firemoose827

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Posts posted by firemoose827

  2. Posted

    Great...do me a favor and dont let my county see this BS.

    We FINALY started to have a decent training program in my county with a small group of dedicated and talented instructors, and a new training tower. We have Firefighter 1 offered twice a year so there is no excuse to not have it, and our department is the same way requiring every member to obtain firefighter 1 within 6 months of joining (or as soon as it is offered if longer than 6 month period). Our department also requires you to have fire police training so if you end up directing traffic at an MVA you know what you are supposed to do. We require all drivers to have EVOC and Pump Ops. But I still feel that is not enough.

    Now this is happening in Texas?? How soon until it trickles over to NY??

    To me, if you want to fight fires and respond to emergencies such as MVA's and Haz-Mat Spills and rescue calls you need to know what you are doing. There are too many wahoos out there that think turnout gear is like Batmans outfit, once you don it your a super hero...

    I respect the fire service, I respect the brotherhood and I respect training and those that have training, not having enough training shows disrespect to the fire service and all of the greats that paved the way for us and passed on what they learned the hard way paying blood sweat and tears. I for one will continue to honor those firefighters and continue to train and learn something new everyday.

    Just remember...not all of the volunteers are careless, disrespectful, dangerous and unprofessional.

    Stay Safe.

    Bnechis, RES24CUE and SteveOFD like this

  5. Posted

    Those laws are easily amended IF there's a drive to do so. Nobody is going to go out and do it unless they're being lobbied to and right now all the lobbying is AGAINST consolidation/regionalization.

    Dinosaur:

    "Those laws are easily amended IF there's a drive to do so. Nobody is going to go out and do it unless they're being lobbied to and right now all the lobbying is AGAINST consolidation/regionalization." (Sorry the quot got cut off)

    They do not prevent it, they just make it very difficult or if you are looking for an excuse not to do it, its a great excuse.

    Well said

    Making a regionalized "County Fire District" is an easy way around those rules, right??? You are still only forming a fire district yet this one would be county wide and easier managed.

    I believe that is the only thing that will save our county fire service here. My department has only 9 interior qualified firefighters, 6 of us are officers yet you go 10 minutes south of us and they have over 50 members, 3 engines, tanker, heavy rescue, 95' tower, brush unit, gator rescue atv, 2 ambulances, ALS fly car/captains vehicle and average 500-600 calls a year. We can barely get 3-4 FF's to a call with 2-3 rigs and they can cover two calls at once (have seen them do it). Regionalize our county and half of their members instantly became eligible to respond to our station for calls to get rigs out the door faster with more qualified personnel then before. I see nothing wrong with that! And I am an assistant chief of my department, I could care less if another larger department, more qualified with more trained members and better equipment comes in and takes over my sandbox...I will still be in the box playing, just with more friends and better toys! :D

    spin_the_wheel, firedude, Bnechis and 2 others like this

  6. Posted

    This has been a topic of discussion before the bombing. Don't plan on any politicians footing the bill though (ask Hilary or Barack about procuring vests for troops during OIF). I'm all for it. Your safety before anyone else's and certain vests are great against knives and other weapons.

    Now it doesn't mean you have to wear it to every call. But if they are kept at the ems hq and taken on the ambulances as needed they could be helpful.

    I respectfully agree and disagree with you here; agree that we all need a vest, disagree on picking and choosing which calls to wear it.

    In my career EMS job that I worked for 16 years, if I were issued one i would wear it under my uniform shirt every shift for every call.

    Like mentioned so many times in so many ways, you never know ahead of time when you will be in a tough situation, other then those calls dispatched as "Domestic Violence" or "Possible Suicide" or "Police Action Call", you dont know ahead of time when to wear it or not. Many of my routine medical calls such as chest pain and possible strokes unded up being violent scenes with agitated people wanting to hurt someone, i was just lucky enough to live in an area where most of them could not afford to buy food let alone a hand gun or rifle, and just ended up with punches or kicks thrown at me and the scenes turning into WWE matches instead of EMS scenes. :P

    grumpyff likes this

  7. Posted

    Initial radio report? Same as most; type or nature of call (to confirm with all responding units, wether its a fire, MVA etc.) confirm scene location, assume command, call for any mutual aid.

