billy98988

Just one thing Cap... plenty of Muslims born here these days... Nation of Islam and their ilk? So that don't always apply.
I have to say, I've never heard about Jews rioting at Playland because they can't get on certain rides with their hats & skullcaps.
As for immigrants, I'm one of them. I still get my balls busted at times for the Scottish accent. But I'll tell you this, I'm American now. Not Scottish-American or some other damned hyphenated thing. American. I came here for a reason, maybe some others need to remember why they came here. And if I don't like the rules or system I'll do what any American does; b**** about it, and get involved in the political process and try to change it to how I think it should be.
Mike

Well unfortunately in today's society, it is easier to blame the police/government for some frivolous nonsense in order to make a quick buck at the taxpayers expense. Let them go to whatever hole they crawled out of and try the same thing over there. I can almost guarantee that the outcome for them would be totally different.
Hopefully the county sticks to its guns and doesn't bow down to these animals.

Well this is truly amazing. According to lohud, over 60 police units had to respond from as far south as Tuckahoe to deal with this unreasonable and unruly crowd. Why? Because their "muslim sensibilities" were insulted? Give me a freakin' break. The rules are posted and for certain rides, there is to be NO WEARING OF ANY TYPE OF HEADGEAR period.
Why do these people think they are exempt from the rules, the laws? I know what they would like; Sharia Law. Their own version of a justice system implemented in the countries they emigrate to. I think that is a disgusting disgrace, as were the actions of these supposedly "religious" people at the Playland park.
Look, you people want to assimilate in this country, fine. I guess we have to let some of you in. But if you don't like the system, the rules in place... TOO F'IN BAD, go back to the place you came from.
The difference between these people and the ancestors of many of us here in this forum is our great-grandparents had a huge desire to assimilate into the American culture. That's why on my mother's side, they came from Italy, moved into the south Bronx and gave up teaching their native language to their children, my mother, and therefore I don't know Italian today as a result. I wish that part were different, but the point being these people were so anxious to "fit in" they even gave up their language. Italian was forbidden to be spoken in the house by my great-grandparents, as a result their great-grandchildren only speak English.
Now these muslims with their headgear, the hijab, they can't even get on the Dragon Coaster without starting a ruckus? Like Playland OWES them something, like WE owe them anything? They should kiss the ground of freedom they walk upon, shut their damn mouths, follow the rules, or else.
What a waste of PD resources to have to direct half the cars on patrol up to Playland because these freaking people were "insulted"! Enough! Fit in or GET OUT!
http://www.lohud.com/article/20110830/NEWS02/110830004/Police-arrest-15-Playland-dispute-over-Muslim-headwear?odyssey=nav|head

From the Mount Vernon website:
EXAMINATION CONSISTS OF THREE PARTS WITH RELATIVE WEIGHTS AS FOLLOWS:
Written Exam: Graded and Ranked
Physical Strength/Agility Test: Pass/Fail
Medical Exam: Pass/Fail
Psychological Exam Pass/Fail
Call me crazy, but isn't that FOUR parts?!

As the Second Asst. Chief of the Millerton Fire Company, we would like to thank all the fire companies that were involved in the mitigation of today's incident whether it was standby duty at another firehouse or directly involved in the actual extrication. So a big thanks to the Amenia, Wassaic, Stanford, Millbrook, Dover, and Lakeville fire companies. Also a tip of the lid to CC-14, CC-16, DCSO, NYSP, and the cattle farmers who were there to assist with the cows: all provided invaluable assistance.
This was a particularly tough extrication all around, because not only was it an auto accident with entrapment but it also basically a simpler man in the machine type scenario, the two fused together to make one interesting call. I was first on scene and was able to take it all in before the organized chaos ensued. A flatbed truck driven straight underneath 5-tons of machinery. All the stability was taken away from the hopper and transferred to the building and the vehicle itself. The driver was encapsulated basically but unharmed. Literally just in his seat, no way to move one way or the other. As you can imagine by the photos stabilization was the biggest issue which is why a multitude of rescues were brought in, for their cribbing alone, but also for air bags and the other specialty equipment they could provide. Once that was accomplished the actual extrication was easy. As you can tell in the photo slide we removed a back rack and the rear part of the passengers cab and the driver was able to self extricate basically from that point.
All involved stated that this was one that you could not really train for, and despite its many challenges I can say that I am proud of the outcome and way in which the incident was mitigated.

