Fire news new york state 1 16

VOLUME 9, NO. 3

W W W .FIRENE WS .COM

Serving Fire, Rescue & EMS Heroes In NY State JANUARY 2016

See page 7 for full story.

- Fire News photo

by Lori Washburn

Fire News Wishes Everyone A Happy & Healthy New Year – New York State Edition –

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 3

In this issue... .

Albany 3-Alarmer

Albany crews were called out for a fire in a three-story building near the South End Fire Department headquarters.

See story on page 8

House Destroyed But Wedding Saved

The building was a total loss but luckily a wedding dress and wedding rings were saved for a couple living on the first floor.

See story on page 9

Saratoga Brush Fire The Rexford Volunteer Fire Department responded to a brush fire on Route 146 in Saratoga County village.

See story on page 13

Fatality in Menands MVA

The Schuyler Heights and Menands Fire Departments responded to a car fire off the road on VanRensselaer Boulevard in Menands.

See story on page 18

A Service for New York State Firefighters and EMS Heroes 146 South Country Road, Bellport, NY 11713

FRANK C. TROTTA, Publisher TIM EDWARDS, Executive Editor DENNIS WHITTAM, Editor GARY P. JOYCE, Asst. Editor MARIE TROTTA, Vice President, Production/Sales LYNN SEDLER, Art Director CLIFF CHIESA, Production Manager Advertising Sales: BARBARA CONNOLLY, EVELYN ALOISIO Graphic Artist: GREGORY JONES CONTRIBUTORS: Andrew Aguilar, Chris Aldous, Jeff Ambroz, Peter Barber, Kevin Barry, John Bashaw, Bill Bennett, Tom Bierds, Jeff Couch, Chris Creighton, David Denniston, Rick Douglas, Brian Duddy, Stan Dybus, John Falcone, Ken Flynn, Joe Fortunato, Eli Gill, Mark Gillen, Tom Heffernan Sr., Greg Herman, Matt Hodge, Steve Hodgekiss, Robert Holley, Daniel Imfield, Andy Jarchin, Bill Johnson, Mark Johnson, Chris Kalisak, Charlie Keller, Jon Kemp, Gordon Kotars, David R. LaRocco, Stephen Lenz, Joshua Long, Mike Messar, Ralph Miele, Albert Mignone, John Miller, Lloyd Mitchell, Brian Natoli, Carleton Raab, Robert Reynolds, Lauren Rivera, Stephen Schaefer, Deborah Schweikert, Tom Shand, John Shaw, Sharon Siegel, Robert Simpson, Joe Sperber, Bryan Sypniewski, Karen Todd, Kyle Townsend, Joe Turner, Michael VanDerLieth, Lori Washburn, D.B. Weimer, Stephen White.

Columnists: Bruce Johnson, John Salka COPYRIGHT 2015, THE FIRE NEWS LLC., LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Hit, Run, Fire in Schenectady

Schenectady firefighters battled a car fire on Rosa Road and Nott Terrace in front of Ellis Hospital on Thanksgiving.

See story on page 20

Pattersonville Chief Urys Remembered A bronze statue of Assistant Chief Glenn Urys, Jr., was dedicated in a ceremony in front of his house.

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PLUS: Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4 Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 16 Industry News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 18 Business Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 24 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 25

Letters to the Editor, byline articles, and columns represent the opinions of the writers and photographers and are not necessarily the views of the Fire News. We reserve the right to edit all of the above. We are not responsible for errors in advertisements beyond the cost of advertising space. Copy submitted is subject to editing for space requirements. The placing of an advertisement in this publication does not constitute endorsement. Contents are copyrighted. Editorial and advertising copy cannot be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Fire News is published monthly by Fire News LLC, with corporate offices at 146 South Country Road, Bellport, NY 11713.

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From the Editor’s Desk Dennis Whittam, Editor

How’m I Doing?

Congratulations to all of the officers and chiefs who will be leading their department in 2016. To the members of the company who will be following your new officers, don’t stop reading! This editorial is partly about you. You are needed to help your new officers achieve their goals.

Looking back as a young lieutenant, I would not have been a good leader if it was not for the people who followed me down the dark hot hallways or came down to the firehouse to allow me to train them. Seasoned firefighters look out for their new officers. Seasoned members know when to pull an officer aside to offer a “job well done.” Most new officers quickly realize when they’ve made a mistake.

