BFD1054

*** Car-wash to benefit Buchanan Fire victims ***

Date: Saturday, April 3

Time: 9:30am - ?

Location: Cortlandt Community Ambulance Corps., 6 Kings Ferry Rd. c/s Albany Post Rd. (across from Montrose FD).

On Saturday, April 3, the Cortlandt Community Ambulance Corps will be hosting a car wash to benefit the victims of the Bannon Avenue Apartments fire. The Ambulance Corps will be assisted by members of the Buchanan, Montrose & Verplanck Fire Departments. I personally ask all members of this Network to try and attend, but also spread the word as much as possible. Not only will you be getting your car washed, but more importantly, you will be helping raise money for families (33 people, many young children) that were left homeless and lost most of thier possessions in this terrible & deadly fire. The members of the local volunteer agencies are doing all we can to help, so any of you who can be there will certainly be helping as well! For those of you who were unable to attend the benefit dinner, this is a great, easy way to make a donation!

Thank you,

Michael Swankie

2nd Lt. Buchanan FD

No problem Seth, thank you for letting me post this event, as it was very important to not only me and my department, but more importantly, the victims. Unfortunately i was at a fire class at the Rockland FTC and was about an hour and a half late to the dinner. When i did get there however, it seemed to be a decent ammount of people there and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Obviously, we would have liked to had even more people there, but it was a good turn out by the community non-the-less. A few of the victims were also in attendance which was real nice because it was all for them and they were able to have a good time. It was nice for me as well to actually see some of the victims, because the night of the fire i was all over the place, and really didn't know who the victims were. No word yet on how much money we were able to raise, but i do know the 50/50 went to $1,800. All and all it was a good night, people had fun and we raised money for a good cause, which is most important!

mmmm, this is a bad thread in a good way....it makes me hungry! I must say, you people have good taste!

Breakfast: I'm usually on the run in the morning soo its usually deli for me,

Palace Deli in Buchanan, IHOP (anywhere), Dunkin Donuts, Montrose Bagels (Near Hen-Hud HS), Benvenuti's deli in Buchanan (great food & cheap) and when in dirty Jersey, Hole in the Wall Bagels (New Brunswick, NJ) and of course when i have time to sit down, theres always the Westchester Diner (Peekskill) a.k.a. the bomb diner, great food oh and the Executive Diner (Hawthorne)!

Lunch: Palace deli (Buchanan), Coles Market (Montrose), Anthonys Pizza (Peekskill), Pizza Pizzaz (Y-Town) Carusso's Italian deli (Ossining) and for fast-food there's always Wendys or BK.

Dinner (my favorite): Anthonys (Peekskill; great dinners), Little Mexican cafe (Montrose), NY Firehouse Grill (Peekskill), Forno's (Peekskill), Katonah Bar & Grill (Near KFD; great food, cold beer), Outback for thier "Aussie Fries" & the Chilis in Somers (boneless buffalo wings and 2 for 1 beers!).

Thats all i can think of right now :-k

Now i know what i forgot.....Rockys deli in Millwood! I know its been used a lot, but you gotta love Rockys! That place is packed at the 12noon lunch rush hour and its packed at 2 or 3 in the morning! They have great food, plus they keep alot of people working, so even if the line is out the door, you never wait too long! Its a great place to stop after a rough night out, Italian combo sub is great at 2am!

Yeah DFFD227, i am actually on-call for OT tonight (Thursday) if it should snow...again! As i have said, the $$$ is great, and pretty easily earned, but its really getting old, i want the spring to be here already! As for Task Force 7, i am definately jealous, sounds like Texas is where its at this time of year, or any time for that matter! Its got to be soo humid though, but hell, its much better than snow! If you keep posting the temps in Texas and talking about swimming, you may find yourself with some unexpected houseguests....the people of the EMTBravo Network!!!! 8)

