SageVigiles

Took these photos today at the blessing of the fleet

Date: 6/27/10
Time: 10:15 hours
Location: 126 st x 5th Ave
Frequency: FDNY Manhattan
Weather Conditions: warm, overcast
Description Of Incident: fire in the electrical panel of a church with manholes popping, possibly involved.
Reporters/Writer: ryang
Additional Info:
Harlem, Manhattan, NY, 6/27/10
Address: 15 W126 st between 5th and Lenox Aves
Box 1486
Engs. 35, 59, 58
TL14, L30
Battalion 12
10-75-1486 - 10:18 hours
E37
L26 (FAST Truck)
Battalion 16
Squad 41
Rescue 3
Division 6
10:19 hours
Battalion 12: Have ConEd priority response, we have a fire in the electrical closet in the basement of the church.
10:22 hours
ConEd reports a 30 minute ETA.
7-5-1486 - 10:22 hours
BC12: we have 2 lines stretched, 1 line in operation, primary searches are underway, trucks are opening up, fire is Doubtful. Building is a 5 story 30x50 non-fireproof church, using All-Hands.
RAC1
Exposures are:
1 - street
2 - 4 story brownstone
3 - unknown
4 - lot
2-2-1486 - 10:23 hours - Duration 10 minutes
BC12: 2nd Alarm Box 1486! We have multiple manholes blowing in the street.
Engs. 69, 80, 91, 60
E9 w/ Satellite 1
T40, TL23
Battalion 14 (Safety Officer)
Battalion 11 (Resource Unit Leader)
Rescue, Safety Battalions
Tactical Support 1
FieldCom
Car 4A (AC James Manahan, Assistant Chief of Operations)
10:27 hours - Duration 12 minutes
BC12: Searches in the basement are negative.
10:30 hours - Duration 15 minutes
Division 6: Can you try to send a rush on ConEd. We have 2 lines stretched, main body of fire is knocked down, we have heavy smoke condition, trucks are opening up, checking for extension. It's an electrical fire, we had a manhole in the street popped as well as the fire in the basement.
10:34 hours
Staging area is Lenox Ave and W125 st
Correction to exposures:
3 - rear yard
10:37 hours - Duration 22 minutes
DC6: Primaries are complete and negative throughout the church, the fire building, fire is still Doubtful.
10:37 hours
DC6: Primary search of exposure 2 is complete and negative, can you special call another truck company.
L28 S/C
10:40 hours
Rescue Battalion is switching over to Queens, may be needed at a Queens Box.
10:43 hours
Rescue Battalion is not needed in Queens and will continue in.
10:46 hours - Duration 31 minutes
DC6: Primary search on the 1st floor of the church complete and negative.
10:51 hours
ConEd advises a crew is responding, no ETA.
11:03 hours - Duration 48 minutes
FieldCom: Progress report Manhattan 2nd Alarm Box 1486, the address 15 W 126 st, between 5 Ave and Lenox Ave, fire in a 5 story 30x50 church. Division 6 reports secondary searches are complete and negative, ConEd is on scene. Still have 2 lines stretched and in operation, still venting the basement, k
11:11 hours - Duration 56 minutes
FC: Progress report on your 2nd Alarm Box 1486, the address 15 W126 st, between 5 Ave and Lenox Ave, Division 6 had a fire in the basement of a 5 story 30x50 church, Division 6 reports secondary searches throughout the fire building and exposure 2, with the exception of the 1st floor and basement of the original fire building, are complete and negative.
11:17 hours - Duration 1 hour 2 minutes
FC: Progress report on 2nd Alarm Box 1486, the address 15 W126 st, between 5 Ave and Lenox Ave, Division 6 reports secondary searches throughout are complete and negative, k.
11:20 hours - Duration 1 hour 5 minutes
FC: Progress report on your 2nd Alarm Box 1486, the address 15 W126 st, between 5 Ave and Lenox Ave, Division 6 reports: ConEd has removed power from the building, and places the fire Probably Will Hold, k.
11:23 hours
Car 4A is 10-8, Division 6 is Incident Commander.
Rescue 3 is 10-8 back to the Bronx.
11:22 hours
FC: Special call 1 ladder, have them report to the command post, and they will be relieving the FAST Truck, k.
TL17 S/C as a relief FAST Truck
11:29 hours
FieldCom, Tactical Support 1 are 10-8
11:49 hours - Duration 1 hour 34 minutes
DC6: We have power off to the building, we have 3 fans in operation, trying to lower the CO levels in the building. We have 40 ppm in the cellar and 600 ppm in the subcellar.
11:56 hours - Duration 1 hour 41 minutes
DC: We're going to go Under Control at this time, CO levels are dropping to acceptable levels. Division 6 will be going 10-8, Battalion 12 will be Incident Commander.
Relocations:
Engines: 21/58, 93/91
Ladders: 44/14, 25/40

