Remember585

This past Monday night, my Department conducted a "Firefighter Survival" training session. We set up four different stations for the members to complete. It was a simple drill that can be done almost anywhere, so I thought I would share it with all of you in case you might want to try it. 1. Hose line follow. At this station we made the members don full gear and scba w/ blacked out masks. We put them in a random spot, and had them find the line, and find their way out. The one thing we made sure of is that they could feel the coupliong in their gloved hands and figure out which way to go. The line was 150'. 2. SCBA refresher. This station put the members through the reduced-profile and quick-release manuvers. This too was done in full gear. 3. Mayday procedures. The firefighters again were put in full gear, SCBA and black masks. We took them through the building (3 story commercial - old psych hospital) and put them "down" at a random location. We then made them transmit a "mayday" over the radio. We made the members manually activate their PASS, bang their tools, and describe to the best of their ability their last known location & assignment, as well as their surroundings. The key to this station was to stress the importance of staying calm and managing their air supply. 4. Window eascape. This station was the toughest. We had the firefighters make a head-first retreat to an awaiting ground ladder, where they had to pivot themselves and lower themselves to the ground. This prop is already built at the Montrose VA (where we were). A safety line was in place by our resident tech-resq expert. FF's were in gear and SCBA for this as well. **DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WITHOUT PROPER TRAINING AND SAFETYS IN PLACE!** Overall, the drill was a success, and every member in attendance walked away with some new found knowledge or skills. I have more info if anyone would like.

I usually throw my pager and nextel in the back of my car as I'm throwing on my gear. If I do have it with me, I put them on the rig. I also carry a hard case to keep my glasses safe in the bunker pants pocket. Our new engine will have a lock box in the cab so the members can store their phones, wallets, etc. while at an incident. This will come in handy on mutual aid runs when the rig is left unattended for long periods of time.

Posted in the 9/2 - 9/8 Croton-Cortlandt Gazette. Notice to Bidders Bid No. 8-04 For Furnishing One Fire Apparatus (8 man pumper) The Village Manager of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. will receive sealed proposals at the Municipal Building, 1 Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. until 10 A.M. October 13, 2004 for the furnishing and delivering of one Fire Apparatus (8 Man Pumper). At the above time and place the bids will be publicly opened and read. The form of proposal and specifications will be available at the Office of the Village Manager in the Municipal Building, where copies thereof may be obtained by bidders. The Village of Croton-on-Hudson reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or parts of proposals, to increase or decrease the bid quantity or to waive any informality in the proposal, as deemed advisable in the interest of the Village. Richard F. Herbek VILLAGE MANAGER 914-271-4848 Dated 8/11/04 **Engine 119 is officially out to bid. Once the bids are in, I'll keep you all up to speed on the winner.**

A little off topic, but I once saw a guy with a sticker on his helmet that said "department a-hole." Who in their right mind would wear it unless it was a punishment by higher-ups?! My helmet has an Interior sticker, 2 american flags and a "585" on it.

Good point Hudson!

Do any of the NYS courses add up to a Connecticut FF I certification?

Croton has changed its tones because our "A" tone is not compatable with our Police desk radio console. The old "A" tone was a Zetron type tone - and doesn't work with the Motorola console. (So I'm told.) Until all of our pagers are updated, we will be using both. As for Hawthorne - I think they created an EMS tone and kept the old tone for FIRE - not 100% sure.

Speaking of PD gear / injuries... My father, a retired PD Sergeant, once told me about a story they were told during some training class about air-bags in cop cars. In one case, an officer had an accident, the air-bag went off, and the pen in the officer's pocket actually penetrated his ballistic vest. Kind of scary to think about....

We did away with our horns in the late 90's - much to the disappointment of our members. To this date, guys say we should bring them back so we can hear calls. One of the people who makes this comment lives OUT OF TOWN and out of range to hear it! We used to have the horns affixed to our Grand Street firehouse and Harmon Firehouse. We could hear them for miles. They were great, but were costly to repair, and if the PD used the wrong box code - then people would go to the wrong firehouse - oh wait - that never happened, because people HEARD THE LOCATION and APPARATUS ASSIGNMENT ON THEIR PAGER!!! Hate to do it, but I agree with ALS, they are not needed anymore.

