1st Responder FDNY April Edition

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FDNY NEWS

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PUBLISHING SINCE 1993

APRIL, 2014

SECOND ALARM GUTS FLATBUSH HOME

STEVE SOLOMONSON

On February 17, 2014 at approximately 11:00 a.m., the FDNY was dispatched to a reported house fire located at 766 E 48 St just off Ave D in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn NY. Upon arrival, the fire due units encountered a very heavy smoke and fire condition showing from the front of the house.

- See full story on page 8

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April, 2014

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

ALLEN EPSTEIN

STEVE SOLOMONSON

ALLEN EPSTEIN

One fatality in Ridgewood, Queens On March 3rd, FDNY crews were alerted to a fire at Himrod Street and Woodward Avenue in Ridgewood Queens. Crews arrived to heavy fire in a two brick, finding fire on the first floor. Heavy fire vented out on the exposure two side. Two hose lines were quickly stretched at firefighters entered the building. Four victims were removed from the building. Three were treated and transported to local hospitals. The fourth was also transported but succumb to injuries at the hospital. All hands were used to fight this fire with an extra engine and ladder needed at the scene.

DEPARTMENT PROFILES If you have photos you would like to see in our Department ProďŹ les feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.

STEVE SOLOMONSON

Fire in the walls in SheepsHead Bay Several residents of 2662 Ocean Avenue in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn were displaced late Sunday night, February 16th, 2014, when a fire erupted on the fifth floor of their sixth story occupied multiple dwelling at approximately 11:00 p.m. The fire started in the bathroom of a fifth floor apartment and extended to the fourth and sixth floors via the walls and voids.

Battalion 33 was the incident commander and immediately transmitted the second alarm shortly after the all hands was transmitted. It took approximately 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control and no injuries were reported. The Red Cross was on the scene and assisted the displaced civilians.

STEVE WHITE

FDNY Engine 53, Ladder 43 located in Spanish Harlem at 1836 3 Ave. in Manhattan. Ladder 43 recently celebrated their centennial on September 19,2013.

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

April, 2014

PAGE 3

FRED BACCHI

STEVE SOLOMONSON

Engine 321 rescued from the mud in Gerrittsen Beach On Saturday night March 1, 2014, FDNY units were operating at the scene of an all hands brush fire behind the baseball fields located at Gerritsen and Devon Avenues in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn. FDNY Engine 321 accidentally got their rig stuck in the muddy fields behind the baseball fields for a short time. Battalion 33 requested the Brush Fire Unit 7, who responded from the Rockaways and was already on the scene operating at the brush fire. BFU 7 assisted Eng-321 in pulling them from the mud. FDNY Brush Fire Unit 7 responded to where Engine 321 was stuck, tied the rig off with a tow strap, and pulled them from the mud. No injuries were reported in the incident.

IN SERVICE If you have photos you would like to see in our In Service feature, please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.

FRED BACCHI

Two alarms in Rego Park On March 2, 2014, FDNY Queens dispatch office began receiving calls for a fire in a house fire at 63 Avenue and Apex Street in Rego Park. Engine 324 arrived at 7:40 p.m. and transmitted the 10-75 signal followed about a minute later by the second alarm signal. Battalion 46 reported heavy fire on the first floor of a two story brick, 20x40, peaked of private dwelling. Fire was extending to the second floor. The fire was declared under control at 8:10 p.m.

STEVE WHITE

FDNY Engine 156 in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Staten Island

PAGE 4

April, 2014

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

STEVE WHITE

Third alarm in Staten Island

STEVE WHITE

A fire was reported at 3:10 a.m. in the C-Town Supermarket located at 131 Bennett St., in the Port Richmond section of Staten Island on February 24th. A few minutes later, a second alarm was transmitted, followed by a third alarm for a fire through the roof and spreading to several stores attached to the supermarket. At the height of the fire, three tower ladders were in operation with four hand lines and one multiversal. It took three hours to bring the fire under control. One member was injured, but not seriously.

STEVE WHITE

At work during the snow storm Richmond Engine 1, a volunteer fire company in Staten Island, was active during a string of snow storms that hit New York City recently.

