M' Ave

There is some wiggle room there. Besides, it has to be the lowest bidder who meets all of the specs. For that to happen, a manufacturer has to be willing to adjust from their typical designs as the city's rigs are often lower/narrower than most. Meet the spec and the tough warranty requirements and THEN have the lowest bid. Anyone who makes these rigs does so in the hopes that they can make money on volume, because the profit margin per rig is going to be smaller than normal. The bonus in having a city contract is, It's a sure thing that FDNY is going to need and average of 20 new engines and 15 new ladders EVERY year. They might order those rigs in larger lots, but that's how it breaks down over a 10 year period.

No, the R1's rig will join the spare pool. There is no Rescue 6. That was a one time thing, only in service for the Rep. National Convention. They don't have a firehouse or a regular assigned roster. 5 new rigs for the 5 Rescue Co's. I read that other site and I really don't understand the attachment to a particular manufacturer. The buff talk all follows the Pierce and I have to say that, if you ask guys from around the job (or any job where the guys spend a lot of time in the rig and on the road)they'll tell you that every rig is a P.O.S. You can get a good rig from anywhere, you can get a bad one as well. The Seagrave's we have now take a pounding, but they're junk. Junk inside and junk all around. Older guys say the same thing about the Mack's and the AlF's, so on and so on.... Just because the rig's manufacturer is the same, doesn't mean that it's the same rig. The guts of any apparatus are specific to the spec. You never know who makes the pumps, engine, aerial, transimision, ect. You would be surprised how many guys I work with who couldn't even tell you who makes the rig unless they're standing right next to it.

What Whaler model? Outrage? Looks outfitted well, nice job on the Forward Looking Infrared. Best of luck with the new rig.

Very nice looking unit! I'd like to know more of the specs if they're available. Looks good with a pair of monitor nozzles and well protected outboards. Does it have a tow bit? Pump Capacity? Who's the builder? Ect. Ect.

No. Full Duty only.

If you have two fixed nozzles on a tower, why not have both. Certainly makes sense, simply from a point of versatility. However, if we're talking about exposure protection for wood frames in very close proximity to one another, can this not be accomplished with a hand line from the ground, or a multi-versel? If a fire was being fought in a narrow street with buildings in close proximity, this would allow the limited aerial resources to be used to fight the fire directly. I'm glad you point out the use of the aerial mounted adjustable nozzle. I didn't consider that. I would still think that a smooth bore is going to come into play more frequently, whether it was a defensive knock down from above or through a window/roll-down gate, ect. ect. aimed at a ceiling for dispersion.

Thanks for the clarification, however I didn't even notice the tips on your rig, I only glanced quickly at the other examples of this model. Makes perfect sense though, I'm sure you have plenty of work ahead to "break it in" and work it out to best suit you guys. What's the overall height? Good luck with her.

We're all upset too!

It goes no further than to say that staffing can be reduced if sick leave reaches 7.5%. It's up to the job to determine what sick leave is. To benefit themselves, they include any uniformed member who is not classified as FULL DUTY to be part of the sick leave %. Someone else will have to clarify if LIGHT DUTY members count.

It's a nice looking rig. I can't for the life of me figure out what an adjustable nozzle is doing on the end of ANY pre-piped water way. The principal use is to flow large amounts of water during a defensive operation. You need volume and penetration. Two things that adjustable nozzles are poor at. Forget the straight stream setting too, it's broken. Nothing beats the volume and penetration of a smooth bore.

Normally, you would not be incorrect. However, for one reason or another, fire department staffing is a hot issue for this mayor and he's keeping his approach very hands on.

You sir, are wrong. Bloomberg is a notorious micro-manager and when it comes to staffing and agency costs, he is KNEE DEEP! We don't have any control over medical leave numbers. Someone calls in sick or goes sick/hurt at a fire, they see a FDNY doctor RIGHT AWAY. That doctor determines what their duty status is. The city and the FD have decided that a high fire load and flu season are a good reason to allow us to operate less-than-properly staffed. The brass and the city love this. They have lumped EVERYONE into this medical leave % in order to reach the number that allows them to reduce our staffing. If you have cancer, you're counted as on medical leave. If you're out with 9/11 respiratory problems, you're counted. It's a B.S. numbers game and the firemen and citizens are the losers.

