Rear step riding....

[spin_the_wheel 460]

Any Westchester or Putnam Depts.s still ride the tailboard of any rigs?? With or without safety belts?? Just wondering there are still some Depts. out there that do it on the older rigs.

[Ladder44 73]

On most trucks these days i think theres a WARNING plate on all trucks stating its illegal.......im not sure though

[cas2383 22]

Only time I've ever seen someone on the rear step these days is during a parade when speeds are slooowww.

[ex67-1 0]

Sorry guys, the days of riding on rear steps are over! Now we have a thing called P.E.S.H (really O.S.H.A.) Rear riding is strickly forbidden.

[JetPhoto 626]

Sorry guys, the days of riding on rear steps are over!  Now we have a thing called P.E.S.H (really O.S.H.A.) Rear riding is strickly forbidden.

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I think the only time you might get away with it is loading hose at a very slow speed.

[JohnnyOV 2]

I think the only time you might get away with it is loading hose at a very slow speed.

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while backing up that has to be up there with one the crazier things I have heard...

[xfirefighter484x 234]

Sorry guys, the days of riding on rear steps are over!  Now we have a thing called P.E.S.H (really O.S.H.A.) Rear riding is strickly forbidden.

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You hit it right on the nose ex67-1, rear-step riding is strictly forbidden. NYS is one of 22 states, and 2 US territories to have state OSHA plans, and PESH is just the NYS division of OSHA.

[IzzyEng4 427]

The only tine riding on a back step is allowed is when packing hose after a call / drill (technicly this isn't riding the rear step per OSHA). You cannot ride a back step to a call, drill or out just for a "joy ride" This is an MFPA and OSHA mandadted law.

On May 11th, 1991, two Waterbury, CT firefighters died while going to a call in spare Engine 11, a 1980's Hahn. It lost its brakes and crashed into a tree killing two members and severly injuring the three otheres. One member was riding standing up in a jump seat and was thrown from the vehicle. After this incident, all members riding seated became the norm and law and closed cabs became standard on all new apparatus.

This incident along with severe others that included members falling of the running boards and rear steps of apparatus began the process of eliminating this practice. The Waterbury incident was the last straw so to speak as well as other similar incidents that occured at the same time period.

[grumpyff 1,159]

On most trucks these days i think theres a WARNING plate on all trucks stating its illegal.......im not sure though

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I know of one dept that removed the plate and kept riding the tailboard until the early ninties. When I first joined it was still allowed, but is now banned. There really is no reason to ride back there, it is just too unsafe. Just as bad, if not worse was riding on top of the apparatus. Not in the hose, but on benches, such as the old R47. You had to watch for low branches, bumps in the road(I almost got bounced off one time), plus the apparatus making hard turns/stops. Ride in the cab with your seatbelt on.

[ex-commish 490]

I know of one dept that removed the plate and kept riding the tailboard until the early ninties.  When I first joined it was still allowed, but is now banned.  There really is no reason to ride back there, it is just too unsafe.  Just as bad, if not worse was riding on top of the apparatus.  Not in the hose, but on benches, such as the old R47.  You had to watch for low branches, bumps in the road(I almost got bounced off one time), plus the apparatus making hard turns/stops.  Ride in the cab with your seatbelt on.

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Most apparatus is built per NFPA specs. The tailboard is not manufactured for riding and I believe it states that on the plate. Removing the plate is suicide.

[Jason762 2]

Maybe its me, but why would anyone want to ride the rear step? Its not safe, its not climate controlled, and with all the history of injuries and fatalities it seems ridiculous. Why don't we go back to not wearing SCBA's and full turnouts.

[res6cue 67]

I know of a company that allowed it well into the 90s on one of their apparatus that only seated two in the cab. They had a suicide bar and I believe ladder belts to strap on, but still. Thankfully it's a thing of the past now.

I hated driving the snorkel and having guys stand up in the jump seats when they thought I wasn't paying attention to them. Rules are great, I'm all for them, but in the real world they're not so easy to enforce. I mean really, you're gonna stop the truck dead in its tracks going to a working fire until the guys sit down? It was an absolute no win situation. I'm glad our open cabs are gone, that's for sure. Almost as bad, or maybe moreso, is our walkin rescue where the guys leave the rear doors wide open and insist on sitting right at the end of the bench. Thankfully, that truck will also be gone in a few months, to be replaced with a non walkin.

[ex-commish 490]

Maybe its me, but why would anyone want to ride the rear step?  Its not safe, its not climate controlled, and with all the history of injuries and fatalities it seems ridiculous.  Why don't we go back to not wearing SCBA's and full turnouts.

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You are right but that is how we did things back than and I am only going backto the early 80's. Riding the back was very normal and it was a miracle no one ever fell off. I could remember 4-5 of us on the back holing eachother as we got dressed. It was accepted and also fun but I would never want to see us go back to riding that way again.

[IzzyEng4 427]

You are right but that is how we did things back than and I am only going backto the early 80's. Riding the back was very normal and it was a miracle no one ever fell off. I could remember 4-5 of us on the back holing eachother as we got dressed. It was accepted and also fun but I would never want to see us go back to riding that way again.

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remember the days when the truckies rode the running boards on the sides???

[grumpyff 1,159]

remember the days when the truckies rode the running boards on the sides???

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Or worse yet, riding on the turntable, with your feet dangling into the jumpseat area(midmount ladder).

[firecapt32 282]

i remember thoses days too but you know what its 2006 time to move on--no riding the rear step period!

[IzzyEng4 427]

i remember thoses days too but you know  what its 2006 time to move on--no riding the rear step period!

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Times have changed, for the good!

[Lloyd Christmas 0]

Wanna ride the rear step? Become a sanitation worker!

[Guest]

To bad those days are over and not coming back i would have liked to done it once.

[firecapt32 282]

even sanation workers are being killed riding the back of their apparatus. new law requiring helmets is in albany (i believe) soon they wont be riding back there either.

glad the old days are over---god what we did in the past--how many of you rember filter masks?? before scba were popular??god i hate to date my self. but thats what we had "in the good old days" filter mask with tape on the bottom to cover the opening, when you went to a fire and used the mask you undid the tape out the maks on fought the fire, resealed the tape, checked the litmus paper indicator to see what color it was , it it was blue you were still good to go.

only had 2 scba in each company. now look at us