BFD1054

Wow, nice shots guys!
I first heard of this on Snews 12 last night (they reported a 5th alarm). 4th alarm in the Y-O, must have been some job!
From the shots the guys have shared, kudos go out to the YFD/YPD/Empress!
YFD did a hell of a job with what they were faced with.
Hope the Mayor and City Council were paying attention!

Not so used to the 4:30pm calls for a building fire...Got a little nuts for a few. We actually had an extra dispatcher in the 911 center because of a regular schedule overlap. FD got there quick, so did PD cars that were in the area and saw the fire. Great job containing it, those buildings might as well be attached because they are about 2-3 feet separated but usually it isn't somewhere you wanna go in between. Resources were requested quickly and efficiently, and we utilized the entire 3rd pct for street closures and crowd control as well as 1 2nd pct car. We had been busy lately in the evening, however it wasn't so bad after the fire was at a holding pattern, the usual callers stayed off the phones (amazingly!). Glad that no one got hurt. Although I was on PD 2, I was using the County M/A Trunked Radio to listen to the Fireground. When they resumed interior ops, I heard them talking about 3 feet of water in apts on the top floor and the necessity to drain it. I have never seen this condition, but can imagine that would be one of the top reasons buildings collapse during fire. 3 feet is a small pool, unless it is in a 100 x 100 OMD's top floor no? I'm actually not sure of the dimensions of the building, but it seems it could be at least 75 x 75. Like I said, Good job to both departments and thanks for the help with the M/A 60. Happy Birthday Chief! And now, I gotta get going, taking my son Matt to see the YFD SOD stuff.

We had daily apparatus reports that included everything, even counting the hose-straps. Sometimes it felt silly, but for an apparatus operator, there is no better way to memorize and stay refreshed as to what and where everything is on the rig.
Daily reports should include checking the SCBAs, turning them on, checking the PASS alarms, the booster tank level, changing the portable batteries, putting the rig in pump, inventory all the equipment, run and top off or charge all power tools, check the fluids in same.
Truckies should get the stick up, daily, even/odd days, weekly, at some regular intervals.
Weekly reports should include checking ALL lighting; down to the turn signals & brake lights, fluids in the motor, the tire pressures, condition of the belts, radio checks with dispatch (including portables), and bleeding the air-brakes.
It comes down to detail. You can put it all too paper and provide the guidelines, but it's still up to the conciencious firefighter to do the extras; like checking the tension on a saw blade and making sure it is ready to go. Cleaning the gauges in the dashboard and on the pump should be done regularly, but not neccesarily put on a check sheet.
Edit: Can't forget to put the Hurst tool in MPO, or start the portable motor, fuel it, and charge the hydra-lines and make sure the individual tools are functioning properly.

Nicely put George and thanks for sharing the pics.
DC Wraftery, thanks for sharing that piece of history. However, it seems to be just that, History. You dont see too much professional courtesy much anymore and thats a shame for you guys. But as you said, it looked good on paper, until you read the "fine print."
I had gone to the NYC parade for years. Whether i was skipping High School to attend or in recent years using a personal day to get out of work lol. I must say, theres nothing like it. For guys like me that worship the fire service, its an awesome time. Seeing everyone in their Class-A's shwoing their pride of not only Irish heritage, but the fire service as well. Its always nice when i get to see some of the guys i know from around here (hudson144), or friends from the FDNY, NYPD and Troopers. That has got to be such a proud feeling marching that route.
A couple years ago, we were just about to leave the bar, when all of sudden the guys from the Westchester Police Pipes & Drums came in. Needless to say, we stayed awhile longer and had a blast.

While there are plenty of times I am happy I was not being taped it is the world we live in. So lets learn frome others mistakes. At car fires like this there is very little to gain but much to lose. The dangers at car fires are extensive and the byproducts of a burning car are probably the worst thing we come in contact on a regular basis. Don't rush, wear everything, use the reach of the stream, and approach at an angle. There was a recent article in Fire Engineering by a member of the YFD which hit the important stuff in depth. I did say very little to gain because they are good for training new members. Your nozzle team gets to work as a team on air to put out a fire. Have the forcible entry team work as a team and get the hood (after the fire is knocked down and bumpers and struts cooled) with the irons (it builds team work with the irons).

