msm232

I am not in favor of what White Plains is doing because I believe there is more to the story then just finances (ie.politics), but in tough times if everyone gives a little, then we can avoid what happened in Vallejo, CA http://calpensions.com/2009/05/21/vallejo-bankruptcy-trend-or-lost-cause/ Stay Safe.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/011510_Westwood_firefighter_marine_killed_in_Afghanistan.html

Check your info, FF402 Due Date on opening was extended and New Date is October 7th. No Official award has been made.

Specs call for a Rescue/Pumper. Last Lime/Yellow 1981 E-ONE Pumper (E-74) will be retired Nothings done untill contracts signed, Keep your fingers crossed.

Date: 9/02/2009 Time: 08:05 Location: IFO 845 North Broadway (Route 22) Frequency: 46.26 (Dispatch) Trunk 19, Fireground 5 Units Operating: 2325, Engine 75, Rescue 33, Utility 45, + Valhalla 2482, Rescue 9, Engine 82 Weather Conditions: Clear + Dry Description Of Incident: Multi-Vehicle MVA with (2) entrapments Reporters: msm232 Writer: msm232

I have a good question? How many departments in the county have actually trained with the trailer? I mean flowed foam soultion? As far as getting a second trailer, the first one was donated by ConEd a few years ago, maybe its time for a second donation. Its obvious, everyone knows it exists, but many departments have not had hands on training with the system. A second trailer could eliminate some these issues and it could be stored at the training center with the foam bank. Stay Safe

Date: 8/10/2009 Time: 06:30 Location: Route 22 - 1/2 Mile North of Westlake Drive Frequency: 46.26, Trunk 19, Fireground 5 Units Operating: 2325, Engine 75, Rescue 33, North Castle PD, Valhalla VAC and 37M1 Weather Conditions: Sunny and Dry Description Of Incident: (2) vehicle Head on MVA with extrication - (1) Pt RMA and (1) Pt entrapped (Possible broken femur) R33/E75 crew extricated 1 female pt with 37M1 and VVAC tx to WMC Reporters: MSM232 Writer: MSM232

I remember an incident at Indian Point where a contractor or maintenance employee contacted a high voltage line. The incident burned the cloths right off and a sheet turned brown from the heat before a water jel blanket was applied. I believe the person survived and it was due to the water jel blanket. The guy who would know is Steve Vanburen, former chief of the fire brigade at Indian Point, now retired. If anyone knows where Chief VanBuren is, see if he can give the actual account of what happened. Stay safe,

You are mistaken, Westchester County DES Haz-Mat has Scott SEMS - " Scott Electronic Management System " SEMS is designed to provide an air management system/PASS for the firefighter that transmits and receives information, such as low cylinder air, to and from a base station outside of the IDLH environment. This allows for better accountability of the firefighter by the incident commander. Its automatic operation is similar to the Scott Pak-Alert SE® and alerts a firefighter down alarm to the base station within 10 seconds of full activation. In addition, an incident commander can signal selected individuals or all logged-on users to evacuate for up to 48 users, tracking up to 100 total. A simple laptop connected to base station allows viewing of all users in a consolidated method. versus The Scott Pak Tracker is used to locate a trapped or downed first responder within a single or multi-story structure quickly and safely with the Scott Pak-Tracker locator system. Available as a stand-alone system deployed with or without an SCBA or integrated into a Scott Air-Pak® Fifty™ or Air-Pak® NxG2™ SCBA. The rugged, simple to use system functions on the principle of 2.4GHz RF signal strength received and is an invaluable additional tool for search and rescue operations. Golden's Bridge FD was the first in Westchester to have Pak Tracker. Hope this Helps, Stay Safe.

Tom, Great Post! But ya missed my favorite.... Firefighters with beards and facial hair, and the line is: " I can get a seal" ya right! The worst is chief's and line officers who have them and allow this. Wake up people, it's against the law to put a SCBA on with facial hair that comes in contact with the seal of the mask. Stay safe.

Full LOHUD Article

I was at the meeting last night in support of NCPD. The only thing missing was the pitch forks and torches! The officer has been laid off. It sucks but i feel this is just of one of many to come. The town of North Castle has 24 million dollar budget (131 FULL TIME employees + many part time) and good portion of the budget relied on the morgage and sales tax income. The town used to average anywhere from $125,000.00 to $150,000.00 a month income from these 2 sources. LAST MONTH: $31,000.00! Do the math, it is loss of approx. 1 million a year. The town has 4 union contracts and they refused to re-negotiate. (So said the town supervisor) Because of contractual obligations, the town had no choice but layoffs and a tax increase of 4.5%. It SUCKS and Its going to continue to suck, the last thing I want is for anyone to have to wait for police or fire response. When it's your house or family, they can't come fast enough. Stay safe and Merry Christmas.

