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.

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.

The bigger question should be WHY does a Town/Village of just over 10,000 people covering a mere 3 square miles need three fire stations and all the apparatus Mt. Kisco has? The answer of course is because thats the way it has always been. A single station with two engines and a Ladder Company should be more than sufficient. The fire district where I reside in CT is 24 square miles with a population nearly twice that of Mt. Kisco. One station, two engines, a quint, a brush truck and a rarely used rescue. Within the district are one of the largest manufacturing plants in the state, the two largest power generating plants. a state mental hospital campus, a college campus, several schools, banquet halls, stores, restaurants and apartment complexes. Like most departments in Central CT, automatic mutual aid is dispatched on all working fires. Works very well without ripping off the taxpayers.

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

I've held off on commenting on the gun issue for awhile as it is a sensitive subject.
I am a proud, legal gun owner. I obtained my NYS pistol permit in 2008 and own several handguns, as well as long guns.
I am in no way, shape or form a gun nut, but i certainly believe in a persons right to carry.
As a legal gun owner, i will say that the gun laws are very flawed, especially in here in New York. The laws seem to vary County to County and Judge to Judge.
Personally, i think that the gun laws need to be re-vamped and updated, instead of putting new laws on the books.
Finger printing, background checks and references are great, but wheres the Psychological exam? As a gun owner, i would gladly adhere to such testing (god i hope i'd pass). In my opinion, this would be a good start.
Add a psychological exam to the process for EVERY applicant. Even better, make ALL Permit holders under-go a psych exam every 1-2 years. This would A) ensure the permit holder is of sound mind and 2) make the State some revenue as you could charge for such exams (i would gladly pay such a fee).
I feel that the basic pistol safety course could use some updating, but its certainly a good start.
If you are granted an unrestricted permit (full carry), you should be held to a much higher standard (IMO). On top of the existing process, you should have to qualify (such as LEOs do) on the range to be granted the unrestricted. You should also then have to re-qualify each year.
Many of my gun owning brethren may not agree with me or think this is overkill, but i firmly believe it would be a good start and would benefit us all.
I will give a quick example of how the law is skewed here in NY;
I work part time as a Court Officer and have been for several years now. I received my NYS pistol permit through Westchester in 2008 and changed to Orange when i moved here.
After living in Orange for about 2 years, i applied to amend my permit to an "unrestricted." I had to take the day off of work and go before a judge on a Friday morning. I was well dressed and nothing but courteous and professional. I spoke of my background, as well as my training in regards to firearms. After each pause in my speaking, the judge would say things such as "so" or "ok and?" By Monday afternoon i had a letter from the County denying me of an unrestricted permit. The judges "reasoning;" there would be one more gun on the streets.
I know of civilians with little to no training in firearms who have been granted unrestricted permits. Is this an issue? I certainly believe so.
Do i believe that a gun is the end-all, say-all for self defense and protection? Absolutely not. This is where maturity, common sense and experience come into play.
There will be times when and where a gun just isn't the answer. Your best line of defense will always be your brain. If you can walk away or talk yourself out of an incident, then you should do so. If and when an incident arises that warrants the use of a firearm, you better damn well be ready to not only use it, but deal with the consequences. There will be times when you are caught off guard and will not be able to draw your weapon in a safe and timely manner. Again, this is where your brain, common sense and training come into play.
All this said, i would much rather have the (legal) option to carry a firearm if i so desired than to be unarmed and defenseless.
Not to sound cliche, but i'd also rather be judged by 12 than carried by six.
In the words of Kenny Rogers, "you got to know when to hold em' know when to fold em."

Hitting the 2K mark certainly speaks volumes as to how well respected Barry is, not only on the Bravo, but in the fire service as a whole.
Rep points aside, Barry has always been a true leader in the fire service and a wealth of knowledge, always willing to share it.
Over the years, i may have "bumped heads" with you sir, but i've always had the utmost respect for you.
I enjoy reading your posts on any topic as they are always well thought out and full of facts and knowledge and i certainly enjoy your added sense of humor.
Congrats Barry and keep on posting!

Well deserved. Keep up the good work.

Well deserved. Keep up the good work.

Well deserved. Keep up the good work.

Well deserved. Keep up the good work.

Thank you.

