Where are all the wisconsinites

[MMedrow21]

Hey every one, i have noticed not alot of activity on wisconsin's threads. I am starting to get into firefighting, and i was just wondering what is going on around the state? What's going on with Stations hiring, and when are dept's going to be hiring?

[clark918]

I'm from WI. I just took my practical for firefighter 1 today. So now that I'm certified in that a few more doors will open up for me. Also takin my EMT-B in spring.

I know Madison is hiring. Apps are due by Jan 12 I think. That's the only big city dept. I know of.

[MMedrow21]

hey clark, congrats and nice to hear from another cheesehead. I was just in madison about 2 hours ago for the open house. I have already applied, and cant wait to go through the process. Very nice facilities there, and awesome people to talk to. Let me know what you do, and another thing where are you from?

[Runn11]

hey Clark Did you take yours at WCTC??? I Took Mine on the 6th as well. and what dept. are you on. I Belong to the Ashippun Fire Dept.

[MedicDVG]

Howdy Fellow Cheddarheads!

I am from Tomahawk, however at the moment I am displaced to Balad Iraq for the next 300 days or so. Up to the point of my career change I was a firefighter EMT for Nokomis Fire in Northern Wisconsin and a full time Paramedic for Lincoln County Ambulance Tomahawk Division.

Stay safe and good luck in your career aspirations.

[clark918]

hey clark, congrats and nice to hear from another cheesehead. I was just in madison about 2 hours ago for the open house. I have already applied, and cant wait to go through the process. Very nice facilities there, and awesome people to talk to. Let me know what you do, and another thing where are you from?

Thanks. I'm from Oak Creek, just south of Milwaukee if you aren't sure. It's about a 40 minute drive from Brown Deer. Are you on a dept?

hey Clark Did you take yours at WCTC??? I Took Mine on the 6th as well. and what dept. are you on. I Belong to the Ashippun Fire Dept.

Nope MATC. I don't belong to a department yet. Possibly getting a POC job with South Milwaukee. Would be nice for the time being until I get a full-time job somewhere.



Good luck in Iraq Medic. I'm sure you'll make all of us and the rest of the country proud.

[jccrabby3084]

Just reading a couple threads there, so to those looking for a job, good luck. Also don't give up, try to get as much education as you can. That includes getting on a volly dept, get EMT, even medic.

As for looking for jobs, if you look into www.firerecruit.com that will give you info on who is hiring. It worked for me. Also, Green Bay will be hiring in April and there is talk of several retirements this year, so possible to have 2 hirings this year.

As for Madison, good luck to you. The written test is OK..most of it is psychological. The physical is pretty tough, but not bad if you work out. I went to school at MATC Madison, so I was at those facilities quite a bit. Anyway good luck to you all.

[MMedrow21]

ya, i will see how it goes hopefully it wont be to bad, they said the written test is pretty much psychological. Just wondering if anyone on here is going to be going through the process for madison. It would be nice to meets some fellow brothers trying to get onto the dept.

[OlieCan]

I think everyone from Wisconsin are still Crying that the Bears are in the Superbowl and they won't have Brett Favre next year.

[jccrabby3084]

Sorry Ollie...breaking news Farve is coming back. HAHAHA

[Hazmat91180]

I am from Menomonee Falls in their fire department. Taking FFI at WCTC in Pewaukee. Welcome all fellow WI firefighters.

[MMedrow21]

you are from the falls, i work their as a police aide right now. Also are you full time or are you POC, or stand by. I was thinking about going on stand by for the falls they have a great crew out there from what i have seen. Are you going to madison for the testing, or staying with the falls.

ALSO FAVRE IS BACK!!!!!

[MMedrow21]

Got back from taking the Madison Written test, and i would have to say i feel i did pretty well. It only took me about 2 hours to complete, and we had 3.5 hours to complete it in. Anyone else take the test as well.

[eddiejeeves]

I understand the Village of Mt. Pleasant is taking applications. Racine Wisconsin area.
Contact Lori Swenson @ 262-554-8812
lswenson@mtpleasantwi.gov

[DFurtman]

Hey guys.. another wisconsonite here. I'm with the Town of Superior Volunteer Fire Department... also a member of the 148th Fighter Squadron Fire Department across state lines in Duluth, Minnesota. Just returned from the Department of Defense Fire Academy with FF1 and 2, Hazmat Ops, First Responder, and ARFF certifications.

nice to meet y`all

-Damien

[jccrabby3084]

Hi Damien...nice to have you here..GB here. I applied for SFD...I liked the Twin Ports area.

[tomlaumann]

Good afternoon everyone!
I'm FF/EMT-IV in Wales/Genesee
Glad to see there are some here from home.
Tom Laumann

[jasper45]

Glad to see there are some here from home.


Oh, there are a few of us lurking about. ;)

[Hazmat91180]

you are from the falls, i work their as a police aide right now. Also are you full time or are you POC, or stand by. I was thinking about going on stand by for the falls they have a great crew out there from what i have seen. Are you going to madison for the testing, or staying with the falls.

ALSO FAVRE IS BACK!!!!!

hey sorry it took me so long to get back.

I am Station 1, brand new, finishing up Fire I, am paid on call and I live on right off of shady lane.

My full time job (where I am now) is working for an life insurance company as a project manager, I really like my job, so I won't be going full time in fire.

The falls DOES have a great crew. I love it.

[DFurtman]

Hi Damien...nice to have you here..GB here. I applied for SFD...I liked the Twin Ports area.

Thank you.. I am planning on applying for the City of Superior FD as a Career as soon as they open up applications.. May also go for Duluth Fire or Minnesota Fire (Up at the Duluth Airport), but that may be a while... I love this area.. and hopefully plan on staying in this area.

-Damien

[clark918]

I took the Madison test as well. Hope I did okay. I just had an interview the other day for a POC position at South Milwaukee. Went well.

[MMedrow21]

hey clark, thats cool that you had an interview with south milwaukee i was going to apply with them. I had an interview about 2 weeks ago with Thiensville POC thought it went well, so we shall see. i wont know anything until March to see if the village board approves. By the way Clark where do you live?