Back in 2002 or 2003, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office Accident Reconstruction Unit came to my FD and have a couple hours lecture, and Powerpoint demonstration on Accident Scene Preservation. Things like this can help FFs to see an accident scene as something other than just a couple wrecked cars and patients, and thinking about it possibly being a crime scene (even down to minor to moderate MVCs), and to be cognizant and make all attempts to not disturb evidence. Now, I am by no means saying that is how FFs think of MVC scenes, but we can get complacent sometimes, and not think of some of these things while attempting to fulfill our own duties.

This is something I posted in another forum on the issue, which I'll share here. It was in response to someone talking about combination departments in a semi-positive light.
As a member of one of those combination departments where career works EXTREMELY well with volunteer, I somewhat agree with you. But it starts with expectations. What do you expect your volunteers to be able to do? What steps are your volunteer organizations taking to ensure they can provide adequate coverage at ALL times? Because there are some really creative ways to do so OTHER than just hiring part-timers. (Hint: There are ALOT of fire science students out there between UNH and the community colleges who would love to help out other departments)
Those who claim that there will always be animousity between career and volunteer ARE the problem. There doesn't have to be, stop accepting the problem and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Everybody needs to lighten up and stop feeling so threatened by change that they freak out and circle the wagons every time a new initiative comes up. But it goes both ways, the volunteers need to respect the fact that the career department is in command (at least in most department by SOP) and the career departments need to recognize that the volunteers are (generally) there to help and stop crying the "DEY TOOK ER JOBS" song.
I for one think it starts with training. As Sun Tzu said, "For how you train, so shall you fight" if your career and volunteer staff train together on a regular basis, you will work together. If you put up walls between the two sides, that will come out on the fireground. Respect, humility, training and common sense is whats needed to fix most of these problems.
That being said, the issue in Stamford is that of a charter revision. If the state and city charters could get amended, the volunteer departments AND the career department could be folded into one chain of command and one set of SOPs, which would make sure everyone is one the same page and stop knuckleheaded decisions like this one from being made.

This is something I posted in another forum on the issue, which I'll share here. It was in response to someone talking about combination departments in a semi-positive light.
As a member of one of those combination departments where career works EXTREMELY well with volunteer, I somewhat agree with you. But it starts with expectations. What do you expect your volunteers to be able to do? What steps are your volunteer organizations taking to ensure they can provide adequate coverage at ALL times? Because there are some really creative ways to do so OTHER than just hiring part-timers. (Hint: There are ALOT of fire science students out there between UNH and the community colleges who would love to help out other departments)
Those who claim that there will always be animousity between career and volunteer ARE the problem. There doesn't have to be, stop accepting the problem and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Everybody needs to lighten up and stop feeling so threatened by change that they freak out and circle the wagons every time a new initiative comes up. But it goes both ways, the volunteers need to respect the fact that the career department is in command (at least in most department by SOP) and the career departments need to recognize that the volunteers are (generally) there to help and stop crying the "DEY TOOK ER JOBS" song.
I for one think it starts with training. As Sun Tzu said, "For how you train, so shall you fight" if your career and volunteer staff train together on a regular basis, you will work together. If you put up walls between the two sides, that will come out on the fireground. Respect, humility, training and common sense is whats needed to fix most of these problems.
That being said, the issue in Stamford is that of a charter revision. If the state and city charters could get amended, the volunteer departments AND the career department could be folded into one chain of command and one set of SOPs, which would make sure everyone is one the same page and stop knuckleheaded decisions like this one from being made.

