boca1day

Does the mounting of the siren make a difference?
So lets compare.

In the 1st picture the Q2 is completely recessed in the bumper. This provides good protection for the siren, but since the majority of the sound comes from the side not the front, the sound is directed under the bumper and into the cab. Also this design defeats the strongest bumper by cutting such a big hole in it. This reduces the crashworthiness of the cab.

In the 2nd pic. its mounted above the bumper, less protection for the siren, but the sound is pushed forward of the cab more than other arraignments.

In the 3rd pic a shroud is added, this forces more of the sound forward away from the cab

In pic 4 the siren is only partially recessed allowing the sound to travel, but the siren is more vulnerable to damage. The addition of crash protection protects it, but does reduce some of the effectiveness of the siren.
Every item on a rig is a compromise. One needs to evaluate the pros and cons of each of these

Many years ago we tested the siren noise at each riding position (with windows up & down) and found that the Db levels were below the NIOSH / OSHA levels where hearing protection would be required. I don't know if this could play into it.
A big problem with the head sets (like seatbelts) is compliance. Even when provided, we find most members do not want to use them.

Im number 7 on the list. Little excited not going to lie....hope to hear soon what comes next.

I am #201 on the list. I would take the job if I got it offered to me.

My favorite part of EmtBravo....A keyboard yahoo from Saskatchewan telling the guys who ride the rigs how it is. The Ferraras suck, end of story

I have never met M'Ave but have followed his posts on here for some time. He is a pretty straight forward career guy who is on the job with FDNY. He had an open mind when the Ferrara's were purchased and now he gets to ride on one every day that he goes to work. I think he's pretty open minded about the KME purchase as well. Not sure the "Kool Aid" comment is fair here.

That's not a bid according to NYS Law

I'm not a member of the PFD so I can't confirm the shifts. There is an academy like the FDNY and pay is just about equal to the FDNY. Something to consider is that you MUST live within the city limits and it is not the greatest city so make sure you do your research! A lot of PFD and PPD guys live in Northeast Philly so that would probably be a half decent place to live. Look on Philly Fire News and see if they still have forums

and testing is your standard civil service test

Great that they are replacing a 39 year old (donated?) engine.
What is sad is that the Great State of New York with a $136.5 BILLION dollar budget needs a grant to replace this engine. It should have been replaced 20 years ago. Shows you how high a priority fire service training is in NYS.

In 2010, Ossining town contracted with Westchester County police and saved an initial $600,000, though some were hopeful at the time that much more could have been netted.
A police merger involving Ossining town and its villages of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor had initial promise but did not proceed even though a consultant estimated the savings could be nearly $3 million.
The town was paying roughly $3.4 million a year for police, but cut its expense after contracting with the county to about $2.3 million a year.
Still out there is the town police headquarters built in 2005 on North State Road that is unused and now for sale at $3.5 million. The town owes about $3 million on the one-story structure.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/22/police-mergers-spending-case-by-case/11100709/
Now did the new contract proposal:
The county, which has been under contract to patrol the town for nearly four years, has proposed continuing the service for between $2.46 million and $2.7 million a year. The total cost of the four-year contract would be $10.3 million compared with $7.5 million to contract with the village.
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2014/07/18/ossining-weighs-police-proposals-village-county/12847425/
So why should the town go with the village? $2.8m lower cost in the proposal over 4 years. The big question is what level of service will be provided and can the village really provide the level they are proposing for the price they are asking?

The Sutphen SPH 100 at Truck 1 is one of the rigs affected by the recall. The new scope will most likely go there, but we plan on keeping the SPH and assigning it to another Truck once Sutphen has a suitable repair plan for their 5 section aerials.

If you do the cost analysis on apparatus, a few well planned fleet management plans show that in the long run the best financials is selling before its 10th birthday. You get the most resale and least maintenance costs. Plus more reliable and safer fleet. Too many places think you save money by trying to stretch the rig till its ready for the scrape yard.
They can call it what ever you want, but that's not enough water to be a tanker.

As a former FDNY EMS paramedic I was assigned to the Dignitary Protection Unit. This was an overtime unit staffed by paramedics who were interviewed by the Secret Service and went through extensive background checks and training. An ambulance rode at the rear of every motorcade.
During motorcade operatations the secret service never rode in the ambulance as many believe. We had Secret Service radios with special code names that changed every assignment. We would sleep in the ambulance while the president was staying in the Waldorf or some other high end hotel. Not very glamorous. There was a lot of hurry up and then wait that dragged on for hours.
During training it was stressed that you would never treat the President and he would never be in your ambulance. We were there to treat the collateral damage as the secret service calls the poor stiff working or riding in the motorcade who might get hurt. I actually did treat a motorcycle cop who dumped his bike escorting the motorcade. Boy did he feel like an idiot. The Secret Service also stated they would not hesitate to shoot us if we were in their way when protecting the President. We actually had to sign documents acknowledging that we were made aware of this.
We routinely rode into Westchester NJ and Connecticut. We were advised that notifications were made to local state DOH and regional EMS council about us operating in their jurisdiction. This was over 15 years ago I cannot say what arrangements are in place today. My guess with Mobile Life operating in Westchester is because they have received Secret Service clearance to operate in a Presidential motorcade.
This was a neat gig and gave me access to a lot of places most people will never go. I have a picture with the vice president on the tarmac at JFK in front of Air Force 1. Never made it into the plane though

Consistency... the only consistency I see around Westchester is an increasing demand for service, reduced funding for said service and a lack of support for those providing said services. This doesn't just apply to dispatch, this goes for everyone in the field as well.
We should all be wearing toilet paper suits with the amount of sh!t thrown at us...