[clark918]

I'm from Oak Creek. I just got a call today to schedule my physical, which is Friday. So everything is going great so far. If you want to work POC for SM, then you would have to move closer. They just recently moved the limits out to Oak Creek and Cudahy because they couldn't get enough South Milwaukee residents. I'd say give them a call if you're willing to relocate. They Chief is a great guy. Where's Theinsville? Good luck with that though.

[plisken]

Hey DFurtman, Superior should be opening soon, Our list expires in june so the City should be accepting apps soon. Duluth has hired 14 in the last 2 months so their list has to be getting short. I've been with superior for 5 years now, it is a good department, Not alot of retirements cumming up though. In duluth it has become a mass exitess due to the healthcare issue. ? on weather they will hold on to the number in the staffing, might lose 3 engine ( not 3 engines) just headquarters #3 engine, if you have any questions drop me a post I check in every shift to see what people are talking about. catch you later

[DFurtman]

Hey DFurtman, Superior should be opening soon, Our list expires in june so the City should be accepting apps soon. Duluth has hired 14 in the last 2 months so their list has to be getting short. I've been with superior for 5 years now, it is a good department, Not alot of retirements cumming up though. In duluth it has become a mass exitess due to the healthcare issue. ? on weather they will hold on to the number in the staffing, might lose 3 engine ( not 3 engines) just headquarters #3 engine, if you have any questions drop me a post I check in every shift to see what people are talking about. catch you later

thanks..

lol.. i just read your other post and realized who you are.. I have pictures for you and Les... this is "Probie" from the Flashover training this last weekend.

-Damien

[plisken]

Ya probie saw the giant pic of you in another thread, yet I knew who you were before that. Hey thanks for the pics from trng. Les sent them to me. You did good. When I get a line on the test I will pass it on, Also I have some friends in the big D so I will get the scoop. As I said the staffing over the bridge will suprize me if they keep it. Bugets are dropping fast Cloquet is excepting yet paramedic is a ness. Thanks again

[DFurtman]

Ya probie saw the giant pic of you in another thread, yet I knew who you were before that. Hey thanks for the pics from trng. Les sent them to me. You did good. When I get a line on the test I will pass it on, Also I have some friends in the big D so I will get the scoop. As I said the staffing over the bridge will suprize me if they keep it. Bugets are dropping fast Cloquet is excepting yet paramedic is a ness. Thanks again

Yeah.. i saw the ad for Cloquet and called them about it.. sadly nowhere near Paramedic right now.. lol... Glad ya enjoyed the pics... if ya would like anything larger, feel free to ask... and thanks for keeping me in the loop regarding the tests..

-Damien

[Golzy12]

Hey DFurtman, Superior should be opening soon, Our list expires in june so the City should be accepting apps soon. Duluth has hired 14 in the last 2 months so their list has to be getting short. I've been with superior for 5 years now, it is a good department, Not alot of retirements cumming up though. In duluth it has become a mass exitess due to the healthcare issue. ? on weather they will hold on to the number in the staffing, might lose 3 engine ( not 3 engines) just headquarters #3 engine, if you have any questions drop me a post I check in every shift to see what people are talking about. catch you later

3 engine is safe (I'm assigned to that truck right now), as far as I know the talks of cutting rigs on Duluth fire is done. They have hired 12 so far this year and they will be putting 6 more through in the next few months.

[plisken]

Hey Gents Superior FD (city) Here. The city will be taking apps this summer to test this fall. Nice to see a few of us checking in. Be safe out there. Duluth is heiring 6 more off their list soon (we lost 2 guys to them reciently) so their list is about dead, watch the papers and i'll post when I hear anything

Sorry Golzy12 didn't read your post before I piped in. Thats 18 off your current list -. when is the mayham going to stop..?

[plisken]

Hey Golzy 12 Good to hear from a Duluth FF. Good to hear 3 engine is safe.
damm glad to hear thought it would get the AX, Hate to loose anything from downtown. When they going to add someone to the point? I would go Bat Sh*t down there. You guys going to hold your staffing levels at current? At least through this fiscal year. Where does Superior send donations to the Stauber for Mayor fund ( Just Kidding ) how about 101,s fund against him. Hey be safe over their and don't be affraid to give us a jingle if you need our help. Be safe and keep your head on a swivel.

P.s Now we are EVEN!!!!!!!!!!

[Golzy12]

Hey Golzy 12 Good to hear from a Duluth FF. Good to hear 3 engine is safe.
damm glad to hear thought it would get the AX, Hate to loose anything from downtown. When they going to add someone to the point? I would go Bat Sh*t down there. You guys going to hold your staffing levels at current? At least through this fiscal year. Where does Superior send donations to the Stauber for Mayor fund ( Just Kidding ) how about 101,s fund against him. Hey be safe over their and don't be affraid to give us a jingle if you need our help. Be safe and keep your head on a swivel.

P.s Now we are EVEN!!!!!!!!!!

Funny... It sounds like after they hire these next 6 their not going to be hiring much more for a while. And as fas as I know the staffing levels are going to stay the same. I don't think they will be hiring another guy for park point, it would be tough to justify hiring another firefighter for a station that only gets 100 calls a year, plus any call that sounds like they might need some extra hands 1 engine is dispatched to as well. The park point station is pretty much only there for if the lift bridge is up and other rigs cant get out there. I've heard some interesting stories about the park point station, I've heard its haunted, and that it's infested with spiders, one thing is for sure, it's creepy down there.

[plisken]

Yes it is a old station. looks like it is about to fall over> My inlaws live on 33rd so I go past it all the time. Rumor has it they might build a new one down their. Im not saying hire another guy down their but at least give him some company. Get them a dog. Yet with the taxes those POOR people pay you think they would get more for their money. I pitched to herbie getting them a polarus 4x4 to respond down the beach with but I don't think it helped any. Well be safe and remember us over here. See ya this summer for Boat Trng,( our new fire boat ) I guess we are going to get you all involved.. Later

[plisken]

hey Dfurtman just found out your Dad is Ralph ie butch. spent a lot of time in my younger days standing in the lester with him.. Tell him Bob says hi.

