Bnechis

It is very dangerous to use a "standard" vac truck to rescue a trapped worker.

When we use Con Ed's trucks we have extension tubing (which also gets the vehicles noise, weight and vibration away from the trench) but of great importance it has a safety break. Without one you should never be in the trench with one...very dangerous to the victim and rescuers..

In the Rye incident, we used both Rye's and ConEd's. Rye's was on scene well ahead of all mutual aid. Was way to close to the trench and luckily it did not cause the trench to collapse.

Also Con Ed sends at least 2 trucks, because once filled its out of service till it can be dumped and depending on location this may take some time. By using the extensions the truck can be released easily to go dump. Rye's truck was pinned in, so if it needed to dump it would not be able to.

As far as cost ,our ambulances are nothing like the ones on the road here in westchester

That's true, the ones in Westchester are still toning for any available driver

We use FireRMS (Vehicles & Equipment module) as provided by DES with a cheap handheld scanner.

my guess would be an awesome warranty and a butt load of spare parts would account for much of the difference in price.

They do that with the fire apparatus fleet

It came with my 2014 Honda CRV.

I do not know if the PD can track it, but it reduces my insurance and if stolen and not recovered LoJack claims they will cover me anyway.

As a former Union rep, the clear answer to those in charge would be, "Who are we supposed to protect? The people who pay our salaries directly? Or the people who have their protection through a jurisdictional agreement because they cannot staff their own full time department?"

Isn't Rye Brook paying PC which in turn pays the salaries (of the few remaining firefighters)?

I only know of Mount Vernon for sure and I think I heard Yonkers.

Neither use the county test or list

whats the Con Ed Wrangler used for?

Fun

Neither one is a MERV. They are both METU's (Medical Evacuation Transport Unit)

The same UASI grant was used to purchase both.

Technically that is correct, except Yonkers upgraded there's to be equipped very similar to the FDNY*EMS MERV's.

Great that they are replacing a 39 year old (donated?) engine.

What is sad is that the Great State of New York with a $136.5 BILLION dollar budget needs a grant to replace this engine. It should have been replaced 20 years ago. Shows you how high a priority fire service training is in NYS.

I know I live all the way here in Ohio but wouldnt it be part of a combined NY State EMS Task Force .....Please dont kill the unknowing one. Here's the other part. Lets say train accident (yes folks those do happen) in say Dobbs Ferry wouldnt the Yonkers MERV and / or Westchester County MERV go. One could say that Yonkers has there own and needs to "protect there citizens". And then you have the Westchester MERV couldnt go well are you gonna strip ambulances all the way from Yonkers (Empress), Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Tarrytown, Ossining etc.

NY State EMS Task Force takes hours to deploy. Its designed for a regional disaster (requiring coverage), not an MCI (requiring a response)

Westchester does not own a MERV

Yonkers has agreed to provide its MERV to the region, as required by the grant that paid for it.

School nurses can sign RMAs in bus accidents as they are acting in loco parentis. Why not in this scene?

Many school districts do not allow this. I do not know what Yonkers policy is

A bigger question is why are 150 children being transported to a hospital for no medical reason?

I spoke with one of the ER directors this evening and he said they did not treat 1 of these children because none had been exposed to anything. But he did say that the care for actual patients in the ER was significantly delayed because resources had to be diverted.

Some one referred to the bus as a MERV, it is not, unlike the Yonkers unit the Westchester unit has not equipment, it along with the other counties did not set these busses up for MCI's. They were set up like giant ambulet to move stretcher and wheelchair persons.

Interesting how different Federal Courts are going in opposite directions, In NY they are forcing more regulations. Eventually the District courts are going to need direction from the Supreme court

Could it be its not in-service as of yet?

Last reports was it would be in-service soon

Its an in-house rule. It may require a change to their by-laws. But that is easy to do, if they want this.

It is the position of WCPD that they will no longer provide the resources that are available to all municipalities in the County? Such as K9, Aviation, CST, SWAT, manpower during large scale events, etc., etc.?

Are you asking if that is their position, or stating that is their position?

Lights and siren, with people riding on top? Are you kidding, this is not tradition, its just stupidity.

