drgripsthrowawaytowel

Are you f'ing kidding me!!!!!!!!!! Must be nice to have taxpayers with deep pockets! $13,950,000 for 18,000 feet is $775/sq ft. .
And averaging about 260 calls per year.
How do you even try to justify that?

How is that you think this is a response to my challenge? My challenge was for the other poster to explain with specificity what he meant by "glass houses".
It is such a shame that again, another poster on this site has, from behind the anonymity of his keyboard, made unsubstantiated allegations using such words as "hate" and "despise"...we have so many serious problems in this world, and everyone on this website, career, volunteer, or other has so much more in common than we do differences. There is, unfortunately, so much real hate, violence and unfairness in this world, and to throw these words around so casually is really a damn shame to me. Why can't we just be big boys and respect differences of opinion without being so thin skinned or making personal attacks? I have used sarcasm on this site at times, and generally this was done in response to ludicrous misinformation on a subject near and dear to my heart, and / or a personal attack on my self or my department. However, in all my years interacting with members of the volunteer Fire and EMS service, both on this site, and in person, I have never been rude, disrespectful, or dishonest. In fact, I have been very supportive of any volunteers who have come to me for help or advice on many occasions. On a related note, when valid criticism of my own department or career departments in general is posted, I never take it personally, or try to make excuses or deny the truth.
However, here in Westchester County we have many serious issues with Fire and EMS services, and the majority of these issues (not all) are from the volunteer side. This is not personal, it is business. Very important, life or death business! Duplication of resources, ridiculous selection, training, promotion and retention standards, lack of transparency, horrible inadequate response standards, etc, etc. Many of these issues could be fairly easily solved, and therefore more death, pain and suffering could be avoided, if egos could be put aside, and valid criticisms could be accepted.
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Adequate minimum training standards, consolidation and regionalization, transparency in regard to finances, resources, levels of training and competency need to happen. It is a complete failure of leadership and selfish egomaniacs who are more worried about their little fiefdoms than the public good who are standing in the way of this. My hope is that if I and others keep pointing out these serious issues, the many good, intelligent, dedicated and caring individuals in the volunteer sector will force this change down the throats of the entrenched "leaders" who have been holding progress back for so long.
My feelings are shared by so many, both career and volunteer- and just FYI, many of the career Firefighters who volunteers hold in such high regard actually feel exactly the same as I do- however they choose not to go public with their feelings because they want to make money by teaching you, selling you t shirts and other paraphanelia, receiving the many benefits of being volunteer Firefighters themselves, writing books and articles, setting themselves up for certain jobs in retirement, etc., etc., and they are not willing to suffer the personal attacks such as I have on here for expressing my feelings on this issue. It's actually hilarious to hear the criticisms of the volunteer fire service which are made in private by many career Firefighters who most volunteers proclaim to be their good friends and supporters
I realize I am making sense to a lot of you and many of you share my feelings. No matter how hard I try, the haters will always be out there. I accept and expect that. Thanks to all of you who have supported me on these issues. Together, over time, we will acccomplish much positive change in the service of those we are sworn to protect.

Ive been a member of this site for a long time now. In the past, there have been posts made by Chief Flynn that have gotten under my skin.
However and maybe its because ive grown up a bit, ive come to realize that he has opinions and is certainly entitled to them as is anyone else.
Chief Flynn has worked his way up the ladder of a very busy, pro-active and versatile career fire department. For that, i have nothing but respect for the man, as he has certainly earned it.
Chief Flynn is obviously a very intelligent man who has so much fire service knowledge and experience to share. For that, i have always enjoyed reading his posts as they are well thought out and written.
Maybe Chief Flynn indeed dislikes volunteer firefighters or the volunteer fire service as a whole, but you know what...who cares? Again, he is entitled to his opinions. Personally, i could care less who likes who and who doesn't.
Many of his posts and comments aimed at the volunteer fire service have merit. I guess maybe for some people the truth hurts.
Personally, i enjoy being a volunteer firefighter and helping the community (sorry if that sounds cliche). I have always tried to be the best firefighter i can be by taking as many courses as possible, training as much as possible and treating every day as a learning experience.
People need to worry about themselves and how they can be a better person, firefighter, etc and improve themselves and their agencies.
That said, stay safe and oh yeah, QTIP.
Now lets get back to the original topic at hand please.

Might be a stupid question, but after looking at the scene lights I am curious- Do the scene lights have to be positioned by hand or is there a remote to move them? I assume they are adjustable.