[Golzy12]

Yes it is a old station. looks like it is about to fall over> My inlaws live on 33rd so I go past it all the time. Rumor has it they might build a new one down their. Im not saying hire another guy down their but at least give him some company. Get them a dog. Yet with the taxes those POOR people pay you think they would get more for their money. I pitched to herbie getting them a polarus 4x4 to respond down the beach with but I don't think it helped any. Well be safe and remember us over here. See ya this summer for Boat Trng,( our new fire boat ) I guess we are going to get you all involved.. Later

Yea, rumor has it that their remodeling the station soon, but i guess that has been a rumor for a while now (I can't really say, I'm still really new to the game). 5 engine down on park point is due to be replaced here soon, I was told that their going to be going with something along the lines of a mini or midi pumper on a F-550, nothing has been confirmed yet. i guess one of the perks of being at that station is that your able to do some chick watching when they are on their way to the beach, thats gotta make the guys feel a little less lonely.;)

[plisken]

Yea chicks in cars, Give hm a 4x4 so he can run the beach, then it would be worth it. Otherwise he is stuck watching on the road. Plus the 4x4 would get him on the beach with all his chit to effect rescue when the waves are big. Now he has to hoof it over the dunes with that chit Ya know they arn't getting any younger. Use it to tranport the patient to the gut bucket instead of hauling the PT up the sand by foot. AND It would be dam fun driving in the beach. It would piss the city off, but still dam fun.

[jccrabby3084]

Yea, rumor has it that their remodeling the station soon, but i guess that has been a rumor for a while now (I can't really say, I'm still really new to the game). 5 engine down on park point is due to be replaced here soon, I was told that their going to be going with something along the lines of a mini or midi pumper on a F-550, nothing has been confirmed yet. i guess one of the perks of being at that station is that your able to do some chick watching when they are on their way to the beach, thats gotta make the guys feel a little less lonely.;)

OK, been awhile since I was up in yours and Plisken's neck of the woods. Stupid ??? but is 5 engine a one person unit? I heard Duluth had a one person pump, could be wrong on that.

Anyway, I was thinking about heading up that way again this summer. Last time I was there it was getting cold and things were shutting down, I think it was August. (just kidding) Actually had a friend of mine from the Navy from Superior and I was testing for SFD last time I was up there.

[plisken]

Hey jccrabby

Yes 5 Engine is a one man operation, I beleave it is the only one in the country. it protects Park Point. Hows GB doing? To bad for the packers (farv-ras) comming back. Next time your up in the great white north stop in. I did 10 years in the navy as a (AW) rescue swimmer/ Sensor operator. Sh-60B Helos. East coast. I don't miss the B.S.

[DFurtman]

hey Dfurtman just found out your Dad is Ralph ie butch. spent a lot of time in my younger days standing in the lester with him.. Tell him Bob says hi.


I'm assuming same last name as your own?

-Damien

[DFurtman]

oh Plisken.. Expect to see me around application time... if anything i could use the practice...

-Damien

[plisken]

yes He graduated with my dad, (Bob) I knew sissy, went to school with her.

Get your CPAT. if you don't have it.

[DFurtman]

yes He graduated with my dad, (Bob) I knew sissy, went to school with her.

Get your CPAT. if you don't have it.

Where in the local area can i take that, and will Superior accept DoD EMT-B or must i be NREMT-B?

-Damien

[plisken]

Fire tech school should offer it,, Check in EauClair for the Cpat.. As for EMT file resiprocity with the state of WI. You have 1 Year from the thime of hier for your emt,, Cpat is to take the test.

[plisken]

Hey JcCrabby whats new in Gb?

[jccrabby3084]

Get your CPAT. if you don't have it.

So SFD went to CPAT then huh? I actually liked the old PAT they did...except doing in the rain...for crying out loud can't you get to 50 degrees in that part of the state? :)

Oh yeah, nothing like dressing up for an interview and then do you PAT right after. Although it beat driving 5 hours for each.

[plisken]

Yes the good old days are over,, Someone turned down our heat up hear so getting above 50 is pushing it... Yes sounds like alot of the state is going to CPAT. You know the New and Improved avoid lawsuits (st Paul 2000) type thing.. Ill misss watching the poor guys do the physical in a suit.

[DFurtman]

Fire tech school should offer it,, Check in EauClair for the Cpat.. As for EMT file resiprocity with the state of WI. You have 1 Year from the thime of hier for your emt,, Cpat is to take the test.

you don't happen to have a number for fire tech school, do ya?

-Damien

[plisken]

look in the phone book,, call the duluth duty desk Maybe or duluth tech college... I would start with duluth tech college ( sorry lake superior tech college) They should Know Ask at the gaurd base I think they own some of the equipment they use for it....

[DFurtman]

look in the phone book,, call the duluth duty desk Maybe or duluth tech college... I would start with duluth tech college ( sorry lake superior tech college) They should Know Ask at the gaurd base I think they own some of the equipment they use for it....

lol... thanks.. for some reason i was thinking there was somewhere in Eau Claire i had to call to find out the info. I'll ask around.. lol.. i work at LSC now..

-Damien

[jccrabby3084]

Hey JcCrabby whats new in Gb?

Well for starters the GBPD had a shooting last Friday/Saturday morning. Cops stated the suspect had a gun, but used his cellphone like a gun and motioned like he was going to shoot...so he was killed. So now it is non stop news around here. Medics got on scene and cops said he was laying on a gun...but no gun when rolled. Also a bystander was hit by a bullet, serious injuries, but alive, somewhere around 33 shots fired (4 cops fired their guns). So I'm sure my taxes will pay for some lawsuits.

Fire wise, there was a house fire early Wednesday morning. Fully involved upon arrival of first in companies. Occupant had some burns and soot in her airway from exposure and 3 dogs dead. Couple nice vehicle fires but basically about it.

[plisken]

Sucide by police. Well we should alot in news when Cnn gets their hands on it... We have had a couple small structure fires (R&C) and a triple fatal car accident/fire but otherwise All EMS.. Be safe and catch you in the forums.. it hit 75 deg this weekend so summer is comming.. Colder by the lake for the next week so we will have to put on the parka's....

