JM15

They do not have the legal authority to fine or suspend them.

It cost clean waters either way.
Westchester does not do it for "free", the county tax payers are paying for it.
Federal Law "Sara Title III" allows for billing at any hazardous release and requires the spiller to pay all associated costs.
Last year FASNY pushed a law through the state that would limit the ability for FD's to recover all cost. Luckily the State Chief convinced Cumo to veto it.

That only works with a wild animal. Hazmat you have to out run the chemical and it does not stop at the 1st victim

First of all its a Clean Harbors truck, so you know its going to be a nightmare sorting through all the different products you're going to have inside. But it should be run the same way any other HAZMAT call runs, use the 8-Step Process:
1. Site Management and Control - Isolate the area, evacuate anyone nearby, set up some initial zones based on an unknown product, since this is a Clean Harbors truck and is likely a collection of various HAZMATs picked up from locations all over the place. Start ICS and make sure you have an IC and a Safety Officer. In CT we're also going to call the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection as required by state statute, they'll send one or two of their Emergency Response Coordinators out to assist. Regional (or in NY's case, County) HAZMAT team also added and EMS for standby.
2. Identify Product - The placards are only telling me so much. We're going to need some kind of paperwork on the products involved. If the leak isn't all over the place, we can likely send someone into the cab to get some shipping papers. If not, remember we're dealing with Clean Harbors here, not Crazy Joe's Overnight Waste Removal and Handyman Services. Its a HUGE environmental company with some professional management staff, and I wouldn't be totally surprised if they had an electronic database that will tell me exactly what's supposed to be inside that truck. Obviously we're going to trust but verify, but it will give me a starting point to get my research guys on.
3. Hazard and Risk Evaluation - Sure, the placards look scary, but realistically what states of matter am I dealing with? What's the hazard to my personnel if I send them in there? What are the exposure limits, etc?
4. PPE and Equipment - Based on the info from 2 and 3, I'm going to confer with my HAZMAT guys to determine what the right suit is to wear. Say it with me: NOT EVERY HAZMAT CALL REQUIRES LEVEL A!!!! Our team uses the HAZMATIQ system in our region, so based on the chemical name the "playbook" we use tells us what our PPE should be for our mission posture, either "Rescue" or "Plumbing," and what the metering package is that's relevant for that/those products. It will also lay out the "red light" meters, ones that, if they go off, indicate there's something unexpected happening or something we haven't accounted for in our plan. It really simplifies the process and cuts back on a lot of the chemistry lessons we need to give non-HAZMAT geek Chiefs and ICs on scene. Based on the video these guys are in turnouts and SCBA and some of the guys were in the Lion or Blauer suits with the Nomex outer shell so its probably pretty safe to assume the flammables were really their main concern, along with the respiratory hazards that we almost always protect ourselves from.
Most likely we're bringing in pH and F paper to ensure its not a corrosive atmosphere before we bring in the expensive toys, then a 4-gas, PID, Drager Chipset if you can narrow things down, maybe a First Defender or other Raman Spectroscopy device if you're really coming up with nothing at all (but only if you're sure its not a flammable)
5. Information Management and Resource Coordination - Do I have my ICS set up to make sure the right people are running the right operations? Do I have all the personnel and equipment I'm going to need for this operation? If not, who am I calling to get them? Do I have a RIT/Backup team in place? Am I going to need a forklift and/or jack for moving some of these drums?
6 - Implement Response Objectives - Now that we have ourselves organized and know what we're dealing with, lets go in and start moving some drums. Sort them out, figure out what's leaking and how to stop it. If we can't stop it, lets over-pack it and let the cleanup company get it the hell out of my district. But remember, we can't do anything until we have #7 at least set up first!
7 - Decontamination - Clean up the guys, the gear and the other drums that weren't leaking but have some product on them. Assuming the product wasn't that "Dangerous When Wet" one, we're probably just talking about soap and water, but again its based off what my research came back in steps 2/3.
8 - Termination - Brief everyone on short/long term symptoms of exposure, quick hotwash of what went well and what we can improve on. Start taking up and handing off the scene to the cleanup company (who will probably just end up being Clean Harbors again anyway.)

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

A good start would be to switch to the national standard..

Robert McMahon, Former Commissioner Putnam County
Emergency Services
REST IN PEACE!
Some information about Robert McMahon
McMahon served as part-time deputy fire coordinator (July 1990 through January 1997), then as part-time fire coordinator (January 1997 through December 1999) and finally as commissioner of emergency services (January 2000 through August 2012).
McMahon served in the Navy and retired from the Fire Department of New York. He is a registered nurse, a former chief and life member of the Lake Carmel Fire Department, a NYS and FEMA certified training instructor and a member of the board of Putnam Hospital Center.
Under his leadership, the emergency services in Putnam were greatly enhanced and eventually evolved into the Bureau of Emergency Services whose efforts have proven so effective during recent major storms in our area. Through programs McMahon initiated which focused on the advanced training and education of EMS personnel, recruitment and volunteer retention soared. Today, the Center is staffed by highly trained, dedicated and professional deputy emergency services coordinators who act as liaisons to local fire and law enforcement departments as well as to emergency management teams and various county agencies.
It was during McMahon’s tenure as commissioner of emergency services that the Putnam County Fire Training Center was expanded to include a three-story multi-purpose burn building training simulator. The Training and Operations Center was constructed allowing Putnam’s 911 Communications Center and the All Hazards Emergency Operations Center to be housed in a single state-of-the-art location.
Working with the county executive’s office as well as the legislature, the office for aging, the sheriff’s department and the health department, McMahon saw to the opening of warming centers in the winter and cooling centers in the summer for the elderly, the ill or those without electricity due to severe weather. Plans for county-wide shelters offering overnight facilities were also developed and generators were installed in many public buildings with federal grant money sought under McMahon’s direction
Information Credit: http://www.theexaminernews.com/emergency-911-communications-center-renamed-to-honor-former-commissioner/
Video of the 911 Center Dedication: http://www.lohud.com/VideoNetwork/2189123305001/Putnam-911-Center-dedicated-to-Robert-McMahon
More information will be posted as it becomes available.

He did a tremendous amount for Putnam County Fire and EMS. He fought long and hard. I hope that the heavens bring him plenty of joy and that the end of his pain brings some relief to his three sons and his wife. He was a fireman in 45 truck, and retired as a Lt in Ladder 31 which during his time found him being first due truck to the Happy Land fire among many other notable fires and events. All three of his kids followed his footsteps and I am sure are proud of his accomplishments.

Bob was an F.D.N.Y. Brother, a fellow Chief in the volunteer fire service in Putnam County, a fellow fire instructor and most of all a great friend and mentor to members of the fire service. I will miss him. Rest in peace my Brother, thank you for your friendship as well as for all that you did for the fire service.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"

Probably won't see this in production:
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/27/chevy-silverado-black-ops-volunteer-firefighter-concepts-texas-state-fair/#continued

They have been using these on 684 for awhile now

Virtually? I don't even want to pay attention after that. Did you also stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night? I've virtually shot down a plane, I don't try giving fighter pilots advice, I've virtually won the Super Bowl, I'm not offering coaching tips to Tom Coughlan. I've actually spoken on the radio at large scale incidents as well as run of the mill incidents, I've been on both ends of the radio, command and front line, and the simpler and easier it is, the more second nature it is to you, the better it works out when everything is going wrong.