    Size-up? Initially Im doing the 360 degree walk, figure out my strategy, develop goals for that strategy, using any one of the acronyms for size-up, then i will call out my location of the command post and start issuing orders to incoming units, as well as status reports every 15-20 minutes for the dispatchers sake and any other units about to be called.

    Around me though its pretty simple, mostly 2 story residential homes and farms, with barns and outbuildings, only 3 commercial buildings in my town; 2 repair garages and a natural gas pipeline pumping facility. Our closest mutual aid district though? Wal-Mart, Price Chopper, multiple strip malls and taxpayers, a SUNY college, and a half dozen factories and wearhouses, so we can get thrown into any situation.

    Im new at the chief officer scene though and am learning every day (when they can keep me from packing up and going interior)

  8. Posted

    Seth, have we ever tried to organize a summer BBQ meet-n-greet event? Just make a list of food and beverage and have everyone attending bring one of those items (including paper plates and utencils) and pick a nice public park somewhere to have everyone meet. I feel it would be a good event. Everyone that has something could bring an outdoor activity with them like volleyball net, horse shoe set(s), lawn games for kids and what not for activities and it can be a family event.

    Just one idea.

    Hope you are feeling better too.

  9. Posted

    You bring up a number of good points.

    I do not know if their are actual statistics on this, but I do know my own experiences. At 1st was thinking that outside of emergency services I have not experienced violence directed at me, but after thinking about it I realize that I have had 2 experiences, both while traveling.One was in San Francisco where a drug adict pull a knife on my wife and myself and demanded money. Now I say knife, but it was much closer to a nail clipper (the blade was about 2") I hit him in the face and we walked away (he kept saying "why did you hit me" ....I told him because he asked me too). The 2nd one was I got into a little wresling match with a pickpocket on the Paris Metro.

    Now in emergency services I have worked areas were we would find bullet holes in the EMS station (some from inside, most from outside), have been shot at, have had guns and other weapons flashed around us, was baricaded with ESU in an apt. while the pts family and there gang were rioting trying to get the rivel gang for hurting my patient. Had my amb. broken into while treating a pt and threatened with being shot if I continued to treat them. And one of my favorate was being told by PD: "we have a shooter on the roof, I'll cover you while you go out into the court yard and drag the 2 victims to cover". I asked if he would give me his vest?. As a side note, I met my wife on that call :)

    Now I was originally thinking that while the violent calls were generally in areas I would not consider going into if I was not working, we all know that violence can happen anywhere, but I always felt that this was a big consideration, until I had an incident in a building I would never have expectedit to be in, on a "man having a stroke" (called in by thepts wife). As we banged on the door and yelled Fire Dept. the neighbor came out of her apt and said he has had a stroke before. So we forced entry (actually my nozzleman was a locksmith and he picked the lock faster than Icouldopen it with a key). While searching for the patient, he poped out of the bathroom, 38 in his hand and pointed it at me from about 2 feet away. I yelled "GUN"! and started backing out. He said: "what are you doing in my apartment"? I said: "Leaving". Its a bad feeling to have a line of responders between you and the door (cop, EMT, Medic, Nozzleman, then me) and as I exited all I could see was the cop running AWAY from the apt. Turns out he had a history of a stroke. He also had a history of being a cop that was fired from our PD. A tactical team was able to remove him without incident.

    So can it happen anywhere.....Sure. But in my experience its rare and I know there are a lot of other hazards we face that responders are unequipped and/or untrained to protect ourselves during that are the bigger risk.

    I had one call, for chest pain. It was mutual aid to the neighboring county for one of their "frequent flyers" (unknown to us of course)

    I was EMT-Captain at the time and had a crew of 2 other EMT's and a driver. We arrived on scene, there was 2 state troopers cars in the driveway, they were in talking to the patient who was seated at kitchen table looking like he was gasping for breath. The 2 EMT's with me started to evaluate, I was standing with the driver near the entrance talking with troopers. My driver started to hiss at me to get my attention, when I looked over he pointed down at a double-headed axe lying on the floor in front of a broken porch window...just as I started to point it out to the troopers the guy got up and started to look around. When asked what for, he stated calmly like he was telling us the weather that he was looking for his gun. I ushered my crew out to the rig and the troopers handled him, got him out to the stretcher and one of them rode along with us to theER. He told me his mother recently died in the house and that she talked to him...he couldnt stand talking to his dead mother anymore...