Sorry Seth, i kind of rambled on in my last post. As far as your scenario goes...I would have to say i would take advantage of the "unlimited funding." I would send my active members to as many fire, rescue and ems classes as possible. If we were an actual BLS provider, i would send members to EMT or CFR classes. If we provided "first-reponder" care, i would ensure that my members had a minimum of CPR/AED/First-Aid, and made sure that they re-certed when necessary. I would use the money to send the members through the "basics" to become interior and continue thier training by sending them to "optional" classes such as HAZ-MAT, Truck Ops, Rescue Tech, etc. I would also use the money to buy training supplies such as a "smoke machine," rescue manaquins or even build our own mask-confidence course, roof simulator etc. I would try and obtain cars, trucks and buses for extrication drills, where you could train as both FD and EMS providers. I'd even go as far as using the money to send members to become fire, EMT, CPR, etc. instructors.

To start, i would just like to say that everyone has made some real good points so far. I too have been getting quite bored with the same old drills. I was getting bored as a firefighter and i recently became a Lt and i am still bored. We have been lucky in that we have been getting a lot of new members, most of whom are young, high school age. I joined the FD when i was 16, so i know exactly what its like. I got involved because i had family/friends involved in the fire service. When you are still in school, it is hard to commit time to an organization because you have a million things going on at once (homework, sports, friends, etc.). To be honest, i was too busy partying and having fun during high school, so i wasn't really active until i graduated. I took Essentials within the first few months of joining, but didn't start taking more classes until i was out of high school. My point is, no matter what age, we are all busy, and volunteering can be hard. As many of you said, i would become bored and tired of the same old "routine" drills, and many nights wouldn't bother coming to drills. Drilling and training is essential to any emergency service organization. Not only is it essential for everyones safety, but it also keeps the interest of newer members. Unfortunately, the WCFTC is under construction and even when we try to "book" the smoke/burn houses, we have no luck. Without the training center, we are forced to train/drill at the firehouse or other locations in the village. Our firehouse is quite small, so our options are limited. We often move all the apparatus out of the bays and "smoke" out the apparatus floor and practice entry & search/rescue drills, which i feel is very important. Sometimes we will add obstacles such as chairs, tables, barrels or other items, which works well. However, after doing these scenarios so many times, the members get to know it like the back of thier hand and it is no longer fun/helpful. As FF402 stated, the bread and butter operations can be boreing, but are equally important. We recently built a roof similator in the rear of our firehouse. It is approximately 15' high on its highest side with a sloped roof. Below the "roof" is a "room" that is approx. 6' by 8' complete with "real" door and window. This is a great training tool for roof & ladder operations. A suggestion would be to begin your drill with the bread and butter text-book/overhead info and then go outside, gear-up and practice what you learned hands-on. Even though the FTC is somewhat OOS for now, does not mean you can't do hands-on training. You don't have to actually build something, but it is very easy to set up a temporary mask-confidence course inside or outside at your firehouse. Again, SCBA goes back to the basics, but it is a very important thing to know (could be your life) and a in-house course can be a fun, easy way to get comfortable w/SCBA. You could also rely on other training centers such as Rockland, Putnam or Dutchess. Of course we would all rather use Westchesters because its closer and it is "ours." We (Buchanan) are in the process of signing guys up for the flashover simulator at the Rockland FTC (very good class/experience, i highly recommend it). Remember585 brought up a great point....never teach something you are not comfortable with yourself, that is just asking for trouble. We train to be ready for "the real thing" but we do not want members to ever get hurt, especially in training. Before we do a drill, we ensure each member is comfortable with each scenario. If a member is afraid of heights, we do not make him/her do ladder/roof ops, if they're not comfortable with a handline, we don't send them into the burn house, etc. By the way John, i hear ya on the ropes & knots, definately not my favorite! Training is everything, so lets all stay on top of it and stay safe!!!

