M' Ave

....and he's alive. That's pretty crazy!

This is what we are issued at the airport for our standard day to day job. We're out on the field a lot, which means we are exposed to a lot of noise (BTW some of the older jet engines are extremely loud). It's a cheap and easy way to protect your hearing in a loud environment. This style is quoted at $5.99 each

No good for us. You need to be able to hear the radio.....get updates from the dispatcher.

Can I take this test next time around if I retire from the job ( non city ) ?

There might be some sort of waiver involved to receive a salary and a pension, but I'm not sure. Check over the NOE. It really is an excellent job for a retired guy from the job.

If you're smart, a little buffy and into the job, please take this if it comes to you. A great dispatcher is invaluable to us in the field and we need more.

Sounds like M'Ave is partial to Big P (Kool Aid) or the eight letter company that starts with S & ends with E.

Not at all. I couldn't care less what name plate is on the grill. We've started to take delivery of the new KME engines. In fact, around the Bronx, there have been several in service for a few months and the reviews are great. We've had very little trouble and they drive great. The back step is nice too. It's roomy, the ride is comfortable and they seem to be put together well.

Ferrara on the other hand......terrible. The O.O.S. time has averaged around 30%. (granted it is coming down) Some were so bad, 4 I believe, that they were replaced after 2 years in service. Those rigs had O.O.S. times upwards of 60%. The problems that have occurred are many and often not a component failure, but poor assembly.

I'm gonna throw this out there too. After a few years working around Ferrara products, I'll say this; Ferrara sucks. They build a poor product, totally shoddy and unreliable.

Wow, FDNY is coming a long way from the stepvans.

They keep giving us more and more stuff to carry, soon we'll need tractor drawn rescues and a second piece for half our engines....

How about instead of throwing money and "technology" at the problem, why don't they spend it on better training for the officers. I think it's pretty common knowledge that the academy sucks... why not fix that?

I believe a new academy is under construction.

Amazing.....'cause no one ever claimed there was an issue with the dispatch systems in this city before

This sad event has simply brought to light the flaws in a system that we in the field have been talking about for years. Firemen, cops, dispatchers, ect have voiced endless concern over UCT and inter-agency communications.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but i recall being told that when a Fire Disp. needs to contact police, they simply dial 911 and go through UCT.

I think ESU cops know what ESU cops need and there for we'll defer to them to decide what vehicle fits them best.

After that....we went off the rails. I think this has run it's course.

Ugly as sin, but hopefully it works for what they need it to do. I've never had much confidence in E-One.

Ugly or not, who cares. It's not for parades, its for work duty.

I agree with the 2 door -vs- 4 door

Agree, as in having 4 instead of 2? It is usually manned by 2 ESU officers, however, they need the flexibility should a large scale incident occur. Space means more rapid transports.

Sounds good but close to 3.5 mil for research & development. What are they researching and developing? It sounds like they are starting with a wheel and designing an Ambulance that is very brand new and never built before.

If it's designed for the city, to the city spec, it's probobly all new, from the frame to the body. It has to be designed, mocked up, a prototype build(multiple), may have to be crash tested, ect. ect......

382k per ambo??? On an order of 300?? Are you kidding me? We just spec'd a custom international terrastar for just over 200k. That is an insane amount of money for ambulances. There is nothing that they do that's so special that they need to spend that kind of coin. NYC taxpayers just got hosed if that information is accurate.

Over 10 years and hundreds of thousands of miles the price proves it's worth.

Wow....jagged curb or not, it really must have caught that tire at JUST the right weak spot. Those tires are pretty beefy.

The rig isn't symbolic of anything bigger than just a machine. No pride in the machines. Got it.

There's plenty of pride in that rig......because we have pride in our TOOLS. When we start our tour or after a job, we wash our rig, we take a wire wheel to our hooks, haligans and brass nozzles.....because they're tools that we have pride in.

Would you call an riflemans rifle just a tool? How about your bunkers? To answer my own question it maybe a tool, but it is also a symbol, a symbol of something much larger than just the rig itself.

I highly doubt you would call yourself a firefighter if you weren't riding around in a fire apparatus. While a wet down may be extreme, acknowledging that it is both a tool to use and a symbol of our profession, whether full-time or volunteer, recognizes the tradition and history of the department and the rig you are replacing as well as the history yet to be made by and with your new apparatus. We leave every call just as we came to it, on the rig.

When people see a FDNY fire truck with FDNY firefighters they are not seeing a 30 foot long piece of steel with a diesel motor filled with 5 guys, they see a trained department staffed and ready to respond to any and all emergencies. They see men and women ready and able to put it all on the line with pride in their hearts and skills in their head.

If it is just a tool, ride around in a Econoline with a fairy light, a portable pump, some axes and hoses, same thing right?

I call myself a fireman, because that's what I am. Firemen are what they are because of the job they do.....not the vehicle they ride in, that's just silly.

It's not a symbol of anything bigger......the members inside, they matter. A truck is a truck.

Is teenagers riding on the top of the body part of a "wet down"?

I'm not a fan of all work and no play either.....but I never understood the point of a wet down. It's a truck/engine. A tool. I've been working more than once for the assignment of a new apparatus......the shops calls, we dump the tools/hose on the floor, drop the old rig off at the shops, get the new one, load it up and a few hours later we're back in service. Next run comin'......

Spoke to that LCC shortly after the incident, he did in fact look down that side, made sure it was clear, ran back and started lowering and the RMP squeezed in and parked there at just the right time, for all the wrong reasons.

That's what I remember hearing.....not surprised really! Considering ya gotta walk back around the rig and those tormentors are Sooo slow......plenty of time for the RMP to slip in there.

I smell a fare hike coming!

That said, I love the Railroad and I think MetroNorth runs an excellent operation. I hope they get every bit of funding they seek and I certainly hope to see Penn Station access. Not so much for the ride to Penn, but for the amazing flexibility that would be gained.....along with 4 new and needed stops in the eastern bronx.

On those photos......

I remember this, that's Washington Heights. I can't remember if it was 45 Truck or 23 Truck. You have to lay some blame on the Truck Chauffeur, of course, however I believe that the RMP parked there after the Tower Ladder. I'm pretty sure that the coast was clear when the LCC first checked, but I'll take some help here from someone better in the know.

In the city, I've found that cops have been more careful about parking in the vicinity of the fire building, lately. I recall having more issue a few years ago. Perhaps training and awareness has improved. Something seems to have worked.

I completely agree about being wary of this, "cowboy" mentality and the attitude of, "doing no wrong" in the pursuit of the job. Some guys really want to be the engine chauffeur who puts the supply line through the car windows. In this case, I'd say the chauffeur did a pretty good job. He made a careful and calculated maneuver to get through a tight spot. He pulled up, gently pushed the cars outta the way and then proceeded past. He almost made it, apart from the Bimmers bumper.....but, stuff happens....

I'd call this a successful example of how to professionally improvise.

Yeah......we're troubled.

it should be turned into an ems station.

It should be re-opened as 36 Engine.

If it was 14 truck's house, was that during the ALF and Sutphen era?

No

In

If the brass wants it, they get it and in many cases they do not ask the rank and file.

Trouble is lately, the brass feels awfully removed from the rank and file.