Morningjoe

The main issue here is that everyone is comparing FDNY's tactics, to their own and others. If your department can place 4 fully staffed engines, 3 full staffed ladders, a fully staffed rescue, 2 battalion chiefs on location, all trained to FDNY's minimum training standards, then by all means, compare away. FDNY's guys arrive on scene and each member basically has 1 function to perform... and that's it. 99.99% of other departments, when you arrive, are going to be expected to multitask and call audibles on the fly.
However, most of us are showing up with less then the NFPA's required 16 personnel for a single family residential home (2,000 sqft) within the first 8 minutes. That doesn't even account for larger McMansions or even high rise or OMDs. Each department must look at their manpower on any given moment, and make prudent tactical decisions based off of the situation that has been presented at that very moment.

Showing up with 2 guys and no officer on the first due engine, with no confirmed reports or identifying signs of people inside? Stretch your handline, IF NEEDED, give it a quick shot before you mask up, make entry and perform an aggressive interior attack, while your backup man and or second due companies search off the line.

Same staffing, but with confirmed reports of people trapped with a known location? Life above all else. Mask up, and either perform a normal search, or VES the area where the victim is expected to be.
Basement fire? Whats the harm of popping the bilco door, or venting a small basement window and giving it a quick shot, and allow the gasses to vent and cool, and maybe flash BEFORE you make entry and flash on you and your crew.
To sit here and say that every situation should require transitional (which, btw, is just a fancy name for a task that has been employed since the dawn of firefighting with a new fancy buzz name now) or strictly aggressive interior, or defensive attack, is ludicrous. Proper training, and knowledge of situational awareness and the ability to properly apply each individual tactic and strategy appropriately is what we should be discussing.
I highly recommend people read "Suburban Fire Tactics," by Jim Silvernail. He addresses issues that minimally staffed departments around the country face everyday, and goes over tactics and strategies to bring back and apply to your departments as necessary. Here is a fire engineering article he wrote that discusses some of the aforementioned points, and a link to purchase his book:
http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-164/issue-3/features/suburban-fire-tactics-prioritizing-functions-and-developing-preferred-operating-methods.html

https://books.google.com/books/about/Suburban_Fire_Tactics.html?id=QYDAxE_8e_QC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false

Yam bags, quit yamming around

Hey, if thats what excites you, own it.
I am sure that there are others within fire organizations that pay more attention to that type of fact over issues such as overall weight, braking, power, departure angles, wheel base, safety systems, etc.

Heard Wayne County, Montana is looking to replace their entire fleet with 6x4 ATVs and drones. Any validity to this?

What about consolidation?Isn't that the answer to everything on this forum?

Great Job, Chief!
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/09/fire-chief-stopped-irvington-station-stabbing/25514307/
Stay safe...

There are plenty of good EMS systems out there. Boston, King county, la county, some of the counties around DC come to mind. Westchester is not a system. It's a patchwork of solutions to issues. Without leadership, it won't change. Because, quite frankly, the people don't care. They do not care what the ambulance has written on it. They want someone to show up, be nice to them, fix them and get them to a hospital. With a pillow and a blanket. Seriously, that came out in a study/survey in Syracuse.
So unless someone inside or outside the system will step up and begin to build solutions, y'all are stuck with what ya got.
Ever notice that those model systems have a tribute page on their website to the visionary that made it happen? That's not by accident. Step up and lead if you want it fixed. Take charge of the EMS council and push. Read some of the tributes to visionary leaders. They have words like relentless, tireless, pursuing, energetic in them. Again, for a reason.

You mean they don't roll on shabbos ?

No worries. You won't hold that title for long around here!!

Glad I made history. Guess it's not dumber than parking 7 Engines on a 1 lane rd to transport manpower.

For when you really need to dump your load out the rear quickly

For when you really need to dump your load out the rear quickly

ok, Maybe in the writers area or mind the fire service is alive and vibrant. From what I see, the fire service is in deep trouble. Volunteer membership is declining, career depts. are being cut to the bone, or are stagnant.
I believe todays firefighters are much better trained, and are more dedicated than previous generations. But there are not enough of them to fill the voids, at least in our area. Due to the increase in call volume, training, state and federal mandates, the fire service is finding itself hard pressed to keep up with todays conditions. We have too many Commissioners, Chiefs, and elected individuals, who are more worried about money and votes than fixing a broken system. A house fire today requires mutual aid. when there was more members in the dept. there was pride in taking care of your own business.
State and federal mandates, Bailout systems, 2 in 2 out, fast, NFPA, have been enacted to create a safer fire ground, But no more ff's to do the job. The patch on your uniform says XYZ fire dept, yet the truth is XYZ plus 5 surrounding depts. is what is needed for your average house fire. The writer doesn't like the bashing, but what is actually being bashed? the truth? The public is fed up with high taxes. Police depts. are consolidating, At some point, somehow the laws will have to change to allow fire depts. to do the same. Then and only then, at least in this area, will fd's be as alive and vibrant as the writer states.
This is just my opinion, let the bashing begin lol.

What Westchester needs, is
A) A lot more dispatchers period
a Dispatcher assigned to each incident
C) a radio system where each incident is assigned a specific Tac or Ops channel i.e."60-Control to Smithville, 123 Main Street, Structure Fire, Utilize Tac 2 for fireground, Tac 3 for Tanker Ops"
D) a radio system where the dispatchers can hear the actual fire ground communications, for safety and logistical purposes
E) a radio system that doesn't have dead spots throughout the county, or dead spots 5' inside of a building
F) a radio system that everyone uses.... Fire, Police, EMS.

What Westchester needs, is
A) A lot more dispatchers period
a Dispatcher assigned to each incident
C) a radio system where each incident is assigned a specific Tac or Ops channel i.e."60-Control to Smithville, 123 Main Street, Structure Fire, Utilize Tac 2 for fireground, Tac 3 for Tanker Ops"
D) a radio system where the dispatchers can hear the actual fire ground communications, for safety and logistical purposes
E) a radio system that doesn't have dead spots throughout the county, or dead spots 5' inside of a building
F) a radio system that everyone uses.... Fire, Police, EMS.

That was really my point, albeit reading back on it, it didn't come out clear at all. Run numbers mean absolute jack. It's stats like BFD1054 is asking for that really matter.

That was really my point, albeit reading back on it, it didn't come out clear at all. Run numbers mean absolute jack. It's stats like BFD1054 is asking for that really matter.

That was really my point, albeit reading back on it, it didn't come out clear at all. Run numbers mean absolute jack. It's stats like BFD1054 is asking for that really matter.

You sure showed him, a whole 18 runs he missed

Yorktown Fire :589
Millwood Fire: 274
Continental Village Fire: 181
Katonah Fire: 338
Goldens Bridge Fire: 260
Pound Ridge Fire:307
Vista Fire:253
Croton Falls: 622

The guys and girls who sign up to take this exam are getting dealt a pretty rough deal. $100 is a big time chunk of change for a lot of people, and may be the difference between getting a dream job, and not being able to even take the exam.

The guys and girls who sign up to take this exam are getting dealt a pretty rough deal. $100 is a big time chunk of change for a lot of people, and may be the difference between getting a dream job, and not being able to even take the exam.