Dinosaur

So they take all the same training and have all thesame qualifications while working in the same house and one group gets paid and the other group doesnt get paid to do the exact same job and tbey dont bicker ? Yeah ok. The very setup of that is a resentment waiting to happen.

Spoken like a true NY volunteer. Of course there's bickering but it's bickering not unlike what you'd find within any firehouse. There is no resentment or divisiveness because that's not part of THEIR culture!

What's there to resent if everyone has the same training?

Goes back to the days when the FD was so busy with fires, they didn't (or couldn't) respond to accidents.

You wear the pack on your back but if you're on air for this again you're a yard breather and are less of a ff then the exterior driver who has got tools out ready and ladders thrown to windows. But I forget there's no such thing as a need for support personnel everyone should be able to go interior so when guys get injured or they can't go interior they should be thrown out with the rest of the rejected that cannot be interior. Even though when properly cleared many of these categories can play a vital role in the outcome of a fire. We don't need anyone who can't be interior so we'll also have to start limiting age due to the number of 40 plus year old interior guy's dying from heart attacks. So with the age cut off those guy's on the job well oh well you can't be a driver because you don't belong interior so thanks for being here 20yrs have a nice day don't have to go home but can't stay here.

Yes the requirements for some one becoming and staying interior needed updating. Just remember there are probably more exterior/support personnel are and were regular firefighters before they had to hang up there scba the way some make it sound they are not firefighters. It was added about hospitals you're right not everyone is called a Dr but they are all health care workers. Just like not everyone in the fire service is an interior or wildland or whatever but we are all firefighters! So get off you're high horse find real solutions for all of the fire service and the community's better requirements for every position in the fire service don't just write off the exterior like I said before a lot of them can't be interior anymore.

So let me see if I get your position, everyone in the fire department is equal and rightfully called firefighter regardless of their training and capabilities? Does this include the fire police and ladies auxiliary?

If you want to discuss fitness and risk of heart attacks, the issue isn't an age restriction but rather a fitness requirement. Something that I'm sure 95% of all volunteer FD's would oppose, even those who give their members free or discounted memberships at the local fitness club or have big gyms right in the firehouse.

This is only an issue in this part of the country. I was out west in September and my friends in FD's out there laugh when I describe the set-up we have here. They have one training standard for career and volunteer, run mostly combination departments at the county level, and don't bicker like we do here. Why don't they bicker? Because they're all trained to the same standard - interior, I might add - so they don't have the rift between career and volunteer that we have over training and qualifications. Every firefighter is trained the same so one day you might be packed up and inside and the next day you might be laddering the building, stretching hose, etc. They simply don't have the nonsense that we do.

Calling everyone who works in the hospital a healthcare worker is like calling everyone who works at an airport a pilot. Simply not true. You wouldn't want someone with first aid training doing your surgery would you?

And why do people hang up their SCBA but stay in the fire department? Is it perhaps to continue building points toward a pension?

Under the budget, first item is annual inspection. Is that DOT, pump test, ladder test ect?

Or is that the big party where they go out of service for the night, get covered by mutual aid, and eat a big dinner with the chief's of neighboring departments?

So all this back and forth is about a title ? Really ? Come on guys is this what it has come to ? What should we call those who do not go interior so we can move on from this lunacy ?

It's more of an issue than you think. We have people who join the FD and never attend training except to be a driver and call themselves FF.

My point is that if you want to be a firefighter you shouldn't get to choose not to do the job of a firefighter by staying outside.

This isn't lunacy, this is the advocacy of FASNY and other groups that oppose vehemently any training standards or requirements to be called a FF.

Listen you can spin it how you want to spin it but not every FF and PO trained in say 1998 received the same training as a FF or PO trained today. The job is always evolving and so are training standards. This has turned into Career FF vs. Volunteer FF 9.0 as is usually the case on this site. Are there some Volunteers that act the part of 'the jolly volly"? Sure. But not every career FF is professional and the notion that they are is ludicrous. Enough already.

It's not spin at all. Every police officer receives annual in-service training so they remain as current and qualified as a new recruit today. Likewise, career firefighters have to complete at least 100 (I think, it's been a long time since I did this paperwork) hours of annual in-service training also.

This is NOT a career vs. volunteer issue. This is an issue of standards. There is a minimum training standard for the career fire service and it has been vigorously opposed by the volunteer community. This disparity perpetuates the issues you're talking about.

I'm not saying every career FF behaves professionally or that volunteers don't. I'm saying that every career FF in the state of NY was trained to the same standard. You can't say that in the vollie community.

I agree with incoming members but not those allready in who have put thier time in, perhaps can no longer wear a mask but can drive and run a pump or aerial ladder and do other stuff on the fireground that does not require wearing the mask. What happens to career firefighters who have some time on and fall into the same category?

I'm pretty sure career firefighters have to remain qualified (barring an injury) for the duration of their career. You make a valid point about allowing existing firefighters to retire with a sunset clause but there should be no more starting today that never become interior.

Kent State was 44 years ago. You can't seriously compare it to today; everything's different.

Police training, National guard training, policies & procedures, state laws, media, etc. have all changed during the past 40 years.

No, it's currently vacent land owned by

the Yorktown fire district. This has been subject to criticism, because there have been many elections regarding funding of this station and it has always been turned down, with the district always attempting to make changes to get approval for alternative forms of funding.

Are they still pursuing the construction of the new station or are they using those funds to renovate the existing station 2?

As for a single standard, that is good in theory but has some problems in practice. The ability of someone in a career department to spend more time training is a reality that we have to face. The ability of a department to order someone to attend an academy on a full time basis is simply not there in a volunteer department or even some smaller career departments. a 14 week academy is over 500 hours, when I took FF1 is was about 120, the same for FF2 which together equal about half of that time. So how long would it take to run that full time standard on a part time basis? I don't think we need to get rid of support positions or exterior positions, although they probably need to be standardized as everyone seems to define them slightly differently. No matter the kind of department the guy who only files paperwork does not need to pass an interior standard any more than a paramedic does, as neither one is going into a burning building any time soon.