PROVIDED

Medic Basic Class 18 for FDNY NYC Fire Department Medic Basic Class 18 are the newest medics on the street today. The FDNY EMS Academy graduated 50 new paramedics in December 2013. This is a historic class. When the NYC Health and Hospitals System was in EMS in New York city, before the merge with the FDNY in 1996, they only had 17 classes. This is the first class number 18 in the history of New York City.

STEVE WHITE

MVA in Staten Island FDNY EMT's put an injured NYPD officer in their ambulance after a car accident on Hylan Blvd. in Staten Island. The officer was not seriously injured.

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

April, 2014

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Page 5

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April, 2014

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

ALLEN EPSTEIN

All hands in Queens On February 16, 2014, FDNY crews were alerted for a fire at Putnam and Fairview Avenues in Queens. They arrived at a two frame with fire on the first floor. One hose line was used to quickly extinguish the fire.

PROVIDED

Transformer fire causes traffic, subway disruptions, and building evacuations A transformer fire shut down 7th Avenue between West 33 and West 34th Streets on February 26th.

The 1, 2, and 3 trains at Penn Station were affected as well as the McDonald's for a transformer fire that wreaked havoc in the area.

Crews were alerted to an all

JUMP TO FILE #030314107

hands transformer fire, which was arcing and dropping down to the subway tracks on the 1, 2, and 3 lines. This caused debris fires. The

subway station was quickly evacuated and trains bypassed Penn.

McDonald's was evacuated due to high CO readings. ConEd was alerted to the scene and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

- PROVIDED

FRED BACCHI

All hands mattress warehouse in Brooklyn On March 3, 2014 at 3:15 p.m., all hands went to work at a bedding manufacturing facility located at 1027 Metropolitan Avenue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The fire building was a four brick, 200x200 commercial dwelling. Fire was located on the first floor rear at a hopper used for feather and down material. The fire was quickly extinguished and placed under control at 3:50 p.m.

FRED BACCHI

All hands in Corona On February 9, 2014 at 2:45 p.m., FDNY units in Queens responded to 108-30 51 Avenue for a reported structure fire. Engine 258 arrived and transmitted the 10-75 signal. Division 14 transmitted the all hands and reported fire on the third Floor of a three story brick private dwelling, 20x40, attached on the exposure four side. Three handlines were stretched and two placed in operation. All searches were negative and the fire was placed under control at 3:20 p.m.

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

FDNY HOUSES

April, 2014

Page 7

A Closer Look at Haz Mat 1 and Squad 288

FDNY HOUSES by Larry Woodcock

Maspeth has always been a small blue-collar community in Northern Queens, located off Queens Boulevard and the Long Island Expressway. Back in 1642, it was the ďŹ rst European settlement in the borough and was named after one of the 13 Indian tribes that at one time inhabited Long Island.

You won’t ďŹ nd any fancy restaurants or wealthy homes here.

What you will ďŹ nd are modest single-family homes and a large commercial area that borders Woodside and Sunnyside, as well as Green Point, Brooklyn.

The main streets; 69th Street, Grand and Flushing Avenues; contain the neighborhood’s mix of bars, dining establishments and delicatessens.

Maspeth is also home to Haz mat 1 and Squad 288 located on 68th Street off of Grand Avenue.

It has been twelve years since 9/11, a day that will live in infamy in this country and for this ďŹ rehouse that lost 19 men on that day.

11 from haz-mat and 8 from the squad were gone. That day caused a total upheaval on a grand scale, more than any other ďŹ rehouse in this city.

Many years of experience were lost that day along with many more years as a parade of retirements followed over the next few years. A completely different ďŹ rehouse exists today, but the same expectations are expected.

A monument now stands in Maspeth Memorial Park across the street from the ďŹ rehouse in remembrance of the sacriďŹ ce made that day.

Squad 288 turned one hundred years old last year and this year, it’s ďŹ re house, which was designed by architects Morgan and Trainer, turns one hundred years old.

The building has a legacy and an emotional resonance to the community and to the families of those who were lost.

The small town vibe of this two and a half square mile area and its 37,000 or so residents, of which have mainly been Irish and polish for generations, continues.

It is a quiet neighborhood with little excitement and not even a subway stop, despite being only ďŹ ve miles from Manhattan. But, talk to any residents and it is just the way they like it.

In the early 1980’s, as the times were changing, the department realized the need for a specialized unit to mitigate numerous hazardous situations that arise at any given time and place in the city, whether it be inside an occupied building or a busy street or highway.

