res6cue

"More and brighter" is not always BETTER. Unfortunately that seems to be the pervasive school of thought these days. Same could be said for "bigger is better" fire apparatus, but I digress. Most strobe power supplies have a high/low intensity option, and I know LEDs can be optioned similarly. The trouble is that it usually requires human intervention to switch modes. There are some options, such as wiring the high/low circuit to the vehicle's headlights so at night the vehicle is always in low mode, or hooking the circuit up to some kind of ambient light sensor so it will "know" when it's day or night, or hooking it to the vehicle's "Park" or Maxi-Brake so it goes into low mode automatically when the vehicle is stopped. None of the options are foolproof and they all have their drawbacks. Again, maybe if we didn't trend towards outfitting every available square inch of the vehicle with lights of some sort, it wouldn't be such a concern.

EMS has it pretty good in Rockland. Every VAC has their own station, with quite a few either new, recently renovated, or built right from the start. Every Medic unit in the county is housed, usually in a VAC's building. In many cases they are not just "guests", but RPS pays rent and therefore usually has a bay for their truck and rights to use pretty much the entire building. It also helps that RPS has been around for a long time, both in its present form, and before the merger as Good Sam/Nyack Hospital Medics. They are an integral part of the system. It's a shame it's not like this all over the area.

Playing Devil's advocate, and just for the sake of this question, forget the legal issues for a minute:

How many of us have seen non-EMTs who have many years of experience in the back of a rig, and are damn good, they just never got the card? Wouldn't you trust your life in their hands than that of someone fresh out of EMT class? I've known and worked with a few in my time!

Again, I'm not talking about the legal implications, just a simple question. Let's be honest, the EMT class/test is not exactly rocket science. There is nothing in that class you can't learn on the job if you have the right people teaching you. Just like a lot of EMTs pick up ALS skills on the job by working with good Medics, it's not too difficult to get someone up to EMT level over the course of a few months in the back of the rig. To say nothing of the people who have been doing it for years. Is it really any different if an experienced EMT/Medic teaches someone how to take vitals on the street than it is in a classroom? It's usually the same EMT/Medic teaching the classes anyway. And no, I'm not putting the EMT position down as being "easy"...I was one myself.

Let the flaming begin!

Yes, that was it! Electrical, I heard that one. Thanks, Doc.

ALS - No problem! I know what you mean, there are a few of those crossband repeaters on this side of the river that will blow the speaker right out of your radio or scanner!

I heard at least one other dept dispatched earlier today, but I can't remember for the life of me who it was now. It was definitely a two-part name, so I want to say either Croton Falls or Bedford Hills.

ALS-

It's not a crossband repeater. I'm listening direct on 46.26 and 60-Control themselves is the only thing I'm picking up, no field units.

Thanks John, that's what I figured regarding the multiple transmitters. I guess for some reason the only one I'm picking up is the one Bedford is dispatched off of. I'll have to pull up the FCC record to try to figure out where the towers are located, that might help me figure it out.

Alright all you Westchester gurus, help me out here.

For starters, how many depts in the county are actually dispatched by 60-Control on 46.26? I'm not very familiar with how things work on that side of the river, but I recall that some depts are dispatched by local PD? Maybe some depts moved off the low band system to UHF paging?

Leading me to ask...why does it seem that one of the only depts I ever hear being dispatched on 46.26 is Bedford? I'm listening from the Orange/Pike border near Port Jervis, if that makes a difference. I'm going to ASSume that 60-Control has multiple radio towers/transmitters for the low band system, and that I'm only picking up one of them from here.

I'm sure you also noticed while you were checking the domains that BergenFires.com was registered last July, and EMTBravoNewJersey was registered last month? The Bergen site has been on the back burner for some time now, as guys have been asking us about it for over a year on RocklandFires.com. Seth's site is very broad, encompassing the entire state, whereas the Bergen site is very specifically targeted to just that county. I fail to see any reason the two boards can't coexist and compliment each other. Neither of us are charging membership fees, and most if not all of the expenses are paid for out of our own pockets. To say nothing of all the long hours we all put in bringing you guys sites like these. If that goes unappreciated, well so be it!

