FF398

Verplanck is replacing their current Utility 29 (1983 Chevy). They're not getting a new rescue.

Verplanck is replacing their current Utility 29 (1983 Chevy). They're not getting a new rescue.

Bottom of Da Hill, on 03 Feb 2015 - 11:28 PM, said:
why stand by fd units from ossining isnt that a little far away?maybe armonk or west harrison white plains ?
Bottom of Da Hill, on 04 Feb 2015 - 01:47 AM, said:
or maybe just maybe the dispatcher is a member of said FD? thats what it is?you have fairview hartsdale sleepyhollow tarrytown just a few miles away.favoritism with few dispatchers i noticed.
Bottom of Da Hill, on 04 Feb 2015 - 02:06 AM, said:
i know all about mutual aid very well and i agree with you to a point.but there is favoritism.
Bottom of Da Hill, on 04 Feb 2015 - 03:16 AM, said:
the grand scheme should get what you need there sooner then later kinda like a fast team? thats my experience tells me its not a parade.get what you need ASAP.i dont think the dispatchers should have that kind of power to show favoritism to the dept they belong to.
Well all the departments you listed including Ossining are a 12-15 minute drive to Valhalla's station. It's not about speed and who is closest for relocations, it's how to balance all of the resources in the county. A relocation is not an emergency per se. It is better to skip over several departments so that wide gaps in coverage aren't created in the process. Hawthorne, Valhalla, North White Plains, Elmsford, Thornwood, and Briarcliff had units committed to this job during rush hour. Leaving TFD, SHFD, PHFD, WHFD, AFD, untouched meant that whichever company relocated to VFD would have had a full complement of second due departments nearby available to respond to another major incident.
You're hung up on Ossining but the fact of the matter is that they've got a half dozen engines two trucks rescue and support equipment plus a lot of manpower. I'd like you to name a major job North of White Plains from the past 20 years that they haven't been on or relocated for. An 3 man engine or 1 man truck from Hartsdale on a relocate... That's just silly. If I was Greenville, Hartsdale, or Fairview I'd decline the request for a relocate knowing that if have to call back manpower to cover my first due.
The box was filled appropriately and just because a few Ossining members work for or have previously worked for 60 control does not indicate favoritism. If it's big and in northern Westchester you can be sure Ossining, Bedford Hills, and/or Yorktown are going to be part of the job.

Based on some of these posts, I can't help but wonder if some of you were dropped on your heads as babies. What is even more concerning is how little some people know, armchair quarterback and jump to conclusions.
I have a fairly good amount of training regarding trains and train emergencies. I have - what I believe - is a wealth of knowledge of the fire service, including resources in this county and around us. I also have responded to and run a handful of incidents involving mass-casualties.
I have never - nor has 99.5% of you - had an incident like this. The people running it did a TOP NOTCH JOB, and the fact that some of you are sitting back, typing away and criticizing any decisions of the Incident Commander or any others at this incident just fortifies why I have little faith that we can ever become better as a county. Some of you posting here are officers, past officers or - God help us - aspiring officers in your respective agencies. As the Maitre D' in Ferris Bueller's Day off said, "I weep for the future."
/rant
And for the record, this is me, as a person, voicing my opinion which has no reflection of any affiliation I have or have had in the past.

With this incident I doubt that very much. Seems like you just like to start arguments or bash departments without having the facts. In other topics as well. What FACTS do you have to prove your ridiculous claim that there was "favoritism"? Do you also claim to know all about dispatching and incident command as well? The departments have run cards that specify who they want for mutual aid, and Incident Commanders request specific resources.

6 people lost their lives and others injured and this is what's bothering you? Get over it. Stop with the favoritism nonsense and the boo-hoo why didn't they call X, Y or Z.
Resources were called as needed during what I could only imagine to be a chaotic and overwhelming scene.

Ossining has a lot of firefighters and a lot of apparatus. And being that many units directly surrounding Valhalla were called in, It makes sense to bring in 1 & 1 from OFD. Armonk and W. Harrison are better left alone in a situation like this to cover other calls, especially since they're both responders to the airport (which the county considers a big deal). You also have to remember that you can't strip all of your neighbors of equipment and manpower. Sometimes you have to call in someone from a few towns away so you can keep responders available for everything else. It's really like a game of chess when you bring in mutual aid and stand by companies.