Todays Journal News Legal Ads 8/19/2008 Village of Pelham selling (1) 1925 American LaFrance Antique Fire Truck - Min. Bid: $25,000.00 Maybe someone from Pelham can explain this one?

The interesting thing about the technical bulletin is that It addresses IMPROPER " Donning Issues " that generate the force to break the faceseal tab. If you are donning the facepiece correctly then this should not be a problem. If you think they are trying to save few bucks, What do you think it cost them for a NIOSH investigation into this suspected problem! The AV-2000 and ALL SCBA Face masks have the same problem when improperly donned. The AV-3000 was introduced and designed at the request of the Fire Departments mainly out west. The very same departments that were having these supected issues. If you have any onther questions, please feel free to pm me. Stay Safe

This is a perfect example of why ALL students who take the FF I Class should take the National Certification exam. Every chief in Westchester should encourage their personnel to take the exam. Although it’s relatively new to NY, FF I has been taught for over 20 years in the rest of the country. Why does the volunteer fire service in NY constantly sell itself short when it comes to training? Stay safe.

Missouri Firefighter's Family Awarded $12 Million ............ By HEATHER RATCLIFFE and GREG JONSSON St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) St. Louis - Jurors awarded $12 million Tuesday to a St. Louis firefighter's family and will consider additional damages against the maker of breathing equipment they said killed him while fighting a blaze in 2002. The panel held the company, Survivair, 100 percent at fault in the death of Derek Martin, citing a faulty product and negligence. The St. Louis Fire Department continues to use the same equipment. Survivair could be ordered to pay much more because of aggravating circumstances - conscious disregard for the safety of others, the jurors said. They will decide on that amount beginning today after company officials testify about its financial outlook. The decision came in one afternoon of deliberations that capped a four-week trial in St. Louis Circuit Court. "Wow," said Fire Chief Sherman George when informed of the verdict. He said he would meet with the city counselor and director of public safety. "I'll talk to them and see what our options are." The trial turned on whether a faulty valve on an air mask was to blame for the death of Martin, as his widow claimed, or if department procedures were at fault, as the company said. Martin and fellow firefighter Robert Morrison, both 38, of Rescue Squad 1, died in a fire in a small commercial structure in the 2200 block of Gravois Avenue the night of May 3, 2002. What at first seemed to be a routine blaze delivered the department's first fatalities in nearly a quarter of a century. An earlier suit blamed Morrison's personal distress alarm, also made by Survivair, for failing to bring help when he became incapacitated. Martin died trying to save Morrison. Before a jury decided the Morrison case, Survivair reached a sealed settlement with his widow, Laura Morrison, that was reported to be worth $1 million to $5 million. Martin died after removing his mask and gloves while trying to clear the valve on his air mask, his family's lawyer argued in the current case. That valve was stuck when federal investigators examined it 10 days after the fire. Furthermore, Martin never would have needed to go after Morrison if Morrison's personal alarm had worked, attorney Jerry Schlichter said. He claimed the California-based Survivair, a subsidiary of a French company, knew about design flaws when it sold the masks to the Fire Department in the late 1990s. Lynn Hursh, an attorney for Survivair, argued that the deaths were based on procedural breakdowns: firefighters working inside individually, failing to vent heat and smoke from the building and missing a distress message over the radio. He also said Martin should have known to check the valve before trusting it and insisted a firefighter can still breathe with the valve stuck. Attorneys made their closing arguments Tuesday morning and the jury began deliberating after lunch. They asked to see the equipment at the heart of the case and requested a dictionary before returning their verdict about 5 p.m. The $12 million award compensates Martin's family for his death. The verdict was unanimous, though only nine of the 12 jurors needed to agree for a verdict. Any further judgment ordered by the jury - and there's no limit on that number - would be to punish the company and prevent it from similar action in the future. At least half of that amount would go to a state fund, with the rest going to Martin's family. While the Fire Department still uses the Survivair gear, the city recently asked for a refund so it can buy replacements. Because that may require drawn-out litigation, city officials will ask voters to approve a bond issue in February to help pay for new fire equipment, said Jeff Rainford, chief of staff for Mayor Francis Slay. "We don't want this to ever happen again," Rainford said. Survivair said in closing arguments that the masks where never shown to have caused Martin's death, and a company executive testified that he hadn't previously heard of any complaints about the masks. But firefighters called by Martin's family said the equipment was known to be faulty. One said the company was derisively nicknamed "Surprise Air" by some critics because firefighters never knew if the equipment would work. gjonsson@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8253

It does not surprise me knowing those guys.....I firmly believe they can DO ANYTHING!! I would like to see a before and after picture of the boat. Thanks msm232

Andrew, If you looking to become a firefighter in a active volunteer fire department, depending on where you live in white plains, you may want to check out other departments in the surrounding communities such as West Harrsion, Fairview, Purchase, or North White Plains. These are departments where you can train and take an active role in operations. I don't think that will happen in White Plains , Volunteer Division. Hope this info helps and Good luck!