weaselff

Ooooh, I know!!! How about a Ferrara Strong Arm!!!

Between this, front mounted deck guns and those drychem? grenade things I should be out of job before I reach my 20!

Some really good discussion on this important topic. maybe there is no real long term answer for "the vern" but one thing is clear. FDMV was (not sure if they still are) down to only 1 ladder company, and Chief Everetta and the Administration should have or needs to step it up and ask other department in the county to loan FDMV a spare ladder truck. Yonkers FD comes to mind simply because, on paper, they have the spare equipment to lend to them.

PS - What happens to the men who were/are scheduled to work a Shift on Ladder 3 and only Ladder 2 is in service? Do they just sit in the station and not respond to calls? Do they not come in? Are they using Spare Engine 1 just so that manpower goes to each call (even though it is not the type of rig you want responding to a call)?

How can 1 department secure the funding to keep and maintain a Standard Fleet of 10 Engine Companies, 1 Squad Company, 4 Ladder Companies, 2 Tower Ladder Companies and a Rescue Company (with 1 Collapse Unit and 1 Foam Unit in reserve) as well as having 3 Spare Ladders, 1 Spare Tower Ladder, 1 Spare Rescue, 4 Spare Engine Companies and other Special Operations Apparatus and another can't get keep 4 Engine Companies, 2 Ladder Companies and 1 Rescue Company, with 1 Spare Ladder Company, 1 Spare Tower Ladder and 1 Spare Engine? The make up of these 2 cities are not that different, with major industry located in each city, as well as maintaining old residential dwellings. 1 city can get the funding and the other cannot.

As many many career and volunteer firefighters have said many times over on this site. God can only hope that it does not take a tragedy in Mount Vernon to bring attention to local, state and federal politicians that something is "wrong in the vern" I am sure that Insurance Agents are ready to pounce on the city should something horrific happen.

The problem is Mount Vernon has been grossly mismanaged on all levels of government for as far back as I can remember, and I'm sure probably a bit longer than that. Yonkers has always had a reputation as a corrupt town but it is a corrupt town where agendas are actually accomplished. While far fetched, I always thought the best thing for the residents of Mount Vernon, would be for it to be annexed by one of its more successful neighbors such as Yonkers or even NYC.

I have heard calls that have shut down a major road for a helicopter before anyone got on scene and it turned out to be an RMA. It happens. We all make mistakes.

Thomas

Thats a pretty big * mistake. In addition to the thousands of dollars it takes to put a chopper in the air, the IC put the flight crew and anyone who lives along the route in the densely populated Hudon Valley region at risk. Helicopters are probably the most dangerous form of transportation. They are not aerodynamic like airplanes, they cant just glide to next airport or highway and land when they have mechanical problems. When a helicopter breaks down in mid air, it becomes a rock. If you've been to 8th rade physics, you know what happens next.

The reliance on stat flight in Westchester is alarming to say the least. Anyone who has ever worked EMS in the city knows that stuff that is medvaced in the burbs is routinely transported BLS to the ER. There is no place in Westchester that is more than 20 to 25 minutes to a trauma center with a decent driver, ok maybe some back roads out in Pound Ridge might be 30 minutes. These travel times in my opinionion are not criteria for a medevac. You could load and go in the time it takes the bird to get in the air. There is absolutely nothing that is going to happen in the chopper that cant happen in an ambulance. I swear some IC's think the statflight crew is performing some kind of powerful witchcraft up there in the sky. The only time in Westchester that a medevac should be called is maybe when there is some kind of extended extrication in one of the farther flung locales ie. Pound Ridge, North Salem, etc. It should not be called for GSW's, stabbings, ped strucks, amp maj/min or jumper downs. These can all be transported by ambulance. I know blood is scary and gross, but it kinda comes with the territory. Lets save the bird for places in Orange, Sullivan, Dutchess etc that actually have legit trauma center transport time problems.

As for why medevacs are called in Westchester:

1. IC's that are inexperienced and afraid, my favorite heard from a reliable source, stat flight being called for a DOA. It would almost be funny if it didn't cost thousands of dollars and put the crew at risk.

2. IC's that want to keep their buses and medics in service. This is a crap reason to call for a bird, thats what mutual aid is for. Hell most agencies rely on it almost all the time anyway.