    Several months later, on Superbowl Sunday no less, he set fire to his house and was found in the garage across the street (right where we parked the first due engine) with a shotgun across his lapp waiting for the FD to arrive so he could "scare us off to let the F'er burn"...I was on that first due engine and could have been shot, but we knew ahead of time what we were dealing with and the troopers and sherrifs both responded ahead of us that night and found him just as we were pulling up and were leading him off with cuffs.

    Another time we were called for an "Unknown Medical" and arrived on scene to find a guy on the floor with half of his head shot off still gripping the rifle he used with a note. The note basically said he was tired of the world and wanted to go but couldnt do it on his own so he was going to shoot at the first responders to get shot by the cops...luckily for us his concious took over and he couldnt shoot at us and took his own life...we worked him because he still had a pulse and was looking at us but he didnt make it obviously...

    It does and can happen anywhere, not just the big city. It makes me sick to read the posts stating that it is not necessary for the small rural areas to wear vests when some of the bigger city agencies that issue vests leave them in the locker...is it our fault some providers dont care to wear PPE issued them??? If they dont want to wear it its their lives not mine, and if I am issued one you dam well better believe it will be donned everytime I go on a call because its my choice. Just like its my choice to wear SCBA to all fires, or full PPE to all brush fires, or the chin strap of my helmet instead of wearing it around the brim like other cool firefighters that think its not needed or takes too much time to put on. Everyone has the right to wear whatever protection they have or can afford to buy. It also makes me concerned to read posts from respected members who are seen posting in other threads about the importance of wearing ALL of your PPE because our sfafety is the primary concern, yet think wearing vests is a waste of time and taxpayers money. From what I just googled for the past 10 minutes about bullet proof vests, they make them lightweight and breathable nowadays, so I see no reason to believe the posters talking about "extra weight and heat from wearing them" . Some models I read about are so small and lightweight its like wearing a sweater (or so the ad says, again, I know nothing about vests or getting shot at for that matter but I am just repeating what I read in the sales pitches) As far as EMS wearing them, I would. Firefighting...Im not sure about how that would work under the Turnouts, and if the vest affects your mobility or what the vest would do if you were crawling on the floor and what not.

    Sorry for the rant, I just believe everyone should have the right to wear it if they want to, regardless of what area you live in or how busy your agency is and should be personal preference.

    Stay safe.

  10. Posted

    Why I try only comment on Police issues,there is a few things that need to addressed here:

    1-Ballistic vests will not protect anyone from a .223cal round as was used in W.Webster

    2-Vests serve zero protection from an explosive,and dosen't help with projectiles such as the case in Boston.

    3-If there's a need for EMS to wear vests,because of the dangers of the job,than the EMS providers shouldn't be in any area until PD deems it safe.

    4-EMS uniforms,are looking like more PD uniform's,especially with all the stitching and back panels,which is not a good idea,and can be unsafe.I have seen people walk up to them on Job's thinking they were the PD. NOT GOOD....

    While I'm all for protection of everyone on a scene,I think EMS wearing PPE on calls especially MVA's is probably money better spent,I can telll you from over 30 years on the Job,a vest is not the answer to the problem,bottomline,if it isn't safe,you shouldn't be there.

    So,I'm not sure of the justification for buying the vests???

