shfirefighter

Our department offers a free flu shot, really, why wouldn't you get one. Haven't gotten the flu since getting the shot but I can remember how miserable the flu can be and certainly want to avoid it or limit its' impact.

Where the hell do you sleep then!?

Just give it a quick purge if it's that bad. I wouldn't put any chemicals on the inside of the mask though...

When I first started in the field, I carried all that crap on me but all it really did was give me a back ache. As I got older and wiser, I trimmed it to a pair of shears, flashlight and stethescope. Do you really need to carry a BP cuff on your person? Don't you bring a bag with you when you contact a patient?
Keep it light, keep it functional. If you don't use it on every call, you can probably leave it on the ambulance until you do.

Open the purge valve

The storms over the past couple of years have highlighted some needs for us, and we have either received those or are in the process of securing them.
We lost our old, aluminum "Rescue Boat" during Irene. With the FEMA money we replaced it with a 14' Mercury RIB w/ 25 HP motor. We (prior to this) expanded our water rescue abilities with training and equipment, as well as dual-responses with neighboring Yorktown FD's Water Rescue Team. During Sandy, we were able to put this boat on the ready as well as our spare 12' inflatable.
Sandy knocked out power to our only firehouse without a generator. Although it is in the Capital Budget for next year, our village has approved to pursue a federal grant now to install it. Hopefully it works out.
The storms have sent us on dozens of calls that don't truly require the response of our larger apparatus, nor a ton of manpower. This year we were able to get the village to purchase us a Utility Truck, which we are in the process of getting ready to purchase and build.
This vehicle will be outfitted with extra saws, traffic barricades, trash pumps and the like for storm-related calls. It will also allow us to take specialized equipment from a rig going out of service and keep it on a vehicle so we don't lose it - something we've lacked for a long time.
Lastly, our "Radio Room" has seen some equipment additions and upgrades, and more on the way. This will give us a better place to set up and dispatch our units from during storms. A secondary communications system has been built and put on another firehouse - which is also our Village's backup EOC now.
I believe anytime we come up short on something, that should be the last time. If we don't learn from our mistakes, we are doing a disservice to everyone.

Due to the Federal Shut Down. FEMA has cancelled all storms.

W.T.F.
Keep it in-house, don't involve the families!!!

Our DPW foreman is my chief driver and responds to 95% of all calls

Yeah, put it all in your bag.

I would assume from not being there that the FAS Teams were put to work and needed to be replaced.

It is clearly different from one dept to another and even when the depts have the "same" i.e. 2 engines + 1 ladder = 1st alarm the staffing can be 3 or 13 for that same alarm. It really should not be that.
30 years ago we would send 2 engines + 1 ladder + 1 chief to a fire and that would get you 13-15 ff's.
Now we send 2 engines + 2 ladder + 1 chief and you get 14ff's. Plus once its a worker, you get 2 more engines (1 for water & 1 FAST).
The ISO standards require a minimum of 2 engines + 1 ladder (or rescue) + 1 chief and a minimum of 13 on duty members or 37 on call members
NFPA 1710 require a minimum of 2 engines + 1 ladder (or rescue) + 1 chief but a minimum of 16 or 17 (the extra 2 over ISO are for 2 out and for a search team), if its a worker they require you add 2 more to the 2 out to make it a FAST and add a safety officer.
Historically each alarm duplicated whatever the 1st alarm sent and as far as I am concerned that how it sould be. Just because your dept does not have enough rigs to make the next alarm level with what you have should not mean you run short.
Now whats really interesting is why:
Before phones and radios we had street boxes and everyone knew if there was a fire you ran to the closest box and pulled the lever AND waited for the FD to arrive so you could direct them to the call. When you pulled the lever the # on the box would be transmitted via telegraph to all the fire stations in the dept and either a bell would sound the number (VFD's had the horns sound the #) &/or a tape would be cut with the number of holes.
So if the box was #236 the tape would look like this: << <<< <<<<<<. The man on watch would look up on a big wall chart and find out what intersection #236 was at (VFD's had a little pocket manual) and what the pattern was. Then if the pattern included that rig they went. The standard was a minimum of 2 engines (an engine was a steamer and hose wagon) and a ladder or city service unit).
If they got there and the chief want more help, he would have someone run to the next pull box (say #237) and "Pull or strike the 2nd Alarm" or if they had a telegraph key in the box he could go back to the original box and "tap out or strike a 2nd alarm"
When that # came in the house watch would look at the chart, see that the 1st alarm units were not available and additional units would go to the new box (not knowing if they were going to the same job or a different one nearby).
If this was still not enough, go to the third box and "Pull or strike the 3rd Alarm"

Play the video backwards...it will look like the fire is going out.

Who cares? Nobody pays any attention to lights anyway. We have effectively dulled the publics sensitivity to them by adding them to every vehicle on the planet. Tow trucks, HELP trucks, funeral vehicles, service trucks, utility trucks, school buses, jolly vollies, and authorized emergency vehicles. You go blind driving through a scene at night these days.
Go back to the Smokey and the bandit bubble light for all I care!

How many attic fires do they run that justifies this?
Random...

If you count all the illegal apartments in Sleepy Hollow, the population sign on the show would be correct.

MSA Evolution. we have them at work, I have never seen one break, EVER!

Protein bar
I-phone
Headphones
Let's gooooooo!

Not really. If I report "Smoke Showing" to 60 Control, they asknowledge it with" "10-4 Smoke Showing"
But if I report "Working Fire" I automatically get a 3rd Engine, FAST, EMS, Chief, and relocating units.

What defines a working fire?
When members of the department show up who you haven't seen in months for training, meetings, etc. and they are the first ones on the rigs and there throwing didicated members off. That's when you know it a working fire.

When I was still volunteering, my pager would only activate from Putnam911 if it was on the left side of my window sill. If i moved it 3 feet over to the other side, nothing, not even the tones. Its all about location, location, location

St Joes in Yonkers told us to stop calling years ago- unless the pt is intubated.
Also many ED's have a BLS notification line. Use it. Waay better then the radio. And when you hang up, look at the call timer. More than a minute, and you are too chatty.
Examples:
Adult male slip and fall, immobilized.
Elderly female, fell from bed, poss hip Fx.
Child stung by bee, Hx of allergy. Epi pen given, distress cleared.
Bicycle hit by car, multiple Fx and a closed head injury. No LOC, fully alert, breathing well, helmet was on.

-Male called and requested an ambulance because his hemorrhoids where bothering him
-Female called and requested an ambulance because she forgot to take her medication
-Man called 911 because his keys fell down the sewer grate
-Man called 911 because his neighbor was hitting golf balls into his yard (he made no attempt to talk to the man before calling)
-Family called 911 because there child wouldn't brush their teeth before bed

Back when West Nile Virus became an issue. I took a call from an older female that went like this;
Me: "Fire Department."
Lady: "Hello, there are two birds on my front porch and they won't go away."
Me: "OK mam, this is the fire department, what do you want me to do?"
Lady: "Well I already called the police and they said to call you. These birds have been in front of my door for over a half hour and won't go away. They are very menacing and keep staring at me."
Me: "Unless they're on fire, we really can't do anything. If they're still there in a half hour, call the police and file a harassment complaint."

-Male called and requested an ambulance because his hemorrhoids where bothering him
-Female called and requested an ambulance because she forgot to take her medication
-Man called 911 because his keys fell down the sewer grate
-Man called 911 because his neighbor was hitting golf balls into his yard (he made no attempt to talk to the man before calling)
-Family called 911 because there child wouldn't brush their teeth before bed