FFBlaser

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Posts posted by FFBlaser

  1. Posted

    Break Out The TIC, Ask for an extra Engine and Tanker along with the Main Structure Response (2 Engines, 2, tankers and Call for the Ladder in the District to the east) This call would probably ask for a Regional Page, so Being the DC that day I would have about four County Districts Responding with apparatus as well as in POVs. Depending on whether the closest paid city station is available the dispatchers would send them which happens to be a Quint. I could also ask for a few buckets of class B from DOT.

    My input.

  2. Posted

    The problem is defining "suspicious".

    At the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City it was assumed it was a gas explosion until a bomb tech determined the crater was from a vehicle bomb.

    Exactly but I guess that's what keeps us on our toes, I think its up to the first arriving apparatus to make that judgement

  3. Posted

    While doing some research I found an interesting article to share. It sums up good considerations to keep in mind when responding to possible bombings or terrorist attacks. Just another tactical consideration to keep fresh in your mind.

    Link to full article: http://jennihesterman.blogspot.com/2010/04/first-response-and-threat-of-secondary.html

    Here, If there is any suspicious explosion State and City EOD is called in before any movement happens on scene, This happens rarely but it is part of our plan, If either State Police EOD or City Police EOD is out of service we have to wait a good half hour for the Sheriffs Office to get there S**t together, but like I said, its just a protocol on any suspicious situation because of what happens in the middle east with secondary devices, My two cents.

  4. Posted

    M'Ave, I can appreciate what you are saying. The fire dept in the city I live has had one for awhile. The slide out rear tray is really heavy to roll out. And as you point out, being on a hill just presents more problems. The added stripping is missing too. And not having those highway lights will make a difference while operating on those busy expressways. Some very good points that you have presented.

    What exactly are highway risers? For the lightbar?

  5. Posted

    ok you have my interest peaked, so as a shift commander, do all your vol. houses have set shifts? are you required to sign up for "X" number of shifts per month? what happens if the shifts are not covered? If every shift is always covered, maybe it should be looked into for depts having trouble getting out.

    Basically, All the Volly Houses have one officer who is always at the station, Who responds to calls, There are two other Lt.'s. Duty Section 1, Duty Section 2, Duty Section 3, I have duty section 2 which is middle of the week, So I spend my time at the station from tuesday to friday evening with the two paid paramedics and one firefighter, When a call comes in, Lets Say a car rollover on the highway, Tones will go out to the pagers, i.e. Medic 80, Hondo,

    29Delta, Car rollover I-25 mile marker 282, Than I will Respond in either the Officers vehicle or On a rescue rig with the other FF and the Medic will respond as well....

  6. Posted

    I agree with Chris but would add "Where would you be happy?"

    Also, we New Yorkers don't know ennough about the structure of things there in New Mexico to be able to give accurate advice. If you can find Bill Vargas an ICS Instructor who was on the original ICS committee, he is probably the guy to ask. He was wwith NM OEM for a while.

    If you can get to Socorro, find some retired Alberquerque (not even close spelling, huh) guys at bomb schools

    Good Luck

    Thanks Gents, Took the Lt. Job, and Received my vehicle yesterday, Can't wait.

  9. Posted

    how do you go from being a vol firefighter to a paid fire lt? arent you missing a step somewhere in between?

    If you have been a Volly for a certain amount of time you can take the Lt. test... All the Volly Districts in the county are operated and owned by the county... If I were to take the Lt. Job I would be a District Lt. So I would be a shift commander for that region which consists of three districts...

    I Wanna do whats best for my family but I don't wanna sit behind a desk and miss the thrill.

  10. Posted

    Which one pays more? Do they both have civil service protection? Are there opportunities for additional advancement from one or both of these positions? Are the schedules/working conditions comparable (vacations, shifts, etc.)?

    They Both pay the same, They both have CSP, The only one that will allow advancement is the Lt. Job... Anything farther on the OEM job would be governor appointed... If I were to take the OEM job I would not be able to continue on with Firefighting as a volly... I love that job but I have a wife and a baby and I know she would prefer me riding a desk... So many variables... I figure some of you old timers would know...

  13. Posted

    Try this one a few weeks ago...

    Dispatch: Medic 60, La Cienega Response, Unknown Medical, Sheriffs Office on scene

    Medic 60 Responding

    Dispatch: Medic 60 Be advised, Male is reporting that his P**** Has been removed by wife

    Medic 60: Uhh, Copy that dispatch.

    Dispatch: Would you like a second page medic 60?

    Medic 60: Uhh, No.

    Disptach: Copy Medic 60

    Medic 60: Medic Sixty on Scene, One adult male, Lacerations and Cuts to Genital area, Please advice St. Vincent's.

    Probably the most off the beaten path i've seen, except for the volunteer departments that call for back up because of apparatus problems, i.e. No gas.

  15. Posted

    The new Seagrave is the first of it's kind for us. That goes for both Tower Ladders and Engines. It is vastly different than the previous models. When you have a fleet of 200+ standard engines and 150+ standard trucks, you need to have one of each for training. Only stands to reason. Those Bureau of Training rigs will serve the academy for a decade and beyond, hardly wasted money. The order was for 70 engines and the BOT rig was the 71st. Engines, for us, cost about $600,000 (if someone knows the correct figure, correct me!). That price is inclusive of extra parts and the warranty. For an apparatus purchase in the neighborhood of 40 million dollars...whats another few hundred grand.

