M' Ave

Ya beat me to it! Thanks for bringing that up though. There is talk, as well, about bringing operations, conduct and standards more in line with FDNY. This would be a good thing, as our operational differences represent what we really are, which is two completely different departments.
To a post above, there is no talk of Medics on engines. This would not be of any benefit. We are a BLS agency and the cost of a medic and their experience would be wasted working in an engine.

When we would take up from a fire, we would always load the hose back into the hose bed of the pumper. Many times we'd catch another fire before we got back to quarters. I thought that was how most departments operated. I guess I'm out of touch ... It's tough getting old.

Isn't it amazing how when it comes to firefighting everyone is a friggin' expert! "You're not supposed to put water on that..." What then should they use Mr. 9 - 5 desk jockey, orange juice, milk, urine ??? God bless the Brothers, I'm glad they weren't injured. They really had their hands full with the storm and the lack of resources thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and his immediate staff of CEO losers...

Back in the early 1990's the NYS DOH created a section specifically for NYC that stated that "in a city with a population over one million" that the EMS crew could triage out the patient on scene with the approval of medical control (telemetry). The disposition code "10-95: Triaged out at scene, patient not transported was created. It was rarely used when it first came on line due to the fact that it was quicker to transport then to "10-95" a patient. That is probably how they left patients without the risk of abandonment. I need to look around for the original section that it was created under but it covered both BLS and ALS units that were part of the Municipal system only.

NYS does not have a "weather exception"
Not normally, unless the SEMAC (NYS DOH Medical Advisory Committee) aproved it.
Dont know if its true, but many reports were that a "state of Emergency" was not declared. IV's during MCI's & Tx by BLS hs been outlawed in NYS as of 2004
http://www.nyhealth.gov/nysdoh/ems/policy/04-02.htm
1) It was not state of emergency (But it should have been) 2) What law allows this?
This makes sense if allowed. But its not clear if this is whhat was happening.

I worked from Sunday afternoon until Monday evening, so I was on duty throughout. Just to clarify, I don't believe that any more could be asked of those on the street. Cops, EMS workers, firemen and others were doing the best that we could. I think what's important here is that the city do a better job of preparing citizens prior to the arrival of the storm. More media coverage to encourage people NOT TO DRIVE and stay out of the way of public safety and sanitation workers. More resources should have been available in terms of an increased number of buses on the road and all ambulances should have been staffed with 3. Every engine in the city was given a 5th man for the 24 and beyond, with good reason.
More resources should have been stacked up and ready pending the storm's arrival. There is no reason that 1,300 calls should be back-logged, no matter how minor the emergency is.
This tough, and in some cases fatal, occurrence aught to end any discussions regarding Fire, EMS, Police of Sanitation budget cuts. Clearly we need all of the resources we have and in some cases, more.

Well, to me an obvious thing to learn from this is that you can't use an "everyday" approach to a "once in a decade" event that you have advanced notice of.
As for at what point does NYC reach out for help...........
Call it a Devil's Advocate thing if you will, but considering the scope of a storm like this, simply calling in Mutual Aid may not be much of an actual solution for a variety of reasons. It's quite possible that the communities being called for assistance may be experiencing an increased call load also and you may be creating a situation where you're "robbing Peter to pay Paul". Additionally, considering the volume of NYC ambulances getting stuck and having problems getting around on the snow covered roads and around the abandoned vehicles, would adding more units from out of town help the situation or compound the problem since it's likely that some of them will have the same problems?

I worked from Sunday afternoon until Monday evening, so I was on duty throughout. Just to clarify, I don't believe that any more could be asked of those on the street. Cops, EMS workers, firemen and others were doing the best that we could. I think what's important here is that the city do a better job of preparing citizens prior to the arrival of the storm. More media coverage to encourage people NOT TO DRIVE and stay out of the way of public safety and sanitation workers. More resources should have been available in terms of an increased number of buses on the road and all ambulances should have been staffed with 3. Every engine in the city was given a 5th man for the 24 and beyond, with good reason.
More resources should have been stacked up and ready pending the storm's arrival. There is no reason that 1,300 calls should be back-logged, no matter how minor the emergency is.
This tough, and in some cases fatal, occurrence aught to end any discussions regarding Fire, EMS, Police of Sanitation budget cuts. Clearly we need all of the resources we have and in some cases, more.

Because I said so!!!! lol

They are blowers. The ones on the track next to them are sweepers. We also have snow throwers, see the attached photos.