Summer of 2002, both my sister in law and little brother, as well as my wife and I, were expecting our firstborns. All was going great and we were all very excited.
About 3 weeks before they were due, the doctors noticed "something of concern" with their baby in the sonogram..and they were sent for a more detailed eval down in Westchester. The news was devastating to say the least. The baby's internal organs including the heart were not properly formed, among other abnormalities..they were told she would not survive birth.
In August, they were scheduled for delivery at Wetchester Med...still shell shocked from the news. I remember driving down on August 14th....not knowing what to say, especially since our child appeared to be totally healthy and trying to not be overly excited in front of them.
The delivery was tough to say the least...not only did my brother have to fear losing his first born, but his wife nearly died during the process...the staff at WMC worked their hardest, stabilizing her, and delivering the baby, a little girl, aptly named Faith. She did in fact survive birth...barely...and the second she was born she was whisked away to NICU for so many tests and procedures...
My brother couldnt talk...his wife couldn't even so much as open her eyes..we didn't know what to do, what to say..
My brother was shown how to baptise Faith by our Preist...which he did, as well as her Last Rites..could you imagine that!? I still can't.
We were able to see Faith quickly..and I will be honest..knowing what I knew..I thought it would be best of she passed quickly...when I met her...her eyes were wide open..her little fingers moving...so much about her that day was amazing, but I still can picture her beautiful blue eyes..the eyes of a fighter! I knew right then that no matter what actions needed to be taken, no matter the cost..that little Faith deserved every chance in the world to survive.
And fight she did!
She was taken to Columbia Pres by Stat Flight ground crew..the very same people I had worked with so many times on Empress chopper jobs...My brother was told not to expect her to live through the trip. BUT she did! Faith and her mother spent months living at Colmbia Pres...so many surgeries..rebuilt her heart, as she was born with a single chamber..her kidneys...a feeding tube, chest tubes, so many other things they patched, fixed, or made..amazing work..GOD'S WORK.
MY little brother aged 30 years in that time..barely working so they could be together as a family..just in case..so many times they were prepared for the inevitable.
In November, our Son was born, 100 precent healthy. I would be lying if I said we didnt feel a tinge of guilt, but moreso releived.
Right before Christmas 2002, little Faith came home. Amazing.
She was in and out of the hospital alot...for a long time..more surgeries..got very sick easy..
This all took one helluva toll on my Brother and his Wife. They lived like zombies..no emotion at all..just numb.
We were on vacation in Myrtle Beach the next summer when the house phone rang in the middle of the night..my brother crying that Faith was being airlifted to WMC by Stat Flight and she wasn't going to make it. And we are 13 hours away..
Well...she did survive another battle!
As she grew, she lived a very normal life..but was still plagued by medical issues..a long term feeding tube..frail..
Faith and her mother just returned from her first vacation to Scotland, where her mom was born and raised before coming to th US..
Today we got together to celebrate Faith's NINTH birthday.. This little FIGHTER is as normal as any other 9 year old today..she is the TOUGHEST, BRAVEST, SWEETEST person I know. She could teach volumes on being a survivor...she has more fight in her than I ever will. A NINTH birthday for a wee little lass who wasn't supposed to survive birth. Guess she showed them!
So even though we read daily that the police, fire, EMS, hospital, and medevac staffs are overpaid, under appreciated, overworked, etc..know that there are peopl eout there who benefited from your actions, your training, and your skills..people who appreciate you and what you do - because as little, well, not so little anymore, Faith can prove...you are needed and appreciated..from the Doctors who reconstructed her heart, to the nurses who changed her, to the medics that responded to their house when she collapsed, to the firemen who stood by while the chopper took off with her, to the Trooper who didn't ticket my mother on the TSP...all of you made a difference.
Thank you.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAITHY...I LOVE YOU!