Date: 03-18-04

Time: 1740HRS (TOW) - Ongoing

Location: Route 117 X Saw Mill River Parkway overpass

Frequencies: 46.26, 46.14

Units: E199, R10, MA9, Car 2033, KBHVAC, Stat-Flight

Description: MVA w/serious inj. and medivac

Writer: BFD1054/57crew

1735hrs-FDBH was dispatched to an MVA w/injuries on Rt.117 at Saw Mill Pkway.

1740HRS- R10 requested ETA on Stat-Flight. 60-Control requesting report of injuries for Stat-Flight. Injuries as given, tib-fib fracture/shortness of breath.

1741hrs- CMD req. E-198 to establish LZ at Bedford Hills Park.

1751HRS- Stat-Flight Air-1 w/1 minute ETA to LZ (Park), KBHVAC w/1 minute ETA to park to meet Air-1 as per Car 2033.

1754HRS-As per 2033, Air-1 on the ground.

1805HRS-As per 2033/E198, Air-1 has lifted, en-route to WMC, all units clear from the LZ.

*Nothing further from this writer at this time, will update as necessary/info becomes available.

Seth, as usual you make very good points and i agree with you 100%! Ladder designations definately need to be conformed to cut down on confusion. As you said, each IC should have at the very least a basic knowledge of surrounding depts apparatus. In Buchanan, we rely on Montrose for thier Truck, if they are unavailable, we go to Verplanck & so on. Our chiefs know what these depts have and thier main concern is that they get to us and do thier job! As you stated, a truck is a truck, and there are many tasks that a truck company must perform, just like an engine company. Unfortunately, one to many times i have seen truck companies "forget" thier overall tasks and they get caught up in being worried about the stick or the bucket. In Buchanan, the truck company usually isn't there for forced entry due to the fact that they are coming m/a and our engine is there first to do that. For us, we expect our m/a truck company to do the venting because it certainly makes it easier/safer for our interior attack teams. It is also nice when they set up ground ladders for us as points of egress. As far as the designations, i definately think going to "Truck" would work great. As IC, you know what your m/a company has, so it doesn't matter if its a SS or TL. For example, we need a truck, our IC requests "Truck-8." Thats simple, and hopfully as Seth stated, this will drill into these companies heads the fact that they are a "Truck" company and that they are they to perform truck work. The only time it may be an issue is when you are requiring a specific ladder (TL, SS), but again, this would go back to the IC knowing what the surrounding depts have.

Nice post DFFD227, Joe Rao is the man, his hair is awesome lol! By the way, hope you were able to make a little $$$ yesterday, i know i got 6 1/2 hours of OT! Even though the money is good, i hope this was the last of the snow, i'm getting sick of it! Monday was a tease, it got up to like 55 degrees, and then it snows...what a difference a day makes!

Thanks for the info Chris498, i'll definately try and make an appearance and see if i can muster up a few more of my guys. Sounds like a real nice event and should be a good night!

Seth, what exactly is Bedfords Ham Night all about, i am not familiar with it? Is it similar to a "friendship night?" Also, are all area FD personnel invited, and what is the cost if any?

Thank you Remember585 for clearing that up! Coming from an Engine company (Buchanan doesn't have a ladder :sad: ), I am not too familiar with ladder company specifics. I figured there was a good reason that they continued using that designation, now it all makes sense! I just kind of assumed it was the "old-timers" not conforming to the whole "ladder" designation. But thanks for the ladder info, definately interesting to know!

Hey now....don't everybody get all on me about this LT8 stuff lol. If it were up to me, they'd be Ladder 8 like every one else does it. Thier guys just still insist on signing on "LT8 responding" so thats why i put it. RWC130.....Peekskill has a Tower Ladder and they sign on Ladder-45, so maybe they can pass it on lol. I am impressed w/Verplanck, they sign on Ladder-46. I remember when they still had the Snorkle and refussed to call it anything different. 60 Control used to get soo mad, but ya gotta give them credit for sticking with it lol. But for DFFD227, sorry man, can't answer your question. I have yet to hear anyone use the term Ladder-8, and i don't know if i ever will. Its something they've always used and it stuck i guess. I really don't know why someone hasn't stopped them....i mean all Westchester Depts. use the "Ladder" designation. You don't hear the career depts (or anyone else for that matter) using "Truck" all the time, so its no different. I mean, i'm in no way "bashing" them for using that term, i'm just surprised it hasn't been stopped. IMO, i really don't care all that much, as long as i know i have a ladder company coming to me, thats all that matters to me lol.