The cool crisp air, your spiffy Class A, patent leather shoes, meeting up with brothers from all over, on the train into New York. Must be St. Patrick's Day. We used to have in the old By-Laws of our department that members had to wear their Class A to and from work everyday; but they got to ride on the trolley cars that used to cover the district, for free. Now that must have been a royal pain!
But now, the honor goes to you. Maybe the conductor gives you professional courtesy, a throw-back to the trolly days. Grand Central Station still takes your breath away as you pass through and make your way up to the "staging area." Hey, there's Ricky Lynch and the band! This day is such a wonderful celebration of the heritage of the old country, and the values brought through the ages, and proudly carried this day by the brotherhood. What a distinct honor to participate in such a great event!
FDNY

Westchester Police

Washington D.C. Fire Dept.

Emerald Society

10 days and counting!

You guys are hung up on the "Took a class on how to run a Fire Department" quote.
This quote originally appeared in the Journal noNews quite a while ago, and I believe it had a typographical error that was never retracted by the newspaper.
The misspelled word was "ruin"

Cutty, thank you for bringing this up.
Yes, a job well done by the men and women of 60-Control, as the last couple of days have been unusually crazy. There were many minor calls to handle (wires, trees down), but there were also plenty of MVA's, some serious, and even a few fires. As always, they remained cool, calm and professional throughout the madness.
I have dispatched in the past (PD & FD/EMS) and i know first hand how stressful it can be. Dispatchers really are the heroes behind the scenes and do not get the recognition that they deserve.
I truly like when i have to call 60 via landline for whatever reason. I always try to be polite and will usually joke with the guys i know (i.e. "hey, its Buchanan, our Truck-1, the tiller, is back in service"). They are a great group of people and true professionals.
Thank you 60-Control

Wow , I like that deal. In NY you just hear we are going to cut PD, FD, DPW, Board of ed, double the rates of Permits and oh yeah 9 1/2 percent property tax increase. Of course there is a load of other ridiculous increases.Sorry for the rant.Just had enough of the BS.

Good Thread Capt Benz
Here's a post I put out on a seemingly good thread that died rapidly. I thought it fit this thread as a fireground tip. Hpoefully, you are in a FD thata allows anyone to make this kind of call, and not have to wait for a Chief.
"Having not answered your initial questions. let me at least share a rule of thumb told to me many years ago by a FDNY DC. He called it the 20-minute rule and has always worked for me.

When do you call for a 2nd Alarm On Arrival?
More than 2 Windows
More than one floor
More than 20 min.
The 20 min Rule briefly explained:
More than 2 windows: For the most part, a single room will have one or two windows. Fire showing beyond that indicates that this might be more than your 1 alarm room and contents job.
More than 1 floor: Obviously, this fire is on the move and will require more resources than you have on hand.
More than 20 min: If you don't believe that the fire can be completely put out in under 20 min, transmit the 2nd. Why 20 min? Because that's how long a SCBA (and the hardworking person wearing it) will last. Without incoming manpower, you would have to stop work on thf firefight to rehab/refill.
And, while I'm at it, heres my own rule of thumb on SOP's, SOG's, and other rules of thumb:
1. Keep it simple. If it's simple, you might remember it under pressure. If it's complicated you won't.
2.Keep it flexible. Or else it won't fit your next incident"

Bring a hook
One of the first thing you hear on the radio right after the fire is knocked down is "we need a hook". As you get off the rig and you take your assigned tools, grab an extra hook or two and leave them near the door of the building before you go in.
Knife
Have you ever gone into your pocket to grab your knife only to find that either it is not there (because the firehouse fairy "borrowed it") or it is covered with tar from the time you used it??? Try carrying a razor blade, it's cheap (so it's less appealing to the firehouse fairy) and the blades are easily swapped out so you can always ensure that your will have a sharp blade.
I agree this is the kind of talk that should be on this site, not my truck is bigger than your truck bullshit.

