http://hudsonvalley.news12.com/

First the Zika Virus, then the polluted venues, body parts found in venues and now this! And the hits just keep on coming!

15 hours ago, M' Ave said:

This is not a new topic...but it hits close to home.  I live in a 6 story, fire-proof multiple dwelling.  This means...there are no fire escapes.  If a fire were to occur on the 4th, 5th or 6th floors, a resident could potentially be blocked from their front door....the only means of egress.  Whats the other way out?  An aerial ladder.  What good is that aerial ladder when its 20 minutes away at a parade?  Maybe farther!  My local FD has several engines and one, single ladder.  Why does that ladder, the only means of high-rise rescue, EVER leave town?  To win a trophy?  To show off?  To look cool?

 

If there were ever a tragedy, I'd expect those responsible to see criminal charges.

 

Im all for parades.  Im all for tradition.  Our volunteers give time and these kind of events are joyful and proper compensation for dedication.  We should have fun and maintain freindly relationships with neighboring dept's through social activities.

 

However, our first mission is life-safety.  If a town has 3 or 4 engines and 1 ladder....um....the ladder doesnt go to parades.  Smarten up, send an engine.

 

 

There wasnt a need to include a dept. name, because this dept. is not unique.  The list of offenders is long, sadly.

  

 

This is a valid point but also consider this:

If a municipality only has one ladder or rescue, do we permit them to go out of town to the fire training center with a significant amount of the department for training? To go a step further, as the FTC has the only live burn facility, is it ok to take the entire first alarm assignment out of town and rely on the next town over to cover calls with a small crew left behind?

Do we permit the only ladder or rescue to go out of town mutual aid?

Do we allow our only rescue to participate at a MCI drill several towns away?

Although the above reasons are nobler, wouldn’t the results be the same should a fire break out? My point is there are numerous times when any piece of equipment will not be available. Even a municipality with multiple ladder trucks may not have one available at any given time. Do we restrict our equipment to the district and prohibit it from ever leaving to ensure coverage? Prohibit the equipment from going out of service for repairs or upgrades? Of course not. But unlike mutual aid, MCI and breakdowns, we can schedule drills and training events and make plans for coverage.

As much as you may disagree, parades do serve a purpose. They are not there so you can look cool or show off, they do offer a chance to foster pride in your department, see what other departments have in the way of equipment,how they use it, get new ideas in equipment and helps in recruiting.

But the only real answer to ensure the safety of the residents of your building is to spend millions of dollars on redundant equipment and additional millions to build and staff a fire station across from your building. Sounds absurd? Of course it is. but you have to do the best you can with resources you have on hand. 

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/rye-city/2016/06/06/rye-public-safety-department/85299246/

RYE CITY - The city may create a single Public Safety Department for police and firefighters in an effort to address ongoing fire staffing issues and to provide a more cohesive approach to emergency services.

The idea behind the move, City Manager Marcus Serrano said, is to create a direct chain of command by appointing a paid public safety commissioner to set policy and establish uniform procedures for police officers and both paid and volunteer firefighters. Under the proposed law, the public safety commissioner would appoint paid fire officers. The volunteers would still elect their own chief, assistant chiefs and other officers, but their choices would be subject to the commissioner's approval. The volunteer chief and assistants would work with the career officers, and all would report directly to the commissioner. 

 

13 hours ago, nfd2004 said:

Telling both sides of the story gives the people the entire picture. Had it not been reported as it was, the full story would not have been known. On here we learned:

 

1) We learned how apparently three fire chiefs were the real reason these eight firefighters were eliminated and lost their jobs, as some here reported they knew nothing about it.

 

2) We learned how another village was paying one million dollars to Port Chester, basically covering the entire cost of those Port Chester firefighters.

 

3) We learned how one individual encouraged a group of firefighters to damage another firefighters home.

 

4) We learned how that group of 8 Port Chester firefighters may seek legal action through an attorney seeking damages on their behalf, which may actually cost the taxpayers more now.

