weaselff

does anyone know the residency requirements? I no longer live in Westchester but would be intereseted in taking the test.

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answered my own question by actually looking at the site!!

does anyone know the residency requirements? I no longer live in Westchester but would be intereseted in taking the test.

You guys make good points. My guess is someone in 9 Metrotech is in bed with someone at the GPS company and that individual is laughing all the way to the bank. Sounds like a similar situation that EMS had when implementing the E-PCR.

Most LI fire departments are anything but volunteer. Fire districts have "custodians", "mechanics" or "groundskeepers" who "coincidentally" happen to be company members and apparatus operators. While Newsday has been particularly vicious, many(but not all) fire districts on Long Island have long abused public funding for extravagant firehouses, parties and apparatus.

As for the incident in question, lets just say Brentwood is a community that has seen better days. For a Westchester perspective think of the bad part of Mount Vernon relying first due on volunteers and for mutual aid. While not an incorporated village or city, it is a low income-high density "hamlet" within the town of Islip in Suffolk county. This department does alot of work, much more then any volunteer department in Westchester. With multiple structure fires every week they do an outstanding job, but something like this tragedy was bound to happen someday. This community and alot of other communties on the island need to evalutate how they approach fire supression in the 21st century.

Jackson Heights Volunteer Ambulance

Astoria Volunteer Ambulance

Yonkers VAC(I know others mentioned it, but I never knew it existed until last year when I started working with a guy who was a former member. Its hard for me to fathom anything in Yonkers being volunteer!)

FDNY's shops blow.  The functionallity of the fleet and level of service provided is a testament to the hard work and skill of the crews that operate there.

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I agree, I have driven past and it is a dump like almost every other FDNY facility. 9 Metrotech is nice but it was built recently and is just a standard NYC office building. The Rock got some cool stuff after 9/11 like the subway simulator and the indoor street scene. The EMS Academy at Ft. Totten is on a beautiful property but the buildings are in need of major renovations. Most EMS stations I have been in are roach infested dumps, the only exception I've experienced is Bn 54 which is brand new.

Despite the sterling reputations of its FF's and EMT's, Alot of Buffs who are not employed by FDNY have no idea just how poorly run this department is. The civilian end of the FDNY is the typical NYC make-work beauracratic nightmare, nothing ever gets done, and when it does it will most certainly be a half a$$ed job.

Volunteers should not go the way of horse and buggy.  Volunteers represent a very very solid and needed part of our system.  EMS, Fire and PD are way too expensive for each municipality who needs one to have one paid. 

When the volunteers are there, and united under semi decent leadership they do the right thing and preform a vital service.  Either be it fire, or EMS.  We need them, but when the times comes that it doesn't work something needs to be done.

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I think you misread my comments. My opinion is the volunteer system should no longer be the primary first responding agency in a suburban/urban area like Westchester. The call volume is too high and unless you live in "fantasy land" this isn't gonna change in the forseeable future.

If you are familiar with NYC, you know there are numeros VAC's located all across the city(mostly Queens, but every boro has at least one) that are supported by private donations and government grants. They listen to police scanners and when a potential job goes out in their neighborhood they "buff" it. They may not have all the fancy toys and unlimited budgets like suburban VACs, but young EMT's gain valuable street experience and serve their communities. Some of these volunteer outfits are: Throgs Neck, Central Park, Bay Side, Corona, Bed Stuy, Jamaica Estates and Glendale amongst many others.

Ideally I would like to see Westchester have some sort of County-Wide Paid Municipal EMS department that serve as the primary first responders. The VAC's could operate as they do in the city, buffing jobs in their respective communities.

I doubt this would ever happen, seeing it would require numerous hard headed individuals to have a spontaneous mutual explosion of common sense. So for now people will continue to die while waiting 15, 30, sometimes 45 minutes for an ambulance that might be coming from 3 towns away.

The volunteer EMS system is something that should go the way of the horse and buggy. There are far too many calls for the volunteers to respond to. You can talk all you want about public education, but nothings gonna change anytime soon. I have no problem with the VAC's but I think they should operate as they do in the city as private non-profit groups that buff jobs. Every municipality/county should have its own paid-unionized EMS department(seperate from PD and FD). The VAC's can operate with donations and political grants and listen to the scanner and when they have a job in their area they can go out and try to beat the paid guys there. They wouldn't be able to afford the freightliner ambulances with CPR chairs anymore, but they would still be out there helping people and thats the most important thing.

At least with this plan the VAC's could stay all-volunteer.

Glad I'm not working!

Despite a carefully constructed PR front, Bloomberg, like Giuliani and pretty much every mayor before him is no friend of FDNY, NYPD or EMS. Not to worry though, karma has a way of coming back and biting people in the a$$.

Ive been saying it for a long time but am speechless to actually see it on paper. I wonder if I will be allowed to let my EMT card expire when (and if) I roll to FD. I am so burnt from playing "Mista Ambolance Man". Don't get me wrong, I love EMS, but in the city it is just a taxi ride.

