FDNY 10-75

Anyone interested - A comprehensive report comparing Akron & Elkhart Brass Smooth Bore & Automatic Nozzles by the West Metro Fire Dept (Co. 1 B Shift) including a number of great articles written by Andy Fredericks.
Great read if you have some time to kill:
http://api.ning.com/files/Q0-pPg6YaoW*e7QTk3IsuHe8QL-uEheNl1fEiNmlBiE5BN6WFH6*85-6qlkJ6lk*cI009DO70GaSArSYXAZyh-lE6Ylz3CsW/WMFRNozzleStudy.pdf
It's a shame that Andy isn't here today to make his arguement for smooth bore. RIP.
Here are some great videos that show the dangers of debris in combo nozzles.


Be safe!

Anyone interested - A comprehensive report comparing Akron & Elkhart Brass Smooth Bore & Automatic Nozzles by the West Metro Fire Dept (Co. 1 B Shift) including a number of great articles written by Andy Fredericks.
Great read if you have some time to kill:
http://api.ning.com/files/Q0-pPg6YaoW*e7QTk3IsuHe8QL-uEheNl1fEiNmlBiE5BN6WFH6*85-6qlkJ6lk*cI009DO70GaSArSYXAZyh-lE6Ylz3CsW/WMFRNozzleStudy.pdf
It's a shame that Andy isn't here today to make his arguement for smooth bore. RIP.
Here are some great videos that show the dangers of debris in combo nozzles.


Be safe!

Looks like a lot of manufacturers are gearing up to take their share of the heavu duty vocational chasis matrket.
Photo below, taken by me today, is of a Freightliner SD114 with an Ox Bodies Dump with fold up rear triaxle.
http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/trucks/find-by-model/114SD/

Until proper training in done I'll go with the "No bunker gear near water" thing,(boat yard firefighting on a dock no gear?) but by getting horizontal as quickly as possible your gear actually will trap air (Ex. on back toes of boots will fill with the air) and keep you fairly buoyant. And YES it will work with a pack also and YES I can attest to it. I will spare the doubters and direct you to an '02/'03 article in either FE or FH magazine on FF survival in water or something like that. Like I said, until properly trained (being comfortable in water is a plus) please don't go jumping into every body of water with gear on, but just in case it ever does happen (FALLING into water not jumping!! hehe) it is not instant drowning.
Any doubts -http://www.firehouse.com/topic/rescue-and-special-ops/firefighter-surival-water
Never posted a link before, if it doesn't work, Moderators please help.

With the hurricane expecting to reach a Cat 1 or 2 when it makes land fall, coastal communities can expect anywhere from 0-6ft of storm surge along with significant rainfall. Make sure your pumps, saws and any other mechanical equipment you need are gased, oiled, and ready to run.
If your department is going to run flood water evacuations, or other types of water rescues without calling for a water rescue team, be sure to follow the following guidelines (and by no means take this as "Ok, we're good to go for flood water and swift water response").
- NO turnout gear in or around the water - turnout gear, especially pants and boots WILL DROWN YOU. It is impossible to kick and try and stay afloat wearing it.
- Wear your life jacket anytime you are within 6 feet of water.
- Do not wear neoprene rescue suits in flood waters, this includes ice rescue suits. Gas and other petroleum based products that are found floating in the flood waters will break down your suit eventually reaching your skin giving you a nasty burn. They also not water tight, leaving room for water contaminated with sewer waste, oils, and other nasty stuff to get inside the suit and fester up against your skin for the duration of you wearing it.
- Always walk in flood waters with a prod pole that reaches feet in front of you (not directly in front of where you are standing), much like sounding the floor when VESing a room. Manhole covers, sewer drain lids and other items will be forcefully removed by the water, leaving a hole in the road filled with downward flowing water. You will get sucked in, and you will drown; it has happened many times before and a fireman recently drowned in Colorado.
- Swift water constitutes any water moving faster then 1kts.
- Remember the adage of "REACH, THROW, ROW. GO." Any rescue where we can stay warm and dry, is the most successful type. If you are unsure, call for a swift water team, in fact call for the swift water team anyways, it is far better to have them in route, then realizing 20 minutes down the line you need them in rapidly rising waters.. They have the training and knowledge on how to preform this most difficult type of rescue. The GO portion, should only be performed by individuals who reach the Technical or Operational level of swift water. Any member can stand on the shore and throw a rope, or shove a pike pole to the individual. DO NOT tie your entry team off to a rope that is tied to a shore, if they slip, they will be pulled under water by force and drown.
Again, this is by no means a training module or any release to say you are good to go for swift or flood water rescue. Use this as an awareness tool.

