SRS131EMTFF

Sounds like we all are worried what happens in the firehouse gets put on facebook. If we are so worried that something bad that happens at the fire house lands there, well maybe you have a bigger problem in your firehouse that you should be watching and takeing care of.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20101022/NEWS02/10220381/Police-chief--Aid-rendered-to-wounded-Pace-students-in-3-minutes--students--lawyer-repeats-brutality-allegations

Donation sent, we are all here to fight for this, we will not be stopped....

Like I said in the other thread, check the egos at the door. I'm taking this from my end of the emergency services spectrum. I don't care how many halls you've crawled down, how many babies you've delivered,or traumatic arrests you've worked, how many high profile collars you've made. I don't care how many big ones you've worked on the radio. I don't care if you're paid, or pride is your paycheck. Be it a rockin truck company in Southern Westchester or a Vollie Trolley doing two runs a week. You're no different than me or anyone else.
We all have a common goal, and that's doing the right thing by our peers, and the people we have a sworn obligation to protect. There's always room to learn, critique, or just show off some pictures from our latest travels. Let's keep that in mind.
Here's my opinion on Facebook. There are some real despicable groups on there, that are much more worthy of the time and effort placed on the anti-Seth G crowd.(F the Troops, anyone??) Like it or not, the people who own these groups have every right to put forth whatever they want to say. We agree, we disagree, we think that person should be taken behind the woodshed, whatever. I have no problem with Facebook, as it has gotten me back in touch with a lot of friends from my childhood, high school years, and my military years. It also got me in touch with my girlfriend, who was a classmate of mine in elementary school nearly 30 years ago.(Although at first she didn't remember me and I had to point to our 4th grade picture to remind her who I was.)
In the little more than two years since I joined, I have been able to see and spend time with people who meant, and mean the world to me. Either in person, or online. I've shared in triumph, tragedy, and flat out silliness. It's not a bad thing, nor at times, is it a good thing. It's what you make it. You can use it like any other website out there, to your advantage. I use it, and this site, and a few other sites to my advantage. Just a little nugget of something to ponder.
Excellent point brought up about how your actions, positive or negative reflect on the department you are a member of. That includes Facebook. I have already seen what complaining about the mess that FDNY Communications has become can do. We had a page which was nothing more than a bitchfest about this that and the other. Things got posted, it got back to downtown, investigations were launched, and people got some stern talking to's and the page disappeared. If any of you have me on your FB Friends list, you know most of my work related posts are just saying I'm off to work, looking for some fun at work(which is in rare supply these days) and, every other Thursday, the famous line from Goodfellas, FU PAY ME!!!! There's a few pictures of me, off duty, and intoxicated, but hey, I'm 36 years old and I am allowed to drink. It all boils down to using common sense. What would you want your family or friends to see?? Secondly, do you want to put something up there that is going to bring discredit upon you, or the Department you serve?? Spin from Elmont makes a great point, people in this job have looooooooong memories. There's crap that I did when I was a probie, and a dispatcher, and a supervisor that has not been forgotten. One Aw poop will wipe out any Atta Boy's you've had.

I did a power point training with another member of my Dept. a few weeks back for one of the companies in my Dept. that lost a lot of senior members the past 5 years or so. They do not have that senior leadership to "crack the whip" so to speak and most of the company is younger and do not "get" the fire service as a whole to this point.
Some of the topics we brought up were if you associate yourself with an organization, like a FD, Paid or Volunteer, all of your actions, right or wrong, reflect back to the organization. From responding to the firehouse with your blue light and driving like an idiot, to wearing FD t-shirts, jackets in public and having your actions embarrass yourself and the FD. ( I once heard it said that firefighters should have a good set of party/drinking clothes...nothing that says FD anywhere on it!)
We discussed a new topic that we never had to worry about 10 years ago, the ramifications of posting on social networks like face book, and how far is to far. Fair or not all the negative stuff you do comes back to the Department, including posting certain things and being part of certain "groups". I would say most Departments do not have a policy in regards to face book or others of this sort, and it is your right to say what you want, but a line must be drawn at some point when your face book page has a large logo of your Department patch, but you are also posting negative statements about the Dept. or fire service in general. And this does not have to be about your own Dept., it can be comments about your neighboring dept.s. Even harmless jokes or an "inside joke" to a friend from another Dept.may be taken the wrong way by others of that same Dept. Stuff like this travels fast, and it's not just the young guys who are taking part in this social network. I have experienced this first hand, and stress to our new members to be very careful what you post.
News people are not stupid, if they get word of something negative about your Dept. they may search out a Dept. roster, most websites list all active members, and search individual members who may have a face book page. If you post the "dirty laundry" for all to see, you have just helped towards more negative publicity towards your dept. Not to mention if what you say is not the truth or "stretch the truth a bit", the news people will run with this and write about it.
It's very hard to enforce the "what goes on in the firehouse, stays in the firehouse" these days. These things could come back to haunt you later in your career as well. firefighters have good memories, a controversy you were part of when you were a rookie and could care less can come back and sabotage you as you try and rise through the ranks one day, both paid and Volunteer. To the young guys out there your proud to show and tell the world who you are and what organization you are part of, but think twice before you hit the "send", "join" or "accept" buttons!

