SteveOFD

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Posts posted by SteveOFD

  5. Posted

    Thanks, guys.

    Planes are built on a global level now, so shouldn't the contract go to someone like Boeing?

    (but Airbus builds A320's in Mobile,AL so does it really matter I guess)

    Who operates the 747 tankers?

    It looks like Evergreen International Aviation http://www.evergreenaviation.com/supertanker/index.html is operating the Supertanker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/747_air_tanker.

    It appears that this aircraft is not on the 2013 contract list according to AirTanker.org http://airtanker.org/2013/usda-intent-to-award-nextgen-airtanker-contracts-announced/. It appears that the only "large" aircraft on the list is a DC-10

  6. Posted

    What brand/type of aircraft are they replacing it with?

    According to the link noted above, Minden Air http://www.mindenair.net/minden/home.html is converting British Aerospace BAE-146 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BAe_146 jetliners into air tankers. The "About" section http://www.mindenair.net/minden/about.html of Mindenair.net states that BAE (British Aerospace) will continue support for this aircraft.

  15. Posted · Edited by SteveOFD

    I found that R1Smokeater posted a link to this story in http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php/topic/48395-faa-and-port-authority-of-nyand-nj-on-afff/#entry276742 but the title of the post, in my opinion, does not do justice to the content of the memo, and for some reason I was unable to respond to that thread due to it being locked.

    The content of the memo follows:

    For Immediate Release

    April 8, 2013
    Contact: Marcia Alexander-Adams
    Phone: (202) 267-3883

    WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) have reached a settlement agreement about aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) violations from December 2010 to June 2012 at four New York area airports owned and operated by the PANYNJ — John F. Kennedy, Teterboro, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty International.

    “We expect all airports to comply with our safety regulations and to correct any deficiencies immediately,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “These violations were egregious, and they will not be tolerated.”

    Under the agreement, the PANYNJ agrees to pay a $3.5 million fine within 30 days. If there is a violation of the settlement agreement, the FAA will impose an additional fine of $1.5 million and will assess an additional $27,500 daily for each violation. In addition to the fine, the PANYNJ has agreed to take the following actions, with FAA approval, to address the underlying problems that led to systemic noncompliance with ARFF requirements at the four airports:

    • The Port Authority will create a dedicated ARFF force to carry out airport-related ARFF functions with no collateral police officer duties.
    • The staff will report directly to the Department of Aviation and be operational no later than March 31, 2014.
    • The Port Authority will hire an ARFF fire chief and facility captains as soon as possible, but no later than March 31, 2014.
    • The Port Authority will submit a curriculum for training to the FAA on or before December 31, 2013, which includes at least 75 hours of initial ARFF training and 40 hours of annual recurrent firefighting training in addition to Part 139 training, pertaining to an airport’s operational and safety standards and providing for such things as firefighting and rescue.
    • The ARFF personnel will work a 12-hour shift.
    • The Port Authority will amend the airport certification manuals for the four airports to include: an organizational chart; a process to maintain ARFF training records; and a description of ARFF operations, including shift assignments, personnel training records management, and Department of Aviation oversight.
    • The Port Authority will conduct monthly internal audits of ARFF training and shift assignments and annual external audits to ensure that all ARFF personnel assigned to a shift are trained.

    “We expect the Port Authority to have trained safety personnel to ensure the safety of the travelling public and airport personnel, just like we have at all airports in the United States,” said FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta.

    The FAA became aware of ARFF violations as a result of an annual airport certification safety inspection of JFK in December 2011. The FAA also discovered similar violations at Teterboro, which prompted a full review of training at LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, and Stewart International Airports. The review of ARFF training revealed violations at LaGuardia and Newark, with no violations at Stewart.

    The FAA believes the settlement agreement provides the best long-term solution to ensure ARFF compliance, given the systemic nature of the PANYNJ airport problems.

    original link at http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=14494

    So, the four Port Authority airports will be getting their own dedicated firefighting forces.

  16. Posted · Edited by SteveOFD

    This year's http://www.liproductions.net/2013_mega_show_program_information.php Long Island Fire, Rescue, EMS MegaShow will be Saturday, February 23 & Sunday February 24, both days 10A - 5P. The event is held at the Nassua Veterans Coliseum, Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, NY. According to an article in http://www.1strespondernews.com/webpages/news/displaynews.aspx?PT=features&cat=Vendor%20Spotlight&ID=8fd6fdbb-695d-4df0-8eb8-aee2f2e55c31 1stResponderNews.com the price for admission is $13.50 each, plus parking is additional.

    Here is a thread about the http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php/topic/35839-2010-long-island-fire-ems-mega-show/ 2010 show which I attended and posted pictures of. I also attended the 2011 show which had FDNY Rescue 5 Ferrara http://www.emtbravo.net/index.php/topic/40828-new-fdny-rescue-5/page-2, among other local apparatus and ambulances. This show is relatively local and definately worth the price. I will probably be attending on Saturday.

    x4093k and firedude like this

  17. Posted

    I read one report that mentioned 1.4 million attached to this bill for the Headstart pre-school program, which is interesting as a report came out just before Christmas saying that that program was a failure. Most of this pork gets added on as riders to the original bill, kind of like amendments, so I am not sure if it appears in the text of the actual bill or if you have to look elsewhere.

    The original bill I cited above was to provide funding for the National Flood Insurance Program. The entire text of the bill is what is in the post. No amendments, no riders, etc. Sixty seven Republicans voted against this. The bills that are pending (Speaker of the House Boehner has split the proposed remaining fifty one billion dollars for Sandy relief) into multiple bills to be voted on separately. These bills, from what I have heard do have amendments (i.e. pork) attached to them.

