mstrang1

I heard on the news this morning that Commish Scopetta sent a letter to both Unions accusing them of delaying responses by stopping at red lights and stop signs, when their guidelines say that slowing down is all that is necessary. I think this is preposterous! If an accident were to occur, the apparatus driver is held liable! As we all know, NYS V&T requires emergency vehicles to slow at green lights and STOP at red lights and stop signs(school buses too). Just because they are following the LAW, they are getting accused of slowing responses to emergencies! What is the common opinion of this letter?

Thanks for the correction TBendick. Either which way, I stop at all red lights and stop signs, it does not add that much time, and I would rather be safe than in an accident. If my Officer doesn't like the fact that I stopped at a red light, he can walk back to the firehouse, because I am gonna stop at every light, and slow at all green lights. As a firefighter/driver, you did not cause the emergency to which you are responding to, but you are doing your best to mitigate it. I think that "operating in a safe manner", a common phrase used in law and SOG(P)'s, is very open and should be interpreted by each driver at his/her discretion. Just My 2 Cents.

Well, we all know from the movies that in EVERY car accident, the car will blow up within seconds of the accident! We have to flop that guys head around to save him from the huge explosion and ensuing fire!

x635- BRAVO!!! (no pun intended...) I totally agree with your statements. A day where all Depts get together and have firematic competitions would be great! THAT would promote "esprit de Corps", in my opinion. And who would know if you are "judging" a parade from the sidelines anyway? as long as you do not approach the apparatus during the route, you will be ok. And do a little closeup inspection before and after the parade.

Are any of the local FD/PD boats helping NYC cover the river for Fleet Week? Was on the West Side yesterday and saw all the boats coming in to port. Awesome sight to see a few destroyers running up and down the Hudson under the GWB. PS Does anyone know if you can get tours of any of the boats or do security issues prevent this?

I recently moved to Mohegan Lake and need to ask some of the "locals" what the popular deli is. As for pizza, I am right up the block from La Viletta, which satisfies my cravings.

The HME's are definitely a step above what we had in the past! When I was hired in '01, the engine I ran on (the busiest in the city, with 2,400 runs/yr) was still running an '85 Mack CF(along with three other CFs). E4(and E1 & E5) have assorted problems with the rollup doors, ranging from too much dirt getting into the compts to bent rails. The light package is pretty cheap, with little servo motors to control the emergency lights. Some other fit and finish problems, but still a lot better than what we used to have. E1 & E5 have rear intakes built into the REAR COMPARTMENT for some reason that we have yet to figure out. And the major complaint by most of the members is NO Q2 Siren!!! On the upside though, E4 now has a 750 gallon tank, which helps if there is a fire all the way in the far reaches of the district(second due company has a long way to get there).The extra 250 gallons go a long way!

Except for E7!! Problems with Springdale are holding that up, I believe.

My condolences go out to the families of these two EMT's(or Medic's). The article mistitles both of the deceased, first calling them EMT's, and then calling them medics. When will people learn there is a difference.

DFFD- Didn't DFPD just get a boat? I thought I saw something in the Enterprise a while back...

I think post4031 was reffering to Paid ON Call firefighters, who recieve a flat rate fee for every alarm they answer. They recieve something like 25 dollars per call. I am not familiar with the inner workings of this type of department, but I believe it is fairly common in the Midwest, and I used to work witha guy who was (I think) involved in one in NJ(dont know township).

90.7 WFUV is a great station, except they play fordham baskatball games(who wants to listen to sports on the radio?!) and my other new favorite is 107.1 "the Peak", they play alot of Elvis Costello and Bob Marley n stuff

If three or four municipalities get together in lower westchester(maybe fairview/greenville/hartsdale) and purchased a single tanker for use in all three districts, plus mutual aid, that would be a great asset. If it was stored at fairview HQ(im pretty sure they have the room), tactically that would be a good idea. just getting the town board on board.

ALS-many firefighters believe that the scba strap can be used to replace a seatbelt, but in fact, it is NOT an approved safety device. I, for one, will put my shoulder straps from my scba over my shoulder, seat belt in, and upon arrival, undo my seatbelt and tighten shoulder and attach waist straps. It takes no additional time to don, and keeps me seatbelted in.