So in 1981, the city designated and qualiďŹ ed Rescue Company 4 as the hazardous material unit.

Their role as a rescue company remained the same, but they received

LARRY WOODCOCK

specialized training at the National Fire Academy in Maryland. They now have the capability to mitigate situations that were foreign prior to being established.

And as the decade wore on, the need for a specially designated unit was needed. Haz-mat Unit 1 was organized on October 15, 1981 and has resided here since.

Unlike other companies that arrive on scene and go right to work,

haz-mat has a more methodical approach to identify chemicals and the hazards. But make no mistake. Just because they are not actively involved in ďŹ ghting ďŹ res, their job is just as dangerous, even more so today with the threat of domestic and foreign terrorism.

Countless hours are spent on training and learning state of the art equipment to identify the myriad of chemicals that exists and new

waves of threats.

When it hits the fan, they will be in the middle of it. Haz-mat 1 is the only two-piece company in the city and the largest with an ofďŹ cer and seven ďŹ reďŹ ghters.

Squad Company 288 was organized on September 1,1913 and was located at 61-55 Maspeth Avenue before moving to their current quarters in October of 1914.

They were designated a squad

company in July of 1998.

Today, both companies because of their training and capabilities, will be the on the front lines of any situation that arises in this city.

Just inside the doors of the ďŹ rehouse is a memorial dedicated to the members who were killed on 9/11, a tribute and reminder to Never Forget the sacriďŹ ce these companies made protecting the lives of the people in this city.

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PAGE 8

April, 2014

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

What is LOSAP? EMS ISSUE CHELLE CORDERO

The acronym LOSAP stands for Length of Service Awards Program and is ideally used as an incentive toward recruiting and retaining volunteers in the fire and/or emergency-medical services.

Not to be confused with a pension program, qualified volunteers do not otherwise receive compensation from the agency for their emergency response. A local government and/or a not-for-profit corporation might establish and maintain (i.e. fund) a Length of Service Award Program because the LOSAP allows the agency to provide cash pension-type benefits to its emergency services volunteers.

Some states such as New York, New Jersey and Wisconsin have enacted State legislation setting forth the allowable provisions, which may be included in a local municipal-funded Service Award Program.

Several other states do not have state legislation regarding provisions and these states are able to exercise flexibility is establishing requirements and payments.

A year of service means a twelve month period during which active emergency services personnel participate in the service and satisfies the minimum requirements of participation established by the sponsoring organization maintaining the program which shall be applied on a consistent and uniform basis, subject to the minimum standards established by the sponsoring organization.

Government or municipal run/funded LOSAP programs are regulated much more stringently as to who qualifies; generally only personnel who are actively and specifically involved in service to the community via emergency response, attending drills and fulfilling training are covered, “ a member who is faithfully and actually performing service in the protection of life and property from fire or other emergency, accident or calamity in connection

with which the services of such department are required” – administrative personnel, non-riding social and auxiliary members are exempt.

A privately funded plan is more flexible in allowing other members to qualify such as administrative and support personnel according to guidelines adopted by the sponsoring agency as long as the point system is fair and uniform.

If the private sponsoring agency deems that the non-responding member is vital to the operations and service to the community, then recognition of such members is well deserved.

Eligible personnel should be certifiably contributing active members who meet the minimum points as set in by-laws of an organization.

Any agency, whether private or government, should investigate the different types of plans that are available such as Defined Benefit or Defined Contribution; Defined Contribution is preferred if the sponsor elects to pay a specific amount yearly.

Speaking to other sponsoring agencies and eliciting recommendations is a good way to start; this should be followed by interviewing LOSAP plan administrators to determine both applicable fees and the extent of service and guidance provided.

A definite point system, which is consistent across the board, needs to be established to determine yearly contributions per member.

Ask for information regarding tax laws to determine various payment plans. Distribution of funds will usually not begin until the member is at least 55-years of age.

While no agency or municipality is required to initiate a LOSAP program for its emergency volunteers, LOSAPs have been shown to be a valuable asset to recruitment and retention in districts that depend on volunteer emergency services.

Even though there some financial cost to establishing and maintaining a LOSAP program as a retention tool, the investment is considerably less than a municipality (taxpayers) would have to pay if they needed to replace volunteers with paid services.