It's funny it seems to me like it's always volunteer firemen or volunteer ems workers who take the time to monday morning quaterback or second guess what the police do...
Do you ever see the cops on here saying things like " I think it was excessive that those vollies had 6 trucks at that fire and they wasted all that water just to save that foundation." WE don't say stuff like that because we have no training or experience in fighting fires just like you have no training or experience in law enforcement.
Before you guys get all in a huff I'm just trying to prove a point, I actually have a lot of respect for you guys who go out there and do it for free.
With that being said, unless you are a cop or you have ever been a cop you really shouldn't be second guessing what a cop does.
If that cop had tackled that kid there is a possibility that they both could have been hurt and then everyone would have been screaming police brutality and then they would be complaining that it cost the city money because now the cop is out injured and it's creating overtime.
Everyone loves you guys, but unlike you WE CAN'T WIN , we are damned if we do and we are damned if we don't.
Deploying the taser in this situation is exactly what they are for, it put a safe end to the situation for everyone. This little punk will not suffer any ill effects from the taser and I can assure you he will think twice before he does something stupid like this again.

How many of you armchair quarterbacks who cry "excessive" have actually been in that Officer's shoes?

I disagree, the biggest problem is that they spend money on equipment but have no idea how to use it or its limitation. Everyone SHOULD have a bailout system of some kind, even if its just a rope, if thats what works for you. But you gotta work with it to know what its/your limitations are. That's why I took my harness off my gear, I don't get enough practice with it, and half the time it just gets in the way. Rope and a hook is good enough for me, as long as it slows my descent I'm comfortable enough.

This is an issue that should be examined closely. This could very nearly have been a tremendous disaster. No one can tell exactly how many people would have been killed had this bomb functioned properly and the psychological ramifications would be extensive, bringing a fear that lurks in the back of our minds to the surface very violently. The police officer who responded to the vehicle was peering through the windows before realizing what was contained within. That's a little closer to a bomb than I can imagine most of us ever wanting to be. Supposedly did a great job at moving people away and bringing the necessary NYPD Bomb Squad and FDNY units.
As terrible a reality as it is, this is something that we, as emergency responders, need to be very aware of today. Furthermore, there has been some scuttle about the intended method of detonation and whether or not the smoke was intentional as a device to lure responders. If there is any validity to that theory, imagine the process. Device creates smoke, brings responders and then the primary device detonates. What a terrible event....
The reality is, there are very sick people who come up with intricate ways to kill lots of people and specific people. Be safe and cautious and try not to let ever present complacency effect your level of preparedness.

It's hard to tell what you're saying here, but I think you are generally supporting the medics actions as going above and beyond typical duties. I'd agree it should not be downplayed as no big deal as any firefighter would do the same. We could only hope that was true while knowing sadly far fewer would have acted so selflessly. I think maybe your wording sounded almost over the top and sarcastic.
So if you are actually supporting this mans actions I'd suggest the following: I would not call what this firefighter did a "stunt" and I would say that with the training and knowledge others here attribute to this man, I'd say that it was not "total disregard for his own life", but a calculated risk/benefit analysis requiring quick actions with significantly increased risks to his personal safety to save another's life .
And not to take anything away from this selfless act but a Presidential Medal of Freedom? I wouldn't want anything from a man who won the Nobel Prize for not being George W. Bush. I think the respect and praise of his Brother's is far more fitting. maybe a nod at the Firehouse Magazine Heroism Awards?

NFPA is the industry standard, so you'd better have a damned good reason why you aren't following it when it comes time for court. Simply saying "its not mandatory" is not going to suffice, contrary to popular belief.