I am asking for input for this topic. What I am looking for is a list of tips that we cant find in the books that work on the fireground. this could help everybody at sometime in thier career. No particular order at this point, if you have something share it with the rest of the crowd.
GROUND LADDERS
All ground ladders should be marked at the balance point for one man carries
Whoever has the Butt / foot of the ladder in a 2 man carry should anounce it so as you are approaching the building there is no confusion as to where it should be placed, and also so it cant get put upside down. That could never happen lol

Seth, good question.
Jim, nice points.
I must say that not enough people care. Hell, if I owned a house I'd make damn sure the hydrants were cleared. When I was growing up, I'd always shovel out the hydrants on my street.
I feel that it should be up to the property owner. After all, aren't there discounts on home insurance when you have a hydrant on your property (Bnechis am I correct)?
In the past during big storms, my FD has gone out and dug out hydrants.
Working in and for the Village, I'm fortunate enough to know where most hydrants are. If you know their locations, the snow shouldn't matter.
We have maltese crosses painted on the pavement pointing out hydrant locations. In my opinion, this is useless, especially during the snow. But even when the streets are clear, you can not see these until you're on top of them.

John, well stated bro. I couldnt imagine losing 2 brothers in the line of duty and then have the City reneg (sp?) on the locals contract.
Also, im also interested if the IAFF sets aside funds for these times? I would assume they do, possibly funds from union dues?
As always, well said Capt. Way to include facts and get to the point! If the City of Buffalo violated a union contract, which seems to be the case, then they should be responsible and pay. The issue should not be booze, as this was included in the overall catering cost.
Side note - The bar tab at my wedding was over $4,000 and that was just 130 guests . I wont even go into how much the rest of it cost.

I KNEW this was going to happen here, that members were going to "take the bait" that the City of Buffalo threw out to see where it would stick. Well if you bit into this ALCOHOL arguement, you've been BUFFALOED.
First, it is disgraceful that news organizations do not even do the DUE DLIGENCE to find out what happens after a LODD funeral; it's called a COLLATION, not a "reception", not a "party", nothing other than a collation, which is a religious term meaning "light meal." The term reception is reserved for happy occassions; like a wedding reception.
THOUSANDS of firefighters, career and volunteer alike, some from as far away as Australia attended two LODD funerals. The Union did the right thing in providing those members with a Collation, where brother firefighters, law enforcement, ems, all came together to commiserate, after standing at attention for TWO LODD funerals.
Ever been to a LODD funeral? Ever stand at attention for three or four hours? Then imagine this day, and doing it TWICE. Think you might want a bite and a brew, drink, soda, coffee afterward? Of course you would, so let's stop being ridiculous about this issue.
This is a simple case of a CONTRACT VIOLATION. The union has an ironclad, protected by LAW agreement with the C.O.B. which states, the city will pay the union $12,500 for a LODD funeral for expenses incured. Period. It doesn't say, "well, we'll pay for this line item or that line item", it says will pay for expenses. The City has violated the contract, the union has probably grieved the issue, this will be mediated, arbitrated, wind up in court, and the city will LOSE...and THEN PAY.
There are difficult and protracted contract negotiations between the city and the union right now. The firefighters and cops have marched on city hall, and many believe bringing ALCOHOL into the disscusion was merely an attempt to smear the union.
Let's please not get into who drinks what and where with who's 2% money or fundraising, etc. If you engage in that, you have been Buffaloed in this case.
No on-duty members imbibe at colations, period. The insinuation is thrown out to see where it will stick, and it landed right here on emtbravo, and you guys are missing the issue of a contract violation, and making judgements that you should not be making; whether "taxpayer's money" should be used for alcohol is a bogus disscusion. Corruption in gov't is rampant. Governors spend millions of dollars decorating their offices. Legislators are bought by lobbyists. Our tax money by the billions has been thrown at large corporations, who in turn have handed out RECORD BONUSES to their incompetent CEOs. YOUR money at work fellas. Where is the uproar about that?
Let us remember what we are talking about here, and if some locals like INIT's pay for their own expenses for an LODD funeral, well they obviously don't have a LODD funeral expenses line in THEIR contract, or they'd be getting reimbursed for it.
http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/84990367.html?video=YHI&t=a

Wow, thank you. One of the most honest & straight-forward posts I've read in awhile. Bravo & thank you.
It is funny that this topic is pretty quiet. Like many others, perhaps the truth hurts?
Chief Flynn, as always you bring up a great point/question.
I've brought this up within my department many of times until my face turns blue.
I'm lucky to get 5 or 6 guys at our weekly trainings. But some people seem more concerned that we only got 8 or 10 out for a parade. What's wrong with this picture? It makes me sick, its as if many of us have forgotten why we're here.
Hey, I'm all for having fun, but not when its at the cost of the communities safety.
Hey Chief Flynn, ill answer you....YES, many depts go to Lake George EVERY year. Most bring at least 1 piece of apparatus & most of their active firefighters.
Who's left to respond to alarms? Your guess is as good as mine. Mutual-aid? They're at the parade to.

