BIGRED1

It builds character. Teaches them that firefighting is a hard job. Even when your not in a burning building, your still working. I remember the many times having to lug two bottles to get filled during FAST in the summer. Meanwhile the instructors took the gator over. I think the facility is great and enjoy using it. Could it be improved? Sure but what placed couldn't be improved. There is new technologies coming around everyday. Would be great to have a flashover simulator but it is not in the cards right now. Maybe next year, maybe never. Just use what they got, train hard, train often, train safe.

What will happen when the "senior guys" fade away? They'll be replaced by new "senior guys" just as they always have been. I think alot of concern comes from notion that the new guys of today aren't up to the challenge of becoming the senior ones tomorrow. Now I share that concern to an extent, in fact it was the topic of a rather lengthy discussion the other night around "the firehouse table". But I think every generation for at least the last 50 years has shared that concern and been proven wrong in having it. Society is different in many ways than from when I joined, just as it was for the senior guys of my early days and low and behold us "new guys" stepped up to fill the void...and so they will as we fade away. But that brings us to the heart of the matter..at least in by book. Maybe instead of asking what will happen when we fade away, we should be asking what example are we setting, or in other words what shoes are we leaving behind for our guys to fill?
In the end new guys will always become senior ones but it is the foundation we set that will determine what will happen once we've faded away.
Cogs

Every new generation has had it too good, been too lazy, and will be the end of society as we know it. The greatest generation was great because they were faced with the greatest challenge ever to face a generation. If you have any doubts about todays kids (and I really do mean kids) being able to step up to the plate, just take a look at our military. At the start of the wars in Afghanistan and later Iraq our enlisted men and women entered the military at a time when recruitment standards were low and the military was, at least in my world a fall back. These kids, 18 to 24 years old stepped up and accomplished feats that were nothing short of amazing. Forget the success of the mission, the war, the occupation, whatever was the plan operationally. The day to day accomplishments these men and women achieved is nothing short of amazing. I have always been a firm believer that people perform to the level required of them. Put down a big enough gauntlet and people will rise to the challenge. We had our square rooters then and we will have them tomorrow, nothing will change that. But we also have our every day average people that will always do what must be done.

I was born in 1949. So let's see, that makes me "32', or is it "62", I'm not quite sure. Terms like "Road Rage" or "Cyber Bullying" did not exist then. In school we got in trouble for chewing gum, not for carrying a gun. As a kid of the 50s I grew up in Bridgeport, Ct which was always a pretty tough place. But nobody locked their doors. Unlike today where many homes have security bars on the windows. Yes, alot has changed over the years. And maybe not for the best.
Growing up during that time was probadly the best time to be a part of the fire service. Radio scanners came out later in the 60s and you could listen to the fire and police calls just as they were happening. Then in the late 60s, and into the 70s and 80s, fires increased to their highest level in history. With portable scanners it became possible to now follow the action.
In 1975, I was able to get on a career dept in Connecticut as a firefighter. Every city was seeing a high activity of fires. There was a huge amount of changes to the fire service during the 70s and 80s also. The use of air packs, handie talkies, and power saws were making the job as a firefighter a lot easier. Many fire depts decided to look into also responding to medical calls. There was talk of females entering the fire service once reserved for males only. Automatic transmissions replaced the need to double clutch when driving a fire truck.
When the Senior Guys fade away, I have confidence that the newer younger firefighters will continue to carry the torch and run with it. They will continue to fight fires and save lives just as the firefighters of the 70s and 80s did. I base that on what I see today. The younger firefighters of today, at least the ones that I know, are a "credit to their generation". Many are parents themselves now and doing a very good job at raising their families. And I must admit, I think that's a much tougher job to do today. Today, I am on the outside looking in. And I see todays firefighters as one of the groups that hold this country together. I certainly respect them for what they do.

I did miss one question with an answer.....I remember lugging SCBA cylinders to the main building...in fact I make my students still do it...as the one outside is a 2 cylinder fill and is great for during the day fill when needed...however the majority of time I make them still lug them into the main building as I can fill 6 there. So the time taken to bring them inside is made up in the volume able to be filled.

The old senior men are gonna pass that knowledge on to the future senior men. The guys who are there to keep the couch warm will not seek these guys out and will just kinda be stagnant. I see nothing wrong with asking why. It is how we learn. Why do we do the 7-9-8 that way? Why should should you feel the door with the back of your hand instead of the finger tips? It is when you get the smart a** guys asking why should I clean the bathroom, the other guys don't. Why should I check the rig, it has not gone out in a week. These guys will be left on the side as the core firefighters press on and carry on the traditions and then teach the new guys when they become senior men.

