mfc2257

The roto ray looks great!!! They are missing a pair of Mars 888's to make it complete.... It's also got a PowerCall. Sounds great going down Fairbanks Ave. with the Q and the PowerCall tuned up.

They may have undergone a nomenclature change prior to my arrival in Florida in 2005. However, when I got here the old '96 or '98 Quantum was already referred to and numbered as E-61. Just recently, they re-numbered one of the old Quantums (61 or 62) to be called E-161 and run as the reserve. I believe they surplused the FMC/Sparten that was running as the reserve.

There were a few comments regarding the weight of the packs and strain on back/shoulders. Whenever I used to run a training session or drill, one of the items that I focused on was proper equipment use. My favorite drill nights were back to basics nights because we tend to discard much of this basic knowledge while seeking the ability to perform much more technical and noticible tasks in an effort to impress our peers. I used to harp on FF's that I would see with their shoulder straps tight as hell and their waist belt loose or not buckled at all. Most folks ignored or forgot the importance of the waist strap from their Basic or FF1 training. If worn correctly, your pack, regardless of how heavy should not put strain on your shoulders and upper back. Don your pack and sinch down the shoulder straps. Buckle your waist strap and as you pull both leads use your shoulders to sinch the pack up so that it is sitting above your hips on your waist. At this point tighten the waist again so that it is snug. You should be able to fit your entire gloved hand between your chest and your shoulder strap without having to force it. The pack will rest on your hips and not on your shoulders. Wearing it this way will eliminate almost ALL pack related fatigue. This is how soldiers and hikers can carry packs that weigh up to 100lbs through rough terrain without dropping like flies.

Looks like a European rig, no?

The Posiden Adventure.... Looks like E-247 on Seven Bridges Road after the hurricane in late 1990's.

Ummmm... Go Gators !!!

I've seen a Schwing boom used in the same way in the past.... Here are some other uses I've seen for concrete pumping equipment in the fire service..... At a brush, wildland or mountain fire, use portable (pickup or atv towed) concrete pumps to set up water supply deep into the areas where traditional supply won't reach. At a major event where tankers are needed, but not enough are available, use standard concrete delivery trucks as a supplement to tankers. Place them in thier own dump zone so that offloading them doesn't interfere with the faster moving dedicated fire service tenders. At construction (high rise) fires where standpipes aren't in place yet, and you cannot reach the fire with an aerial device, use the existing concrete pumping sub stations to supply water to the fire floor.

Third public notice of a Wheel Man being in a motorcade accident in a month or so. President Bush had one go down, Hillary's, and the one on the NJ/NY line for the funeral procession. RIP

AirTran operates as of the 2006 annual report aprox 90 aircraft in a 2:1 ratio of 717's to 737's. Their weighted average age is 4.3 years and have 60 aircraft on order between 2006 and 2011. They stopped making the 717 in 2006. A true 717 can be no more than 10 years old becaue they didn't start making them under that model number until 1997 when Boeing and McDonald Douglas merged. It was called the McDonald Douglas MD80, MD88, or MD95 prior to the merger. That being said... The 717's that AirTran is flying are relatively new (very new in some cases) compared to the 737's, 757's, & 767's, A319's, and A320's that many airlines are using.

All depends on department SOP/SOG. The primary responsibility is for the Rescue (Ambulance) to provide medical care to the patient. The Rescue (Ambulance) isn't there to provide primary extrication or suppression services. However, based on the structure of many Southeastern departments, they are at times equipped with limited capabilities in both areas so that if a rapid implementation of that role is required, as FF/Medics they can assume that role. If they arrive first, they must decide which role to take in order to give the patient the best possible chance of survival. If they do assume a non medical role, striking the box for the next due transport unit is essential. Make no mistake, there are no departments that I know of where the Rescue (Ambulance) is the primary unit to provide those other services. Trucks, Engines, and Squads fill that role as a first due.

