Special Units Relocating

[Extra One & One]

I'm not FDNY, so anything that I say is obviously related to me second hand. However, it was related to me by someone who was in SOC at that time. It was noted that they were on the roof of a second alarm, and Manhattan Dispatch contacted the unit officer and told them that they needed to pull them off of the job, and to head towards the Hudson for reports of a plane in the water. I'm assuming both R1 and SQ18 were operating. I'm not sure why the times are off, and really the whole point of me relating the story as told to me, was to discuss whether FDNY Dispatchers would pull SOC units from a fire to put them on a special job. I would surmise that an experienced truck company could replace a SOC unit at a fire so the special units could operate at a specialized rescue incident such as the Hudson crash.

You make some good points, however, I think (not know) that dispatch would go through the IC and not the company officer. After all, it would/should be the IC that releases any piece. Getting away from that particular day, I would like to think that the fire service in general espouses situational awareness and common sense. Any dispatch should be able to query an IC and ask them if any units can break away because “the mother of all incidents” is occurring. If the IC says “no” then that’s that. Many IC’s would look at what is in front of them and ask, “Can I do without the (fill in the blank).” When you think about it, FDNY does this on a daily basis. You may hear on the radio, “Bronx to Battalion 19, can you make 3rd due E48 available, I have a structural response coming in?.” The battalion may come back and say, “I only need 1 & 1, you can have the rest” OR “Not at this time.”

 

[Jakethejake]

I agree that there are two aspects of the story that give me a bit of pause. First, is the times not lining up. Second, is the fact that as stated above, Manhattan would never go around command to pull a unit off of a job. So, I'll leave it that the member was mistaken, or having a bit of sport with me. I have been on fires where my own unit was pulled off of one fire and sent to another by dispatch. But this was done on the operations channel with command being fully informed of what was taking place. Again, I'm not FDNY, so I'll defer to the members here who say that the story did not occur as related to me.

 

[Darrell]

Not a firefighter but I fully agree, unless Dispatch went through the IC, no one should be getting pulled off of a job, though if there not 10-84 I think thats a different story.

 

[Atlas]

Years back FDNY Dispatchers had the authority to re-direct fire companies to a second job before they arrived at the scene of an incident.

Example, a call in the Riverdale section of the Northwest Bronx saw normally the response of 2&2 ( Eng 52 & 81 with Lad 52 & 46). If a second incident was reported at a different location the dispatcher would take the second due Eng & Truck & send them to the second call. At that point the Batt Ch responding to the first call would be notified & the dispatcher could special call the next available Eng & Truck to replace the missing companies. (Most likely Eng 95 & Lad 36 or Eng 79 & Lad 37 depending the incident location.) This was done many times in the Bronx in the areas of the 15th, 19, & 20th Batt's where companies are spread apart & response times are greater. The policy was done boro-wide.

Once at the scene, the incident commander has to release a company.

 

[lfdlt31]

I believe there was a retired staff chief on the GSE podcast who was on scene very early to the downed plane (can’t remember his rank at that time) but I seem to remember him stating he just went 10-8 from another job in Manhattan when the plane box came in. If memory serves me right his name was Daly

 

[Signal73]

1/15/09 Manhattan Box 868 - 10-60

Hudson River between NY and NJ, 1/15/09 Location: Hudson River @ W50 st 15:34 hours Phone Box 868 - Report of a plane in the water Engs. 54, 34, 65 TL21, L4 Battalions 9, Rescue Rescue 1 Squad 18 Tactical Support 1 Marine 1 Alpha 15:35 hours Also receiving reports of plane in the water @...

www.nycfire.net

 

[HFN01]

I believe there was a retired staff chief on the GSE podcast who was on scene very early to the downed plane (can’t remember his rank at that time) but I seem to remember him stating he just went 10-8 from another job in Manhattan when the plane box came in. If memory serves me right his name was Daly

Yep, Chief Daly Division 1 relayed his experience starting here at 2:04:30

 

[Grogan Fire Photo]

Dispatchers do not have the capabilities to talk to a company officer on scene. Unlike other cities, dispatchers do not talk on fireground channel and only able to monitor after the division gets on scene. Any request would have to go thru command via the boro dept radio.