Disaster_Guy

Last wet down I went to in Larchmont was maybe in 1974 when they purchased their 75 ft. Mack  aerialscope. I got home three days later. I doubt political correctness will permit a repeat of that type party.

            
LARCHMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT
RESCUE 1 WETDOWN
SUNDAY MAY 22,2016 AT 11:00 AM
AT THE LARCHMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT
120 LARCHMONT AVENUE
 
ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND

When will they ever get a normal looking engine.

Never a dull moment in the "Vern"

All ALS treatment in the hot zone is limited to med injections, (i.e. DuaDote, Mark 1 and Valium). No way is advanced airway or IV's appropriate in the hot zone. By the time patients are moved to the cold zone they will be DOA. 

I'm told the unit went into service on Monday.
 

 

 

At least they'll use it! Unlike WCDES!

The abuse of "assisted living" complexes in calling for 911 response for falls and other minor occurances has taken its toll on the system.  In the case of Croton and Briarcliff the contract for ALS requires response by the Tri Village fly car on every call.  Many of those calls are then deferred to OVAC ambulance 2 BLS unit because not all shifts are covered by per diems in those villages.  It is an overload.  In years gone by it was not uncommon for an entire 12 hour tour to go call free...now in a 12 hour tour there can be 12 or more calls.  Abuse of the system?  It's going to catch up with us and there will be a real problem one day.
 

Let's be perfectly clear about this: the so called "logistical mess" was confined to the Westchester side of things last night.
 
Rockland units (Sheriff's marine unit, Stony Point FD marine unit, EMS on land) were all coordinated very well through 44-Control on Rockland's trunked system, including all involved agencies in direct communication on the Interop 1 talkgroup when necessary.  The Sheriff's marine unit was in constant contact with Coast Guard Sector NY on Marine 16, and also had direct contact with the tugboat.  They were also the first unit to board the vessel to provide aid. Stony Point's fire chief and marine unit were in direct and constant contact with the Sheriff's marine unit.
 
Notwithstanding the fact that the location was initially mis-reported and it took some time for the correct location to be determined (it happens, especially at night on the river), there were no issues otherwise with the Rockland side of things.
 
Note that this incident was on the Rockland shore, and that 44-Control notified 60-Control more or less as a courtesy than anything else.  Somehow, that turned into 60-Control dispatching just about every fire dept marine unit in the county, along with the WCPD marine unit.
 
Perhaps the real issue here is that it appears that Westchester units are allowed to self-dispatch, with no one actually managing resources. That does not happen in Rockland.  If 44-Control doesn't dispatch you, then you do not respond, plain and simple.
 
I was monitoring Fire 10 on the Westchester trunked system, and it was painful. You have a fire chief assuming command on the opposite shore 5 miles away from the actual incident? Really?
 
Next time maybe Rockland doesn't bother to notify Westchester at all when the incident is on the Rockland shore. If garbage like last night is the norm for Westchester, and no one can control the response, then just stay home.

Just a point of information.  Peekskill OEM has a mobile command vehicle equipped with not only Westchester DES and PD but Rockland, Dutchess,  Putnam,  Orange and Marine channels along with a PC with ICS software. It is not trunking capable but that is another thread.  The unit is only a simple phone call away through the PPD desk.

Empress has publicly announced on their Instagram page they are taking over 911 services for Harrison starting tomorrow (Sunday) 2300 hours

    There is a NYS DOH item on the DOH BEMS site about stopping service. I think it is more about surrendering your ambulance operating certificate though, so it may not apply in this case. It does not sound like HEMS INC is surrendering the license, they just can't operate without money.
   Having recently attended a meeting where Transcare was discussed, I have learned that a licensed EMS agency MUST do ONE call per month to keep their license alive. I am not sure what happens if they don't do a call per month, but it is bad.   The Transcare bankruptcy folks have contracted with Seniorcare to do at least one call a month as Transcare  (they likely have an ambulance with two orange DOH stickers on the windshield, one for Seniorcare, one for Transcare).  SO someone are HEMS needs to set something up in the next 32 days or so, or they risk losing their ambulance license, or having to to through some DOH process to re-activate it.
    Meanwhile,  on the Empress on-line schedule system, there are now shifts posted for 2 24X7 ALS ambulances for Harrison.  Please do NOT construe that to mean there is any kind of done deal. The shifts have NOT been filled. But since they have been added to the system, then it is likely there is something in process.
   Once again I find myself offering condolences to a group of fellow EMS professionals whose stable working life has been upended by events they had no control over. It has got to be tough: time off planning, major purchases like homes and cars, life plans like weddings and college are now all askew. All the HEMS staff, please know you are in our thoughts.
Bill
 

