EMTbravo

Today marks the 8th year that EMTBravo.NET has been online. Thanks to all the members, staff, and everyone else who have helped this forum to succeed and become what it is for the past 8 years, and many more to come. Seth G. Founder and Executive Director, EMTBravo seth@emtbravo.com AKA "x635"

The following are acceptable types of incidents to post when posting IA's. This list is not concrete,but is posted here to serve as a guide/reminder. Please use your best discretion. Any post deemed minor,routine, out of area minor, etc will be modified or deleted. Make sure to accurately display what type of incident it is Please make sure you have complete and accurate information BEFORE posting, and if possible, update as needed. All Incidents MUST be CONFIRMED over the air or personally verified by a member on scene. TEMPLATE MUST BE USED FOR ALL INCIDENTS! Structure Fires -Confirmed by fire officer as a 10-75, or 10-29 -Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Mobile/Temporary Structure, Utility Structure -Inside smoke does not count as a structure fire until confirmed as such. -NO Chimney Fires/Boiler Malfunctions/etc. without extension into the structure Other Fires -NO CAR FIRES -NO ROUTINE FIRES, e.g. dumpster/trash fires (unless significant exposure issue) -Unusual/unique fires are allowed -Large Truck, Vehicle, Equipment Fires -Brush fires as detailed below MVA's -Requiring extrication, rescue, or unusual occurrence. -Serious MVA or multiple patients -Omit details on patient identity -Major Accident NO Pedestrian Struck MVA's unless: - An accident investigation is required - Death - Victim is pinned - Victim is flown Brush Fires -Large scale, such as those requiring mutual aid or covering a large area. Hazmat -Notable incidents, such as victims involved, major spill, etc. "Routine" Haz-Mat team call outs, evaluations, etc are not considered notable Rescues -Standard, Technical or other requiring the use of specialized rescue skills and equipment -Industrial Accident -Trench Rescue -Search And Rescue/USAR -Dive team activations -Water rescue EMS -NO ROUTINE EMS CALLS OR MVA's -Major Trauma -MCI -Omit Patient Identity Plane/Train/Boat -Notable Incidents Police Incidents -Shootings, Stabbings, Officer Needs Assistance, SWAT deployment, Missing Person Search, Foot Pursuit, Vehicle Pursuit, Riot, Large Disturbance, etc.. are all acceptable. -NO ROUTINE Incidents (such as burglary, robbery, mugging, etc., without special circumstances) FDNY In NYC, what would be routine to others is everyday there. So, with that said, please post only significant, noteable, or unique incidents. Unusual Occurrence/Unique Incident -Use your best discretion UNACCEPTABLE IA POSTS The following incidents are not allowed in this forum. EMS Calls except as listed , Car fires (no proximity to a structure), chimney fires, boiler malfunctions, small brush fires, investigations, routine police incidents, bomb/other threats, standbys, inquiries, smoke investigations, suspicious devices, suicides, suspicous deaths, others as deemed inappropriate by moderators. Again, the preceding incidents are NOT allowed to be posted here. The members/mods posting are doing a great job so far, and this list is to serve as a further guide to enhance the quality of information posted in this forum. Anyone with ideas/comments/questions please contact EMTBravo or any of the Staff Members. This list will be modified as necessary Last Update: May 13, 2011 by EMTBravo Staff

I have noticed recently several members posting Incident Alerts with the topic titles incorrect, such as only stating the muncipality or incident type. The topic title is part of the template. It is prescribed so that the topics in the forum are uniform and consistent, therefore making them easier to identify and read. The topic title should consist of the municipality, followed by the incident type, followed by the date. With proper spelling and capitlization of all! Here are a few examples of a PROPER IA topic title: Yonkers- Working Fire 8-16-05 Somers-MVA w/ Extrication 8-16-05 Fairview- Third Alarm 8-16-05 Irvington-Water Rescue 8-16-05 ALL TOPIC TITLES SHOULD APPEAR IN THE FORMAT ABOVE!(With correct spelling!) Please use correct topic titles as described above in all IA posts!! Thanks!

To everyone who has posted, thank you! On behalf of the staff and myself, we don't see much appreciation expressed on the forum, and we truly appreciate everyone's kind words and congrats messages. It's not why we do it, but with the countless hours each of us spend on the site each day, it's nice to hear some appreciation for the site every now and then (on the forums that is). I welcome any questions on the history of the site as well. Every year, I usually type out a detailed message, but this year I decided to keep it short and sweet. Seth G.