#1 - DJ Henry was called a punk, scumbag kid because he ignored a lawful order from a uniformed police officer, chose to flee the police in a motor vehicle, and then attempted to run down another police officer with his vehicle... if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, then guess what.... it's a duck.
#2 - Knowingly getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, then knowingly ignoring a lawful order from a uniformed police officer, then attempting to run over a second uniformed police officer while attempting to flee is not a damn mistake. You make it sound like this kid accidentally rear ended a patrol car in the parking lot cause he was busy sexting some piece of a** he got the night before. This kid is responsible for his own actions. It's his actions that started the chain of events that lead to his death, and one one elses.
#3 - What differed that night is that this kid, while intoxicated, attempted to flee the police and could have killed a police officer with his vehicle had the officer not responded with deadly physical force to stop the threat to his own life. Not exactly a nightly occurrence at any bar, irregardless if there's underage drinking or not.
#6 - Officers on either side of the vehicle? An officer approached the vehicle from the side, just as you wanted, and what did Henry do? He drove off in an attempt to flee the scene. Did you want the officers to run alongside his vehicle? Or how about we just let this intoxicated, irrational, and clearly dangerous individual drive out of the parking lot onto the public roadway, where he can kill some innocent person just driving home from work. Shoot someone to kill? Officer Hess discharged his firearm to stop the threat in compliance with the NYS Criminal Procedure Law. Officer Hess was presented with an individual using his vehicle as a weapon in an attempt to flee police, and in doing so posed an immediate threat of causing PO Hess serious physical injury and/or death, and PO Hess utilized the appropriate level of force to meet what DJ Henry brought to the table. You sit there and say, "I know its not like he had an eternity"... until you enter that fight or flight response, have had to make a split second, life or death decision, where you are reaching down to your most primal instincts to survive, you sir have no right to monday morning quarterback PO Hess's actions that night.
#8 - You think that just because you watch COPS, CSI, Law and Order, and all of these other garbage shows on TV that you are some kind of police tactics expert? You're right, no one had to die that night, DJ Henry made that decision when instead of following the directions of multiple uniformed police officers he chose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated. He chose to drive off and flee a police officer. He chose to drive into, and attempt to run over, another uniformed police officer. You keep calling everyone elses actions that night inappropriate, and you call DJ Henry's actions "a mistake". Give us a damn break, will you. I mean really, how ridiculous does that sound? He precipitated every single thing that happened that night, but he's the good kid who made a mistake and every one else that night was just a bunch of trigger happy pigs. I can tell you one thing for sure; you stated that you don't know if you would have pulled the trigger that night; I can tell you if you were a cop faced with that same situation, I'd have the unpleasant experience of having to go to your funeral then, plain and simple, and police funerals are the one thing that no cop ever wants to go to. You also stated, "keep someone alive by not shooting them." Absolutely, but not if that individual is trying to kill me. If someone is actively trying to kill me, I'm going to shoot them to stop them from killing me, that's just the way it is. I'm going home at the end of the night to my family, period, and at that point I'm only concerned with surviving, not find a nice touchy feely way to end the threat on my life just so the perpetrator can live. Shoot the engine block? Are you aware that handgun ammunition will not pass through an engine block, so good luck with that one Seagal. The military uses .50 caliber rifles to disable engine blocks on vehicles, you think a handgun bullet is going to disable a vehicle? Oh that's right, Steven Seagal and Bruce Willis do it all the time in the movies, so it must be true. Do you know how many police officers are killed or seriously injured every year in vehicle pursuits? Yes, lets engage a highly intoxicated individual in a vehicle pursuit because that doesn't have a high probability of ending in disaster. I can't help but laugh how you have the audacity to sit there behind your little computer screen and talk about police tactics and how the incident should have been handled. I say until you vest up and get out there and do the job, leave the tactics discussions to those of us who are actually out there doing the work, because the fantasy land of how you believe being a cop is based on some junk you watched on TV last night is typical for arm chair experts who mother f**ks the cops any chance they get until the day the wolf comes knocking at your door.

I don't give a s*** if dj henry was a rhodes scholar and he went to harvard, he tried to kill a cop, one of my brothers , and yes in my book that makes him a punk scumbag.
As far as pace goes, I've dealt with some of the worst lawyers in westchester who have graduated from pace, so pace doen't impress me.
No matter what the situation was in the bar that night, it doesn't change the fact that this kid was issued a lawful order by a police officer and instead of stopping, he refused the order and struck the police officer.
As far as the investigation goes, the DOJ monitered the entire thing and found nothing wrong with it, but i guess you know something they don't.
Shoot the engine block ? What are you dirty harry ? This suggestion shows your ignorance on all things law enforcement. You strike me as the type that thinks that because you watch cops and americas most wanted and you take a few pictures of police cars, that makes you knowledgeable... IT DOESN'T.....
You know nothing about traffic stops or who should be where or what the officers are feeling?
How many life or death situations have you been in? It seems like you shy away fom dangerous professions so I will say close to none so you have no clue how fast you have to make a decision and in this case it was a decision to use deadly force. Not only does PO Hess have to live with his decision for the rest of his life, he has to deal with people like you monday morning quarterbacking what he did. It's easy to second guess from the safety of your den or your living room isn't it ?
AS I reread your post to make sure I covered all of the points you tried to make, it seems that you have some type of blinders on to the truth and seem to have out your own twists to the story. You say he was already dead before he struck PO Hess, where did you get that from ? I never once heard that version of the story.
You are just an angry person with an axe to grind against law enforcement. I wonder if dj henry had God forbid struck and killed someone in your family while he was driving highly intoxicated back to the pace campus how much different you would feel.

