Snow and hydrants

[68jk09]

BLOOMBERG's PRESS CONFERENCE 12/28/10
   
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He just stood there w/a....... "so what else can we do look" ......the media should have had the Dept. radio playing in the background....same transmissions as yesterday.....delays ....blocked streets.....abandoned vehicles....numerous calls....E or L or both "we will be delayed"......10-75 s......yes he did not cause the snowfall..... but do not stand there & say everything is OK....he said he did not envoke a "SNOW EMERGENCY" because "where would everybody put the vehicles that they would be forced to move of the snow emergency streets ? well then dont have them & pocket the money spent on maintaing the signs.....yes i mean "pocket it" cause we wont see it.....wait a few more days until the melting/rain & the manholes kick in....he will say he did not expect that either....everybody is not as stupid as he looks & is...... he has the balls to say that the backlogged calls were not energencies.....FU .....it was not his relatives. 


Read more: http://fdnyrant.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=theend&action=display&thread=9291#ixzz19RM45nV3

 

[68jk09]

Re: SNOW STORM.
 

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12-28-10 1415 hours.......DIV*14 on Queens radio ....orders Queens to notify Sanitation Ops & also send a teleprinter message to DIV*14 Units in the Jackson Heights area to be extremly proactive in requesting help due to the condition of the impassble streets in Jackson Heights......Disp. replys w/a 10-4 & verifies that Sanitaion ops is aware........guess bloombag or his lackeys did not ride through there on the way to his news conference today. 


Read more: http://fdnyrant.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=theend&action=display&thread=9284&page=6#ixzz19RNyVvR1

 

[68jk09]

12-28-10....still this afternoon several ENGs in Queens on ems runs reporting no ems response...PD RMPs transporting to Hosps.

 

[SoHoTruckin20]

saw some taxis today just parkin in the middle of the road  also in todays post it said 1,400 calls went un answered

 

[BronxFireRadio]

My apologies if this was posted before = Squad 1 helping to pull out a DSNY plow.
FDNY helping SDNY

 

[lifeguard91]

and to go as far as to say that the EMS  rigs should have parked on the main roads and walked or "struggled" through the snow instead of turning down streets and get stuck? How about PLOW said streets

 

[catry]

Mutual aid ambulances from NJ staging at EMS station 4:

NJ EMS Taskforce 12/28/10

Engine 224 in the snow:

FDNY stuck in bklyn heights

 

[mack]

A question after the blizzard - How did all the EMS units which came into the city communicate?  I understand thay operated from staging areas and could receive run assignments directly when dispatched.  They all have cell phones and radio commo to their respective departments/counties.  They should have GPS.  They should have been given contact numbers to hospitals. 

But how do they communicate after being dispatched?  What if they need help?  What if a BLS call becomes an ALS call on arrival?  What if they need an engine to assist?  How can thety verify addresses?  How do they get additional information?  Is there or should there be ability to switch radio frequencies?  What about qualifications/certifications?  Were there EMS crews who were not state EMT-certified?   

In the DC area, the fire departments have a unit numbering system which identifies city or county for interoperability.  When dispatched, you can simply change radio frequencies to Arlington, Fairfax County, Alexandria, PG County, etc. and communicate directly.  Multiple departments respond to incidents together. 

I am not advocating cutting fire department and emergency resources and relying on mutual aid.  I am also not trying to justify the apparent lack of leadership, budgeting, preparedness and poor decisions made by NYC leadership before and during the blizzard. 

But I am curious about the current protocols.  I fear extraordinary incidents will continue to occur (terrorist/weather).  Do surrounding counties and cities have the ability to operate in NYC when needed?   

 

[catry]

What I heard was they split up crews, having an NJ/upstate medic riding on an FDNY Ambulance and vice versa, so that each rig had an FDNY EMS member with a department radio.

 

[mack]

That works OK - splitting crews.  But that still means the out-of-town firefighter has no way of communicating in emergencies while working a job.  Everyone today should have an operating radio for their personal safety. 

Is NYC fully prepared for unusual major incidents/catastrophies?  FDNY and NYPD has always been able to take care of its own emergencies.  Rarely has outside assistance been required.  But the world continues to change.  WMD will continue to be developed and I unfortunately believe we will see more terrorist attacks in the years ahead (nuclear/radiological/biological).  Can engine companies and medic units from surrounding communties operate in NYC, if necessary?  Can emergency personnel communicate effectively? 

NYC leadership should not be looking at cutting emergency services.  A blizzard has again shown its vulnerablilty.  Once again, we see a need for more firefighters and EMTs, not less, and more money for training and better equipment, not less. 

 

[mercurygrandmarquis1]

i wouldn't be surprised if the FDNY and NYPD have portables stockpiled in case something along those lines happens.

 

[mack]

Article in Firehouse claims: "But ambulances can't be outfitted with snow chains because it would damage the vehicles. Plus, ambulance drivers are trained to try to get as close to the emergency as possible, because they carry heavy gear - and sometimes heavy patients."

Why can't NYC ambulances use snow chains? 

http://www.firehouse.com/news/top-headlines/fdny-backlogged-1300-calls-during-snowstorm

 

[ladder197]

Ambulances can be outfitted with Onspots, I worked for an apparatus dealer for a few years and saw them being installed. I also live a block from a hospital and every ambulance and medic unit that goes by has the Onspot chains its a very familiar rattle. It could very well be the cities preference not to install them due to the fact that they would probably be ripped off and cause significant damage to the apparatus/ ambulances. Once the snow gets over 6" or so they dont really clear the path in front of the wheels making them pretty much useless.