nydude2473

I noticed in the flier that you have to be in "excellent" physical condition but only of "good" moral character. I guess the city doesn't worry that Firefighters go into people's houses when they are not home.
And, Cap, you must be old school if you noticed all the typos. Back in your day (and mine) the job descriptions always said "Performs light clerical duties." That piece of the job description is gone, so candy dates don't have to spel gud no more.
I better stop writing now or I'll get in trouble

I guess I have a couple of things to say:
1. There are so many typo's in this exam notice I lost count.
2. You DO NOT need a High School diploma OR a G.E.D. ( I guess you don't need one to write the exam either )
3. You can be a convicted criminal and/or a drug addict.
4. You need to lift a 14' roof ladder. ( Who's going to grab the 24' or the 28' for that matter ?)
I'm old school, I admit that. But it's hard to read the exam requirements and not shake my head. I'm starting my 24th year as a Captain. I have been asked many times "what makes a good firefighter?". The answer is: give me a person who played High School sports; who has common sense; and who has a working knowledge of the trades and I'll make you a good firefighter. And that's all I have to say about that.

Good article which will hopefully open doors throughout the volunteer fire service. VFDs are community based organizations which means recruitment efforts should reach out to ALL members of the community.

I'm glad to see
Full article: http://www.lohud.com/article/20140113/NEWS02/301130019/Answering-alarm-Latinos-bolster-sagging-ranks-local-volunteer-fire-departments

Don't be afraid to ask how to do something. It's far better to be a good learner than a know it all. Mistakes are to be learned from, not covered up.

Rookies should know that just because you just came out of probie school or FF1, you did not write the book on firefighting.

that sad.tarrytown only gets 451.000 and the village gets district money from greenburgh so its almost a wash at the end its almost a free service to the people who live in tarrytown.and out of that comes all building and truck maintenance and all equipment for firefighting.and the village still says its to much?

plus i87 and 287 tappan zee bridge, metro rail road, hudson river ,office parks hotels motels.and paid district of greenburgh.and the meny thousands of people that transit thru tarrytown.its a very busy hub of westchester cnty i would say,

Great post!!
Elections aren't the problem. If you feel change is needed than use the election process to get into a position to make the changes that will make your FD better. How? By drawing members to your cause. How? Perseverance. One thing's for sure quitting won't solve anything. Change happens from within, not from the outside looking in. .

You do not hear anywhere on this thread that " I was beat out by a better guy" or "It was a pick em', two equals going for the same spot and I lost fair and square"
It seems like there is a giant conspiracy throughout the state and no matter who looses, Its fixed or the system sucks or they are quitting the department now that the didn't get the position that they wanted.
I don't want to hear the popularity contest in the volunteer ranks argument anymore either. Every organization has a popularity contest in some capacity.
Some career jobs also see this. One of the top 3 scores can be made. What does that mean? Whoever the Chief, Mayor and Commissioner wants to be Chief, Captain, or Lieutenant gets the job. You can be #1 on the promotional list for 20 years and get beat out by #2 and #3 every time a promotion comes up.
Life sucks. Crappy things happen (being voted out in favor of an inferior firefighter due to popularity), but giving up isn't a feasible option. Most of us live, work or live and work in the communities that we protect. How is quitting an admirable thing to do? You complain that you all are superstar firefighters that would improve the dept. being in an officer position, so if you are such an asset and joined and remained so active because you love doing this, then why would you give up and let the other guys win?
makes no sense to me. If that was me I would stay active protect my community. Staying active and giving your input more than ever will work toward accomplishing what you want. Quitting lets the other guys win.
Sometimes in life the best lessons are learned from failure, so why don't you guys try to learn and grow from this? Stop making excuses and blaming the system, the district, the department, ect. Let this make you all better people and firefighters and hopefully be persistent and go for office again next time around.

I beg to differ.
nothing that 585 said was disrespectful or rude. I don't think calling names is warranted.
If my information is correct, 585 just finished his term as Chief and was one of the more respected, proactive Chiefs in the county.
He stated the hard facts. The election system is broken and there is no concrete fix. All the courses in the world wont make you a leader and wont give you the respect of your peers. Respect is earned

i hate to see ray kelly go but bill bratton was a great commissioner also glad to see him back.

The Port Authority is being penalized by the FAA for not having a separate entity to deal with ARFF and that they are using Police Officers instead. The FAA told them that they need to create a separate department ASAP or that they will be penalized until one is formed. What I was trying to say is that this incident doesn't really help the PAPD's case. I'm not saying that these guys don't have the training because they do, it's just that with an incident like this it makes the FAA think that these guys aren't adequate enough to do the role of ARFF and that the need for a separate FD is obvious.