Much like other modern day newspapers offering on line service and allow people to leave comments some MORON decided that Capt. Vince Iaccino death was an appropriate time and place for a paid vs. volunteer war in the story about his death in the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Who knows if that person is a member on this site, regardless this person needs to GROW UP!
This post is not an invitation to start that war because no one wants to hear about it it's your own opinion.
My gripe is the lack of respect for someone who spent the last 22 years giving back to the community as a firefighter.
Story look under the 3rd group of comments
Rest in peace Captain / President
Jim

My Fire Administration professor brought this up a few weeks ago in class. Its something I would never have even thought of, and I found it very interesting. Below the article is the area of this that we discussed.
So here's the relevance to fire/emergency services:
Traditionally, the governmental organization that gets "carte blanche" for budgets is the Board of Education. If ever cuts need to be made, the BoE says they are going to cut afterschool programs, band, sports, etc. Then parents come out in DROVES to fight against the cuts and support their school district.
This happened mostly during the period when the "Baby Boomers" had children in school. Now that the Boomers are getting older, and the majority of their children will have graduated public school. Good luck trying to get those people to come out and vote for higher school budgets (and thus, higher taxes) when they will see none of the benefit.
My professor posited the idea that schools will no longer be the service that the Baby Boomers are concerned with. As they are getting older, their medical care and safety will become their key concern. (No, I'm not calling anyone here old, just bringing up a point)
So the question is, do you think this will create a shift in public policy shifting less demand for educational programs and a larger concern for fire, police and EMS services? Those of us in this business know we've been dealing with an aging society for years, but as the large "bubble" approaches, we're going to need more rigs and personnel on the road. Do you think, for lack of a better term, Carte Blanche will be granted to our organizations?
Food for thought. Discuss.

Date: 4/11/10
Time: 22:15 hours
Location: Grand St x Eldridge St
Frequency: FDNY Manhattan
Weather Conditions: humid, light drizzle
Description Of Incident: fire extended from the basement through the roof of a 6 story MD and into exposures 2, 2A, and 4. Companies initially unable to locate source of fire.
Reporters/Writer: ryang
Additional Info:
Chinatown, Manhattan, NY, 4/11/10
Address: 283 - 285 Grand St between Forsyth and Eldridge Sts
22:14 hours
Phone Box 259 - Report of smoke in the area
Engs. 9, 55, 15
T6, TL18
Battalion 4
10-75-259 - 22:16 hours
E28
T20 (FAST Truck)
Battalion 2
Squad 18
Rescue 1
Division 1
22:21 hours
Battalion 4: We're opening up at this time, we're trying to locate the source of the smoke. We're not sure if this is even the right building at this time. We have 1 line stretched, ready to go into operation.
22:25 hours
Division 1: We're going to change the address to 285 Grand St, we have a heavy smoke condition throughout the building, still trying to locate the source. 1 line stretched at this time, start out an extra engine and extra truck.
E7, L11 S/C
7-5-259 - 22:29 hours
DC1: We have a 20x80 mixed-occupancy type 6 story. We're still searching for the fire at this time. All-Hands at this time.
RAC1
Exposures are:
1 - street
2 - similar attached
3 - unknown
4 - similar
CIDs for 283 - 285 Grand St:
6 story 60x75 MD class 3. Rear fire escape. Solar panels on roof.
2-2-259 - 22:34 hours - Duration 20 minutes
Car 6 (AC James Esposito, Manhattan Borough Commander): Box 259, transmit a full 2nd alarm on this box, k. Box 259, right now we're using a 2nd alarm, heavy smoke in the cellar and 1st floor. Undetermined source of fire at this time, Trucks are still opening and searching for fire. This report by AC James Esposito, citywide tour commander.
Engs. 33, 5, 6, 10
E24 acting 9 w/ Satellite 1
TL9, L3 acting 6
Battalion 1 (Safety Officer)
Battalion 6 (Resource Unit Leader)
Safety, Rescue Battalions
Tactical Support 1
FieldCom, Command Tactical Unit
22:36 hours
Car 6: 2nd Alarm Box 259, 10-45 no code.
22:38 hours
Car 6: The satellite, let's get them on Grand St in front of the park on Eldridge, get the manifold set up right in front of the fire building. I want the two trucks into the command post ASAP, with their tools, k, they're going to work. Special call 1 additional truck on the 2nd
TL1 S/C
22:40 hours
The staging area is Grand St and Chrystie St
22:41 hours
Receiving apartment 4H at 45 Allen St reporting smoke.
22:42 hours
Car 6: Special call an additional truck above TL1.
L8 S/C
22:43 hours - Duration 29 minutes
Car 6: 2nd Alarm Box 259, another, 2nd, 10-45 no code
3-3-259 - 22:47 hours
Car 6: 259 box, transmit a full 3rd alarm. I want the entire third alarm to stage at the staging area
Engs. 4, 3, 16, 23 acting 55
L10, T5
Battalion 7
Battalion 35 (Staging Manager)
Battalion 43 (Air-Recon Chief)
Mask Service Unit