If you think you made a mistake, or something didn’t feel right, talk it over with someone who has walked your path.

Every officer’s position is different, and most have a learning curve. If you made it to “the seat” you have probably fought a few fires or handled a few rescues and are comfortable responding to a call. Guess what? It is a rude awakening when you are a first-year officer who ends up being the incident commander at a major incident. Like your first fire, you will feel more confident as additional units arrive to help you with suggestions to organize the call so the members who are battling the incident are kept safe.

Most of the time, the calls are the easy part of being an officer. The hard part comes when the officer realizes that problems are developing around the station. Are the dishes building up in the sink? Is the television being left on and coffee cups being left on the table? At times, the officer has to remind guys to clean

up. All too often, the member — seasoned or unseasoned — forgets what they were taught as probies. Clean up! Your officer has much more important things to do than to track down who is leaving the place a mess.

To the new officer: When you lay out your training schedule for the year, don’t wait until the night of the drill to figure out what you are going to do. If you drill on Thursday night, come down to the station with the other officers on Monday night and physically run through your drill. Good planning is what helps members walk away with a sense of accomplishment.

I often think of NYC Mayor Ed Koch, who did three terms as mayor. His line to the press was “How’m I doing? — Advice to our new officers — ask that same question from time to time. Good luck to all in 2016. …Dennis

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 5

Tough Job in Yonkers

Late on October 22, 2015, numerous calls were received for a structure fire in the city's Getty Square, just down the street from City Hall and near a recently closed fire station. First due companies arrived to heavy fire showing out the front of a store. The building, which also housed a McDonald's and another vacant storefront, was nearly a half-block deep with close exposures. After knocking down the heavy fire and entering, companies were hampered by the depth of the two-story commercial structure and had to resort to an exterior operation after an hour of interior attack. One of the fire building's exposures was a 260-year old church, which sustained only smoke damage. The fire was declared under control in about seven hours; 15 firefighters suffered minor injuries.

- Fire News photos by Mike Messar

Page 6, Fire News, January 2016

Forest Hills Blaze

FDNY units in the borough of Queens battled a two-alarm fire in a house under construction on November 17, 2015. The blaze was the latest in a recent rash of fires in the neighborhood of Forest Hills.

First arriving companies transmitted a second alarm on arrival due to the heavy volume of fire and proximity to the exposures, which were already partially involved. Handlines were immediately put

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into operation due to the imminent collapse potential of the mostly wooden structure. The incident was brought under control within 45 minutes with no reported injuries. FDNY Fire Marshals were on the scene to investigate.

- Fire News photos by FirstOnScenePhotos.com

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Cover Story

Fire in House Under Renovation

On November 29, 2015, the Shaker Road-Loudonville, Latham, West Albany, Colonie Village, Schuyler Heights and Fuller Road Fire Departments responded to a structure fire on Colonial Green in Loudonville. The single-family home was not occupied at the time, and had been under renovation construction, which caused multiple problems for the responding fire companies. The backyard had multiple entanglements and the front steps had been removed.

The fire, which began on one side of the building, ignited multiple floors including the basement which was filled with construction debris. As the fire was extinguished on one side of the building it spread quickly to the other side. Firefighters were able to rescue a pet rabbit. One firefighter received minor injuries from broken glass and was treated by Colonie EMS at the scene.

- Fire News photos by Lori Washburn

Page 8, Fire News, January 2016

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Albany 3Alarmer

On November 10, 2015, Albany crews were called out for a fire near the South End Fire Department headquarters. The three-story building was commercial on the first floor and residential — eight apartments with sixteen occupants — above. First arriving companies had fire on the two upper floors. The rear of the brick building was frame construction, allowing fire to gain a foothold and quickly erupt into an inferno with flames shooting out of all upper floor windows. Second and third alarms were sounded to keep the fire from spreading. It was feared that the north wall would collapse, so National Grid set up a truck to support their power poll in the event this happened. The owner of the store thought the fire was arson. The building had to be torn down. There were no injuries.