I know nothing about this department, other than this snap shot of how unprofessional they are and what a poor example they are setting for the members, the dept., the community and the fire service in general.

I am surprised that no one else is commenting on this aspect.

Fire Chief X, please tell the jury if their is a plaque on the vehicle stating "death or serious injury can occur from ridding on top or on the tailboard"

Same question to the driver:

Fire Chief X, (and Driver) Do you have a riding on top policy or a seat belt policy?

Why did you allow, why did you operate with members in such an exposed position.

Tradition is not an answer the jury will buy.

As the chief, you are risking your people and the financial downfall of the department. You may also have personal liability.

As the driver, do you know that if someone is killed in this stupidity, you may forfeit your home, your car and your salary for years to come.

In the city, I've found that cops have been more careful about parking in the vicinity of the fire building, lately. I recall having more issue a few years ago. Perhaps training and awareness has improved. Something seems to have worked.

I would say awareness has improved

Election year bill

Goes along with FASNY's latest call to the governor to sign the Volunteer Job Protection Bill. Which says a volunteer who responds to a state declared disaster can't be fired for leaving his job. What it does not tell you is 6 months later the employer can cut you for a host of other reasons and as long as he does not mention this, your done.

Andy is nervous and needs votes

WCPD took all of the Town of Ossining's officers including the chief who was made a captain.

If the County looses the contract then they should no longer need the personnel they hired from the Town of Ossining.

In theory these people should be laid off.

Depending on the deal and Civil Service Law they may not be able to. Also its been 4 years so at least the officers will be Sr. to newer hires. So they would not get laid off. if reductions are needed its last hired.

The bigger problem is the old homes that have had additions. You think its well built and it is, except that new addition.

And we expect the property owner will advise us....The property owner cant even figure out what jurisdiction he lives in, but he is going to know that he has got truss construction. Another feel good bill.

Main difference is the head of the County Police is appointed not elected

Doesnt surprise me at all........Everyones out to make a buck

But on the other side of the coin, a lot of fire departments hide behind: "we are the FD and we can do no wrong, and if we do we are protected from litigation"

I'm a little confused why anyone is concerned with the OT. County in general is a high-OT agency, so whichever agency gets the contract, OT is going to be significant.

Sounds like the concern is that with a smaller dept. the OT may cause officers to work way too many hours. Even their plan is that village officers will cover the town on OT. That sounds to some like they will work a shift and then when tired work another one in the town. Maybe less efficient.

When I have seen the Lohud County PD OT #'s many of those making high OT are in special units, which would not affect the Ossining coverage.

I guess it's cheaper in the long run to have it's own p.d. then to contract with county. It's all a bed of roses in the beginning we will save you money , but after time the price goes up because know we are in.

They should figure out a plan and stick with it. If they change now, are they going to renegotiate with someone else a few years down the road? I am sure disbanding a department, contracting with another, then switching a few years later will probably not be a good long term plan.

In 2010, Ossining town contracted with Westchester County police and saved an initial $600,000, though some were hopeful at the time that much more could have been netted.

A police merger involving Ossining town and its villages of Ossining and Briarcliff Manor had initial promise but did not proceed even though a consultant estimated the savings could be nearly $3 million.

The town was paying roughly $3.4 million a year for police, but cut its expense after contracting with the county to about $2.3 million a year.

Still out there is the town police headquarters built in 2005 on North State Road that is unused and now for sale at $3.5 million. The town owes about $3 million on the one-story structure.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2014/06/22/police-mergers-spending-case-by-case/11100709/

Now did the new contract proposal:

The county, which has been under contract to patrol the town for nearly four years, has proposed continuing the service for between $2.46 million and $2.7 million a year. The total cost of the four-year contract would be $10.3 million compared with $7.5 million to contract with the village.

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/politics/2014/07/18/ossining-weighs-police-proposals-village-county/12847425/

So why should the town go with the village? $2.8m lower cost in the proposal over 4 years. The big question is what level of service will be provided and can the village really provide the level they are proposing for the price they are asking?

So guess they don't like the service from County PD?

Or they think the village will save $$$