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I know this will open a can of worms, but does anyone have any advice on lights for my personal car besides "don't bother?" I want to save as much money as possible without getting creamed by a moron at 2am.
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Dec 18, 2011 02:08
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| # ? Jun 4, 2024 19:52 |
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And so it begins! (I don't have anything constructive)
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Dec 18, 2011 17:13
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Cage Kicker posted:I know this will open a can of worms, but does anyone have any advice on lights for my personal car besides "don't bother?" I want to save as much money as possible without getting creamed by a moron at 2am. All I run is an LED Outfitters VULTURE L2 Dash light (Red/Red) $64.99 (not including S&H) for the front of my car and an extreme tactical dynamics LED Quad (Red/Red) $99.96 including S&H (not Priority 1 optics version) in the rear window of my car. We get calls on some pretty busy roads including an interstate so the rear light is a must to not get creamed. That's it. Looking at about around $200 but it'll move traffic as well as keep you safe, except for the morons who can't drive worth a drat anyways.
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Dec 18, 2011 21:14
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Please, don't get lights for your car. Why would you need them? Do you respond to calls from your personal vehicle? There is absolutely no reason you need emergency lights.
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Dec 19, 2011 02:05
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Dim, Tired, and Elderly posted:Please, don't get lights for your car. Why would you need them? Do you respond to calls from your personal vehicle? There is absolutely no reason you need emergency lights. It also depends on where you live. If it's the sticks, it's different than if it's the suburbs. I used to have blue/blue on my windshield. I have red/yellow in the rear, yellow on the left side, as to direct traffic that way. I've kept that one in the rear because it's really nice to have if I ever stop for anything while I'm out driving.
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Dec 19, 2011 04:37
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As the person above me states it depends on where you live, policy and all that jazz. For example we can run to calls in our POV, as most of the drivers for our trucks don't wait for anyone to get there before they roll the trucks, if you're lucky to get there in time or you're hanging around the station you'll catch the truck. Also starting next month we're to have a part time member on every day to simply get a truck out the door ASAP, so POV is the only way to go for us at that point, plus we're auto mutual aid for 2 other districts in our county plus we have a mutual aid agreement with the county in the next state over. If you live fairly close to the fire department and can catch the truck, I don't see a need for lights. If you're going to be responding directly to the scene POV then yeah I can see a dash light and maybe a rear light, but just don't become a whacker and have your car covered in lights. I mean if they aren't going to yield and depending on your state they very well might not HAVE to yield like here it's a "courtesy" lights, adding more lights won't make a difference. We've had enough brothers die trying to race to the scene as it is, so if you do drive POV to scenes, please do so carefully and remember to buckle up. Ok I'll get off my soap box now.
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Dec 19, 2011 05:18
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If its a wildland fire, I'll take my POV because gently caress having to ride around in a truck for 4 days straight. If it's anything else, I usually get to the station right after the first truck rolls, so if it's a confirmed fire I'll grab whatever is left over and roll, or just standby and wait until it's either a go/no go.
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Dec 19, 2011 05:27
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Thanks for the input, I know asking anywhere else starts an unholy shitstorm. We can use blue here, and they're just courtesy lights. I respond to the scene a lot and want something to ID my car and keep people away from it. Thanks!
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Dec 19, 2011 07:31
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Kashew posted:It also depends on where you live. If it's the sticks, it's different than if it's the suburbs. And none of this had anything to do with responding to the station to get on the truck, and everything to do with making yourself feel important when stopping at random accidents that you happen upon.
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Dec 19, 2011 17:34
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senor punk posted:And none of this had anything to do with responding to the station to get on the truck, and everything to do with making yourself feel important when stopping at random accidents that you happen upon. The blue/blue was about getting me to the station. The red/yellow was because I try to always stop for accidents to offer help if there's no one on scene. But whatever.
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Dec 19, 2011 19:15
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Was told by the District Chief last shift that they're moving me to a different hall (from a 2 truck to single truck hall). Feel free to call me whiny bitch because now this means I'll be playing less xbox and not having awesome meals with my new crew because they are old and crotchety. Life is great when these are the worst of your problems.