Additional columns from Chelle Cordero can be found at www.1rbn.com

Second alarm guts Flatbush home On February 17, 2014 at approximately 11:00 a.m., the FDNY was dispatched to a reported house fire located at 766 E 48 St just off Ave D in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn NY. Upon arrival, the fire due units encountered a very heavy smoke and JUMP TO FILE# 021714132 fire condition showing from the front of the house.

The fire had extended to all floors of the two and a half story woodframe dwelling.

After using all hands for a short time, Division Chief Wayne Cartwright Division15 called for a second alarm as the fire had extended to exposure two, which is a similar attached dwelling.

The FDNY EMS treated and transported three injured civilians pulled from the house. All sustained serious, but non life threatening injuries. It took as many as 150 firefighters and almost two hours to bring the blaze under control.

Word on the scene was that the cause of the fire was a faulty electrical heater that had malfunctioned - STEVE SOLOMONSON

STEVE SOLOMONSON

Firefighters had a major overhaul operation at this fire.

ALLEN EPSTEIN

Cats saved at Queens all hands On February 27, 2014, firefighters were alerted to a fire at 68th Street and Myrtle Avenue in Queens. Crews found fire on the top floor of a three brick. One hose line was used to extinguish the fire. Firefighters were seen bringing cats down from the affected fire floor. No injuries were reported and the cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

April, 2014

PAgE 9

The Badge, the Street and the Cop ON THE BOOK SHELF

by John Malecky

The Badge, the Street and the Cop, A Lance LaPore Fictional Memoir By Leo LePage Available from: FSP Books & Videos 188b Central Street, #4 Hudson, MA 01749-1330 1-800-522-8528 www.fire-police-ems.com E-Mail: support@fire-policeems.com Price: $17.95 This book is soft cover, 6 inches by 9 inches and has 313 pages. There are 32 chapters and an epilogue.

Brace yourself for some exciting, graphic and in many cases heartbreaking stories and incidents.

These chapters are fictional in order to protect the innocent, (and honor the privacy of the survivors), but they parallel true stories and experiences of the author.

The character is his modified name.

It starts out with the author being appointed to the Hartford, Connecticut Police Department in the early sixties.

The chapters cover incidents happening in the sixties and the seventies. For most of the stories, he was a “beat cop” who walked the streets on patrol. Some would call it a “foot cop” in other cities.

There were also patrol cars, but the beat cops did not have the luxury of a portable radio. There were call boxes at street corners and there were pay phones.

In this day and age, we probably feel half naked if we lose or forget our cell phones, which further enforces the realization that if a beat cop responded to or came upon an incident, he had no instant resource to call for back up if needed.

In a number of cases in these chapters, civilians called the police

headquarters to request help for officers who encountered trouble, many times resulting in their injury or even death!

Some chapters have titles, others do not. One particular chapter is dedicated to a major fire at the Hartford Hospital, which was not all that well publicized.

I should mention as well that the Hartford Fire Department, aside from the hospital fire, plays a part in some of the stories.

In one incident, a local contractor is requested to help in an otherwise helpless situation involving a sick and grossly overweight woman in an apartment house.

The stories attest to the usual big city problems with crime, physical abuse and just life in the poorer neighborhoods.

Traffic accidents are other calls written about including one horrible and deadly tragedy involving a couple and their toddler.

There are also some stories about the comical side of police work and camaraderie shared by officers and a touch on family life as well.

Besides the Forward, there is an Indian Prayer (author unknown), a salute to cop’s wives and a tribute to a cop’s wife.

Again, I advise that this is not a book for the weak-minded. But it does show the way it was with all the horror as well as rewards of being a cop.

It gave me a deeper respect and admiration for the beat cop especially back in those times of limited resources.

The author does eventually get promoted to sergeant and rides in a vehicle to supervise his district.

There are a number of chapters devoted to this and involve subordinates and their experiences.

This well adversed author now has available his second book under the title of "The Forgotten Memories of the Blue Soldiers."

This book will bring you through emotions of sadness, laughter, empathy and excitement.

A must have book to accompany the first one. It will be reviewed in this column at a later date.

ALLEN EPSTEIN

All hands in Brooklyn On February 19, 2014, FDNY crews were alerted to a fire at Quincy Street and Reid Avenue in Brooklyn. Fire was found throughout a three brick brownstone. All hands were needed as well as an extra engine and truck. Two tower ladders and three hand lines were used to extinguish the fire.