There are other states with the same, single standard for firefighter. It doesn't matter if you're paid or a volunteer, if you want to be a firefighter you take all the required training. This doesn't mean you have to attend full-time during the day but it does mean you have to make a commitment to your training. How many people are out there with outdated or inadequate training? Too many, and we ignore it and allow it to persist. How many are joining now and only taking the barest minimum of training before donning a pack and going into an IDLH environment?

Departments can order you to complete the training if you want to be given the title firefighter.

Support or exterior positions need to be called something other than firefighter. They're not and they're misleading themselves and the public. Some departments claim to have 100 members. To the public that means 100 interior firefighters (because the public won't make the distinction). In reality they have 25 life members (no longer doing anything), 25 junior members, and 25 exterior or support members, so in reality they only have 25 interior firefighters. How many will actually show up at the call? 1/3? 1/2? So 8-12 guys that can actually go inside to fight the fire or rescue grandma or whatever.

It's time we stop misleading ourselves and our public. One standard for the title of firefighter.

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it is an addition if it was not required and now is. AAgain not fighting the need I am simply saying that 1 cylindar to do all that in succession itome seems a bit much. And to the memberwho said we need 1 standard for all firefighters in lieu of interior and exterior thats nuts. Every FD and PD has people on full time desk duty. There is a job for everyone in this service.

You're incorrect. Every police officer in the state of NY and every career firefighter has been trained to one standard. If they are on desk or light duty later in their career, it's irrelevant. They were still trained to the same single NYS standard.

EMT, paramedic, police officer and career firefighter all have one training standard. Only in the volunteer sector did we eliminate a training standard.

Not everyone can or should be a firefighter. They have to be able to perform the job. If you want to welcome everyone with open arms into your department, fine, just don't call them all firefighters.

"It is time we stop the nonsense and make one standard for firefighter. Enough of this "interior", "exterior"

Are you referring to new members or those allready in?

One standard for all firefighters. Period.

So yes, referring to new and existing.

Only problem with replacing, or renovating their HQ is that it is actually owned by the Engine Company. While I have been inside, and realize how outdated and cramped it is, unless they can get financing, I feel that their only other option is to sell the building to the district,.which would be a poor decision, as the company would loose all sources of collateral, as well as a major piece of income.

Will be interesting to see how this turns out. Anyone know if they will be able to keep all the apparatus inside and in service during construction? Seems like if they can't, they would need to setup some sort of temporary or rental structure to house them, whether it's behind their HQ, or at the controversial site of their proposed substation.

Are you saying that the district rents the firehouse from the fire company?

Where's the logic in that? Sounds like questionable business and a way to siphon tax payer dollars into an unaccountable black hole.

Is this in addition to building another station on 134 in Millwood?

It took 8 minutes for the FD to gather enough people to get there. Yikes!

About time someone pulled the curtain back to expose the charade. How many other departments in the county can't meet the NFPA or OSHA standards for minimum staffing yet think they're OK?

They're still not going to be sending enough if they hire four whole guys. Wow.

Just kicking the can down the road. Sooner our later our luck is going to run out and there's going to be a 100% preventable tragedy. We will all call the unwitting victims "hero" and don our spiffy parade uniforms to salute their hearse but we won't fight against the problem that's making them vulnerable now. It's a travesty.

It is time we stop the nonsense and make one standard for firefighter. Enough of this "interior", "exterior", "support" nonsense.

There should definitely be standards and the idea of testing candidates on air is a realistic and appropriate screening method. If you can't perform the skills while on air, why bother going through all the training?

I believe the NYSP has divers. Last drill we had with DEC ESU (yes DEC has their own ESU) they were pushing for dive status but were not there yet. Much dive work is in the resevoirs.

State Police do have divers for sure. Worked with them several times. Do you mean NYC DEP or NYS DEC?

For a specialized unit that gets called only a handful of times per year, I don't really see how just one team covering the north part of the county, plus the County PD team, is an issue. We only have 3 Haz-Mat units for the entire county, simply because you don't need more than that.

County PD has a dive team? I thought Croton PD was the only PD with one in Westchester.

Supposedly they are only insured for the original purchase price of the ambulance, not the price of replacement.

That is horrible planning. Departments have to stop cutting corners like this and prepare properly for just such eventualities.

Could they be merged into a regional effort (since they all go mutual aid anyway) and make use of the resources that each department has?

What will be done with all the equipment?

Have any local Hudson Valley area emergency services resources been deployed upstate or placed on standby yet? Someone had mentioned that Westchester DES has specified criteria and queried units for standby for possible deployment, but I haven't seen anything official yet.

I know that numerous DOT resources have been dispatched already to remove snow and clear roads. Did DSNY (NYC Sanitation) send any snow removal equipment?

Is FDNY being deployed more for the potential that there's going to be some massive flooding and they're going to need lots of help and different types of equipment, like evacuation trucks and dewatering pumps.....which FDNY has gotten lots of recently as part of post-Sandy grants and preparations.

FDNY deployed their IMT, not operational units, so I think they're just going for management support.

EDIT: They are also sending a 45 member special operations contingent so they will be doing more than just support.

So does that mean no County PD for Kisco?

The "alert" from NYC was for "trace" accumulation. If they put out an alert for a trace amount, what are they going to do when it really snows???

I hate seeing photos of or reading stories about using front end loaders to move people in high water.

That's not what they're designed for and it is an operation that exposes everyone to unnecessary risk and liability. Get the right resources for the job!