Well Brother I guess a lot of people care, or are at least interested in what ladder trucks FDNY is buying and planning on augmenting the Seagrave fleet with, as it's generated 5 pages of discussion here. Without going back explicitly to see who from the FDNY said it here; I think it was M'Ave, who gave us the insight that the members there don't really mind what rig they are riding in, as long as it can do the job.
I guess when fire apparatus are truly put to the test in places like the FDNY, Yonkers, Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle, many firefighters from other places are curious right out of the gate to see the process of change occurring, and then to see going forward how this new manufacturer for a specific type of fire apparatus will perform, and hold up through the rigors of urban firefighting.
Many times this influences other departments future purchases of their own apparatus I imagine.
Of course many of us here would rather be discussing the PASSAGE of the Zadroga Bill, or the rehiring of laid off firefighters around the state, but so far not much to report there....

Meaning leeway with assignments to incidents, or making relocations, or asking incident commanders what they want?? I'll give you some examples because we are presently getting nickled and dimed for showing initiative.
Last weekend, a city bus comes off the Clearview Expressway and collides with a tractor trailer, a building and a few other vehicles. Rescues 4 and 3 are assigned. As the situation winds down, Rescue 3 takes up and begins to head home. They are special called to a fire due to numerous calls coming into the Queens dispatchers. The supervising dispatcher(not me) is then contacted by one of the brass at HQ wanting to know why this was done.
The regulations state that if the normally assigned Rescue(Or Squad) is not available, the IC must be notified and advise the IC if they want a Rescue(Or Squad). If the request is not made, the nearest available Rescue is assigned upon transmission of the All Hands. When it comes to the Squads, the only exception is if that Squad is operating as an Engine company on the first alarm assignment, then the next up Squad goes on the 10-75. Example: Squad 61 is first or second due to Jacobi and a 10-75 gets dumped, Squad 41 goes.
I understand the need for rules and regulations, but this, IMO was a heads up move, taking initiative. Needless to say, that supervisor will probably be spanked. Never mind the fact that R-3 was about 5 minutes away, and it would have been an easy 20-30 minutes before R-2 got there from Brooklyn.
Next incident, 2nd Alarm out in Staten Island last week. Fire is in a commercial building, 10-75 transmitted, relocators on the road as per SOP. 2nd floor gives way and dumps a number of firefighters down onto the 1st floor. Maydays transmitted, 2nd Alarm transmitted, no 10-66 transmitted, and I'm unsure if the dispatcher prompted the IC to see if they wanted it dumped. Staten Island Dispatchers re-direct two truck companies off of other runs to the fire, and then special call TL-77 to pick up Rescue Collapse Unit 5 and Special Call Rescue 2. I've been told that the supervisor(again, NOT me) is probably going to get spanked for this one as well. Never mind the fact that the additional help can always be turned around if not needed. Never mind the fact that not only me, but a number of my colleagues thought this was a heads up move.
What sorts of latitude, as dispatchers, do you have when it comes to situations when you're gonna have to use your head, and not rely on a piece of paper, or what a Chief from a specific department wants?? I ask this question because over the past few years, some of the things that are normally an FDNY Chiefs responsibility have been placed in the hands of the dispatchers. Setting up staging areas at multiple alarm fires, when unless we are around the corner and can see it, we have no idea what the road conditions might be, Transmitting the 10-76 or 10-77 in a building that meets that criteria as soon as a multiple is transmitted for that building.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Thank you.

While I agree that the first scenario, or both truly seem like heads up decision making, we do often have other reasons for not varying from protocols. Though it would seem the call was "obvious" sometimes and I imagine to a far greater extent in a much larger system, sticking to protocols validates them or shows the need for change.
In our case, anytime the dispatcher has a "gray area" they can contact the duty officer or first due IC and tell them what they have, prompting them to make or authorize the decision. Is there no way the dispatcher could call the first due IC and say, "we're getting multiple calls and I have R3 in the area?" Again, I doubt that type of heads up call would get anyone spanked in my system, but the larger the system the more rigid the guidelines tend to be.
Sometimes you have to take the rip and know you made the right call anyway, as long as humans are involved in the equation, no one will agree 100% of the time.

tommy umm yeah one problem they can level theirs on one try... and RED is the proper color

No, the new FDNY ladders are being built by Ferrara. Just 'cause FDNY has them, doesn't mean they're good.
That said, I've never heard a fireman (from anywhere who spends a lot of time with their rig) have non-stop GLOWING reviews of it. I'm certain Seagrave totes the fact the NYC buys their engines and I'm certain that this has influenced the purchase of apparatus around the country. Well....I work in a company (like most in NYC) with a Seagrave and it's a piece of s#%t. It's several years from replacement and it has rust you can put your finger through. It rides like it has no suspension and it accelerates as if it has a lawn-mower engine. I've talked to guys who work in company's with Ferrara engines, they hate them too. You can't please anyone and no one builds a perfect rig.