I was issued a Minitor IV about a week ago, and i must say i am quite impressed with it. The sound, volume and reception is incredible! For example, i was monitoring the 10-75 in White Plains tonight and i could clearly hear all the M/A units, and the pager wasn't even in the charger. So far, so good, i can not think of any complaints yet.

In Buchanan, we do not have "riding-assignments" set in place. However, if we get enough guys on a rig before it rolls, we will assign each guy a position as we respond. If we happen to be at HQ when an alarm comes in (stand-by, drill night, meeting, etc.), we try to establish riding assignments/crews prior to responding. For us, our ideal response would be for the 1st due Engine to have at least four guys (driver, officer, nozzle & b/u), but it doesn't always happen. If we have more than that on the first-due, thats even better because we can stick a guy with "pluggie" (usually the least experienced). It does get easier when we have time to plan out assignments prior to an alarm. For example, if Peekskill has a 10-75, they offten rely on us for a s/b Engine to cover. We try to give out assignments while en-route, but if not, we do it as soon as we get to the station. This works well because it cuts out the confusion (hopfully), and everyone knows thier job. Theres nothing worse than going to a call, trying to listen to the radio, the driver trying to drive and a crew of guys hollering trying to figure out what the hell they're supposed to do. But as "alsfirefighter" stated, sometimes the manpower just isn't there, especially in volunteer depts. Sometimes you have to make due with what you have, and depts. should be teaching thier guys how to deal with a situation w/less manpower. NYS is starting to realize this to it seems, because there is a class called "short-handed firefighting." Unfortunately, it was closed out last time and i was unable to get in it :sad: . Another example is our M/A Engine (E161) only has seating capacity for 3, including the driver. The additional manpower responds in a chiefs vehicle. Last August, we responded to Montrose, 3 Francis Dr. w/E161 as the 2nd due Engine. We were to lay into LT8 and also stretch a line from our rig. We were quickly en-route with a driver (ex-chief), Lt. & FF (myself). A FF had spotted the hydrant for us and also hooked it, allowing our crew to stay on the Engine. Once stopped, we hooked the 5" to LT8 and the Lt and myself stretched a hand-line while our driver manned the pump-panel. The Lt. and i were well trained and felt comfortable handling the line ourselves, which allowed our incoming manpower to be used for other jobs. I bring this example up for a reason. Riding assignments are a great idea when they are feasable. However, you must also keep in mind your crews experience/limitations when giving out riding assignments. You must also try to keep out of sticky situations, if you do not have sufficient manpower, do not try to comprimise. If you are going to give out riding assignments, make sure each member of your crew is well aware of his/her job and feels comfortable w/thier position on the crew.

BFD1054

1929HRS - WP requests E174, TL15 to the scene. WP advising E174, TL15 to report to the lobby (command) at 505 Central Ave. E174 crew to bring in stand-pipe pack.

1932HRS - WP advising 60 Cont. to re-locate aditional Engine (1) & Truck (1) to WPFD Station #2, Ferris Ave. N.W.P. requested for an Engine.

1935HRS - N.W.P. E74 re-locating WP Sta. #2.

1942HRS - NWP E74 out @ WP Sta. 2, New Rochelle L12 en-route WP Sta. 2.

1955HRS - Greenville E151, W. Harrison TL9 responding to the scene.

1956HRS - L12 re-directed per 60 Cont. to WPFD HQ. E22 will also be dispatched to s/b at WPHQ. Elmsford 58B1(BLS) M/A to the scene 505 Central Ave.