[plisken]

Hey Gozy12 : How about you guys over there put your fires out before they send that stuff to our land fill... 12 hours standing on a pile of trash ( A BIG PILE OF TRASH) spraying water on the sweet smell of Sh** is not my idea of fun.. Guess the guy responsable for your fire got a 2 for one special.... Glad you boys could share your fires with us, but next time try to keep it in the truck (truck fire ) instead of our whole land fill....... 2 1/2 acres of burning whatever was a little much before breakfast....4:02am We had some fun, single man 2 1/2's with lots of heavy equipment working to keep it out of the woods..... In hindsite we had a great time out there, so were not to piss**..... but still try to put the fires out before you send the trash to the DUMP... Thanks ....LOL

[Golzy12]

Hey Gozy12 : How about you guys over there put your fires out before they send that stuff to our land fill... 12 hours standing on a pile of trash ( A BIG PILE OF TRASH) spraying water on the sweet smell of Sh** is not my idea of fun.. Guess the guy responsable for your fire got a 2 for one special.... Glad you boys could share your fires with us, but next time try to keep it in the truck (truck fire ) instead of our whole land fill....... 2 1/2 acres of burning whatever was a little much before breakfast....4:02am We had some fun, single man 2 1/2's with lots of heavy equipment working to keep it out of the woods..... In hindsite we had a great time out there, so were not to piss**..... but still try to put the fires out before you send the trash to the DUMP... Thanks ....LOL




Yea, Sorry about that. I was at that fire for about 5 or 6 hours before my truck was cleared. It ended up being a 12 hour call, our runoff was bright green so we had to shut down operations. We thought we had a haz mat on our hands but it just ended up being some highly concentrated non toxic dye. Bun hey, I'm glad we could share with you guys.

[plisken]

Ya No prob... We had fun... Next time give us a heads up so we can be pro-active and get to it before it gets big again.... Later and Thanks

[plisken]

hey Gozy what are you guys doing over there. Thats about 1 fire a day adv for the last week... Thanks for saving my locksmiths place.... why don't you guys share the pitch some our way.....

[Golzy12]

Yea, it got kinda busy there. We had three house fires in one shift, the second fire happened literally 20 seconds after we got back to the station form the first one. And then the shift after that we had the dump fire. I'm not sure if their have been any other fires since then, I'm on my 6 off so I'm out of the loop right now.

Oh yea, and we did pitch one your way, if it wasn't for us your landfill wouldn't have burned.;)

[OIFvetFF]

Hello all fellow wisconsinites

[plisken]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey JcCrabby... We are doing the trench tech class right now, with Collapse in july at the volk, Have you gone to the volk yet or is this in your schedule??

Any word on negotiations with the state yet???

[jccrabby3084]

Hey Plisken,

I get to go to Volk in October and November for collapse training. I had a chance to go in summer, but decided it may be better if it is a little cooler out for that. Cooler for me would be like temps you get daily :)

As for hearing from state, there was a meeting last Friday, but I was unable to go. Don't know if there is new word, but should hear something when I go to Trench.

When are you going to Volk?

I still may have to get up to the Duluth-Superior area this summer. Can't really afford going all over. I may have to stop in at some point.

Stay safe brother.

[plisken]

Hey JC: I go in July back to back weeks, It will be like going to florida for me, Thin the blood up a little and get rid of last winters fat stores. Broke the 190 ,mark OH Sh** im FAT: maybe get a tan::: we are 1/2 through trench for the second time in two years but I guess that will be our speciality, broken between us and eau claire... Getting up here, still to cold for you southern boys, you might melt, get frost bite, or hypothermia... With gas the way it is I blew my allowance turkey hunting... Going to be short trips with the boat... well before you come up e-mail me: It might be nice to put a face with the chat.. later

[jccrabby3084]

thanks for the email...but aww shucks..now I feel unwanted :)

Anyway, I'll look you up before going.

Another thing though about the trench. You stated you think that will be your specialty. We are with Appleton, Neenah-Menasha and Oshkosh for our task force. So far, there has been no discussion as to anyone having a specialty. Heck we don't even have specialties for the guys within our own dept. I just feel like a jack of all trades right now. Nothing wrong with that, but I know I'm stronger in some areas of tech over others, so specialties would be nice to have. Also, right now, we don't even know how a response will go out, so that still has to be worked out. As another guy put it...It is like building a four story building, but the foundation isn't in place yet. We get all this training, but don't know how we'll respond if needed. Just wondering if it like that for the northwest as well?

[plisken]

We are with Eau Claire, us, Reinlander. The speciality is because we were equipted prior to the whole team thing, I am sure it is not set in stone, and I know the Jack feeling, Overload....

[plisken]

what are you a OWL, its late!!!!! Im doing a 48 in the hall so I am waiting for the flood gates to open. Then catch a nap tommarrow.....

[plisken]

This is just word of mouth... because of the distance between the players in our team, I have heard we are going to give each department a sub speciality to lessen the burdon of cash and on going trng... Since we can't train together due to the 2 hrs travel, we will each have the sub group... we still have to be Jacks and trained in all the aspects of the usar requirements... We currently have a reagonal HAzmat, Confined space multi county agreement, and are the only trench equipt department north of rice lake to the U.P. some place. Not much between you and I except trees....Haven't heard much about response yet... Last I heard was they were going to take the HAZMAT Agreement wording, Change HAZMAT to USAR and follow the same proceedures that hazmat responses do...The teared response..... This is not official in any way shape or form, Just what I Have heard.....I have no Idea what OJA and the state are doing about implimentation of the teams. Respose area, activation ? But I must say I love the training.... Things we don't do to often, fun stuff, hands on destruction. Makes us better all around.... well got to hit the hay... Catch you later.. I will be up around noon today.... be safe

[bummer]

Not 100% sure, but willing to bet that to mobilize a Task Force Team in Wisconsin will require a call to the State Duty Officer. He in turn will call out the teams and they will respond within their region with one platoon and one platoon to follow hours later for relief. Expect each team and all members to be up on all specialities, especially heavy duty collapse, seeing there are only 4 teams in the state. They should work with local capacity teams that are already in place. It wouldn't be smart to kick them off the rubble pile.