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Dec 20, 2011 16:40
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We have a "rock star" in our department now. Joined same time I did from another district, got rookie of the year and is now an officer. Gives off a big ego and thinks he's "God's gift to firefighting". Was trying to argue with another one of our members about getting the 1st engine out saying it truly matters who gets the 1st engine out and on scene. I said it shouldn't matter as long as you get the engine out and rolling, was told by him "Oh you haven't been in the volunteer fire service long enough, it really does matter.", and I'm thinking to myself not to the people who's house on loving fire! Oh the joys of a volly department. In other news we had a nice little road side 18 wheeler trailer fire this morning at 5:40 am, was told over the CB radio something was wrong with his rear (was a double trailer) trailer brakes and that they were smoking, pulls off at an exit and sure enough his trailer catches on fire. Trailer was empty, but the tank on it was still full of diesel.
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Dec 20, 2011 22:56
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Let's hope Santa doesn't get stuck in a chimney this year. Merry christmas bros.
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Dec 24, 2011 20:12
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And dinner was overcooked in the kitchen with care, In hopes that the fire department soon would be there
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Dec 24, 2011 20:15
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We never took the christmas lights off of the pumper after the christmas parade. I have responded to structure fires in a pumper with blinking christmas lights, a reindeer nose, and antlers. 
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Dec 24, 2011 21:38
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Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate bros. Hope everyone has a safe one and doesn't have to spend too much time away from family.invision posted:We never took the christmas lights off of the pumper after the christmas parade. I'd love to see a video of ya'll arriving on scene with the pumper like that.
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Dec 24, 2011 22:14
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So I just got the boot from the VFD I was with. Two other members who joined same time I did and haven't even started any of their training where as I'm more than half way through mine reported me "running cars off the road" while responding to a medical call tonight. I was running my lights and carefully going around cars as they were yielding to me, wasn't driving reckless or passing anyone who wasn't yielding. So I called the Chief (who wasn't at this call, surprise surprise he's never at any calls for our department!) and was basically told I wasn't allowed to run lights unless he gave me the OK, which I texted him about it and he's personally seen me running lights to calls. He also said and I quote "I don't care if it's a bus crash with 50 people bleeding to death, you aren't to run any lights until you get your 1403. We focus on structure fires, not medical calls." Yet we haven't had 1 single structure fire all year, and easily 95-99% of our call volume is medical first responders, so if they focus only on structure fires, why even have first responders? Hell the ambulance beats us to almost every single call anyways and they always cancel us unless they need lifting assistance or someone to drive the rig. Oh yeah I'm only like 2-3 classes away from getting my 1403 and those 2-3 classes aren't going to make a world of difference in the way I was responding tonight anyways. So yeah now I've gotta figure out where I wanna go to from here. If I want to try and join another VFD or not.
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Dec 28, 2011 02:42
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It sucks but that little piece of paper matters when it comes to emergency services. CYA is always the name of the game.
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Dec 28, 2011 03:09
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kicktd posted:So I just got the boot from the VFD I was with. Two other members who joined same time I did and haven't even started any of their training where as I'm more than half way through mine reported me "running cars off the road" while responding to a medical call tonight. This is why I don't run lights.
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Dec 28, 2011 05:13
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So we had Retired Fire Chief Rich Gasaway, PhD come into the area to do a free* lecture on situational awareness the other day. Some useful stuff to take from that, namely how easy it is to get tunnel vision due to stress (really freakin' easy) how to avoid it (don't get stressed. Easier said than done) and how to make sure that you're training right (train exactly how you want to perform on the fireground). Here's his website, chock full of useful nuggets of information. http://www.samatters.com/
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Dec 31, 2011 19:07
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kicktd posted:So I just got the boot from the VFD I was with. Two other members who joined same time I did and haven't even started any of their training where as I'm more than half way through mine reported me "running cars off the road" while responding to a medical call tonight. What is a 1403?
