PEMO3

From NYCOEM: On Wednesday, October 23, 2013, between 7:00 AM - 7:30 AM, N615JB, an Airbus A320 painted with FDNY theme will overfly the Hudson River from the Verrazano Bridge north to the George Washington Bridge at 2,000 feet. The aircraft will be subsequently be vectored to JFK.

The flight over the Hudson River will be filmed by news media, both airborne in helicopters and on the ground. The flight and the following ceremony at JFK will be featured on morning news shows.

My wife is happy now. LOLL
Getting back to cribbing.
6x6s give you a better base to work with and fill between the auto and ground quickly. Then you can decide if 2x2s, 4x4s or wedges can fill the gaps. By the looks of things, you can place about 8 crates of cribbing on half of that tray. No walking around the truck to grab what you need. Pull the tray to what ever side and there you go. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH CRIBBING.
Try putting your Paratec struts together. Place 1 on each side of the rescue transverse tray, driver side and passenger side next to cribbing. If they are too long using your extensions, remove the smallest extension and keep the V cap at the top of the strut. Your V cap will be used the most for vehicles on there sides or change to a piercing cap. It's easier to add a small extension to the strut if needed. Half the battle with the struts is over. Pre-connected. Also be sure your RATCHET STRAPS for the struts are set to go. Clip to strut and clip to vehicle, open ratchet and then just pull the strap to make it tight. ALL PRE-SET. 2 straps, 2 extra cones and 1 extension can be placed in 2 more milk crates. 1 on each side of the rescue. Much easier. More later on stabilization. I have to eat. LOLL

Sorry if I am blunt about things but I love rescue. It was my EMS career for 30 years. 25 on EMS/Rescue. Don't get upset.
PLEASE, do away with all that, what I call SCRAP WOOD. There is nothing standardized about it. 2x4s, 4x4s and 6x6s cut to a standard of 18". Also, cut 18" Wedges out of 4x4s to fill the gaps. DO NOT varnish or paint. That will create a slippery surface. It will also cover-up any cracks beginning in the wood. Cmon everyone? How much does it cost for wood cribbing? Someone getting hurt because no one could see the splitting occur? Place your cribbing in Milk Crates. You can also use to save money, SEAT BELTS cut for handles at the end of the cribbing. I saw in one of your pictures a cut that was used for drilling. Cut the Seat Belts out. Guess how much it costs to make cribbing handles? NOTHING. And they are very strong. Use washers to secure them to the ends.
Oh dam! the wife is yelling. Have to go. Be back later. LOLL

Thanks for sharing. Very progressive design and layout. This rigs seems to be just as capable as a "heavy rescue" by obtaining a smaller footprint, turning radius and access options.

1) Great text book answer. I have rarely seen an incident (particularly on a limited access highway) that you can do both, and then also be out in front of the incident. Do you know which way the wind is going BEFORE you arrive on every scene? Its too late once you get there and every scene has the potential for hazmat. If your choice is upwind OR uphill which do you pick (and why)?
2) RPM's & Fire trucks are "built for it" I DO NOT THINK SO! Fire Trucks are heavier and will provide more protection, but that is not what they are designed for. THats why DOT has trucks with crash barriers built in.
3) If a truck hits the car, where are you? Your in or next to that car providing patient care,

Scene and personnel safety is paramount on all operations. You are of no use to the patient if you become a second incident that requires resources. Most "fly cars" by nature of the vehicle are low profile vehicles and do require access to the vehicle rear for equipment. By this fact, utilizing such a vehicle to "block" the lane or scene is a risky gamble. In my personal opinion fly cars and ambulances should always be positioned in front of the MVA and out of the lane of travel when possible. This has been burned into my mind ever since having to attend the funeral of NYC EMS Specialist Christopher Prescott who was killed while loading a MVA patient into the back of his ambulance when a driver (drunk) drove through a flare pattern and hit him. My feeling is that the EMS apparatus should position as taught in EVOC, past the MVA, toward the shoulder and when possible take out the adjacent lane to allow room to operate safely.

FDNY High Water Evacuation Truck
2013 International 4x4/Ferrara
Shop # IM13006
Note these are not only used for evacuation purposes, but to get firefighters and equipment to and from scenes in flood situations.

This is a pump that allows higher pressure discharges for high rise buildings. There are three impellers in the pump to boost the pressure 3 times allowing operators to overcome the elevation loss when crews are operating on upper floors of buildings that do not have fire pumps (or working fire pumps) on the standpipe system. This requires special high pressure hose to hook from the pumper into the FDC on the building but by the time the water gets to the fire floor you can use standard pressure hose since crews will experience normal pressures due to the elevation pressure loss. Without the ability to pump the proper pressure the crews will not have adequate pressure or flow to fight the fire. Think of how many buildings in Manhattan that are over 30 stories tall...
Most pumpers in the nation have either single or two stage pumps.
Hope this helps and its not too complicated.

Who's rescue is this ?