Working outside of the state will require an EMAC request and this may slow down the callout process. I hope not!

They should also be capable of responding in their own jurisdiction, as a local team, to handle all areas and specialities of technical rescue, not just heavy collapse.

We will see if I have it right or not? I have to agree about having the building without the foundation statement. I think the governor needs to make sure that the foundation is in place for years to come and support these teams with sustaining funds. Not sure if that is in his budget? If this is built on homeland security funds, those funds will dry up soon for the State of Wisconsin, I am afraid.

thanks for the email...but aww shucks..now I feel unwanted :)

Anyway, I'll look you up before going.

Another thing though about the trench. You stated you think that will be your specialty. We are with Appleton, Neenah-Menasha and Oshkosh for our task force. So far, there has been no discussion as to anyone having a specialty. Heck we don't even have specialties for the guys within our own dept. I just feel like a jack of all trades right now. Nothing wrong with that, but I know I'm stronger in some areas of tech over others, so specialties would be nice to have. Also, right now, we don't even know how a response will go out, so that still has to be worked out. As another guy put it...It is like building a four story building, but the foundation isn't in place yet. We get all this training, but don't know how we'll respond if needed. Just wondering if it like that for the northwest as well?

[jccrabby3084]

Thanks for the update. I know we for one really want to have response and operations defined sooner than later. I understand the training part and being knowledgable in all aspects, but you always have people stronger in one area vs another. It would just be nice to have things defined. As for responses, a big kicker for us was the Ellison Bay explosion in Door County. We were the closest TF team and were not called in, yet a neighboring volunteer dept did get called. I'm not sure about their training, but do know there are no members of that dept on the TF. The one time we were deployed was to recover Lt Wolff. That went smooth, but it was only our dept there.

Just would be nice to have the definations in place as to when, and how to respond. Tornado season is upon us and we are a disaster away from responding. Hopefully we learn this stuff sooner than later, I'd hate to get called out without knowing how things are to roll.

[plisken]

Understand Bro.... As for us most of the our team members are comming from eau claire, I guess that is why we will break up tasks.... We will still have to be trained in all aspects but they will have all the heavy stuff.. Knowing how the deployment is going to happen and the criteria for that deployment would be nice... Otherwise we just train, weither the USAR teams accually get off the ground is yet to be scene, Will the money dry up, will it remain funded at the state level? Yet it is nice to have the training and equipment if you need it... Trench was cool today L and T trenchs, Strong backs/ walers/ and shoring... Fun, fun, fun, at least it frees us up from inspections.... I UNDERSTAND YOU FRUSTRATIONS WITH THE DOOR COUNTY INCIDENT. I guess it is still up the the incident commander as to who will play....I firgure the state will now have the power to dictate who will play from now on. I think alot of that will get steightened out when the chiefs and team reps figure out how this is going to work to enforce the call up...I guess all we can do is wait and speculate....

[plisken]

Hey JC... Did you receive a new fire boat from OJA? we had ours out today, what a slug...... It says fire rescue but only goes 15mph, we cover about 26 miles of water, guess if you fall in next to the boat we will rescue you, if your a ways away, keep holding your breath.....Glad to see fyred up back still wonder about Jasper.....

[plisken]

Golzy12: Im starting to feel like we are your academy, stop taking our firefighters, we are even for S.S.

[Golzy12]

Sorry, I don't choose who we hire... I'm sure there are some people who aren't to thrilled that your guys are coming to Duluth, I think we only took one guy from you for this next class.

[CANFF2706]

Hey Guys,

Saw your comments about the propane explosions in Ellison Bay last July. A good friend of mine is a Lt. with the SB-LG Fire Dept. and took me around the site a few weeks after the explosions. From what I was told about the event from someone who was there from the start, what I saw during my visit to the site and the photos and videos I saw of the event, there was no need for any USAR type operations. Why would they have activated a Task Force?

[jccrabby3084]

Hey JC... Did you receive a new fire boat from OJA? we had ours out today, what a slug...... It says fire rescue but only goes 15mph, we cover about 26 miles of water, guess if you fall in next to the boat we will rescue you, if your a ways away, keep holding your breath.....Glad to see fyred up back still wonder about Jasper.....

Yep, we got one...didn't know if it would ever come. There was a backorder yadayadayada more delays etc, and only one mfg...what's up with that? Anyway, we got our boat about a year late just in time for winter once the mfg heard the grant money was going to run out. It was put in the water about a month ago, but had to go for repairs because there was the wrong throttle lever for the boat. Anyway, I haven't been on it yet...we'll have to see.

I like the water coverage stuff too. More waterfront area than most communities and up until this boat we had a 16 ft. Also had a couple train bridge fires too, which that boat is not a platform for. We don't cover into the bay of GB, that is Coast Guard, then the Sheriff and GBPD have their boats as well. We'll see though...we get quite a few jumpers we have to fish for. So as for rescue capability...hard to say how it will work, I'm sure it will make a fine recovery boat.

Also, yes nice to see Fyred Up back and hopefully Jasper returns soon. I like his perspective on his favorite alderman. Scary though...The Wisconsin boys are being targeted. :)

[jccrabby3084]

Hey Guys,

Saw your comments about the propane explosions in Ellison Bay last July. A good friend of mine is a Lt. with the SB-LG Fire Dept. and took me around the site a few weeks after the explosions. From what I was told about the event from someone who was there from the start, what I saw during my visit to the site and the photos and videos I saw of the event, there was no need for any USAR type operations. Why would they have activated a Task Force?

I would say it is based more upon the principle of the fact. Our state has been pushing hard to have USAR teams and such. The task forces are narrowed down to so many depts taking care of a region of the state. Then you have some small volunteer depts getting big money grants from the Feds or state and have state of the art Heavy Rescue trucks, yet the task force teams are lucky to have a trailer.