Tommy, i still think youre a big bad guy . But seriously, nobody should "shoot the messanger" here. You bring up good, valid points as do most members who have already replied to this topic. As you said, the truth hurts sometimes...its the fire service, man up and get over it.
Ive said it before, ill say it again; im neither pro-volly/pro-career or anti-volly/anti-career. Tommy, i like the term "pro-service." We are all here to provide a service to the communities we serve. If for whatever reason, we can no longer provide such service adequately, then we need to do something about it.
Ive been in the volunteer fire and ems system for 11 years or so now. Ive seen alot of changes, some good, some bad. Training standards for vollies have increased, but are still nowhere near where they should be in my opinion. But its becomming more and more clear that volunteer agencies (fire & ems) everywhere are struggling big time. This is not fair, nor safe, for our communities or our members. The old days of "we do the best we can" and "we're only volunteers" need to be just that, the old days. This mentality needs to stop because people are going to lose their property and god forbid, their lives if this continues.
As for the volunteer system, we've talked about consolidation. Consolidation would be a step in the right direction, but still may not be the end all solution. I know guys are sick of me using the Tri-Village as an example, but its what i know. 7 pumpers, 2 Tower Ladders, 2 rescues, various utilities, "command cars," 9 chiefs, 3 captains and 8 or 9 lts. All this out of 3 stations protecting a combined area of approximately 20 square miles and averaging a combined 400-450 calls a year (thats not fact, just a round about number). We'd be much better off with maybe 3 pumpers, 1 ladder and one rescue and could do this out of 1 station. We could also eliminate many of the officer positions, all the while having a greater pool of officer candidates. As a combined dept, we'd have greater member turn-out to calls and in essence would most likely reduce response times. Eh, but what do i know, im just a young vollie from Buck-Town lol.
What i like about this thread/topic is that it has changed a bit. Some may recall the same issue/topic brought up regarding a fire in this same district a week or so ago. That topic got alot of attention and got some feathers ruffled. But what i like is that now there are vollies that are starting to see the issues and are contributing to this thread without getting uptight. Hey Chief Flynn, i think this is what you strive for, for people to wake up and see the issues facing the fire service. So bravo for getting many of the members here to wake up.
As for Mohegan, i will start by saying they are a good department, career & volunteer. Ive had the pleasure of working with them at calls as well as train alongside their career & volunteer members. However, as i said in the last Mohegan thread, they could use more career staffing hands down. They are just too big and busy of a district to rely on volunteers and limited career staffing.
Lets face it (i think the career guys will agree with me here), having 1 career member show up on an apparatus is just "smoke and mirrors." It is an unsafe and unfair practice for these career firemen to be riding solo to jobs. The public just sees it as "well, i called 911 and a fire truck showed up within a few minutes." They dont see that its just one guy hoping that others will show up. This goes for other combination depts as well. It is not the fault of the career members, because they do the job they were hired and trained to do day in and day out. But something needs to be done before someone is hurt.
alsfirefighter...dont quote me, but others have asked the same staffing question regarding Mohegan. I believe when they are "full-staffed" there are 3 career ff's at HQ (1 for the engine, 1 for the ladder & 1 for the rescue) and 1 FF at the remaining 3 stations. Thats a total of 6 career FFs on shift mannning 4 stations. I dont know about you, but those numbers dont add up to me.
Someone brought up better use of current career staffing. Ive tried in my head to see how this can be accomplished for a dept such as Mohegan. The only answer is to hire more firemen. Say there are 6 FF's per shift. Would you put 3 on an engine, 3 on a ladder? No, because they would still be understaffed and that would leave the other stations/apparatus unmanned.
On a side note: Westchester is one of the, if not the highest taxed County in this great nation. How is it that soo many States have County run fire and ems depts? LA County (CA), Clark County (NV), Miami-Dade (FL), Anne-Arrundel (MD), Baltimore County (MD) just to name a few. These are all County wide, County run depts that work! Most are 100% career, with the exception of some in Maryland and a few others. Why is it that Westchester couldnt accomplish this? Just something to think about.

