Out and About..the I-95 DEATH MARCH!

[JBE 328]

Since I had a large amount of time on my hands with vacation, and I wasn't interested in OT at work, I got home from Arizona with yet another trip in mind. I took a day to get the Rock Box ready to go and warn some people I was hitting town. 20 hours(not including a 3 hour nap) 1280 miles racked up and cursing DC rush hour traffic. It was off to Florida to meet up with Ken Martin, or FF Martin as some of you may know him as from other boards. This, my friends is the I-95 Death March!!!

First Stop, Miami-Dade Station 21. Home of a very nice Pierce Velocity Tower Ladder.

Engine 21.

As me and Ken Cruise up the A1A, I spy Miami-Dade Lifeguards..

We head over to Station 13 and the Shops where I hit the jackpot.

Just about Brand New Spartan Evolution with a Rosenbauer body.

Aerial 10, also a brand new Spartan.

[JBE 328]

I start running around the back lot of the shops like a kid on Christmas. First up is an Engine/Tanker spare. This was a pain in the neck to shoot because of the angle and close proximity to the fence behind me.

Here's Miami-Dades Tactical Communications rig. Similar to the FDNY Field Comm..I can hear Ken in my head right now. Aaaaand the Field Comm.

Spare Chiefs car.

Here's a really old spare aerial..Still marked as Metro-Dade

Spare Bus for my brother..

More to come...

[JBE 328]

This is Miami-Dade's Unimog Brush Rig. This thing is a beast. I like the plow up front, too.

Here we have a line up of spare and reserve aerials, pretty much stretching back to the early 90's up to that new Aerial 10. There are some refurbs in there, like the Pierce with the Chrome grill.

This is Aerial 43, getting worked on.

Edited February 24, 2009 by JBE

[JBE 328]

As we were heading away from the shops, we happened upon a car wreck just before FIU, right by the Turnpike. I look at the old truckie, and say. "I'm taking pictures, be right back!!!" He laughs and then decides to film me shooting the rigs and wreck to continue his laughter. While I'm running across three lanes of traffic and getting myself in position.

Miami Dade Engine 47, Aerial 29 and the wreck. I think they were cutting someone out. The Aerial was the last shot I got before the camera decided to die on me.

Next stop, Port St. Lucie, the Mets, and beyond..

[Guest FFNick]

Nice pics. Thanks

Can you tell me what the difference is for the aerial designations? The tower was P21, and the sticks were L10 and A29, A43, A13.

[JBE 328]

After thanking Kenny, and cursing the fact that we didn't imbibe in ANY JD while I was with him, I packed my stuff and broke north for Port St Lucie. But not before I stopped and shot this little beauty. Dania Beach, Engine 93. They are quartered with a Medic Unit in a combination house. Combination being them and Hollywood Fire Station 74.

I had shot some of the rigs in PSL my last time around. So I just shot the Gator at Tradition Field while I shot at least 60 pictures of the Mets working out.

I stopped in Orlando for a few days, but weather kept me from shooting anything decent. Except for this...Firehouse Subs went off and painted this lovely American La France either 900 or 1000 series rig up to look like a dalmatian.

Seen on this trip.Orlando Tower 10, an incredibly nice looking Sutphen TL, not too much different from Port Chesters rig.

Also Orlando Engine 12, which I think may have been a spare. So after I made my patented All Hands, Additional Engine and Truck Chili for my hosts, I packed up and went even further north. Our next Station Stop...Fayetteville, North Carolina.

[JBE 328]

Nice pics. Thanks

Can you tell me what the difference is for the aerial designations? The tower was P21, and the sticks were L10 and A29, A43, A13.

I'm going to take a guess and say platforms are tower ladders, and aerials appear to be Quints. However, L-10 appears to be a quint. It may also be the size of the ladder.

[JBE 328]

And we're off to North Carolina. I stopped in to see an old friend of mine from my Carmel High days, and my days working at Waldbaums(now AnP) while she worked over in the old Roy Rogers, which became an Arby's which burned down and I don't remember what it is now.. After getting a lay of the land, and passing a NASTY rollover with an SUV a few miles from Fort Bragg while on my way to see another Carmel High pal, it was off to it..

This is Cumberland County Station 5, the Cumberland Road FD. They are a combination paid/vollie house. The numbering system they use for rigs is somewhat reminiscent of Putnam and Dutchess' system of unit ID's...

Engine 531 pumper/tanker

Engine 532 another pumper/tanker

Engine 511, with a beautiful memorial to Chelsey the Dalmatian.

[JBE 328]

Brush rig 541.

571, I presume this is a quick response vehicle/light rescue/EMS. They got a run for a diff breather while I was there and they went out in this.

Rescue 561..

Cumberland County EMS Medic 123 just happened to be out front.

Next stop, Fayetteville..

[JBE 328]

And the last stop on my trip, Fayetteville. Home of the Swamp Dogs, a minor league ball team that is like the Orphans in the movie the Warriors. "So far down they ain't even on the map!!"

