x152

The City of Stamford (CT) has taken delivery of a new mobile command center/field comm unit.

The 37 foot command body was built by Laboit of Columbus, Ohio and is mounted on a GMC chassis. The body has a telescoping mast, generators, bathroom, kitchenette, conference room, and radio and computer work stations.

Purchased by the Stamford Public Safety Office, the unit will be housed and staffed by Stamford Fire and Rescue. Specific details regarding staffing levels and response protocol are still being evaluated. Purchased by Public Safety using Homeland Security funds, the truck will be made available to for any emergency/large event occurring within the City.

Link to picture (sorry for the poor lighting):

Stamford Mobile Command Post

Judging from all the stupid taglines most members have on here, I think there are too many young members who have no idea what's going on and have only heard one side of an ongoing dilema from the wrong people to have a real grasp on this whole situation.

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YFD - nice point! It is about time someone mentioned those ridiculous "extra-salty??" taglines.

Jason762 if you are in a combo department you are allowed to have the IAFF sticker since you work with paid guys.

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Is this your personal rule or could you provide some form of substance to your claim?

I would be interested in learning more about this?

Triplicate post 2 copies deleted, DOC22

Jason762 if you are in a combo department you are allowed to have the IAFF sticker since you work with paid guys.

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Is this your personal rule or could you provide some form of substance to your claim?

I would be interested in learning more about this?

Triplicate post 2 copies delet4d DOC22

This is the second such "thread" that I have witnessed regarding this problem. Although I do not doubt that your Department's apparatus may not be ideal, I am having great difficulty in understand your choice of "process" here.

I am not overly familiar with your Department, but I would guess it was run by a Chief/ Commissioner/Director.

Below that individual, there probably are numerous other administration types, who also oversee the daily operations of the Department.

I would also guess that you (as a career member of FDMV) are a member of Local 107 of the IAFF. The same organization that you state is not responding to your apparatus concerns.

However, I cannot fathom why you would choose to find a remedy on a general fire service message board?

A Union or Fire Department is not designed around any ONE person or their issues.

Again, I am not saying that you do not have some merit to your concern. But, I do wonder why both Management and Labor might have a different priority with regard to the apparatus.

It is possible that there are numerous factors beyond what you state or SEE on the surface. To run errantly onto a message board and vent your Department's problems might be construed by some as a bit petulant on your part.

If you want action from your superiors or labor agent, I would speak with them directly (or try outlining your concerns in writing).

All organizations have a chain of command (Labor and Management). Although, I am not an expert on this, but I would venture to guess that there are not too many organizations that have the EMTBravo Message Forums listed within their SOGs or By-Laws.

To do so in any other way, lessens the credibility of your argument and can be very counterproductive to you and your Department.

J762- The Statute in CT was mentioned under a different topic. For those who are interested in learning more, they can refer to Connecticut General Statutes 7-313e (Authority of a Fire Chief or Fire Officer at the scene of an emergency).

The law clearly gives the authority to control and maintain the scene to the Fire Chief or Fire Officer within the jurisdiction that the emergency occurs. (Ex: Accident occurring on I-84 in Newtown (the Newtown/Sandy Hook units would be in charge and not the CSP.)

Although the law in Connecticut for many years, this is not to say that local or State Police officials have not always followed the law. I can remember an incident similar to the recent "Jersey" arrest occurring on I-95 in the town of Westbrook (CT) about 15 years ago.

In our area of the State (Southwestern CT), we are fortunate to have a fairly well-run troop (G) that has a decent relationship with fire and this type of situation is usually avoided by mutual understanding of each other's responsibilities.

762 - Your other points about proper apparatus placement are noteworthy and valid, you must have been trained by a decent EVOC instructor.

For those of you who like the those bizarre colors, Branford (CT) still has a nice fleet of YELLOW rigs. However, the new E1 and M1 are now red/white and future orders will be as well.

As a former career FF with the BFD, I grew to like those yellow rigs and will be sad to see them gone.......

Seth:

Although I cannot tell you the year (Steve you are probably right on), this is an older unit for the MFD.

All new Milford deliveries are now in RED (Engines, Trucks, and Rescue/Medic units).

Most of the recent Fire units are from Smeal, not sure who is making the most recent Medic unit.

This type of case is unfortunately not new or isolated to the State of New Jersey.

I am not sure what State law in New York or New Jersey allows, but Connecticut has a law that clearly gives a FIRE officer the sole authority to make this type of decision at the scene of an emergency.

Ref: Connecticut General Statutes # 7-313e "The Authority of a Fire Officer at an Emergency".

I've been a firefighter for 14 years now and dealing with dumb people calling the dispatch center, I feel I need a break. Volunteers go 24/7 7 days a week w/o a break.

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The vast majority of the people who call the 911 center are taxpayers and 100% of them are CUSTOMERS.

No matter what amount of compensation that you receive in your service (paid,vol., call), we should all remember who (and more importantly) WHY we are servicing/protecting/helping/etc. others.

A wise Chief once told me "we do not decide what the emergencies are, the customers do....."