Hello Members of the media (I know you read this)....why not do some investigative journalism into the very serious, life threatening issue of fire department and EMS departments in Westchester County vis-a-vis, oftentimes ridiculously long response times, inadequately trained responders, duplication of resources, lack of transparency in regard to finances and frankly many other issues within lots of departments. This is serious stuff!
Disclaimer- , I must very clearly state....this is not an attack on volunteer Firefighters, EMS workers or their departments! There are many dedicated and knowledgeable volunteer members of emergency services in this region. However, the SYSTEM is BROKEN!
Positive change very rarely comes from inside of an organization, but rather through blunt force trauma from the outside. Well media, how about a little blunt force trauma in regard to this issue? Personally, my own department has been going through some blunt force trauma from certain segments of the media lately, and I'm ok with that- there's nothing to hide, no organization is perfect, transparency and acceptance of change are good things....Why are volunteer organizations who equally hold the fate of people's lives and property (and taxes) in their hands getting a pass from the media?
In closing, I will pre-emptively state that I will not be engaging in a back and forth bicker on this topic, and yes, I do anticipate attempts at deflecting from the issue at hand by attacking myself personally as well as my own department. So, please don't take my non-responsiveness as acquiesence, agreement, or defeat. I'm just too busy to bother with responding to all of it. This post is really just for the media- maybe someday someone in the media in this area will wake up and realize how honest reporting in regard to this crisis would save lives, property and dollars. I'm not optimistic though, because I guess it's just easier to attack salaries, benefits, and pensions, and ignore an almost completely broken system right next door.
stay safe and qtip brothers and sisters!

Sounds like a normal day in westchester, no suprise here.

Yeah, there is no way in hell that is the case. They give me about 15 seconds to jump out of the rack and get my boots on before they starting asking for my status on overnights ! But, in all seriousness, i'm pretty sure they have to go by whatever scheme the department establishes. As a small side bar, i really have to tip my hat to the 60 dispatchers - they do an awfully good job with the hands they are dealt (i often think that they are asked do their jobs with both legs and one arm tied behind their back). They do their best to get the job done - god knows they've figured out how to get me a bus when ~ 100 members between 3 agencies decide to shut the pager off. They probably bare witness to more egregiousness than anyone here in terms of this sort of stuff.
This is the kind of crap you would think the journal news would cover. Honestly, these are real stories.

This is uncommon for Somers, I have never heard of them failing to cover a FD call. (I am not listening at ALL times, obviously)
Not as uncommon as you think. I had a fire at my house and they never showed..10 minutes after i called I got a chief with a landscapers truck..the head chiefs excuse..there was traffic..joke!

This is kind of like it taking 27 minutes to get a bus for a jumper down....

I present to you "Zen and the Art of the Fire Service: http://firehousezen.com/2012/08/18/tell-me-if-this-applies-to-you/
Maybe its time everyone reads this, from the first time offenders on a water condition, to those putting other firemans lives on the line by taking 20+ minutes to get a FASTeam out because their pride is too big.

Sounds like a normal day in westchester, no suprise here.

Sounds like a normal day in westchester, no suprise here.

Sounds like a normal day in westchester, no suprise here.

Sounds like a normal day in westchester, no suprise here.

I found the following on the DOJ's website.....
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs) are organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises. OMGs are highly structured criminal organizations whose members engage in criminal activities such as violent crime, weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking. There are more than 300 active OMGs within the United States, ranging in size from single chapters with five or six members to hundreds of chapters with thousands of members worldwide. The Hells Angels, Mongols, Bandidos, Outlaws, and Sons of Silence pose a serious national domestic threat and conduct the majority of criminal activity linked to OMGs, especially activity relating to drug-trafficking and, more specifically, to cross-border drug smuggling. Because of their transnational scope, these OMGs are able to coordinate drug smuggling operations in partnership with major international drug-trafficking organizations (DTOs).
Just because you may know some of them and they are "charitable" doesn't mean they aren't part of a criminal organization. When you see a gang poster in a precinct, the hells angels are listed right along side the bloods and the crips, they are all gang members there is no difference.

ok conspiracy commandos let's hear it, what do you think the police did wrong this time ?
Unless you have extensive experience searching people in an arrest situation and finding and not finding hidden contraband on them then you would not be able to accurately say that something " isn't right."
People flip their cuffs all the time, cops miss hidden contraband on people all the time. the weapon in this case was a .380, anyone who knows guns knows how small a .380 is and how easy it is to conceal.
An a** crack and the crotch area can conceal almost anything, most certainly a .380
This is nowhere near the first time a person has committed suicide with a handgun that was missed during a search while in custody.
We have all seen the video of the man in San Bernadino California that made it into the interrogation room of the sheriff's office with a .45 in his waist and shot himself in the head. The guy in CA wasn't handcuffed but this story shows the mindet of people in custody.
In Jauary in Georgia a prisoner snuck a gun into the jail in his rectum and in May a prisoner that had been searched multiple times in Dallas was found to have a handgun in his crotch only after he was transferred to another facitlity. Just last week, a guy got a gun into a jail in nashville and it fell to the floor out of his pants in front of the judge that was booking him.
A further look into this case shows that there was a text on the perps who asking a guy to bring him a gun. The text was from earlier inthe day that he dealt with the cops. The perp called his girlfriend from the back of the radio car and said he had a gun and that he was scared. There were multiple civilian witnesses that said that the doors and windows of the RMP were all closed and that nobody was around it ( cops of civilians) when they heard the shot ring out and saw the cops go over to the car.
Sorry to burst the conspiracy bubble but there really is nothing here other than a drug dealer who was armed with a gun that wasn't smart enough to admit it to the cops when he was caught and decided to take the easy way out.

OK, we're listening. In your (law enforcement-experienced) opinion, what exactly "is not right"?