Incidentally, we (myself, Seth, Brian, Tommy, et al) are all registered on each others sites, with some of us being or having been staff members on the other board(s). I think that alone shows we do, in fact, have a good relationship.

From the guys who brought you RocklandFires.com, we invite you to check out BergenFires.com!

http://www.bergenfires.com

It seems like you Jersey folks are having a good start to the year with the launch of EMTBravoNewJersey, and now BergenFires.com! I hope everyone will enjoy BOTH boards and take advantage of all the resources we're trying to bring to the emergency services community.

Congratulations on 5 great years, and many more going forward!

Not sure if you're referring to us, but in any case, we do not have the same names. Hillcrest Fire Co. No. 1 and Moleston Fire District. Same exact area, just different names. The Fire Company is named for the unincorporated section of the Town of Ramapo we started in back in 1915, and the Fire District is named for William Moles, who was a prominent developer in the area back then. Our very first quarters were on his property. We still cover all of Hillcrest (aka North Spring Valley) as well as quite a bit more. Our area is the largest in Rockland, some 36 square miles.

As far as the rest of Rockland, there are a few more examples. Now, keep in mind there are even some that may have different Company, Department AND District/Village names. Generally the Company names are different than the District and Department names, while the Department names tend to follow in line with the District or Village name.

Dept # - Dept Name (Company Names) District/Village Name

Dept 1 - Blauvelt FD (Blauvelt Volunteer Fire Co.) Blauvelt Fire District

Dept 2 - Central Nyack FD (Central Engine Co. #6) Central Nyack Fire District

Dept 3 - Congers FD (Alert Hook, Ladder & Engine Co. #1) Congers Fire District

Dept 4 - Haverstraw FD (Rescue Hook & Ladder Co. #1, General Warren Emergency Co. #2, Relief Hose Co. #3, Cosgriff Hose Co. #4, Lady Warren Hose Co. #5) Village of Haverstraw

Dept 5 - Hillburn FD (Hillburn Fire Co.) Village of Hillburn

Dept 6 - Hillcrest FD (Hillcrest Fire Co. #1) Moleston Fire District

Dept 7 - Monsey FD (Brewer Fire Engine Co. #1) Monsey Fire District

Dept 8 - Nanuet FD (Nanuet Fire Engine Co.) Nanuet Fire District

Dept 9 - New City FD (New City Fire Engine Co. #1) New City Fire District

Dept 10 - Nyack FD (Empire Hook & Ladder Co. #1, Orangetown Fire Co. #1, Chelsea Hook & Ladder Co. #2, Mazeppa Fire Engine Co. #2, Jackson Fire Engine Co. #3, Jackson Hose Co. #3, Highland Hose Co. #5, Nyack Fire Patrol) Nyack Joint Fire District*

Dept 11 - Orangeburg FD (Orangeburg Volunteer Fire Association) Orangeburg Fire District

Dept 12 - Pearl River FD (Excelsior Fire Engine Co., Pearl River Hook & Ladder Co.) Pearl River Fire District

Dept 13 - Piermont FD (Empire Hose Co. #1) Village of Piermont

Dept 14 - Rockland Lake FD (Knickerbocker Engine Co. #1) Rockland Lake Fire District

Dept 15 - Sloatsburg FD (Sloatsburg Fire Department) Village of Sloatsburg

Dept 16 - Sparkill FD (John Paulding Engine Co. #1) Sparkill-Palisades Fire District

Dept 17 - Spring Valley FD (Rockland Hook & Ladder Co., Spring Valley Hook & Ladder Co. #1, Columbian Engine Co. #1) Village of Spring Valley**

Dept 18 - Stony Point FD (Wayne Hose Co. #1) Stony Point Fire District

Dept 19 - Suffern FD (Suffern Volunteer Hose Co. #1, Suffern Hook & Ladder Co. #1) Village of Suffern

Dept 20 - Tallman FD (Tallman Volunteer Fire Dept.) Tallman Fire District

Dept 21 - Tappan FD (Volunteer Fire Association of Tappan) Tappan Fire District

Dept 22 - Valley Cottage FD (Valley Cottage Engine Co. #1) Valley Cottage Fire District

Dept 23 - West Haverstraw FD (S.W. Johnson Steam Fire Engine Co. #1, Volunteer Hose Co. #2) Village of West Haverstraw