Additional columns from John Malecky can be found on our website at www.1rbn.com

STEVE WHITE

FDNY at Superbowl Boulevard New York City officials closed off Broadway between West 34th Street and 47th Streets to host different events in honor of Superbowl 47. An FDNY EMS ATV patroled Broadway during the Super Bowl festivities.

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April, 2014

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

“It’s The Little Things”…

Making Change Easy FIREFIGHTER FITNESS Lori Ann Hodgkinson

We’ve discussed the value of varying your workout many times. We maintain that “Change is Good” and many have asked for more suggestions to help make change easy.

Although there are many ways to vary your workouts, here are some simple ways to make small yet continual changes. Employ one or more of them to keep your fitness program heading in the right direction.

Select one exercise from your existing routine each workout and change it. Select an exercise that targets the same muscle group or system. For example if you are doing chest presses for chest, substitute push-ups one day. During your next session you can return to chest presses; however, this time exchange your triceps kickbacks for bench dips. Continue this pattern for each muscle group each time you workout.

Apply the same technique when it comes to your cardiovascular training. If you traditionally use the treadmill, switch to the bike for a single session. Go back to the treadmill the following session and then switch it up to the stair climber next time.

Each time revert back to the treadmill (your original cardio workout) followed up by a new form of cardio training the subsequent session.

There are many schools of thought as to when the best time to exercise is. (Actually, many believe the best time of day is whenever you are more inclined to actually do it.) Whatever your

choice is, varying it from time to time is another great option. If your schedule permits, once each week, exercise at a different time than usual.

If possible, occasionally vary the days you exercise. As creatures of habit, often we exercise exactly the same days each and every week. Attempt to change that in any way you can.

Monday, Wednesday Friday, can become Mon, Wednesday Saturday, or even Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. For those of you training more days per week, maybe you can change which muscle groups you train on specific days.

Are you training legs on Monday and Thursday and upper body on Tuesday and Friday? Switch that up each week, so that you are hitting different groups on different days of the week. Always go back to your original schedule for a short period and then throw the new schedule in there once or twice each month.

Other changes to consider include altering the frequency, duration and/or intensity of your workout. These require slightly larger levels of change, but are still excellent options. If you are up to the challenge, shorten some of your sessions while increasing their intensity. Increase the length of some of your other sessions, while decreasing the intensity.

Flip flop circuit training with straight sets or whatever else you can think of to shake things up.

The changes don’t have to be big in order for you to reap the benefits. Choose the way that suits you best. It’s the little things that add up and can give you Big results!

Stay safe, train smart and as always, remember to have your physician’s approval before beginning or significantly modifying any exercise routine.

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FACES If you have photos you would like to see in our Faces feature please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.

RON JEFFERS

FDNY Ladder Co. 51 chauffeur, Rodney DeCuffa, poses with his unit's new Seagrave 95-foot tower ladder.

ALLEN EPSTEIN

Top floor all hands in Queens On February 15, 2014, FDNY firefighters were alerted to a fire at Linden Street and Seneca Avenue in Queens. Crews arrived to find a fire on the top floor of a three brick. One hose line and Ladder 112 were extended to extinguish the fire.

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY

April, 2014

PAGE 11

WORKING FACES If you have photos you would like to see in our Working Faces feature please upload them on our website www.1stResponderNews.com or email them to Heather@1stResponderNews.com.

ALLEN EPSTEIN

FRED BACCHI

Member from FDNY Rescue 4 operating at a recent fifth alarm warehouse fire in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

ALLEN EPSTEIN

ALLEN EPSTEIN

Three alarms in the Bronx FRED BACCHI

Lt. Torres of Rescue 4 at a recent car into building at 35 Ave and 149 Street in the Flushing section of Queens.

Bronx, NY. On March 6, 2014, FDNY firefighters were alerted to a fire at East 163rd Street and Tinton Avenues in the Bronx. Crews arrived at a two story framed commercial on the first floor with apartments above with fire throughout. The fire extended to exposure four.

Two tower ladders and four hand lines were used to extinguish the fire. Several firefighters received minor injuries but no civilians reported injuries.

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April, 2014

1st Responder Newspaper - FDNY