 

 This went beyond the fact of a city that couldn't afford to pay for its firefighters. If and when this issue is finally resolved, the City of Port Chester will be known throughout the fire service as a city that allowed three of its fire chiefs to make some very poor decisions. It could be used for future training as "A Lesson to be Learned".

Not to nitpick but PortChester is a village within the Town of Rye, not a city. I bring this up only as a village has different requirements under the NYC constitution and the village board oversees the police and fire departments. Also the chief of the department lacks the legal authority to terminate anyone. The action to eliminate the 8 employee positions rests squarely on the village board. 

Memorial Day is a day that we are supposed to remember our honored dead of the armed services. From the birth of our nation, to the conflicts of today, the soldiers who are supposed to be remembered on Monday are somewhat forgotten by our society in place of more secular endeavors. This holiday has become like many others, a few days to shop for discounted merchandise, or just a chance to get away for a few days. We tend to forget why some of us have the day off.  If it wasn’t for the sacrifices of those who gave their life for their country, we may be speaking a foreign language or living in a culture completely different then we are today. We owe our very way of life to the solders and sailors who have served in the past. This weekend, we shouldn’t think of the politics that got us into the past conflicts but reflect on those who did their duty and paid the ultimate price. We should also remember those in the emergency services that have died in the line of duty. Their sacrifice is none the less important. They also gave their life in service to their community.

While we are grilling in the back yard, riding in a patrol car or working in a fire station, take a minute and say a prayer for those whom we are supposed to remember this weekend. Remember freedom isn’t free, many paid a heavy price for it.

10 hours ago, AFS1970 said:

These are certainly cool trucks, and they can do a lot. However I wonder just how busy they are? Do the runs justify having them in the fleet? Are they ever used (even internally) for towing, since they are essentially heavy duty wreckers?

You would need  a huge fleet to justify the expense. It is more cost effective to have a list of local tow operators with the equipment and offer to train with them. 

At the end of the day its just like any other piece of equipment. Once you get past the initial purchase, you have to constantly train to remain proficient. In this case it may be best to rely on the commercial operators who use the equipment everyday. 

Vincent's towing in Mamaroneck has one of these (and several other heavy wreckers) and operators who are trained how to use it. 

They are on call 24/7 for I-95 by the Thruway Authority. 

22 hours ago, x635 said:

 

I was monitoring all of the agencies, simultaneously, using a couple of scanners during this most recent incident involving the kayak. If you're referencing my prior post on this topic, I suggest you go back and listen to ALL the audio of the following agencies on the following channels:

 

NOTE THESE ARE ALL INDIVIDUAL SEPERATE CHANNELS THAT WERE ALL USED DURING THE KAYAK INCIDENT:

60 Control-46.26

60 Control-Fire 14

60 Control-Fire 18

WCDES Fireground 1

WCDES Fireground 5

WCDES Fireground 7

Marine VHF 16

Tarrytown FD

Yonkers FD Operations

Yonkers PD

Empress EMS

Greenburgh PD & EMS

Irvington PD

WCPD

 

Now, after listening to ALL of the audio, explain how it is "bashing" and not restating the FACTS of what happened. Please explain how that is not something that can be improved on.

 

We can resolve the issue once and for all. Forget about the radios There are too many. Put one guy on the top of the new bridge and each boat would have to have a spotter looking there at all times.

 

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 8:15 PM, FireMedic049 said:

That was satire, right?

 

I know that it wasn't, but stuff like this is typical of where we are these days.  People expect a prompt, professional response from EMS when they or a loved one is experiencing a medical emergency, but they don't want to actually put up the money necessary to put that in place.

 

The problem isn't so much the increasing training requirements.  The problem is that too many are still trying to look at this in terms of what's convenient for the providers and not what's best for the patients.  EMS has progressed significantly over the past 4 decades in the care that we can bring to a patient's doorstep.  This increased capability necessitates increased training in order to effectively provide it.  We are no longer "ambulance drivers" scooping patients up and racing to the hospital.  We are now pre-hospital medical professionals bringing the ER to the patient, particularly at the Paramedic level of care.