    Vests must be fitted to the user. Too big, and you can not sit down without the vest riding up and hitting you in the chin, too small and it will leave gaps on the sides and vital areas. Also most vests are guaranteed for only 5 years by their manufacturers, however some departments can not afford to replace them when the hit that time limit. The NYPD gives its officers one vest, that's it, there is no spare to use if you clean it, or it is sweating from working during the summer. You want to replace it, save up your money (which if you use the uniform allowance money, it will take two years, without spending any money on any uniform items. We get $1000 a year lumped into the first paycheck in December, and it is taxed so you end up with just less than $%600). Vests also lose effectiveness when they get wet. You can not launder the ballistic insert, only the carrier. The insert is usually recommended to be clean with a damp cloth., so if multiple people are going to share them, its going to get disgusting quickly. Most vests also provide very little to no protection against bladed weapons, i.e. knives, daggers, etc and nothing against explosive devices. Rifle rounds and high powered handgun rounds will penetrate most vests on the market

    I also disagree that law enforcement is better than anyone else. We are held to a higher standard than anyone else. Get arrested for a domestic incident, and convicted you are fired (federal law about domestics and gun ownership).

    If the scene is not safe you do not enter...first thing they teach in EMT class.

    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....

    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.

    KelliPVAC likes this

  12. Posted

    I had the pleasure of meeting RWC130 yesterday in person, and got to see his 1974 Mack Engine (and ride in it, but he wouldnt let me play with the sirens...lol) It was a great truck and a great day. Happy to have met you brother, too bad Tim couldnt come with you, maybe next time.

    Is there any events coming up for EMTBravo members to get the chance to meet each other?

    Just wanted to share that and tell Rob good luck with the Mack and the refurb project! Look forward to seeing it finished.

    Brian "Moose" Jones

    pasobuff likes this

  13. Posted

    http://www.firefighternation.com/article/news-2/maryland-firefighter-critical-condition-after-three-alarm-fire

    Here is a link to a story in Firefighter Nation.

    Thoughts and prayers to the brother on a fast recovery and return to duty, the story only states he was removed from building unconcious and sent to shaock trauma. Unsure if it is due to rescue attempts or other cause.

    Hope he is OK.

    Fire officials say 58-year-old Steven Stark and another resident were rescued, but Stark later died at Northwest Hospital. Officials say 24-year-old volunteer firefighter Gene Kirchner was unconscious when he was pulled from the building. He was taken to Shock Trauma, where officials say he is listed in critical condition.

  15. Posted

    I lost my "Forums" button on the top of the page again in the menu section? It vanished as soon as I uploaded a picture in my profile. So now if I am in my profile I can not get back to the forums. Just FYI.

    Also, where do you go to upload an avatar again? I want to re-load the picture of the "firemoose" I had previously but cant remember where to do that.

    Thanks!

    Disregard last...I found both. The "button" is just different now but you can still navigate back to the forums. Thank you!

    I lost my "Forums" button on the top of the page again in the menu section? It vanished as soon as I uploaded a picture in my profile. So now if I am in my profile I can not get back to the forums. Just FYI.

    Also, where do you go to upload an avatar again? I want to re-load the picture of the "firemoose" I had previously but cant remember where to do that.

    Thanks!

  20. Posted

    If you have guys not wearing masks the issues are probably being fed from the top, monkey see monkey do. I wear mine till the smoke is gone. Sometimes it's hard to continue use when overhauling cause it really taxes your system, but all that is needed is a trip to Sloan and see some of the people leaving and that changes your perspective. And as for safety officers, nine times out of ten they have no clue nor do they remember what it's like to be in the trenches with the men, they just operate on all the nonsense they read from nfpa.

    I agree, appointments to safety officer are not realy thought out here too much, its usually whoever is retired or has a lot of time on their hands and is not already an officer. I am working on that issue as well and will develop some qualifications for the position and make it an official appointment by Chief, approved by fire commissioners. But thats a whole other discussion!

  21. Posted

    I have read a lot of information from around the country in regards to departments beginning a program to monitor the air quality during interior firefighting operations, especially during overhaul, and requiring their members to keep on air until these quality checks come back negative for CO and other harmful gases. I am interested in beginning this for our department as well being we have nothing set up as far as when you can come off air, and I see members going in to the building with packs on, but mask dangling at their waist's while their is still active fire. Overhaul is a joke...practically no one wears their packs and it concerns me with all of the press regarding firefighters and cancer rates, as well as respiratory illness...its staggering and unbelievable to think that we still refuse to wear our packs during overhaul. Is it the "Macho" thing??

