grumpyff

IIRC the light on the hood is illuminated. Most cars have additional lights on the rear deck. The cars are noticeable, and do not blind the crap out of other drivers on the road. Sometimes less is more. I will be out in the Michigan area in the next few weeks so I will try to get some photos

IIRC the light on the hood is illuminated. Most cars have additional lights on the rear deck. The cars are noticeable, and do not blind the crap out of other drivers on the road. Sometimes less is more. I will be out in the Michigan area in the next few weeks so I will try to get some photos

To all questioning F.A.S.T team. between Cheslea,Beacon, and Castle Point we had approx. 40 firefighters on scene. Approx 25 interior. We were using 5-8 members at a time either interior or on roof. That left about 15 members outside for relief and/or F.A.S.T.. there was also 2 engines sitting idle for back up if needed. I felt with the manpower at the scene we did not need a 2nd alarm or formal team on scene. All of my interiors are at least survival trained and most have F.A.S.T. . This was just a fire on second floor and under control in about 20-30 mins. the guys made a quick stop of the fire and kept the fire damage to the front 2 rooms and part of the roof. Any further questions feels free to p.m. me. Bob Van Tassel Chief Chelsea

Effective immediately, any criticsm or "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" based on photos posted on this forum will not be tolerated. This type of activity turns active members and contributing photgraphers away from this forum. If you wish to ask a question about the incident, please start a thread. However, it must be about the department or incident and not anything based on the photos. Criticism also must not be disguised.
If you start a thread criticizing an incident in any way based on photos, it will be an immediate 2 week member suspension
If you make a post critisizing the incident based on the photos, it will be a immediate one week member suspension.
Negative comments will not be tolerated. More to be explained tommorow.
If you have ay questions, please PM x635 or email me at seth@emtbravo.com
Thank you for your cooperation
Seth

*************MORE TO FOLLOW TOMMOROW******************

Oh boy, airing dirty laundry? Let me know! Having been an OVAC member and a Briarcliff member I've got lots of interesting and historical stories of great calls and not so great, really not so great, on both departments.
Aside from that, one of the most reassuring aspects of being a local Fire/EMS member was knowing that when, not if, but when, I or my fellow members needed assistance, a crew from Ossining, Millwood, Pleasantville, Archville or
Pocantico would be there to back us up. I'd like to think they felt the same. We've all needed back up from time to time and we've all had our cyclical membership ups and downs. Things are different now and more and more departments are having a hard time getting adequate personnel for calls, particularly on the EMS side.
So, now many departments are looking into paid day time personnel. Briarcliff went to a paid EMT two days a week because the one person that carries the bulk of the load has to go the their paid job those two days. Want to think about Briarcliff's ability to respond without that one person??? I don't.
I was also fortunate to have served with Lewisboro VAC, South Salem Fire and Croton Falls Fire. All good departments, good people, but if you learn anything after being on numerous agencies, its that no one should put a lot of energy into being critical of another department. All departments, like their members have good days and bad days and they are, for better or worse, reflected in our Fire/EMS performance.