 

If the requirements for providing this level of care have reached the point where the care can no longer be reliably provided by an all or largely volunteer staff, the solution is not to lobby the state to decrease the amount of medical training for providers.  The solution is to start treating EMS as the medical profession that it now is.

 

If that means a tax increase to do so, then suck it up buttercup.

 

On ‎2‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 8:15 PM, FireMedic049 said:

It seems like raising taxes is the universal answer to everything.  Throw more money at the problem and it will go away. That appears to be the motto of the school boards in Westchester. The cost of taxes in NY is one of the largest reason for people moving to another state.  The people of Westchester are paying the highest property taxes in the country. Its causing many to have to work two jobs or move farther away. I would like to see you to suck up 20k a year in property taxes and then cheerfully agree to more.   

 

 

 

 

On ‎2‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 2:00 PM, AFS1970 said:

I have said this about firefighter training also. While the hours have increased, which is generally positive, there has been little done to creatively fit the classes to a busy Volunteer's schedule. When I took my first EMT class 21 years ago (feels old to type that) the class was two nights a week with a few Saturdays. My FF1 & FF2 had similar schedules. More often than not they are planned around the departments regular drill night.

 

Now I have taken classes that were on Sunday mornings and provided food in the cost of the class. I have been in classes that were held once a week, which obviously takes longer to complete, but those have been the exception not the rule. If a topic can be done with a single instructor, could the class be taught multiple times with different students coming together for practicals and tests? I don't know the answer but decreasing the hours is probably not it.

 

The last things I will say is that we have to stop talking publicly about how big a burden it is before we talk internally about a solution. I can't prove it but have long felt that inadvertently we are psyching out potential new members by telling them how impossible it is before they even ask.

I hole heartedly agree. From personal experience  I found that training is not friendly to those who work shift work or the clock. Granted that this may be a small part of the pool of candidates but is still a factor.

I took my original EMT training in high school. It was a 40 hour class back then (Yes I'm that old and have a very low EMT number). After my initial training found it increasing difficult to keep my self current working the clock. My employer would not excuse me for half a day on a Saturday for the skills session or an exam. This means I had to use vacation time and sometimes that was denied do to workload. Some instructors understood and others were not so forgiving as they were bound by regulations. Its funny that for a field that demands 24 hour service, you have to work 9-5 Monday to Friday in order to get training, that is on the fire side as well as EMT. It became almost impossible to retain certification so I let mine laps.

I don't know if this have changed since I lapsed but it seems as the programs are becoming more and more intense, there is less and less leeway. 

Quote

 

 

2 hours ago, velcroMedic1987 said:

There's a Fallen Firefighters Memorial.  That's the hall of fame for the fire service.

 

 

The one Hall of Fame that no one wants to be inducted to! May the inductees be few! 

Please see my earlier comments on bridging radios. In it looks like in the current situation an emergency services boat on the Hudson would need:

1 Westchester trunk radio

1 Westchester UHF fire ground radio (or the ability to scan this frequency and the trunked)

1 Rockland County Trunked radio

1 NYPD radio

1 NYFD radio

1 Marine radio

And just for giggles and grins a WCPD radio.

Did I cover all the bases?

(Does the helicopter out of NJ have any of the above?)

Putnam Fire

Orange Fire

Putnam Sherriff's

Orange Sherriff's

As you can see this is a lot of hardware and a lot to pay attention to when involved in an emergency.

This would have been a perfect use for the mobile communications vehicles if they could be on scene in a reasonable amount of time. 

 

However, I have a simpler idea: As Rockland and Westchester have repeaters (trunked systems), In theory what is heard at 44 control and on the site should be the same quality of broadcast. Why can't a radio of each others trunk system be installed at the two control centers and when you have an operation such as this bridged together? This would permit all units at a scene be connected together thus only 1 radio would have to be monitored and everyone would be on the same channel. Many departments were cross banding their radio systems before the trunk system was established.

 

 

 

The solution to this problem that has long been an issue in certain areas of NYS is legislation.  There should be no guessing or discussion about who is in overall command & responsible for 

operations at an incident.  In CT, the

senior fire officer on scene is in charge, by law.  Nothing is left open to

interpretation.  It's clearly defined.

