AndyC3J

SCHWING!!!!!

I visited Violetville, MD (Baltimore County) a few years back to take pics of the two pumpers Code 3 made models for. After the shoot (which, in and of itself, was far more than I'd bargained for to begin with), I was treated to a ride in the ALF. We went around a few blocks, and were enroute back to the station. Stopped at a light down the block from the firehouse, and there's a bunch of little kids playing in the yard of a nearby house. They all came running down to curbside when they saw the engine. Now, around here, most kids would be jerking their fists up and down looking for a little air horn action. Not these kids. Every one of 'em had their arm straight out in front of them, making circular motions. You got it.....they wanted to see the Roto-Ray run!

"Real" foam probably wouldn't be too healthy for all the kids running around in it either, correct?

At least it'll spare us from hearing the words "brush fire" for a couple of days.

Ummm.....well, I didn't think of it from that point of view. Sadly, times have changed since 1984, when the incident in question occurred. The way things work today, it probably is best that the dept. remain OOS. If everyone were to be "responsible" and not get "drunk", it wouldn't matter.....but we all know that doesn't happen.

Sometimes food, etc. gets donated, and they don't always have bands, attractions for kids, etc. The smaller the town, the more simple it gets. More than once, locally, I've seen the food consist of hamburgers and/or hotdogs being cooked by a neighboring department who donated their time to help out. Mutual aid coverage is worked out ahead of time, and if a "serious" incident erupts, then the thing gets shut down. I've heard of that happening once.

Speak o' the devil, and it appears. Wallington, that is. Ummm.......that isn't "real" foam. It's dish soap.

I have a Mac, so I can't enjoy most of Oradell's little features there. Damn Windows files! However, while they put on a show every time out, I don't know if they'll ever top what they did in Wallington. The stuff was waist deep.....on grown men! Or Paramus.....the Hi-Ex unit was perched atop the bucket of the tower ladder. Can you say Aerial Foam Ops?!? I hope to be able to attend a wetdown or two in Westchester, and maybe Long Island this year. I can only imagine what they're like down there, if their parades are any indication. Hopefully everyone stays safe and responsible at this year's events so that a good time can be had by all.

Yeah, it's tricky how they classify the model year of fire apparatus. Either way, if I had the money and a place to put it, that baby would be all MINE!!!!

That's the "standard" response for anyone from: 1) a career dept., 2) a "big" city, or 3) an area of the country where they don't have wetdowns. No surprise here. I wonder what they'd think of guys like us who actually venture outside of our home county to attend such events? On second thought, maybe I don't want to know!

It wasn't even AT the firehouse. It was the parking lot of a large office complex nearby. Plenty of room for everyone, and some decent photo ops, too. Some were saying it was the best one they've ever seen, but for me, it didn't even crack the top 5. Now, if Wayne's on July 8th even comes CLOSE to living up to it's hype, THAT will be one for the ages!

It is going to be released. The feedback part is just them playing games. They don't have a mold for a 148" ALF cab, nor a 100-foot tower. What you see is what you get. I just wonder if they're going to include the missing lettering, or maybe any of the other "small" details. From the looks of things on Code 3's board today, if they don't release something from the East Coast soon, there's liable to be a riot. Can't recall the last time I saw that much negativity over one release announcement.

Re: The goat. Why not? Man cannot live on ducks alone. Variety is the spice of life! He sure gets around, doesn't he?

Yeah, I remember the stories about how there were three different departments all being told that their rig was the next Diamond Plate piece, just to keep everyone on their toes and guessing.

I was sooooo hoping they would have shocked us with some new tooling, but what they're showing is exactly what I thought they'd do. Just add some lettering to the front of the cab, and change the wheels, and it's about as close as it's going to get.

Nothin' like a little "advance notice"! I'd try to go for it, if the weather wasn't so lousy.

I don't like the new Wrangler at all. It looks like a Suzuki Samurai on steroids. They should have kept it the way it was. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!". Guess I better hope I win the lottery soon, so I can pick up an '06 or maybe '05 leftover. Seems like every vehicle I like has been redesigned lately......and not for the better. This is really lame. For the record, I currently have a '95 Wrangler, which gets in the low 20's on the highway. Not bad.

Is the tower ladder in the background of that picture also for Yonkers?

Looks great! I'd like to get some pics of it as well, at some point, regardless of event.

The only thing I don't like about wetdowns for aerials is that more often than not, the unit is all jacked up on outriggers with the stick way up in the air, so you have to get there 2 hours early, or more, to get a decent pic of it (or stay until the end, which isn't good if it's in the late afternoon/evening).

Once a year the NJMFPA holds it's annual photo night. Members, friends, and buffs from all over the country (and occasionally from other countries) meet in Northern New Jersey to watch slide programs from members, meet friends, and make new friends. The NJMFPA Annual Valor Award is awarded on this night to a NJ firefighter that made a rescue during the previous year. The highlight of every photo night is the NJMFPA slide program, put together by Rich Wolfson. With the use of music and dissolve units, it never fails to bring out a full range of emotions from the audience. (This slide program was part of the opening ceremonies at the Firehouse Magazine Expo in Baltimore a few years ago) Raffles are held, food is served, and a great time is always had by all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The above info is from the NJMFPA website. For further info and/or directions, visit http://www.njfirephotos.com After what seems like an eternity of waiting, it's finally a week away! Cross fingers and hope for great weather next Saturday!

City of Middletown FD Orange Co. Mutual Aid (36 Control) City of Middletown PD Town of Wallkill PD Of course, my POS hand-held doesn't pick up much of anything besides dispatches. Guess it's time for a new one.

Yeah, it was a tad chilly that day, but the confined space, and close proximity to the Seniors' Center, made the "traditional" activities not possible. I'm not complaining a bit.....the shirts were free, and the food was out of control!!! In the five years I've been going to these things, I've NEVER seen a spread like that. As for the firefighters pushing the new rig into it's bay, I believe that happens in Pennsylvania.

Given the location of Tarrytown's event, and the way it was set up, it was a no-brainer going in that there wasn't going to be any noise or water. I must have missed Nanuet's arrival. Personally, I don't go to wetdowns to get wet. I go to take pictures of apparatus. Couldn't care less if water is flowing or not, but if the ability to do so makes more companies show up, then so be it. The numerous people who bust my chops about when am I going to go digital (and they KNOW who they are!) .....that's one of the reasons I don't. Can't justify spending the money on the kind of camera I want, only to risk having it get drenched the first time out. Seeing just that happen to a fellow buff last summer didn't help matters any, either. I've worn out Orange County, and most of North Jersey. Would LOVE to hit a couple of wetdowns in Westchester and Long Island to see how they stack up.

Pretty decent lookin' rig you've got there. Are all the other apparatus black and red, or is this a new thing? And, will the Pierce tower be the same? Just curious.