    My question is; does anyone have an SOP already in place that I could review, to get some ideas of how we can write one custom for our needs? Does anyone have any additional information you could share as far as statistics, actuall experience's, or case studies involving respiratory illness and cancer being attributed to being exposed to these gases during overhaul stages? Basically, anything I can use as ammunition when I go to our next officers meeting and begin the process of starting some kind of program for our department.

    Another question is; should we even write an SOP right away or just use actuall real time experiences to guide the process and judge what we would need as far as the SOP, and just use our new 4-gas meter to assess air quality and not allow anyone to enter without pack?

    Any input would be greatly appreciated, I am not afraid to admit when I do not know enough about a topic and ask for help and advice from others who might know more then me.

    Thanks in advance and stay safe.

    JetPhoto likes this

  22. Posted

    Then it sounds like you have alot of work to do there Chief... ;)

    And I love Skoal.

    Hey, atleast we are all NIMS compliant out here, we all speak "common language" (of redneck), so thats one step finished!

    Yes, I have some work to do, but I have some great line officers who are ready to learn and want to work with me to get things going and I hope we can. Might take a couple of years but we will get it going in the right direction.

    Stay Safe

  23. Posted

    Heavy Rescue, Light Rescue, Medium rescue, Rescue-Engine, Squad, or Ambulance? :P

    Dont forget Rescue Squad, Rescue Company, Special Rescue, :rolleyes:

    Thanks for reminding me about the other terms, I too love the shake n' bake one from "Backdraft".

    But most of the officers in my area will just stand in the front yard scratching their heads and say "Golly, that thar house is a fiar!! (spit) reckon we need more water and stuff and get me nother can o' skoal too!!" :D

    Sorry...Im from long island originally and couldnt help the joke...you can take the person from the city but you cant take the city from the person...peace out.

    wraftery, peterose313, x4093k and 1 other like this

  24. Posted

    I think the term "working fire" has been overused as of late.... A structure fire is a generalized even to describe a fire at a structure... it could be oven, room and contents, chimney, OR working.... A working fire is one that is best described as a fire that is progressing beyond the point of ignition to involve other parts of the structure, rooms, etc....

    One room off is not a working fire... a kitchen fire with extention to the floor above is a working fire.... JMHO

    ok heres my take on the subject--and please do not take it as gospel--"Structure fire" is defined by NYS NIFERS. any fire in/on or under s structure.

    "Working fire" --here comes that age and wisdome factor---comes from when the Officer would communicate with either the members of the crew or base department that the members were in fact "going to work"

    there are lots of fire house/department jargon out there that has been a carryover form many years ago. We are steep in tridiation.

    HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A SAFE HOILDAY

    I always thought it was

    Structure Fire: dispatch description

    Working Fire/Working Structure Fire: Confirmed fire that would take some work (ie, more than a can and charged line) to put out

    These posts pretty much sum it up for our area as well.

    We are dispatched to a "structure fire" which could be anything, but until an officer makes a size-up we wont know. We are dispatched to chimney fires under this category as well, being the chimney is part of the structure, so when a chief arrives and see's that its in the chimney they will call it out on the radio, but if he/she gets there and smoke and flame are pushing out a window, they call for a "working structure fire" meaning we will be going to work interior to extinguish fire.

    I see that no one mentioned the mis-used term of "fully involved" here. It happens so much in my area I lost count. We get toned out for a "fully involved structure fire" only to arrive on scene and find out it was steam from a shower that the neighbor saw... :blink:

    Or a "fully involved car fire" only to get there and see a little smoke coming from the engine compartment...

    We were dispatched 3 weeks ago to a "fully involved barn fire" and it ended up being a small amount of hay in a drain ditch just inside an old dairy barn extinguished with a bucket of water by a passersby from a kiddy pool found in the yard...

    I think the terminology state-wide is vastly different and can be interpreted by each department in a different way, which is why NIMS is supposedly being used, to use "common terminology" in "plain language".

    So far we have; "working fire", "structure fire", "room and contents", "fully involved". Did we miss any?

    x635 likes this