On my way home today northbound on I-35 service road, I saw a small plume of smoke. I looked over and saw a brush fire growing with heavy fuel and light wind gusts propelling the fire. No PD of FD on scene yet. Given the amount of smoke and the fact a brush unit was putting out a fire on the other side of the highway, I assumed 911 had been called.
The staff of the cabinet store were trying to keep the fire back with garden hoses and fire extinguishers. I also saw a large propane tank. I quickly turned around, parked my car in a safe spot, and told the PD that there was a propane tank involved. I shouted to the people to get away from the fire and come to the front of the building. The owner let me know that there was another large propane tank in the back of the facility. Upon arrival of the first due engine, I let the officer know about this, and they made maneuvers to keep the fire away from the building as much as possible. They did not have a water supply besides the onboard tank, and later on in the incident mutual aid engines had to relay pump with 5 inch hoses for about half a mile, to the nearest hydrant south of the fire. Until then, most departments relied on their booster tankers. Round Rock FD, an urban department, has a tanker that responds with its brush truck. This water was kept to protect the building. Star Flight, our EMS-Fire-Rescue helicopter, provided aerial surveillance to the IC, and then initiated water drops. As of this writing, the fire is almost 100% contained, but that does not mean the fire is extinguished.
The following link contains the entire set of my photos:
x635Photos-Goldstar Brush Fire 8-25-11 Complete Set Of Photos Click Here









The following link contains the entire set of my photos:
http://www.emtbravo.com/texas/incidents/goldstarfire.html

Nice shots Joe!
Here are some more from the weekend...

Hook & Ladder 106

E230

E206

E237

E221

E216

TL124

Nice shots Joe!
Here are some more from the weekend...

Hook & Ladder 106

New York State EMT/AEMT BLS Protocols
Updated Treatment Protocols
-Adult Cardiac
-Adult Respiratory
-Pediatric Respiratory
-Bleeding
-Adult Major Trauma
-Pediatric Major Trauma
-Emergency Childbirth, Resuscitation and
Stabilization of the Newborn
These protocols go into effect on August 18, 2011:
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/ems/pdf/emt_protocol_updates_2011.pdf

Nice message on the sign of one of the local FD's....always good messages hard to keep up with.

I know this is '20-20 hindsight', but I think I would have assigned most of the excess personnel on the scene to grab shovels to build a dike using the readily available earth at the scene in order to contain the flow of fuel & apply a foam blanket to the pool of flaming liquid. This would be done rather than using charged attack hose lines to create the dike.