It does not appear to be as cut and dry as you think. I was listening to part of the call. It appeared that there were several other factors that mucked up the situation.

1) In this case it wasn't a fire but a medical emergency. Does the fire officer still retain command?

2) It could not be determined exactly were the call was (Town or County).

3) It seems like there was an over dispatch because it was not known were the call was. (I could be wrong on this).   

4) The weather played a role I recall hearing about boat being dispatched and one of the chiefs replied "You realize that boat s a hard bottomed Zodiac, We have 20 knot winds out here. "

     Also its difficult to hear a radio on the river with high winds and trying to keep a small craft stable and on course.

They did have a command post set up at Half moon bay and I did hear that one of the chiefs took command form the shore. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever a man can devise, so can he compromise!.

Tazies Law

Looks like he s copying NYC. They do the same for many of the city agencies except you can see theirs.

Any takers yet? 

Anyone! 

Anyone!

The silence is deafening!

It's a shame when landmarks have to close. They are always the few places that you only have to mention the name and people know exactly where you are talking about. We all grew up with places that our fore fathers went to. It almost became a rite of passage to take your kids there. And they will continue the tradition. Sort of passing the torch to the next generation, now another torch may be extinguished.  Well at least we have Walters! 

 

 

Presidential Proclamation -- Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Brussels, Belgium

All US flags to be flown at half stalf on public buildings until sunset on March 26.

As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on March 22, 2016, in Brussels,Belgium, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, March 26, 2016.  I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

 https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/22/presidential-proclamation-honoring-victims-attack-brussels-belgium

5 hours ago, CaptainCharisma said:

Isn't Harrison one of the better EMS systems in the area? Why is the Town of Harrison always embroiled in some sort of political scandal?

Because that is what government does ! It never does what's best for its citizens.

38 minutes ago, x635 said:

Hmmmm.

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-ap-jetblue-pilot-training-20160307-story.html

All you need is 125k.

Sounds like the graduates will wind up flying the regionals from Bombardier.

15 hours ago, nydude2473 said:

This is all around, whether it be career or volunteer, it's a complete tragedy. These politicians are absolutely clueless and ignorant to the fact that emergency services are a major part of keeping a community safe and going. I don't know what they do with the money, but it sure ain't going to things that actually need it. Instead, let's plant trees in places that already have trees and lets solarize all the buildings in town, even though we will still be getting our energy from the ways we always have. Some communities get it and some don't. And honestly, it's mixed across the board on who does. It takes someone getting severely hurt or killed to have change happen. That's not how this works, and they need to understand that the bare minimum is not good enough at all.

Looks like it starts at the top and trickles down:

New York Democrats Blast President Obama Over Proposed Cuts to Counterterror Funding.

Completely out of control! It is an epedemic of people making money (Atria) and abusing the 911 system along with it. No less than 4 times a day to them in one town and 4 times a day in the next town coupled with another in the next and the flycar is basically assigned to them. Regardless, of whether they can be billed it is ridiculous! Especially in the evenings and weekends when there is less staff. All of these "assisted living" complexes should be required to have at least one and maybe two persons ON DUTY 24/7 for LIFT ASSISTS. Is it really an insurance issue or rather a lazy issue? People can be trained rather easily in how to lift a patient off the floor.

It is time for the VOLUNTEERS to be respected rather than abused! Perhaps doubling the fee to the nursing home should be investigated for lift assist calls. That would stop the abuse in its tracks. Something should be done before there are no 911 ambulances availabe for true emergencies.

You might want to consider having the local government pass a law requiring that private nursing facilities be required to have a nurse accompany the patient to the emergency facility as they are paying for "skilled nursing care" and until the patient is turned over to another "skilled nursing facility" (the ER), they are not getting the same standard of care. I am not putting down EMS but the exact phrasing may may work. Also when the nurse is stranded at the hospital waiting for a cab for an hour or two at 2 am, they may triage better.