The old senior men are gonna pass that knowledge on to the future senior men. The guys who are there to keep the couch warm will not seek these guys out and will just kinda be stagnant. I see nothing wrong with asking why. It is how we learn. Why do we do the 7-9-8 that way? Why should should you feel the door with the back of your hand instead of the finger tips? It is when you get the smart a** guys asking why should I clean the bathroom, the other guys don't. Why should I check the rig, it has not gone out in a week. These guys will be left on the side as the core firefighters press on and carry on the traditions and then teach the new guys when they become senior men.

The "Senior Guys" will be the ones that were brought up by their parents with a work ethic, and not to question the authority. These will be the guys that make it that long, and the most respected guys on the crew. Among all the garbage, they will stand out.

Another true example of the unselfish acts our troops do to help those who need it. May he and his daughters rest in peace.

The story
This is a real shame. Shows that these returning Vets and active military are always trying to help people.

I guess if you keep it light and somewhat PC it is ok. But no one should be criticizing their department and definitely not John Q Public. We all have funny stuff happen and maybe want to share it. But if i am reading you right, people should not be airing their grievances on Facebook or the like. If you have such an issue maybe you should take a step back and see what you are really complaining about. Is it deeper then "this guy is a tool"? On the other hand maybe there is a outside issue rearing it's head (ie. trouble with the wife, substance abuse, etc.). I think we as emergency personnel should put the best face forward because "Do it perfect and no one remembers, screw it up and no one forgets"

Very well said.
I'll say this about the direction this thread went and it has nothing to do with the Rye issue - attacking an advocate because his viewpoint differs from your own is both immature and unprofessional. I have enjoyed reading a lot of threads in which differing viewpoints have been offered and bnechis has always been a strong advocate of the fire service. I don't qualify that with volunteer or career because I believe he is truly an advocate for simply doing it right. Doing it right has nothing to do with pay status.
Just because he doesn't look at things with rose colored glasses and calls things as he sees them doesn't make him wrong.
As I've said countless times feel free to debate the issues but don't attack those with different perspectives than your own.
Carry on...

Another issue that the Gov. and other politician who are pushing this plan have yet to mention is the Tier 6 plan does not cover disabilities or death. It also does not offer the employeer the protection of 207a or c. That means employees who get hurt are 1) on there own and 2) they can sue the municipality as the politicians are proposing to remove the municipal savfeguards to "save" money.
Those of you who want to get jobs as firefighters or police officers, teachers, public works...etc. Will you still want the job or if you take the job, will you put yourself in harms way knowing that the community does not have your back?
Is this really going to solve our economic problem or is it just one more talking point for Cuomo's 1016 Presidential Run?

Im glad someone else noticed that, that was pretty dumb if you ask me, so much for the "teamwork" part of firefighting...
This was a manageable fire when they pulled up, then the chief...(guy with the white hat anyways)...showed up and all hell broke loose.
The guy on hydrant was priceless, wonder if he was even a member of the department??? Or just a well meaning bystander???
Having exterior lines in operation with interior crews??? And OPPOSING handlines at that!
Only two 1 3/4" lines for this fire??? Should have had an 1 3/4" attack with a 2 1/2" backup on first floor, another 1 3/4" on second floor for extension, another line on the exposure to protect it...Guess they ran out of hose...
What about the hose line going through the window, without removing the entire window? Guess they were not worried about the window closing and clamping the line. There was a guy grabbing an axe but we could see if he actually removed the sash the camera went away, hopefully someone did SOMETHING right..
I get so sick of seeing people any where NEAR the fire without air packs let alone officers...
I also get sick of seeing people wear their gear improperly, like not wearing the chin strap on the lids, or wearing the pack but not masking up, or seeing coats flapping open on guys coming OUT of the fire???
What a mess...

This guy should join the department. He is at every call about 5 minutes before the FD.

Every video this guy has posted that I've looked at so far has been a step by step guide of what not to do at a fire. Its amazing more of these aren't LODD videos.

I had the same thought. I hate seeing videos like this, especially when the people involved in the video think everything was great and make no effort to train and improve for their next opportunity to perform. Career and Volunteer: Same fires, dangers and consequences. If you want to be safe and professional, you need to train like your life depends on it!

That guy in the while helmet has ABSOLUTELY no business being on a fire scene....he made me so mad I wanted to punch my computer..LOL

6:19 BUCKLE YOUR CHIN STRAP!!!!!