Summer of 2002, both my sister in law and little brother, as well as my wife and I, were expecting our firstborns. All was going great and we were all very excited.
About 3 weeks before they were due, the doctors noticed "something of concern" with their baby in the sonogram..and they were sent for a more detailed eval down in Westchester. The news was devastating to say the least. The baby's internal organs including the heart were not properly formed, among other abnormalities..they were told she would not survive birth.
In August, they were scheduled for delivery at Wetchester Med...still shell shocked from the news. I remember driving down on August 14th....not knowing what to say, especially since our child appeared to be totally healthy and trying to not be overly excited in front of them.
The delivery was tough to say the least...not only did my brother have to fear losing his first born, but his wife nearly died during the process...the staff at WMC worked their hardest, stabilizing her, and delivering the baby, a little girl, aptly named Faith. She did in fact survive birth...barely...and the second she was born she was whisked away to NICU for so many tests and procedures...
My brother couldnt talk...his wife couldn't even so much as open her eyes..we didn't know what to do, what to say..
My brother was shown how to baptise Faith by our Preist...which he did, as well as her Last Rites..could you imagine that!? I still can't.
We were able to see Faith quickly..and I will be honest..knowing what I knew..I thought it would be best of she passed quickly...when I met her...her eyes were wide open..her little fingers moving...so much about her that day was amazing, but I still can picture her beautiful blue eyes..the eyes of a fighter! I knew right then that no matter what actions needed to be taken, no matter the cost..that little Faith deserved every chance in the world to survive.
And fight she did!
She was taken to Columbia Pres by Stat Flight ground crew..the very same people I had worked with so many times on Empress chopper jobs...My brother was told not to expect her to live through the trip. BUT she did! Faith and her mother spent months living at Colmbia Pres...so many surgeries..rebuilt her heart, as she was born with a single chamber..her kidneys...a feeding tube, chest tubes, so many other things they patched, fixed, or made..amazing work..GOD'S WORK.
MY little brother aged 30 years in that time..barely working so they could be together as a family..just in case..so many times they were prepared for the inevitable.
In November, our Son was born, 100 precent healthy. I would be lying if I said we didnt feel a tinge of guilt, but moreso releived.
Right before Christmas 2002, little Faith came home. Amazing.
She was in and out of the hospital alot...for a long time..more surgeries..got very sick easy..
This all took one helluva toll on my Brother and his Wife. They lived like zombies..no emotion at all..just numb.
We were on vacation in Myrtle Beach the next summer when the house phone rang in the middle of the night..my brother crying that Faith was being airlifted to WMC by Stat Flight and she wasn't going to make it. And we are 13 hours away..
Well...she did survive another battle!
As she grew, she lived a very normal life..but was still plagued by medical issues..a long term feeding tube..frail..
Faith and her mother just returned from her first vacation to Scotland, where her mom was born and raised before coming to th US..
Today we got together to celebrate Faith's NINTH birthday.. This little FIGHTER is as normal as any other 9 year old today..she is the TOUGHEST, BRAVEST, SWEETEST person I know. She could teach volumes on being a survivor...she has more fight in her than I ever will. A NINTH birthday for a wee little lass who wasn't supposed to survive birth. Guess she showed them!
So even though we read daily that the police, fire, EMS, hospital, and medevac staffs are overpaid, under appreciated, overworked, etc..know that there are peopl eout there who benefited from your actions, your training, and your skills..people who appreciate you and what you do - because as little, well, not so little anymore, Faith can prove...you are needed and appreciated..from the Doctors who reconstructed her heart, to the nurses who changed her, to the medics that responded to their house when she collapsed, to the firemen who stood by while the chopper took off with her, to the Trooper who didn't ticket my mother on the TSP...all of you made a difference.
Thank you.
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAITHY...I LOVE YOU!

The final inspection is next week. The truck will be a Rescue/Pumper filling the shoes of both our old source rig and rescue which we've out grown. Truck has a 1000gal tank with a 1500GPM pump, light tower and 2 full sets of Hurst tools

What a standup guy. In contrast to cowardly chiefs like LAFD's, who tell the media that "no compromise in safety" as they close 20 companies.

I'm not entirely certain if this belongs in this category or not so please forgive me if it's posted in the wrong category.
Toronto Fire Chief Refuses To Recommend Cuts

Got to shoot it myself today!

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the Waldbaum's fire in Brooklyn, NY where 6 firefighters perished, when a bowstring truss roof collapsed, sending all to their fiery death. I remember this day like it was yesterday. My dad, Tony Dragonetti, was assigned to E-254 and worked the 9x6 tour. He was walking into the firehouse as 254 & 153 were pulling out onto Avenue U. He would have been on the roof in place of Terry Cambell who was badly burned. I was 14 and remember waking up to my mom's screams, when she heard the news of the fire on the radio. We took a ride to the scene from LI and found my dad sitting on the back of 254's rig in tears. I never saw my dad cry and my mom hug my dad like the way she did at that moment. I still well up with tears when I think about that scene. It was a sigh of relief for me to see my dad safe and extremely sad at the same time to hear him say the names of the guys that perished. I spent my entire childhood life and beyond at the firehouse and these brave men were my family and will always have a place in my heart. May they be remembered forever and RIP......

Got to shoot it myself today!