Members, As a policy reminder, it is prohibited to post suicide calls and other suspicous deaths as Incident Alerts. These are often sensitve and emotional situations for many involved, and the last thing we want is family and friends to be reading how and what happened on this forum. Although it's an incredibly selfish act to commit, it's not a noteable one. For those of us who've been in the field for a while, although it's a mentionable to the oncoming shift call, it's really routine. And, it's probaly happened to a coworker at one time or another, and we know how discreet these situations are to be handled. To our younger members who write IA's, please consider and use your best discretion on what constitutes an incident, and please refer to our: Acceptable Types Of Incidents For IA's-Click Here If you have questions about if an incident is OK to post, feel free to contact any of our regular IA Writer/Contributors via PM. Thank you for your cooperation EMTBravo Staff

Members, We're proud to announce our newest website and endeavor, http://www.emtbravoIMPACT.com We hope to use this site to bring EMTBravo back to it's roots. On this site, you'll find a simple listing of benefit and charity events, training and seminars, and other relevant news, events, and information in a simple, easy to read format. To submit news or an event, please email: news@EMTBravoIMPACT.com We hope you like our newest endeavor! Sincerly, Seth G. Executive Director The EMTBravo Group seth@emtbravo.com http://www.emtbravoIMPACT.com

Fellow members, There's a link at the top of the page, but it's small and pathetic. So I'm not going to even describe where it is, and I plan to make it more visible as soon as possible. Anyways, there is a comprehensive "Help" guide that explains all the features of this forum and how to make the most of it. There's probaly some stuff in there that you probaly didn't even know you could do, so I reccomend everyone take a look. For now, it can be accesed at the link below: http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?app=core&module=help On behalf of the EMTBravo Webteam, Seth G. Executive Director, The EMTBravo Group EMAIL: seth@emtbravo.com

I have yet to recieve any submissions for "Quote Of The Week" for EMTBravoIMPACT.com This doesn't have to be an original quote from you, just as long as you cite who said it. Please submit quotes to news@EMTBravoIMPACT.com

Members, We have appointed JJB531 as Moderator and Staff Member. JJB531 brings his leadership ability to this forum, and will be helping us in "Keeping It Professional". JJB531's post on "Keeping It Professional": On behalf of the EMTBravo.net staff, Welcome Joe! Thanks for joining our team! Seth G Executive Director The EMTBravo Group seth@emtbravo.com

This evening, one member decided to add a one line, inflammatory post to a disccusion, making a prediction about a thread. Full disclosure, I (as x635) started the thread. These comments serve absolutely no purpose except to incite conflict, and will not be tolerated in any form whatsoever. This is made clear in the forum rules. A heated discussion will not be labeled a "shitstorm". That is disrespectful to every member involved in the discussion. It often is irrelevant and "hijacks" a discussion. I understand the "here we go again" mentality, but no one is forcing you to read these threads. And, strike 2, using symbols to get around the automatic profanity sensor is not acceptable. We are broadening what we allow, but when a member does that intentionally, it just shows purposely complete disrespect for the forum rules.

Two issues I'd like to bring to the attention of AOL Email users: 1. Since EMTBravo is on a lot of people's mailing lists, I've been noticing numerous AOL email accounts sending out spam messages, containing a link. I know some may be aware, but others may not be. In some cases, I've been getting multiple spam emails from the same AOL addresses for months. Your account could be comprimised and hacked by malware/spyware, and could be also collecting important info from your emails as well. I don't know if there is a fix for this, but maybe a member on here can give some advice. 2. If you have AOL Email (and any other for that matter), make sure that any @emtbravo.com or @emtbravo.net email suffixes are on your safe list. Otherwise, important information, such as password resets, account notifications, and messages from other members may get sent to your spam box. With AOL Email, sometimes emails from EMTBravo do not get through at all, and that's because of AOL's antiquated and isolated spam controls. Thanks Seth G.

Again, this is still going on. I am recieving numerous emails hourly to the EMTBravo email boxes from @aol.com users that are registered with this forum under an @aol.com addresse. Please take the above advise in the post above, as I have put many of these addresses into my Spam folders, or "blacklisted". If you cannot reach me from an AOL account, that may be why. Try from another account.

