefighter and know nothing regarding trucks or firefighting. I rely heavily on my fellow commissioners who are firefighters/Ex-Chiefs/Ex-FDNY.
You are probably asking, "what purpose do you serve then"? In my position on the Board, I handle the insurance and I am the LOSAP Administrator. As a former Treasurer of the District, I also help out with the fiscal responsibilities.
As said previously, we not only have to answer to the tax payers, we have to answer to NYS. We have an outside professional audit done every year which is forwarded to the State Comptroller's office.
To have a Board the consists of all "civilians" would be ridiculous. I know of a neighboring District that has a majority of "civilians" on their Board and they have been spending more money on "consultants" than anything else. The "consultants" should be your experienced members, not some "white collar" person who knows nothing about the fire service.
I am very glad that I have four very experienced members of our department sitting beside me.