A Jake is a New England, specifically Mass. term for a firefighter. Comes from the tool "J-Key" which was used in the Greater Boston area to communicate with HQ at automatic alarms around the turn of the century to WWII.

A Jake is a New England, specifically Mass. term for a firefighter. Comes from the tool "J-Key" which was used in the Greater Boston area to communicate with HQ at automatic alarms around the turn of the century to WWII.

Clearly you fail to understand how EMS in the rural areas often rely on licensed fire responders at all levels to begin care. Having started in a small rural community where the closest mutual aid ambulance was 20 minutes out, I can attest that having members properly equipped to assist patients is not a disservice of any sort. Aside from administering oxygen, bleeding control, assisting with EPI-pens, spinal immobilization, CPR and even defibrillation are often performed by first responders with success. Not to mention being able to assess the situation and ammend the response appropriately.

As the driver of SFRD Engine 1 this morning I just want to say that ALL precautions were taken while we were operating at a fully involved vehicle fire. The vehicle that was on fire was located in the breakdown lane of I-95 southbound. CSP had two patrol cars on scene , both with their emergency lights operating, both blocking the breakdown lane. As we approached the scene I positioned the engine approximately 75' short of the fire and at an angle that took control of the center and right lanes of I-95. CSP had also put out road flares to warn southbound vehicles of the hazard. Second due SFRD Engine 6 arrived shortly thereafter and also blocked the right two lanes of I95. During the incident the left lane of I-95 remained open and vehicle traffic was passing the scene at full posted speed limit (55) and at much greater speeds, in my estimation.  After extinguishment Engine 6 was clesared and Engine 1 remained on scene. The crash ocurred as the damaged vehicle from the fire was being loaded on a flatbed wrecker. The impact was immense! The tractor trailer continued down I95 approximately 600 yards after impact. Fortunately all three firefighters and our Officer were unhurt by the impact or flying debris. One of the CSP Troopers was hit by debris and was transported to Stamford Hospital for minor injuries. The tow operator was uninjured. The impact from the tractor trailer lifted the rear of the apparatus 1-2' off the ground and forward approximately 4'. The vehicle's maxi brake was applied as well as the rear tire being  chocked. All members were wearing high reflective safety vests over turn-out gear. The cab and trailer suffered signifigant damage as well. The SOG's developed by the SFRD concerning apparatus placement at vehicle fires DEFINATELY prevented injury to SFRD personel. <br>

Everyone seems to be avoiding asking the really one important question. Why did the FBI/DOJ think it necessary to test its (already) agents on what they are legally allowed to do in the first place? These are not the beat cops of yore. The majority have advanced degrees, indeed many are lawyers themselves, so it begs the question...why.
As for hiding behind the 4th amendment I don't have to hide behind anything, it is my right. Many of you might be unfamiliar with the Mc Carthy era. Many honest, law abiding American citizens were disgraced, ruined, forced to flee their country, and some even committed suicide. All because one man whipped the county into a frenzy of fear & distrust in the name of "National security" all of which, ultimately, proved to be false & unnecessary. The part of the Pledge of allegiance "one nation under God" was not part of the Pledge as originally written & "In God we trust" on $ are two remaining reminders of that time in our history.
As to living in post 9/11 America & the so called "Patriot Act" there are 2 final comments. 1.) Watergate would have never happened. The President could have (as he tried to do) classify the event under "National security" & he would have gotten away with what amounted to a petty crime. 2.) In present day, if you leave the country with your laptop (or any other electronic device Ipad, Ipod etc), upon your return the government may confiscate such devices for no other reason other than "suspicion" & keep them until they are ready to return them sometimes months.
I agree with the post which quoted Ben Franklin, people who give up their freedoms in exchange for greater security will get neither.

I don't disagree that LE can catch a bad rap from the media. But pulling the old "liberal media" line just cause we don't like a story diminishes the effect when a story truly is slanted. In this case, whether we like it or not, cheating is wrong, and the mere fact that the media is reporting what the DOJ has already found to be a fact doesn't do anyone any justice by blaming them.
We risk sounding like some of the pathetic politicians who get in the habit of blaming the press for merely reporting unflattering stories.