#6 - No one likes that a kid died...no one likes when anyone dies, but I sure as hell strongly support an Officer taking someone's life if they are a threat to the public or fellow Officers. I'd much rather a drunk kid who hits a P.O and will potential strike other P.O's and/or bystanders die then the brave men and women who wake up in the morning to patrol our town, villages, cities etc, and who put their lives in harms way to protect the residents.
#7 - Recognition or a medal was not given to P.O Hess to congratulate him for shooting and killing someone. Recognition was given for P.O. Hess ending a major threat to the public and his fellow P.O.'s. I am not a P.O. but IMHO I highly doubt that any P.O. wants to have to fatally injure someone. P.O.'s are sworn in to protect the public and as I said before they wake up in the morning to potentially have to put their lives on the line to protect people whom they do not personally know. If taking a life is necessary to ensure that the life taken did not potentially take other lives while operating a deadly weapon (car) while intoxicated, then that is what needed to be done.
#8 - Are you kidding me? You truly feel that the P.O's on scene should have jumped in their cars and started a pursuit (potentially a high speed pursuit) with a drunk inexperienced driver? First off, PPD and MPPD both have no pursuit policies (to the best of my knowledge, correct me if I am wrong). You clearly do not know the layout of the land surrounding where this incident took place. There is very little room for P.O.'s to perform a successful pit maneuver. If DJ Henry had gotten away and pursued, he could have gone in any of three directions. 1) Straight onto Garrigan Ave, leading him into a very dense residential area with only 90 degree turns with little time to slow down if traveling at high speeds. Chances are, DJ would have wrapped around a utility pole or went into a house, potentially killing himself and even worse killing others. 2) Left onto Broadway, leading him down towards a major four way intersection with two gas station located on opposite corners. Chances are, DJ would have crashed into one of these gas stations potentially causing one of the 6 gas pumps to explode, killing himself, pursuing P.O.'s and innocent civilians. 3) Right onto Broadway, leading him down a long stretch of road that is very inviting to high speeds but is very unforgiving of high speeds and is also lined on each side with houses. Chances are, DJ would have (like many others) run into a tree or utility pole at high speeds killing himself. If he for someone reason missed a tree or a utility pole, he would have most likely crashed into a house, potentially killing himself and innocent civilians. Allowed DJ to get away behind the wheel of a vehicle while drunk, would have most likely led to tragedy for not only himself but for innocent civilians and pursuing P.O.'s
I respect you decision and props for speaking your mind knowing that you would meet heavy opposition. Be good.

Going by what your profile says, you are not a cop and in no way affiliated with law enforcement but yet you see fit to come on this site and talk trash about a cop who was almost killed by some punk scumbag intoxicated kid.
When you go to the doctor do you second guess his diagnosis ? When you go to the accountant, do you tell him he is doing your taxes wrong ? The answer is probably no to all of these questions so why do you think it's o.k. to second guess a veteran professional police officer with extensive training and experience ?
You do realize that after a multijurisdictional probe and an extensive one at that and after having all the facts presented to a grand jury, all the officers involved in this case were cleared of any wrong doing correct ?
Cops work 8 hours a day getting s*** from people who don't agree with what we do or how we do our jobs, the last thing I want to do is get out of work, come home and look at EMTbravo and have to see the same nonsense that I get at work

By saying Officer Hess is "far" from a hero you are implying (in the impersonal world of Internet chat) that he did something wrong.
So... Tell me sir, what would you do if someone ran you down and you were lucky enough to end up on the hood of the car and not under it and your sole means of neutralizing your life safety situation happened to be your firearm.......? Are you saying that you wouldn't pull the trigger?
Officer Hess is a hero because he chose a job that requires him to protect people like you and I every day. Officer Hess didn't jump on that car like Bo and Luke Duke but rather he was struck by the driver who was intoxicated and leaving the scene of an incident that Officer Hess was called to as part of his sworn duty to respond.

P.O. Hess was engaging an armed advesary, DJ henry was armed with a 2 ton vehicle and was using it as a weapon against officer Hess. PO Hess thankfully put down the threat but was severly injured in the process having his knee cap pushed up into his thigh.
P.O. Hess saved countless lives that night by putting himself in harms way instead of letting a highly intoxicated driver drive through a crowded parking lot. P.O. Hess acted heroically and selflessly. He is a hero in my book and is deserving of a lot more than a medal.

ptwatson - I agree with you, it is a total defamation of character to Officer Hess. Al Sharpton, was here right after and left quickly,for him to not to be opening his mouth, he even knows!
They had a quote in Lohud, "I think it's amazing that so many celebrities can see through the lies that the Westchester D.A. and Mount Pleasant and Pleasantville police have put out there," Smith said.
Oh yeah because I know JayZ and kanye are on my list of top celebrities. How many other criminals get killed by cops, they don't all get a rap song? I love how he is still the victim here. Some people need a reality check.
Maybe instead of a rap song, his wonderful friends and "celebrities" can do some kind of awareness about underage drinking, driving while intoxicated and trying to run down a cop. I will always say it, everyone is lucky from that night it could have been a lot worse, but could have all been prevented!

