bad box
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Posts posted by bad box
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Parades, bar-b-q's, softball games and having a couple of beers with friends are all potentially enjoyable social passtimes. Sadly, far too many V.F.D.'s are run more like social clubs rather than professional emergency service organizations. The posts here are a very small sampling of what goes on in many V.F.D.'s where politics (rather than the right skill set) determine leadership. This is made possible by the fact that there is no real oversight of the V.F.D.'s other than that which comes from in house elected boards of directors or town elected boards of fire commissioners who more times than not are mostly voted on by department members who are residents of the district. It is dangerous that in so many parts of our country we are still relying upon this type of back woods, good old boy 'system' when it comes to setting and enforcing the standards for providing life and death services for fire, rescue and E.M.S.. I believe that in many areas a county led combination career / volunteer system would best address this issue. Not only would it place the responsibility of enforcing training requirements for firefighters and officers alike in the hands of full time, career chief officers (who don't have to kiss up to the membership to keep their position each year, but it would also be an answer to the ever worsening problem of poor turnouts of personnel for calls at times of low availability as well as for calls that many volunteers choose not to show up for ( smells and bells, sick calls, etc.). It's high time that counties place as much importance upon the provision of fire, rescue and emergency medical services as they do upon law enforcement, education, road maintenance and recreation (all of which are run as full time career agencies).
firemoose827 likes this -
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FAST / RIT is not supposed to be a special op's resource or a special team, county team, select group of folks who are trained differently or to a higher level than other firefighters, etc. FAST / RIT skills are necessary for EVERY firefighter every bit as much as any other firefighting essential functions are. When a MAYDAY is transmitted, IMMEDIATE action by knowledgeable, skilled firefighters is required. FAST / RIT operations are often required very early on during an incident, obviously we all need to be ready to perform appropriately and immediately when a firefighter requires assistance due to entrapment or medical condition while in a hazardous location. FAST / RIT training absolutely needs to be a requirement for new firefighters prior to certification. Currently certified firefighters who are not FAST / RIT certified should be required to attend the course and become certified. Firefighting is not a game, a passtime or a hobby, it's about life and death. Those who don't see it that way need to find a different calling.
SageVigiles, dashield, ex-commish and 9 others like this -
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Here's a couple of tests done comparing various hoods that are currently available to the fire service:
dave0820, sfrd18, SageVigiles and 1 other like this -
Nope, they are the responsability of the fire chief
If that is accurate, it should be looked at. The fire chief of one department making improper move up / relocate decisions affects the safety of people (civilians as well as firefighters) in districts over which he has no responsibility.
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I was under the impression that decisions regarding station coverage are the responsibility of the county fire coordinator.
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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.
38ff, billy98988, DaRock98 and 2 others like this -
I am looking for some input from the site to throw out some ideas and what hand tools guys have found that work other than the basic items (halligan, etc) how we can organize the compartments better and so on. See photos below of the current unit and please anything you can offer is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Mark
ok that's all, so as I said, any input is greatly appreciated and welcomed, negative or positive, it's all good
Just a couple of tool suggestions Mark. First I would remove the red colored prying tool that is mounted on the right side in one of the compartments (its fork is poorly designed ... too straight and too thick) and replace it with a Fire Hooks Unltd. 30" Pro Bar:
http://firehooksunlimited.net/probars.html
I would also suggest adding a griphoist as well as several sizes of fabric and cable slings for moving heavy loads (much stronger than a basic come along - excellent for rescue work).
http://www.torqhoist.com/show_unique_product.php?product_id=105
markmets415 and x129K like this -
Avoid varnishing the cribbing, it can become slick when wet which can result in the load slipping.
Use caution when adding storage ontop of the rig so as not to make it top heavy which can be a vehicle handling hazard.
Be mindful of the weight of any new / additional equipment that you add to the rig as it can affect the unit's braking ability.
Best of luck with the refurb!
markmets415 and x129K like this -
Prayers for the injured police officer's speedy recovery. Good work by Ladder Co. 121.
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Bob was an F.D.N.Y. Brother, a fellow Chief in the volunteer fire service in Putnam County, a fellow fire instructor and most of all a great friend and mentor to members of the fire service. I will miss him. Rest in peace my Brother, thank you for your friendship as well as for all that you did for the fire service.
JM15 likes this -
Rest in peace Brother.
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No matter how many times the topic of provision of FAST is discussed in these forums, I still see many who seem to believe that FAST must be provided by a special 'team' (like haz mat, tech rescue or fire investigation). Like it or not, FAST is part of every firefighter's duties. Any engine, truck, rescue company or squad must be fully capable of being assigned as the FAST when arriving at an incident and functioning in that role should a firefighter get into trouble and require immediate assistance. This training should be part of the process of becoming certified as a firefighter.
BFD1054, PEMO3, ex-commish and 7 others like this -
You're right. For those involved in the WTC, nothing will ever compare to that. In fact nothing will ever compare to that day. The plane crash in Shanksville, Pa. The Pentagon. All air traffic shut down. People fleeing Manhattan. People helping people. Hospitals as far away as New Haven, Ct preparing for injuried to be brought in on trains.
