KelliPVAC

This is so sad!!! Our family has a house down there and this is heartbreaking Thank you to all the NJ FDs / EMS / PD for all of your efforts.

Right back pocket: Wallet
Left back pocket: Car keys
Left front pocket: A couple of crinkled up dollar bills
Right front pocket: iPhone
Radio strap and radio over right shoulder
My point here is that the equipment was kept in our bags.

It seem as though if members of a Emergency Service( Paid or Volunteer ) have been in for along period of their career, that person knows the boundaries of what they can say or do.I always felt that joking and breaking b***s was a important part of bonding with one another.It seems as though when a probie joins or is hired they are quick to jump to conclusions that there is hostile or harassment taken place. It's important that employees or volunteers have a chance to release steam in the form of ribbing or practical jokes. It's like the old saying" If they don't make fun of you or break your chops, most likely that person doesn't like you. Thick skin is wearing out in the service, and it does effect moral. Of course there is a thin line not to cross, but if that happens it should be dealt with in a professional manner behind closed doors. The one thing I hate is when someone is made a example of in front of others. In a field where we deal with fire, accidents, death, etc. We need each other in a caring and joking atmosphere, not a hostile and "Let's not joke around anymore" attitude. Humor is the best medicine. But not in front of civilians! Everybody is always listening and watching. It's a damn shame, but this is the world we live in today; Sue, Suspend, Lay off, Transfer,Arbituator,and Sue again

I went on the fire dept in 1975. I didn't know anybody. I thought I made a mistake taking the job. I thought these guys in the firehouse hated me. But I found out in a short time that it was actually the opposite. Very strong friendships developed. Actually, we all seemed to enjoy the attention. Name calling, joking, verbal abuse was all part of the firehouse. When one of us needed help at home for whatever reason, those guys were right there. It didn't matter who you were.
Things started to change in the mid 90s. You couldn't say things that we used to say. There was a change in the overall firehouse atmosphere. Life in the firehouse changed. Suddenly we were like kids in school being told what we could say and what we couldn't say.
Those guys that busted my stones years ago get together for a Country Breakfast once a month now. We act the same way as we did back in the 70s and 80s at the firehouse kitchen table. The other people in the restraunt get a free comedy show when we're all there. Our mannerism doesn't seem to bother those people in that restraunt and it certainly doesn't bother us.
I'm just glad I got a chance to have a great group of guys give me plenty of verbal abuse over the years. And I gave it back too.

Lately there seems to be a strong emphasis on harassment and harassment policies in emergency services. While I don't condone or encourage any form of deliberate harassment against anyone due to their race, religion, gender, etc...I do wonder if this has become a shield for the thin skinned or those with agendas. Like many on here I remember the days of good old fashioned b*** breaking and pranks and many times being the target of it and laughed with it and got even and laughed even more. It was a sense of belonging. A sense of trust. I also remember many strong disagreements and arguments, some very intense but at the end of the day it was over. Today you have to worry if someone will take what you say or do to the point where they will file internal or even get a lawyer or run to the police ( yes I have seen this happen) and look to file outside charges. I feel it has come to a point where you truly have to be careful what you say and do because you never know how someone is going to take it and it is unfortunate because I feel most incidents are not intended to be malicious rather innocent yet there is a chance someone may take it the wrong way and harassment policies that I have read are pretty much clear cut with zero tolerance by the AHJ and the AHJ has to act if a complaint is brought to them.
Here's to the good old days!!!

$132,000 is a tough one. The department I work for purchased a Horton on a Ford E350 chassis in 2006 and it was $125,000, not nearly loaded. Looking into a Floor model or demo may be an option if you are able to adapt to an already built rig. When it comes to apparatus, I personally believe you get what you pay for. So make sure you do your homework.

Yes, Pleasantville VAC is still dispatched by Pleasantville Police on the DPW frequency, and communicate on the PD channel. We are not planning on switching to 60 Control.

