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Locusts

Locusts

Locusts

Absolute G-A-R-B-A-G-E

Interesting how the city takes different positions with different agencies under its control. On the PD side our bullet resistant vests are guaranteed for 5 years after that the vest is not under any coverage. However, that vest is the officer's for their entire career, unless you replace it on your own using your uniform allowance (which you would have to save for 2 years to pay for it). I think some bean counter figured out they could sell an authenticFDNY helmet to some wacker and make some money for the emporer to use on some anti soda campaign

Barry, that poor horse is glue by now.
We are unveiling a new site very soon. Our current site has had issues so we've been using Facebook to show everyone our latest stuff.
www.facebook.com/crotonfire

Why does it have to be restricted to FDs? People and businesses do it all the time. It happens. And while it may defy logic to an outsider, generally, there's a pretty valid reason for it.

EMD is an invaluable tool, and it is not and will not be used to it's fullest, most correct potential anytime soon.
So long as 911 calls keep going to so many Keystone and Mayberry Police agencies, where they continue to think it's the early 80's and it is the PD that dictate what/how EMS and FD's operate - nothing will really change.
As long as cellular 911 continues to get sent to the "closest" Cellular 911 answering point based on it's given location, we'll never get it right.
Assuming Cellular 911 in Westchester actually finds it's way to the TMC, who then transfers the caller (and they're good at this) to whatever EMS/FD Dispatch center they send it to - which is not just one location - we'll never make real progress.
If BLS agencies don't stop having Medics respond to EVERY CALL because EMTs are scared to make decisions or those Medics have to constantly ride in BLS jobs - it won't change anything.
And - as long as people are afraid to stand up and say that certain 911 / Dispatch Centers are understaffed, under-trained and poorly managed - yeah, thinking this EMD requirement will solve everything is nothing more than a wet dream.
If we want to see real change that will create real improvements for those calling 911, it's only a couple of key things that need to be done, but these things are so hard (read: impossible) to make happen, that I doubt it will happen in my lifetime.
1. Eliminate the exzuberent amount of 911 PSAP's in Westchester County. Let's all put on our big boy pants and stop the ego trips. 911 should go to one (maybe a few more in the bigger Cities) answering point with qualified, trained personnel. This central 911 center (or those in the bigger cities) should have capable, competent, trained and properly paid personnel that can handle call taking and dispatching. Yes, I know we need a facility for this, but that is the only way it will ever work. (I truly think Yonkers is the only City that could survive on it's own as a PSAP, the rest could be folded into one location - it's done in how many other areas of the world...)
2. Stop sending ALS units to BLS jobs. It's a waste of an invaluable service. Keep them free for legitimate EMS calls. (I personally remember too many incidents where a Medic was stuck on a BLS job and ALS was delayed to calls where people were DYING!)
3. BLS agencies - COVER YOUR CALLS. Stop tying up Medics and dispatchers trying to cover calls for you. It then trickles into Mutual Aid covering you, then Mutual Aid covering them, and so on. I'm not being a dIck, it's the truth.
4. Create better paying jobs for those in the EMS system. From the dispatchers to the EMTs to the Medics. If you pay everyone better, give them real benefits and retirement - there's better potential they will do their jobs better and with a better attitude. I hate seeing Medics working 3,4 or 5 jobs to make a living - it's an insult to them.
Well, now that I have successfully pissed in enough peoples' Cheerios, I will leave everyone with one thought. If you call 911, are you 100% confident the call will be handled properly?
Yeah, me either.
Be safe.

Absolute G-A-R-B-A-G-E

always wanted to put out a car fire with a side chute .... came close, but not yet..

Aside from the obvious creative license that they took (ie: the whole let's pull the girl out of the car without a collar and board, then stick a needle in her heart), I found the whole show to be full of bad acting, trite writing, and rather disrespectful to the fire service on the whole. Two alpha male characters who have a beef with each other? Been there, done that. And come on, do we really need another show that depicts fire fighters with addiction? As if "Rescue Me" wasn't enough, we have yet another main character who gives us all a bad rap through his "little secret" in the bathroom, in addition to the inside supplier. While it is fiction, it stands to reason that if the viewing public continually sees dramatized emergency services characters as a bunch of yahoos who drink to excess and shoot up in the bathroom, that viewpoint will surely carry over to us - the real guys.
In short, I watched it once, and won't watch it again. Dick Wolf should stick to making cop shows.

According to NBC (http://www.nbc.com/chicago-fire/) it's on for tonight.