For some reason I think my ambulance days might not be over...arggh.

Oh. it gets better...

FORT LEWIS, Wash. - The judge overseeing the court-martial of an Army lieutenant who refused to deploy to Iraq declared a mistrial Wednesday, saying the soldier did not fully understand a document he signed admitting to elements of the charges.

First Lt. Ehren Watada was fighting charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and missing movement for refusing to leave last June with his unit, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

How could he not fully understand the charges against him???

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This thread got me reading into his background a little bit. If you look at Wikipedia, it looks like his father refused to serve in Vietnam, though it isn't clear on the details. His Father was also the Hawaii state Director of Campaign Finance. So its safe to say this kid comes from a politically connected, probably liberal family. The fact that he is an educated adult who joined the army after the war started also proves this guy knew exactly what he was getting himself into. I think he is trying to be the next John Kerry, hoping his political connections can get him out of deep sh*t(it kind of looks that way already).

Do you think we'll see Senator Watada D-Hawaii soon?

If this guy wan't such a high rank(one doesn't become a 1st Lt. by showing up at a recruiter in the Peekskill DMV building), I would be thinking he joined the military just to pull a stunt like this. I mean he produced a videotaped statement and had a legitimate press conference planned out. The military should investigate his background prior to joining the service. Was he a member of some sort of left wing anarchist or communist group that is trying to embarass the US military? I'm interested, was he a college grad OCS Lt. or did he attend West Point?

I personally have been against the Iraq war from the beginning in 2003, but nobody twisted anybodies arm to join. There is no draft, this guy made his own bed. He is a disgrace to the uniform so many of my friends and family members have worn. He has every right to complete his tour of duty and come home and join Vets for Peace or whatever and get all the publicity he wants.

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Ehren K. Watada was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Robert Watada and Carolyn Ho. Robert Watada served for ten years as executive director of Hawaii's Campaign Spending Commission and himself refused to serve in the Vietnam War.[3] Ehren Watada attended Punahou School, then transferred in his sophomore year to Kalani High School, where he played cornerback on the varsity football team.

Watada is an Eagle Scout, and was a near straight-A student, graduating from Hawaii Pacific University in 2003.[citation needed] He joined the US Army after the war in Iraq began, stating that after 9/11 he was motivated "out of a desire to protect our country." He was commissioned from the Army's Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA as a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery. Watada first duty a tour in Korea, where he was rated by his superiors as "among the best", "exemplary", and recommended for early promotion ahead of his peers. Watada then returned to the United States in June 2005 and reported to Fort Lewis to begin preparation for deployment to Iraq.[4]

-Wikipedia

This is an update on my Lt. Watada post with info from Wikipedia. Notice his Father refused to serve in the Vietnam War, and he also joined the Army after the war began. This straight A student had to be smoking crack if he thought he wasn't gonna be deployed to Iraq, in a combat unit nonetheless. Looking at his personal history, it looks like my conspiracy theory might be right. I think he had this whole publicity stunt planned out long before he joined the army. Maybe he wants to be the next John Kerry?

If this guy wan't such a high rank(one doesn't become a 1st Lt. by showing up at a recruiter in the Peekskill DMV building), I would be thinking he joined the military just to pull a stunt like this. I mean he produced a videotaped statement and had a legitimate press conference planned out. The military should investigate his background prior to joining the service. Was he a member of some sort of left wing anarchist or communist group that is trying to embarass the US military? I'm interested, was he a college grad OCS Lt. or did he attend West Point?

I personally have been against the Iraq war from the beginning in 2003, but nobody twisted anybodies arm to join. There is no draft, this guy made his own bed. He is a disgrace to the uniform so many of my friends and family members have worn. He has every right to complete his tour of duty and come home and join Vets for Peace or whatever and get all the publicity he wants.

Man sentenced to death for '03 cop killingsProsecutor said Ronnel Wilson 'slaughtered' innocent victims

(Brooklyn - WABC, January 30, 2007) - A jury has sentenced Ronnel Wilson to death for the execution-style slayings of undercover detectives Rodney Andrews and James Nemorin in a 2003 sting.

Eyewitness News reporter Tim Fleischer has more.

It was a very emotional moment as the jury read that verdict, a verdict of death. It drew large gasps throughout the courtroom.

Wilson was convicted of killing the two detectives in Staten Island four years ago. He sat with a lifeless look on his face, staring down at the table while the jury read through a lengthy, 29-page verdict sheet that they've been struggling with since Monday.

The jury was unanimous in their decision, a requirement to impose a death sentence.

Ronnel Wilson was looking to sell an illegal weapon for $1,200 when he got into a car with detectives Rodney Andrews and James Nemorin four years ago. He then shot and killed Andrews, as Nemorin pleaded for his life. Wilson then killed him.

Federal prosecutors were able to prove Wilson committed the murders while part of a gang, trying to improve his standing.

Five other men were convicted in the killings, but Wilson was the only one facing the federal death penalty.

