bad box

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Posts posted by bad box

  3. Posted

    Watching many of the youtube fire videos that appear nowadays, it's apparent that many structure fires that years ago would be extinguished using an 'all hands assignment' (1st alarm)in short order now 'get away' often with disastrous results (Mayday's, Firefighters burned and injured while bailing out windows, etc.). Many of these situations can be avoided by adhering to Bread and Butter basics.

    *Do a good size up looking for type of construction, visible people trapped, location of the fire, is there a cellar / basement, etc.

    *Stretch the correct sized hose lines commensurate with anticipated fire conditions.

    *Know the friction loss characteristics of the brand and style hose your department is using as well as the pressure required by the type of nozzle being used in order to provide its maximum flow.

    *Vent ahead of the attacking hose team ... don't vent until they have water, are in position and tell you they are ready to move in.

    *Vent - Enter- Search for life hazards.

    *Ladder the building in multiple locations to give interior firefighters means of egress other than having to jump.

    *Put the wet stuff (at that correct GPM's) on the red stuff ... Not over the roof into the neighbor's yard, against a blank exterior wall onto the roof shingles, etc. the goal is to overwhelm the main body of fire. Knock down the heavy fire and many of your problems go away.

    Don't be too proud to admit that maybe you aren't doing the job correctly, open your mind, get out and attend good seminars given by guys who have lot's of experience and know what they're talking about. Strive to be the best at what you do ... Your life, the lives of your Brothers and Sisters as well as the public that you protect are all depending on you to do the right thing ...

    Be safe ...

    efdcapt115 likes this

  4. Posted

    Elimination of PAPD 'aviation division' is a good first step toward saving taxpayers money that is being wasted on services that PAPD has been duplicating. The next obvious waste is the PAPD ESU. They 'buff' extrication's outside their jurisdiction on city highways. The municipal agencies that are charged with the responsibility of providing emergency rescue services do not need such interference. I'll bet they don't get many 'pin jobs' on airport property, and for the bridges and tunnels there are plenty of municipal rescue units within minutes of these locations. PAPD is a very expensive part of the port authority budget. The PAPD serves a valid function performing security at P.A. locations. If they stick to crime prevention, they can eliminate a lot of Wa$te ...

  5. Posted

    Friday night after the Renegades ball game at Dutchess Stadium (They won) there was a scheduled fireworks show after the game. All was going well when suddenly a shell exploded in the racks. This caused a chain of events most people only hear about and seeing it for my self gave me a O-SHOOT feeling. The shot consisted of 5 shells tied together shot electronically so there was no way to stop the other shells once the signal is sent. The 1st one went up normally, the 2nd exploded in the rack. The last 3 other shells exploded as one shot through the outfield fence and exploded near third base a second blew a smaller hole in the fence but did not go past the fence. The last one went right into the stands between home plate & 3rd, This struck the roof of the sky boxes and showered sparks over the hundreds of spectators.

    Fortunately there were only a couple of minor injuries reported. Had the shell dropped a couple of feet lower there could have been some serious burns and / or the shell could have entered a sky box and started a fire.

    My department has a apparatus at the stadium during all shows and we had a ambulance crew stop by to watch the fireworks which is not normal (Renegades pay private EMT's during games)But it worked out to have a couple extra EMT's there.

    As far as the fire departments response to the incident everything went well. The stadium helped maintain some kind of order to evacuate the stands.

    But this could have been a real disaster!

    Has anyone had a similar experience?

    Incident Alert: http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=37697

    Yes, while attending the N.Y.S. Fire Chief's Convention (in 2000 or 2001 I believe) I went to a Syracuse Sky Chiefs game. After the game, the fireworks show began. After a short period of unremarkable displays, there was a tremendous explosion behind the center field fence. We felt a strong concussion in the seats on the 3rd base side of home plate. The show was being fired manually. The misfire severely injured the technician. The Syracuse F.D. was standing by at the scene and immediately initiated care for the victim. He later died of severe internal trauma.