This subject is being discussed in January 2015. I'll check in again in January 2020. I'll bet not much will have changed.

Well guys after 43 years as a Port Chester Firefighter [ 18 years very active volunteer working at DPW then getting the dream job getting paid to do what I love to do this is my last day. It didn't end the way I wanted it too but away I go . I was fortunate to catch the war years when we went out every day for a job worked side by side with many dept.'s and made a lot of life long friends on mutual aid. I saw a lot of death and sorrow [ Gulliver's 24 DOA Stouffer's 26 DOA 9/11 world trade center ] and saved a few along the way but my greatest call was closing a large window [ life savers building ] for a 84 year old lady who was freezing because her window was open and she needed help. The next day she baked a apple pie for me and my partner. So I say good bye to it all and hope that I left a small mark somewhere. To my 2 sons that are following or trying to follow in my foot step's keep up the good work in this most rewarding profession . Good luck to the guy's that are left on my job and hope that thing's get better for you and the people we were sworn to protect.
Angelo Sposta [ Retired Local #1971 ]

I'm still gonna take the test, why not. It's just frustrating to score highly on the exam and watch guys with 80's and even lower get hired because they live in a 4 square mile area. But hey, best man for the job right ?

09:10 - Montrose dispatched with Buchanan & Verplanck to standby in own HQ.
09:16 - 2279 on scene with 10-75 and Engine from VAFD. 2276 on scene, fully involved, exterior attack only.
09:17 - Croton FAST, Buchanan U12, CCVAC, 35M2, Battalion 10 dispatched.
09:18 - Verplanck Engine to Montrose HQ.
09:21 - E225 on location.
09:23 - 2089, E119 responding.
09:27 - Bat 10, 2089, E119 on location.
09:37 - Bat 10 reports 2 1/2 story balloon frame, 3 L/S/O, stretching a 4th line.
10:00 - C&O Zone 4 dispatched.
10:12 - Bat 10 reported heavy fire on 2nd & 3rd floors, Command going exterior again.
10:20 - Command putting Croton to work, requesting Ossining FAST as relief.
10:32 - Bat 10 requesting 2 additional Engine companies to scene. E161 & E257 dispatched.
10:41 - 2332, E98, U51 responding.
10:50 - OFD FAST on location.
10:55 - Command reports exterior attack again. Using TL8 aerial stream.
10:56 - E257 responding.
11:12 - E161 on Laurel Hill Road, hand-stretching 5" to feed TL8.
12:17 - Bat 10 reports exterior operations resuming.
12:58 - Ossining E99 to scene for manpower.
13:17 - E99 responding.
13:15 - Interior ops resuming, Croton crews to 2nd, 3rd floor and porch roof.
13:28 - E99 on scene.
13:55 - 1 MOS to hospital - minor injuries.
14:05 - Bat 17 dispatched for relief.
14:30 - E119, E225, OFD FAST in service.
15:12 - E257 in service.
15:15 - Millwood L52 requested to scene to hit hot spots from driveway.
17:40 - Situation under control.
18:45 - All units in service.

The amount of money some guys have thrown away on exams over the years is brutal. That $100 fee isn't worth it in my book unless you have residency or a major hook somewhere. Good luck to those taking it!

but low bid is best.... the state tells us this...

yorktown has not disbanded their dive team,that was somers.

My only gripes with this are Station #3 (saw carry) & #4 (ladder raise). Besides the Yard Breathers, who wears an SCBA for this stuff?



And - if I have a 30 minute bottle and you have a 60 minute bottle - does that mean the same test for both of us?



The change is long overdue, and everyone will complain about it until it's been around for a while, just like everything else, when it becomes accepted. Any volunteer fire department that thinks doing this is a bad idea are probably the same ones that let their Chiefs handle everything while the rank and file members hold their dicks back at the rigs.

This will actually eliminate some of the candidates that should not even be accepted into the departments. Some departments are so desperate that they will accept anyone with a pulse and that does not help with the mission.