His attorneys, pushing for life in prison without parole, claim there were mitigating factors in Wilson being brought up in a chaotic, disjointed childhood with parents addicted to drugs and alcohol. His parents testified on his behalf during the penalty phase of the trial.

But it was the moving testimony of Christian Andrews, the fallen officer's son, that moved the courtroom the most. He described his sadness at not being able to have his father to talk to and play chess with. Both men left children.

To them and the families, Ronnel Wilson read a statement of remorse. He said he was sorry.

And one very telling element in this long verdict sheet that was handed down by the jury, one of the questions asked if they believed Wilson felt remorse for shooting the two detectives. None of the jury members believed he did.

Wilson becomes the first person in more than 50 years to be sentenced to death in a federal case in New York. The last time was in 1954 for a bank robber who killed an FBI agent.

(Copyright 2007 WABC-TV.)

I'm not sure its a good thing. I would have liked to have seen him rot in jail for the rest of his miserable life. 23 and a half hours a day in a 6x9 with a half hour to play basketball by himself. Well lets see if it ever happens, should be a lengthy appeal process. Its definitely the first good news our NYPD brothers have heard in a while.

Get better Seth! We're pulling for you.

Do you think it would be possible to have a westchester county fire department?  Isn't this done in LA County?  I have alwyas suggested this, but as I have stated before I don't think that career chiefs are ready to relinquish their power.

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Ideally a Westchester County FD would be the best option fiscally, and operationally, with paid, combo and volunteer companies depending on the population density and call volume of a given companies first due area. Unfortunately it will never come about, because the IAFF would have a caniption and the chances of every chief, commisoner and mayor giving up their little kingdom is slim to none. Also I think it may be illegal under NYS law since we have so many different municipality structures: villages, village-towns, townships and cities. In California they only have cities, if you don't live in a city you live in the unincorporated section of a county, but your mailing adress will be whatever city is closest to you. The only example of any kind of countywide department I can think of in NYS is the Nassau and Suffolk county police. They are the primary agency across many village and township lines on LI. I'm not sure how they have this authority, maybe there was an amendment passed in the state assembly? Actually now that I think about it, is this also the way Putnam County sheriffs work?

Oh really. I have experience. You tell me how many people have died lately because an ambulance couldn't get a crew. Or tell me an EMT that was killed doing their job and not an mva. Point proven. I can tell you in a second all the people that died because the cops or firefighters weren't there, and those that died because they were.

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First off your post does not even come close to making sense. I really have no idea what point you are trying to get across. Are you trying to say that most EMT's die in MVA's? Well you'd be right. I'm sure you didn't know that the vast majority of FF and LEO deaths are also due to MVA's. In fact a NYS trooper was killed in an MVA in Suffolk County LI earlier this week. When an emergency responder is killed in an MVA is his death somehow less tragic? Is he less brave? Do you think it matters to his family members, friends and co-workers that his death occured in an MVA rather than a shootout or fire? These people were killed doing their jobs. Have some respect or leave the Emergency Services family. You are not wanted.

As for EMT's and Medic's killed in the line of duty, there are a few that have been killed in violent incidents. Most recently in 2004 a female EMT/FF in Lexington KY was shot and killed on the scene of an injury from a domestic dispute. From my own experiences I have been punched in the face and spit on by uncooperstive patients. Not to mention being exposed to TB, Meningitis and Hep C on the regular. I couldn't begin to tell you about drivers who act as if the flare pattern on the road is merely a suggestion. Talk to any EMT or Paramedic with real street experience and they will share similar stories. I really had no idea how insane this world is until I started working the streets.

Danbury, you have a lot of learning to do, and you better start learning quick. Hopefully when you get to firefighter 1 school, you get an instructor who makes you wish you were never born let alone be a firefighter. Its obvious the senior members of your department haven't been teaching you anything. Its also obvious you have no experience in firefighting, EMS or life.

EMS doesn't risk their lives. Firefighters and cops do. That's the difference.

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If this is what a probationary volly firefighter thinks of EMS, I guess we got our pulse on what the average citizen thinks. I completely agree with what X635 says, its time for EMS to be considered a premier emergency service like PD and FD. I am a career EMT who is sick of being and "ambulance driver". I love EMS but I am looking to get out as soon as I possibly can. I am sick of being treated like garbage by the citizens and government of the city I work for. I am sick of sitting on a streetcorner during blizzards and heatwaves and everything in between, waiting for the next sore throat, domino pain, insurance fraud MVA, etc, etc.

As for EMS not being dangerous I'd like to take my proby friend into the projects at 3AM for an EDP or unknown condition. I'm sure he'd add to the piss puddle in the elevator.

I saw that new R-1 heading westbound on the LIE at around exit 51 0600 this morning. I don't know what it was doing that far out east. I do know FDNY uses a diesel shop in Ronkonkama(exit 57) for warranty work.

A couple of weeks back I also spotted the Rescue Me ladder on the street in Astoria Queens, where they film most of the show. I got a picture with my cellphone camera, but as you can imagine it was pretty grainy. I'm on the day tour as well, gonna miss the show again this year.