Yes...thats why you see in my sidebar, under location I put what I put. We are a small rural farm community. The biggest department in our county is the best off, covering SUNY college and a Wal-Mart among other big stores who all give out monies to volunteer agencies covering their locations annually to assist in protecting their stores. The SUNY campus alone requires that the local FD have an appropriate aerial device to cover their dorm buildings and fire emergencies and assist them to have one at all times.
In my current department only a few minutes ride north of that location we are ALL farmland and small residential areas, no commercial districts, no industrial districts other than repair garages and such. My roster has only 23 active firefighters, out of those only 9 are certified interior firefighters...Most of the roster is older members who only ride fire police or assist with EMS calls, being past chiefs and officers who now just want to help. Our younger membership is dwindling fast and the money just isnt there, yet we do an average of 140 calls a year, which isnt much to some of you I know, but we still have the need.
This past year the town highway received a new building and truck which wiped out any extra money the town had. Our budget (If you call it that) is so small it looks like my daughters piggy bank is bigger. I just recently transfered here in the past year from the other department I mentioned above, and they couldnt get me a set of turnouts until almost a year after joining, I had another department down in the HV area donate a bunch of turnouts but they were all pressing the expiration date as well. We currently use a infrared thermometer as a "TIC", and only have a small CO meter bought from a local hardware store to use in emergencies.
Our ambulance is falling apart yet it runs about 3 times a week (I know thats not a lot to most of you but its still more than our FD runs and the ambulance gets used) and every call it gets taken out of service for repairs for a day or two. Its not safe and we are working on repairing it and fighting with the commissioners and the town board to replace it. Now the attack engine goes...
It sucks but we deal with what we are dealt and make the best out of it. Since joining this department last June (a year ago) we had 3 structure fires in our district and two of those houses are still standing and being repaired. The third was a single wide trailer that was gone before they even called us. So we put up a fight at least and make due with what we have but we shouldnt have to, know what I mean? If anyone can help us let me know, I am not ashamed to ask for help, because we need it.
Thanks again to all the replies, I am looking into each suggestion, and right now am talking to a chief from the NY area who might be giving us a rig...They are saving our lives!!! I am waiting for a call back to confirm and my department is EXTATIC for their generosity. Makes you remember that brotherhood still exists out there.

Well it's been a little while since I put forth an installment of the ongoing "Life in Afghanistan" saga, so here's the latest.
It's been a busy couple of weeks here in terms of work and our unsolicited visits from the towel heads. First up is the work. We've had a number of working fires of late including 2 barracks, 2 small storage sheds, a food warehouse and a fire which consumed 10 seacans (connex's) and their contents. All of these have been on blue shift leaving red shift to only dream of putting out a fire, (seems all the white clouds have congregated on that shift). On top of those fires Blue has also had 3 car fires, 1 truck fire and 4 MVA's two of which were rollovers. Why we even had to do some extracation on one of them which landed on it's roof in a drainage ditch. All of these incidents were during the day except the connex's, which happened just as we sat down to dinner. The others were all middle of the day 125-135 degree ambient temperature events. Well if nothing else the pounds do drop away in turnouts at 125. In all instances injuries were slight and damage held to a minimum by the quick work of all involved. Another example of training paying off as we've been hammering the basics and the results have proven to be worth the effort. I do have pics but they will not load for some reason, (most likely a Hajji conspiracy to prevent news from reaching the outside world...LOL). As soon as our internet issues are resolved I'll get them up.
On to the other news. It's Ramadan which for those that don't know is a monthlong Muslim holiday, or should I say religious observance. It seems that although all devout Muslims will not drink, smoke or eat anything during daylight hours in honor of this observance, they sure as hell have no problem throwing the mortars and rockets our way. We've spent quite a bit of time in the bunkers, which being concrete retain all of the days heat well into the overnight hours. We've had numerous impacts on base including a couple in the ammo storage areas....alot of big booming things in there...but thus far the only really close ones were dudus save on phosphorus round which caught a tent on fire but was quickly handled by the staff. The fuel points still seem to be of intense interest as well, but again thanks to the Chinese made presents we get mostly duds. We did get a close call when a 107mm hit just outside a barracks in the Canadian compound. Two injuries which we treated prior to the ambulances arrival. Both will be fine with just some shrapnel to the legs and back. We did learn that our T-walls (think Jersey barriers on steriods) can hold up to the rockets pretty well. This one impacted and exploded against one and the wall held firm while taking the brunt of the blast, although a 4x4x6 storage box ceased to exist. That's not to say there was no damage, in fact the barrack suffered some pretty extensive hits. The main entrance was blown inwards in a V pattern for a good 4-5 feet and all the windows shattered. We also found the padlock from the disintegrated storage box implanted in a leg of a bunkbed, (being a Master Lock ™ it was still locked firmly a testament to American padlock ingenuity and integrity). This was one of many shrapnel holes which dotted the sides of 3 buildings altogether. Yeah when these things go off they can inflict alot of damage and pain. Anyway it does get better. The very next shift as two of my Blue crew "mates" (like the Brit influence...LOL) sat outside another 107mm rocket came screaming in and landed a mere 50 ft...yeah that's right 50 feet...away. No one saw it land, all that was seen was a cloud of dust followed immediately by the rocket alarm. Off to the bunker we went until the EOD guys arrived. The entire area around the firehose was cordoned off and the ARFF crews and rigs evacuated...structural had to hang around just in case...of what I don't know, but just in case. So in the end our near miss did not go off and EOD decided to leave it where it landed and came to rest...9ft underground through, as anyone who's ever been in a desert knows, hard packed almost rocklike soil. And this incomng has continued unabated with only 2 of the last 10 days being quiet. Today has been in and out of the bunker all day, (I think right now were at 6 times and it's only three in the afternoon). Ahhh Ramadan gotta love it!!
Of course we were all saddened by the loss of the 31 last week, along with another 8 or so recently..I know for sure 5 just the other day in a roadside bomb...they went home Thursday night I think. As always we pay our respects respectfully from a distance to honor the fallen.
On a lighter note I'm outta here and homeward bound for a monthlong R&R in four weeks and I can't f***ing wait!!!!!!!
Stay safe all and to all thanks for your efforts on the homefront
Cogs