ndpemt519 said it the best, and you beat me to the draw.
For anyone that thinks they know for sure if a scene is safe or not...shame on you. I was taught in EMT that any scene can turn south quickly and to always be looking and aware of your surroundings, if you see anything out of place or odd, back out and call for help. What some of you guys are forgetting here is, when most of us EMS are dispatched to an EMS run, we dont have PD responding with us. Will the dispatch in my area send PD for a cardiac run?? Hell no, why waste them or take them out of service for that? Then you get on scene and find out (some times too late) that the cardiac event is happening because of a domestic (which the caller conveniently forgets to tell 911) and there are weapons involved...what then?? I understand that a vest will not stop every bullet of every gun, but they will stop most bullets or at least prevent the bullets from doing major harm to you, right? (serious question please) Lets look at this issue that someone brought up; vests will not stop all bullets so why even justify buying them and equipping them??? Well, our turnout gear will not stop the fire from burning you and you can still get burned, so why do we bother buying that? Bottom line, if that vest will stop one bullet from entering my body and taking my life, MONEY WELL SPENT. If that vest allows us to escape the scene and wait for PD to arrive to assist us and saves our lives, MONEY WELL SPENT.
Also, another serious question for any PD officer; a vest will stop a bullet, but not a knife? Can someone explain that please? I understand there are ballistic plates that are held in pockets within the carrier (vest) and that the knife could find a gap and penetrate still, but there is also the chance the knife can catch one of the ballistic plates and not penetrate, correct? That to me is worth the costs if it allows one EMT to deflect a knife blow and retreat from the scene.
There are always too many people being negative about things and offering too many "what ifs" when the bottom line should be our safety. If one device can save one life, isnt it worth it?
Maybe a vest couldnt have saved the brothers from the christmas eve fire, but the next incident?? Maybe the next shooter can only afford a .22 rifle, can a vest stop those?
To me, if you have the funds to do so and you want to provide a protective garment for your crews to offer that much more of a chance of survival, more power to them. Especially in my area where there are only one full time village police department, and the rest of the county is covered by either state police or sherrifs officers who are spread out thin and sometimes have extended response times to our EMS scenes. If we know ahead of time the scene is a violent one then we dont even leave our station until a PD unit is on scene, then we stage in the nearest intersection until the PD calls for us, but there are other calls where you are just not thinking about someone pulling a gun on you and that one time where the vest can save your life.

So all of you saying "EMS shouldn't be there if the scene is not safe", does that mean that in all these recent incidents of death of FD/EMS responders, that the responders knew the scene wasn't safe prior to entering? NO. We never know for sure when the scene is safe. We can THINK it is safe, but ultimately, people can and will do crazy/stupid things at any time. A police officer standing in a room is not going to stop a nut from pulling a gun on us if that is what said person is determined to do. Look at the triple homicide in the city of Newburgh not even two days ago. EMS was on scene after PD declared it "secure" for them to come in and assess the patients. However, the shooter STILL isn't in custody. Nobody knows where he/she is, and nobody knew where he/she was when EMS was on that scene. Not sure how that scene was "secure". Nothing against any agency involved, this is just one example of how a "secure" scene is not in fact "secure". If this dept has one life saved because of their purchase of vests, it is more than worth the cost. But if they didn't buy it and someone gets shot, we'd all be sitting here saying "Well they should've had vests!". Seems like people always need something to complain about in this business....

Personally, I think this just seems like a frivolous waste of money, It's just another form of duplication and excess, which if I'm correct is what most departments are trying to get away from. How do you justify such an expenditure when multiple systems are already in place for each aspect that it will be used for? Checking department e-mail? I'm sure each station has a computer, not to mention almost everyone has a smartphone or home computer (the few old school people I know who don't have either wouldn't care to check their department e-mail anyhow). Time card? I am fairly sure most employers prefer to have a supervisor handle timekeeping as opposed to the employees themselves, or in the case where no supervisor is present at a station they prefer a timekeeping system that can only be accessed at the workplace, not anywhere you take the iPad. As far as training goes, there is really no accountability for on-line training, there's no way to verify that the person doing it is actually the person it's intended for nor that they aren't just killing time in front of the computer while they have an answer sheet from someone else ready to copy from and fill out sections at appropriate times, I've seen it happen many a time. As far as dissemination of training information, what's going to make the employee read a training bulletin on an iPad if they are already the type who don't care to read it on paper? As far as patient care and written reports, I don't think each person needs one, maybe one per ambulance for PCR's, and one per station for community use in filing of reports, although it seems like the desktops or laptops that most fire stations already have could support this function, not to mention the fact that the majority of the time it is only one supervisor or member filling out the report, not each individual.
Many departments already have in place electronic systems to perform all of these functions, most can be easily accessed from a computer available to the employees at work or by logging on remotely from a personal device. Handing everyone an iPad and saying, "now this is only for work use", that's almost a challenge to some people, and expecting everyone to be on board, that's pretty naive, I have a teenage neighbor that if I wanted could have the thing unlocked in twenty minutes so I could use it how I pleased. You would probably be better off giving members unlocked iPads honestly. If it's locked down and can only be used for a few limited work functions its not really able to be customized to the employee and many members will simply throw it in a drawer as another extraneous piece of junk the job has handed them. If they can use it how they please they will be more likely to use it for personal and work use. As far as taking care of department business while off-duty, off-duty is off-duty, one of the great thing about most emergency services jobs is that you don't take your work home with you. If you want to read, train, and enrich yourself out of work that is one thing that I personally promote, but work, stays at work.
I also don't see any real efficiency savings, as you aren't really saving any money by spending more money. What can be eliminated now that everyone has an iPad? Saving paper maybe, but I doubt those savings will really make up the cost of your investment especially after maintenance and upkeep costs.
As far as the comparison to the expense of each member having a portable radio, how many lives do you think personal iPads will save? Will it give a Mayday for you? Are you going to carry it into the building with you? Is it your lifeline to other members when you are trapped or lost? Personal portable radios have been proven and documented to save lives, and not to sound hackneyed, but that is PRICELESS. Unless you can place efficiency on an equal footing with the life safety of members, then the cost of personal iPads cannot be compared to the cost of personal radios, period.
In my opinion, in this day and age of cost cutting, tightening budgets, and increased scrutiny by taxpayers as to where their money goes, this is a waste of money and will be conceived by the taxpayers as such. Many taxpayers and politicians have already begun to perceive the emergency services as a whole to be an expensive, extravagant, luxury item that can be slashed and cut down to the bone, lets not give them more fodder for their arguments. Spend money on the things we REALLY NEED and that are easily defensible to the public and politicians alike.