22:54 hours
Car 6: Have the 1st due trucks on the 3rd alarm respond in to the Command Post.
22:55 hours
Car 6: Call 2 trucks and have them go to staging.
TL21 acting 1, TL15 S/C
22:59 hours
Car 6: Give me 2 engines and 2 trucks off of staging, have them report in to the Command Post.
Engs. 4, 3, L10, T5 re-directed
23:00 hours
Car 6: Special call two Battalion Chiefs on this assignment, I want them at the command post.
Battalions 8, 57 S/C
23:00 hours
Battalion 31 replacing Battalion 57
4-4-259 - 23:01 hours
Car 6: Transmit a 4th Alarm! Have the 4th alarm report to staging, I have Battalion 35 at staging.
Engs. 8, 1, 54, 14
E262 w/ IMT Unit
TL7, TL12
Battalion 57 (Planning Sections Chief)
Car 4 (Chief of Operations Robert Sweeney)
Car 36B (Department Chaplain)
23:02 hours
Car 12A (Executive Assistant, Safety and Inspectional Services) is responding
Car 17 is 10-84
23:05 hours
FieldCom: 4th alarm Box 259, AC Esposito, Car 6, would like to request ConEd Gas and ConEd Electric to the scene, k.
23:08 hours
Fallback Step III has been implemented in the borough of Manhattan.
23:10 hours
Receiving report of person trapped in apartment 4C on the 6th floor
23:10 hours - Duration 57 minutes
FC: Progress report #6 on the 4th alarm Box 259, the correct address is 283 Grand St. Car 6, AC Esposito reports we have fire in the basement and 1st floor of the fire building, which is 283 Grand St, with possible extension into the 2nd floor. We have extension into exposure 2, which is 285 Grand St, into the 1st floor. They have 5 hands lines stretched and in operation, they are evacuating civilians from the upper floors, and they are getting water on the fire, primary searches are in progress, and the fire remains Doubtful Will Hold.
23:12 hours
Receiving apartment 14 at 285 Grand St reporting a person choking from smoke.
23:13 hours
FC: By orders of Car 6, AC Esposito, special call 2 Battalion Chiefs above the 4th Alarm.
Battalions 9, 32 acting 1 S/C
23:13 hours
Car 12 (DAC Stephen Raynis, Chief of Safety and Inspectional Services) is responding
23:16 hours
FC: Can you put in another call to ConEd, we need a supervisor forthwith and get an ETA
5-5-259 - 23:17 hours
FC: Per Car 6, AC Esposito, transmit a 5th Alarm!
Engs. 26, 226, 34 acting 24, 230 acting 10
6-6-259 - 23:23 hours
Engs. 205, 224, 210, 211
L154 acting 1, L24
23:26 hours - Duration 1 hour 12 minutes
FC: Progress report #7 for the 6th Alarm Box 259, at this time AC Esposito reports, 8 handlines stretched and in operation, fire on the 1st and 2nd floors of exposure 2, fire extended to the 3rd floor of the original fire building. Transmit 2 additional 10-45s, for a total of 4, still evacuating numerous civilians from the upper floors, and the fire remains Doubtful.
23:32 hours
Car 36A (Department Chaplain) is responding
23:34 hours
FC: Special call a 95 foot Tower Ladder, we need them to respond to Eldridge St adjacent to exposure 2.
TL14 acting 21 S/C
23:42 hours
FC: At this time the Chief of Operations, Chief Sweeney, is on scene. We have evacuated all members from the fire building and from exposure 2, and we are in the process of conducting a rollcall.
23:44 hours
Battalion 43 - Air Recon: Can you advise the FieldCom, from our vantage point we have heavy fire through the roof.
FC: Have the Air Recon Battalion switch to channel 5 while they conduct rollcall.
23:45 hours
Car 3 (Chief of Department Edward Kilduff) is 10-84
Car 1 (Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano) is responding
23:54 hours
Car 1E (Commissioner's Liaison) is responding
Car 14 (Chief Fire Marshal) is responding
7-7-259 - 23:55 hours
FC: At this time can you special call an additional FAST Truck, have them report to Battalion 9 on exposure 3. By orders of the Chief of Department, Chief Kilduff, transmit a 7th Alarm.
