CBS FDNY Apparatus Maintenance Story

[Guest]

CBS

CBS

CBS

Apr 5, 2006 7:08 am US/Eastern

CBS 2 Investigates: Lacking FDNY Truck Maintenance

UFA Steaming Over Apparent Lack Of Adequate Equipment

Marcia Kramer

Reporting

(CBS) NEW YORK

Is the city’s fleet of garbage trucks better maintained than our fire trucks? Top union officials certainly think so.

Shocking CBS 2 pictures show that a Bronx ladder company was forced Tuesday to use a 17-year-old spare rig that has seen better days. The tires on Ladder 706 are worn, a light hangs by a wire and the wheel wells are rusted out.

“There is a public safety crisis in New York City,†said Stephen Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association. “New York City firefighters are right now being forced to drive around in jalopies.â€

Cassidy said part of the problem is the fire department's preventive maintenance program.

He produced internal fire department documents that show the preventive maintenance checklist has just 25 items. He said mechanics spend only two and a half hours per truck to get the equipment back in service.

“Their preventive maintenance program is a disaster,†Cassidy charged.

Compare that, he said, to the Sanitation Department, which spends eight hours on each of its garbage trucks.

“The sanitation department has a checklist of 189 things that must be checked before a sanitation truck can go back into service,†Cassidy said.

The sanitation checklist has 45 items dealing with the engine alone.

The fire union drove its point home with this story:

At Ladder 19 in the Bronx the aerial ladder failed to go up six different times.

Back in February, a firefighter was trapped in a burning apartment building window and the aerial ladder wouldn’t go up. Luckily another company was able to rescue the guy, but fire union officials said public safety is jeopardized when unpredictable equipment is used.

The fire brass defended itself.

Said FDNY Chief of Operations Sal Cassano: “We do a thorough, bumper-to-bumper safety check. Whether a checklist of 180 or checklist of 25 or 30, we wouldn’t release that rig unless we were absolutely sure it was safe."

At a City Council hearing Tuesday, Councilman Miguel Rodriguez urged department officials to upgrade their preventive maintenance program and use the sanitation standards as a model.

Rodriguez said he feels sorry for the firefighters who, "are trying to get there on time in a vehicle that may not be so safe.â€

[vodoly 535]

Wow major probelm's looking at them pics God dam media

[Guest]

God damned media?? They are 100% right, some of these rigs should never leave the spare pool unless its headed to a major refurb, or to the dump. I've seen some of these trucks with no windows besides the windshield. Ladders that won't go up? Wow.

[oilflame 0]

but alot of those rigs still are good for fires cuse its not the age of the truck it is hows the body and stuff of it

[TRUCK6018 50]

but alot of those rigs still are good for fires    cuse its not the age of the truck it is hows the body and stuff of it

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I have to disagree with you. While the truck may be good once you get to the fire, it's what happens to and from that's the problem. All fire apparatus at this point is recommended to meet NFPA's 1901's 1991 edition standards.

This revision of the standard made major changes in fire apparatus safety. Some are:

Enclosed cabs

Reflective striping

Audible warning devices mounted in front of the driver

Slow close valves

Axel and GVW weight standards

ABS and auxiliary braking systems

Third party testing mandatory for aerial devices

Annex "D" also recommends all apparatus built prior to 1979 be removed from active and reserve service as they are obsolete!

While NFPA standards are only recommendations, it is something to take a serious look at. The most recent edition of 1901 (2003) has a new part, Annex "D". This goes into detail when a rig should be replaced vs refurbished. Annex "D" also recommends all apparatus built prior to 1979 be removed from active and reserve service as they are obsolete!

This is a position that I'm surprised Cassidy didn't take in his press release.

Edited April 5, 2006 by TRUCK6018

[JBE 328]

Wow major probelm's looking at them pics God dam media

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They are 100 percent right. It's disgraceful that they are driving around in rigs like this. Granted L-706 is a reserve, but L-142 was driving around in Reserve Ladder 704 for MONTHS!!! Tower Ladders having to drive around with rear mounts?? No good.

[Guest WolfEMT]

I saw TL 12 yesterday morning responding to a job as I was crossing 9th Avenue going to work. It was definitely a sight to see an older-model Mack CF Tower Ladder with an open rear cab and a fire fighter standing up in the opening. I'm not knocking the Macks, but there was a specific reason why they were taken out of front-line service years ago. While they may be good for a temporary assignment, something long-term like what JBE said about L-142 is definitely a bad move. It's sad that it appears that the sanitation department has a more complete and comprehensive inspection checklist than the fire department.

[Guest]

The "Tonka Truck" Ladder 124 is also using a spare rearmount. As was L111 a few weeks ago, and the real sight was R3 using a spare Squad rescue Pumper a few months back.