- Fire News photos by Martin E. Miller

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House Destroyed But Wedding Saved

Menands, Schuyler Heights, Latham, Fuller Road, Maplewood, Shaker Road-Loudonville and Watervliet Arsenal Fire Departments as well as Colonie EMS and Fire responded multiple times on November 14, 2015, to a multi-family building on Broadway in Menands for what began as an electrical fire. Upon arrival flames were escaping from the eves of the attic area. Within minutes the flames began to eat away at the roof which began to erode prompting an evacuation of the building. The departments fought the fire for more than four hours into the the following day.

The building was a total loss. During overhaul, an engaged couple who lived on the first floor, were lucky to have their upcoming wedding saved when Colonie Fire Services Mike Romano was able to retrieve the bride’s wedding dress and Assistant Chief Mike Steurer was able to sift through and retrieve wedding rings and a few other items they would need for their nuptials.

- Fire News photos by Lori Washburn

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Brooklyn 4-Alarmer

Recently, the Brooklyn Communications Office received numerous calls for a fire in a private dwelling with people trapped on Glenwood Road in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Units arrived on scene and quickly transmitted the 10-75 followed by a second

alarm. Firefighters were able to assist civilians from the rear of the house, while the front was fully involved. The fire quickly escalated to four alarms, bringing companies from all over Brooklyn to the scene.

- Fire News photos by Brian Grogan

Page 12, Fire News, January 2016

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2 Dead in East Flatbush 2-Alarmer

Two people were killed in an early morning house fire in the East but two were pronounced dead at the scene. Over a hundred fireFlatbush section of Brooklyn on November 28, 2015. FDNY fire- fighters battled the two-alarm blaze, which was under control withfighters were called to the E. 49th Street home and found a raging in an hour.

- Fire News photo by FirstOnScenePhotos.com fire on the second floor. Five people were removed from the home,

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Saratoga Brush Fire

Recently, the Rexford Volunteer Fire Department responded to a brush fire on Route 146 in Saratoga County village.

Jonesville volunteers responded with their brush truck to assist.

- Fire News photos by Peter R. Barber

Page 14, Fire News, January 2016

High-Rise Fire

On November 30, 2015, all hands went to work for a fire in a highrise building. The fire, which started in a living room, was brought under control in 25 minutes - Fire News photo by Lloyd Mitchell

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Claremont Vacant House Fire

FDNY firefighters in the Claremont section of the Bronx fought a stubborn, two-alarm fire in a vacant private dwelling on November 26, 2015. The blaze on Franklin Avenue was under control within an hour.

- Fire News photo by FirstOnScenePhotos.com

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 15

Solar Panel Fire

On November 27, 2015, the Latham and Boght Fire Departments smoke and structural damage to the roof of the family room of the were called to a structure fire that began under a solar panel on a residence. Everyone was able to evacuate and no one was injured.

- Fire News photo by Lori Washburn home off of Johnson Road in Latham. Shaker Road-Loudonville and Verdoy were called to assist. The panel fire caused extensive

Page 16, Fire News, January 2016

Queens High Rise All-Hands

FDNY units in Elmhurst, Queens, battled an all-hands blaze on the seventh floor of a residential high-rise building in the early morning of November 14, 2015. The fire was contained to one apartment and three occupants suffered minor injuries.

- Fire News photos by FirstOnScenePhotos.com

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 17

Firehouse Kitchen on FOX It is December and the world is bustling with the excitement of the holidays. We at Firehouse Kitchen, are bustling with the excitement of filming our fifth season, which is now underway.

During filming, I received a phone call from my publicist, Mike (calm down; I do have a publicist). He had some very exciting news for me! FOX & Friends, from the FOX news channel, wanted to do a piece on Firehouse Kitchen. They asked me to come in on the Sunday, three days after Thanksgiving, and bring some of my recipes. I suggested a better idea. I said, “Why don’t I bring three firehouse cooks, that have been on my show, to share what they can do with leftovers from Thanksgiving?” They loved the idea.

Trying to decide on which firemen to bring along was a difficult decision. I thought a great group of guys to ask would be the firemen that have been on my show the most: George Stout and Mike Munoz of the of Long Island’s Blue Point and Wantagh Fire Departments, respectively; and Scott Belgard of New Jersey’s Hightstown Fire Department. All three firefighters have been on Firehouse Kitchen three times. Now, it was time for Fox and Friends!

We felt like superstars when we arrived at FOX headquarters in Manhattan.

Everyone was so nice. They brought us into the green room, and pretty soon it was show time. We set up the table outside by the Christmas trees and each firefighter prepared to present their recipe. George made yam pancakes with his leftovers.

