SmokeyJoe

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Posts posted by SmokeyJoe

  1. Posted

    We were sitting in station 3's kitchen watching the news of the fire in Hackensack before the collapse and we could not believe that they did not know it was a truss building. We saw that is what it was and how advanced the fire was. I remember the descussion that they needed to backout and then it collapsed.

    I will never forget.

    If you and your dept. did not learn the painful lessons of that day, then shame on you!

    If you do not train every member in building construction and how fire effects it (and how it effects fire) you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    If you do not do building inspections or at least walk throught and document hazards you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    If you do not have seperate fireground and dispatch channels (and use them everytime) you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    If you do not do accountability (so you know where your firefighters are operating) you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    if you do not operate a command post with enough people to track resources and be able to hear all radio traffic (because the chief is trying to multi task to many jobs) you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    If you do not evaluate & reevaluate conflicting condition reports you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    If you exceed proper span of control you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    If you do not stage tactical reserves you did not learn the leasons of that day.

    In Westchester, many of these lessons were never learned or they have been forgotten.

    I will never forget.

    Thanks Cap! Great points

  14. Posted

    It is my understanding that the UFA prohibition is against FF's volunteering for departments where the volunteer organization would be considered a direct competitor to that members specific UFA local.... ie a FDNY member would be prohibited from volunteering at Richmond, Oceanic, Gerritson Beach, Point Breeze, etc as they directly compete with Local 94. But a FDNY member volunteering for TOR in Stamford does not directly compete with that members local thus it is permissible.

    Perfect example is all the DCFD members who are vollies in PG, Anne Arundle, Montgomory, Fairfax, and Louden counties.

    Two problems here:

    1. While the IAFF does not approve of members being follies, they tend to turn a blind eye when the VFD does not respond to area covered by career (union) FDs including combo FDs. In Stamford this is clearly a violation as Stamford is served by union members ( and most of the vol companies employ or employed IAFF union members.

    2. If the driver mention is indeed on the job with FDNY (regardless of rank) he is. In violation of the FDNY residnecy requirement.

    Not good no mater how ya slice this one!

  20. Posted

    I cant believe that this topic is still here after 4 years! Then again, i still cant belive that Stamford has such a screwed up and inefficient system. The fact is that it is one city, so why not one department with one chiet and one fire marshal?? I have no beef with volunteers being a part of a single department as long as they are properly trained to recognized standards. But anyone who says this is nothing more than a battle over turf, budgets, and petty little pockets of power is drinking some supercharged Koolaid! I know guys on the job in Stamford and worked witha few who started out as vollies there, so while no expert, i have some idea of what is going on. The sooner the politicians do the right thing and consolidate the better for all, especially the brothers on the line (paid or vollie) who will operate in a safer and more functional situation.

    helicopper, PCFD ENG58 and nfd2004 like this