I hope it isn't anything like 'Rescue Me'. Essentially I felt that 'Rescue Me' was an embarassment to the fire service. It portrayed the main characters as completely disfunctional, sub par human beings except for those times when they answered an alarm. Otherwise in or away from the station, they were a--holes.
Not a single character I would want a young member to emulate.

I didn't see the recent news regarding the arrests. I guess I should read lohud.com more than emtbravo?

Yes, let's cut public safety positions, especially police, from a place like Peekskill. Wasn't there an as-yet-unsolved homicide there Wednesday night?
This has "great idea" written all over it!

You'd be surprised at what goes on in Paypal accounts...

So let me get this straight, since my hard earned tax dollars went into this project. The entire construction project was budgeted to cost "X" dollars to complete by "Y" date. The project was completed at "Y-37 days," and the contractor gets to keep the remainder for doing the job right? Excuse me, while I call that a very big, steaming bowl of BS-pudding.
In this day and age when all we hear is how broke every municipality is to the point where they're either threatening or actually going through with the layoffs of countless public service and public safety personnel (because, afterall, it's their fault that finances are bad), how on God's Green Earth is the cost under-run with respect to this project not being put back into the state's general fund?

You'd be surprised at what goes on in Paypal accounts...

I took this class once on CO incidents with this guy.... what's his name... Barry something...
After doing so, I took my entire approach to these calls (way too careless) and became a bit more attentive. In addition, we formulated a CO Response Checklist which is expected to be used at every CO Incident. It lays out what needs to be checked in the building, the areas of the building to check, and what we did.
When we get on scene and confirm it's not a battery issue only, we conduct an investigation that takes up to 20-30 minutes. This includes running the hot water heater, the furnace and if need be, the kitchen appliances. We also will provide a battery if that's the reason the alarm triggered (and we remember to replenish them after the last run).
It may seem like a mundane call (no cool lights & sirens ride) but it proves to be an excellent tool for us to review building size up, pre-plan the building and give junior guys a chance to hold the reins. And... it's not a bad customer service gig.
There is one cause for CO alarm activation we've seen more than once that one overlooks. The landscapers running mowers/blowers and the guys power washing a house. We've had more than one incident of elevated CO due to this, especially when windows are left open. (Not to mention the mess from the power wash too).
I like to think of every call as an unscheduled drill...

You win a cookie (D.Rickles)
very common in these type of homes if the chimney is not on an outside wall, one side is the closet for one bedroom and the other side for a 2nd bedroom. When you check the basement, you find a furnace and or hot water heater but no CO readings. You check the bed rooms and no sources, but CO levels. And they are intermitant.
Turn up the heat AND the hot water....you will get readings. Both applances in concert may produce enough to work through the old morter. I have had a couple of these that we kept going back to, because one device did not do it.
Note: Both "APPLIANCES" are working fine so it is not the jop of the appliance tech to fix it. People are getting a toxic gas in the bedrooms and we took an oath to protect them.

So far, I've read 33 posts of nothing but speculation surrounding the incident. So rather than fanning this possible garbage can fire into a structure fire of a magnitute that warrants investigative journalism, why don't we go to the source first? That said, is there anyone from Somers on the air here who can shed some actual light onto the subject?

So far, I've read 33 posts of nothing but speculation surrounding the incident. So rather than fanning this possible garbage can fire into a structure fire of a magnitute that warrants investigative journalism, why don't we go to the source first? That said, is there anyone from Somers on the air here who can shed some actual light onto the subject?

So far, I've read 33 posts of nothing but speculation surrounding the incident. So rather than fanning this possible garbage can fire into a structure fire of a magnitute that warrants investigative journalism, why don't we go to the source first? That said, is there anyone from Somers on the air here who can shed some actual light onto the subject?

I know that Bro, I worked my career up there. By now, all truck companies should carry CO meters. Since ventilation is part of their game, I'd think it would be more appropriate to have them responding on these CO calls.
Now there's two type of CO calls; the ones where like Mike pointed out, you get a defective CO alarm and many times a repeat activation.
However, I've been to jobs where it was a legit CO release within the structure, with victims affected by CO inhalation, etc. This is where the truck should be responding.
Especially those departments who practice positive pressure ventilation (which I personally don't believe in for fire attack). These PPV fans are perfect for CO venting.
Once again, just my opinion.
Stay safe.

So far, I've read 33 posts of nothing but speculation surrounding the incident. So rather than fanning this possible garbage can fire into a structure fire of a magnitute that warrants investigative journalism, why don't we go to the source first? That said, is there anyone from Somers on the air here who can shed some actual light onto the subject?