3. What I call the "Platoon Factor". It looks * cool and kind of adds an adrenaline rush. I will agree I have seen stat flight a few times and it is an awe inspring sight. Still an awe inspiring sight that costs tens of thousands of dollars.

It seems like a good idea, but I am always suspicious of any expense from an LI volly department. I guess its better than hiring another "custodian" or "mechanic", or worse a 100k rig for the racing team.

troop 164

Yorktown NY

1998

I'm in my previous post, I pass no judgement on those EMTS' on the FDNY crew. My questions where based soley on the experiences in which I have dealt with up here..

no problem bro, just wanted to inform people on how things are done in NYC as opposed to the burbs.

What I cant understand is why there was no interception with ALS or why there wasnt any communication between the BLS and ALS agency's while in transit. Hopefully when the rest of this story breaks we'll be able to find that out.

FDNY EMS does not do ALS intercepts. BLS either waits for ALS to arrive or makes the judgement call and transports with a notification to the nearest.

As a former FDNY EMS EMT I am guessing there is more to this story

Don't you think that you could spend 10k on something else other than a stretcher? I mean how lazy to you have to get? I just don't understand it and I don't want to hear about getting hurt either. If you can't lift correctly then get out OF EMS. Spending 10K on something is RIDICULOUS.

I agree, but will not elaborate further on this "slow motion car wreck" of a topic. I can only see myself getting in trouble with this one.

Guys, thanks for the input. I was thinking more along the lines of hearing cries for help behind a wooden bathroom door and using a tool to gain entry or simply breaking a hasp / padlock ... more of a simple rescue then a complicated rescue that is more F.D.'s expertise. If there was a person trapped in a car wreck, I would certainly think that FD or ESU would be better qualified to handle that situation.

Unless you're a 12 year old girl, I hope you can kick down your typical hollow core wood frame door used for bathrooms and bedrooms.

BLS HazTac Units: Manhattan (2H, 4H, 10H), Bronx (17H, 18H, 27H), Brooklyn (31H, 38H, 43H), Queens (45H,49H,52H), SI (22H. 23H)

ALS HazTac Units: Manhattan (8Z, 12Z, 16Z), Bronx (14Z,15Z,17Z, 18Z), Brooklyn (33Z,39Z,48Z,58Z), Queens (46Z,47Z,54Z), SI (22Z)

ALS Rescue Units: Manhattan (7R), Bronx (3R), Brooklyn (35R), Queens (45R), SI (23R)

The Queens "rescue medics" is 49Robert or at least it was as of March '07, I think the CSL was SteinwayXBroadway in Astoria.

So, like, is a Teamster required to operate the boom ?

No, operating engineers.

The reason commisioners and chiefs dont like this site is because they see many first responders in the 18-40 age group who are unhappy with the state of emergency services in not only the Huson Valley but nationwide. These comissioners/chiefs and their ideas have held power for a long time over their individual fifedoms and kingdoms and they are desperate to hold on to it. There is a whole generation of young people out there who are extremely passionate about firefighting, EMS and law enforcement, and they are getting together on the internet and imagining radical change to the way we train, operate and organize. The "establishment" is terrified of this free exchange of information and ideas.

Very cool video, I have seen another more in depth version of this from an old Rescue 911 episode. If I remember correctly Capt Brown also made a roof rope rescue a few moments later.

Come on, give EMS and the hospitals a little credit for keeping the murder rate down. Assaults yes, murders, no!!!

I stand corrected, I always believed the dramatic murder rate decline in NYC was mostly a result of improved EMS and Hospital care.

The report on the crime rate said they have had no murders in the last 5 years. Did anyone else pick up on that?

I figured the one in the gallarea garage was one.

Impossible, a city of 70000 with numerous housing projects? Sounds like WP has their own version of COMPSTAT.

Before everybody takes the moral high road, Id find it hard to believe the majority of the guys on this board career or volunteer have not had a few beers in their class A's after a parade, funeral, memorial day, etc. In my 9 years of paid and volly experience I have seen dozens of guys say and do moronic s*** at such functions. Was it at times childish and perhaps innaprpriate(especially at funerals)? Yes. Would I trust many of these same guys with my life in a fire? Absolutely.