You make many good points. But the fact that it was an open book test is NOT a mitigating factor at all.
The purpose of an open book test is generally to test one's ability to find reference information. I.E. they need to look up a law. Do you know where to look it up and how to interpret it?
The article states that they were collaborating and had obtained copies of the answer key. I'm not going to make any more judgements or conclusions than that, because as you said, it shouldn't affect their ability to do the job, and they still have to get the job done.

Its hard to tell based on the angle of the photo, but if you look at the slope of the ground relative to the wall, height of the windows on the first floor relative to the ground, and the slope of the driveway in the bottom right corner it looks like the backyard slopes down from the A side to the C side. If that actually is the case, then I would be willing to bet if there is enough room for a door in the back to go outside it would be on the ground level. If that is the case then it is entirely possible that that area could have been converted into an occupied basement apartment which would have a kitchen. Like mentioned above, it doesn't have to be a full apartment to have its own kitchen.
Could be one unit in the basement, one unit on the first floor and one unit on the second floor attic storage area. It is very possible the top attic section is occupied as well due to the size of windows and attic area itself, but there is just as much saying yes as no. I have been in buildings very similar to the one pictured, some have furnished, livable attic areas, others have insulation, rafters and floorboards as the only finishings.
Based on A side windows, apparent age of dwelling, neighborhood and location this is most likely a balloon framed OMD. OMD due to the aforementioned multiple utility meters. In being balloon framed, the fire could have very easily started as a kitchen fire in the basement, travel to the attic, seated and then begin to eat the house from the bottom and from the top.

First, one of the things I love about sites like this is that anyone of any age or background can get us up and talking about stuff. I think this is great and this is not a bad question. We should all be able to answer it. To rephrase it a bit, why put them on in the first place ?
Any call for aid probably trumps what the majority of citizens are out doing in their cars on a given morning. The ability to cross the yellow line, to use the oncoming lane, to not wait for 6 cars waiting for a light to change and then turn left,.....well, lights or sirens help us do that. Abiding by every traffic control device and waiting for every driver in front of us is using a lot of time that most drivers will gladly give us if they know we have someplace to go. Lights and sirens let other drivers know a vehicle may not be where they expect it to be and that that vehicle would like a little courtesy.
Lights and sirens are like any other tool, useful if used wisely and for an intended purpose. Light functions in a straight line. It is very useful for signaling oncoming traffic and moderately useful for signaling same direction traffic ahead [if the driver is using his rear view mirror for more than hanging fuzzy dice]. Lights have no effect on traffic that is not direct line of sight.
Sound MAY--and that's a huge 'may'--- signal drivers not in line of sight. Physics here is key and I will skip the details unless people really want me to dig it up, but given sight lines in intersections, sound proofing in cars, reaction time of sober adults, and speed through intersections------- 10 to 15 miles an hour is as fast as a vehicle RLS can enter an intersection against a stop sign or red light. And that is if no one is texting.
So for me, lights [and much less often, sirens] is a way to say, "Excuse me." and move to the head of the line , but it doesn't mean one has to significantly increase speed. And if one does increase speed to the point that one outruns the usefulness of the lights and sirens, then that person is begging to have a collision for which that person will be responsible,and which will significantly increase response time for that call.
So, yes light and sirens are an essential part of the conversation that emergency vehicles have with other vehicles out on the road. But that conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. Lights and sirens in no way give us the right to be aggressive with or disrespectful to other drivers.

Goose, thank you for remembering the EMS personnel from that day.
Remember the Fallen, not how they died, but how they lived and served.

I hate to start another light thread at a time like this but....
N.Y. Passes New Emergency Light Law
http://www.firehouse.com/topics/firefighter-safety/ny-passes-new-emergency-light-law
Blue lights now allowed on NYS apparatus that also has red/white lights.

Wireless would be 1000x better. That way you are not tethered to the rig, the cords only allow you to get so far from the rig. In a large piece of apparatus like the ladder shown, being farther back where the LCC can see you is a much better idea than being 5 feet tops from the back of the rig where they may or may not be able to see you. Just my $0.02.

second that.

Captain, we all grieve for the loss of the brothers fallen in CT, VA and elsewhere but we can not forget that life goes on. We must constantly learn from the events, tragedy and lessons of actions both past and present. We can not stop learning just because it hurts too much, or it is too soon.
I choose not to "chill on this thread" because we too must learn from this video as if it were a NIOSH report. We must take the lessons learned and apply them to actions both present and future.
The individuals in the video this thread is based on risked their safety to extinguish what, a tractor-trailer truck cab with limited life-safety except those individuals who choose to unnecessarily risk their own safety. That sir contains a lesson if you ask me. That lesson is risk a little to save a little, risk a lot to save a lot. Those pictured in this video risked a lot to save something that was going to the dump the second that fire started.
I am sorry if this offended you, but we can not let the lessons of this video escape us.

