TSull

As we look at this issue and other issues concerning fire ground operations, remember the 6 "P"'s: Piss Poor Preperation Prevents Proper Performance.
A committment needs to be made that all interior firefighters should have FF1, FF Survival, FAST, OSHA/BBP,NIMS 700/100 at a minimum. And each interior firefighter needs to complete refresher training in these basic competencies each year. JMO

As we look at this issue and other issues concerning fire ground operations, remember the 6 "P"'s: Piss Poor Preperation Prevents Proper Performance.
A committment needs to be made that all interior firefighters should have FF1, FF Survival, FAST, OSHA/BBP,NIMS 700/100 at a minimum. And each interior firefighter needs to complete refresher training in these basic competencies each year. JMO

The answer is yes to the question if you can hold both a CFR and EMT certification at the same time. In New York State I am a certified EMT-D #185331 since 1993. I am also a certified CFR-D # 185331 since 2000 when I was hired/trained by the FDNY. There have been 3 times since then when I have taken my recertification exam for CFR-D at Ft Totten in the morning and then taken my EMT recertification exam the same night in Putnam County where I live. And yes I am aware that I have the same number but each time I recertify, the state sends me a new EMT card and a new CFR card

I believe St. Louis went to the "Quint" concept years ago in their last "manpower reduction" phase. By eliminating traditional engine companies and ladder companies, they were able to eliminate an officer and I believe 2 firefighter positions per company (and mulitply that by 4 shifts). Correct me if my memory is cloudy but the "Quint" concept was used in a bunch of places as the answer to different cities wanting to "reduce the taxpayer burdern".
I am still waiting to hear a fire chief or a mayor say that "service will be affected by these cuts" instead of the same qoute that "despite laying off 30 firefighters and losing another 24 through attrition, service will not be affected".

A rock? A BFR or a SFR? ( A "Big F'ing Rock" or a "Small F'ing Rock") Which pocket is that carried in? In a smoke filled room, what are your chances of actually hitting the glass? With thermalpane windows (that haligans bounce off of sometimes) how big of a rock will be needed to actually break the glass? Who carries the BFR/SFR? The nozzleman? The Officer? Are the rocks department issue or do the members have to acquire their own BFR/SFR? (At least they could write that off on taxes!) Let's assume that you are inside the fire apartment, deploy your BFR, successfully vent the window, but your BFR sails through the air striking an old lady or cop in the street. Are you and the city liable for the injuries sustained by the actions of the rapid deployment of your BFR? I wonder why FF's of yesteryear actually took time to develope the responsibilities of the outside vent position when all they had to do was throw rocks to get the job done?

A rock? A BFR or a SFR? ( A "Big F'ing Rock" or a "Small F'ing Rock") Which pocket is that carried in? In a smoke filled room, what are your chances of actually hitting the glass? With thermalpane windows (that haligans bounce off of sometimes) how big of a rock will be needed to actually break the glass? Who carries the BFR/SFR? The nozzleman? The Officer? Are the rocks department issue or do the members have to acquire their own BFR/SFR? (At least they could write that off on taxes!) Let's assume that you are inside the fire apartment, deploy your BFR, successfully vent the window, but your BFR sails through the air striking an old lady or cop in the street. Are you and the city liable for the injuries sustained by the actions of the rapid deployment of your BFR? I wonder why FF's of yesteryear actually took time to develope the responsibilities of the outside vent position when all they had to do was throw rocks to get the job done?

Don't you think you are going a little overboard here? They identified the problem, tried several options in attempts to rectify the problem, and have come up with this solution. Almost every place in this area has gone through growing pains. What do you think people were saying back in the 1850's when there was talk of a paid fire department in NYC? Some were for it, some were against it. Except for preplanned cities and towns down south and out west, almost every place has gone from volunteer to some sort of combination to paid. What are the taxpayers willing to support? That is the question. Everyone can ponificate about what is best and who should be doing what but it all boils down to what are the taxpayers willing to support. All taxpayers want the lowest taxes but the highest level of service. All the taxpayer wants to see is a shiny rig show up with flashing lights when they call 911. And they don't give a hoot about anyone else's call to 911. If you ever want to witness someone having a coronary, just show them on paper whar they will have to pay for an appropriatetly staffed fire department 24/7/365.

Thank you sir for your reply. What I find interesting is that it seems like in spite of a incident that makes the emergency services look good and praises one person in particular, people are intent on trying to down play what transpired there. The only people who know exactly what the conditions were, how endangered the occupants were, and what risks were taken, were the medic, the cop, and the occupants themselves. Many people who were not there tend to down play what happened because they were not there and they wonder how they would have reacted if faced with a similar situation.