Mike made a burrito, stuffed with cranberry sauce, turkey and gravy and Scott made amazing pork shanks. I said to Scott, “We were supposed to use leftovers from Thanksgiving.” Scott replied, “I’m a chef Ray and we’re going on FOX, so I made something awesome.” Scott is a bona fide chef who graduated from the Johnson Wales culinary school. His dish was awesome. Rick, the weatherman on the show, came out to do our segment. I was introduced as the host of the hit show Firehouse Kitchen. Hit show? I’ll take it! Hopefully, the word is spreading. Rick interviewed me about the show and proceeded to taste each recipe. He was blown away.

It is pretty cool appearing on a news show that you watch. Who knows, maybe Good Morning America will be next week. Keep watching! To find out more about Firehouse Kitchen or how to become a sponsor, visit firehousekitchenshow.com.

SHANKS 12 pork shank peeled and cleaned 1 cup of flour 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 quart beef broth 12 ounces pureed tomatoes 2 large carrots diced 3 ribs celery diced

1 large sweet onion diced Bouquet garni ½ cup dry red wine 2 tbsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp sugar ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Directions Season the shanks with withy the salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Heat olive oil in a large roasting plaque. Dredge the pork shanks in the flour and sear in the roasting plaque. Brown evenly and remove from the plaque. Add the veggies and lightly brown. Deglaze with the red wine, add tomato puree, vinegar, beef, sugar, broth and bouquet garni. Cover and finish in a 300-degree oven until the pork is falling off the bone. Let the shank rest in the juices. Remove pork shanks and bouquet. Reduce broth to a rich and dense glace then puree and strain. Adjust seasoning with additional smoked paprika.

Page 18, Fire News, January 2016

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Fatality in Menands MVA On November 22, 2015, the Schuyler Heights and Menands Fire Departments responded to a car fire off the road on VanRensselaer Boulevard in Menands. The vehicle tore out a street sign before impacting a tree and igniting. The occupant, a senior at Shaker High School, was pulled from the vehicle by emergency personnel and immediately transported to Albany Medical Center with severe burns and injuries. Unfortunately, the driver succumbed to his injuries later in the day.

- Fire News photo by Lori Washburn

1 Killed, 1 Injured in Manhattan Collapse One construction worker was killed and another seriously injured after the collapse of a building under construction on West 38th Street in Manhattan on October 31, 2015. Part of the interior of the building collapsed crushing one of the workers and pinning another under tons of construction material. It took Special Units of the FDNY an extended period of time to remove the trapped worker due to the tenuous condition of the debris.

- Fire News photo by FirstOnScenePhotos.com

HONEYWELL, DUPONT BRING ADVANCED TRAINING TO FIRST RESPONDERS IN ANNUAL FDIC SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Honeywell (NYSE:HON) and DuPont Protection Technologies (DuPont) today announced that Honeywell First Responders and DuPont Kevlar have teamed up to award 20 firefighters, EMS and HazMat responders with an expenses-paid scholarship to attend the 2016 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC).

FDIC is the largest and most important North American fire training event and tradeshow in the fire service industry with more than 32,000 attending the 2015 event. Hosted every year in Indianapolis, the FDIC 2016 event will take place April 18-23.

This scholarship program from Honeywell First Responders and DuPont Kevlar will provide financial support for 20 outstanding, peer-nominated persons to attend classroom training, seminars, and the trade show, beginning Tuesday evening and ending Saturday after the show.

Candidates may register for the scholarship program at: app.snapapp.com/fdic-2016-scholarshipprogram.

“Restrained budgets often force fire departments to limit the number of attendees to the FDIC show, which may impact their ability to learn about the technologies and techniques that can expand their fire department’s ability to save lives and protect fire fighters,” said Eric Schlett, vice president, PennWell Fire Group/FDIC. “Thanks to

Honeywell and DuPont, advanced safety training will be made available to those who need it most: firefighters who are meritorious, passionate and committed to the noble mission.”

To enter, nominators must select a colleague for a chance to win a scholarship to attend FDIC 2015 and submit a short video explaining why you are nominating him/her as a candidate. Examples for consideration: extensive or superior work in his/her role within the fire department; distinguished leadership; remarkable devotion to the community or crisis management; helping upand-coming members of the firefighting profession; and a history of attending training seminars/classes and implementing best practices from his/her training that benefit the department.