This problem is also present in Westhcester County. The hilly terrain along with the large rock-cut areas makes it almost impossible to trigger every single pager. In certain districts this problem is severe. Some have tried upgrading to uhf radios, repeaters and voters. Does it help? For the most part yes, but when your equipment ages or goes down, you're back to square one. The idea of using sirens or horns isn't bad, but even in small towns (like mine) house sirens and horns are inaudible in some spots. We did away with the horns in the late 90's due to the cost of repair and to humor our public. We have house sirens which are used during the daytime and on General / Full Alarms at night. We seem to do fine without them - assuming our pagers still activate. We have put up a larger tower, but in a uhf link, changed our tones and installed new antennas - pagers seem to be activating almost anywhere - but now we are finding out we can't hit the tower from portable in many spots. THE SAGA CONTINUES, AS IT PROBABLY WILL IN ALL OF WESTCHETER AND PUTNAM.

I agree 100% with Resqstuff. Some communities have first response EMS on scene in minutes. BUT the transporting agency takes 10, 15, 20 minutes to arrive!! Is this acceptable? NO! We have all heard many, many times where an agency announces on the radio that "a full crew is enroute" or "call is covered." But is it really? If I am in need of immediate HOSPITAL care and my community's EMS is slow responding - am I going to get the care I need WHEN I need it? Let's not forget that some FDs also lack in their responses. Sure they get out the door fast, but how many FIREFIGHTERS are on scene able to do whatever task is handed to them? And how many times have we heard 60 Control tone out 2nd and 3rd requests for FD responses? "It's only an automatic alarm" doesn't cut it. Your community pays TAXES for a service we are all expected to provide. Politics will always ruin the potential of the Fire and EMS service in this County. Enough ranting - time to eat!

News 12 just had a story on a new sign at the Yorktown Firehouse on Commerce street. The sign is one of those LED signs that has changing messages. It has a screen for recruiting, indian point siren tests, terror alerts, and the weather. Looks nice. Here's the problem. It is in northern Westchester County. So naturally, all the "soccer moms" and "nothing better to dos" are bitching about it. "Its a distraction" they say. Know whats a distraction? People stopping in the middle of that intersection to talk to News 12!!! I love the sign Yorktown, good luck with it!! =D> Dear people of the Northern Westchester community, Get a life!!! If you got that much time and energy to spend in front of that firehouse complaining, go inside and fill out an application!! Sorry about the ranting, but I had to get that off my chest. #-o

Its been rumored that my Department has two Holmatro HCT3120 tools on order, one for E118 and one for E119. The tools are primarily for the use of the FAST to use in tight areas and locations where a portable pump unit may not be accessible. This will put a combi-tool on all three engines, and R18 will still have all the "heavy equipment." More info on this tool can be found here: http://products.holmatro-usa.com/details.a...hot&tid=HCT3120 If anybody has info or theories to share, please do. I am all ears.

A good topic - and something that tends to get overlooked from time to time. 1. When do you open the trunk? When dealing with a vehicle fire, it should be opened everytime. If we open everything up at a structure fire, we should do so on vehicle fires too. At MVAs, should be done to check for hidden dangers. Too many people are traveling around with hidden hazards in their cars. Not to mention those cars with the batteries in the trunk. Size-up is a 360 degree approach, why not do it at an MVA? 2. How do you accomplish this task? If we can use the release, thats the best way. I also have seen it done using the halligan's point in the keyhole, and when you strike it with the head of the ax it generally works. 3. Any new tools or unusual techniques you have? We carry two piercing nozzles which we can drive into the trunk area if we need to. The newest one is the Augustus Car Fire Tool. This is a great tool, but a good amount of training needs to be done on it.

According to today's Journal News there was one injured worker, whom was removed by Fairview FD and Greenburgh PD/EMS.

Croton's Washington Engine Co. No. 2 hopes to go out to bid in Mid-October for its new 1500 gpm / 750 gal Engine 119. Our Tanker 10 is nearly completed and should be back to us in the near future. Last report was that she is being painted and lettered. Engine 119's replacement specs call for a 10-man stainless steel rig, with a dual-stage 1500 gpm pump, 750 gallon tank, on-board generator and a total of 8 flood lights. Other features will be posted when I get around to doing it. NO MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CHOSEN OFFICIALLY THUS FAR.