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Dec 31, 2011 19:48
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Kashew posted:What is a 1403? NFPA 1403: Standard on live fire training evolutions We have to complete all the classes before we can become a "black helmet" (interior firefighter) and are allowed to "run lights", which makes no sense to me but hey their apparently new rules. Let's just say training is a bit slow around here and I joined the VFD as training was winding down but I've managed to knock 5 classes out of 10 out in about 3 months. Talked to the chief and word is they might let me back on but be on suspension for up to 30 days, don't know if that means no running any calls or what he hasn't said. There was a board meeting on Wednesday and they said they want to talk to the other officers who were in the office at the time before they make their decision. In other words I'm currently floating in the winds of the politics of a volunteer fire department. There's suppose to be a business meeting this upcoming Monday but I was told "not to attend" by the chief and that he would let me know what they decide. I'm just hoping the chief actually attends the meeting and the other 2 officers who aren't on the board who were in the office at the time. We're lucky to get 1 officer on a call/scene, we're super lucky if one of the Asst. Chiefs actually show up (but they usually take off after all the "fun" is done and pass command off to someone) and if the stars, moon and planets align JUST right, the actual chief will make it to a call! Hell I've only seen our chief at 1 call and he wasn't even in gear either. So yeah I've got to wait on all that before I hear back on if they are going to keep me or not. If they don't I'll just move on to the VFD that's actually closer to me and try to get on there, they have a higher call volume anyways and they don't run any medical calls.
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Jan 1, 2012 00:21
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After having been a bit of a whacker with my lights before, let me just say: Being able to run lights at all is a very special privilege. There is a significant minority of people who think we're a bunch of hoo-hahs to begin with. Any rules your department gives you are there for a reason. Adhere to them. That you got released from your FD because of it is pretty lovely, but if you're not a black hat, what are you rushing for?
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Jan 1, 2012 00:30
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Call was a medical call (possible cardiac arrest), not fire related at all and none of our squad trucks had checked en route yet. I wasn't rushing at all actually I was doing the speed limit but the new SOG from what I've been told is you can't run them until your NFPA 1403 classes are finished but the old SOG was after your 90 days probation was over you could run lights. We don't have any of our SOG's anywhere in the station for us newer guys to read over so we know what the rules are, they don't even have a copy in the office and the new SOG's they are working on aren't even done yet. We aren't given any either as far as with an application or once we're accepted so I truly don't know most of the rules at our fire department. We have black hats who don't even HAVE their 1403 classes done yet, but they are still black hats and can run lights. So I kinda got caught between the old and "new" SOG's, the old ones which were thrown out and "only the people who have been here awhile know them" and the new ones "which are being worked up and haven't been finalized yet". Thing is both the chief and the main Asst. Chief knew I was running lights. It was the fact that 2 members from our department (buddies) who were going to the same medical call CLAIMED I was running people off the road and driving reckless. They took their statements, had them write it down called me into the office and didn't even let me give my side of the story, they simply said "We have 2 sworn statements here, that's all we need." and that was that. Hell I even had video of the whole drive (I video it for reasons exactly like this) and could prove I was in no way, shape or form driving reckless or running people off the road as they claimed but they don't want to see it. I let another firefighter see the video and he even agreed with me that I wasn't being reckless at all, and said that the Asst. Chief has drove worse driving an ENGINE than I was driving that night. I mean I understand it's a special privilege to run lights, but I also know that it's not a free pass to drive like an idiot either. I have my own family I want to come home to after every call and last thing I want is to end up dead responding to a call, which is why I've always driven safely and always will.
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Jan 1, 2012 01:24
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It's one of those things they don't argue with civilians about.
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Jan 1, 2012 02:01
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Man the joys of volunteering. Someone there must want you gone, cause I don't see any other explanation for their actions. The question is how easy is it for you to go to another department, and whether or not that's worth it.
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Jan 2, 2012 23:26
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senor punk posted:Man the joys of volunteering. Someone there must want you gone, cause I don't see any other explanation for their actions. The question is how easy is it for you to go to another department, and whether or not that's worth it. Speaking of that kind of stuff, do you think our FD would give me a positive review for an FD out here? I'm sure I want to know the answer to this question. Back to the topic though, yes, it does sound like someone wanted you gone, kicktd. That sucks, because what's your option now? Joining a department that you live out of district of? That's practical. :sarcasm: Some volunteer FDs love alienating new people, it seems, until the point where the FD can't realistically function due to manpower constraints.