I'm very split on this topic. In a perfect world, I'd say, no we shouldn't bill for these services. However, if it can help fund operations and keep a company open, then I support it. Ambulances bill for their services and that's a public safety organization as well. Realistically, fire departments everywhere have taken on additional responsibilities. We have, very much, become the swiss army knife of public service. While this a great thing, it does mean that we put increased wear and tear on our gear and apparatus and have to purchase and maintain additional equipment.

What's Frank Cruthers' pension have to do with anything???? Do you work for the NY Post? That man worked for the city of NY for 43 years........Although his management style may not have been liked by all, the man deserves EVERY PENNY of that pension!!!!!! He WORKED for it and EARNED it!!!!

I've seen steel studs used a lot in residential applications, however, not in a bearing wall. While they certainly can and do corrode, I've never seen an example of this being in a position to cause structural weakness. It wouldn't surprise me though, I'm sure it happens someplace.

Actions and spending of a "particular group" of firefighters dragged the whole service through the mud on a few occasions over the past few years. That's where my comment comes from. Believe me, my current employer has been smeared before and it's a painful event. We've all been there, however I've never been a part of a truck nutz event, not in my volunteer career or professional career. its one thing to be the target of a news campaign or other smear campaign, however nothing says dummy hick fireman like hanging silver balls at the back of the rig. That's an a--hole move that makes us look, as a group, like ignorant morons. It only adds insult to injury when it's the LEADER who does it and then defies his BOSS. This guy should lose his position. If he doesn't, you should vote him out at the next possible moment.

"Bashing" in the sense of them publishing non-stories to gain public sentiment AGAINST the firefighters..............Just like the NY Post's agenda against the FDNY!

Its so bad because the JN says it is and we should all be mad as hell because it must be bad because elected/appointed officials who must produce something to prove they are doing there job
Since, these numbers are averages, we can skew them in many ways. If the majority of the firefighters each took fewer days and a dozen or so took much more you would get to the same numbers. They want you to assume that sick leave is just for when you have a cold, but members also use it when they are injured (offduty) such as from an MVA or sports or if they have a long standing medical illness. A serious MVA could take 6 months to recover from (and be able to perform as a firefighter) that could take 60 or more days.
Finally comparing sick days of people who work 24 hour shifts and 8 hour shifts is a little unfair. If a ff is out sick for 1 tour its 24 hours of duty (If its on a Monday, he is off the next 3 days and is not due back until friday), but the general worker is may still call in on tue and Wed.

Instead of giving another test we should just give any minority that signs up the job. So there wont be any more lawsuits until people who took the last test that passed and deserve the job for age discrimination that are now to old to get the job they worked and studied hard for!!!

They do not generally promote all that many people to Fireman. In the past they have even pulled the promotion back because they needed the EMT's on the street. EMS is ALWAYS in need of quality EMT's, so I would assume it's a good place for someone who's into the job.
Response to the above poster; They have not expanded ambulance tours (believe me I wish they would, I've waited up to 20 minutes with a low priority patient when EMS is backed up). They have in fact cut ALS tours in the past couple of years to save money. EMS could make money in theory, BUT it doesn't always work out that way. The largest patrons of EMS are in the poorest of area's. Generally bad patients, not personally, but from a medical condition standpoint. Not much for preventative care and they are often in poor health. There are many contributing factors, but a lack of insurance is a big part of that. Who's paying the city? A lot of the time the answer is, no one.
An actual break-down of the numbers would be interesting. How much of the operating costs are actually recouped. I'd be shocked if it turned any profit at all. That's not supposed to be the point anyway. It's public safety, that's what we pay taxes for.

We are all brothers, although I never met Rory I feel his family and friends pain. Yonkers lost someone that makes this community and NYC a better place to live. The brothers were there last year in our time of loss, rest in peace Pat, and I only hope that YFD was able to reciprocate some small measure of the support that we received last year. I saw alot of friends from FDNY that I would prefer to see under better circumstances, but it is always comforting to know that no matter where you are, you always have brothers.

A prime example of what the "Brotherhood" is all about...