I didn't say it wasn't a good stop...that was one of the troublemakers on here ( I know who he is and I can confirm that he is always up to no good) ...I'm nice remember??
I have no idea what actually happened at the fire. What members are questioning on here is a seemingly repetitive and systemic problem of being unable to provide an adequate and timely response of qualified firefighting personnel.
If it takes numerous departments to deal with even a private dwelling fire every time, why don't those departments just combine?

You're telling us that we should expect the departments involved to maybe "have a lil bit of a hard time getting the engine out" and that we should "try to factor in how many of these people are working, or dedicated to some other issue in their lives" and that we should "give them a breaK"????
This was a private dwelling fire. right? So, if we should be understanding of an initial lack of manpower arriving in a timely manner at this fire, I guess we are going to need to be extremely understanding when there is a public assembly, multiple dwelling, or God forbid, a school fire in this area at 2:30 in the afternoon, and the people potentially trapped inside these aforementioned burning buildings and in need of rescue will need to be particularly understanding people as well I guess...
Why not just take an opportunity such as this to admit that there is a problem and try to fix it? Consolidation, regionalization, perhaps strategic use of career staffing...or, just cross your fingers and hope it all works out, and hope that everyone just "understands"...

Date: 02-08-10
Time: 1430hrs
Location: 25 Young St. c/s Oregon Rd.
Frequency: 46.26/LMFD Ops
Units Operating: Cars 2268 (career Capt), 2261, 2260, E257, E258, L35, Peekskill FASTeam, Buchanan U12 (cascade), Mohegan VAC, NYSP, Putnam Valley FD W/(1) engine to the scene, Yorktown FASTeam, WCDES C&O Zone-4, Con Edison.
Weather Conditions: Cold, windy
Description Of Incident: Working Fire
Reporters:
Writer: BFD1054
1430hrs-E257, E258, L35 dispatched to above address for the possible structure fire.
1433hrs-E257 on location advising smoke shwoing.
1434hrs-E257 advising confirmed working fire. Car 2268 requesting 1st alarm assignment.
1435hrs-E257 requesting E258 to grab a hydrant. Car 2260 en-route.
1436hrs-Lake Mohegan re-toned for the working fire, Peekskill FASTeam to the scene, Mohegan EMS to the scene. Car 2261 responding. Car 2268 on location.
1437hrs-Buchanan FD dispatched; request for Utility-12 (cascade) to the scene.
1438hrs-E258 requesting a re-tone for additional manpower. Car 2261 requesting Putnam Valley to the scene with an engine and manpower.
1444hrs-Car 2268 advising Car 2261 that they will need Peekskill's FASTeam to go to work, they will need a 2nd FASTeam. Car 2261 requesting a 2nd FAST.
1445hrs-Car 2261 on location. 60-Control dispatching Yorktown FD; request for their FASTeam to the scene.
1451hrs-Car 2261 requesting a progress report from interior crews. Unit advising that they are opening up the ceiling at this time.
1453hrs-Car 2268 requesting roof ventilation.
1533hrs-Continental Village requested to re-locate (1) engine to Mohegan's Hollowbrook Station - Oregon Rd.
1534hrs-Montrose requested to re-locate (1) engine to Mohegan's Furnace Woods Station - Croton Ave.
1535hrs-C&O Zone-4 Unit 1404 en-route.
1540hrs-Montrose FD Car 2271/E121 re-locating.
1552hrs-Car 2261 placing the fire under control.
1725hrs-Car 2261 requesting Town of Cortlandt Code Enforcement & Water department to the scene.
1726hrs-Car 2261 releasing Yorktown & Buchanan, holding all others.
1747hrs-Car 2261 releasing Peekskill.