So when you get a situation like Ellison Bay, very high profile, lots of coverage etc. There were several buildings collapsed and there was possiblity of people trapped (early reports). Maybe there was not a need to deploy a TF team, but I think it would help the state say to the feds etc...that the teams are utilized. Otherwise why have a TF if we are letting every dept take care of everything despite any type of specialty. Just would have been a good way to justify the training and having a TF system if they were deployed for what they were designed for. Otherwise we have a lot of nice equipment that will never get used.

[plisken]

Hey JC.... our boat is broken, took a couple times out but we did it......something in the engine is not allowing it to reach speed.... I guess we are sending it in... My mistake 96 total miles of shore 26 as the crow flys....Havent figured out how to stay in one place and spray water, keep getting pushed back due to the deck gun... Can pump and roll though (cool)but the hover is tricky... Guess i will have to take up Vidio games to get use to it.. It will get used as our Dive/recovery platform mostly...we still have our coast guard fleet zodiak,14' lund and a few others... waters to low to put in at the ramps that would help us....well be safe and catch ya later

[rigguy265]

Gentlemen,

I have been catching up on a few things and I noticed some chatter about 5 station in Duluth. I am currently assigned there so I can answer some of them. Yes there are alot of stories about it being haunted and I have had some strange things happen while I have been working here. They can probably be explained away but it just adds to the intrigue of the station. Yes we have a spider infestation. Not as bad as in previous years because we took drastic measures last year to rid ourselves. Yes we are getting a new station. It will either be on the existing site or down the street at Layfette Square with the community. The plans are being drawn up as we speak. Yes we are getting a new rig. It will either be a F550 or a GMC 5500 chassis or something similar. I will let you know when we make the decision. Yes we only have 1 person per 24 hr shift. No we are not the only one in the country, I know of a few more in Pennsylvania , but I think we might be the largest department that has a station with only 1. We have three other stations of the 9 that have only 2 per 24. Yes we are asking for another person per 24 in the 2008 budget , but with all of the stuff happening at the capital I dought we will get it. I think that was all of them if you have any more please feel free to let me know.

[plisken]

Hey rig guy... Next time i'm on the point I will try to catch ya again and not get in trouble... Go to see ya again though,, Be safe down there....

[DFurtman]

Plisken... My dad was down in Ellison bay when the lodge blew.. he was staying just down the road..

Rigguy.. i may have to drop by sometime.. My girlfriends parents live almost next door to the gas station..

-Damien

[rigguy265]

plisken,

It was good to see you to we shouldn't make it so long in between.

dfurtman,

I look foward to the company anytime.

[plisken]

Ya rig Guy.... Some time I will figure out your schedule and we will have to get together.... Im in the yellow book......

[plisken]

Hey Golzy and rigguy: Thanks for the invite to the fire... Nice of you to remember us guys over here . I would love to hear the older guys, having to swollow their pride... Nice to see the two cities getting along these days.. I think we can both learn and share with one another especially between us younger gents... I guess your chief was impressed with the boat and what it does or can do?, so maybe we can train a few of your gents to run it... The new Joke is to put a Duluth patch under ours on our sleeve......yet it is just a joke, you know we could become stations 10,11,and 12...later gents be safe...

[plisken]

Jey JC. We Got to use our new boat at a fire in Duluth today. Our BC called in a crew to run it instead of using a on duty crew.. I guess the things work well... We don't have it running 100% but it worked good there... Duluths Chief was Impressed.... Have you got to use yours Yet?

[Golzy12]

There you go pilskin, ask and you shall receive. I got to goto that fire, and when we were having issues with the water supply I asked my captain if your boat was up and running, he then called the AC who called you. It was cool to see, the Duluth news tribune actually wrote a fair amount about your boat in the latest article about the fire. I was hoping to see you there, but didn't. We'll get together one of these times on a fire. I like the Duluth patch joke, one of your guys who came over on the boat jokingly said he wanted a Duluth fire application.:D

[jccrabby3084]

Jey JC. We Got to use our new boat at a fire in Duluth today. Our BC called in a crew to run it instead of using a on duty crew.. I guess the things work well... We don't have it running 100% but it worked good there... Duluths Chief was Impressed.... Have you got to use yours Yet?

Nice to hear you got to use the boat. Sounds like Golzy made the call for you guys. That is more use than ours has gotten. I think if the rumors are true, ours has spent more time out of the water than in it. Bad thing is there is a slip for it at the Days Inn downtown. They did use it for the Bayfest fireworks though.

[plisken]

Well Thanks Golzy... I should have been driving it, we had it hooked up and ready to go prior to your request.... Expecting a call.. when it came our B/C call in some off duty guys, so my crew missed out, oh well... Sounds like the owner was none to happy, The telegram made it sound like the boat did everything and put us on a silver platter....We know its BS but still we made the paper for a fire even though it wasn't ours... We have had 4 fires in 5 shifts and not a word until this one.... Thanks for the suggestion to the capt, if it will help make the call....Well if you need our help give us a call, I know for some it is hard to swollow but still we like working with you guys.... we thought the patch idea would be funny, well be safe and catch you later......

[Golzy12]

What was that about a telegram? Did he send one to Superior? That fire was just a bad situation in general, we wanted to draft but there was no access to the lake because stuff was piled up all around the edge of the water, and the closest hydrant was 2900 feet away (we ended up laying that much yellow). we actually only lost about 150 sq feet of building and saved around 800 sq feet, so it wasn't a complete loss. The owner still was not happy, which I can understand, he lost his business, that is a shame.