This is a huge issue for our regional comm center. The final product gets very low scores from the users (FD/PD/EMS) and almost every complaint is tied to individuals not following one set of guidelines from what is sent to how it sent and the terminology used. In the end it shows as varying levels of quality day to day, shift to shift, dispatcher to dispatcher, indicative of failed leadership and/or organization.

Looks great - bit of trivia = that front compartment closest to the turntable was originally mounted over the rear wheel of the trailer - the tiller drivers said it interfered with their line of site when turning - so the shop unbolted them and moved them forward - thats why it kind of looks out of place - because it is! lol

Was at the State Fair this past week and caught a couple nice pieces. Notice the rust ridden van, lol.

Both as horse drawn and as early motorized weight was a major consideration as they did not have the power to overcome the additional weight, but then something happened they most have missed here, in the 1930's we started building enclosed cabs.






During the 2nd world war, most depts. could not purchase anything as most metal was being directed toward the war effort. and immediately after the war there were still delays in the recovery. We found some depts. started buying them and then they disappeared until cities needed to cover the members for protection.

I had the privilege of riding with Charlie and his good friend Chuck Rockefeller 25 years ago. Both men were the greatest example of the term "volunteer". They both had retired from very good careers and chose to give back to the community every Monday from 6am to 6pm. It was an amazing experience to watch these two men, the compassion and caring they had for whomever we were called to aid. Charlie "O" of course was also a mainstay with Croton EMS as well. On other days of the week he would be on almost every EMS call in Croton especially during the day. He had a great sense of humor and was always quick with a smile. Everybody loved Charlie. Now he has gone to help our friend Joe Prefontaine up in heaven. I'm sure they are taking care of all the bumps and bruises up there. RIP Charlie and Joe.....

I live in the southern Adirondacks. The nearest Level 1 Trauma Center is Albany Med which is about an hour and 15 minutes from my home. From the far north end of our ambulance district, it's another 20 minutes at least; and even more if it's up one of the back country roads and into the woods. So we use the birds a lot, and have many saves because of the time saved over ground transport.
I used to live in Ontario County and worked full time as a Dispatcher II for Rochester-Monroe County 911. Inside Monroe County, we rarely used the helicopters. Primary reason was short ground time and choice of two trauma centers, even from the edges of the county. The only exceptions were MVA's with long extrication times and other rare situations with long time frames prior to getting the patient into the ambulance. Ontario County on the other hand used the birds a lot. Mercy Flight Central is based in north central Ontario County and has very short response times to anywhere in that county so they are a very valuable resource.
It's all about the time. In the situation that prompted this thread, I tend to agree with the original question of why call the bird with a 21 minute ground time. But not being on the team that treated the patient, it's not fair to judge either.
I would offer that if you can have the bird on the scene when the patient is packaged and ready for transport, there can be benefits, even with relatively short flight times, over ground transport. If there is any appreciable wait for the bird when the patient is ready to go, the value drops off rapidly. But it's the more distant situations that really prove the value of air transport.
Side comment here... Living and working in the Rochester area was good when it came to burn patients. Strong Memorial is one of the best burn centers in the US and being close meant that we got our burn patients there fast and had lots of good outcomes. Up here, the nearest burn centers, I believe, are Westchester or Syracuse. Both are several hours by ground from here at a minimum. Couple that with the fact that helos don't fly under certain weather conditions, and it you have a very scary situation for EMS dealing with burns.

I'm not a train fan but my little guy is so we do a lot of electronic watching.

Just to clarify, the Stamford Engines (8 and 9) have been responding from within the Turn of River District for more than 6 years.
Dispatch protocol is to send a career response to all incidents. Ex: medicals get an engine, Vehicle collisions get a career engine and rescue and structural runs will get 3-4 Engines, Truck, Rescue, and Shift Commander. The district volunteer department (Turn of River) is also dispatched on the initial assignment and may respond. However, the percentage of responses by them is quite low in comparison to many other VFDs and often with only 2 or 3 personnel.
Belltown VFDs Truck is also added to structural response into Turn of River's response area.

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

Started the trailer modifications. VERY difficult disassembly, and I still haven't figured out how to detach the ladder and turntable.

Once I stripped it down to the base plate, I used a Dremel to grind it back about 1/16" on each side so that the new side panels for the compartments will be flush with the existing fenders.

Next, I measured for the length of the high side compartments, leaving a space behind the front fender, which is where the rear hydraulic outriggers wold retract into, did some arithmetic, and marked out the panels. I used .02 ABS sheet for a base layer, and .01 ABS on top of that for the panel doors. Then I ran a strip of DP between the uppers and lowers. Each compartment was a separate unit on the actual truck, so I scribed a deep line between each section. Later, after it's painted, I will use a black wash to highlight the low spots.

There should be! This guy was the perfect candidate for any department, and Sleepy Hollow should have been honored he chose them. In fact, he passed through the entire SHPD hiring process....yet two members of the board declined to actually complete the process, and are the same ones at odds with his sister, a Village Board member they are at odds with.
This isn't just "BS small town politics as usual", this is an ongoing pattern of corruption in Sleepy Hollow politics that rears it's head regularly.