Well another week has passed and that means I'm one week closer to getting home for R&R...6 more to go. Speaking of home I think this entry may be somewhat more personal than most because as I get closer to home I find myself thinking more and more about it. Now I'm not the emotional or sentimental type (according to my wife... ) other than the occasional angry outburst, but in keeping with the idea of giving a clear, albeit personal, view of life here for those that may want to embark on this path, I think in todays installment I'm going to share a little more on the trials and tribulations but equally important the positives and benefits of life here.
First off let me digress back to home and the universal malady that affects everyone here....homesickness. Yep even hardened firemen miss home at times, especally those of us with wives and children. For me yesterday was another reminder of what I'm missing. My wife attended the wedding of a friend and later after they were sent, I looked at the pictures. Everyone was happy, as they should be, and life went rolling merrily along except that I, perhaps selfishly, was,...well, saddened. This because of the fact that I was not the one standing beside my beautifully stunning wife enjoying the nuptials of a friend. As we all know sacrifice is a part of all of our lives, and we all accept that as a part of who and what we are. But in some respects it may be just a little bit more so for those that choose to work over here...we can't get relief guys to cover a shift so we can take half a nite or day off for a child's school play or big football game, holidays or birthdays or whatever. You give up alot coming here and again I'm not crying about that, I'm just making anyone interested aware that life will go on without you back home. And sometimes missing those parts of life can leave a large void. Some can't take it. I recall my first deployment to Iraq, my roommate, who also traveled to the camp with me, was there only 3 days and realized he couldn't do it, he couldn't become frozen in time and space in the sandbox. And in some ways that's what working here is like...we call it Groundhog day. At times it seems as if the clock is just spinning here and not moving forward, it stays the same for what feels like an endless cycle of days and nights simply repeating themselves where even the weather doesn't change. This sentiment invariably gets stronger for everyone here as events, good and bad, unfold back home. You quickly come to realize that you are not really an active part of the life back home anymore and have no control over it. Many accept this fact but for those that don't, most quit at their first R&R after they've arrived home and just can't come back because of that realization. Of course this epiphany is really only a minor inconvenience for us, as we can leave any time we want, but for the military it is a situation that is far more than an inconvenience and I am in no way trying to compare the two. In the end anyone thinking of coming over here must have the full understanding of what they will give up, and in some cases that sacrifce can extend all the way to wives and families as couples become lonely and grow apart. Many a marriage has come to a bitter end for guys here as the partners, both here and at home, seek solace to fill the voids.
Ok enough melancholia.
For all the trials and tribulations that have graced these last few installments there is a flip side to the coin. There are positive aspects and benefits to working out here which go beyond the obvious financial ones although that is a good place to start. This contract I'm currently on is one of the lower paying ones and I have no problem telling all that I stand to make just about 80K per year here as a Crew Chief (Engine Co. Officer). A firefighter can expect between 60-70K here at Kandahar. Not that anyone cares but the reasons I took this particular job are threefold of equal importance:
1. The pay, I do have a family to support
2. The desire to support and protect our troops in their mission here
3. The leave (R&R) package. We get 30 days off every 90 days with full pay. And for this family man that is a huge attraction and benefit of greater personal importance than the money alone.
Now as I said this is one of the lesser paying FD jobs out there, and for most guys out here money is naturally the most important motivator. Most jobs pay well over 100K a year with 30 days off annually. Crew Chiefs regularly pull in between 140-150K and Chiefs up to 200K. with 91.5 K being tax free for all. So as you can see this can be a lucrative means of making living. When done right a semi intelligent person can make their life here open doors that would have probably remained closed otherwise. And of course the money allows for many of the other "perks" that come from our efforts.
Travel, who wouldn't like to take long expensive vacations. Most firemen here do, especially the single guys. A single guy with half a brain can see the world and still have a good deal of money left over to build a life back home. Start a business, go to school, buy a house..I think you get the idea there. Or for the less prudent, splurge, go nuts and indulge every perverse whim that strikes your fancy in places like Thailand or the Phillipines, both of which hold the top spot as destinations for the single set here. A single colleague is going to Bali, yeah that paradisical island, for a month come October. Rio, Europe and Greek Isles or the Costa del Sol and Monaco, Japan, China and the rest of Asia, Hawaii...you name it and guys have gone there with the money they've made here. The possibilities are almost endless for the single. Of course for the more subdued or the family men, well it's really nice not to ever have to worry about paying a bill. Or better yet to work a year or two and pay off and OWN your house. How about treating the kiddies to all those things you never had as a kid and treating your wife to the things she deserves for putting up with you, because you can. Maybe take the family on a cruise at a whim. Here's another important one to any parent..college tuition in the bank. These are just some of the things made possible from the money earned working out here.