Date: 10/25/14
Time: Approximately 1700
Location: Forbes Avenue (IAO Gateway Oil Terminal)
District: Engine 5's First Due (East Battalion)
Units:
Signal 73 - 1st Alarm: E5, E17, E4, T3, SQ1, Emergency 1, Car 33 (East Batt. Chief) Signal 22 - 2nd Alarm: E8, E11, TL-1, SQ2, Car 32 (Deputy Chief - Shift Commander), Car 50 (Mask Service Unit), Car 36 (Dir. of Training/SO) Special Call: Car 39 (A/C Operations), Car 44 (Foam Unit)
Description: Fire in a transformer station adjacent to the Gateway Oil Terminal. Defensive operations until power can be shut down. United Illuminating, Gateway Terminal and CT DEEP responding. I-95 closed (Northbound and Southbound) due to its vicinity to the fire.
1809: Forbes Ave Command requesting NHPD to provide police escort to UI representative due to traffic volume.

Fun

Very little changes with a tiller vs. a rear mount. The tillerman is the O/V, so once on the scene of a job, he goes to work as the O/V would in any company. The chauffeur will set up the aerial the same way he would in a rear mount. There's really not much too it. Hit the parking break, put down both tormentors and raise the stick. I've only worked in a tiller a handful of times as a detail, but for operating purpose (other than driving) they act the same as a rearmount. Once the ladder is in position it's available for the roofman to take up, if he hasn't found an adjoining building that is. The chauffeur is also now free to assist with ground ladders in the front of the building, or assist the O/V if he's made it to the rear. The chauffeur becomes the utility man, just as he would in any other stick. Now, TL's are a whole different animal...

The city writes a check and a few months later the truck shows up. How does it work by you?

LOL at Res24cue. You keep proving me wrong that people can't be any dumber.
Law Enforcement Officers are the only thing that keeps order and prevents chaos in our country, regardless of what politicians, media and other groups try to feed us. The most important thing for all of us to do is to avoid sipping the Kool Aid that is fed to us making us think that LEOs are the enemy.
The enemy is ourselves and our thought process that we can be and are above the law. If we eliminate the laws that govern us and protect us, I will gladly pick up my family and move somewhere that has them, enforces them and protects my family.
I hate how our country is going down the toilet, and how so many people try to justify their illegal actions.

Interesting Article, Guess its been long enough since the last time we went down the stupid trail. They say the fire service is a 100 years of history unspoiled by progress.... Here we are failing to learn from history.
Back in the early 1990's we started with the every rig should have water....The Quint Concept. or even the Total Quint Concept. We even had the mini/maxi concept. We put everything we need on one truck and it 1) does nothing well and 2) add $100,000's to the cost of the rig.
St. Louis is now backing away since it doesn't really work as advertised. A couple of large VA depts. are now at the 1st replacement round and are asking why have the fleet costs skyrocked, and maybe we should not do this. Rochester went back to traditional units, because it too found it didn't really save money or work well.
Now if we cant get rigs on the road, adding another piece of equipment that somebody has to carry into a building is not going to help.
This week I heard 1 dept in the county paging out for any available interior firefighters to respond to an automatic alarm. Well if you can not handle a response to an A/A then equipment is not your problem. Every department in the county has taken millions in taxpayer money with the understanding of those taxpayers that when they call the FD, they will actually show up. If you can not do that, it is time to merge with someone else, hire someone else or hire your own staff.
Neat tool? do you put it on over or under your SCBA?
So this backpack weights about 45 lbs. So you use them on your initial knockdown but you have to leave your SCBA on the truck. Sounds like another toy that some depts. will buy with tax payer funds and it will sit on the rig till it no longer functions and its then thrown away.

Rob,
I don't think he kicked him in the head. I watched it a few times and it appears they kicked the mutt's hat away.

