drgripsthrowawaytowel

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Posts posted by drgripsthrowawaytowel

  1. Posted · Edited by drgripsthrowawaytowel

    Five years ago, to the day, the fire service lost the most number of men in a single incident since the events of 9/11/2001. Their unwavering sacrifice and untimely deaths have lead to sweeping changes in the fire service today. Let us not ever forget these men, or the events that happened that day, and always remember the Charleston 9.

    Captain Mike Benke

    Captain Bill Hutchinson

    Captain Louis Mulkey

    Engineer Mark Kelsey

    Engineer Bradford “Brad” Baity

    Asst. Engineer Michael French

    Firefighter Earl Drayton

    Firefighter Brendon Thompson

    Firefighter Melvin Champaign

    Rest in peace, Gentlemen. You are not forgotten.

    sfrd18, JM15 and RJB896 like this

  4. Posted

    If your department has shoreline, its your responsibility to have a capability to deal with water emergencies. You aren't going to have time to wait for other departments to come in and help. Its usually not like other types of rescue where the patient can be trapped but still stable. If someone's drowning they need immediate attention, there's no time for staging, waiting for a technical rescue team, etc.

    Wrong. As with any emergency, as long as you have a plan in place, and that plan is to "Contact X resource for their specialty," then your covered. I'm sure you have sewers and confined spaces in your district. Do you have a confined space rescue team in house, in your department ready to go? If someone is digging a trench, are you required to immediately train and supply them with a technical rescue team specializing in trench rescue out of your department? No.

    If the plan in place in your SOG/SOP's is to call for a specialized team, then your department has done their required duty. You can train your members to reach, and throw, but rowing and going is a different skill.

    Reach, row, throw, go. And do it quickly.

    Just as a friendly correction, it's reach, throw, row, go.

    JM15, PEMO3, Bnechis and 1 other like this

  5. Posted

    Is anyone else a little pissed that Google has some crap about the first drive in as their daily theme and not something for D-day? Show some respect

    Google might just be trying to stay politically neutral on the issue, and would rather showcase something that is more geared towards their business, technology... And no, I'm not enticing that they support the idea of a Nazi regime either.

  6. Posted

    A while back I had emailed the company AmSafe (number 1 supplier for aircraft airbags) for literature on their airbags for light and general aviation (GA) aircraft. It took them a few months, but they finally got back to me with some paperwork.

    Many aircraft today (almost 80% since 2001) are being retrofitted with airbags in the seat belts for the pilots and passengers. From their website (http://www.amsafe.com):

    Designed to protect occupants from impact with glare shields, instrument panels, and control yokes, the AmSafe Seatbelt Airbag looks and operates like a standard seatbelt. The airbag is stored in the lap belt portion of the 2- and 3-point restraints and in the torso section of the 4- and 5-point systems.

    When the sensors detect an impending incident, the airbag deploys up and away from the seated passenger – adults and children, large and small – and provides protection to the head, neck and torso. The AmSafe Seatbelt Airbag meets the FAR 23.562 26g requirements in pilot / co-pilot seats and provides the additional safety needed in a survivable impact.

    They also sent me the following literature for first responders:

    ARFF_News_2010_MayJun_proof.pdf

    E509944 Rev E_First Responders Reference Guide.pdf

    Instructions for Client Site Access_110411_First Responder.pdf

    Part 23 Technical Overview, E508428 Rev M.pdf

    The area we live in is saturated with GA aircraft, and while the possibility of one landing in your district during an emergency is relatively low, it still could happen. And with every other type of incident we really need to know the hazards to ourselves and how to properly protect ourselves from them.

    firedude and JM15 like this

  8. Posted

    Maybe we are talking about 2 different things but Westchester County's Firegroud Freqs are on the Trunked Radio Sysytem.

    Trunked system includes the A-Bank, the B-Bank and the C-Bank.

    The A-bank include the truncated frequencies such as Fire-13, Fire 10, and OPS-5. These are the Battalion Zones as well as the truncated operation channels. These are not line of site, and 60-control can communicate with you on these frequencies.

    The B-Bank include the truncated frequencies such as EMS -11 and the ambulance to hospital channels. These are not line of site, and 60-control can communicate with you on these frequencies.