  7. Posted · Edited by bad box

    For many years, F.D.N.Y. used the 'Multi-Level Lights' manufactured by Julian McDermott Corp. of L.I.C., N.Y.. At the time, they used 'barrell type' sealed beams that faced front and rear and produced an alternating flash pattern of red and amber:

    My link

    They were very effective.

    It appears that he now also manufactures the unit using LED's:

    My link

    At one time, most of the mechanical flasher units (Large 'can type')as well as the front and rear flashing lights on F.D.N.Y. apparatus were manufactured by Julian Mc Dermott:

    My link

  9. Posted

    bad box, all correct. But its still way behind other systems and way behind where it should be. Improvements since HHC are a result of increased staffing and newer vehicles. There have been changes in patient care, but you can't say we're leading the way with much of anything right now.

    Hey 10570:

    I won't even try to debate with you as you are apparently working for F.D.N.Y. EMS currently and as such are up to date on what's happening. I worked for the HHC version of NYC*EMS from 1978 - 1981 at which time I left EMS and went 'on the job'. I will say though that as bad as it may seem to you, it has come a very long way over the years. When I first went on the fire department, it was still not unusual for us to transport critical trauma patients and patients requiring CPR to the nearest hospital in the back of the Battalion Chief's car (on a backboard and in a stokes) due to the fact that EMS either had 'no bus available' or no ETA. In the mid 1970's virtually every 'middle class neighborhood' started a volunteer ambulance corps. because EMS was so poorly run (It was run by two former N.Y.P.D. big shots and they ran it like the P.D. which didn't work at all). So, your job is WAY better than it used to be (the system actually saves lives now!), but I understand your frustration that it's not where you want it to be.

    Stay safe.

  10. Posted

    It's not going to be enough. The majority of politicians don't really give a damn about us, or our health problems. When someone dies from a WTC related illness, the powers that be will hoot and holler and pay whoever they can to try and prove it was a pre-existing illness, or condition. Or, that someones own actions lent itself to them dying. What about the people who live with not only the physical scars, but mental and emotional ones??

    I had a small part in that day, but the nightmares and other emotional hits I took stayed with me for years. Luckily the nightmares have stopped. But what about the one guy who one day flips out?? And I mean really flips out. Violent, etc. Who's going to be to blame?? Is it the government who didn't step in to offer that person more counseling, or medication, than the city was willing to give?? Or, will people take the easy way and blame the aggressor??

    After Sept. 11th, members of the FDNY, NYPD, and PAPD were like celebrities. Now, you got people on You Tube posting clips of fire companies going down a street with very little traffic at 8:30 on a Sunday Morning with lights and sirens. And they are complaining. There aren't many in positions of power who really care about us. Our friends, families, and the occasional grateful civilians do. Maybe if Heaven forbid, when the next one hits, and it's a relative of a politician who happens to be on the job that's affected, maybe then the wheels will start turning.

    This is what happens to someone after 13 years and numerous negatives hitting in a very short time, which makes that someone very angry and bitter as to what his job has turned into.

    Your post is all very true. Not only do most of the 'elected officials' not care about us, the mayor of N.Y.C. in cooperation with his buddy Ruppert Murdock over at the N.Y. Post have gone out of their way to report anything that remotely can be considered to be a negative about Firefighters or law enforcement people. The mayor's goal is to erase the way Americans (and especially N.Y.'ers)looked upon their first responders in the wake of September 11th (He wants it to go 'from Heroes to Zeroes'. Then he will meet less resistance when he makes dangerous cuts in emergency services. Those of us whose careers were cut short and now face an uncertain future have basically been 'kicked to the curb' by the wealthy politicians who call the shots. Let's also remember that in addition to all of those who gave their lives on that terrible morning (and their families and friends), our families have been suffering from the '9/11 fallout' ever since also.

  11. Posted

    FDNY is definitely not the system anyone wants to model themselves after. Its half way between fire based and 3rd party with all the pitfalls of straddling a fence.

    F.D.N.Y. is the largest E.M.S. system in the country. The demand for service (including abuse of the service) is immense. Things can always be improved upon in any E.M.S. system, but F.D.N.Y.'s provision of emergency medical services is light years ahead of what it was prior to the merger.