I always ask "is everyone strapped in?" before moving the vehicle. If the FFs and CAPTAIN lie to me and/or ignore me, I believe the liability is out of my hands. I am not sure, but if someone can clarify this for me, that would be great.

FIredawg-great to hear from you! some guys were startin to get worried when you didnt post in a while... glad to see you are alive and well! whens your tour over?

When and where are the walk?

Seth- I think greenburgh has noise ordinances before 8am, you shoulda called the cops!

I think firemn23 meant that to dedicate that one person from the FAST to become the account officer. This would leave one less person on the FAST, but if planned properly, the response would be one person more. Hey Remember- Croton has 7 Deputies? I am not familiar with the workings of CFD, but is it really necessary to have this many deputies? I am not trying to question CFD if it is reasonable, but from the outside looking in, this seems excessive. In Ardsley, there are two designated Safety Officers. I had pressed for a change to make all drivers Safety Officers(and now thinking Accountability officers....) for the reason that the third due driver could become the Safety Officer for the scene. It is a rare occasion where all three drivers would have to be pumping, but in this rare case, the IC should designate another member(another driver who is not driving that call) to become Safety. Ardsley currently uses a tag system, that like all other tag systems, is inefficient, not "firefighter-proof", and hardly used right. This is not to say that it cannot work. Currently, the only times that tags get "handed in"(sometimes meaning thrown on the pump panel step or the drivers footwell), is when there is a structure fire. If the Dept makes it policy that one EVERY ALARM AND DRILL all tags be clipped onto a designated area in the cab(if every seat has a clip, 1 designated for each apparatus, etc), the system would work much more smoothly. This past year, we watched a video from the"american heat" series(for better or worse....), and they spotlighted a dept in scotland. After figuring out the accent, we saw as they had an "entry officer", that noted entry times, exit times, bottle pressures, etc for every person entering the idlh atmosphere. They also had tags that were integrated into the SCBA(im not sure if that is europe only). If anyone has more on any of these topics, please fill me in, and/or start a new thread if the need fits.

This topic has been dead for a while, but I had an experience the other day and I had to point it out. I was working overtime in another group and firehouse, and we got in the engine to go do some routine company business, and as always, I put my seatbelt on. The driver AND officer both turned around as they heard the belt click in. The officer asked if I did not "trust" the driver, and the driver actually TOOK OFFENSE to the fact that I strapped myself in! I responded that I always wear it, especially in a fire engine. For the rest of the shift, whenever we went out for a call, they ridiculed me for wearing the seatbelt! I was appalled! Has anyone else had any recent experiences like this?

Hey Jim, How's Jimmy doing? There has not been an update in a while now.

Thanks for the update. I will continue to keep him in my prayers.

I saw a photo on the news and it looked to me like the finger had a rubber glove on the end of it. At least whoever cut their finger off was being sanitary! lol

COMMANDCHIEF- I do not have a problem with firefighters/officers drinking alcohol. My problem starts when a large percentage of the firefighters/fire officers are drinking together, at the same time at a Company sponsored function. This severely limits the coverage of the district. Also, there is the "whats good for the goose, is good for the gander" mentality. When a Chief or other officer tells the membership that they are not to respond after having any alcohol, but is guilty of the problem himself, then the department and residents suffer a huge blow. It just gives the message that the Chief cannot even listen to himself, why should I? In addition, as someone who has not had a drink in 30 months, but still hung out at the local bar, I would sometimes be embarrassed about leaving for a call, being totally sober as I was, because other patrons of the bar might not know that I have been drinking club soda with a lime for the past two hours. They just hear a pager go off, and see me running out of the door, leaving a half full glass on the bar. There ARE instances where ALL of the current officers of a department are at a parade. I have seen it in other departments besides my own as well. In this instance, they rely on ex officers and senior firefighters to manage an incident that could occur during a parade. But I have seen officers discourage calling MA too soon, for fear of "embarassing" the department.