    The C-Bank on the trunked system works a little differently. It includes normal (conventional) frequencies that you would find on a normal portable radio. This includes, 46.26, 46.14, and the line of site FIREGROUND frequencies which include fire ground 1-8. The FIREGROUND's use a line of site system, and do not work off of repeaters or other enhancements. This is why 60-control cannot monitor any of the fire ground traffic.

    There is a HUGE difference between Fire-# Ops-# and Fireground - #. If you're listening on a trunked scanner on the other side of the county, you should be able to hear all of the communication in the A - Bank, all of the communication in the B- Bank, and the traffic that uses repeaters on the C-bank such as 46.26. All fireground traffic, would have to be in the line of sight range to pick up on the scanner,

    For a detailed explination of the system, here is the County's power point on how to use it - www.westchestergov.com/emergserv/60control/xts2500_volk3.ppt

    Monty, firedude and Res30cue like this

  9. Posted

    The water rescue teams are located where their sponsors are based. For example the County Technical Rescue Team is located in Valhalla. That's pretty centrally located.

    Yorktown, Somers, Mahopac Falls all have water rescue teams because those departments have committed to the expense, liability and obligations of sponsoring a specialty team. Do you think Yorktown should base their team in Mamaroneck just because Mamaroneck is on the Sound?

    Not everyone can be all things to all people. Leave the specialties to the departments willing and able to make the commitment to them. Not just doing them because its "cool" or they want the new patch.

    I'd be willing to be that Yorktown has a water rescue team because 1/3 - 1/2 their district is composed of water that is recreationally used, legally or not. From the Croton Resivior to the numerous lakes, ponds and rivers that flow through it.

    I'd also be willing to bet that going mutual aid takes less precedence then protecting the lives of the people in their own district first. Sure, they're happy to offer their services to other departments, but more then likely the liability of their own district is what caused them to form a team.

  10. Posted

    post-22077-0-39030300-1334678117.jpg

    Passed on to me from the "sights of FDIC."

    It's time we start hitting the gym and not the fast food guys. Cutting out soda, replacing it with water, and sugars/fatty foods for fruits and vegetables will contribute to significant weight loss even without working out. Adding a training regiment of light duty, walks/jogs around a track, or even a stair climb/ decent in your own firehouse/home, will significantly improve your health.

    I was always a fit guy, but recently I saw myself starting to get overweight. Went from 5'8" at 155 lbs, and about 10-12% body fat, to 173 with about 16-18% body fat. I immediately stopped eating and drinking crap, and lost almost 10lbs without working out in a month.

    Time to get with the program guys. It's totally doable, and everyone should be jumping on this train. If not for you, how about your family.

    antiquefirelt, x129K, ny10570 and 3 others like this

  12. Posted · Edited by helicopper

    Date: 4/10/2012

    Time: 1:31

    Location:

    1) Downing Drive IAO Commerce St

    2) 380 Downing Dr - Turco's supermarket: Yorktown Box 1, Heights Commercial District

    Units Operating:

    Yorktown: Engine 273, Engine 272, Ladder 51,

    Croton Engine 119 - FAST

    Bedford Hills Tower Ladder 57

    Relocated:

    Mohegan Ladder 35

    Somers Engine 180

    Description Of Incident:

    0033 - Yorktown fire was dispatched to a dumpster fire behind Underhill Plaza.

    0037 - Engine 273 on location with a dumpster fire

    0050 - Yorktown units cleared

    0131 - Yorktown fire dispatched to dumpster fire behind Turcos - 380 Downing Drive

    0136 - Car 2533 on scene with a rubbish fire behind the building, possible extension into C side of the supermarket

    0143 - 10-75 transmitted

    Per Batt 17 - Fire in a 200x500 commercial grocery story. Fire extended into the freezer area. Co's opening up att.

    0231 - Fire knocked down, releasing FAST, holding Yorktown Units and M/A standby

    0307 - Situation under control

    fireboyny, JM15, FF398 and 1 other like this

  16. Posted

    Another aerial device in Westchester. Great. Along with all the pumper tankers that have been added lately without eliminating an engine... the over redundancy in Westchester is at an all time high. The last thing Katonah needs is an aerial device. Let the boys on TL57 do what they do best.

    Exactly what I was getting at. The guys of BH get out the door on mutual aid runs before most apparatus of whatever home department they're responding to do, mine included. They also are damn good at what they do too.

    BHFD702 likes this