This thread is about Stamford Fire-Rescue's new Engine 8, a 2014 KME with a 1500 GPM pump, a 1,000 gallon tank, and 30 gallon foam tank. They operate out of a temporary station next to Stamford EMS Station 4 on Vine Rd near High Ridge Road. It covers the northern part of the city, specifically the High Ridge and Turn Of River sections. They cover urban, suburban, and rural sections of the city In addition, they cover the Merritt Parkway. A large part of their district is unhydranted. The company, Engine 8, was put into service in July of 2008 to cover the Turn Of River Volunteer fire department district. It is always staffed by 1 Officer, One Firefighter/Apparatus Operator, and one Firefighter. When staffing levels allow, a fourth crew member is also added. All members are part of IAFF Local 786.The company nick name is "Ridge Runners - 8 Ball Express"
Stamford Fire-Rescue's entire district is diverse, as they cover multiple high rises, commercial, industrial, and transit infrastructure, including a major interstate, I-95, the Merritt Parkway, a large Metro-North Commuter Railroad maintenance yard. There are large hospitals, office buildings, and large scale residential developments. They also cover a large suburban section, as well as some very rural area with very large and valuable real estate and huge areas of brush with limited access.
The career firefighters of Local 786 staff 9 Engine companies, 3 truck companies, 1 heavy rescue company, and 1 shift commander. A Fire Lieutenant also is a coordinator in the city's consolidated 911 communications center. This adds up to a minimum of 52 firefighters a shift. A Hazmat company and Hazmat support vehicles are cross staffed.
The KME Severe-Service Predator type chassis was specified and chosen for the terrain, roads, and structures it covers.
I'd really like to thank Captain Matt Palmer, one of my favorite fire captains, for taking the time to give me a complete in depth tour of the new KME. I do want to apologize, as the photos didn't turn out as nice as I wanted them to, but hope everyone still enjoys them and can see all the neat specs.
For comparison to the new Engine 8, here's the FORMER Engine 8, a 2005 HME.


And here we go with the NEW engine......
Stamford Fire Rescue
Engine 8
2014 KME Severe Service Predator
1500/1000/30
Engine 8 showing off the new colors and graphics of SFRD:

Engine 8's company patch

Front view

Front intake. KME standard is the chrome.

Front trash line

Driver's area

Auto Charge Status Center - a new product from Kussmaul

Drivers area panel - transmission control, air brake, Jake (engine) brake, power windows, headlights, panel dimmer, power mirrors

Drivers area panel - A/C controls, On-Spot automatic tire chain control, arrowstick control, 12V port

Drivers area panel for lighting controls

Engine tunnel....housing the LUCAS 2 automatic CPR compression device

EMS compartment....rear cab

Another shot of the engine tunnel...

Drivers side cab compartment....housing various items including a 12V DC hydrant barrel pump....hydrant barrels are pumped in the early fall to prevent freezing during wintertime

Pump Panel

Tank level indicator

Evacuation (air horn) button and fuel/DEF level indicator light on pump panel

Remote control for drivers side intake valve

Remote controlled drivers side intake valve

Pump panel uses wheel-type valves instead of push-pull "T"'s, making for an easier and smoother opening and closing of valves

Note how all valves are labeled for function. "Blitzfire", "Flying Wye", "ProPak", etc

Drivers side body

12V port for hydrant barrel pump mentioned above in the MPO's compartment

A real leather helmet that's seen real work

Rear shot

Blitzfire mount

Holamatro Combi Tool with CORE technology and new compact pump

Apartment/High Rise hose packs with pike poles integrated into tray

Officer's side saw compartment with LDH hose clamp. Saw blades are mounted to a custom mount on the right of the compartment, and pre-mixed fuel is in the yellow bracket

Officer's side front body compartment containing various tools

Wheelwell compartments with plenty of space housing 2 SCBA bottles and a water can

Officer's side

Officer's side pump panel. Notice the ProPak foam pack....unique to see it pre-connected with a 1" line

Officer's side rear compartment....containing various tools for the officer

Heavy duty rubber wheel well flares - easy to replace if damaged

Drivers side Whelen Pioneer LED Scene Light

Scott Safety thermal imaging camera mounted under officer's side rear jumpseat

Officers side cab....

Officer's area in cab

Whelen Pioneer low-profile side scene light mounted between officer's/driver's door and rear cab door....brand new product available from Whelen

Officer's side safety panel and Q siren controls

Officer's side radio and Firecom in cab-communication control panel

Officer's MDT

New SFRD logo on cab door

Hydrant type legend

Station 8's "Temporary" Engine bay

Station 8's "Temporary" Living Quarters

Apartment/High Rise pack.....note the custom made tray for it

Cab roof

Storage area on top of the "L" shaped tank

Storage area and deck gun above pump panel

Ash can

LED lights to illuminate the crosslay area

Note the high-intensity headlights

Brow light

Front bumper with LED illuminated cornering light

LDH connection with hydrant bag