Structure Fire-Vernon

[TVFDT141]

For those of you who were not listening.

11-11-03 Center Road-Vernon 11:55pm

Fully involved structure fire. Basement, first floor, and attic. We got a quick knock down with one interior line and one exterior line in operation. A definate job well done.

[Adze39]

I loved the initial size-up.

"Fully Involved structure fire, 25% of the house"

Not meaning to pick on anyone, and I understand the thought of saying that because he more than likely meant fire was ripping out the windows. However I just had a quick laugh when he said "fully" then "25%" afterwards. I was like "well, which one is it?"

Anywho...

Do you guys know what caused it?

BTW, job well done VFD!

[TVFDT141]

I would have to say the correct size up would be. Fully Involved. 25% of the building not torched. That place was ripping. We get a really quick knock down. Thanks for the congrats!

[Rippin73]

hhhhmmmmmmmmm...

[Dalmatian90]

WW still has my all-time ROFLMAO award for dispatchers following protocol and not common sense from years ago:

"...A working structure fire, (address), house is blue with white shutters."

Just in case the smoke & flames didn't give it away...

[TVFDT141]

BTW, an overheated electrical cord on a sofa is what caused the fire.

[Adze39]

Originally posted by Dalmatian90
WW still has my all-time ROFLMAO award for dispatchers following protocol and not common sense from years ago:

"...A working structure fire, (address), house is blue with white shutters."

Just in case the smoke & flames didn't give it away...

They just dispatched for a call at 14:05, I think a medical, located at a "white house with blue shutters".

[fdny99]

I guess you guys pick on WW because it takes you SO LONG to get to your firehouses that by the time you arrive on scene it's through the roof. Hey Brooklyn Boy, I've heard people your way using terms like "down a ways past the big oak tree on the corner by the Jones's house". I also want to know why you guys spend so much money on aerials, when all they are is a glorified water tower! Hey TVFD congrats on the good knockdown.

[Adze39]

Originally posted by fdny99
I guess you guys pick on WW because it takes you SO LONG to get to your firehouses that by the time you arrive on scene it's through the roof.

ummm...yeah...not quite.

1) We are not laughing at WW, but laughing "with them" ;)

2) While preparing for ISO, I had the unfortunate experience of compiling stats. My departments average response time within our own district from time of dispatch to time on scene is in the 3-4 minute range. If you factor in mutual aid calls, the average goes up to 5-6 minutes. e229Lt linked a study off of FDNY's or NYC's site one time that talked about FDNY's response time. FDNY's average response time was in the 4-5 minute range. I'm not trying to bash FDNY (which you claim to be a part of) but merely offering a comparison...and yes, I can show numbers to back up my claim on our response time.

[Adze39]

Oh...and my FD didn't spend alot of money on an aerial. Makes it easy to not do that when you don't have one! ;) LOL

Now...if you were talking about the other FD in town, then I'll keep my mouth shut (but I'm sure TVFD would like to comment)

[fdny99]

I don't claim to be a part of FDNY, I am on the job in the city, have been since the spring of 1999, and I'm assigned to a truck company in Harlem. Was also a member of a northeast CT paid dept for a little more than 8 years before getting on the job in the city, so my knowledge of that area is VERY good (also grew up there). I don't make my posts from ignorance, but from personal experience.
As for response times in NYC, they use the whole dept, not just one area. The response times for my old company in mid-town during the day are a LOT more than they are at night because of the volume of traffic.

[Dalmatian90]

I guess you guys pick on WW because it takes you SO LONG to get to your firehouses that by the time you arrive on scene it's through the roof.

Nah, doesn't take us that long to get on the road.

We pick on WW now before it's too late and they're down to being Station K.

Columbia's then-Chief and then-Willimantic Switchboard Chairman went on vacation this past spring. Came home to find out Columbia switched to TN while he was away. Can you say not a happy camper?