We have Politicians to do that.

Monthly drills? Drill for 12 days a year, at maybe pushing 3 hours a drill? 36 hours of drill time a year? That's freaking pathetic. I'm sure you don't have 100% attendance at all the drills either.
Quit making excuses as to why training isn't required. Sack up and train more. Require it, and see your members go from looking like C league squad rookies, to a well oiled machine.
Edit:
Would you rather look like this: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CEEQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRhD_5T4F7aw&ei=Z4guUIGELKPuyAGEzIDIBA&usg=AFQjCNEocq5T5DqbhCmC9CdU0xt6Im0fBQ&sig2=jJbg6SCPJM7Xja_oigXe3Q
or like this: http://statter911.com/2011/03/15/helmet-cam-durham-north-carolina-house-fire/
The difference is constant training, retraining, and training on top of the training. Don't get dead out there because of your attitude.

Not to start an argument, but I have to ask if Everybodygoes is really a fireman? If so and you are actualy an Instructor, you really need to go. No disrespect but are you really listening to yourself? I work as a career firefighter in a fairly busy department, I also volunteer in my hometown. If members don't want to train, we don't need them. It is really that simple. If nobody volunteers than my taxes go up, but at least the people who show up are trained. Yes the fire department is my life and has been for 26 years. Why, because I still have passion for the job. I am an Instructor who teaches the same reguardless of them being volunteers or career recruits. To correct you on your EMS quote, the 60 hours DOH added is not a recomendation, it starts in my class next Tuesday. NYS needs to get in line with other states, and I think that is what they are trying to work towards. We just finished a FF1 class over 3 weeks, the 3 hottest weeks. These students busted their humps. You would think they won the lotto at the end, so much so that half of them went right into a week long FF2 class right after. Every single one of them signed up for the FF1 National Cert exam in September. You teach a good class they will come. Good Luck to you, hopefully you find happiness somewhere.

It's never all that it's cracked up to be. ...I'll show myself to the door

Monthly drills? Drill for 12 days a year, at maybe pushing 3 hours a drill? 36 hours of drill time a year? That's freaking pathetic. I'm sure you don't have 100% attendance at all the drills either.
Quit making excuses as to why training isn't required. Sack up and train more. Require it, and see your members go from looking like C league squad rookies, to a well oiled machine.
Edit:
Would you rather look like this: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CEEQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRhD_5T4F7aw&ei=Z4guUIGELKPuyAGEzIDIBA&usg=AFQjCNEocq5T5DqbhCmC9CdU0xt6Im0fBQ&sig2=jJbg6SCPJM7Xja_oigXe3Q
or like this: http://statter911.com/2011/03/15/helmet-cam-durham-north-carolina-house-fire/
The difference is constant training, retraining, and training on top of the training. Don't get dead out there because of your attitude.

I whole-heartedly disagree with you, with all due respect of course.
Those that want to really, REALLY do something in their life will find the time and make it happen. People with disabilities overcome them and go on to be successful athletes, right?
To say if you increase the training standards for firefighters is going to result in less new people, I disagree. If you think it's going to cause senior guys who don't think they need this to pack it in, then so be it. They did their time, probably fighting more fires than most of us or future generations will. Everyone is so afraid that losing some members is going to destroy their departments - what kind of department do you have if everyone is satisfied being minimally trained? Let me know if you're one of these departments so we know not to call you Mutual Aid. Luckily, most of the departments near us go above and beyond the minimal expectations of the volunteer fire service.

Monthly drills? Drill for 12 days a year, at maybe pushing 3 hours a drill? 36 hours of drill time a year? That's freaking pathetic. I'm sure you don't have 100% attendance at all the drills either.
Quit making excuses as to why training isn't required. Sack up and train more. Require it, and see your members go from looking like C league squad rookies, to a well oiled machine.
Edit:
Would you rather look like this: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CEEQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRhD_5T4F7aw&ei=Z4guUIGELKPuyAGEzIDIBA&usg=AFQjCNEocq5T5DqbhCmC9CdU0xt6Im0fBQ&sig2=jJbg6SCPJM7Xja_oigXe3Q
or like this: http://statter911.com/2011/03/15/helmet-cam-durham-north-carolina-house-fire/
The difference is constant training, retraining, and training on top of the training. Don't get dead out there because of your attitude.

Monthly drills? Drill for 12 days a year, at maybe pushing 3 hours a drill? 36 hours of drill time a year? That's freaking pathetic. I'm sure you don't have 100% attendance at all the drills either.
Quit making excuses as to why training isn't required. Sack up and train more. Require it, and see your members go from looking like C league squad rookies, to a well oiled machine.
Edit:
Would you rather look like this: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CEEQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRhD_5T4F7aw&ei=Z4guUIGELKPuyAGEzIDIBA&usg=AFQjCNEocq5T5DqbhCmC9CdU0xt6Im0fBQ&sig2=jJbg6SCPJM7Xja_oigXe3Q
or like this: http://statter911.com/2011/03/15/helmet-cam-durham-north-carolina-house-fire/
The difference is constant training, retraining, and training on top of the training. Don't get dead out there because of your attitude.