This is a no brainer. No one has fewer dropped calls and a wider coverage area than Verizon.

How about this one: 3*2 and BC XYZ Ave x XYZ St. That was it! No second source.....in fact, no info at all!! We pulled up and had heavy smoke and people on the fire escape... Go figure! Thanks UCT.

Yeah, we saw the Dept Order with that info on it. However, seeing "Multidwell" and then a letter that indicates smoke or fire is not the nice and complete specific ticket that we saw before this latest debacle. Prior to UCT, I think that the 10-7 code must have seen half as much use. What does it look like from your end? Any chance of this going away, ever? How about 711?

Great photos, thanks. That's the last blessing of the fleet for at least one of those vessels. The "Three Forty Three" should be arriving in NY next month. It will go into service as Marine Co. 1's vessel.

I like that we need to know letter codes for the tickets now...... "What's the nature? I don't know, the ticket says "Multidwell E"" This system is Bulls%#t.

I've ridden with the London F.B. and they're a good bunch! They use high pressure, small diameter hose. A typical attack is to open the door and shoot a high pressure stream in, the steam then snuffs the fire. This works well for them, with largely masonry buildings. Also, ladders are fewer and further between, more of a special apparatus for them. Beyond that, I don't know how they work. I've never seen them operate at a job.

Barry, the glass I understand, along with other spare parts. How about radio's though? That doesn't go through a separate bid? With the specific stereo-simplex system, the job doesn't purchase that stuff separate and have our shops install it? Thanks for the price insight.

Over a million per rig? Nah, way high. In NYC our rigs are delivered with no equipment. That's $1,000,000.00 plus for just the truck and nothing else. That's very high.

Here is the awarded bid: TRUCK, FIRE, 100 FT. REARMOUNT AERIAL Competitive Sealed Bids - PIN# 857900011 AMT: $21,016,210.00 TO: Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc. 27855 James Chapel Road, P.O. Box 249, Holden, LA 70744 Published: 10/21/2009 Award: Competitive Sealed Bids Agency: DCAS / DMSS I'm not sure what's bundled with the total cost, seems like a lot.

First off, take it easy.....bitter much? Second, there was a job, so who cares how you get water. Every time there's a death, a loss of water is a major component, so we don't care very much how it's gotten. Get water, get it fast. NYC blocks are very tight, that was the hydrant he needed or the only one he could access. To go around the front with the 35ft suction was probably too tight, too many kinks. Around the back? Maybe it was too short. To go under? Does the ECC really need to fumble under a car trying to toss a 5" coupling and retrieve it on the other side? I think we should say that MAYBE, just MAYBE going through the window's was the easiest way to go, and the fastest. It doesn't take much to break a car window. E75 takes a hydrant at least 10 times a day for assorted alarms. They may not use it, but they're going to be ready and thinking about how they're hooking up each time. Why don't we give this guy the benefit of the doubt.

The residents of the village of Port Chester own those rigs, so how about they get to the scene, no matter WHO is behind the wheel.

By all accounts, great job by FD and EMS on this serious and touchy incident. I hope that everyone involved makes a speedy, complete and strong recovery. Hopefully there isn't too much finger pointing here and we can all just take a valuable lesson away from a bad situation. My company was involved in an accident with another Co., it's a really lousy situation and in the end, accidents happen, that's all there is too it. Just remember, asses the situation. To what are you responding? What are the road conditions? ABOVE ALL ELSE: Slow down. Trying to stop two multi, multi ton vehicles in the rain is tough, even at a "safe" speed.

Look at any successful city. It has COMMERCE. Take White Plains, there were office buildings and retail outlets. Successful business paved the way for successful modern, urban housing. You need the taxes that businesses pay and you need volume, in terms of people. When I say people, I mean people who are paying taxes and not on social assistance. (Read: NON-skells)