Training officers watch the whole thing cause you will see some great smoke changes. Also what happens with lightly staffed companies.
Ok I just saw this video and had to share it with the community. I saw it and sat back in shear amazement. Not at the backdraft or smoke explosion, but at the things the guys are doing on scene. I know we beat each other up a lot on here but this happened in Chicago so it is outside our area. The fire starts of with some light smoke. As you watch take note of the time passing, not real time but the time that is passing on scene. People are wondering around. A Chief is on the roof, No SCBA no gloves, with a saw. Now notice what the guy on the roof is doing and what he should be doing. what is happening with the flames now? Ya that's not good. After some water is sprayed at the flame, something happens. Take note of the time on the player, then watch peoples actions and how the move. Scary. there is more but i will leave that for other people to see and comment on. Needless to say this is a shining example of how you do not want to act and look on a fire scene.

Yes it is unrealistic for the public to think that they get high quality service in the highest taxed county in the nation.
We just keep fooling them...and ourselves.

6 years ago I wrote that what it would take is either a major disaster or the state forcing the issue.
Well the state has given us a tax cap, which is forcing almost everyone at a minimum to consider how it spends its money. I know of a dozen depts that are already cutting back. A few considering cutting manning. In the past year 2 depts had lay offs, another had threats of it. We have combo depts. that have zero volunteers, but think they can cover the town with 2 or 3 career members.
We have publicly seen depts. lose homes because they can not put a team on the field, others because they can not find the hydrant, others who have lose members because they did not want to train and follow OSHA laws. We have a local fire district that want to build new stations, after the public has said no, and the dept has no plan to staff the house. A few weeks ago I was at a town council meeting and the FD "leadership" stated: "we know we suck, but as long as the public does not know, it fine"....
Last week at a county fire marshals training class 4 different fire inspectors from 4 different towns asked: "what should the town do when the FD can not get a rig out the door or even 1 member to respond to a fire alarm"?
This is not an attack on firefighters, officers, volunteers, career, commissioners. It is an attack on a system that is a total failure. Yes there are some great depts here...but if you average them out county wide the numbers suck.
We have hit the iceburg, we all know there are not enought lifeboats but instead of working to save what we can, we would rather go down with the ship.

Stop getting offended. Volunteer is the obvious distinction between depts that can guarantee a level of training and staffing 24/7 here in the tri-state. No one can tell me they'd rather roll the dice with a volunteer mutual aid partner than a paid dept with a guaranteed response. Its not because one is volunteer or paid, it is because of the guaranteed response. Until a volunteer dept institutes a program that guarantees a timely response with a minimum number of qualified ffs it would be reckless for any dept to chose them over a reasonably close paid dept.

As usual Cogs a very articulate, thoughtful and respectful post. However, you may have misinterpreted my post...it was not a "blanket statement" and I do not feel that volunteers can not provide effective fire protection in all cases. I do believe that in some areas of the country volunteers are the only option and the protection they provide is effective.
However, my comment stands...in the area in which I live and work, the media allows many volunteer fire departments to operate completely ineffectively and wastefully with absolutely no hard questions being asked such as the ones which were asked in the article at the top of this thread.
I challenge you to identify a specific example to prove that a career department has a policy of bypassing a nearby volunteer department which can guarantee that its members meet minimum training standards and personnel levels, and which has a better resonse time into the requesting career departments district.
By perpetuating this myth you do a diservice to the people we are sworn to protect. Why would you make such a statement? Surely you understand that the physical location of a fire station is irrelevant when that firehouse has no guarantee that an adequately sized crew of properly trained firefighters are inside of it?
Please don't make this a career vs. volunteer issue. This is an issue of being honest and realistic with ourselves and the public whom we are sworn to protect. Let's put ego and false pride aside and admit the realities here...

I agree. Think what he meant was that firefighting comes first, then all the other things. We are Brothers on the Line first and foremost. A lot of volunteer Departments have a way of filling the ranks with non-responders. How many combo or all volunteer departments can say their manpower is fully trained and at the top of their game? Now in the career site you have in service training, kitchen table chat, etc. We as career guys are always learning from the old salty dogs to the probie with the tags still on his gear.
As for politics in Westchester, that never happens How many times have departments been passed over cause this guys didn't like that one's department. This is getting old and while consolidation is an option, who is gonna be the one to pull the trigger and make it happen? everyone is so concerned with their reelection bid or popularity votes that they are not gonna risk it. How many studies have there been? I mean they spend money trying to figure out what anyone could tell you, the system don't work. It's gonna take someone with a real set to say the crap ends now.