T118 (FAST Truck) S/C
23:56 hours
FC: By orders of Car 3, Chief Kilduff, we will only special call 2 engines.
Engs. 21 acting 15, 219 S/C*
((7th Alarm rescinded)
00:00 hours - 1 hour 46 minutes
FC: Progress report for the 6th Alarm Box 259, at this time Car 3, Chief of Department Kilduff reports they have heavy fire on all floors of the original fire building, and they have fire on all floors of exposure 2. They have 2 tower ladders set up and in operation: 1 on the fire building, and 1 on exposure 2. They have extension into exposure 2A, and have 3 handlines stretched into exposure 2A, and the fire remains Doubtful.
7-7-259 - 00:05 hours
FC: By orders of the Chief of Department, Chief Kilduff, transmit an additional alarm for the 7th alarm.
Engs 216, 258 acting 33, 271 acting 6, 202
L30 acting 3, TL146 acting 18
00:07 hours
FC: Can you special call an additional Deputy Chief.
Division 11 S/C
00:11 hours
RAC1: You're going to have to dispatch another RAC to the 7th Alarm here.
RAC2 S/C
00:27 hours
FC requests a mixer-off message.
00:33 hours
FC: Can you special call 1 additional battalion chief, have them report to the Command Post.
Battalion 44 S/C
00:46 hours
Receiving report of embers falling on Hester St between Eldridge and Forsyth Sts
00:46 hours - Duration 2 hours 32 minutes
FC: At this time Chief of Department Kilduff reports they have fire in exposure 2A on the 4th, 5th, 6th floors and in the cockloft, they have a tower ladder operation on the fire building, another tower ladder operating on exposures 2 and 2A. They had some extension into exposure 4 but that has been knocked down, and the fire remains Doubtful, k.
00:54 hours
FC: On the original 4 10-45 no codes, 2 of them are going to be code 2s (Red Tag, Immediate) and 2 will be code 4s (Green Tag, Minor).
01:14 hours
FC requests a mixer-off message.
01:25 hours
BC43 (Air Recon): Advise FieldCom we have re-fueled and are ready to take off again, ascertain if they have any special instructions and what handy-talky channel they want us to come in on.
01:26 hours
FC: You can notify the Air Recon as per the Chief they can go back in service.
01:35 hours - Duration 3 hours 22 minutes
FC: Progress report #10 for the 7th Alarm Box 259, the Chief of Department, Chief Kilduff, reports: at this time they have shut down all tower ladders, they have no visible fire in the original fire building, exposure 2, or exposure 2A. They are evaluating the structural stability of the original fire building and exposure 2, they will be going back to a handline operation in exposure 2A, and places the fire Probably Will Hold, k.
01:49 hours
FC: We have a correction on the 10-45s: originally we had a total of 4 1045s, it is now only 3. 2 will be code 2s, and 1 has been upgraded to a code 3 (Yellow Tag, Delayed).
01:51 hours
Rescue Battalion is 10-8 back to Citywide.
01:54 hours
Tactical Support 1 is 10-8 back to Citywide.
02:00 hours
Car 1 is 10-8.
02:12 hours - Duration 3 hours 58 minutes
FC: Progress report #11 on the 7th Alarm Box 259, the Chief of Department, Chief Kilduff, reports: at this time they have 1 tower ladder operating into exposure 2, they have 2 handlines stretched and in operation in exposure 2A knocking down pockets of fire in the shaft and cockloft, he's placing the fire Under Control, k.
Relocations:
Engines: 316/1, 292/3, 280/4, 271/6, 221/7, 24/9, 22/9, 306/22, 230/10, 35/10, 291/14, 21/15, 255/15, 319/21, 34/24, 325/24, 73/26, 237/28, 258/33, 259/33, 23/55, 74/55
Ladders: 21/1, 154/1, 115/1, 3/6, 30/3, 128/6, 163/7, 110/8, 16/11, 22/12, 111/15, 146/18, 119/18, 101/20, 14/21, 23/21, 54/14
Battalions: 32/1, 11/2, 10/4, 45/6, 52/8