Self indulgences, yeah there's alot of that too. Cars, boats, motorcycles and all the newest, latest and greatest gadgets or electronic devices and toys out there have been bought outright by guys here. Clothes, jewlery, food, and "wine, women and song" along with just about anything else you can think of can be yours for your time and efforts. Here's one that tops the list for alot of the married guys...new boobs for the wife (thankfully I don't share that "need" as my wife is amply appointed in that department). Yeah that's right, all you plastic surgeons rejoice, I'll bet almost a quarter of the guys I've worked with over the years have invested in, as the joke says, that one of the two things fathers play with that's meant for the kids...the other being toy trains. But alas, of that quarter more than half have found themselves without that investment to play with after all as their wives have moved on to "bigger" and better things...maybe because as men we don't enjoy the luxury of being able to enhance our natural attributes. Well enough about that, as I'm sure you all get the picture as far as the money goes, other than to say that for me personally my time and the money earned over here past and present, has afforded my family and me the opportunity to live a modest yet relatively comfortable life..and that is worth putting up with any depravation as far as I'm concerned.
There are of course other far less tangible benefits to working out here which, depending on your personality, can be very rewarding. For most, supporting the troops is, if not tied with first among the reasons to be here, certainly one of the top five. Patriotism abounds out here especially with the Canadians, Brits and us Americans and I have seen it lived on every deployment I've been on. I too feel a deep sense of responsibility and pride in working for my Country and our military, even if it is indirectly. We regularly go above and beyond or to use the business term, "push the limits of the SOW" (scope of work) when dealing with the troops because to the vast majority of us they deserve at least that. Those that don't believe in "helping out" usually don't hang around too long, since they quickly come to find out (with a little help) that this isn't the kind of place for them.
Then there's the work. I love being a fireman and have since I was 16, (for those who feel that as a volunteer back home I am not one, well I won't even dignifiy that idiotic view with a response). Quite honestly it is probably the only thing I'm even remotely good at and I don't hold a candle to most of you. Anyway, while this isn't a major metropolis with fires and incidents every day, nor do I want to give that impression, all things being considered we do get relatively busy and we do a very diversified bit of work out here. Many guys (myself included) have taken advantage of this and the opportunites that have presented themselves. We have had both the good fortune and desire to take a number of training classes and attain certifications that we may not have otherwise been able to. These along with the work have been translated into practical experience both here and back home for most of us. For me, I have now spent a number of years as a Company officer out here as well, and this has put me in a position to deal with issues and gain experience to better serve back home. This again is a "perk" worth well beyond it's weight in gold, at least to me.
Another attraction, and to some of us a benefit, is the adrenaline rush of working in a environment which is full of dangers in addition to the normal fireground ones. Being in a war zone (and make no mistake this is an active one) is just the kind of lifestyle suited to those of us who, like me, thrive in crisis. I'm sure everyone here can relate, at least on some level, to the satisfaction we get from doing a good job while facing the life threatening dangers presented by our nemesis..Fire. You get that same satisfaction here along with the satisfaction of facing down people that want to maim and kill you at every turn. Again not to mislead, this is not the front lines and I'm not saying we face anywhere near the dangers of the troops, but the possibilty of an untimely death at the hands of a cunning, determined and fanatical enemy is ever present and doing our duty in spite of it can be, and for some is, very rewarding.
This job, like my previous tours has also given many of us an opportunity that I am positive we would not have otherwise had, the opportunity to meet and work with firemen from all over the U.S. and now the world. For some that may mean nothing and that is fine, but for others (again myself included) this work presents an opportunity to not only expand, but share our knowledge and experience far beyond what would have been possible at home. The work over here, by it's very nature, puts a variety of skill sets and methods together and forces them to meld into a working fire department. While some may see this as a drawback it is in reality a chance to build fire service from the ground up using the insights, knowledge and experiences of all of the personnel available. It may sound chaotic and in a sense it is. But I have been fortunate I guess in that for me, most times have found that for our efforts the results have been far more suprising and in the end rewarding than anyone thought possible. And in an extension to just the job itself, working these contracts can open up the world to those who want it in the form of friendships made out here. There are not many places with such a diverse population as there is stationed here where a firemen can spend the day making friends with a group of people from Romania in the morning, England at lunch and any number of other nations (including the locals), stationed here for dinner? The cultural and historical facets of all of these diverse groups is here and for those interested, open to exploration.
Well I seem to be getting a little (or alot) long winded so I'll cut it off there.
In closing I can only say that which I've said before...life here is, as it is everywhere, what you make of it. Guys that make it over here tend do so because they come in with eyes and minds wide open, so if the idea of working here is stirring in your brain, just try to remember that simple premise. To that end I have tried to paint as realistic and objective a picture of life here for you as I can, I hope I have done so thus far.
There is some news and I am still going to share the differences between UK and U.S. tactics, but since I've droned on long enough here we'll save those for another day.
As aways stay safe
and thanks for protecting the homefront
Cogs