  12. Posted

    Badbox the problem is the leadership. They are afraid to make things mandatory because they either wont get re-elected or they dont want to lose people. Some are more worried about getting that big shiny trophy at the next parade to add to the dust covered ones allready in the case.

    I agree. I could never rest if I led a department in that fashion and someday had a firefighter seriously injured or killed. It's essential that the folks who take on leadership roles in fire departments make the provision of fire fighting and rescue services 'job one'. It's also essential that folks who choose to become members of a fire department are immediately made well aware of the risks of the profession and the priorities of the department. Personally my mission was to convince everyone to 'train as if their life depended upon it'.

  14. Posted

    As much as I agree with what you are saying, unfortunately that is not how it works, I'm not saying we can't change it, but just right now our state has set up the curriculum that way. And unless the state changes the way new volunteers are taught, and mandate that all current FF receive the new standard, then it won't fully change over for 20+ years, when most of us new guys have gotten too old, had enough and start pulling out and all your left with is FF with the new curriculum.

    It's unfortunate that the state is so far behind the times on such a vital issue as firefighter safety, but then it's incumbent upon the leadership of individual departments to require that all firefighters receive this training. I've been out of the fire service for over eight years now, but when I was still active the career department that I worked for trained ever firefighter in FAST operations and the volunteer department that I belonged to required all firefighters to be certified in FF Safety and Survival as well as FAST. This vital training can easily be the deciding factor as to whether a firefighter lives or dies.

  17. Posted

    EGOS

    On a side note, if you cant meet your minimum staffing requirement for your M/A engine response and get rolling out the door in 5 min, there are bigger things to worry about then operating a specialty unit like FAST.

    I have difficulty accepting that in this day and age there are some fire departments that consider FAST to be a specialty. Every certified firefighter should be completely competent in all aspects of FAST duties. FAST is every bit as much a part of firefighting as is advancing a hose line or Vent, Enter and Search functions are. When firefighters arrive at the fire ground, they should be prepared to handle any task and use any equipment. Firefighting frequently requires split second decision making and immediate action. This fact can be no more apparent then it is when a Brother / Sister firefighter is trapped and in immediate danger of death.

    x129K likes this

  18. Posted

    Get off the FDNY system band wagon already. The ambulance system is fine and is much better then it was. As far as the BLSFR...that is a direct reflection of a management issue and even that has come a long way of the problems I've heard from all sides in it.

    N.Y.C. E.M.S. has improved significantly since it became a part of F.D.N.Y.. I'm not sure what you mean by your comment regarding the F.D.N.Y. First Responder Program, but I do know that Firefighter First Responders save lives everyday in the City of New York. Here's a typical example:

    My link

  20. Posted · Edited by bad box

    My link

    This is an issue that needs bipartisan support. I am amazed to see the GOP turning their backs on the first responders who stepped up and did the right thing when our nation was attacked in 2001. Members of the emergency services across the country should be all over their local elected officials to demand their support for this bill. Remember, terrorism appears to be here to stay. Any law enforcement, E.M.S. or Fire Department (no matter how large or small)can be confronted by an attack ... we all need to know that we will be taken care of if we are seriously injured or become ill and are no longer able to perform our job as a result of such an event.

  22. Posted

    Yonkers FD has a variety of staffing preplans and callback teams to ensure proper staffing of all companies when specialized teams are deployed.

    For when they go "out of town" to an official disaster, all staffing and overtime are generally paid for by FEMA.

    I wasn't aware that FEMA would reimburse local USAR teams for the personnel salaries incurred when they respond outside of their jurisdiction. I was under the impression that FEMA only reimburses the US&R Task Forces that are trained and equipped by FEMA. FEMA USAR Teams

  24. Posted · Edited by bad box

    Thanks for pics....does fdny still run these?

    The Super Pumper and Super Pumper Tender are no longer in service ( They were sold to collectors back in the early 80's I believe). The Satellites still exist and they are referred to as the 'Maxi Water System'. There are two in Brooklyn: Satellite 3 (E 284) and Satellite 6 (E-207). There is one in each of the other four boroughs

    Satellite: / Housed With:

    1 E-9

    2 E-72

    5 E-159