Captain, we all grieve for the loss of the brothers fallen in CT, VA and elsewhere but we can not forget that life goes on. We must constantly learn from the events, tragedy and lessons of actions both past and present. We can not stop learning just because it hurts too much, or it is too soon.
I choose not to "chill on this thread" because we too must learn from this video as if it were a NIOSH report. We must take the lessons learned and apply them to actions both present and future.
The individuals in the video this thread is based on risked their safety to extinguish what, a tractor-trailer truck cab with limited life-safety except those individuals who choose to unnecessarily risk their own safety. That sir contains a lesson if you ask me. That lesson is risk a little to save a little, risk a lot to save a lot. Those pictured in this video risked a lot to save something that was going to the dump the second that fire started.
I am sorry if this offended you, but we can not let the lessons of this video escape us.

Captain, we all grieve for the loss of the brothers fallen in CT, VA and elsewhere but we can not forget that life goes on. We must constantly learn from the events, tragedy and lessons of actions both past and present. We can not stop learning just because it hurts too much, or it is too soon.
I choose not to "chill on this thread" because we too must learn from this video as if it were a NIOSH report. We must take the lessons learned and apply them to actions both present and future.
The individuals in the video this thread is based on risked their safety to extinguish what, a tractor-trailer truck cab with limited life-safety except those individuals who choose to unnecessarily risk their own safety. That sir contains a lesson if you ask me. That lesson is risk a little to save a little, risk a lot to save a lot. Those pictured in this video risked a lot to save something that was going to the dump the second that fire started.
I am sorry if this offended you, but we can not let the lessons of this video escape us.

Captain, we all grieve for the loss of the brothers fallen in CT, VA and elsewhere but we can not forget that life goes on. We must constantly learn from the events, tragedy and lessons of actions both past and present. We can not stop learning just because it hurts too much, or it is too soon.
I choose not to "chill on this thread" because we too must learn from this video as if it were a NIOSH report. We must take the lessons learned and apply them to actions both present and future.
The individuals in the video this thread is based on risked their safety to extinguish what, a tractor-trailer truck cab with limited life-safety except those individuals who choose to unnecessarily risk their own safety. That sir contains a lesson if you ask me. That lesson is risk a little to save a little, risk a lot to save a lot. Those pictured in this video risked a lot to save something that was going to the dump the second that fire started.
I am sorry if this offended you, but we can not let the lessons of this video escape us.

Doesn't matter to me if they are firefighters or law enforcement officers they did a piss poor job of approaching that fire.
In fact it looks like both sides were in above their head on this one. What if the engine block was on fire and the officers with their lack of PPE were showered with sparks? Doesn't matter if they are cross-trained or not, last time I checked skin and a duty uniform were not burn proof.
In fact the firefighter is just as much to blame as the cops, re-watch the video, using the booster on a V12 tractor-trailer cab, allowing for opposing handlines operated by improperly outfitted individuals and also failure to use PPE when overhauling the engine compartment are huge no-nos in most places; and the firefighter should have known that a stopped all operations until all proper and necessary safety functions are in place. I also did not see one person with a SCBA on, that cancer thing that we all keep dying of, I wonder where it comes from, maybe the dozens of known carcinogens released during a car fire.
Like I said above, regardless of training or what-not. Both sides of the coin, FD and PD both endangered their health and lives by choosing to take short cuts and not following proper procedure. They are very lucky that no one was injured.

With all due respect to those "grieving", how are you making the connection between that incident and this thread? And, a little bit disingenuously I might add, as you posted several posts before invoking this.
And on an entirely different note, is it really that arduous to envision a "public safety concept" with cross-trained members. I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but I don't really think firefighting or law enforcement are of such an academic or unique nature that with motivated and determined employees, both positions could not be mastered. To assume otherwise really discredits members of both professions, in my personal opinion.

Captain, we all grieve for the loss of the brothers fallen in CT, VA and elsewhere but we can not forget that life goes on. We must constantly learn from the events, tragedy and lessons of actions both past and present. We can not stop learning just because it hurts too much, or it is too soon.
I choose not to "chill on this thread" because we too must learn from this video as if it were a NIOSH report. We must take the lessons learned and apply them to actions both present and future.
The individuals in the video this thread is based on risked their safety to extinguish what, a tractor-trailer truck cab with limited life-safety except those individuals who choose to unnecessarily risk their own safety. That sir contains a lesson if you ask me. That lesson is risk a little to save a little, risk a lot to save a lot. Those pictured in this video risked a lot to save something that was going to the dump the second that fire started.
I am sorry if this offended you, but we can not let the lessons of this video escape us.