    Another thing.....that investment will last 10 years. Spread 40 million out over that decade and you only get 4 million a year. That's a pretty small percentage of a budget that closes in on 2 billion annually.

    Thank You for educating me on, That I was under the impression that BOT usually used old Rigs, but i see that if FDNY is Fielding 70 of those other rigs than it is a good idea to have at least one that will transition when the recruit leaves training.

  17. Posted

    Because Reserved Powers section the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution prevents the Federal government from regulating what is essentially a state by state problem. The 10th Amendment states "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." this means that any power not expressly given to the Federal government belongs to the states and it is up to the people in those states to regulate themselves according to that power. Anything that takes place between states like trade is in the power of the federal government.

    That being said, one of my friends was killed by a drunk driver when I was 14 before I joined the department.

    I am all for stricter penalties for DWI/DUI especially for at risk groups such as repeat offenders and the youth.

    What needs to happen is we need to educate the adults as to the dangers like financially, physically, emotionally etc because when we convince adults not to drink and drive that knowledge and wisdom can be passed from person to person and adult to child. We need to instill the true consequences of drinking and driving and change our social norms because for far too long has it been socially acceptable to drink and drink. That needs to change and that needs to change fast.

    The question I often ask when I am out with friends is: Here are your options

    A.Taxi Ride

    B. Impounded Car

    C. Death

    D. Prison

    Usually they take option A

    But nobody is willing to learn about it.

  18. Posted

    A friend of mine from high school was killed by a drunk driver, so I have very strong feelings about DUI/DWI penalties. Namely, they're not strong enough.

    Another former friend of mine was in a near fatal accident a couple of years ago while under the influence. All she received (aside from what are likely to be lifetime injuries) was a loss of her license for 6 months. She had to attend a drunk-driver class run by DMV, and she had to pay a whole bunch of insurance surcharges in addition to the DMV-imposed license restoration charges. All of it was for naught and she still, to this day, drives under the influence.

    The more we slap people on the wrists for DUI/DWI related incidents, the more they become complacent to the law; thus, the cycle continues, perpetuating more victims like my friend who was killed. Anyone picked up for DUI/DWI should receive a mandatory jail sentence of 6 months for the first offense, a year for the second offense, two years for the third offense, and so on. Maybe then people will take it more seriously, as it won't just be a "driving offense" (like it is in NJ), it will be a criminal offense.

    I myself have lost friends to drunk drivers, as well as friends going to jail for DUI and DWI. Four teenagers were killed when a drunk driver was in the wrong lane and hit them head on. Four teenagers, he probably won't even get the manslaughter charges for the four that were killed and the driver of the car who was airlifted and is suffering health problems. Its really sad. The local government has started impounding drunk drivers cars and auctioning them off however most of them are wealthy businessmen who can afford another car and bail. When is the Federal government going to impose on this "epidemic" ?

  20. Posted

    Nate, why in the world would you give up 1/4 inch which is about 9-10mm rope as a bail out system and go to 1/2 inch or 12.5-13.0 mm. As a bail out system, this just does not make sense. A bailout is a 300 lbs load. Why in the world would you increase it to 1/2 rope which now would be a 600 lbs load tested rope?? Not sure how they do things out there, but based on NFPA, for bailout systems, 8-9 mm is what is recommended as the max diameter for rope. The most common diameter is the 7.5-8 mm which meets all standards for 300 lbs test. Also, what is your reason for getting rid of the EA and going to the MPD? As someone had said already, too many holes to fill in here. Not really sure you fully understand what a personal escape system and devices are.blink.gif

    I think the definition of Personal Escape System is varied by type of training.

  21. Posted

    Nate, why in the world would you give up 1/4 inch which is about 9-10mm rope as a bail out system and go to 1/2 inch or 12.5-13.0 mm. As a bail out system, this just does not make sense. A bailout is a 300 lbs load. Why in the world would you increase it to 1/2 rope which now would be a 600 lbs load tested rope?? Not sure how they do things out there, but based on NFPA, for bailout systems, 8-9 mm is what is recommended as the max diameter for rope. The most common diameter is the 7.5-8 mm which meets all standards for 300 lbs test. Also, what is your reason for getting rid of the EA and going to the MPD? As someone had said already, too many holes to fill in here. Not really sure you fully understand what a personal escape system and devices are.blink.gif

    Perhaps I am wrong in what you guys consider a Bailout system.... I just carry that stuff for everything.

  24. Posted

    Well...yes and no...

    You see, ALOT of people, both career and volunteer put ALOT of stock in EXPERIENCE...the guys who have "been there, done that" are a huge assett to those of us who haven't.

    Executing a self rescue under heavy fire conditions is not something alot of us have done...nor want to do...so when someone comes on here saying they have done so - we look at it as an opportunity to pick your brain, get the details, and LEARN from you...

    Misrepresenting yourself and your situation is just bad business and ruins your reputation...which is one of the few things we can control in today's fire service.

    I think I was trying to help people learn from my experience but it got out of hand, if you ask me. I have learned quite a bit on here by just lurking in the shadows and not posting at all. So I do see where your coming from.