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
-Thomas Jefferson.
"Our liberty is protected by four boxes... the ballot box, the jury box, the soap box,
and the cartridge box."
-Anonymous
I only hope we'll have to use the first three to change this crap, and not the last one.

Well this is a topic that can't be adequetely covered in a couple hundred words on here. Here are some things that come off the top of my head.
1. Risk Management-The whole thing will depend on if the place is opened or closed. If it's open some sort of interior attack will probably be necessary to attempt a primary search. After the joint has closed the only life hazard becomes us and any advanced fire the risk may very well outweight the benifit of interior attack.
2. Water supply- Lay in (don't count on somebody else to do it for you). 2 1/2 with a smooth bore is an excellent choice in commercial for a number of reasons. Great reach, absorbs lots of btu's, and is powerful so that is blows those ceiling tiles apart and penetrates to the fire.
3. Thermal Imaging Camera- The TIC is always important but at a commercial building where you have high ceilings it may be your first warning of heat build up above your head. A good tactic is to lift up a ceiling tile on entry and check the plenum for fire before you venture in too far below it. The TIC will help you stay orientated, find victims, keep track of your crew, and locating the fire).
4. In many cases we will be dealing with truss roofs so roof ops is out.
5. Consider using the search rope if you are entering without a handline.
6. A middle of the night fire in one of these buildings is a good canidate for a backdraft.
Most of the fires you will encounter in these buildings are duct fires which have different tactics. Lastly here is the link to a LODD report about a fire in a McDonald's in Houston Texas that occured in 2000. This tragic fire took the lives of two firefighters.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200013.html

Everyone is so caught up on the idea of extrication. I highly doubt this truck is going to be carrying nothing but rescue equipment. ESU is not just a technical rescue team. Yes, that's an aspect of it, but primarily they are a tactical response team, and the amount of equipment needed for any decent sized tactical operation is incredible:
Weapons
Ammo
Armor/Helmets
Shields
Non-Lethal systems
Surveillance systems
"Throw Phones"
Communications gear
Forcible Entry equipment
Medical gear
Crime Scene Gear
Command and Control area
HAZMAT gear (Yes, there IS a reason for PD to do HAZMAT, welcome to the 21st century boys and girls)
Tactical Operators carry a LOT of equipment on their backs, I've you've ever worn it before you know what I'm talking about. All that stuff has to go somewhere. Only so much is going to fit into one of those Odyssey ESU wagons that YPD ESU cruises around in When "the big one" hits, having a war wagon with enough gear to sustain your team is critical.
Let me ask you this, how do you feel when at a fire commissioner's meeting the taxpayers challenge why you need a $500,000 rescue truck or $1 million tower ladder to conduct their operations. I'll bet you get defensive because you don't like people who don't DO your job telling you how THEY think you should do it. So why would you do that to our Brothers in law enforcement? Besides, we don't even KNOW for sure what is on the truck, how about waiting to find out before filing a grievance on behalf of a fire department you don't even belong to.
Best of luck to YPD ESU on their new rig.

Alpine: Is this "Stamford" information coming from Stamford City Fire sources or is this scuttlebutt from people from outside Stamford Fire and Rescue who have like to start problems by manufacturing their own stories and history (there is quite a bit of that going around.....)
I am pretty abreast of most SFRD and Union issues and I have NEVER heard about a concern whether SPD takes the old Mack R2 and makes it into an ESU truck.