1959HRS - Fairview L1 re-locating WPFD Sta. 2, 20 Ferris Ave.

2107HRS - Elmsford 58B1 transporting (2) victims BLS from the fire scene to WCMC. (After going 10-8 from WCMC, 58B1 returned to the fire scene as per WPFD to stand-by).

2138HRS - W. Harrison units released from WP, returning to W. Harrison HQ.

2145HRS - All Greenville units have been released, returning to Greenville.

2150HRS - All Fairview units have been released, returning to Fairview.

2215HRS - 60-Control still attempting to raise Red Cross/get an ETA.

2221HRS - As per 60-Control, 30 Minute ETA for the Red Cross.

2231HRS - L12 returning to New Rochelle from White Plains.

2239HRS - NWP E74 10-8 from the City of White Plains.

*IMO-This incident seemed to run quite smoothly (only from what i heard on the air). Given the number of angencies involved, i would like to commend 60 Control (Hap) & WP Comm., who are the unsung heros in these incidents. The two agencies worked very well together on making sure that there was sufficient manpower/units at the scene, as well as ensuring that the city of White Plains was covered sufficiently. Again, just my opinion.

Yeah DFFD227, there is always a down-side to everything. Getting a day taken away from Spring Break definately stinks, but its better than staying later in June! And as you said, there are ways to make $$$ during the winter. I work for the Highway Dept., so i love the $now!!! Lets see, OT pays about $30ish p/h, weekends and holidays are double-time....i can't see a reason to complain about the snow lol! To tell the truth, i wouldn't mind one more small snow storm to really end the winter, a couple extra bucks til' summer OT for bad rain stroms wouldn't be soo bad! But i definately feel ya on the school days...it totally kicks a** when you find out in the a.m. that you don't have school, but it sux when ya gotta make em' up lol!

Update: @1945HRS, Car 2393 reporting all remaining Port Chester units going 10-8 from Deer Run.

Great job Seth, way to go!!! I know you've worked hard and long for this, congrats man! Best of luck to you!

***Spaghetti Dinner***

Date: Saturday, March 20

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Buchanan Firehouse, 3159 Albany Post Rd.

On Saturday, March 20th, the members of the Buchanan Engine Company will be holding a spaghetti dinner to benefit the victims of the January 18 structure fire at 142 Bannon Ave. (Bannon Avenue Apartments). All proceeds will go to the victims, including Buchanan Firefighter Gerry Grant, who lost everything in the fire.

Ticket prices are as follows: $15 for adults

$5 for children under 12

50/50 Raffle tickets will also be sold for $5 each

This will be a fun night with good food and friends and even better, it is for a great cause! Many people lost everything that night and there were many young children living there, so any contribution would be greatly appreciated!!!

For tickets, call (914)737-0334 and leave a message for Bobby Outhouse w/number of tickets you are requesting and a call-back number.

*Also, a car wash will be held April 3 @ the Cortlandt Community Ambulance Corps, Kings Ferry Rd./Albany Post Rd., Montrose to benefit the fire victims! Keep your eyes open for further info!

Thank you,

Michael Swankie (BFD1054)

2nd Lt. Buchanan FD

Ahh, thanks everyone, i really appreciate it!!! Chris, i remember you saying something, but i never heard a definate, no big deal, hope you're doing good with it! I had heard there would be a class at Mohegan FD HQ, then Peekskill VAC, but i never heard any more, but thanks! And test me all you want, that is the purpose lol. Its been awile for me, i have been out of the EMS loop for quite some time now, so i am a little nervous. I have always wanted to get EMT certified though, so i'll have to suck it up and hope for the best. EMS is becomming a big part of the fire service and my dept does a first-responder system for EMS calls, so it would definately be a plus for me to have EMT. Plus i can become more active at the VAC lol. Anyway, thanks everyone, i appreciate your quick responses! BFD1054