Date: 02-08-10
Time: 1430hrs
Location: 25 Young St. c/s Oregon Rd.
Frequency: 46.26/LMFD Ops
Units Operating: Cars 2268 (career Capt), 2261, 2260, E257, E258, L35, Peekskill FASTeam, Buchanan U12 (cascade), Mohegan VAC, NYSP, Putnam Valley FD W/(1) engine to the scene, Yorktown FASTeam, WCDES C&O Zone-4, Con Edison.
Weather Conditions: Cold, windy
Description Of Incident: Working Fire
Reporters:
Writer: BFD1054
1430hrs-E257, E258, L35 dispatched to above address for the possible structure fire.
1433hrs-E257 on location advising smoke shwoing.
1434hrs-E257 advising confirmed working fire. Car 2268 requesting 1st alarm assignment.
1435hrs-E257 requesting E258 to grab a hydrant. Car 2260 en-route.
1436hrs-Lake Mohegan re-toned for the working fire, Peekskill FASTeam to the scene, Mohegan EMS to the scene. Car 2261 responding. Car 2268 on location.
1437hrs-Buchanan FD dispatched; request for Utility-12 (cascade) to the scene.
1438hrs-E258 requesting a re-tone for additional manpower. Car 2261 requesting Putnam Valley to the scene with an engine and manpower.
1444hrs-Car 2268 advising Car 2261 that they will need Peekskill's FASTeam to go to work, they will need a 2nd FASTeam. Car 2261 requesting a 2nd FAST.
1445hrs-Car 2261 on location. 60-Control dispatching Yorktown FD; request for their FASTeam to the scene.
1451hrs-Car 2261 requesting a progress report from interior crews. Unit advising that they are opening up the ceiling at this time.
1453hrs-Car 2268 requesting roof ventilation.
1533hrs-Continental Village requested to re-locate (1) engine to Mohegan's Hollowbrook Station - Oregon Rd.
1534hrs-Montrose requested to re-locate (1) engine to Mohegan's Furnace Woods Station - Croton Ave.
1535hrs-C&O Zone-4 Unit 1404 en-route.
1540hrs-Montrose FD Car 2271/E121 re-locating.
1552hrs-Car 2261 placing the fire under control.
1725hrs-Car 2261 requesting Town of Cortlandt Code Enforcement & Water department to the scene.
1726hrs-Car 2261 releasing Yorktown & Buchanan, holding all others.
1747hrs-Car 2261 releasing Peekskill.

I dont know squat about this incident, tankers or Banksville. But Slayer, as for the whole "1st alarm" quetion; unfortunately, each (volunteer) department arranges their assignments to be put into the CAD at 60-Control if they so wish. I say "unfortunately" because nothing is streamlined and each departments alarm assignments can be greatly different. It can be a great advantage to set up your alarm assignments this way. This way, the IC knows exactly what he/she is getting when they call for a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc alarm.
For example, a 1st alarm in Buchanan is a full-dept response from Buchanan, Ladder from Montrose, Engine from Verplanck, FASTeam from Croton and Cortlandt VAC.

Im gonna agree with the majority of members here; i vote NO to censorship. This is the great U S of A and we should ALL be entitled to our opinions.
Ive been a member of this site for a long time (i believe one of the first 100) and have seen a lot of good and some bad over the years. But one of the good things is that people can come on hear and speak their minds like adults. As others have said, if ya cant take it, walk away from the computer. Or, deal with it and add to these great forums in a positive way. Back-up your posts with some good, solid information.
Hell, ive fallen prey to the back-and-forth bickering over the years. But ive learned to take a deep breath and get over it. Its been said already, but you must have thick skin in the buisness of fire, ems & pd. Thats exactly the way it needs to be on here as well.
I have reached out to several members via PM to "hash out" our differences or further discuss issues or topics. There are guys on here that have picked at my posts and we've had some words. But after going out of my way to shoot them a PM, it usually gets squashed and usually ends with a "thanks" or "take care." Actually, theres many guys on here that id love to shoot the crap with (even non emergency service talk) over a cold one anyday. Many of us could probably have a good time and a few laughs.

Im gonna agree with the majority of members here; i vote NO to censorship. This is the great U S of A and we should ALL be entitled to our opinions.
Ive been a member of this site for a long time (i believe one of the first 100) and have seen a lot of good and some bad over the years. But one of the good things is that people can come on hear and speak their minds like adults. As others have said, if ya cant take it, walk away from the computer. Or, deal with it and add to these great forums in a positive way. Back-up your posts with some good, solid information.
Hell, ive fallen prey to the back-and-forth bickering over the years. But ive learned to take a deep breath and get over it. Its been said already, but you must have thick skin in the buisness of fire, ems & pd. Thats exactly the way it needs to be on here as well.
I have reached out to several members via PM to "hash out" our differences or further discuss issues or topics. There are guys on here that have picked at my posts and we've had some words. But after going out of my way to shoot them a PM, it usually gets squashed and usually ends with a "thanks" or "take care." Actually, theres many guys on here that id love to shoot the crap with (even non emergency service talk) over a cold one anyday. Many of us could probably have a good time and a few laughs.