That beautiful day became Americas darkest cloud. September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten. Over 3,000 innocent people were murdered that day in a few short hours. Many have passed on from the effects of that day. Many are still suffering with breathing and sinus problems.
How can anything else compare ?
I agree NFD. During my time on the job I was privledged to work alongside some of the best in the business. I learned from officers and firefighters who had served in WW II, Korea and Vietnam; these same guys were on the job during 'The War Years' and didn't flinch when confronted with the worst possible situations. We gave it our all everytime we went out the door, sometimes with great success and other times, despite our best efforts, there was no happy conclusion. The morning of 9/11/2001 changed it all for me, minutes after I was relieved and left the firehouse the first plane hit the North Tower of the WTC. Everyone I just finished working the previous night tour with responded and were subsequently killed. The last thing I'll always remember of them was sitting around the kitchen table enjoying a cup of coffee ... laughing ... not a care in the world. Two months and a day later (11/12/2001) I responded to the Rockaways to the scene where an airliner that had just taken off from JFK had crashed into a private house and set a square block of buildings on fire. The death toll was over 260 people ... Sadly, after the experience we were having (dealing daily with the rescue & recovery at the WTC site coupled with attending the wakes and funerals of our friends and Brothers and working extra shifts to cover guys in other companies when they had wakes and funerals) we were simply to burnt out to treat the plane crash like anything more than 'just another run'. I loved every minute that I was on the job. I miss it everyday. I miss all of my Brothers who are gone ( LODD's prior to 9/11, on 9/11 and since). The ending to my fire service career was steeped in tragedy, but I have many great memories from times prior to 9/11/01.
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Coming soon to a Kindle near you: "Hurt Feelings on the Fire Floor" a novel co-authored by folks who have gotten on the job via court order rather than merit ... So sad.
nfd2004, antiquefirelt, goon16 and 4 others like this -
Excellent job by the Brothers aboard F.D.N.Y. Marine 3 last night. 5 lives saved and a boat recovered.
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I hope that there is a massive turnout of decent Americans both to show respect to the deceased and their families as well as to disrupt, block and drown out the lowlifes who represent the Westboro Baptist Church.
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Incidents such as that one definitely leave a 'mark' on every firefighter who operated at the scene.
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this is an interesting subject because as if today in putnam cty there is only the put valley fast team certified. lake carmel and brewster gave up their fast teams they citied training as being the biggest time consumer now carmel fire dept has ok their personnel to begin trainning for a fast team at put valley hq soon chief lipton has said they can train but wants to make sure of the commitment of the memebers before he will sign off on the team and put it in service he also citied trainning as being very demanding they start as soon as the class in filled we will seee what happens
Wow, this is truly a sad state of affairs. FAST training (just like pump operations, engine operations, ladder company operations) is firefighter training. It's a necessity for all members of the department (even if the department does not want to be considered to be a county wide special team). If departments can't find the time to maintain a high level of training in all aspects of firefighting, then it's time for the chief officers and commissioners to take a hard look at the future of the department. If we can't keep up with all necessary training on a regular basis, then we really can't justify being in this 'business'.
Bnechis, BFD1054 and SageVigiles like this -
I have to ask, if Putnam Valley is the only FAST in P.C., is every department in the county just sticking with the OSHA 2-out until FAST arrives?
Even if "2 in, 2 out" is what departments are following, it's imperative that the members who are assigned as the "2 out" are qualified, knowledgeable, skilled in rescuing downed firefighters. As I stated earlier, many MAYDAYS! occur very early in the operation (well before a special FAST / RIT will arrive). ALL firefighters must be capable of taking the necessary action IMMEDIATELY when firefighters collapse or become trapped and require rescue. The old saying, "Fail to plan, plan to fail" comes to mind. Unfortunately, if we fail in these situations our Brothers / Sisters make the ultimate sacrifice.
BFD1054 and SageVigiles like this -
FAST or RIT is not designed to be a function handled by a specialized unit or group. It is essential that every firefighter be trained in all facets of firefighter rescue. Often incidents that cause firefighters to require emergency rescue, occur early in the incident (well before a county team or specialized team from a mutual aid department can gather a crew and respond). This means that the rescue of the downed or trapped firefighter(s) will have to be initiated by the firefighters who are already on the scene if they are to have a chance at a good outcome.
firemoose827, BFD1054, wraftery and 3 others like this -
Here's a couple of articles as well as the actual FAA findings and decision:
http://cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/final-panynj-settlement-agreement-and-order-040513.pdf
http://skift.com/2013/04/08/faa-fines-new-york-area-airports-3-5-million-for-safety-violations/
in Westchester County Area Emergency Services News
Posted
I agree, I worked for a Pierce dealership for several years. It wasn't uncommon to see new rigs being sent back multiple times by the departments that purchased them due to problems that needed to be corrected (some were major problems). Although many in the fire service consider Pierce to be head and tails above the rest it's not the case, no manufacturer of fire apparatus is problem free.