Well it's been a little while since I wrote so I thought I'd give a quick update.
Overall things have settled down a bit. I've been reasigned back to the main station since my counterpart there went on R&R, and am now the Officer of Engine 3. Ths puts me back on the airfield which means lots of noise all day and all night. But this also allows for some intensive training on the various aircraft stationed here. A high point of that being the tour of an AC-130 or what we refer to as the flying death. Armed with a 25mm gatling gun capable I'm told of 6000 rounds per minute, a 40mm cannon and the big boy 105mm howitzer, this baby can really dish out the pain. And dish it out it does much to the dismay of our towel headed friends outside the wire.
Call wise it's been rather slow with only one structure fire the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately due to it's rather remote location on base and the delay in notification there wasn't much left to save upon arrival. Other than that nothing but a few dumpster fires and smells and bells.
On another front we have been recieving daily mail from the Taliban which usually consists of 6 or 7 rockets at about 5am. Some of the boys on the North side got a bit of a rude awakening the other morning as one of those rockets bounced not more than 50ft from their tent, careened over the runway and hit an unattended garbage truck without exploding. Maybe it was made in China. Seems there's a target of particular importance to our pals in the hills surounding the base on the North side and after a little research I managed to find out what it is...a fuel point with thousands of gallons of JP8 on hand. Needless to say with limited water and foam capabilities this is one of our "nightmare" scenarios. So far though their aim has been anything but true and the ordinance mostly duds..thanks again to the communist work ethic.
But for all that the seriousness of life here has come crashing home the past week with a number of our boys being sent home on their final journey. I don't wish to upset anyone or dreg up memories but the other day was an especially sad one here as 5 service members were loaded aboard the now way too familiar C-17. As I stood on the tarmac adjacent to the ramp ceremony and watched as one by one each flag draped casket was taken aboard I drifted back in time. With "Amazing Grace" on the pipes playing from the loudspeakers my mind went back to the many times I stood in that long blue line on a surburban street, in front of a church as yet another of the 343 was driven past on the way to his final resting place. Now over my years working here or in Iraq I've been to alot of ramp ceremomies and at all of them I would think of the 343, but for some reason on this particular day the emotion and anguish felt on those days so long ago swept over me like a tidal wave. I thought of the loss to the families of these young soldiers. How in a split second the lives of so many people were irrevocably changed and with those thoughts came the realization that for 343 families back home that loss, that void has never been filled, and it never will be. I thought of these young boys who have given their lives in defense of our nation and all that is good about it. And with that I thought about the sacrifice of the 343 and how they exemplified what it means to be a fireman, what it means to be a hero. Under vastly different circumstances the honor, courage and strength of the American spirit shown brightly through the acts of these brave souls on the battlefield here and in the Towers on that fateful September morning. Finally as the ceremony drew to it's conclusion I thought about the sacrifices made by so many and felt the anger well up inside. The fanatics here have brought so much anguish to so many famiies back home and for what. Blind hatred and ignorance.
Since that day last week I have often thought about the events of 10 years ago and what they have meant to me, my family and my Country. The anger persists, but it has been tempered by the realization that, be it the soldiers that I see here making their final journey home or the 343 brave heroes of 9/11, the world is a better place for all of them having been in it....even if only for a short time.
Life goes on as it must, but as we move forward let us not forget the sacrifices made by so many and let us all try to do right by those who have given all so that others may live.
Stay safe
Cogs

Essex-Windsor EMS is a third service municipal (county) EMS service providing EMS to the City of Windsor (Ontario), the County of Essex and Pelee Island. Operating 35 ambulances and 15 support vehicles from 12 stations, our 275 medics responded to 48,000 calls (95% 911) in 2010. In addition, since we employ dynamic deployment, we had 37,000 station relocations and street corner postings. We recently took delivery of 3 - 2011 Chev Crestline Fleetmax Ambulances. Features include all exterior and interior Whelen LED lighting, ATSR multiplexed electrical system, ATSR ECORUN, ATSR AVL/GPS and a diesel hot air heater to provide supplemental heat to the patient compartment. These are our first vehicles to be equipped with the ATSR multiplexed electrical system and ECORUN. A study of vehicle idling time showed our vehicles to be idling 38% of their engine operating time. ECORUN manages vehicle idling time by monitoring battery voltage and interior temperatures and shutting down the vehicle engine when voltage and temperature are within preset parameters, while still allowing vehicle emergency and interior lighting, radios, etc to operate. If voltage and/or temperature fall out of preset parameters, ECORUN restarts the engine and runs until voltage and/or temperature return to within parameters. Diesel here is currently around $4.50 per gallon US. It is estimated if we were to put ECORUN on our entire fleet, we would save between $50,000 to $60,000 US annually in fuel costs.

NYPD ESU was formed in the 1920's, but that is for another thread.
Sadly 10570, is right, Bloomberg will look to close another 20 companies in the next budget. Hopefully the City Council can continue to override him, until he is out of office.