Keeps the vehicle safe when it is operating in areas by cemetaries.

And the whole reason for being there!
My little man, banner carrier extroidinarre...marched the 2 miles, uphill, in the heat without complaining. I just HAVE to get him to stop waving! LOL
Also visible is the most beautiful flag carrier in the USA directly behind him.

Hudson, NY. Home of 32 Truck, with the best damned Captain I know.
Side note - the rig in the last picture here has NO CHEVRONS!

Date: 08-05-11
Time: 0120hrs
Location: 367 Windsor Hwy. (Route 32) - "Hot Bagels"
Frequency: OC911
Units Operating: VGFD, Newburgh (FAST), New Windsor Engine, Cornwall Truck, NWVAC, NWPD, NW Fire Investigator
Weather Conditions:
Description Of Incident: Fire in a strip mall
Reporters:
Writer: BFD1054 (o/s)
*I do not have times as I was operating on-scene.
0120hrs-VGFD alerted for the possible structure fire at the above address. Moments later NWPD arrived and advised of a working fire.
VGFD Car-2 arrived, established command and requested a 2nd alarm. There was heavy smoke showing from several stores in the middle of the row.
E478 arrived, hooked a hydrant and laid-in. Its crew then stretched a 2 1/2" line to the front of the store. They were met w/heavy smoke pushing from a bagel store w/visable fire within the store.
VGFD T484 set-up on the 1/4 corner, while VGFD T482 positioned on the 1/2 corner in case it was needed. T482's crew then used a ground ladder to access the roof to make an inspection cut where they found (-) extension. T484's crew started venting windows and assisting the Engine crew.
Cornwall's Truck arrived and was positioned on the #1 side.
The crew ofNew Windsor E446 hooked a 2nd hydrant and laid into the rear of the building. Its crew stretched an 1 3/4" line and assisted in conducting searches. E478 made quick work of the fire, knocking the bulk of it down in approximately 10 minutes.
Mutual-aid was released in short order.
Cornwall-on-Hudson and Salisbury Mills re-located (1&1) to VGFD Sta-1 during the incident.

Date: 7/29/2011
Time: 0657
Location: US Route 6 c/s Route 293
Frequency:
Units Operating: Woodbury Fire R-504, E-502, and EMS. Mobile Life (multiple units), Tuexedo EMS( s/B ), Kiryas Joel( s/B ), Monroe R-540( s/B )
Weather Conditions: Cloudy
Description Of Incident: multiple vehicle accident w/ multiple injuries. medevac launch for 1 pt.
Reporters:
Writer: billy98988
(approx times)
0657: OC-911 dispatching Woodbury Fire for a motor vehicle accident, route 6 and route 293.
0659: Update, reports of 4 patients ejected, and a possible amputation.
0702: Mobile Life requesting additional EMS to scene, and a medevac on stand-by.
0705: Fire requesting launch of medevac, multiple patients.
0708: Mobile Life Unit reports a 19 y/o female w/ a possible broken leg.
0713: OC-911 reports medevac declined due to weather.
0735: Patients being transported via ground, WFD clearing. PD to remain.

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the Waldbaum's fire in Brooklyn, NY where 6 firefighters perished, when a bowstring truss roof collapsed, sending all to their fiery death. I remember this day like it was yesterday. My dad, Tony Dragonetti, was assigned to E-254 and worked the 9x6 tour. He was walking into the firehouse as 254 & 153 were pulling out onto Avenue U. He would have been on the roof in place of Terry Cambell who was badly burned. I was 14 and remember waking up to my mom's screams, when she heard the news of the fire on the radio. We took a ride to the scene from LI and found my dad sitting on the back of 254's rig in tears. I never saw my dad cry and my mom hug my dad like the way she did at that moment. I still well up with tears when I think about that scene. It was a sigh of relief for me to see my dad safe and extremely sad at the same time to hear him say the names of the guys that perished. I spent my entire childhood life and beyond at the firehouse and these brave men were my family and will always have a place in my heart. May they be remembered forever and RIP......

At a recent parade, I sat directly opposite a NYSP Trooper on a traffic post.
EACH and EVERY time, the stars and stripes passed by, he saluted with the most crisp salute I have ever seen. Many of the bystanders commented on it as well...all were impressed by his actions.
Well Done Trooper, remain safe.

I am a person with a college diploma and am currently pursuing a fire career and I can honestly say that my college degree is only worth the paper that its printed on. Too many people stress college for everything now-a-days and dont realize that it may not be for everyone.
I got a degree because i felt that it was what was expected of me and honestly, I didn't learn much at all. All of my skills in the business world were taught to me at my current job and were learned on the fly. Very rarely, if ever, do I come across an obsticle in my job and revert back to my schooling.
With that said, I do feel that certain fields, such as Medical, Teaching, and Engineering are very technical and do rely heavily on schooling, but others, such as Business, Trades(electrical, construction, plumbing, ect) and Emergency Services are all about the kind of person you are by nature and on the job trainning and experiance.
Also, Common Sense, a vital skill that many people are lacking, cannot be taught at any college or trade school.
This is only one person's opinion, I apologize if I offended anyone.

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