pauloghia

Preventative maintenance procedures? Simple. My departments were in eastern Kentucky, where everyone is a mechanic.
Tools and equipment and where they're carried? We weren't FDNY with hundreds of firehouses. We had two in a five mile radius at the paid department. The volunteer house had everything under one roof and we were always able to turn out both engines and tankers together.
Knowing how to operate all tools? What do you think we did all day other than wash the trucks and look at women walking by?
Capacities and limitations? I'll put it to you like this. I had better hoped both chiefs went into a coma from the anger stroke they would have suffered had I not known the actual capacities that the engines I was pumping could handle. That was taken care of in our pump operators certification, not drivers certification.
Hoses and fittings are blurry now from both. I remember the Pierce engine and the LaFrance being equipped with two 200 foot sections of 1 3/4 inch crosslays. It's been between six to eight years since I've served with each and I can't accurately recall anymore how much hose was carried in the rear, supply or attack. All I remember now was the Pierce carrying two 1 3/4 inch hand lines, 2 1/2 inch supply and 5 inch supply. The ALF had a 2 1/2 inch line attached to a blitz nozzle, another bed of 2 1/2 inch supply and I believe a 3 inch supply line, with a chassis that was configured as a squad. The Ford had two booster lines in place of cross lays and mirrored the Pierce in the back.
Cab controls, what do you mean? Are you seriously implying I would chauffeur a rig and not know where the turn signals and parking brake are at, or not know how to adjust my mirrors? Our drivers training was more than just jumping behind the wheel and joyriding around town. We had a road course, cone course, familiarization for each vehicle, then pump operators training with each. I wasn't expected to be able to smoothly transition from a 1978 gas engine Ford/Jaco with a 750 gpm pump to a 1996 Pierce with a midship 1250 gpm pump unless I had been trained on both. Same holds true transitioning from a 1962 Pirsch with 1000 gpm pump to a 2005 ALF with midship 1250 pump. The personnel approved to operate Aerial 1 had to complete both pump and ladder operations training since it was a quint and operated as a truck.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, ground ladders on all the engines were the same, 12 foot roof ladder, 24 foot extension ladder and a 10 foot attic ladder. Aerial 1 carried 85 feet worth of ground ladders. I was assigned to the Ford, which was Engine 150, then Rescue 1, so the truck guys knew it better than I did.
Don't forget, things are done differently outside of where ever it is you're from, but it still ends up working the same in the end. On my visits back home to Staten Island and seeing a friend of mine at his north shore company, they were always interested in learning how we operated, instead of offering quick criticism without knowing the full story.

Preventative maintenance procedures? Simple. My departments were in eastern Kentucky, where everyone is a mechanic.
Tools and equipment and where they're carried? We weren't FDNY with hundreds of firehouses. We had two in a five mile radius at the paid department. The volunteer house had everything under one roof and we were always able to turn out both engines and tankers together.
Knowing how to operate all tools? What do you think we did all day other than wash the trucks and look at women walking by?
Capacities and limitations? I'll put it to you like this. I had better hoped both chiefs went into a coma from the anger stroke they would have suffered had I not known the actual capacities that the engines I was pumping could handle. That was taken care of in our pump operators certification, not drivers certification.
Hoses and fittings are blurry now from both. I remember the Pierce engine and the LaFrance being equipped with two 200 foot sections of 1 3/4 inch crosslays. It's been between six to eight years since I've served with each and I can't accurately recall anymore how much hose was carried in the rear, supply or attack. All I remember now was the Pierce carrying two 1 3/4 inch hand lines, 2 1/2 inch supply and 5 inch supply. The ALF had a 2 1/2 inch line attached to a blitz nozzle, another bed of 2 1/2 inch supply and I believe a 3 inch supply line, with a chassis that was configured as a squad. The Ford had two booster lines in place of cross lays and mirrored the Pierce in the back.
Cab controls, what do you mean? Are you seriously implying I would chauffeur a rig and not know where the turn signals and parking brake are at, or not know how to adjust my mirrors? Our drivers training was more than just jumping behind the wheel and joyriding around town. We had a road course, cone course, familiarization for each vehicle, then pump operators training with each. I wasn't expected to be able to smoothly transition from a 1978 gas engine Ford/Jaco with a 750 gpm pump to a 1996 Pierce with a midship 1250 gpm pump unless I had been trained on both. Same holds true transitioning from a 1962 Pirsch with 1000 gpm pump to a 2005 ALF with midship 1250 pump. The personnel approved to operate Aerial 1 had to complete both pump and ladder operations training since it was a quint and operated as a truck.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, ground ladders on all the engines were the same, 12 foot roof ladder, 24 foot extension ladder and a 10 foot attic ladder. Aerial 1 carried 85 feet worth of ground ladders. I was assigned to the Ford, which was Engine 150, then Rescue 1, so the truck guys knew it better than I did.
Don't forget, things are done differently outside of where ever it is you're from, but it still ends up working the same in the end. On my visits back home to Staten Island and seeing a friend of mine at his north shore company, they were always interested in learning how we operated, instead of offering quick criticism without knowing the full story.

Sounds like your company did their homework and made an A. This has been very helpful and I appreciate it. The thought of an airpack flying by my head and going through the windshield is haunting.

I've heard several times that either NFPA or OSHA is trying to make seat-mounted SCBA brackets a thing of the past, because of the danger of packing up urging a response. I've seen the crew portion of the LAFD Seagraves and they lack seat brackets. Their SCBA's are mounted facing the seat instead. Is this rumor true? I was thinking that's the reason why the brackets have been manufactured now to lock the SCBA in place. Can anyone who's involved with manufacturing or drawing specifications shed some light on this, or anyone else who knows?

I remember seeing a pic several years ago in a book of I think an FDNY battalion chief from the 1930's. It was in black and white obviously. The photographer took the shot of the front of the chief, as he was standing in his rubber coat and leather helmet and boots, looking up at whatever building was on fire. I believe his battalion car was also behind him. It might've been a higher ranking chief; I have trouble remembering the exact rank and his name. The pic told a very big story, just from the look in his eyes. Does anyone have that pic or know which one I'm talking about?