Date: 03-03-04

Time: 1508HRS-1618HRS

Location: Bear Mountain PKWY @ Carhart Ave. (City of Peekskill)

Frequencies: 460.100(PPD), 453.225(PFD) & 46.26(FD Dispatch)

Units: Peekskill PD Cars 254, 255 & 250(Supervisor), Peekskill FD E134, Cars 2341, 2343 & 2347(Dr. McGurty), Peekskill VAC 75B2 & 39M1(PFD Medic)

Description: At 1508HRS, Peekskill PD dispatched Cars 254 & 255 to the BMP @ Carhart Ave. for a reported 10-17(PIAA), reported serious w/roll-over. At 1509HRS, 60-Control dispatched above mentioned units to this incident. 1523HRS-PPD Car 255 requesting 3 tows(all flatbeds) to the scene. 1530HRS-PPD 255 requesting 1 out of the 3 tows be cancelled. 1618HRS-Car 2343 advising all Peekskill FD units going 10-8/10-2 from the BMP.

Writer: BFD1054

If anyone knows of any upcomming CFR or EMT courses in the area, i would greatly appreciate any info! I myself am looking to get into an EMT or CFR class and i know some guys from my department have also showed interest in entering a class. Any info would be apprecaited!

BFD1054

I feel that this is a tough topic. As far as FD's go...in my department(Buchanan), you can join at age 16, but must complete Basic & Intermediate and pass a department "active test" before you are considered an "active-firefighter." Our "probies" are issued pagers because they are allowed to respond to calls as "exterior-only" status. There is no "junior member" status in our Dept, so you go from "probationary active" to "active." In this case, i feel that issuing pagers is ok. However, our members, "probie" or full "active" are not allowed to respond to calls while they are supposed to be in school, which i also agree with. It may sound lame, but education is way too important to waste! As far as my junior VAC experiences go...I joined Peekskill VAC when i was 14. I have previously stated my experiences in other threads. When i turned 16, i became a NYS-Certified First Responder(CFR), but i was still considered Youth Corps until i was 18. Senior Corps members got portable radios and that was it, no pagers or radios for Youth Corps. I rode calls as an attendant while i was "on-duty" only, so there was no need for me to have a pager or radio. The only time i handled a radio as Youth Corps status was on scenes using the rig's portable or mobile radios. When i turned 16, i also joined Cortlandt VAC as Youth Corps status. Cortlandt VAC does not have in-house "duty-crews" so members respond to the rig and scene. Although i was in the Youth Corps, i was a NYS-CFR, therefore a legitimate attendant, so i was issued a pager, portable radio and call number to sign on with. When a call came in, i would sign on through 60-Control and advise them that i was an attendant en-route to the rig. So in the case of Cortlandt VAC, i agreed with the issuance of pagers/radios. Again, just my 2 cents! BFD1054

Nicely put Seth! Just to add my 2 cents....As Seth stated, we can not and should not learn to rely solely on RIT/FAS Teams. Instead, we all must remember our basic training and take into consideration what guys did before RIT/FAS Teams were established/created. RIT/FAS Teams are simply a "safety-net" that can be put into place in needed. Firefighters shouldn't just have this picture in thier minds that if they get jammed up they should just lay there and wait for the RIT/FAST to come to thier rescue. We all need to go back to the basics and feel comfortable in ourselves and our training so that if the stuff hits the fan, we can hopefully help ourselves and not totally rely on the RIT/FAST. Yes, it is a great asset to have a team there if we need them, but its also great to feel confident in ourselves. For anyone who has never taken it, i strongly recommend taking "Firefighter Survival." It is an excellent course that is based on FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka's "Staying out of Trouble" and "Getting out Alive" seminars. The course is offered quite frequently at the WCFTC, usually on Saturdays. If i remember correctly, the course is one day and is only 6 or 8 hours. You spend a few hours in the classroom and the rest is all hands-on outside. Its a few hours of your life that may very well save your life one day! Just my opinion! BFD1054