jcoppola

Very nice bike. I just hope it never is parked behind me with the lights going when I am blasting through Darien to get to work. (It wouldn't be the first time )

Belltown has a similar rig of a similar age. I heard talk of the same "rechassis" idea thrown around for TL45. If I were on the truck committee, I would want to find out the risk factors of re-mounting a 40-year old aerialscope boom and bucket onto a brand new Seagrave chassis. I realize that the hydraulics and boom controls would be all new, but suppose some major boom failure takes place that no inspection can forsee? I see that as a huge risk. Is it worth the savings? I realize budgets are tight, but in the end, if that rechassis were to fail, I envision the total cost of the refurb truck being more in labor and parts than a new one? Just a thought. I realize that there really is no truck on the road today more versitile than an aerialscope on that single rear axle 75'. You can get them anywhere and they do a lot. With budgetary constraints where they are today too, our choices are really limited. Good luck to Darien on the refurb, cannot wait to see it when its done! Joe

Engine 11 is a nice looking rig. I like the bumper. The city's name appearing in bold white letters on the bumper is a nice touch. I really wish that we in Norwalk would get away from using the spartan chassis with the high cabs, they look very dis-proportionate. I like the look of the waterbury cab much, much better.

Thanks Chris! Someone at the hazmat tech meeting last night said they saw your post on this forum. I must have missed it. Pretty smooth so far, I love riding the truck and the hiring hasn't been too bad yet. Gee, I wounder why. I guess I shall find out the hard way in July. JC

Very nice tribute to Brother Joyce. Nice work Yonkers!

The CFA is hosting Chief Fre LaFemina from FDNY SOC on April 9, 2010 for one of the many informational seminars that are hosted throughout the year. The topic is Technical Rescue Incidents and it promises to be a very educational presentation. The cost is a bargain at $55. I had the distinct honor of attending a few of Chief LaFemina's training seminars and lectures over the years and I highly recommend it to all of my brother firefighters. You will positively learn a great deal from this. For further information, visit the CFA's website at http://www.ct.gov/cfpc Be safe and enjoy! Joe __________________

I agree, from what I have seen and heard, Smeal is low on quality and customer satisfaction. Good luck with the rigs anyway though.

I had the Norwalk PD guys do this for me a few times. If you get the plate when the FTY happens, they will get 'em. Nice job.

Pat, Good luck to you and the Brothers in Stamford with the new rig. I am a bit suprised that SFRD did not go bigger. I mean with all of the Rescue disciplines you guys do there, and the extremely urban environment in which you guys run, I would have thought that a larger and more "beefy" rig would have been in order. Is R2 going to remain equipped as a back up or will it be in service carrying specialized tools and equipment? Anyway, it looks good and its nice to have the fleet all match, plus it's a home run for the mechanical division I am sure. Stay safe!

Enough already with the stupid baseball analogies. Come up with a freakin solution.

Date: 02-17-2010 Time: 07:12 Location: Commerce Street @ Devine Brothers Yard Frequency: Units Operating: E4, R2, C2, Tactical Rescue Weather Conditions: Clear and cold Description Of Incident: Person struck by the train and was reported to still be under the train. Reporters: JVC Writer: JVC<br>

Some pictures from the fire we had this past Saturday morning. Full Gallery at http://www.local830.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_pics.cfm&viewmode=thumb&galleryID=10345&gallery=Orange%20Street%20Fire%2C%20January%2030%2C%202010 JVC

That quint operates as a truck primarily. Since it is in a 2 company house with E1, it can be, if needed used as an engine. If they pull up first due to a house fire and E1 is not with them, I think they would operate as an engine if the situation dictated that. Its a touchy subject, but we all think of it as a truck and nothing else. JVC

Beautiful rig. Well done. The compartment space looks great and I love the zodiac up in the top of the rig. Can the crane do more than just lift the boat out of the top? I would imagine so, but was the lifting of the boat the only intent?

Yes it is, they use it for musters and other special events. Its a really beautiful truck, it needs some attention though to make it look better. I think it still runs great though.

A few more beauties from Norwalk:

My alma mater, Belltown FD in Stamford had a few pretty open cab rigs back in the day, some of which I went to some of my first fires on board. E41 was a 63 Mack C85 and old E43 was a 49 Mack.

My favorite old fire apparatus is no doubt Mack only. Learned how to drive a firetruck in a MACK. Nothing is meaner than an old CF. No seconds, thats it. My modern day favorite is Pierce. I think they make one of the meanest looking and solid fire apparatus hands down. I am excited to see what KME builds for us with the new tiller and the delivery of that will end a streak of Spartans that has gone on for too long in my opinion.

Ask anybody who knows me as an instructor and they will tell you that I place an enormous amount of importance on building construction in my classes. Like Branningan said, "know your buildings". Know how the enemy is going to behave in battle, its your only chance of survival.

The new one looks great, pretty standard rescue box on a Spartan. The Spartans are not growing on me at all, my department is exclusively Spartan Marion and the Marion is a good product no doubt, but the new Spartan chassis' leave a lot to be desired. And, I will also ask...what was wrong with the old rescue, other than smaller than the new one?

Date: 12-22-2009 Time: 21:44 Location: 65 Ohio Avenue Extension Frequency: Units Operating: E1, E4, T1, C2, R2, T2 (RIT), C1, C3, C4, C12, Yankeegas, CL&P, NPD, NHEMS, Building Department, DPUC, Norwalk Office of Emergency Preparedness Weather Conditions: Extremely Cold Description Of Incident: Natural gas explosion in the house that totally demolished the house and fully engulfed it in fire. 3 persons were transported, 1 with facial, hand and internal burns. Last unit cleared the scene at 0709 this morning. Reporters: J. Coppola, Norwalk Fire Writer: J. Coppola, Norwalk Fire Photo Gallery

Let me preface by saying that I really am not really a huge fan of our 100' Sutphen/Spartan. It has a huge wheelbase and a huge overhang with the bucket. The general opinion of it on my job is that it is kind of tough to utilize in most of the applications where we find a need for it. I don't think that the SP100 would answer any of our problems with tight streets, hence the upcoming tiller purchase. It seems to me that the bucket will be safe, but the actual body will now be fair game for telephone poles and street signs. But, having never driven one, this is purely an assumption. I have another question about the new Sutphen. One of the problems with ours is that you cannot use the bucket and the mounted master stream smooth bore as a movable portable monitor at the front of a commercial building, like you can with a aerialscope. The gun locks out at a degree angle that is not usable to penetrate ceilings on the ground-level of a building. Is that the case with the new ones too? And Matt, great shots, its really sharp. I am sure it will serve SFRD well. Thanks. Joe

Truck 1 looks great. Could someone provide the height, weight, wheelbase and overall length of the truck from bumper to bumper?

Good topic. Great discussions and some good insight. Keep it up. JVC

This is an interesting topic, and one that was visited several years ago in Norwalk. About 10 or 11 years ago, my Local IAFF affiliate, Local 830, voted to allow the Norwalk Hospital Paramedics and EMTs the right to inquire with thier administration about joining our Local. You could just imagine how that request was handled. From what I heard, and can remember, the Hospital wanted absolutely no part of their employees unionizing. I also heard some of the employees at the time were opposed to it. Our union was in favor of it. It would only make us stronger, and it would help the Paramedics negotiate better contracts. No doubt it would put them at an advantage with gaining and keeping benefits. Here's something to check out: National Labor Relations Act. This act gives employees the legal, constitutional right to establish a labor union in a workplace.