Although there are plenty of times that my company responds to less than exciting requests for service, the person who was calling thought their problem was worthy of a second opinion (ours). Sometimes just our presence and and listening is all that is required, sometimes it is more..

As far as volunteers running 24/7/7....as a former resident of your area....I do not remember there being that type of constant activity....but then again I do work 42 hours (or more) per week for my employer and may have missed something.

As a current (part-time/multi-year) student at UNH, I would highly recommend the school.

If your long-term goal is for a career in a municipal fire department as a Fire Fighter or Fire Officer, then you should consider UNH's Fire Department Administration program. Not to knock the other programs, but they differ from what will be most relevant in preparing you for your career.

As someone has already recommended, a trip to the school to sit-in on lectures, speak with students or faculty, and visit the facilities would be a good idea.

The downside of UNH is the cost, the tuition is high and can be a deterrent for some. Good luck.

Date: November 22, 2006

Time: 15:30

Location: Area of 200 Soundview Road

Frequency: 46.060

Units Operating: Guilford Fire Units, State of CT Decon Trailer and Support Tractor, Connecticut DEP, Guilford PD, Mutual Aide

Description Of Incident: MC308 Tanker Rollover with approx. 9000 gal. propane onboard

Writer: x152

Guilford Fire units are operating at the scene of a tanker truck rollover on Soundview Road. The truck is reported to contain approx. 9000 gal. of liquid propane. Nearby residents and business' have been evacuated. A second tanker has been brought to the scene to load product from rollover tanker.

48 hours with the "dentist"........ ouch!!!!! Thats' a lot of drilling........

24/72 is definitely better than "10/14" or the "3/3", but it is not an oasis of perfection (is there such a thing?)

Like any change, there are pros and cons; but for the most part, a better way to go.

Most of your State Associations (or any of the Locals who have been through a recent change) should be able to provide the materials and Power Point with the info.

got it now.....thanks for the clarification........

My offer for the boat just dropped to $750

Stamford T2 is a 1999 70' Sutphen tower (demo) that had the "bucket" removed prior to delivery in 1999. There was also a 500 gallon tank that was removed and replaced with a 300 gallon tank prior to delivery.

It is presently being replaced with a 2006 HME (see photos on main page) and its fate has been undecided.

The short ladder was not suitable for our needs, but may work well in the right community.

And as stated above, a Sutphen is far from the quality of a Pierce.

Apparently two of the guys died. What an absolutely mindboggling and senseless tragedy.

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What information do you have to support this statement?

We have seen (and discussed at length on this board) this senseless video on several previous occasions.

Your information would be the first time that we have learned that the two "heros" (shown entering) perished as a result of their "bravery" in saving the conflagration at the **FD former child safety prop house (also known to be vacant at time of fire).

Previous information reported that the PPE protected these dopes from significant injury. Perhaps something has changed?

Any truth to the following rumors regarding SFRD aerial apparatus?

Current T-2, sutphen 75, would be outfitted with a bucket and offered to Belltown to replace TL-45. Current T-4 Mack 109' fire spire would be traded for Glenbrook L-31 to improve SFRD reserve fleet. Both heard from fairly reliable sources, any SFRD members with info?

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Your sources are pretty good (except for their taste in baseball), but BFD declined the offer for the 75' stick (it did have a bucket when it was originally purchased as a demo and removed prior to final delivery to Stamford).

GFD has looked at the truck and it has been 'test-fitted' into their station, but no final word as of yet. GFD was on schedule for a new Engine 34, but was moved back when problems with the current SFRD E2 required its accelerated replacement. The 75' Sutphen would allow a temporary fix to Glenbrook's apparatus needs.

L31 was in the mix as a reserve swap for the City and would be a fantastic replacement for the Mack/Hahn.

is there any thoughts about using it as engine 4 giving them back aerial capabiities and reassigning the current engine 4 to replace the 95 spartan general?

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No, Engine 4 will continue to use the original 2003 HME. The long range plan for Station 4 is for it to be moved to the Magee Avenue Mechanical Division location (the Mech. Div. would be moved down the street to the new City garage). When the new Station opened, it would also house the Rescue apparatus and personnel.

There is no time table for this and it could be several years off.

The 95 Spartan General is back from accident repair and has returned to service as Engine 2, however is is lettered as E12 in anticipation for its pending reserve apparatus assignment. The new HME for E2 (identical to the recent E3 and E6) is under construction and may be here by year's end.

The old T2 will remain in service for the next few weeks while training continues on the new rig. After that...?

Whats going to happen to Stamfords old Truck 2?  Is going to be reassigned or moved to another house? or sold off?

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The fate of the 1999 Sutphen quint is undecided at this time. There have been some offers to several other Stamford Fire Depts., but there have been no final decisions.

The truck when recieved was an emergency appropriation to replace a very tired 1973 Maxim, that no longer had a usable aerial. The 99 Sutphen 75' quint was a demo that was almost immediately made available by the manufacturer.

However, the 75' ladder has always been a problem with using the rig to its full potential (thus the reason for the recent replacement with the 109'). The Sutphen quint offers the benefit of a quick deploying elevated water stream, but was very ineffective as a climbing or rescue ladder.