When I was a FF in Peekskill, we could usually tell by the first due drivers tone of voice how bad the situation was. When I was in NH the first due engine gave a windshield size up usually based on 3 sides, then dispatch repeated the report. A second report would usually be given when the officer got out and did a more in depth investigation into the situation and conditions. This happened every time, it was like second nature there. Many times mutual aid departments would stat to don turnout gear and mount up based on the size up and in anticipation of 1st or 2nd alarm.

Seth, I think using the word "size up" may confuse some into thinking that a detailed report on arrival is needed. While in a perfect world that would be great I believe even a "preliminary report" would be helpful. For example short blurbs such as "engine abc on location, nothing visible" or rescue xyz "smoke showing, building self evacuating" or engine xxx " manager reporting malicious false alrm, investigating".

"Back in the day you could tell the number of alarms a fire was by the length of the "stringers" hangin from the truckies noses when they poke their heads out of a window ...two inch stringer was two alarms, four inch stringer was four alarms and so forth."

Seems to me like the Select Bus Services issue and the blue lights they use is a multi faceted one. You have a quasi state agency that feels as such they can do as they please. The lights be of issue in SI and the Bronx probably have to deal with a larger number of suburban motorists who are aware what a forward facing blue light is supposed to be used for. And lastly, why blue, a simple forward facing yellow light or a steadily lite blue sign with the word "SELECT" would have the same effect without the creation of confusion and controversy but then again this is politics and they don't know how to do anything simple. Lets face it that idea would take 3 studies, 2 special committees and special vote before they could do it and the bill would include the purchase of 500 $1000 toilets for someones district.

Play the video backwards...it will look like the fire is going out.

Pawling our neighbors to the South has a B.R.A.T (Brush Rapid Attack Truck) under construction at the Firematic Shop on LI in Shirley N.Y, the same location that built our BRAT as well as are building our Engine. Here are the specifications of their unit.
2013 Ford F550 2 Door Cab 4x4 Chassis with 19,500 lbs. GVW Super Single Aggressive Tread 19.5" Interco Irok Tires Heavy Duty Aluminum Fabricated Flatbed with FEA Tested Roll Bar Pro Poly 250 Gallon Protector Tank CET 19 HP Diesel Pump w/ Remote Cab Start/Stop Scotty Class A Foam Around the Pump Eductor Akron Brass Valves and S/S Manifold 1.5" Rear Direct Discharge Electric Primer Large Deadlay Hose Bed Area Elkhart Sidewinder Remote Control Front Deckgun Two (2) Electric Hannay Reels to Hold 1" Booster on Water Tank Front Warn Trans 4 Mer Grill and Bumper Guard Side Aluminum Pipe Nerf Bars and Side Steps Three (3) Aluminum Diamond Plate Compartments with ROM Roll Up Doors Whelen LED Lighting and Siren Two (2) Receiver Tubes Under Each Side Front Body . Photos added with permission from David Horton of Firematic, I am traveling to Firematic on Monday and will get some updated shots of the unit, Seth will be going too so I am sure he will be bringing along his camera as well.

History of the Black & White Police Car.
Black and white is an American slang term for a police car that is painted in large panels of black and white or generally any "marked" police car. Historically, this scheme was much favored by North American police forces because it allowed the unambiguous recognition of patrol units from a significant distance. However, as the color scheme is not standardized, each police agency in the U.S. and Canada can choose their own color scheme. The most common variant of the black and white color scheme is white roof and four white doors, the second most common is white roof and only the two front doors. In Sweden, the black and white police cars had black roofs to make them visible in high snow.
Taken in text from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_and_white_%28police_vehicle%29

(Ret) FDNY Battalion Chief Salka's response:
http://mobile.firehouse.com/blog/11152215/john-salka-reacts-to-boston-globe-article-on-fire-department-staffing

Being a former volunteer firefighter and a career firefighter for the last 23 years (an officer for the last 15), here is my take on it:
Being career does not make you any better than being volunteer. I know some volunteer departments in my old hometown (Dutchess County NY) where everyone is well certified and competent, and they show up very rapidly when the tones go off. Heck, some of those guys are better trained than the people I currently work with.
It all has to do with the following and applies to both volunteer and career departments:
Leadership -- if the department's leadership does not make sure that there is a means to get their membership trained and encourages it, the department will never be functional.
Membership -- if you can't get enough people to adequately staff the vehicles when called, then the department will not be functional.
Political Support -- if you can't get the support of your commissioners or supervising governmental entity, the department will not be functional.
Fire Prevention -- if the department or municipality doesn't take fire prevention seriously and does not have a good inspection program in place where property owners are held accountable, there will be fire safety issues.
I've seen terrible volunteer departments and I've seen terrible career departments. I've also seen great career departments and volunteer departments that would put most career departments to shame. I really don't think it has anything to do with volunteer vs. career as a whole, but the specific area in NJ.
I've seen many departments here in Florida go from volunteer to career and shut down/disband firehouses completely so they could pay the staff of 2 firefighters on an engine for each of the other stations covering a larger area. Yes, you have 100% assurance a unit will respond immediately, but you have less units and longer response times in those areas where the fire stations were shut down.
This is just my 2 cents.

