Excuse if I am wrong but I would think the US fire dept would only request help from Canada if the situation was bigger than they could handle on thier own. Add to that that is was possible that lives were at risk and not just property!!! The thought that comes to mind is what if these minutes had cost a life??

Aha so they are protecting you - I am begining to think not!!

One possible solution to this situation for future consideration would be:

1. Canadian fire dept gets call for help from American fire dept.
2. Canadian fire dept dispatches truck(s).
3. Canadian fire dept dispatcher calls US CPD border post or their higher HQ-tells them that a Canadian fire truck is heading to the US to assist, please call our fire dept back at our official number.
4. CBP calls Canadian fire dept dispatch, gets the information (truck number, number of firefighters) and relays this info to the border station.
5. When fire truck arrives at the border, a quick glance to verify that it is in fact Engine# 18-52 with 4 firefighters on board, and through they go.
6. On the way back, do this in reverse.

You see, that wasn't so hard now, was it?

I was just envisioning how long 8 minutes is for someone waiting for help in dire situation.

One of the findings of the 9/11 Commission was that the government needed to do a better job ensuring that everyone involved in disaster response (terrorism or natural disaster) be able to communicate with each other. As a matter of fact, a good deal of the RF spectrum being made available by the mandatory conversion to the digital TV standard will go to the "first responders" so they can talk to each other. Of course, the GAO and others have found that the DHS (which owns CBP and FEMA) has failed miserably to implement this recommendation.

These two little border towns that help each other fight fires is an ideal location to use as a test bed. The US and Canadian 911-type dispatchers should all be using the same comm equipment and it should be tied to the border checkpoints of both countries. You would think that the CBP station would at least have a police scanner tuned to both the US and Canadian frequencies to be able to monitor dispatches heading their way. I would think that they would have a few minutes to clear a path for the fire truck or ambulance so they could zip through the border.

If CBP really is anal about the Canadian fire truck, there's no reason why they couldn't send someone along with the firetruck in a car to "monitor" the firefighters and to make sure they don't do something heinous like smuggle in Cuban cigars for their American colleagues.

The terrorists have destroyed common sense on a worldwide scale.

The terrorists have not destroyed it. Our own government has destroyed the common sense, using "terrywrists" as the reason.

Important distinction.

Our government COULD still use common sense if they wanted to, but no, they would rather trump up a rationale.

Our government has done far more damage to this country than the terrorists ever did. The amount we spend and waste in the name of "protecting the public" (which you can never really do) is much larger than the total cost of the terrorist attacks.

Agree 100% -- just wrote too quickly.

The government hasn't done anything that the people have not allowed them to get away with. The problem is that no politician can go out on a public forum and tell people "We can't protect you from___________". Or they can, but then they will be out of a job in a few years.

Can you blame them? The average American believes without a doubt that the world is only 6,000 years old. Take away the comfort blanket and what do you have left?

[QUOTE=etch5895;8741209Can you blame them? The average American believes without a doubt that the world is only 6,000 years old. Take away the comfort blanket and what do you have left?[/QUOTE]

Is that really true? More than 50% REALLY believe that? Or is that just a fun way to bash Americans?

Probably a fun way to bash Americans and those who believe in religion. Bad form. :td:

(Bolding mine)

Well. . . there was this poll back in 2004 that indicates 55% don't believe in evolution . . .

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in657083.shtml

But this really doesn't have anything to do with fire trucks and the border.

My point is that the people who voted for all of this (anything in the name of security, various levels of real or supposed security at the airport, etc.) did so knowing what they wanted from their elected officials. So when people gripe about CBP officers fingerprinting everyone and playing silly games, just remember who has allowed and is allowing it to happen.

But this is drifting off to OMNI territory.

And this could have all been prevented, I think, with a simple phone call to the border station. On the bright side, maybe the exposure that this event has gotten will cause CBP to relook at their SOPs. Maybe this will be the catalyst for some common sense changes and agreements between the US and Canada for their emergency services. I mean, the Canadian military is serving alongside the US military inside NORAD and all over the US; why can't we play nicely when it comes to more basic community services? It all boils down to poor communication on several levels.

I imaging that the on board reservoir on a fire truck could be used to easily smuggle several tons of coke, heroin, etc, into the United States. It's not as if there drug trade in Canada is run out of nearby Montreal or anything. I guess you didn't realize that.

Perhaps instead of bashing the border agents for doing their job, you should hold some criticism for the towns in northern Vermont for not having enough fire staff to handle their own local events. It might be small, but it isn't a poor state.

Mutual aid agreements are in place in every community in the United States. There comes a point when even the largest department is overwhelmed and calling in assistance from other agencies is the only way to manage the situation. No community could afford the taxes to staff for every eventuality.

In a related vein:

Ambulance with heart attack victim forced to wait at U.S. Customs

[QUOTE=thegeneral;8745670]I imaging that the on board reservoir on a fire truck could be used to easily smuggle several tons of coke, heroin, etc, into the United States. It's not as if there drug trade in Canada is run out of nearby Montreal or anything. I guess you didn't realize that. [QUOTE]

And guess where a lot of it comes from?

I guess you've never been to a small town.