I guess I'll pile on the Naysayer wagon as well. My biggest issue, aside from needless cost, would be yet another device that takes away from human interaction in the firehouse. Part of learning is discussing all aspect of the particular subject, and the fire service tends to employ personnel from a wide variety of backgrounds, moving away from classroom/kitchen table/tailboard lessons for more IT based learning merely provides the basic lesson plan to the individuals vs. a setting where multiple ideas can be discussed, incorrect assumptions or answers may be corrected and personnel learn the topic as well as what their peers know and understand. While I don't think we should go backwards, it's hard to deny that we were a much closer knit team/family before the internet and cellphones. Or it could just be that I'm old.

146 fire calls for my department.
I went from a dept on Long Island averaging over 1000 runs annualy to 146...I kinda like the pace though, more time with my daughter!

Pleasantville VAC - 1,020

Pleasantville VAC - 1,020

9 times out of 10 I have the family sit up front with a seatbelt. If the pt is under the age of 18 I will ask the parent to ride in the back ( nature of call premetting) when parent is in the back I have them sit in the captains seat with a seatbelt on. If the pt is an infant or a toddler parent and pt sit together with belts on.

Terrible accident... Family members should not be riding in the box. They should be in the front seat, belted, under the supervision of the chauffeur.

Every department has its own issues, EVERY department, paid or volunteer the issues exist. My advice to you, after having being in your shoes one point or another, is to run, take the position, and do what you can possibly do with it. Put your heart into what you do, train, take many classes and try to the best of your ability fix the current and your past issues. Treat people with repect and you WILL get repsect in return. Adress the problems at hand and try to repair them, your membership will be thankful...eventually. If you take heat, take it, use it as a learning tool while resolving what ver the issue at hand is.
Talk to other department heads, ask for help, guidance and you will come up with a solution. Make deciscions, make then as wise as you can and when you make a poor one, own up to it. Do not look for a scape goat, only you can admit to the unadmitable. Work with everyone, as a team, socialize as a team, do things together as a family. I am not telling you to go to someones home, that you wouldnt normally go to, but when you guys do something social, include who ever you can. Make the people that have "issues" feel included. Asking for outside help makes you a better person, doesnt make you unknowledgeable, makes you wise to realize you need additional help.
Good Luck!

Ever hear of the expression “where there is smoke there’s …………! I think you have reason to worry. At best I would try to have a sit down and ask the chief and 2nd Assistant chief and see if they are willing to disclose what they feel the problems are and what dangers they foresee if you take the position.

Date: 11/11/12
Time: 2335hrs (11:35pm)
Location: Route 117 (IAO Rockefeller State Park)
Frequency: 46.26, 156.015 (MPPD), 155.880 (MPEMS),
Units Operating: [Pocantico Hills FD: 2381, E189, R43], [Archville FD: 2631, E236], [Pleasantville VAC: 76B1, 76B3], [Mount Pleasant Medics: 37M1], Mount Pleasant PD
Weather Conditions: Clear, 50 Degrees
Description Of Incident: Originally dispatched as a MVA with Injuries, Car 2381 reported extrication would be needed and requested an additional mutual aid rescue with a second set of tools. 2 Car MVA. 1 Patient was able to self-extricate and was transported BLS to WMC. 1 Patient needed extricated and was transported ALS to WMC.
Reporters: firedude, peterose313, KelliPVAC

They use it for rehab. Pleasantville VAC has an excellent rehab unit.

Great Shots Thanks For Sharing Good Luck With the Rig PVAC

Good luck PVAC. Nice looking rig.

Best of luck to a great organization with their new rig!!!

Gotta love that Gothic Lettering scheme!