Fayetteville Engine 6 and Truck 6.

Heading over to Fayetteville Station 5, Engine 5 with Squad/Rescue 5. Engine 5 was a rig they absorbed from another department. The red/silver is a nice touch.

Then yesterday morning, I packed my stuff, gassed up the Rock Box, and made my way home. 3120 miles in 10 days. Over 50 rigs shot, and at least three spotted that I couldn't shoot. Orlando Tower 10, College Park, MD Engine 121(Trumpeter made a model of it a few years ago. It's in my closet waiting to be turned into a fictional Carmel rig) and Baltimore City Medic 9 as I was stopping for gas. I want to thank everyone for the hospitality and showing me around, especially my Carmel High buddies and the old Truckie hisself. Extra special thanx to Jeff Lampert of the Miami Dade Fire Rescue Supply Office for seriously hooking a brotha up. And thanks go out to the following police departments for being such good sports. Phoenix, Miami-Dade, Orlando, Port St Lucie, and Fayetteville. The next trip will probably be in the summer, and I think I'm Wisconsin bound..

[JRS2817 1]

Nice shots, not a fan of the Pierce Engine 21 and 47, all the other trucks are nice

[SpartanML 0]

Awesome shots, thanks for posting these!

[Patch6713 18]

great shots, thanks for using all of your gas to get the shots for us to see.

[10-Buff-4 0]

GREAT SHOTS indeed, all around. Miami-Dade's new Spartan/Rosenbauer Quint looks especially sharp, as does the Unimog! I didn't realize that Miami-Dade needed Engine Tankers, that's a great rarity! Thanks for sharing.

-Joe DA BUFF

[Scottyk107 9]

Too bad you weren't in Orlando this past Saturday. It was our annual department Chili Cook-Off and there were a good amount of rigs there, including the Heavy Rescue, Haz-Mat, and the rest of station 1.

[markmets415 524]

thanks for taking the time to take the photos and share them with us, great shots

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing the great pics what do they do with the plow (sand)???

[Guest CRASH]

just drove back from florida myself.....

.

.

did u happen to notice wjhat looked to be a graveyard of rigs on the side of 95 im not sure if it was georgia or south carolina

[Turborich 12]

Haha sounds like Ken is back to his old self if he's cursing the lack o' Jack.. he had us scared for a while there. Nice pics one heck of a road trip!

One-One-Oh to Brooklyn K.. Martin without Daniels is like a respectable callgirl sans stilletos... take some spy shots of "Da Shops" next time you go for a ride!

[gpdexplorer 46]

Thanks for sharing the great pics what do they do with the plow (sand)???

JHK, I think the plow is probably used to clear brush out of the way of that unit, since it's a brush truck.

[x635 4,066]

Great photos, Jimmy! You got every shot I want to get next time I'm down there- very jealous! Thanks for sharing! I love those Quints!

[mfc2257 464]

just drove back from florida myself.....

.

.

did u happen to notice wjhat looked to be a graveyard of rigs on the side of 95 im not sure if it was georgia or south carolina

If its what I think you're referring to (a bunch of ARFF trucks and a few fire apparatus) I believe it's a dealer.

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing the pics, too bad you missed out on on E121.

[RescueKujo 130]

Nice shots, Jimmy. I gotta get back to Florida...

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Nice shots. I don't miss DC traffic all that much anymore but I do miss Virginia. The best experience I ever got in extrication came from the stretch of I-95 my company covered. In fact if you ever come through the 95 corridor again...stop by Spotsylvania County. When I was there and I believe they still are for the most part an all E One apparatus county. Stop into Chancellor Fire & Rescue Company 6 that was my company...we bordered the City of Fredericksburg, who when I was there still had an in service snorkel and we covered a stretch of I 95 from the Stafford County border for about 10 miles along with Company 4 who was our 2nd due.

[JBE 328]

Nice shots, not a fan of the Pierce Engine 21 and 47, all the other trucks are nice

I wasn't either, for a very long time. They grow on you. The Quantum has been around close to 20 years. It doesn't look like your every day run of the mill rig, but like I said, it grows on you. Don't get me wrong, I think they are as ugly as sin, but it's like the ugly dogs, they are so ugly they are cute in their own special way.

Edited February 26, 2009 by JBE

[Guest]

Great picts

[FDNY 10-75 640]

Great stuff!

[JohnnyOV 2]

If its what I think you're referring to (a bunch of ARFF trucks and a few fire apparatus) I believe it's a dealer.

Last time I drove back to FL from NY there must have been 20-30 different types of fire trucks and such parked in a field. There is also another area where a guy is selling 2 old trucks, 1 engine and 1 ladder...has been for the last 5 years.

[JBE 328]

Sorry guy, I must have missed it. I was pretty much operating with tunnel vision. Get to where I'm going, passing glance at the side of the road or median looking for troopers.