The SFRD Truck 2 looks great, just wondering if any other area departments are using HME aerials?  I know I've seens other companies' sticks on HME bodies, but can't recall seeing one of their own ladders.

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The truck is unique in that the body was built by HME as part of their recent expansion into the "full" build Silver Fox line in the apparatus market. However, HME does not build the aerial.

To my knowledge, there are few RK aerials in the area. They are used often by General/Rosenbauer apparatus (and several of the other smaller builders).

Minneapolis (MN) has several that have recently entered into service as part of their latest generation rigs.

He is absolutely correct.  Philly needs to shrink the FD.........

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I'm not advocating stripping FD's of their manpower and compromising anyone's safety.......

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Well...which is it? You are not advocating that a Fire Department be stripped of manpower (also known as personnel/resources), but then you state that the Philadelphia Fire Department needs to shrink?

I am confused? Or.... were you suggesting that the City of Philadelphia only hire shorter or smaller Fire Fighters in the future?

On a related note:

5 Waterbury (CT) Fire Fighters were injured early Sunday morning when their truck was rear-ended by a Honda sedan. The rig was just pulling up to the address when they were hit from behind. The occupant of the Honda was also transported (unknown the extent of injuries).

I've always liked the Career guys who work in Combo depts. that are antivolunteer, but will volunteer in their own communities. One guy actually told me he does it because he gets better training than in the Dept. where he gets paid. Let's not foget all the Career guys who perform electrical, plumbing, and carpentry services on the side, who are not in these Unions and paying dues, but aren't ashamed to take these jobs away from those Union men that do! In my 23yrs. within the fire service, I have to honestly say, that I haven't seen too many so called true Union men. Many may think they are but in reality, they're nothing but friggin hypocrites. Once again, all decissions are made around the almighty do$$ar. Whether it's Volunteering in their own community to keep their taxes down and/or be eligible for a volunteer pension in the future, or working a Union related side job to supplement their Career FFs. income, but not actually be a union dues paying member within that trade or trades. Who are the real SCABS now?

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Here we go again.........same old.....same old..............

If my memory serves me....wasn't this post about the concern(s) of a member regarding what they thought was a very inappropriate T-shirt?

Thought so....... I guess it is not a surprise that the usual malcontents have now attempted their distortion campaign in an attempt to deviate from the original content (must protect the guilty and stupid).

Some brilliant minds have now chosen to enter the "who's a scab" debate when we should be talking about the "who's the idiot (or idiots) that would allow such a shirt to be made a worn at a town function."

By reading the earlier posts, most responsible fire fighters (notice the absence of "man" or "guy", this is the 21st century) responded with the same disbelief and concern over the content of the shirts. But, somehow we have been driven into the baseless anti-union rhetoric by those who want to mask the real issue.

Kudos boys, you have once again shown that no matter what someone who has the word "volunteer" in front of their name does, there must be some reasonable justification and the IAFF must be at fault (makes sense?)

Oh wait.....here comes the line...... "I saw some anti-volunteer flyers that were distributed by the IAFF one time while at a convention somewhere [unknown]......." this only evens the score.....

Nice try........it is going take a little bit more substance than that.........

The reality is that a bunch of juvenile imbeciles thought they could be cute and/or cool with these shirts.

I wonder if they put the same effort into training and response times (or are those issues not important?) "Yeah, but we sure got in a good dig at those PAID GUYS!"

Fortunately, they only made themselves look like a bunch of idiots (in this case......a picture IS worth a thousand words). One really has to wonder what kind of Department/Administration would allow this type of attire? Sounds like a real "proud, strong, and healthy?" organization......

I only wonder if they had the same animosity towards african-americans, women, jews, muslims, agnostics, asians, latinos, etc....... if the Administration of this Fire Department would have also allowed their public desecration as well?

Perhaps they are on the list for next year's shirts?

Woman Dies After Rescue Boat Sinks -

<< SPRINGFIELD, Vt. -- A Vermont woman died on Tuesday afternoon in what investigators said was a river rescue tragedy.

Virginia Yates, 60, of Rockingham, Vt., was boating on the Connecticut River between Charlestown, N.H. and Springfield, Vt. Friends said Yates was injured when she was walking up a dock, missed a step and fell.

Because the riverbank was so steep, the decision was made to take her to an ambulance by boat.

A rescue boat from Cornish, N.H., with four people on board went and picked up the woman to bring her to an ambulance waiting downstream.

The woman was strapped on to a backboard.

During the transport, the boat began taking on water and sank. Yates disappeared into the water.

"The boat swamped and the emergency personnel were unable to recover Miss Yates until some time later, and she's passed," said Sullivan County Attorney Marc Hathaway.

There were no other injuries. The rescue boat remained underwater on Tuesday night about 200 feet from shore. Investigators raised the boat on Wednesday morning and were trying to determine why it took on water.>>

Jay 762-

Tuff talk for a guy who drives a car that looks like a cockroach ..... .......

PS - as a Boston fan, I am used to this kind of torture........