Well yes, anybody can make mistakes but the Port Authority already has enough heat on them from the FAA for having a Police-Ran Airport Fire Department. This could come off to the FAA as them not being properly trained on their equipment and that there equipment is not up to par with the National standards. I'm not saying that an FD wouldn't make the same mistake, but with already them paying penalties and this, it doesn't look good in their favor. What I was trying to say is that this incident could make the FAA make the Port authority push even faster to start up a new fire department.
No, they are paid Port Authority Police Officers who specialized in ARFF

That's an ARFF not the General Lee in the Dukes of Hazard. Looks like someone was cooking and went airborne into that "ditch"

that looks like a lot of damage. They are made to take a bit of abuse and off-road terrain, but that must have been one hell of a ride.

They could offer a test but require as a pre-requisite certain training or certifications. I think the PA has to use civil service procedures like any municipality despite their "authority" status.
Regardless of how they hire, I'm sure they're going to do training for everyone. Isn't that one of the terms of their agreement to split from the PD?

very happy for you.

your the drama honest whats your point here realy?are you even in the fire service?

When you really look deep into it, the Tappan Zee Bridge and where it is located on the Hudson is a very critical spot when it comes to transportation and commerce, even though it is just in the suburbs of New York City. Also, the bridge does get a significant amount of media coverage when something occurs, case in point, the tragic boating accident that occurred this summer. I had no idea that that call would find its way on to ABC World News and CNN. So, in our eyes it might not seem so big since we are use to having it in our backyard and it being more of a nuisance on a late Friday afternoon to get upstate, but it does and will keep having a big influence on the community and the region.

Well said!

It is one of the most high profile bridge projects going on right now. It's also critical infrastructure for the NYC Metro area. Incidents on the bridge often make regional and national news. It's limited access and traffic jams when something happens makes for a very difficult response to the scene, and often leaves units committed to the incident or having to go into Rockland and turn around in a major traffic jam for hours.

Although I think the East Side Access Project (Bringing LIRR trains to Grand Central via tunnels bored under Queens, the river, and midtown Manhattan) is bigger, the ASCE claims this is one of the biggest transportation projects in the US to date.

Source and more detailed information on the project: http://www.asce.org/CEMagazine/ArticleNs.aspx?id=23622324457#.UoPyUGAo7Gh

It also holds the #2 ranking for suicides in the nation, only after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
One source and article: http://www.newsday.com/search/high-anxiety-trooper-fights-fear-to-save-would-be-tappan-zee-jumpers-1.4111767

And, Tarrytown is not buying new toys....they are replacing existing equipment that is due for replacement and has a lot of wear and tear from I-87 and the TZB.
When the "Big Dig" tunnel project in Boston was underway, and after it opened, the project provided funds for Boston FD for Tunnel rescue and foam pumper equipment for operation in the tunnel. The Port Authority has a large fleet designed and equipped specifically for the George Washington Bridge, as well as other crossings. The Thruway Authority used to maintain more of an emergency fleet including a boat and fire engine, but that program was axed a long time ago, leaving the burden on Tarrytown FD and the Rockland FD's who respond.

Honestly from what it sounds like, you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to this whole project and the issues we are soon to face out there. And, no one is trying to buy anybody out. That equipment would be used fairly often and the training wouldn't go to waste. We are talking about being able to save lives and do a job the right way. If you can't understand that then you need to get your facts straight and start from the beginning. I don't know what you have against this whole thing but other departments aren't going to be left out. Nyack should definitely look into getting stuff and same with the departments that send fireboats to TZ calls. There is nothing wrong with applying for a grant to get new apparatus and training. I don't see you bagging on the FDNY for all the stuff they got for Sandy. Is that because they are the FDNY and they are more deserving? Look, we all do the same job and want to do it in a safe and excellent manner. Stop hating and just be glad that if you ever find yourself in a tight spot, that hopefully one of these apparatus will be able to come and help you out.

Came across this in Irish news. A private company has built an ambulance designed to distract children from their injuries or medical condition and provide a calming effect while en-route to the hospital. Based off customer portrayals it seems to be more of an ambulette service then a priority EMS unit. It helps transport those from far out counties into the medical establishments of Dublin for long term treatments for diseases and conditions.
An interesting concept and a great way to assist families with special needs.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/little-amber-2-delights-in-temple-streets-bumbleance-29748299.html

would be nice to see this around our area as the new WMC Children's Hospital Ambulance...