We are now looking for and accepting the following information: -Quote Of The Week (Please credit original source) -Information requests As someone or a business that would like to be a Monthly Site Sponsor (will change every month, ideally) Email any and all information to news@EMTBravoIMPACT.com And don't forget to check out our growing Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/EMTBravoIMPACT Thanks you all for your support so far! Seth G. EMAIL: seth@emtbravo.com

We've dedicated this permanent section of the forum to Yonkers Firefighter Patrick Joyce. In his honor, we are moving/conslidating all threads about FF Joyce to this forum. Not only will this contain the online condolence card, but all other topics that relate to FF Joyce. This will also be the place to remember FF Joyce on anniversarys and announce any benefits in his honr. It will also remind our members that, you can be in one of the best fire departments in the nation, with the best equipment and plenty of manpower, and still be very vunerable to the evils of our job. FF Joyce was a man who loved firefighting, and loved his family. His death was during active duty firefighting, while trying to rescue others, and he sacrificed his life for those people that could and were believed to have been in there, but weren't. In the course of that, Yonkers lost a firefighter from the premier company in Yonkers, Rescue 1. YFD lost a brother. And most importantly, the Joyces lost a husband, father, brother, and son. Much like the Jimmy Boy forum, I'm sure FF Joyce's death will leave a legacy, and won't be forgotten-this forum will serve in his honor to help, to remember. Link to the forum section (you are now in this section): http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php?showforum=145 (The staff will soon be listing criteria and more information on memorial forums-look soon in the "EMTBravo" section of these forums) -Seth G. Founder and CEO, EMTBravo

I'm looking for members of local Fire, EMS, and PD agencies that currently have members deployed overseas. I'd like to reconize them by posting it on EMTBravoImpact.com If you know of anyone, please include their name, the local department they are affiliated with, their local rank, the duration of their military deployment, their branch of the military, their rank, and where they are deployed. This information can be sent, via email only please, to news@EMTBravoIMPACT.com Thanks, Seth G.

Error message "[#10344] You do not have permission to view this topic. This error usually occurs when someone tries to access a topic from EMTBravo.com that has been deleted. Unfortunately, there is not a immediate fix right now, rather a work around, which won't completly resolve the issue, though. I apologize for any inconvience or misunderstanding, Seth G.

On EMTBravo, you MUST respect your fellow members. Please refrain from inflammatory and defamatory comments as well as flaming, taunting, and general disrespect (this includes "one liners"). Do not simply put down the opinion or advice given by others. If you don't agree with it, say why - respectfully. Don't just tell them they're wrong. Do not make uninvited remarks about typos, duplicate posts, posting styles, etc. When an opinion-based discussion is being had, do not state things like "there is no argument" as if your opinion is the only one or the only one that matters. When someone has clearly stated their opinion, do not say things like "Are you serious?" and "Are you kidding me?" Remember, this is not a debate club. This is a friendly discussion community. Allow people to have their opinion. No one is to act as some sort of opinion judge, responding to each one to say whether they agree with it or not or whether or not it is a valid, well thought out opinion. Thank you for your cooperation. -EMTBravo Staff staff@emtbravo.com

Members, It seems like our policies need clarification to some members. In regards to Incident Photos posted in the Incident Photo section, we're not going to pick those photos apart as they are posted as a a sort of "news" type of format, and we want as many photographers as possible to post their photos without retribution. In regards to a photo submitted to this site showing a clearly dangerous action, the message on FirefighterCloseCalls.com sums it up nicely: And another tidbit, in this case replace FirefighterCloseCalls with EMTBravo.com: So, in relation to this site, we're not generally encouraging it, but a photograhper may post a photo, or an officer or firefighter may posts a photo with the photographers permission.The person making the post should not be attacked, and any issue should be handled using the "Report Post" feature. The department and individuals involved should not be disccused or "bashed", and every attempt to blur out names and markings should be made. The staff can help you with that. Nor will we allow a malicous photo to be posted, and inflammatory posts or "one liners" will be deleted. The above also relates to IC's or officers who want to share their experience without photos to enhance firefighter safety. Seth G. Executive Director, EMTBravo P.S. We are looking at a way we can build an intergrated "Safety" section for sharing the above that won't offend members or create ruckus for the staff. Any ideas on that should be emailed to me at seth@emtbravo.com

At the request of many members of this community, we decided to remove the "FDNY Activist" video. Although this does constitute censorship, and I'm sure we'll be accused of that at some point, but we are acting on the request of multiple active members of this community. We listened, and pulled it. Although everybody is entitled to their opinion, and to express it in different ways, we also took into account the timing of when this video was released, which was apparently on purpose. Seth G. , on behalf of the EMTBravo team If anyone has an issue or questions regarding this issue, please email me at seth@emtbravo.com or use our contact system.

The staff, led by IzzyEng4, has worked to weed out the "Battle Of The Badges" and inflammatory posts, and merge the two threads together so no knowledge or insight would be lost. I thank them for their effort on this. Seth

We have re-established the Buy-Sell-Trade section of the forum. The classified section added an underutilized and uneccesary component to the forum. We feel this is a better way for our members to sell, buy, and trade. However, items will not be listed in the "Recent Topics" list. For more information, please read the purpose and rules post in the Buy-Sell-Trade forum. To access the forum, scroll down on the forum main index page...it is just above "The Lounge" section.