Everyone is so caught up on the idea of extrication. I highly doubt this truck is going to be carrying nothing but rescue equipment. ESU is not just a technical rescue team. Yes, that's an aspect of it, but primarily they are a tactical response team, and the amount of equipment needed for any decent sized tactical operation is incredible:
Weapons
Ammo
Armor/Helmets
Shields
Non-Lethal systems
Surveillance systems
"Throw Phones"
Communications gear
Forcible Entry equipment
Medical gear
Crime Scene Gear
Command and Control area
HAZMAT gear (Yes, there IS a reason for PD to do HAZMAT, welcome to the 21st century boys and girls)
Tactical Operators carry a LOT of equipment on their backs, I've you've ever worn it before you know what I'm talking about. All that stuff has to go somewhere. Only so much is going to fit into one of those Odyssey ESU wagons that YPD ESU cruises around in When "the big one" hits, having a war wagon with enough gear to sustain your team is critical.
Let me ask you this, how do you feel when at a fire commissioner's meeting the taxpayers challenge why you need a $500,000 rescue truck or $1 million tower ladder to conduct their operations. I'll bet you get defensive because you don't like people who don't DO your job telling you how THEY think you should do it. So why would you do that to our Brothers in law enforcement? Besides, we don't even KNOW for sure what is on the truck, how about waiting to find out before filing a grievance on behalf of a fire department you don't even belong to.
Best of luck to YPD ESU on their new rig.

I'm an EPA (40 hour) HAZMAT tech and am applying to the New Haven Area Special Hazards Team through my membership with the Wallingford Fire Department, with hopes to take the longer NFPA 472 class, as soon as I can find someone to pay for it.. I've taken multiple HAZMAT courses in college and its definitely an area I'm interested in and have some abilities in. So yeah, by summer I'll be on a team. Besides the fact that Anniston DOESN'T require you to be a HAZMAT Technician at all. This definitely won't be my first time taking a HAZMAT course, and its a great resume builder when I go to apply for federal law enforcement.

I'm an EPA (40 hour) HAZMAT tech and am applying to the New Haven Area Special Hazards Team through my membership with the Wallingford Fire Department, with hopes to take the longer NFPA 472 class, as soon as I can find someone to pay for it.. I've taken multiple HAZMAT courses in college and its definitely an area I'm interested in and have some abilities in. So yeah, by summer I'll be on a team. Besides the fact that Anniston DOESN'T require you to be a HAZMAT Technician at all. This definitely won't be my first time taking a HAZMAT course, and its a great resume builder when I go to apply for federal law enforcement.

Note: Incident Alerts should NOT be updated inside a working fire. But we appreciate the dedication...

Note: Incident Alerts should NOT be updated inside a working fire. But we appreciate the dedication...

Note: Incident Alerts should NOT be updated inside a working fire. But we appreciate the dedication...

Now to address some of your points:
1. Its not up to those people you mentioned because most of those people in charge dont want to admit there is a problem.
That would require change and we cant have that. The travesty. The average citizen is also clueless when it comes to this. They are not given the correct info, because if they were, change would've happened already.
2. For the record, I do have loved ones that live in Northern West, Rockland, and CT, so I feel it is my right to be concerned about the the coverage they are recieving. Wether its Fire or EMS.
3. I invite you to listen to the our departments tones and point out flaws. We have some very open-minded chiefs that read this site and would take your objective criticism under consideration. (except JFLYNN -cause he would take it personnal )
4. It has already been pointed out that by this thread that some depts have placed parades and other events above good service.
5. Once everone is trained to same level and there is 1 standard for all, there will only be 1 side. The career vs Vollie arguement will be dead because response times are the same, skills are the same, and most importantly, the public will be better served by US.

Hey KCRD, you write well and you make excellent points...I'm not going to PM you cause I'm having fun trying to guess who you are.
I think it's time we just start ignoring the posts of this particular individual. Let him keep going, he is actually doing a great job of displaying what some of the problems and attitudes are in this particular situation.
Don't worry, people can read and most people on this site are intelligent and reasonable. They (career, volunteer and other) will see the situation and the personalities for what and who they are.
However, let's not stop talking about this very serious issue. I just suggest we just not dignify some of these really off the wall posts and personal posts by engaging in debate.
It is impossible to reason with an unreasonable person.