As a special incentive for submitting videos, this year, the videos will be posted online for voting by Fire Engineering readers, FDIC attendees and the general public. Top videos will be automatically moved to the finals for review by the selection committee.

The scholarship is available to residents of the United States and Canada only, and both career and volunteer fire fighters, EMS and HazMat personnel are eligible. The selected scholarship recipients will be announced in February 2016.

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 19

Child Dies, 6 Injured in MVA

Rotterdam Ambulance in MVA

On November 2, 2015, a driver failed to maintain his lane, and crashed head on into a car containing a family, killing a 10-monthold child in the rear seat. Niverville Fire Department was first on the scene. They were confronted with six injured (two critically) in one car and the driver of the other vehicle with minor injuries.

Help came from Kinderhook, as well as several ambulance squads in Columbia and Rensselaer counties, the Sheriff’s Department, the State Police and two medevac helicopters.

- Fire News photo by Martin E. Miller

A Rotterdam Ambulance was involved in an accident at the intersection of Rugby Road and Waverly Place in the City of Schenectady. The ambulance was returning from the hospital after a transport when a car ran a stop sign, causing the collision. Both paramedics were taken by Mohawk Ambulance to Ellis Hospital for evaluation.

- Fire News photo by Peter Barber

Page 20, Fire News, January 2016

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Hit, Run, Fire in Schenectady

If a Tree Falls on a Car‌

Schenectady firefighter Scott Briggs battles a car fire on Rosa Road and Nott Terrace in front of Ellis Hospital on Thanksgiving.

The driver reportedly fled the scene after being involved in several hit and run accidents.

- Fire News photo by Peter R. Barber

Schenectady firefighter Mike Mareno uses a chain saw to cut a tree limb that fell on a car with its owner inside on Waverly Place near Rugby Road on November 6, 2015. The woman got out of the car on her own uninjured.

- Fire News photo by Peter R. Barber

Page 22, Fire News, January 2016

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Double Semi Rolls in Selkirk On November 21, 2015, the Selkirk Fire Department was dispatched to a semi rollover at mile marker 136 southbound on the New York State Thruway. Upon arrival they located a UPS semi double rolled over with heavy damage to the tractor.

The driver was treated on the scene

by Albany County Paramedics than transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital by Town of Bethlehem Ambulance Service with non-life threatening injuries.

- Fire News photos

by Tom Heffernan

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 23

2-Alarmer in Cornwall

On November 20, 2015, the Cornwall Fire department was called to Clinton Street for a two-alarm fire. Highland and Vails Gate responded on mutual aid, with Vails Gate acting as the FAST Unit. The fire is under investigation at this time.

-Fire News photos by Vinnie Dominick and Gary Hearn

Page 24, Fire News, January 2016

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New City Wins Hose Comp

The Orangeburg Fire Department recently held a multi-depart- trophy at the conclusion of the drill. The winners, a crew from New ment drill, concentrating on a friendly hoseline deployment compe- City, are now responsible for hosting the fun, friendship-building tition. Several evolutions were laid out, with rapid line deployment event in 2016.

- Fire News photo by Kenneth Flynn and water application the goal. Units were timed, and awarded a

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Fire News, January 2016, Page 25

Swift Water Rescue Training

On October 27, 2015, New York State Swift Water Rescue instructors took rescue squad members from Albany and Troy to the Great Sacandaga Reservoir, which was being drawn down to handle the winter snow melt. Just think to yourself, would I want to be in that water un-tethered. Well, they are for a while and downstream there

are a whole crew of your buddies to get you out. Why do they need this training? Along the Hudson River there are many kills — an old Dutch word for a stream — running into the river which at different times of the year have swift water.

- Fire News photos by Martin E. Miller

Page 26, Fire News, January 2016

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Pattersonville Chief Urys Remembered

A bronze statue of Pattersonville Volunteer firefighter Assistant Chief Glenn Urys, Jr., was dedicated in a ceremony in front of his house with a blessing and a prayer. Chief Urys died in a freak snowmobile accident in front of his home on September 18, 2014.

The popular, well liked volunteer had been with the Pattersonville Fire Department as a firefighter since he was 16 when he died at the age of 26.

- Fire News photos by Peter R. Barber

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