Dept 24 - West Nyack FD (West Nyack Fire Engine Co. #1) West Nyack Fire District

Dept 25 - South Spring Valley FD (Hugh Gassner Fire Co.) South Spring Valley Fire District

Dept 26 - Thiells FD (David B. Roche Volunteer Fire Co.) Thiells-Roseville Fire District

*Nyack is comprised of the villages of Upper Nyack, Nyack on Hudson and South Nyack. They formed a Joint Fire District back in the mid 90s

**Spring Valley does actually have several Fire Districts in their area, although the names escape me right now. The Village of Spring Valley more or less runs the dept, however

Not sure if you're referring to us, but in any case, we do not have the same names. Hillcrest Fire Co. No. 1 and Moleston Fire District. Same exact area, just different names. The Fire Company is named for the unincorporated section of the Town of Ramapo we started in back in 1915, and the Fire District is named for William Moles, who was a prominent developer in the area back then. Our very first quarters were on his property. We still cover all of Hillcrest (aka North Spring Valley) as well as quite a bit more. Our area is the largest in Rockland, some 36 square miles.

As far as the rest of Rockland, there are a few more examples. Now, keep in mind there are even some that may have different Company, Department AND District/Village names. Generally the Company names are different than the District and Department names, while the Department names tend to follow in line with the District or Village name.

Dept # - Dept Name (Company Names) District/Village Name

Dept 1 - Blauvelt FD (Blauvelt Volunteer Fire Co.) Blauvelt Fire District

Dept 2 - Central Nyack FD (Central Engine Co. #6) Central Nyack Fire District

Dept 3 - Congers FD (Alert Hook, Ladder & Engine Co. #1) Congers Fire District

Dept 4 - Haverstraw FD (Rescue Hook & Ladder Co. #1, General Warren Emergency Co. #2, Relief Hose Co. #3, Cosgriff Hose Co. #4, Lady Warren Hose Co. #5) Village of Haverstraw

Dept 5 - Hillburn FD (Hillburn Fire Co.) Village of Hillburn

Dept 6 - Hillcrest FD (Hillcrest Fire Co. #1) Moleston Fire District

Dept 7 - Monsey FD (Brewer Fire Engine Co. #1) Monsey Fire District

Dept 8 - Nanuet FD (Nanuet Fire Engine Co.) Nanuet Fire District

Dept 9 - New City FD (New City Fire Engine Co. #1) New City Fire District

Dept 10 - Nyack FD (Empire Hook & Ladder Co. #1, Orangetown Fire Co. #1, Chelsea Hook & Ladder Co. #2, Mazeppa Fire Engine Co. #2, Jackson Fire Engine Co. #3, Jackson Hose Co. #3, Highland Hose Co. #5, Nyack Fire Patrol) Nyack Joint Fire District*

Dept 11 - Orangeburg FD (Orangeburg Volunteer Fire Association) Orangeburg Fire District

Dept 12 - Pearl River FD (Excelsior Fire Engine Co., Pearl River Hook & Ladder Co.) Pearl River Fire District

Dept 13 - Piermont FD (Empire Hose Co. #1) Village of Piermont

Dept 14 - Rockland Lake FD (Knickerbocker Engine Co. #1) Rockland Lake Fire District

Dept 15 - Sloatsburg FD (Sloatsburg Fire Department) Village of Sloatsburg

Dept 16 - Sparkill FD (John Paulding Engine Co. #1) Sparkill-Palisades Fire District

Dept 17 - Spring Valley FD (Rockland Hook & Ladder Co., Spring Valley Hook & Ladder Co. #1, Columbian Engine Co. #1) Village of Spring Valley**

Dept 18 - Stony Point FD (Wayne Hose Co. #1) Stony Point Fire District

Dept 19 - Suffern FD (Suffern Volunteer Hose Co. #1, Suffern Hook & Ladder Co. #1) Village of Suffern

Dept 20 - Tallman FD (Tallman Volunteer Fire Dept.) Tallman Fire District

Dept 21 - Tappan FD (Volunteer Fire Association of Tappan) Tappan Fire District

Dept 22 - Valley Cottage FD (Valley Cottage Engine Co. #1) Valley Cottage Fire District

