firefighter36

The root word in Firefighting is not Fire- It's Fight. Train to fight, fight to win. Cancer and heart disease kill firefighters. We owe it to ourselves, each other and our families to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The root word in Firefighting is not Fire- It's Fight. Train to fight, fight to win. Cancer and heart disease kill firefighters. We owe it to ourselves, each other and our families to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The root word in Firefighting is not Fire- It's Fight. Train to fight, fight to win. Cancer and heart disease kill firefighters. We owe it to ourselves, each other and our families to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Actually what the run numbers mean is we have way to many rigs in Westchester covering 1 - 2 calls a day. And since most depts. can't properly many the rigs they have, all we are doing is fooling ourselves and the public.

Not everyone in MD, just Prince George's and Baltimore City... Haha
The majority of PG County is a low income area, especially after all the military families moved out and DC started being gentrified. Our Battalion borders Southeast DC, which is somewhere between Dodge City and Baghdad in terms of violence. Plenty of gang and drug activity in the county, I beleive during the 90's PG had one of the highest murder rates in America. Also lots of garden apartment buildings with no sprinkler systems, and just generally crappy building construction all over the place. It's not a nice place to live (with the exception of a few towns) but it's a helluva place to be a Fireman. Not too many other places where volunteers can get the fire experience you can get down here. (Or up here, in your case.)

Well guys after 43 years as a Port Chester Firefighter [ 18 years very active volunteer working at DPW then getting the dream job getting paid to do what I love to do this is my last day. It didn't end the way I wanted it too but away I go . I was fortunate to catch the war years when we went out every day for a job worked side by side with many dept.'s and made a lot of life long friends on mutual aid. I saw a lot of death and sorrow [ Gulliver's 24 DOA Stouffer's 26 DOA 9/11 world trade center ] and saved a few along the way but my greatest call was closing a large window [ life savers building ] for a 84 year old lady who was freezing because her window was open and she needed help. The next day she baked a apple pie for me and my partner. So I say good bye to it all and hope that I left a small mark somewhere. To my 2 sons that are following or trying to follow in my foot step's keep up the good work in this most rewarding profession . Good luck to the guy's that are left on my job and hope that thing's get better for you and the people we were sworn to protect.
Angelo Sposta [ Retired Local #1971 ]

Long overdue

Well, is still it a violation if they don't transport anyone? Can they get paid to just drive around in an area outside their CON? And if the president just happens to be driving in the same direction, on the same road, at the same time... and then he needs an ambulance and flags you down....? Is THAT OK?

I know that for me personally, the LOSAP program had no bearing on my willingness to volunteer. I joined when I was 16...I doubt many 16 year old kids are thinking about their retirement (I know for sure that I wasn't). The department that I was in gave $20/year up to 40 years of service for a Max-Out of $800/month. This isn't going to break the bank that's for sure. When I quit the department at 26, the last thing that I was thinking about was my retirement fund. It didn't even cross my mind.
There is one thing that it does accomplish. It results in a bunch of 45-60 year old guys who come to the firehouse after the rigs have left on the run to sign the call sheet so that they get credit. This anomaly is generally intensified between Thanksgiving and Christmas when a number of the fork and knifers come down to look at the points posted on the wall and realize that they are 5 to 10 calls short of getting credit for the year. Then they step-up their loitering for the home stretch.
The guys who are in it because they like to get a little bit of heat are the first ones there and are on the rig in the sleet, snow, and rain regardless of the pension program!

Ladder towers were used in medieval time to attack castles. Archers would shoot at the castle defender from the top. Game of Throwns starts soon. Tower Ladders are the safest type of ariels in the fire service. Rearmount ladders are unpredictable and have been known to hit firefighters in the head while operating at fires.

I would like to refer my answer to the top line of your profile picture.

There are many things rookies should know.... here is one thought I teach. RESPECT your uniforms. All 3 of them. Firefighting (actions on the fire ground), dress (actions when in class A's), and civilian (actions while off duty and wearing your FD t-shirts, hats, puffy jackets etc....)
Understand that YES you are held to a higher standard when your a firefighter. If you cannot respect this fact, understand it and live it, move on.

