County Need To Purchase More Equipment To Respond To Flooding Incidents

I believe that the storm we had over the past couple of days will happen again, more often, as Westchester grows and develops more land and ignores the maintainence of streams, rivers, runoff basins, etc. Also, the enviromental changes of global warming will cause this to happen more (that is debatable, but I just wanted to support my point below)

Does anyone in the area have "High Water Rescue Units"? I'm talking about those huge Memphis chasis ex-Military troop carrier trucks that are high and can drive in deep flooded water. Yonkers has something similar http://www.yfd.org/images/appHaz-Mat-Support.jpg but I'm not sure what they use it for.

Along with a hovercraft and a trash pump trailer, this I feel is a neccesity for DES to obtain right away. We spend so much time preparing,training and equiping for Tech Rescue. Hazmat, etc but more common things like an event of this magnitude that's been happening more and more lately are ignored.

If they have the money to obtain the two pieces of Technical Rescue apparatus I understand they recently did, then there's more then enough money and grants to provide swiftwater training, buy a couple of hovercrafts or flat bottom aluminum rowboats, a trash pump trailer, a high water rescue vehicle, etc.

There is such duplication of services, redundancies in apparatus and equipment, it's ridiculous.

When it comes down to the bread and butter emergenices that happen frequently, we're tottally lacking the equipment we really need while our hazmat and tech rescue equipment, even our ladder trucks, collect dust.

American Gladiators Now On ESPN Classic

Growing up, "American Gladiator" used to be one of my favorite shows on TV.

Recently, I browsed through the show on Wikipedia, and found out that on April 2nd, 2007, ESPN Classic has been airing reruns of the show weeknights at 7PM and 1AM, and weekends at 9AM and 10AM.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gladiators for more information about the show.

I Tivo'd the one tonight which I will watch tommorow.

Was a very cool and unique show. I remember having the "American Gladiator" playsets and going to "American Gladiator Live" at Nassau Colliseum when I was a kid.

I'm Selling My MacBook

Well, I'm selling my MacBook w/ Intel Duo that I purchased a couple of months ago.

Although the computer was great, I just like a PC better. It was an impulse buy because I really wanted to try the Mac OS, I though it would be more useful for me then it was. I really shouldn't have purchased it in the first place...was depending on overtime that never materialized for the money to purchase it.

So, it's up on EBay, if you're interested in purchasing it. It's in mint condition, and comes with a Speck Products blue shell:

http://cm.ebay.com/cm/ck/1065-29296-2357-0?uid=141867980&site=0&ver=LCA080805&item=110115735391&lk=URL

Metro North Stations: Electric Signs Lacking?

Here's something I've never understood.

I've seen these signs in numerous Metro North stations. I have only seen them display the date. What is the purpose or point?

I'm curious why they don't display the time as well, something that would be very useful especially to the travler, especially when traveling by train.

If I want to take it a step further, what about a platform advisory and train ETA on these signs?

Ardsley's New Firehouse Progress Report

Here's a photo that was sent to me of the construction of Ardsley's new firehouse on Ashford Ave. They demolished the old firehouse last June, and this project seems to be moving quite quickly. Should be nice when they are done- I hear they are aiming for a June or July completion.

"All aboard! Up front with a Metro-North engineer"

"All aboard! Up front with a Metro-North engineer"

Very cool article in the Journal News:

http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID.../704020339/1018

QUOTE
Running a train is every little boy's - and some girls' - dream come true, but what's it really like sitting in that snug cab as you pull into and out of stations all day long?

Your eyes flicker from the track and signals ahead of you to the control panel before you.

Is being a railroad engineer the kick you imagined when you laid out the wooden tracks yourself and pulled a set of colorful trains out of the roundhouse?

Going Places spent four hours with Kevin Mahoney, an engineer with Metro-North Railroad, to get a taste of what it's like to run a commuter train.

City Of Stamford's New Mack Granites

Well, add City Of Stamford DPW to the latest DPW to add a Mack Granite to their snow removal arsenal:

Is Installing A Fence Really That Hard (Tappan Zee Bridge)

It seems like every week, or sometimes multiple times a week, we read about another person stopping their car on the bridge and jumping off. I'm always reading about how Tarrytown or Rockland respond with their boat, sometimes saving the person.

Not only does this place emergency responders in the water and on the deck at risk, it also places other motorists at risk when a car stops and parks in a lane, and also causes a rubbernecking hazard. And, at times it causes massive traffic jams on a bridge that has too many already.

So, my question is, how hard would it be to install some high, non-ugly fencing and non or delayed scalable fencing along the Tappan Zee Bridge. I think this would help to solve a very dangerous and deadly issue that seems to be plaguing the bridge.

New York State Thruway Authority Wrecker 1 Bridge Patrol Kitbash

This is a fictional model of the real Wrecker 1, which is the emergency response truck operated by the New York State Thruway Authority for the Tappan Zee corridor. This unit is the first response to a wide range of incidents, including MVA's, Jumpers, Car Fires, etc.

The fictional unit's specs
-2007 Mack MR 4x4 w/ Mack Engine and Transmission
-x635 Industries Body
-25 Gallon CAFS/25 Gallons AFFF/Dri-Chem fire extinguishment systems
-Holomatro Multi too
l-Thermal Imaging Camera-
4 winches. 2 side winches can facilitate repeeling over side of bridges
-Whelen and Federal Signal LED/Strobe package
-Generator and Halogen floodlight system
-Collapsible cones and flares-Speedy-Dr
i-LiveStream Video Feed

And it's primary role:-Ability to secure and tow and kind of car or truck off the bridge.Photo of the real unit:

THIS IS THE ONE MY KITBASH IS MODELED AFTER (AND I AM LOOKING TO SEE AND PHOTOGRAPH UP CLOSE AND IN PERSON)[url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/images/specialunits/papd/PAPD54662.jpg]http://www.fdnytrucks.com/images/specialun...d/PAPD54662.jpg[/url]

This took quite a while to complete, and although I'm not as happy with the results as I though- I know the reason why...stupid stringy hot glue. BIG mistake. Other things too, but I learned. This was my first scratchbuilt body plus.

Check out the rest of the photos from throughout the kitbash here.http://www.x635photos.com/thumbnails.php?album=137

Cane 169

Many of you are familiar with "Walker 170" that I posted here last week. Well, to match here is Cane 169. Thanks to a friend for painting it for me!