This isn't uncommon here down south where the blending of EMS and Fire response has occurred much faster than in the Northeast. For example, the unit designation Ambulance doesn't really exist in Florida. An ambulance is typically called a Rescue and it would often be a commercial chassis with a small generator, combi-tool, SCBA's, and more and more frequently a small pump and tank that would be capable of extinguishing a vehicle fire if life safety depended on it. The newer rigs that have a mini CAFS setup can put a knock on a room & content if the Wagon is out of position and responding from it's last call. These guys are all FF/Medics so typically the run in tandem with a 3-4 man Engine. On a structure fire or vehicle fire where the crew of the "Rescue" isn't providing medical care, those two FF's typically will hit the hydrant, pack up and fall in line with the rest of the Engine crew and pull the back-up line etc.

Ummm.... not there for looks....

This is my old department so I'm pretty up to speed with the rig... I never pass up an opportunity to brag about them a little..... The blue lighting for the aerial didn't cost any more. From what I understand, it was the first Seagrave to have it, and it was done at no cost for the marketing aspect of it. It's a nice rig.... But the 1977 Seagrave 100ft that it replacing is one of my all time favorite rigs to ride. Until the late 1990's, it was the 1st due truck 15+ miles south to over the MD boarder (Mason Dixon Line) to the National Fire Academy and Emmitsburg Maryland. Nothing like riding on the jumpseat of that old Seagrave going down the road at 3am in freezing weather with the Detriot screeming and the dogbox keeping you warm. You looked back at the turntable and as the truck went over the contours of the road, the fly sections of the ladder would move back and forth about an inch as the cables bounced up and down. Hell of a rig. I'm sure the new one will last another 30 years. BTW it's all paid for by firefighter fund raising, the Department Carnival during 4th of July, and community donations. All of the equipment (R-1 & E1-1 are Sutphen engines that are less than 5 years old, Quint-1 is a 1998, E1-3 Mack CF-600, Ambulance 1A & 1A1, Service 1, Car 1, Duty 1) and the Fire Station which is beautiful are paid for in full with no debt. No fire taxes to fund this department.... If you are ever in town you should stop by the station. Great bunch of guys and gals.

Just curious (not a loaded question intended to start a pissing contest).... I thought that R-4 was OOS most of the time due to staffing being assigned to the remainder of FDNR units. If this is still the case, then why replace?

From what I can tell.... Here is how it all happened..... If I recall correctly... Ford used to make it's own heavy truck chassis on its own. The notable ones were the Louisville Chassis like Millwood R-36 (L-9000), and White Plains whole fleet for years (I think they are L-8000's). Also, the AeroMax chassis for over the road tractors. The heavy truck division of the FMC was sold to Frieghtliner in 1997 and the Sterling Brand of trucks was created so that you wouldn't see trucks that looked like Fords driving around with a Freightliner Logo on it. Freightliner was subsequently bought by Daimler-Benz (Mercedes Benz) as was Chrystler Motor Corp.... Hence why there is now a link between Dodge and Sterling.

I've got a 2007 Ram Laramie Mega Cab 2500 Cummins TD and I've looked at these too out of curiosity. The are just beefed up Rams designed for municipal, contracting, and emergency service...... Equate these rigs in the following way..... Sterling is to a Ram 2500/3500 as an F-450 & F-550 is to the F-250/F-350. The 6.7L Cummins is the same as offered in the Ram although it would appear that all trucks are coming with the detuned 305hp/610lb/ft engines that come with manual transmission Rams as opposed to offering the automatics with the 350hp/650lb/ft configuration like the Rams (like mine) have. The Mercedes G56 six speed manual and the Aisen 6 speed automatic are the same as the Ram. Looks like it's just a branding ploy for the folks at Diamler Trucks (read: Mercedes Benz) to make money off of their former ownership of Chrystler.

Plenty of water in the Millwood Fire District.... Amongst others... Gedney Pond, Echo Lake, Stillwater Lake, Croton Resavior, and believe it or not, just below the cliffs of Old Albany Post Road a teensy tiny secton of the Croton River that we'd never get called to. There isn't enough water for us to have a dedicated team listed with the county, but there is enough for us to provide first response services until Yorktown, Somers, Croton, etc can reach our first due.

