FDNY E75 taking a blocked hydrant

[Monty 35]

Don't recall seeing this here before. Was just sent this from someone retired from the job ..... Enjoy!

[weaselff 6]

A picture of 75 engine hitting a hydrant "backdraft" style may be too buffy even for this site!

[Guest]

ok so everyone thinks this is cool but a year ago when a pic from a wappinger's fire showed a hose over a car everyone thought it was the worst thing in the world and not needed but if it was fdny its ok

[Mark Z 18]

ok so everyone thinks this is cool but a year ago when a pic from a wappinger's fire showed a hose over a car everyone thought it was the worst thing in the world and not needed but if it was fdny its ok

Depends on why Wappingers did it! If the hydrant was legitmately blocked and they needed water, fine, I wasn't there so I can't and won't second guess the situation. FDNY does many things depts don't need to do elsewhere, I won't second guess them either!

BTW, I bet that driver will pay alot more attention to hydrants in the future!

[TCD0415 26]

I have always wanted to do that, but I think my Chief may ask whyI didn't just put the folding tank elsewhere................

[x129K 1,393]

ok so everyone thinks this is cool but a year ago when a pic from a wappinger's fire showed a hose over a car everyone thought it was the worst thing in the world and not needed but if it was fdny its ok

Wappingers > FDNY

[Guest]

ok so everyone thinks this is cool but a year ago when a pic from a wappinger's fire showed a hose over a car everyone thought it was the worst thing in the world and not needed but if it was fdny its ok

Agreed

[dillondotcom 16]

Nothing is too buffy for this site!!! Great job by 75!

[TAPSJ 30]

Boys and Girls, if you need water you do what you got to do. They could have also moved the car with the firetruck. Yes it is cool, but you got to do what you got to do.

Thomas

[Guest Yankee medic]

Don't recall seeing this here before. Was just sent this from someone retired from the job ..... Enjoy!

PRICELESS

[mike2931 13]

Does anyone here know what the situation was why he went through the window? No, maybe there was severe risk of life and they needed water, I'm on PD in the city and I'll write any car on a hydrant they are there for a reason and there is a reason why FD has a 15ft zone for the hydrant if I want to really be an pain I'll call aggressive tow after I tag the car and have it impounded too. Maybe the chaufer didn't have time to work the hose around the car and hit the hydrant, maybe the car was parked really tight to the pump that he needed to go through the car........If I was a lawyer and you called me to tell me what they did I would of said your dick for doing that.

[grumpyff 1,159]

IIRC the Wappingers incident the hose ended up on top of a vehicle after it was charged, it was not placed there intentionally. As for the picture, it looks like someone had a bad day and took it out on the illegally parked car. I don't think I would have taken the time to place the hose through both windows as shown, but I definitely would not be careful with the coupling as I ran around the car and dragged the hose over/around the car in my hurry to 'hit the hydrant'. Hopefully the car was ticketed and towed after the incident.

TCD0415, I recall backing the tanker up to a car (to be used for training) at the firehouse and operating the rear dump chute, it just happened to be the right height to extend into the car, and filling it with water.

Edited October 29, 2009 by grumpyff

[M' Ave 1,466]

ok so everyone thinks this is cool but a year ago when a pic from a wappinger's fire showed a hose over a car everyone thought it was the worst thing in the world and not needed but if it was fdny its ok

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.

[AndyC3J 190]

Just curious......who said the windows were actually BROKEN, and not open to begin with? Also, the rear tailgate is open. Somebody found a way in to assist with the feeding of said line? I know, probably not likely given the time constraints, but ya never know.

Just my $.02.

[Guest]

nice shot. but why dont they open the doors of the car to get the hose better/lower connect to the hydrant?

[IzzyEng4 427]

nice shot. but why dont they open the doors of the car to get the hose better/lower connect to the hydrant?

Its easier to replace a window that was taken out, ie cost less money to replace the window and fix the dents to the car door, than it is to have the hose go through open doors and after being charged, bends the door hinges and A-pillars.

8.33 lbs of water per gallon times amount of gallons in a (X) length of hose times psi of water from a open hydrant equals total number of psi one the interior walls of said hose is equal to or great of the reaction force applied of the charged feeder line. (Don't worry this is made up equation not a real one, just did it to open the minds eye a bit.)

[16fire5 693]

The chuffeur of 75 was presented with a bad situation and made a split second move to get water quickly. Most of the time the chauffeurs in the bronx will parallel park on the hydrant to allow the trucks to get good positioning and be able to pass by so even though the chauffeur got water the car on the hydrant can still have deadly consequences. Realize the building the apparatus is in front of is probably a 6 story non-fire proof (ordinary) construction building with no standpipe the most common building type in 75s response area. The members are faced with a difficult hand stretch to reach the fire apartment. Engine 75 is quartered with Ladder 33 which is probably entered the building to begin operations. The life hazard is serious with multiple apartments in a non fire proof building members operating before the line is in position and a long stretch. Taking the next hydrant down the street could be a deadly option. I'm sure the chauffeur had seconds to make the decision he did and in my opinion he made the right one. Bring on the lawyers let the city pay for the windows we didn't have to go to another funeral because like on of the other posters said water loss is a common contributing factor in many line of duty deaths in New York. e

[JetPhoto 626]

Here is the Wappinger's Falls's incident:

[16fire5 693]

From being a firefighter, chauffeur, and officer in engines I felt by far the most stressful job was an Engine Chauffeur. Being focused on getting water knowing the sucess of most fires was based on it and more importantly the lives of civillans and the members depend on it. Combine that with tight streets, double parked cars, drivers that could care less about us add to it all. While we worry if the Engine Chauffeur broke a law I wonder if the driver of the car could be charged with murder if a fatal fire could be attributed to a delay in getting water. Bottom line is the driver who chose to park illegally put the chauffeur in the situation of having to solve the problem that he did.

[Mark Z 18]

Are you serious?

Not comepletely, but if a house was on fire near where I parked my car I think I might notice unless I was dead asleep! Like I said, I am not going to really comment much more because I don't have the whole story and I also made the mistake of thinking both were parked by hydrants, which they were not, I thought the hydrant was hidden by the ladder jack untill I looked closer but I still won't say the ladder chauffer was wrong for what he did, the driver of the car was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! I don't think he has much to complain about if his car got damaged other than bad luck.

Edited November 4, 2009 by Mark Z

[PFDRes47cue 653]

I do not see a problem with this. If you do not like what was done, make sure you do not ever park near a fire hydrant. Also, in the FDNY picture, there does not appear to be any glass on the ground outside the vehicle, so it is possible the window was already down or access was gained into the car and the window was pushed down. Either way who cares, a solid water source was established and the fire was presumably knocked down.