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Jan 3, 2012 00:16
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My hometown had a fairly major fire about a year ago, and I was bumbling around on youtube and found a recording of the fire scanner from the first twenty-thirty minutes or so (I suspect that various instances of no communication/deadspace were cut out). If any of you would mind giving it a listen and giving me a quick expert opinion of what goes on, that would be cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LbCEHZ5tAw Bit about the fire: The Midtown Mall was an old department store in the process of renovation, sandwiched right the historic district, such as it is, in downtown Binghamton, NY. On the night of the 21st construction materials in the building caught fire, and turned it into a multi story inferno that gutted the place. Among the 'interesting' aspects of the fire was the fact that it was right next door to the historic Press Building, which was exposed to so much heat that its internal sprinkler systems activated and flooded the place. Even better is fact that the Press Building's facade is made of cast iron, though I don't know how much the firefighters spraying water on it worried about warping or cracking it (how much would they, really?)
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Jan 5, 2012 05:08
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Wound up youtubing my way to audio of some maydays. I absolutely hate hearing that poo poo, I don't even know why I clicked them ugh 
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Jan 5, 2012 05:28
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Yeah. I saw those and flinched. I guess that shows you the line between curiosity and voyeurism.
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Jan 5, 2012 08:49
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What do y'all know of celebrity/public figure firefighting? I know most all our founding fathers were in a fire brigade at some point. Also, there's a few celebrities around today that have put on turnouts and fought flames too. So far I know that Coolio(SoCal wildland firefighting in San Bernardino Mtns) and Steve Buscemi(FDNY) have. I just learned about Buscemi's service from his wiki page:quote:In the early 1980s, Buscemi also worked as a firefighter for four years on FDNY Engine 55.[9] After 9/11, Buscemi returned to Engine 55 and worked alongside other firefighters to sift through the rubble from the World Trade Center. Whole new respect for that guy. I believe a bunch of the actors from Rescue Me had been in FDNY(Uncle Teddy and the original chief, at least). Do you guys know of any to add to the list? Also, if there's any elected officials of note that use to be firefighters, add them too.
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Jan 5, 2012 21:33
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Kashew posted:What do y'all know of celebrity/public figure firefighting? I know most all our founding fathers were in a fire brigade at some point. Also, there's a few celebrities around today that have put on turnouts and fought flames too. So far I know that Coolio(SoCal wildland firefighting in San Bernardino Mtns) and Steve Buscemi(FDNY) have. I just learned about Buscemi's service from his wiki page: I know it's EMS, but close enough: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,138684,00.html Also re: letter of recommendation. I would treat that place like a real place of employment in the sense that you are unlikely to get an official letter of recommendation from the department itself, just a letter verifying the dates that you served there. Is there a current/past chief officer (or captain?) who you think would write one for you? You'll have better luck there. (maybe Kostyun? He was an A/C and is good with stuff like this)
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Jan 5, 2012 22:04
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Have my second training shift in a Fire/EMS dispatch tomorrow 
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Jan 17, 2012 04:39
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live burn this weekend. e:IM loving PUMPED
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Jan 20, 2012 04:56
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invision posted:live burn this weekend. Color me loving jealous. 
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Jan 20, 2012 06:08
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I'll post pictures later, but man, that was fun. Got to play hose captain for the first time today, and lemme tell ya, running around in a burning building without having to drag the loving hose around is awesome.
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Jan 22, 2012 01:07
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 E:removed two pictures. e2:how to get structure fire smell out of your hair? invision fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Jan 22, 2012 |
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Jan 22, 2012 03:00
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invision posted:
I tried everything for a day and a half, I'd just say "time" at this point.
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Jan 23, 2012 17:45
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invision posted:I'll post pictures later, but man, that was fun. Dude, dragging the hose around is half the fun.
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Jan 26, 2012 23:32
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I love firefighting. I hate firehouse politics.
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Jan 27, 2012 06:29
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