The real story is they evacuated a store. And the secondary story is the use of emergency lights for a nonemergency (MVA liability).
Not to have future questional judgement they should review their bylaws & SOPS, check with their lawyer and make changes as needed. Good luck & best wishes on the marriage.

It does not appear that they have fire districts.
The town website lists 5 fire companies (all with both line officers and executive officers), thus it is most likely that they are fire protection districts contracted to the town.

For what it's worth here's my $.02
You're right it doesn't make any sense. It's up to the volunteers to demand better training and the closure of loopholes which allow different standards. It's up to fire the service to develop the means by which that training is achievable by all.

Yes, those guys were definitely the ones when it came to Building Construction, Fire Prevention, and investigation.
I saw Ed Sere mentioned. I only knew him for one thing, but it was a big change in how we operate. Ed took us out of the ladder belt rappelling method, and taught us figure eights and beeners using kernmantle rope. He had a 2-part rescue harness for a victim that I am surprised hasn't sold millions. Made of webbing loops, it could easily and hastily be put on a conscious or unconscious victim.
Then there were the Westchester Community College classmates. Those guys, like me were there on the GI Bill. The Bronx Bunch, however, were older and worked though he Burn, baby, burn era. They did trial and error tactics at not less than one multi-alarm job every night. From them came the trench cut and much more. In my class were also great men like Silvio Burigo, Capt,NRFD and Asst Chief ED Dunn, YFD. My success in the FD stems from "I wanna be like them."
Then, a good friend, Tommy Brennan, Capt, FDNY, probably best known for his Random Thoughts on the last page of Fire Engineering. Most readers of Fire Engineering read the mag from the back page first. His thoughts were not random at all. Tommy was a very focused individual and when he first met you he would ask you a few questions before he decided to talk to you.
Finally, the guy in the mirror. He always knew if I was doing the right thing.

Sad but true.....morals and respect are G O N E

Tonight @ 21:00 the Plattekill Fire Department was dispatched for a PIAA on the NYS Thruway at mile marker 71.1 South Bound. Car 1, Car 3, Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 4, 645 and 47-36 where all responding when @ 21:11 We were advised that Engine 4 was involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident, roll over with entrapment.
I have a been some sort of a chief officer for 13 years now, in the fire service for 21 years and never once did I instantly feel like I was going to vomit while responding to an incident...not until last night. I can tell you there are so many things that are going through your head after receiving an alarm involving your own...
What do I do? Whom do I call? How difficult is the extrication? What Happened? What did they hit? Who is in the truck? But the toughest question, the one that still rings in my head is "Are they alive?"
I will not speak of specifics. I will not release the details of this incident and I will let the authorities finish their investigation. But what I can tell you, 4 of the 5 firefighters have been released. Engine 4 is a total loss and the definition of brotherhood was re-taught to me through the actions of area fire departments and fire departments through out the state.
Cronomer Valley whom handled the incident...Thank you!!! Your professionalism went a long way tonight. You are our brothers and for you I am thankful. With out getting into every department that has reached out to us, because I can guarantee someone with be forgotten, whether it be at either at our stations or through phone calls, I had 132 missed calls, Thank you!!! Never have I had such an out pouring of support just for us.
I ask you, do you know what it is like to have to sit at the back of your vehicle trying to coordinate different responses while your Firefighters need YOUR help? Not something I EVER want to handle again.
For years we instill into our memberships heads...Seat belts, seat belts, SEAT BELTS... and on November 2nd 2013 @ 21:11, those seat belts saved their lives.
At St. Francis Hospital...the support continued. Fairview, Roosevelt, Arlington Fire Departments, with Engines, and Lisa Gardner, whom provided me with very informative updates, met the inbound ambulances to assist with ANYTHING we needed, ANYTHING. Tears is the word that best described how I was after I was notified of your support! I cant say thank you because thank you doesn't cover your actions. I owe you... period.
At 1:21 we called back in service, My membership continuing to want to help the community, knowing that what we seen tonight could have been completely different.
We will continue serving the community, we are Plattekill. We ARE Plattekill Strong.
I ask no one post NO Photos or post no details until the investigation is complete and I approve of such postings.
Thank you Everyone.
Chief Christopher Mancuso

