SilentShadow

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  2. Posted

    Is anyone else in Westchester using 5.5? What are the benefits other then size? How will this work when requesting a cascade unit? I assume the compressor would be able to handle the 6000PSI and they wouldn't be able to share bottles with neighboring jurisdictions?

     

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    Hartsdale Fire Chief Ed Rush explains the new Scott 5.5 Model X3 to Congresswoman Nita Lowey who was helpful in obtaining a $484,000 grant to buy the new Scott Packs for the Hartsdale, Fairview and Elmsford Fire Departments

     

    http://www.hartsdalefire.org/apps/public/news/newsView.cfm?News_ID=204

  6. Posted

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    The Indian Point nuclear plant will shut down by April 2021 under an agreement New York State reached this week with Entergy, the utility company that owns the facility in Westchester County, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.

     

    http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/nyregion/indian-point-nuclear-power-plant-shutdown.html?_r=0

    Billy and BIGRED1 like this

  9. Posted

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    A write-in candidate who last week jumped into the race for the New Castle Fire District No. 1 Board of Commissioners Tuesday night won one of two seats on the board.

     

    Improving fire district communication and transparency is a top priority, she said.

     

    “I want to see changes actually implemented and I would like the town to be more involved and more aware of what is going on,” Schoenberg said before the vote.

     

    http://www.theexaminernews.com/write-in-candidate-wins-new-castle-fire-commissioner-seat/

  11. Posted

    Here's a letter from the opposing candidate:
     

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    I am running for re-election to the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Hartsdale Fire District. As a member of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the Hartsdale Fire District, I would like to dispute several of the facts that appeared in that letter. My challenger has stated that fire taxes cost almost as much as for "police, sanitation, roads, the library, etc.” The cost of the Town services that she lists are 63 percent higher than what it cost to provide fire protection for the Hartsdale Fire District. The town tax rate is offset by many revenues such as sales tax, user fees, licenses and permits, state aid, etc. which are also coming out of the taxpayers’ pockets. The Fire District does not have the ability to generate this additional revenue.

     

    She also states that “The Fire District’s self-oversight diverted our taxes from what was best for our community and our brave firefighters, to the self-serving interests of an invisible few.” But there is no provided proof of such accusations. She claims she wants to promote transparency, while her comments are extremely opaque.

     

    It is very easy to throw out inflammatory allegations and false statements in an attempt to get yourself elected. It is much harder to serve the residents of the Fire District with honesty, integrity and hard work as I have done for the past 31 years. I have worked to maintain the safety of our residents and our firefighters, while continuing to be fiscally responsible to our taxpayers.

    Frances Stanley

     

    http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/12/07/stanley-experience-leadership-hartsdale-fire-district/95111914/

  12. Posted

     

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    I am Mona Fraitag , and I am running for Hartsdale fire commissioner on Dec. 13 to change the cozy relationship between our Fire Oversight Board and the Fire District.

    For decades, the Fire District had hand-selected board commissioners from among fans, friends and family. The result was a board that automatically approves every budget and a fire district that has refused to share basic information to which taxpayers are entitled. Our fire taxes cost almost as much as for police, sanitation, roads, the library, etc. — combined. This is unacceptable.

     

    The Fire District’s self-oversight diverted our taxes from what was best for our community and our brave firefighters, to the self-serving interests of an invisible few. My mission is to return the fire district to its rightful owners — the citizens of Hartsdale.

     

    Mona Fraitag

     

     

    http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/12/06/fraitag-hartsdale-fire-district-letter/95031842/

    VCharlatan likes this

  16. Posted

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    Health insurance companies are raising rates. Employers are decreasingly providing health benefits. Bernie Sanders' plan for expanding Medicare won't reduce costs, many experts say.

     

    But this is not a story about that. This is a story about a single, 12-minute ambulance ride.

     

     

    http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/2g-ambulance-ride-shows-health-providers-insurers-mafia-ways-article-1.2642848

  17. Posted

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    Firefighters Respond to Tribune Editorial

    When the Chicago Tribune printed another one of its ferociously anti-union editorials on April 8, 2016, it decided to target the fire fighters union (rather than its usual target—AFSCME!). Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois President Pat Devaney responded to the editorial’s many misstatements but the Tribune never printed his response. We reprint it here as a powerful reminder of why collective bargaining rights are important to every employee.

    Is Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner anti-union or pro-taxpayer? 

    Unpublished letter to the Chicago Tribune from Pat Devaney, President of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois
    Efforts to strip working men and women of collective bargaining rights for living wages are usually highlighted by cherry-picked anecdotes to cloud the truth.

    Such was your recent editorial about Governor Rauner's crusade to destroy organized labor's rights to collective bargaining. (April 8: Is Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner anti-union or pro-taxpayer?)

    Your editorial specifically advocates the elimination of firefighter staffing standards that have been in effect in Illinois since 1986. Staffing levels, according to standards established by the National Fire Protection Association and National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, are critical to public safety.

    What your editorial conveniently ignores is that Illinois firefighters in 1986 agreed to forfeit their right to strike in exchange for the law that requires municipalities to negotiate safe staffing levels for fire departments. Your editorial intimated current law was some sort of gift from Springfield when, in fact, it is a law that guarantees citizens the protection they need in times of emergency response.

    Today's anti-worker sentiment emphasizes money over public safety. Unfortunately, it's the same sort of argument that Michigan politicians used to destroy its public water system in Flint. Fact is, there are more important matters than money.

    Your editorial highlighted a 2009 incident involving the death of a Rockford man at the hands of a police officer. According to your reasoning, this is the poster child for the abolishment of arbitration in police and fire disciplinary cases.

    You then transition into your crusade against firefighting staffing laws. So let's use your method to highlight a specific reason that firefighters negotiate safe staffing levels.

    On March 28, 2010 Homewood firefighter Brian Carey died in a fire rescue attempt of an elderly resident, who also perished. Carey was first on the scene of a roaring house fire and attempted to rescue an elderly man trapped inside. Although woefully short­staffed, he entered the structure without hesitation.

    After an exhaustive investigation into the fatalities, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health blamed under-staffing during the fire response as a factor in Mr. Carey's death.

    Professional first responders firefighters and paramedics rely on industry standards and statistics to determine how best to protect the citizens we serve. And staff levels are critical to public safety, not to mention the safety of firefighters who risk their own welfare in emergencies.

    The Tribune performs a serious disservice to its readers when you hide the purpose behind public safety laws. There's more to public service than money. You are entitled to your opinion about the appropriate function and operation of government.

    But don't ignore the public's sacred right to safety when you advocate for the Governor's misguided proposals.
    Thank you,

    Pat Devaney, President
    Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois

     

     

  20. Posted

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    After EMS response times for life-threatening emergencies jumped by more than 20 seconds last year, the FDNY plans to spend $5 million on two pilot programs to handle what it calls a record number of emergency calls.

     

    Starting this summer, the FDNY plans to use 10 “fly cars” — EMS supervisor SUVs carrying a paramedic — to emergencies in the Bronx ahead of ambulances, fire officials told the Daily News on Monday.

     

    The Fire Department also plans to send out a “tactical response” group of 10 additional basic life support tours — ambulance teams staffed by EMTs, not paramedics — to neighborhoods in the Bronx experiencing the highest call volume.

     

     

    http://m.nydailynews.com/new-york/fdny-spend-5m-reduce-ems-response-times-article-1.2540652