Dept 23 - West Haverstraw FD (S.W. Johnson Steam Fire Engine Co. #1, Volunteer Hose Co. #2) Village of West Haverstraw

Dept 24 - West Nyack FD (West Nyack Fire Engine Co. #1) West Nyack Fire District

Dept 25 - South Spring Valley FD (Hugh Gassner Fire Co.) South Spring Valley Fire District

Dept 26 - Thiells FD (David B. Roche Volunteer Fire Co.) Thiells-Roseville Fire District

*Nyack is comprised of the villages of Upper Nyack, Nyack on Hudson and South Nyack. They formed a Joint Fire District back in the mid 90s

**Spring Valley does actually have several Fire Districts in their area, although the names escape me right now. The Village of Spring Valley more or less runs the dept, however

Pierce's/Oshkosh's brand of independent front suspension for heavy trucks. Instead of a solid front axle it uses an upper and lower control arm with shock absorbers and torsion bars in place of coil springs.

http://www.piercemfg.com/apparatus/TAK-4.cfm

They are generically called "demolition", "cut-off" or "power cutter" saws.

The 12 in K12 is shortened from K1200, and it refers to the engine displacement (120cc), NOT the blade diameter. Although most demo saws today have smaller, more efficient motors that generate the same or more power than their predecessors did. The most popular models now are between 66.7cc and 98.5cc depending on make and model.

The three most popular manufacturers of fire service demo saws are Partner, Stihl and Echo (who also make the QuikVent saw)

You got my PM's, so you already know my feelings.

You're ALWAYS at fault! Even if you're not, you have an extremely high chance of not just getting sued, but getting charged with a crime! We live in a much to litigious society these days, and sadly it is impacting how we do our jobs in certain ways. It seems every month we're seeing news stories about an apparatus operator getting charged with negligence or something worse.

That's really sad. I was fortunate enough to meet Bud briefly many years ago when I was still in EMS and we switched from Road Rescue to PL for our rigs. A few of us took a trip down to see the operation and Joe Vasta introduced us to Bud as he happened to be walking through the factory while we were there. He will be missed.

My condolences to his family, friends and the entire PL Custom/Rescue 1 family.

Our tower ladder has it, and so will the new rescue. Independent front suspension is good stuff.

In total, 14 Rockland depts and 1 Orange dept either operated at the scene or were assigned for standby. Here's the rundown, off the top of my head:

On Scene Units:

Dept 26 - Thiells - full response

Dept 6 - Hillcrest - pumper

Dept 23 - West Haverstraw - pumper and rescue

Dept 18 - Stony Point - pumper

Fort Montgomery - tanker

Dept 3 - Congers - pumper

Dept 4 - Haverstraw - pumper

Dept 17 - Spring Valley - pumper

Dept 9 - New City - pumper

Dept 24 - West Nyack - tower ladder

Dept 7 - Monsey - tower ladder

Dept 20 - Tallman - pumper

Standby Units:

Dept 2 - Central Nyack - FAST rescue

Dept 25 - South Spring Valley - ladder

Dept 11 - Orangeburg - pumper

Brian,

Great shots as usual.

The artice says that tankers hauled water from hydants on nearby streets.

Did they use LDH ( with a long stretch) at this job, or do they use portable tanks at the scene dumped from tankers?

←

We don't have "real" tankers here. The most water any one truck in Rockland carries is 1250 gallons, and there are only one or two of them (same dept). Many are 1000 gallons, but there are plenty of 600 or 500 as well. Dump tank operations are VERY rare here, only a few dept even have a portable dump tank. I'm sure Stony Point brought theirs last night, but I don't know if it saw any use. We do a lot of relay pumping for ops like this, plenty of 5" being laid!

I'm not sure if it's law (although I seem to remember it is), but homeowners and citizens are definitely encouraged to dig out their hydrants. We usually put the trucks on the road with crews to dig them out after a storm, and after any runs we have we'll do some digging as well.

Wait, so how does that work now? You were taking bets on it being edited/removed, but you edited it yourself?!? Does that mean the rest of us win the bet? Pay up!

Well then, now that we got THAT cleared up! LOL...wow, that came out of left field!

44-Control will notify the Chiefs of the affected dept, and if they do wind up getting a call in the area, they'll remind them on the radio as they sign in.