SteveOFD

In New York State Towns do not have the authority to establish a Fire Department http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/LAWSSEAF.cgi?QUERYTYPE=LAWS+&QUERYDATA=@LLTWN+&LIST=LAW+&BROWSER=EXPLORER+&TOKEN=28559707+&TARGET=VIEW. under the Town Law. Towns only have the authority to establish Fire, Fire Alarm, and Fire Protection Districts. These Districts have the authority to (among other things)"...organize, operate, maintain and equip fire companies..."(176.10), "purchase or lease apparatus and equipment"(176.13). Villages do have the authority to establish a Fire Department under the Village Law http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/LAWSSEAF.cgi?QUERYTYPE=LAWS+&QUERYDATA=@LLVIL+&LIST=LAW+&BROWSER=EXPLORER+&TOKEN=28559707+&TARGET=VIEW. Section 10-1000 of this Law specifies the legal terminolgy pertaining to their Fire Department. A solution to this "problem" would be to allow for Towns to establish municipal Fire Departments, rather than "contracting" it out to a District that they have no say in.

While driving on I287 this week I took this picture of something which I had never seen before. A soda truck displaying a DOT HazMat placard. One of the reasons I can think of for this scenario is that the truck was carrying more than 1,001 pounds of possibly carbon dioxide gas for a soda dispenser at a bar or restaurant. While speaking about hazmat, here is a useful link regarding DOT placard requirements http://www.phmsa.dot...ng/Chart 14.pdf. Another informative DOT link is at http://www.phe.gov/e...es/default.aspx. And lastly here is the link for the online 2012 Emergency Response Guide http://phmsa.dot.gov...mat/ERG2012.pdf.

U.S. DOT Proposes Rear View Visibility Rule to Protect Kids and the Elderly NHTSA 17-10Friday, December 3, 2010 Contact: Karen Aldana Tel: 202-366-9550 Regulation Is Aimed at Preventing Accidental Fatalities and Injuries to Pedestrians in Low-Speed Back-Up Accidents The U.S. Department of Transportation today proposed a new safety regulation to help eliminate blind zones behind vehicles that can hide the presence of pedestrians, especially young children and the elderly. The proposed rule was required by Congress as part of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007. Two-year old Cameron Gulbransen, for whom the Act is named, was killed when his father accidentally backed over him in the family’s driveway. "There is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the vehicle," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "The changes we are proposing today will help drivers see into those blind zones directly behind vehicles to make sure it is safe to back up." The proposal, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), would expand the required field of view for all passenger cars, pickup trucks, minivans, buses and low-speed vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 10,000 pounds so that drivers can see directly behind the vehicle when the vehicle’s transmission is in reverse. NHTSA believes automobile manufacturers will install rear mounted video cameras and in-vehicle displays to meet the proposed standards. To meet the requirements of the proposed rule, ten percent of new vehicles must comply by Sept. 2012, 40 percent by Sept. 2013 and 100 percent by Sept. 2014. link to full article: http://www.nhtsa.gov/PR/NHTSA-17-10

Production has started with pictures at http://www.gowansknight.com/bedford%20ny%20custom%20rescue%20page%20113012.htm.

Congratulations!!

I haven't seen this show yet but it looks interesting http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/gearz-volunteer-fire-truck/EP009027990079?aid=zap2it. The show transforms a Chevy dually pickup truck into a brush truck. This episode airs tonight 12/03 @ 8P, Mon 12/10 @ 11P, Tue 12/11 @ 8A, Sat 12/15 @ 8A, Sun 12/16 @ 7:30A, Sun 12/16 @ 5:30P.

No, they are not using digital encryption. Apparently they have switched to P25 digital for the PD. See the thread at http://forums.radioreference.com/new-york-radio-discussion-forum/254004-white-plains-police-department-westchester-county-ny.html for more info.

While out on Long Island last week I caught a glimpse of two unusual "Fire Hydrants" (if that is what they are). They are both located in Mattituck, L.I. along Route 25 (North Fork). I have never seen these before and could not find any info about them online. Here are the pictures: As you can see in the second to last picture the device attached to the "Hydrant" is marked with "Duraline C.I.,N.Y". and in the last picture "Duraline Central Islip NY" is clearly visible. Anyone have any info on these?

