SageVigiles

19 hours ago, vodoly said:

U think looks like they have a lock on biz in Bergen county lol

Most of the DC area as well.

4 hours ago, AFS1970 said:

At 21 I am sure the ink on his gun permit is barely dry. Then there is the issue of why you are drawing a weapon inside and in the company of anyone, least of all a minor. Even when I was a volunteer and worked as an armed guard, all the while advocating against the departments general gun ban, I never took a weapon out of a holster with other people in the room. I am glad I never needed to.

Even IF there was a reason for him to remove his weapon from the holster... He must have missed the key safety rules.

• All guns are always loaded. (Treat them so!)
• Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
• Keep your booger picker off the bang switch until you are ready to fire.
• Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Its also possible that their swiftwater gear is kept on the engine/truck/rescue and this is literally just the truck that carries the boat.

Okay, I'll bite.  What kind of "special operations" does this agency perform?

Morningside VFD, located just outside Washington, DC in Prince George's County, Maryland, will have 20 Private Rooms for Firefighter/EMT or EMT Only Members who desire to participate in our Live-In Program. We are actively recruiting Live-In Members for a potential Move-In Date of September 2016. Applicants with current FF1/EMT or EMT only will be given preference.

Online Application is available at http://goo.gl/forms/BcBGgMLaJbrXgflV2

Interested individuals are strongly encouraged to attend the MVFD Live-In Open House scheduled for August 5th, 6th and 7th. The MVFD is a 100% Volunteer Company in the infamous "Southside" of Prince George's County, MD and responded to over 8,000 runs last year. Home of the Busiest Rescue Squad and All Volunteer Ambulance in Prince George's County, we also staff an Engine Company, and Rescue Engine. There is no secret about it, we hope to expand our services to even more in the near future - you can be a part of our success and join one of the most active 100% Volunteer Fire Departments in the United States. Contact us Today!

And we're always recruiting out-of-state volunteers as well. Out of state members are required to provide 36 hours of service per month.

https://youtu.be/NdcjcmoEKbc

Of course I've heard the term, my point is that it is a misleading term used so that a department can advertise they have "100 Firefighters" when really there are only 25 are qualified to actually fight a fire.

2 minutes ago, gamewell45 said:

Barry, I googled your term "Firefighter Helpers" and there is nothing listed under that.  Therefore I'm going to conclude that it is nothing more then a divisive term you threw into the mix.  The term "exterior" is more appropriate in this case and I'm sure you are well aware of what Exterior Firefighters roles are in the fire service.

That's interesting, because I searched NFPA 1001: Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications for the term "Exterior Firefighter" and there is no qualification listed under that...

8 hours ago, S1720G said:

The biggest thing I have noticed is the hate of the volunteer FFs (who work somewhere else like say, FDNY) by Volunteer FFs. That's more of an issue than Union staff VS volunteers. Most likely, sorry but gonna say it, fuled by some level of jealousy . They can be their own worst enemy. 

I think that may be a cultural thing in the NY and New England area.  Down here there are a ton of two-hatters, and most stations welcome them in with open arms, because they value the different ideas and different experiences. More than 50% of our officers are career firefighters elsewhere.

7 hours ago, nfd2004 said:

If not enough certified "INTERIOR FIREFIGHTERS" show up, who gets to go in and fight the fire or conduct searches in the early stages ? What is Plan B if that's the case. ?

 

How does that affect the "Two In/Two Out Rule" ?

 

 

I know the answer to this one Willy!  When you don't have enough actual Firefighters, you can still hit it hard from the yard!

I wish they'd come to DC.

As usual, the answer likely lies somewhere between the two extremes.

First off, stop it with the selfies.  Not just on the fireground, stop them altogether. Everywhere. Please, I'm begging you. You look ridiculous.

Our department has a pretty liberal social media program by fire department standards; we have a "blog" style website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube, all run by the Line Officers and the Chiefs. As part of our recruitment/retention grant we purchased several HD helmet cams and GoPro cameras to capture footage of fires, rescue locals, and yes, response to calls. Say what you want, but it has paid off. We advertise how busy we are, the experience you can get at our station, and the benefits to membership, and it works big time: our active membership roster grows every month, and we always have people coming to do a ride along to see if Morningside is the place for them. The days of recruiting with the signboard in front of the station are over, folks. We also invite some of the firefighter YouTube TV series to ride along and film us (The Battalion TV and Into The Smoke, Battalion has posted their video already, ITS is still working on their season).