I bet dollars to donuts that most of the Westchester departments still do not have the adapters necessary to use the FDNY threads of hydrants. What of communications?
Who is really going to respond. Yonkers and , New Rochelle., but they have their own cities to worry about, Mt Vernon who needs mutual aid for a lot of their own jobs, or all the same combo departments? The volunteers?? This is an unknown as to what you will get both in terms of numbers and experience. Its one thing for a 9/11 type incident, but on a regular basis I don't think it will work.

All of the photos I took can be viewed here.
If you liked my photos, please comment or give me a rep, it will be greatly appreciated.

Yes its the trend, and the short term solution has been to hire. But it is not the long term solution and in general it holds EMS back.
How many agencies in Westchester now have paid staff (EMT's &/or Medics)?
How many of these EMS employees are working for multiple agencies?
How many of these agencys are handling less than 1,000 calls per year (1 call per 8 hours)? or even less than 2,000 (2 calls per 8 hours)?
The reason some can call EMS....Earn Money Sleeping is because we do not need 1 or 2 paid staff members covering every little VAC. We need a SYSTEM. That can ensure a response and does not nickle and dime the staff. As long as all the jobs are hourly with minimal or no benefits, then EMS will always be a 2nd class job.

He didn't because it didn't.
Anyway, alot of large aircraft going into LGA fly over the southern part of the county depending on the wind. Aircraft going in and out of other regional airports may also be flying over the county so everyone needs to be prepared.
We've had this discussion before but since we're not really well prepared for any MCI, focusing on aircraft incidents specifically may not be prudent. What about buses, trains, boats, etc.?
Considering that most agencies have some degree of staffing problem that affects their ability to cover routine calls, we're going to have big problems at an MCI.

I think the apparatus looks terrible. Do I think the Chevrons are helping?? Lets see My Engine 1 got hit by a Tractor trailer, Then there was Stratford shortly (2 rigs) therafter so I'm gonna go with no on this one. as for the vest we have to don they get a BIG thumbs down.
Lets stick with two rigs taking the lane of traffic and leave the striping and the vest back in the store where they belong.

I was reading the 2011 FDNY Medal Day awards book, http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/pdf/publications/medal_day/2011/FDNY%20Medal%20Day%202011%20Book%20Final%20June%208%202011.pdf and saw a reoccurring trend, the importance of the Can man in most all of these rescues.
I think it goes without saying that 2.5 gallons of water, in the right hands can have a substantial effect on fires, but for those of us who don't utilize a can regularly, I would love to hear some pointers, tips, and tricks from those of you who do please.
Such as, when holding a fire in a room, where is the best place to direct the stream? Shorts blasts or open it up? Tips on door control, etc.
I know in my area, the can is under utlilized, and I think it is out of fear honestly. Not many IC's or officers are willing to see the can as an effective means of suppression...I usually have a 6 foot hook and a can with me when i go in buildings for alarms, inside smoke, etc...but i KNOW if we roll up on a reported room and contents and I walk up with a PW, I will be told to leave it and take a line...which can create a delay in suppression as I can enter and hold it with the can until a line is stretched by other members.
Don't be afraid to post up, MANY of us do listen and remember, and even sometimes apply.
Thanks.

Driver's door skin impaled on the fence

Initial impact to the red pickup

Depends on which service you respond with. If you respond with the FD, they are your IC and provide your insurance/workman's comp. The same if you respond with the EMS side of things. If you respond in your POV, then it depends on which service you decide to report to.

more

Truck 58

St Barnabus ambulance

ESU

Engine 45

The 5th man on the back step of Engine 45. A silent protest, or a sense of humor?

Rescue 3

Members of R3 and the squads used a grip hoist to remove the SUV from the hood of the pick up. Engine 45's front bumper and a steel post near the building were used as anchors

Some of the apparatus on scene, Squad 41 and their Haz Mat unit

Squad 61

A general overview of the scene after the SUV was placed on the ground. This also gives a rough idea of the height involved

Driver's door skin impaled on the fence

Initial impact to the red pickup