We have re-established the Buy-Sell-Trade section of the forum. The classified section added an underutilized and uneccesary component to the forum. We feel this is a better way for our members to sell, buy, and trade. One of the new rules is that you MUST have 25 posts and be in good standing to post anything in this forum. EMTBravo Classified Advertising Rules The classified section was created for the buying, trading, and/or selling of items within the membership of EMTBravo. All transactions are at the risk of the buyer/seller/trader. EMTBravo is not responsible for non payment, lost items, lost payments, items not sent or any problem transactions between members. These are civil matters and the proper venue to resolve a dispute is not online. We advise you to use common sense when trading. Let the buyer beware. Do not sell anything illegal or immoral. Anything deemed inappropriate will be deleted. Commercial ads allowed only with the written consent of the EMTBravo administrator and will be considered commecial solicitation, a violation of forum rules. Multiple listings and "bumps" by one person will be considered commercial advertising. Valid Email Address required. Post a price for each item, and/or OBO. Post or delete when the item is no longer available. Only one ad will be permitted per week per user, and user must have 25 posts and be in good standing. More with staff permission only. Appropriate photos of the item is allowed if it is your photo and does not violate our forum photo posting policy.

Members, Many of you yesterday got solicited via PM by a spam robot. These are malicous scripts that sometimes make it through our strong spam controls. I am looking into why and how regardless. Also, if you suspect or see any spam, please hit "Report Post", "Report Member" (through thier profile) if they PM you so that the staff is immediately alerted to the issue. Sorry for any inconvience. Seth Granville Executive Director EMTBravo

The Shoutbox is a supplement to our Incident Alert section. It is meant to give a “heads up” on possible incidents, like a department dispatched to a structure fire. It can also be used to provide updates on active incidents, or inquire about active incidents. It can also be used to provide information to supplement Incident Alerts, so that the original writer can add those into the IA. Please use your best discretion when posting in the shoutbox. Simple and routine incidents, such as an automatic fire alarm, open burn, a routine MVA, etc aren’t of interest enough for the shoutbox. If you feel have an issue with a Shoutbox post, please contact a staff member, so we can look into the issue. Please don’t try to self-moderate, or make comments regarding another members post. Often times, it causes an inflammatory situation. We are aware of the issues with the Shoutbox, and are reviewing ways that we can improve it. In addition, if you have enough accurate and confirmed information, please post an Incident Alert. Thank you for your cooperation EMTBravo Staff

Because of the live nature of the discussions on this community, it is not possible for us to review and/or confirm the accuracy or validity of a member or message before it is posted. If you believe that someone has violated our User Guidelines or you have spotted content that may otherwise require attention please hit the "Report Post" button on the lower left side of the post box. You can also report a specific member in by hitting "Report Member" in their profile. Please include a brief description of what you believe is wrong. Notification is voluntary and anonymous, but in no case should a user respond to a situation personally, thereby aggravating the situation further. Responding to a violation in an inflammatory manner is a violation in itself and will result in appropriate action. If your screename affiliates you with a department, please be careful with what you post. As social media is a rather new concept, many departments don't understand it and/or properly handle it so it is a positive aspect. Since they don't have written bylaws, as a result, many departments are censoring members, even going so far as to tell them not to use this forum at all. I understand that some departments don't want certain internal information released, but to completly censor members from saying anything about an unrelated subject or public information is wrong. In most cases, these people are officers or Commisioners who, for some reason, think that they are not accountable to the public and they don't want their "authority" questioned, even if it is public knowledge, and this extends to taxpayers as mentioned. This is why MEMBERS of a department who use social media should be involved in creating a written social media use policy, that is fair to both the department and member, and doesn't exclude them from particpating in forums like this. Also, many commisioners and others don't understand this new online world, and view it as uneccesary or evil, but it is our jobs to educate them. We are also different then Facebook and Twitter, we've been here way before them, and this, the original type of social media, shouldn't be placed in the same category. With that said, when you create your screename, profile, etc, don't affiliate or imply affiliation with any department if you are not affilated with that department, or are no longer affiliated (retirees, life members, etc are exempt). To change your screenname if you wish, please use our contact system via the top menu links to request a change. However, do not let this discourage you from posting. This is a situation that applies to only a fraction of members amd departments. There are departments and officers/commisioners that are fully supportive of this site. Thank you for your cooperation.