I will agree that it was especially stupid to film this behavior and post it on youtube. I noticed the West Hempstead HS hockey videos on his site, so Iam guessing he is from an LI department which makes it even dumber since his local paper(newsday) has had a vendetta against the volunteer service out their for a number of years.

If you cant get the rig out, it is time to hire paid FF's(at least drivers), end of story.

yea its home rule but look at long island they just have county cops out there and few local PDs......

What about starting slow with chagning ems to county like the paramedics so that maybe it would be easier to update the protocalls???? But that is a MUCH BIGGER fish.

Long Island is divided up a little differently than the rest of the state as far as municipalities go. There are very few incorporated villages and citiesso there are less homerule problems. Just about everyone lives in an unincorporated hamlet in a larger township, and these townships are huge! I currently reside in the town of Brookhaven with a pop. close to 300,000 spread out over about 250 square miles!!! There are something like 20 different FD's and school districts in my "town". It is a very different place than Westchester.

As for a unionized municipal county wide EMS or FD in Westchester or anywhere else in NYS, I really doubt seeing it anytimes soon, just because it would make sense.

Sorry Oswego but contrary to some big shots in the IAFF and a couple of "left coast" fire chiefs, EMS and firefighting are not similar jobs. The only thing they have in common is driving a vehicle to an emergency scene with lights and sirens. I am not a "problEMS" guy, I have all the respect in the world for EMS. I did it paid for 3 years and did it volly 2 years in college, but trust me they are completely different jobs requiring totally different skills. As for the manpower scenario you brought up its obvious you never worked a large city that actually has fires as either EMS or FD. After you bring the 10th ETOH or abd pain to the hospital and are about to get off tour the last thing you want is to stretch a 2 1/2 into a taxpayer or start cutting a roof on an OLT.

Remember aside from a few hardcore buffs, how many guys take the fire test to ride an ambulance? how many EMT's and medics really want to ride a firetruck? Think of how many females and smaller males that are great techs and medics that would be out of a job if the services combined?

Sorry Oswego but contrary to some big shots in the IAFF and a couple of "left coast" fire chiefs, EMS and firefighting are not similar jobs. The only thing they have in common is driving a vehicle to an emergency scene with lights and sirens. I am not a "problEMS" guy, I have all the respect in the world for EMS. I did it paid for 3 years and did it volly 2 years in college, but trust me they are completely different jobs requiring totally different skills. As for the manpower scenario you brought up its obvious you never worked a large city that actually has fires as either EMS or FD. After you bring the 10th ETOH or abd pain to the hospital and are about to get off tour the last thing you want is to stretch a 2 1/2 into a taxpayer or start cutting a roof on an OLT.

Remember aside from a few hardcore buffs, how many guys take the fire test to ride an ambulance? how many EMT's and medics really want to ride a firetruck? Think of how many females and smaller males that are great techs and medics that would be out of a job if the services combined?

How many fire departments require either an EMT or a Paramedic certification before joining or being able to be in full active service?

None that you want to be employed by. They are 2 totally different jobs that require years of training and experience to master. Departments that also run ambulances are in cities with union-busting commisioners, chiefs and mayors who are trying to save a buck anyway they can. They create unhappy worplaces and shortchange their citizens on emergency services. Decide if you want to be a FF or a medic and test/apply accordingly. Both can be rewarding careers...good luck.

today and tonight i put primary and secondary crews on a snow stand-by in quarters. besides the typical tv, DVD's, pool, cards; does anybody do anything so over the top on their stand-by's?

...past years we've had snowball fights that've really gotten crazy, but thats it from me.

A few years back when I was a volly we had that big snowstorm on Christmas night and we ended up playing a big game of tackle football behind the firehouse. Good times, I dont know how much snow you guys are getting though. Down here on the island it just a dusting and a little ice.

Does anyone know what happend to a mountain that used to be called Big Birch. My mom took me there when i was a kid, so I don't remember much. I don't even know if it was in CT or NY, but it wasnt far away at all. If anyone knows anything, let me know?

Big Birch was renamed Thunder Ridge maybe 10 years ago, alot of people still call it big burch though. It is in Patterson i think, maybe Pawling of Rt 22

Wow this is news to me. I have known for a while that the city of Yonkers wanted to tear down some(if not all) of their public housing. I cant believe they are actually going through with it. I usually laugh when politicians say they are working to clean up Yonkers, but maybe something is actually getting done.