Westchester County DES Career Department- Yes, I Said It

[mfire 2]

Oh please, we get enough of this!!!!! In fact the other day...well forget it

Chief Flynn, I think we already know the answer...Valhalla is only 10-15 minutes away, that is not nearly enough of a head start. I am sure that the volunteer team takes more than 30 minutes to fully assembly, prior to even getting on the road and going to the incident. I am against each person responding to the scene from where-ever they are at the time and believe that a fully qualified team should be assembled first. I think we have had enough of the truck showing up and no one there to work!!!! Time to wake up and smell the coffee! Yonkers can respond at any time and then backfill the downed apparatus within 30 minutes, so let's get real. People have to wake up and realize that ego's are the enemy, not career firefighters or volunteer firefighters, not everyone can be in charge or get their own cake!

You make some excellent points here. First, the team is already fully assembled. There is not time wasted in traveling to the firehouse and then to the scene of the incident. They will respond quicker. Secondly, not only is it fully assmebled already, but it is also fully qualified. If you look at NFPA and FEMA standards for establishment of a USAR team (either Federal or state or regional) there are very strick standards which would qualify these teams. Not only NFPA 1006 but also 1670 for teams. As I have read, it seems that the "newly formed" team does not have standards or may have standards to what they see fit. Who really loses here? John Q Citizen because he is going to need help one day and the "new" team is going to show up and give a false sence of hope and will not be able to get the job done in a timely fashion. If there is a qualified team in place already, why not use them?

Edited March 12, 2009 by mfire

[Guest]

The purchase of Ladder 7 and Engine 7 were authorized by the County Board of Legislators for use at the Training Center. they were not purchased for the brigade.

If that is true why does it seem that time and time again training operations take a back seat to the brigade. You can't possibly use the rigs for the probie academy, when the brigade is in service.

[Goose 188]

Honestly, i think the County has some larger issues they need to take a look at other than a USAR team. Like, EMS and why ambulances don't get out. But thats a whole different ball game.

Honestly, this thing just needs to be left up to the professionals. Like in that tech recuse thread...the career guys seem to have a solid handle on it so let them be the tech rescue team....same thing with a USAR team. It seems like it we would be spending less and getting more.