[plisken]

No the Telegram is the soup town news paper!!... I talked to C.L. at 5 sta. the next morning to catch the scoup..... Sounds like you guys had alot of LDH to rack... Are you sure they were joking about the applications??(ha,ha) It was quick thinking by lane to come up with that answer.... Well at least things went as well as expected.... Next time the owner might think about a Hydrant near the place,not wait so long to call, or maybe put in sprinklers...
Still not much you can do with the curcumstances faced.... Good Job though, the whole slip didn't burn up, kept super wood, and the 850' building to the north... well some day well run into each other at a scene..... later

[plisken]

Ya JC understand, once we get ours fixed, we might keep it in the water, it would speed things up a bit... I wonder how the zebra muscles are going to affect it once they find a new home in the jet... we learned alot, putting the fittings for a handline and rubber hose (25 footers) on it, big rope to tie off so you don't have to dick with the hover....(you can back away and have the rope hold you) and changing the 5" storz to 4 " storz with a wye so you can operate the deck gun and a handline.....otherwise it worked better than we all gave it credit for..... Hows the action in GB land??? we have been busy 5 fires in 6 shifts, we call it busy you might call it a normal duty day!!.... Well its hot up here for our standards but who's complaining, winter will be here in a month or two, Don't forget to drop a e-mail if you get up this way..... Later

[jccrabby3084]

Yep Plisken,

I'll drop an email before heading up. I would like to get up there again soon. So as for the jobs go I have to think a bit. We have had a couple arson fires around and a lot of nuisance fires, but nothing to big that I can recall. I've also been off for several days and enjoying my time away from the station. Yet, strangely I feel compelled to check on here and see what is going on.

Take brother, and I'll shoot you an email before travelling.

[DFurtman]

I'll be deploying to Camp Douglas/Volk Field Wisconsin for 2 months (July 2 to Aug. 30) to support Aircraft testing as an ARFF member with the 148th Fighter Wing. Looks like i'm the only one going..

-Damien

[plisken]

Well Dfurtman I guess I will see you their, Three of us will be there 7/16-7/19, and 7/23-7/26 for USAR training on the north side, Maybe well hook up for a beer.

[jccrabby3084]

Hey Plisken,

Heard some updates on our boat for you. First off, I guess the name of it now is the S.S. Litterbox. Kind of full of s**t. It has been to the shop quite a few times and never really used. It was taken out one day twice and the second time, barely made it back. So anyway, hopefully the quirkes get worked out, otherwise I informed our deputy chief where we can get a replacement...:)

Take care and hope to travel northwest soon.

[plisken]

Hey Rig Guy and Golzy: According to the paper the new 5 station will have room for a gut bucket? Is their something you guys are not telling us? is this going to be a G.C. box or a fire based box in the station. You all know we are waiting for you guys to put the pinch on G.C. so we can better our services with fire/ems... Just wondering? Keep us informed if there is a hint of a pinch move because we are interested (or talk) in doing the same on this side of the bay....Also tell FNG. R.M. sorry for the damage to his inlaws place..Cost of doing business.. I worked with him in St.Cloud, good guy!!!!!

[DFurtman]

Well Dfurtman I guess I will see you their, Three of us will be there 7/16-7/19, and 7/23-7/26 for USAR training on the north side, Maybe well hook up for a beer.

sounds great!.. We're running 24 hour 1 day on 1 day off schedule with a kelly every 6 shifts.. so I'll be working at the station on 7/16 and 7/18 and 7/24 and 7/26.. Drop by and i'll show ya around and we can plan on a beer.

-Damien

[plisken]

Dam Bud, You are going to have a Great time at USAR. It was F***ing awsome if your into Tools, Distruction, Comfined Spaces with power tools and Jack hammers. Building Sh**, and just working hard.. We had a blast working with other departments (partied hard also). The Pile is Kick A**, Cutting torches in confined spaces and busting everything.... As I said a dam good time.....Food isnt the best but it makes a turd...beers cold though, You go in Sept? should be a bit cooler than ours.... So whats New? met a few of your boys there (good Guys) we all had fun.... Be safe

[rigguy265]

Hey plisken,

I think that was a misprint. I heard that the chief got a call first thing in the morning about that article from Stauber. I talked with the deputy on the way down to customfire ( new 8 Engine ) the other day and he said we are going to have an independent study like St Pauls and it might come up then. However with the way the city is going financially I doubt it will happen. I think that the remodel of 5's and the new engine are still a go. Something about capital money being a different pot. Hopefully things are going good with you and the family. Stay in touch and stay safe.

[plisken]

Hey Rig Guy. I stopped and got the skinny, The future? sounds like a way to get a indoor parking spot for the POV if you ask me.. Hows the new 5 engine comming, did I read that right , Custom got the Bid? I was at the inlaws and see the police got the go ahead to patrol the beach on 4 wheelers, any chance that opens the door to beach responces via a 4x4 type unit? Well my family keeps me busy, the boys are gettign big and the battles are starting (turf wars) how are the girls? BE SAFE OVER THERE and keep me informed if I don't catch you instation some time soon. Later

[SPFDRum]

If all goes according to plan, I should be teaching at the fire school at LSC. We should all plan to meet at Grandmas for a few....dozen.

[Golzy12]

Grandma's sounds fun. What are you going to be teaching up here in the northland?

[SPFDRum]

A tactics class for the state fire school. This will be our 3rd year and it's been a lot of fun. It gets a real great mix of students from all size departments and it keeps me on my toes to stay on top of things!

[rigguy265]

plisken,

As for the response on the beach the next 5 engine will be 4x4. We are discussing either a GMC 5500 chassis or a Freightliner M2 100 series chassis. Both have low profile 19.5" tires, 4 x 4 and several other goodies. It would be nice to get the big red ford in the garage here once in a while. At least during bad weather. After the spring blizzard I had to have 3 coil packs replaced on my truck due to them shorting out from all of the snow packed inder the hood. We were at Customfire the other day for 8 Engine, 5 Engine will not be bid until the budget is set for next year, and who knows when that will be. We are looking at plans for the new station next year though. I guess that is already set money. It looks like it will be very nice with a planned completion of November 2008. Stop by any time the big red ford is parked outside. Girls are doing good. Oldest 3 are in soccer with 2 playing on the same night, so we have to be in 2 places at once. Still working on the house and keeping busy. Talk to you later and stay safe.

[plisken]

Hey Rum: sounds good, let us know when your in town.....