  18. Posted · Edited by SteveOFD

    Thanks for the awesome photo, Joe! It's great to see the rig found a new home locally.

    Didn't this rig first serve on the Ward Pound Ridge Fire Brigade? I think I remember something about when they disbanded, it was aqquired by Pound Ridge FD with the condition that they provide fire protection to Ward Pound Ridge. I think maybe Westchester County still owns it to this day....which would explain how DES got it if I'm remembering correctly.

    Found the following information at http://poundridge.dailyvoice.com/police-fire/pound-ridge-fire-department-gets-cutting-edge-rescue-truck

    The department’s old rescue truck was on loan from Westchester County as a part of an agreement that called for the Pound Ridge Fire Department to cover a portion of the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

    “The county asked us if we would cover an area outside any fire district at the reservation,” Dodge said. “As part of the agreement, they provided us with a truck.” The contract expired this year, and the department must return that truck to the county. The purchase was timed to coincide with the return of the old truck.

    grumpyff likes this

  19. Posted · Edited by SteveOFD

    Here is the bill in its' totality that the House of Represenatives voted on H.R. 41:

    I

    113TH CONGRESS

    1ST SESSION H. R. 41

    To temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency

    Management Agency for carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program.

    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

    JANUARY 3, 2013

    Mr. GARRETT (for himself, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN,

    Mr. LANCE, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. HANNA, Mr. KING of New York, Mr.

    MEEKS, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mrs. MCCARTHY of

    New York, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. NADLER, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. RUNYAN,

    Mr. LOBIONDO, Ms. MENG, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York,

    Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. TONKO, and Mr. BISHOP of New York) introduced

    the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services,

    and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to

    be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration

    of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee

    concerned

    A BILL

    To temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal

    Emergency Management Agency for carrying out

    the National Flood Insurance Program.

    1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2

    tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

    2

    •HR 41 IH

    1 SECTION 1. TEMPORARY INCREASE IN BORROWING AU2

    THORITY FOR NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE

    3 PROGRAM.

    4 (a) Section 1309(a) of the National Flood Insurance

    5 Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4016(a)) is amended by striking

    6 ‘‘$20,725,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$30,425,000,000’’.

    7 (The amount provided by this section is designated

    8 by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant

    9 to section 403(a) of S. Con. Res. 13 (111th Congress),

    10 the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year

    11 2010, and as an emergency pursuant to section 4(g) of

    12 the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C.

    13 933(g)).

    Æ

    Here is the link from www.GPO.Gov http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr41ih/pdf/BILLS-113hr41ih.pdf. As you can see there is no "pork" attached to this bill, it is cut and dry that this is only to temporarily increase the borrowing limit of the National Flood Insurance program.

    Why some of the 67 Republicans voted against this bill disgusts me, but here is the comments of a North Carolina Representative http://foxx.house.gov/press-releases/foxx-statement-on-hr-41/.

    If you haven't heard the comments of Gov. Christie and Rep. Peter King regarding the not scheduling of a Sandy Aid vote before the end of the last legislative session view them on this video from The Daily Show http://tv.yahoo.com/shows/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/videos/mon-jan-7-2013-000000178.html (scroll to 8:40 of the video).

  20. Posted

    So answer me this - why can SO many towns and cities completely ignore the NFPA manning standards? What IS the minimum staffing per rig per NFPA?

    Why are we still sending career jobs out with three, two, and even ONE guy on a rig?

    NFPA 1710 - Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments, 2010 Edition section 5.2.3 "Operating Units - Fire company staffing requirements shall be based on minimum levels necessary for safe, effective and efficient emergency operations." Section 5.2.3.1.1 goes on to state "These companies shall be staffed with a minimum of four on duty personnel". This document can be read (but not saved, printed, etc.) at http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=1710&cookie%5Ftest=1. If you do a search for NFPA 1710 you might be able to find a link for a non-authorized version posted online.

  23. Posted

    Rules are meant to keep us (you & me) safe. If "Santa" is one of "us" and he gets injured during this stunt we all suffer the consequences, and this will be the end of this "tradition" for that Dept. Does it really take a tragedy to get us to change?

    I have seen local tragedies that have not effected change in FD's in their surrounding area. What a shame we cannot learn from our mistakes.

    I have heard this saying and paraphrase "Firefighters are some of the most innovative and dumbest people in the world. They can do almost anything with almost nothing, yet they are too dumb to invent new ways to injure or kill themselves. We keep injuring and killing ourselves the same way Firefighters have done in the past."

    We MUST learn from ours, and others, tragedies.

    Bnechis likes this

  25. Posted

    I've always wondered why several agencies dispatch on 2 frequencies at once. For example, a few sound shore fire departments dispatch on 46.26 and 33.96. I understand if EMS in on 1 frequency and FD is on the other, but why dispatch on 2 different frequencies for just a FD call. It’s always puzzled me, thanks.

    The reason is that some FD's use 33.96MHz for pager activation. The same FD uses 46.26MHz for apparatus response. So, if a member is only monitoring 46.26MHz (or doesn' have a pager) he can hear the dispatch on 46.26MHz.

    The original premise for the 33.96MHz frequency was to get FD's off of 46.26MHz so that dispatch tones would not interfere with Fire Response on 46.26MHz. It never caught on the way it should have.

    firedude and 7586 like this