Our department did a Santa Run for many years and for whatever reason(s) it stopped at some point. We brought it back in 2010 and it has been getting a solid, positive feedback from the residents we serve (not to mention we get a solid showing from our own members).
Since I have basically been in charge of it all three years, everyone has been told that Santa either sits in a normal seat or gets out and walks off some of the holiday weight he retains. I know some people don't like it, but hey, I'm not letting someone get hurt on my watch. I know some of my own people would like to see Santa sitting on the roof of the cab or on the hosebed, but we know better and we don't do it. It's that simple.
Some traditions are worth hanging on to, they just need to keep up with the times.

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.

My common sense says we have a policy that says no one (does not say except santa) shall ride in a non seatbelted location.
If you are waving to the crowd behind you and are not looking forward it was suprisingly close.
Nice PR........ABC World News: "Santa Killed while riding on top of Mildew Hose company fire truck."
Holiday Spirit: "sorry Mrs. Smith, your husband who plays Santa every year is in the ER, they are trying to remove a traffic light from his head."
My point was, there is no way to do it safely.

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.

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.

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.

The one big problem with moving the fire district elections that has never been mentioned in any article is the fact that fire district boundaries are not contiguous with either municipal, school district, or election district boundaries. Administratively it would be a nightmare. One school district for example could encompass several fire districts. It's easy to have a knee jerk reaction (read Paul Feiner) and make a suggestion, but you need to be able to back up the suggestion with a plan on how to carry it out.

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

Andy, I know you are aware of it, but even though it is not required, each volunteer department could adopt it. Could it be standardized? Yes.
Could it be done on a county or regional level? Yes
Would it chase away volunteers? I do not know, but if you cant dedicate a minimum of 2 hours of training per week (or 8 hours per month) then you are of no use to the fire dept. and maybe chasing those that cant be bothered away is a good thing.
Could it be run at DES? Yes, but funding might be an issue.
The volunteer service and the communities it protects will continue to suffer until FASNY has a total rethink of what it fights for and against.

I see at least two major issues here:
1. Misunderstanding or misuse of tactics. This fire is already blowing through the roof. What benefit will you provide by executing vertical ventilation here? I'd argue very little, if any, and I think most of you would agree. The question becomes was this ordered by Command or was this the result of freelancing? Either way its a failure of command. If the IC ordered it he shouldn't have, if he didn't order it he doesn't have control of the fireground.
2. Failure to take responsibility for safety at all levels. Command and Safety (if present) should not have allowed Firefighters to climb a ladder in an icy environment without someone footing it. Those Firefighters' teammates on the ground never should have let them do it, and those individual Firefighters on the ladder shouldn't have done it.
Hopefully these Firefighters recover, and hopefully everyone learns a lesson here.

VMFD actually was called to that fire. They had an engine called to the scene, that encountered water supply issues. I believe their ladder was also on standby.
Their are decisions that are made by the chief of a department both during the preplanning and at the scene of a fire that are the responsibility of the chief and the chief alone as he becomes the person responsible. Some of these decisions include how to fight the fire, and what resources to use to figth that fire. When we give someone that responsiblity we must also give them that authority.
I think as has been reiterated many times in these posts is that if we want all resources considered equal by chief officers we have to ensure that they actually are. This includes many of the points brought here such as training, response time, manning, equipment and I'm sure a few other items.
I think one of the starting points for this would be to have the county take over all in service training in addtiion to the formal training given now. In that manner the training could be tracked and standardized.

Simple. You know what you're getting. Usually 4 Interior certified firefighters, including a company officer, no matter what time of day or night. And you know it's going to take the volunteer at least 2-5 minutes to roll a truck, if no one is in the firehouse. Career gets out in less then 2, on average/
Nothing against the volunteers departments, but manpower attendance is a crapshoot.They could be the best department around, but daytime attendance to calls are hard. In many departments, DPW/Highway Departments staff the first due. Chances are the young guys aren't going to be around Friday or Saturday night. I know of few departments that have mutual aid standards, but more that don't. And what if that department can't get a crew? So now you'vr got an IC having to request anothers department, and he's been waiting for a company to arrive in 5 minutes, now they cant get a good head on the fire because they've been waiting for 15 minutes.
Also, career departments routinely train with each other, and are familiar with that city's challenges, firefighters, etc.
This has nothing to do with paid or volunteer. The IC wants to know what he is getting, and given FD staffing levels, it's manpower where everyone is on the same training and operation level.
If things are going to change, serious improvement needs to be made (like a college dorm program), and response attendance numbers need to be standard and quick. The way Westchester is right now, it's hard to be a volunteer.

I still can't understand why I drink coke and clean my battery cables with it????
Maybe i will just drink more beer!!

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.