Hampton & Chaplin left to QV on October 1st, Scotland October 15th. Still haven't gotten used to QV blowing their tones.

I also want to know why you guys spend so much money on aerials, when all they are is a glorified water tower!

Well, I'd be happier with a 75' Squrt, but wasn't my decision.
As for cost, well, all I can say is we paid six figures less then we had internally budgeted. Helpful hint for those buying trucks: Never tell the salesman what you can afford.

[Adze39]

Originally posted by Dalmatian90
Columbia's then-Chief and then-Willimantic Switchboard Chairman went on vacation this past spring. Came home to find out Columbia switched to TN while he was away. Can you say not a happy camper?


"Not a happy camper"...there! I can say it!

Anywho...if I am reading this right, he was Chief at the time Columbia switched. So how did he not know? I know alot of FDs are governed differently, but how was he clueless?

[TVFDT141]

WP would have a million dollar glorified water tower minus a pump. Thats what BB is for right?

Us on the other hand have a 800,000 dollar glorified water tower, but we can fill up all by ourselves. :)

Over at Ellington we were questioning some of the WP guys on thier truck. One thought it would be funny to compare the price of theirs to ours. Noting his words "What did you guys pay for yours....500,000????" Its funny, but I dont think WP has used their aerial yet. Hell, one of their drivers had a hard enough time remembering to remove his wheel chalks before leaving for a call. BTW. with no crew on board.

We have been on 3 structure fires since we got our piece. Howard Johnson Hotel, Avery St Church in South Windsor, and the Center Road house fire.

[Adze39]

I know its flown at least once at a call. WP had a fire at Somer's Sanitation a few months ago and it flew there.

I'm willing to bet it flew at Railroad Salvage a couple weeks ago for fire on the roof. WP cancelled us before we got there because workers knocked the fire down with an extinguisher.

It flew for 2+ hours today!!! Made it easier getting those crappy lights on the BB firehouse. :D

[TVFDT141]

It hasnt even been a month yet since our last W/F. Its only a matter of time before we have another one of the abandoned mills go up. Were you around adze for the mill fire there on RT 30 in Rockville? The fire where Truck 5 was lost and where ET 541 almost bit the dust.

[Adze39]

Around as "at the call"? No.

Around as "in the FD"? Yes and I do remember hearing about it. Your little mishap with the apparatus was the talk of the region for a while. Nice job on roasting your rigs! ;)

[TVFDT141]

It got us a new 95' rear mount didnt it? :) thats what insurance is for anyhow.

BTW, the firehouse looks good.

Is anyone going to manchester for their tourch parade? Its coming up soon.

[Dalmatian90]

Story I hear is literally "they" did it while he was on vacation. Chief quit over it, which I really can't blame him...jeesh, talk about being bent over. I have to assume the plan was already in place.

I'm not certain who "they" where -- probably a combination of officers, directors, and the Town which would sign the checks for the local portion of funding. That's part of WW's problem is they've become the most expensive between TN/QV/WW (not sure where KX fits in). Since all the Towns share the same frequencies for dispatch & operations it's pretty easy for a town to say, "Hmmm, we could just tell SNET to send the 911 to them instead and cut our costs by $10,000" -- $10k to these small towns might be 10-20% of the FD budget, so it's a real tempting target.

As you may or may not know, Connecticut's State funding for TN, WW, QV date back to when Windham & Tolland Counties funded the dispatch centers at their old jails. When County government was abolished, the State took over the majority of the center's funding.

The current state laws, implemented mid-90s, favor bigger centers.
One is the $0.15/capita C-Med funds. Second is there is a larger subsidy authorized for "Municipalities over 70,000 in population" -- and regional emergency communication centers are considered Municipalities. Those funds come from the E-911 portion of your phone bill -- people in towns that maintain their own dispatch centers subsidize the regional towns, and the more regionalized the towns the more state money they get.

Anyway, I'll give you one guess as to which two dispatch centers in Eastern Connecticut have more than 70,000 in population...