I think I might hire the construction laborer. If you had a shi*^y job, at least you realize what a good job firefighting is. If after all his education, aptitude, certifications and so on, the laborer still beat him by a point. That says a lot for that laborer. Maybe he never had enough money to pay for higher education. Maybe he bought a couple of prep books and studied every chance he got.
One thing you do know is that he has a job that requires hard work at sometimes menial tasks, and sometimes for hours at a time. (Sound familiar to those firefighters out there?) And amazingly he still beat the paramedic by a point!
Paramedics, don't get your knickers in a knot. I still like you and I'm not the one who picked "paramedic vs. laborer" to be the example. When the Yankees play the Red Sox, if Boston scores just one more run than the Yankees, guess who loses?
The test is given every four years because the demand on jobs isn't there. If the test were every year the b**** would be "Why do they give the test every year to 1000 people and then hire only 50 a year?
Scantron tests that take six months for a list to be posted is beyond me. You'll just have to ask somebody else about how that works.
Qualifying before hiring is done in Florida. See how many people are disgruntled because they spent so much time and money qualifying and never got hired. Does the statement "You have to be a firefighter before you can become a firefighter" make any sense to you?

I say offer it to your members , but not mandatory , everyone is entitled to there own thoughts .

Where the hell do you sleep then!?

I understand where your coming from and appreciate your sentiment. I agree with the concept but again, I'm not so trustful our government can do what's best for us at this time. I certainly agree that not all that are not working are taking advantage and understand that many working folk still cannot afford healthcare, but I see some inherent problems that continue to plague this program as it stumbles forward.
Sadly, the fact is we put a dollar sign on human lives everyday. We've yet to mandate sprinklers, yet we know the enormous benefits to life, the only downside, literally is the cost. We know we need more ambulances on the street but we only staff what we want to afford. Most of us can't afford the safest cars on the road so we buy subpar ones and gamble... As a nation we choose the cheaper option rather than the safest one, thousands (maybe millions?) of times a day.
We do have the need to fix our healthcare system, let's just hope it can serve the people and not continue to drive more people toward the poverty line while failing to address the real cost generators. When the 'experts' used to compare our system to others in the industrialized world, they'd note how much of every dollar went toward paperwork vs. actual care, it appears the Obamacare system is only contributing toward increasing paperwork and confusion not reducing it.

If the Feds pay that means all of us that work pay...that's where the Feds get all the money they waste, our tax dollars. Unless of course they're giong to just borrow more from China and mortgage away more of our children's futures. Either way we're screwed.
And if anyone thinks the insurance companies are going to take the hit to their bottom line, well I'm sorry that's nothing more than wishful thinking at best. Business, especially big corporate business, is in business to make a profit for the corporation and it's shareholders, not to help the needy or do the right thing...and with one of the most powerful lobby's in D.C. to protect that profit, well it's a sure thing that the profits will go nowhere but up.

Have a pulse....... That's a joke, but there may be a bit of truth due to the extremely low pay in this career. The pay is causing the character of employee simply because of this.
My advice for any interview, not just for in the emergency service field is the following :
Wear a suit - Navy or Grey is best, but black will do (black is a tad bit formal)
Wear a white dress shirt and a tie. Neutral color tie is proper, no funky patterns
Wear dress socks and shoes.
Get a haircut the day before, shave the morning of and groom your fingernails.
Arrive to the interview 15-20 minutes early and leave home with ample time to spare in case of traffic or car trouble.
Shake hands with a medium grip. Firm, but not so you crush knuckles, yet not to the point of a dead fish handshake feeling
Make eye contact with handshakes and while talking to your interviewer.
Maintain good posture while in the interview with your back straight while sitting and your hands forward in front of you. DO NOT cross arms as this is a body language sign that you are hiding something.
Always answer the question being asked to the best of your ability. Nothing more and nothing less. DO NOT volunteer any information you aren't being asked as this make open doors to further questions that you may not be prepared to answer. Ask for clarification if the question being asked is not totally clear to you.
Do not ramble or repeat yourself while answering any questions
Always be honest. If you lie or stretch the truth, it always will be discovered at some point.
Be polite and be respectful. (Yes Sir No Maim)
Thank them for their time and consideration after the interview
Hope this helps