From what I have heard about this electrical fire, unless someone called it in when the problem first started happening it would not made much of a difference. People forget you had 30 MPH winds driving that fire so once flame broke out the theory of fire doubling every minute went out the window.
I have heard of plenty of large fires were paid departments were completely in charge and they still lost a lot. I have heard paid departments cancel mutual aid just to end up calling them back 10 minutes later as they are loosing the building.
No volunteers are not perfect but no one is. In this current world especially in our situation where we have a large mix of paid and volunteer departments we need to stop fighting one another and work with each other to get the job done.
Believe it or not volunteers will support paid firefighters MORE when they are not A**holes back at them.

This is what I got from radio reference:
Well for starters, the PD is licensed for 50w (70w ERP) vs EMS at 25w (25w ERP). Also, the PD's antenna is mounted 20 feet higher on the tower than the EMS antenna.

The PD antenna could be a higher gain model than the EMS antenna. The PD's repeater could also be a different brand/model than the EMS repeater, and/or maintained better. The antennas could be mounted on different sides of the tower, which would give them different characteristics even while standing in the same spot in the middle of the town, depending on any nulls that are introduced.
From this thread: http://forums.radioreference.com/industry-discussion/274735-building-portable-coverage.html

Have a pulse....... That's a joke, but there may be a bit of truth due to the extremely low pay in this career. The pay is causing the character of employee simply because of this.
My advice for any interview, not just for in the emergency service field is the following :
Wear a suit - Navy or Grey is best, but black will do (black is a tad bit formal)
Wear a white dress shirt and a tie. Neutral color tie is proper, no funky patterns
Wear dress socks and shoes.
Get a haircut the day before, shave the morning of and groom your fingernails.
Arrive to the interview 15-20 minutes early and leave home with ample time to spare in case of traffic or car trouble.
Shake hands with a medium grip. Firm, but not so you crush knuckles, yet not to the point of a dead fish handshake feeling
Make eye contact with handshakes and while talking to your interviewer.
Maintain good posture while in the interview with your back straight while sitting and your hands forward in front of you. DO NOT cross arms as this is a body language sign that you are hiding something.
Always answer the question being asked to the best of your ability. Nothing more and nothing less. DO NOT volunteer any information you aren't being asked as this make open doors to further questions that you may not be prepared to answer. Ask for clarification if the question being asked is not totally clear to you.
Do not ramble or repeat yourself while answering any questions
Always be honest. If you lie or stretch the truth, it always will be discovered at some point.
Be polite and be respectful. (Yes Sir No Maim)
Thank them for their time and consideration after the interview
Hope this helps

Well, my building is still standing, thanks to 150 good men, a good water supply (and knowing what you have available before the fire) and cooperation by Mutual aid departments.
I can tell you it was difficult to IC because of communications problems. For every frequency operating on the fireground there had to be a man at the CP.
Oh , and yes, I was using ICS, but had to sneak it in on some people.

8-Hrs of radio traffic:

For those of you who remember the classic American LaFrance Century series, and who were as deeply disappointed as I was by Code 3's awful attempt to replicate them, have I got a "kitbash" for you!
To my eyes and many others, the Code 3 model wasn't even close to the original LaFrance. In fact, Code 3's botched Century, followed by an even worse 900 series tiller, are what put the first nails in their coffin. The most obvious flaws with the Code 3 were that the cab had a flat roof, a flat nose, and a straight windshield. A friend on a hobby board that I belong to suggested "squeezing" the Code 3 cab in a vise to get the roof curve. So I figured "why not?" and tried it.
The vise certainly improved it, but I had to fashion a brow over the windshield to catch the tapering effect of the Century's classic lines. Next, I had to grind down the original cab (the Code 3 was too tall) and widen the doors by filling the gaps in the casting, and scoring new ones with a razor saw. Finally, I had to scratch build a whole new windshield. Anyway, I have been pecking away at this master for a while, and it's just about ready for resin casting.

This is a factory-fresh Code 3, which any old time buff can see is a disaster.

This is after I stripped one and gave it a squeeze in a vise, then added the stiffener around the rear of the cab and the brow to the roofline, over the windshield.

The cab is beginning to look better. I filed down the original windshield, but ultimately would replace it with a scratch-built one.

This is the new nose and roofline, and the new scratch-built windshield. I am going to vacuum-form a new windshield from this one, and thus have a nice clean copy. The crappy one-piece clear parts that were headlights have been removed and the holes filled in. The front nozzle and trash line tray have also been removed. I dumped the clunky and out of scale original bumper, the new bumper is scratch-built.

A lot of adjustments were necessary to get the modified cab to work with what's left of the original Code 3 model. With installed wipers and new body mouldings, the cab is ready for casting. The windshield with the wipers will be vacuum-formed as one piece.

These are 2.4mm Swarovski crystal rhinestones, which on the final casting will serve as headlights. They are a big improvement over the plastic parts that Code 3 originally used. The "jewelled headlights" were one of the things about the old Corgis that really charmed me as a child.

I haven't cast or painted it yet, but I was curious to get an idea of how it will look. This is a simple photo manipulation using Windows Paint.