Our Chiefs encourage the membership to post photos and videos of what we're doing, it helps get the message out about what we are doing and it keeps people coming in the doors. We police ourselves and people who stray outside of the accepted norms are quickly corrected. Youtube videos are produced by the membership (we have a couple former film students) and approved by the Chiefs before posting.

There's sort of a tradition around here of taking a "crew shot" on the bumper of the rig following a fire or a pin job. Other than shots of the rigs and training evolutions, those are probably the most common things you see down here.

https://www.facebook.com/morningsidevolunteers/?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/morningsidevfd

https://www.instagram.com/mv27fd/

https://www.youtube.com/user/MorningsideVFD27

I've been pretty silent on this issue for awhile, but this is getting pretty out of hand.  Just a a disclaimer, I am a Firefighter at a 100% volunteer house. Since our company made the decision to go 100% volunteer 2 1/2 years ago, we have been staffed with volunteers only 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, averaging about 6 men on duty at a time. So nobody can claim that I drink any IAFF Kool-Aid... I'm simply going to make my point on the basis of public safety only.

Port Chester's decision to lay off the eight career Firefighters was just plain stupid. By PC's own admission, Port Chester has only 150 active, interior-qualified volunteers (though I've heard the actual number may be half that, but I'll take them at face value) to staff 7 companies. Dividing those evenly, we're looking at around 21 volunteers per company. I'd assume most of these people have day jobs, and to my knowledge PC volunteers do not have live-in members who provide daytime staffing, so realistically, how many guys get on the road during the day for a call? How can anyone argue that response times will NOT go up?  It's just simple math, folks. In most places, the volunteer model will not provide the same level of protection that a combination model will.

If the accusation that the Chief ordered his men to damage the house is true, the Chief (and any volunteers who followed that obviously illegal order) should be removed, and criminal charges should be considered. "Firefighters" who pull that kind of crap have no business wearing the uniform. People like that are the reason volunteers are treated like second-rate Firefighters in so much of the country.

The PCFD Volunteers need to make a decision regarding their leadership. I really hope they have some Line Officers who are considering running against the Chiefs and fixing this mess. It's not about career or volunteer, it's about the service you provide to the public.

7 hours ago, somebuffyguy said:

Has anyone ever died waiting for the Fire investigator to arrive? The FD should still be there for long enough while overhauling to give the investigator plenty of time to arrive. I've personally never been at a fire in Westchester where we had to stand around doing nothing waiting for them. And if you are completely done with operations, release the assignment and leave one crew on scene. I couldn't justify the risk of sending a fire investigator to a scene lights and sirens. 

So by that logic, a Crime Scene Unit (or for that matter, almost any other Detective or investigative resource) shouldn't respond lights and siren either... After all, the victim in a Homicide case is already dead, right?  Bottom line: The collection and preservation of evidence is a time sensitive matter, so you can absolutely justify it (and many agencies do).

7 hours ago, EmsFirePolice said:

Most causes of fires (well here in the area) are usually found out by the chief. If they don't know, or need help, this is when the C&O team comes into play. I can't speak for the whole state, but I know, down in Westchester, certified/trained Fire Investigators aren't routinely dispatched on each fire. However, I don't know why.

Are Fire Chiefs in New York required to take some sort of Fire Investigation training? Are they required to re-certify after a period of time? If not, by what method are they basing their cause and origin determination?

I know (since mine just lapsed) that in CT, Fire Officials (Marshals, Deputy Marshals, Investigators, and Inspectors) are required to complete professional development training hours every three years in order to maintain certification. There are also professional certifications (CFEI and CFI) out there that are accepted in some states. ATF has their own certification process as well for their Certified Fire Investigators.

15 minutes ago, EmsFirePolice said:

I can see both sides. It'd most likely be easier for Cause and Origin to be notified during the fire. However, some chief's may not know what the fire was caused by (until the end) in which the Cause and Origin team would be requested to the scene.

This raises a few questions for me, perhaps because I don't know the structure of NY's fire investigation system...

1. How would a Fire Chief know what did or did not cause the fire unless they were a trained/certified Fire Investigator? If they were a Fire Investigator, why would they need a C&O Team?

2. Is a trained/certified Fire Investigator NOT routinely dispatched on every fire in NY State? If not, why not?

5 minutes ago, FireMedic049 said:

My thought is that you should consult with your investigators and see when THEY want to be notified.  Our investigations are performed by the County's Fire Marshall office.  Their investigators have told us to call for them as soon as we think they may be needed.

 

 

I can't see much need for them to respond in any manner other than non-emergency.

I typically don't like to get into lights/siren discussions, but this one catches my attention. As I mentioned in my previous post, according to the Supreme Court, in order to avoid needed a warrant to make entry, the investigator needs to be on scene before the FD leaves.  Why wouldn't a Fire Investigator need to respond with lights and siren?