Tell that to Transcare

On July 14, 2012 Orange County held a Full-Scale Exercise to test their Hazard Specific Annex (2011 ed) for Transportation Accidents (Hudson River) contained in their CEMP.  This Full-Scale Exercise was based upon a very challenging boating accident on the Hudson River involving multiple patients requiring search, extrication, and land-based rescue. (SEE LINK) Based upon lessons learned from that exercise and several significant incidents involving multiple jurisdictions on the Hudson River, Orange County improved their Hazard Specific Annex in their CEMP to provide responders with guidance for Transportation Accidents on the Hudson River.  Agencies from Albany to Westchester with  jurisdiction on the Hudson River were invited to observe the exercise and subsequently the final copy of the plan was distributed to hopefully help stimulate improvement of emergency response on the Hudson River.
This comprehensive plan addresses many issues and operational challenges that frequently present with incidents on the Hudson River.  Orange County has designated (with USCG Approval) Marine Channel 81A for interoperability with all units operating on the Hudson River.  Motorola APX Dual Band VHF/UHF radios were purchased and issued to every agency with jurisdiction on the Hudson River and programmed with Marine Channels for Interoperability.
It would be beneficial if there was a Hudson River Emergency Response Consortium spearheaded by NY DHSES and the USCG...

I'm gonna take a wild guess based off the url that this was published in April 2015.

TRANSCARE BANKRUPTCY COURT FILING:
 
transcare-bankruptcy.pdf
transcare2.pdf
 

EMStar's Press Release
 

How long until Northwell (formerly North Shore-LIJ) EMS and NY Pres EMS move into the picture now that they own hospitals in Westchester and already have their own large existing EMS sytems?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ems/comments/47e0qn/transcare_restructuring_fails_operations_cease/

Station 4 is the home of Engine 30. With that there are two career staff stationed there 24/7. The upstairs is a meeting room where the volunteers as well a various public oginizations hold meetings. The room with the bar etc is the quarters of the Union Corners Engine & Hose Co. Which is the volunteer company quartered in the house. Yes, the volunteers are in a sad state. Would be great to see them rise again. This station is vital to the Chester Heights section of Eastchester in which it is located. New Rochelle road has a very high traffic level which would slow Eng 27 coming from the center of town or Eng 29 coming from Bronxville. this firehouse provides quick response for EMS and all fire emergencies to Chester Heights.

I think Eastchester Volunteer Fire Department only exists only on paper now. Used to be a huge volunteer department and that house used to be a volunteer house.

Here's what I heard on the radio:
60 Control repeatedly asking 73-B-2, Sleepy Hollow Ambulance their status, 73-B-2 repeatedly advising awaiting an EMT, an obviously and rightfully frustrated 60 Control dispatcher advising them they are at the 30 minute mark, 73-B-2 still not responding or requesting mutual aid. 5 minutes later, 73-B-2 advised 60 Control per Sleepy Hollow PD, they (Sleepy Hollow PD) are going to be requesting mutual aid, they are going back into quarters. 27 minutes later, Irvington 64-B-2 is on scene. So about an hour for an ambulance to arrive.
What happened there? Maybe I missed the call type. Probably just simply a poorly trained or ignorant member? Why did 73-B-2 wait so long that the PD had to directly request mutual aid? Does a 60 Control dispatcher have authority to override a unit? I would guess no because this dispatcher obviously given his tone would have done so. Sleepy Hollow PD got to override them directly thankfully. 35 minutes 73-B-2 waited for an EMT before they were told to stand down.
#mountpleasantemsproblems

The smoke in the structure call was at the McDonalds next to Sta #3. If that was the unit assigned to stay #3, they would have had to move the ambulance so Eng 23 could respond. Thus putting them basically on the scene anyway.

The trailers are for the NYS foam task force, They are spaced along the CSX line from Erie County, down the West side of the Hudson, as well as from Albany north, along the CP line. (Following the crude shipments) The spacing is to get 3 on the scene anywhere along the line within 45 minutes. If the state task force is activated, the manpower expenses are reimbursed. If they are used on a local response, the State will help with the paperwork to bill the insurance company. Either way, there re foam stockpiles to put the trailers right back in service after the emergency.

I know they all have other jobs. I was with someone once who needed an ambulance and when the small cart showed up there was a 3 man crew. One was an elevator mechanic, another was a ticket clerk and I think the third was a track worker.
A few years ago I took my EMT refresher at the yard in Stamford, I was one of only 4 in the class not to work for the railroad. At the time they said they had the goal of having an EMT on every track crew, because they would be closer to any incident than a local service.