Fireground channels solve a lot of this stuff. Too many people think 46.26 is the "Public Access Channel." Hats off to those Departments that switch to an alternate channel as soon as they begin an operation!

Dave - No SCBA? Or do you?! I'll just ask around.... Equipment I got is similar... Leather helmet - scissors and chock. Coat - Fire gloves, hood, rope gloves, folding spanner, another chock, 5 in 1 screwdriver, wire snips, seatbelt cutter, leatherman, window punch, knife, survivor light, roll of medical tape. Pants - 35' bail rope, 18' tubular webbing, medical gloves, gemtor harness. Also have a Vulcan light and my portable radio on me most of the time. Do I use everything? Not all at once, but yes it all has been used. Total weight? - can't go over too many county bridges. #-o

Date: Friday night, 8/6/04 Location/Route/Parking: Croton Avenue (133) to Route 9 to Main Street, ends at the Train Station. Step-Off Time: Step-of is 19:00 Best Photo Location: Main Street - across from L41 HQ. Other Information: Traffic is stopped on 133 & Rt. 9. Get there early, no carnival, usually a big parade. Contact Information/Website: May be able to get info at worldfiredepartments.com < webmaster is from OFD E98.

Date: August 13, 2004 Times: Writing (00:53) Alarm (21:45) Location: Croton - Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School (Larkin Place) Frequency: 46.26 / 46.04 No PL Units Operating: 2082 (IC), 2084, E118, E120, TL44, R18 Description Of Incident: Dispatched for an unknown fire at new school construction site. On arrival of 2082, found rubbish fire next to storage trailer. Crews used 1 3/4" line with foam to extinguish, forced entry on trailer to find extension within. Also used a 1 3/4" line of water to cool off surrounding areas and storage container. Multiple locks and chains were taken in order to gain access. Fire is under investigation. TL44 was available from scene, other units were committed for approx. 1 hour. Writer: Me

I think one of the best things that can be done is to educate our public on all the different skills we are able to provide, while at the same time recruiting new members.

DMA mentions the Phase One - that stuff is great. But we had our current Engineer use jewler's rouge a few years back, and even though he was black head to toe with the buffer's burn-off - it came out to a mirror finish. Only problem, it didn't hold up for long. The clear-coat idea is something I mentioned recently, and am thinking of trying on the non-walking surfacees.

What's the reasoning behind the additional Rescue Company? Is it being assigned to alarms just as the normal Rescues do?

60 Control originally dispatched the Croton FD & EMS for the MVA on Route 9 SB at the U-turn. On dispatch 2081, E119, 55B1 were responding. While enroute the incident was determined to be north of the given location. E119 arrived first, reported a traumatic arrest to incoming units. Montrose FD and Cortlandt EMS were dispatched accordingly. Further details as they are received from the press.... Units on location were; Montrose FD - 2271, 2272, 2273, E123, R51, Fire Police. Croton FD - 2081, 2082, 2083, E119, 55B1, R18 (cancelled enroute). Cortlandt EMS - 88B2 (Cancelled enroute) Cortlandt Paramedics - 39M2 (Peekskill Fire) Ossining Paramedics - 36M1 Peekskill Fire Police assisted with road closures. NYSP, WCPD, Croton PD all on location originally, SP handling investigation.

Not a bad concept, but do any of these rigs have pumps/water? At an MVA, the vehicle(s) involved may be damaged to a minor degree, however the fuels of these vehicles are flammable and/or explosive, given the right conditions. If every EMS rig in Westchester ran with hydarulic extrication tools, that would be great. But what about protecting ourselves? Having at least one handline in place in the event something goes wrong can't be overlooked. That's why I've never been a huge fan of Police ESU that do extrication without FD assistance - it could be a disaster waiting to happen. And let's not forget, people carry the oddest of things in their cars, some of these car accidents and even car fires we respond to everyday are a ticking time-bomb. Check the cargo EVERYTIME!