Thanks Izzy for the info. Definately interesting. For those who have not noticed, in the second picture at the above link note the power cord from the apparatus bumper to the Hydrant. If no one had come up with this info I was going to contact MattituckFD.org to find out. Thanks again.

I saw that jbn-duraline website doing some research. I could not find anything similar to what the attachment is. Sure, go ahead and pass the pictures around. Only request is if anyone finds out post back here so we know what it's about.

While I was in the area on business this week I had to stop by and take pictures of the new Headquarters Building of the Norwalk FD. view from the North East along Route 1 view from the South East along Route 1 view of the Garage from the South East another view of the Garage view from the South West across I95 view from the bridge crossing I95 South of HQ The following are some pictures of the Norwalk FD Apparatus Maintenance Facility sign in the driveway Station 2 located across I95 from the new HQ Building Station 2 with the new HQ in the background Station 2 with the new HQ in the background

There are pictures of the NYC VFD's at http://www.fdnytrucks.com/. Go to the Special Units tab at http://www.fdnytruck...pecialunits.htm to view their apparatus, scroll to the bottom of the list.

January 1, 2012 has come and gone and the Federal Communications Commission's deadline for narrowbanding is less than a year away (January 1, 2013). Information on narrowbanding can be found in my previous post from August. Narrowbanding requires both the reprogramming of existing radios (or purchasing of compliant radios), and updating FCC licenses to reflect the narrowband emissions. With that said, in researching the FCC's database, the following Westchester agencies are in need of at least updating their FCC licenses. (This may not be a complete list, so please verify yourself). I am not trying to put down any particular agency, just trying to give a heads up on the deadline, and as you will see below, I am working on updating my agency's license (all of our radios are compliant, only had to reprogram some to meet compliance). Briarcliff FD & PD Ossining FD & VAC Croton on Hudsson PD Peekskill VAC Sleepy Hollow PD Pound Ridge PD Elmsford FD & PD Hastings on Hudson FD & PD Tarrytown FD Harrison PD Mamaroneck Village PD Larchmont PD New Castle PD North Castle PD Mount Kisco PD Lake Mohegan FD & VAC Yonkers FD & PD Eastchester FD Mount Vernon PD New Rochelle PD (Mobile) White Plains FD & PD As stated above, this may not be a compete list of agencies who need to update their licenses. To view the status of your license(s) go to PublicSafetyTools.info and follow the instructions in my post linked above. If you have any questions please feel free to post or PM me and I will try to help.

I just finished my refresher HazMat First Responder Ops. class Tuesday night. One of the things suggested for evacuations is if a person refuses to leave the area, provide him/her with a permanent magic marker to write their name, social security number, and a contact number on their body. This way when the body is recovered the appropriate people can be notified.

The "reserved's" without a Department name are only in the Ladder & Tower Ladder lists. The list reflects that there should only be either a Ladder or a Tower Ladder with any single number. When Ossining FD got their TL, the previously assigned L42 designation was placed into "reserved" so that no future L42 would be assigned as long as OFD has TL42. This is not always the case, the lower numbers still reflect when both TL's & Lad's were assigned the same number.

It would have to hit quite a bit farther South to have less impact on us. From the NOAA website - Hurricane Basics http://hurricanes.noaa.gov/pdf/hurricanebook.pdf page ten states that the right side of a hurricane is the most dangerous. A hurricane is a low pressure system that in the Northern hemisphere rotates counter-clockwise. This counter-clockwise rotation combined with the forward motion (typically Northward) means that the combined wind speed is faster on the right side (East) and slower on the left side (West). See the above noted link for more detailed info. Let's all stay safe out there.

Ossining's horns are still active. The DTMF tones after our paging tones designate the "box" signal that is tapped out. On clear summer nights I can hear the horn from the Grasslands Reservation in Valhalla, when they tap out.