Although not an official team, Millwood trains several times a winter on ice rescue. R-36 is equipped with two suits (there were more budgeted before I left for FLA but I'm not sure if they arrived) and assorted water/ice rescue equipment. When I was Captain, I was confident that our guys could effect a single victim rescue (assuming they're not submerged and beyond point of entry). With only two suits I'm not sure that we could have handled multiples. I had convinced myself that if I was ever OIC at an ice job (even one victim) in our first due, that I would have my guys in the water, but I would still have 60-Control fill the box with one or more dedicated teams. If my team got it done then I could always turn the other team(s) around.

Yup.... R-36 arrived in 1990, U-12 had the air pump, Greenburgh C.D., and Rescue 4 were it for a long time.... Depending on the job sometimes 3 or 4 of those rigs were on the scene..... Lets see who's got'em today although some are older than others... Larchmont T.O. Mamaroneck Bedford Hills Yorktown Katonah Chappaqua Croton Falls South Salem Millwood Briarcliff Continental Village Irvington FDNR Buchannan as well as others that I'm missing I'm sure (I think Valhalla might have a small one on R-9)

Ahhhh back in the day before everyone had to make sure that they had a cascade.... R-36 went everywhere...... Pelham, White Plains, Yonkers...... You name it.

Unlike the rest of the county, my knowledge of YFD is very limited. If I had to offer a guess, the beds with 3 inch are for rigs that are located in more "city" style neighborhoods (split lay where hydrants are close together) where the LDH rigs are located in more residential areas of the city where layouts might be longer. Feel free to slap me down if I'm way off... I can take it.

Whats up with the surplus looking military tanker that it's backed up to? Tanker 13? Tanker 17? Just kidding.... But whats it for.

Hogs (Boars) are rare on the farm although Steinbrenners farm and the Campell (Soup) farm have had them from time to time and they're right across the street. Turkeys... They're everywhere..... BUT gun blasts tend to scare horses so having a $100,000-$1,000,000 horse run into a fence and break it's leg because I wanted a fresh turkey lettuce bacon and tomato sandwich isn't in the cards. The problem that we/they do have is a handfull of Coyotes or Wolves.... (I forget the difference).... So we all carry scoped rifles in our trucks when we're up there. Haven't been able to get a shot off yet though. Back to E-One..... We constantly talk about poor business management by fire apparatus manufacturers like ALF and E-One. It really surprises me, that Pierce and Sutphen are the apparatus of choice down here. Orange County Fire Rescue has a bunch of E-One's but far and away Pierce Quantums and Sutphen's rule the roost down here. One would think that E-One would do everything it could to be the premier providor down here. Everyone complains about their quality, but to be honest everyone's got problems. Seagrave has had it's share of complaints lately, Sutphen tends to be percieved as garbage (even though I've never seen anything more than a fit and finish issue.... never had a ladder failure)... Pierce is really the only manufacturer that seems to be looked at as "perfect". It's also funny how regional preferences go. I've only seen one Seagrave in the whole state since I've been in Florida (City of Palm Bay). If you go to Seagrave's webpage and look at recently delivered as well as the blueprints of in production.... There is nothing in Florida.... I never see KME's, HME's, ALF's, or Sparten chassised rigs either.

My family (in law) owns a 500 acre thoroughbred farm in Ocala about 5 miles from the plant. I’m up there all the time. If anyone as E-One apparatus in production and you’d like me to try and get shots of it, let me know…. Can’t guarantee that it’ll happen, but I’m up there at least once each month so I should be able to work it out.

Hate Powercalls?????? Dude they're like music to my ears from my PA/MD days. Real fire trucks have Powercalls, Federal Q's, RotoRays, and Mars 888's. Just kidding a real fire truck gets the job done..... But the ones I prefer have that stuff.