[jasper45]

Dam Bud, You are going to have a Great time at USAR. It was F***ing awsome if your into Tools, Distruction, Comfined Spaces with power tools and Jack hammers. Building Sh**, and just working hard.. We had a blast working with other departments (partied hard also). The Pile is Kick A**, Cutting torches in confined spaces and busting everything.... As I said a dam good time.....Food isnt the best but it makes a turd...beers cold though, You go in Sept? should be a bit cooler than ours.... So whats New? met a few of your boys there (good Guys) we all had fun.... Be safe


Sorry I missed this post. Yeah, I was up there early on, back in April, just to check things out. I've been a collapse technician for 11 years now, and teach collapse at a different facility in the mid-west.
I will have to disagree with you though, it's really nothing but a Doyle screw up, there. It could have been great, but our beloved governor never let it be what it could have been. It doesn't accomplish anything that they pretend to have wanted out of it. It also does nothing but give everyone a false sense of security in the class. It really isn't a technician program up there.

I'm glad you had a good time, and made good money, and yes, the beer is always cold!

I don't mean to be negative, but this is a program our governor completely dropped the ball on. The leadership there up there needs to go. Maybe we'll talk about it over a beer sometime. Keep it safe.

[jccrabby3084]

Just got back from the pile and I have to say I did learn some things and did have some fun. Overall I agree with you Jasper, that things could be better. While one may learn things and get an understanding, unless one really uses the skills, they will forget it. One of the differences between ops and tech was that they really weren't used together. Basically there was no real shoring going on when in the pile and really no shifting loads etc. While it gave you a basic overview of what one would have to do, it is nothing like if the real thing happened. Kind of like you have "enough" info to get you by, but not enough to make one proficient.

Although there was talk there about funding being there for 3 seperate 72 hour deployments, where each task force goes in for a big training scenario. Sounds good to me, but one of the big problems, at the state level, there is no real info on how the teams will get deployed. How things will work, what will be needed, is equipment and training standardized, where the TF's get deployed, just state or even federal level, etc. Just a lot of questions, but no real answers. In a sense, it is like building a 6 story building before the foundation is set. We have all this training, but no real idea how things will actually work.

Like I said, I learned stuff, but I also know that I won't be seeing much actual training at the dept level to keep up with everything. I am glad that I am finally done with all the certification classes for this year, been a long year, but the money helps. Well take care gents, and maybe will see you on the next training.

[jasper45]

Although there was talk there about funding being there for 3 seperate 72 hour deployments, where each task force goes in for a big training scenario. Sounds good to me, but one of the big problems, at the state level, there is no real info on how the teams will get deployed. How things will work, what will be needed, is equipment and training standardized, where the TF's get deployed, just state or even federal level, etc. Just a lot of questions, but no real answers. In a sense, it is like building a 6 story building before the foundation is set. We have all this training, but no real idea how things will actually work.



Thats about what I was trying to say. The training is not all bad, it's just not as good as it could, or should be. The real problem is with how the regional task forces are set up. All the money spent so far, and we're light years behind other states.
Like I said before, enjoy the pay checks, and the beer. lol

[plisken]

I agree but one must crawl before one walks. It is a start to something that could be very great but the funding and dedication must be there. As for calling it a Tech class, Not even close,. but it at least gives people a Idea of what is involved, Now it is also up to us to try and continue the education that goes along with it. The whole deal should not have been done through OJA (my opinion) but as I said, it is a start. The whole rules of deployment, contracts, and the other stuff hopefuly will get figured out. I thought it was fun, and a learning experiance. The best was working with the other departments from around the state. I learned alot of stuff from the other agencies that were there, But I agree having 8 days of training does not even scratch the surface. yet if it happened tomarrow, we would have a better idea now than we did 5 yrs ago, that showed with our confined space incident. We will have to see what the future holds. But something is better than nothing, and we got a lot of great tools out of the deal.

[jasper45]

That's really what pisses me off about the entire program, the lack of long term planning with it. The funding has been there since 2002, and Doyle sat on it, and gave a few political paybacks for his campaign. That's what OJA was really about.

It should be a crime with how the money was mismanaged. Look at what has happened at Volk with in the last year and a half, and then think about what could have happened if that part of the plan was implemented almost 5 years ago.
Please don't take my criticism of the program as directed at you guys. It's entirely at the management of it. We, as a state, had a chance to develop an incredible program, that works - and we fumbled the ball. I am glad you guys took a lot out of it.

[plisken]

I understand where your comming from bro, This has been going on for a long time and has been very slow getting there. Yes progress has been slow but there has been some movement, not much but some. I would be suprised if we ever see the entire task force program fully up and running. Funds will dry up like always or the state will piss it away, or they will cut it because it will be to costly. All I can say is even if it doesn't get off the ground, we got alot of training, resources and equipment out of the deal....which we could not have gotten within our current budget.. It will be interesting to see what happens to the hazmat teams and if those remain funded at the current level.
Dam I hate politicians......

[DFurtman]

hey guys.. i'm still alive.. just staying low.. I'll be home for cable.. Just finished up my DoD Haz-Mat Technician and Pumper Driver/Operator courses and just about to test for my Mobile Water Supply course.

-Damien

[robertmm]

Hey guys.
I live in so, milwaukee and recently got hired as poc.I should start training first week in jan.I can't wait to meet the guys and get started..

bob

[clark918]

Hey guys.
I live in so, milwaukee and recently got hired as poc.I should start training first week in jan.I can't wait to meet the guys and get started..

bob

I work there. It's a great place to be. The full timers are all pretty old and have seen a lot of action. So you will get a lot of good training. You and your group will probably be training on your own for the first couple of weeks. Then you will join the other POC's every Saturday. I forgot what we needed to do before we got pagers. It will take a couple months of training and then a ladder test where they have you do single-man raises before you can report to the scene of a fire. Looks like I'll see you soon though.

[robertmm]

I work there. It's a great place to be. The full timers are all pretty old and have seen a lot of action. So you will get a lot of good training. You and your group will probably be training on your own for the first couple of weeks. Then you will join the other POC's every Saturday. I forgot what we needed to do before we got pagers. It will take a couple months of training and then a ladder test where they have you do single-man raises before you can report to the scene of a fire. Looks like I'll see you soon though.

Thanks.
Man, i have so many questions to ask about all the little details for poc's.
Do you live IN s,milw or near by?

[clark918]

I live in Oak Creek. Just PM me any questions that you have and I would be glad to answer.

[robertmm]

pm sent.........