John, The 2010 Fire Code of New York State references the 2007 edition of NFPA 72 - National Fire Alarm Code. Chapter 8 - Supervising Station Fire Alarm Systems (which are what we refer to as "central station" alarms) section 8.2.1 - Alarm Signal Disposition states "Except as permitted by 11.7.8.2, all fire alarm signals received by a supervising station shall be immediately retransmitted to the public fire service communications center." The above noted section 11.7.8.2 refers to Household Fire Alarm Systems. This section states "Remote monitoring locations shall be permitted to verify alarm signals prior to reporting them to the fire service, provided that the verification process does not delay the reporting by more than 90 seconds". You may want to push for this change now, the 2010 edition of NFPA 72 - (renamed) National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, section 26.2.1 states "Except as permitted by 29.7.8.2, all fire alarm signals received by a supervising station shall be immediately retransmitted to the communications center". So, when NYS adopts the 2010 edition of NFPA 72, the reference to "public fire service communications center" goes away.

The following gives information on this Sunday's Southbound closure of Routes 9 & 9A due to the Toughman Triathalon. Both Routes will be closed from 5:30A to 1:00P. Route 9 Southbound will be closed from Bear Mountain Parkway to the Route 9A intersection. Route 9A will be closed from the Route 9 intersection to Route 100 in Briarcliff. The attached link http://toughmantri.com/images/2012BikeCourseImpact.pdf gives a map and detailed instructions for detours. Plan now for any response implications.

If you look at the full side view of the Duck TL it looks like the rear axles have only single tires on them. I have been noticing this trend on tractor trailers (ten wheel "eighteen wheeler") and even transit mix trucks (cement mixers). I was wondering when this trend would start with fire apparatus. I have some pictures which I will try to post in a new thread hopefully this weekend when I finish a project at work.

It's easy. Most radios manufactured post-1996 IIRC are narrow/wide band capable by software. One click per frequency makes the radio do either wide or narrow band. At least this is how I have done it with the Kenwood brand.

Additional information on this project can be found at Sullivan County's website http://co.sullivan.ny.us/Default.aspx?TabId=3436 . From how I am reading the information It looks like the consultant is leaning toward VHF P25 trunked.

16fire5, I agree with you that we are part of the problem with each little agency (FD, PD, EMS, DPW, etc) insisting on having their own frequency. I posted a thread quite a while back where I listed all the frequencies licensed by Westchester County FD's (with no agency names listed, just frequencies). There were over fifty, if I recall correctly. The one point I wanted to make in that thread is, like you said, there are a limited amount of frequencies. With narrowbanding, frequencies in the UHF band are separated by 0.0125MHz. What this means is if you start at 460.000MHz, the next available frequency is 460.0125MHz, after that is 460.0250MHz. With this spacing there are 80 available frequencies between 460.0000 & 461.0000MHz. Of these 80 available frequencies, only 40 are available for use in any given geographic area. The reasoning for this is that once a frequency is assigned (as an example, take 460.0125MHz) the frequencies immediately adjacent to it (460.000 & 460.0250MHz) immediately become unavailable in an attempt to not have these frequencies interfere with the licensed frequency (460.0125MHz). With each little agency (whether it is PD, FD, EMS, DPW, etc.) insisting on having it's own "private" frequency, we are part of the problem.

Here is a link to the FCC's White Paper on the Broadband Network http://transition.fc...OC-298799A1.pdf. This system is a broadband system which would provide data, video, and (hopefully) voice communications. Read note #7 at the bottom of page 7 (which continues on the bottom of page 8). It says that the voice communications will use the LTE (4G technology) standard over this broadband network even though the standard for this type of voice communications has not been fully established. This is just great, they want to build us a system with 44,000 towers nationwide (page 8) that does not even a consensus of how the radio will transmit. Seems like a boondoggle to me. Some additional links with info @ http://www.iafc.org/MemberCenter/OnSceneArticle.cfm?ItemNumber=6028 & info on the T Band take back http://www.iafc.org/MemberCenter/OnSceneArticle.cfm?ItemNumber=6029.

Happy Birthday Seth, and thank you for the many years of EMTBravo :) :)