Michigan v. Tyler, Fire Marshal can enter without a warrant to determine cause and origin within a "reasonable" amount of time. In my experience, the generally considered best practice is to have an FM unit on scene before suppression units take up. So they should absolutely be dispatched sooner rather than later, and they should be responding as any other emergency unit would.

Down here our Fire Marshals are members of the FD who go through the police academy and respond to fire scenes, they're generally added on or right after the Working Fire Dispatch.

13 minutes ago, nfd2004 said:

 

 

I know that is true with many departments as well. Although I am not really familiar with their operation, until most members gain seniority, very often that is the way many places operate.

 

If the opportunity comes, don't let riding an ambulance or medic unit discourage anyone from making this kind of career choice. Just part of the job. You'll also be expected to clean toilets and mop floors.

 

 

Willy, good to hear from

you Brother!

Wallingford's system of using FF/EMTs on the Medic Units isn't really an issue of seniority:

Traditionally, Wallingford only hired Paramedics. A few years back they made a change, splitting one transporting medic unit into 2 units during the day tour. To split the units they hired FF/EMTs under the "EMS Division."

As I mentioned, unless things changed since I moved down here, Wallingford will only let people move over to the "fire side" if they get their Medic.  I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but I want to make sure anyone interested understands the system.

Wallingford is a combination department.

Just a note, unless some substantial change has been made, FF/EMTs for Wallingford only ride the Medic units unless working overtime.

On 5/8/2016 at 3:50 AM, MiFF said:

Just out of curiosity what did the full timers do on down time. Besides truck checks and station chores of course. Did they run on ems runs as first responders? Did they do building inspections or install smoke detectors? Did they attend and represent the department at community events? 

As I understand it, fire inspections are handled by the "Code Enforcement" department.

On April 27, 2016 at 8:46 PM, v85 said:

I have many of the same questions. Does the fire chief believe his members/ employees were making the comments ?  Or that they are related to her death?  Why is the fire chief and not LE investigating? 

It is possible that the Fairfax County Fire Marshal's Office is the unit investigating the cyber bullying aspect. They are sworn LEOs, as are most Fire Marshals in the DC area.

Firefighterclosecalls.com has links to the forums in question, there are some very disparaging comments about volunteers as well...

Seth, Kevin Swain is from my station, I did not have the pleasure of knowing John, he was detailed to station 823 from another Battalion that night. Kevin is doing better and is in good spirits.

Many of our surrounding departments have stepped up to help.  Volunteers from Kentland (PG County) and La Plata (Charles County) have been staffing our engine. College Park (another PG house) has provided us with a coverage Ambo.  DCFD E15/R3/BC3, Fairfax Squad 411, Bladensburg FD, Berwyn Heights FD, Accokeek FD and many others have been providing meals for our troops. We appreciate all the support.

Rest Easy Skillet.

On March 17, 2016 at 9:45 PM, Piranha174 said:

 

Yes WCPD Marine has Side Scan Sonar. At the scene of a major incidents with fellow port partners certain tasks are assigned to certain units. WCPD Marine has members assigned 365 days a year. They are supplemted by members of ESU. 

Wait, you mean to tell me agencies are pre-planning their responsibilities before a multi-agency incident?  Instead of just showing up and doing whatever you want or having a fight over whose jurisdiction it is, or who has the most brass on their collar?

I am both shocked AND appalled at this blatant and willful display of preparedness and cooperation.

Down here, the only volunteer Officers who are assigned radio numbers are Chief Officers and those individuals acting as Volunteer Safety Officers or Captains acting as Battalion Chiefs in areas where Volunteer Battalion Chief slots exist. If they are responding on a suppression apparatus, then they are responsible for the position on the apparatus that they are riding, and they assume the appropriate callsign.

In my opinion, using your Chief Officer number to sign on with your apparatus only adds confusion.

Also, most of our units don't actually "sign on" to the radio, we use status buttons.

Morningside Volunteer Fire Dept.

Prince George's County, MD.

Station 827

The ambulance on the left, a used Ford/Horton unit that was purchased from a department out West, has been placed in service as A827.  This is our first company-owned ambulance.  For the first time in years, there are no PGFD-owned apparatus in our station.

The former A827, which is less than a year old, has been returned to the County. It will be assigned to another station, we don't know which one just yet.

Maybe if NYC paid their cops a decent wage guys wouldn't be jumping ship. 1% raise for cops, double digits for city council...

The city shows no respect to NYPD.