Fort Worth Fire Department Engine 34-A Unique Rosenbaeur

[x635 4,066]

A few weeks ago, I had the oppurtunity to visit Fort Worth Fire Department Station 34. Being from Round Rock, about 3 hours south of Fort Worth, I'm not really too familiar with the Dallas-Fort Worth area "metroplex" and don't get the time/money to visit as often as I'd like. This station is brand new, and houses an Engine company (4-5 firefighters) and a brush truck. It serves a brand new, large subdivision that was recently annexed by the city and will eventually will be bigger then some villages or towns in Westchester in just a few short years. What struck me is how far out this station is. It's about 30 minutes from downtown Fort Worth and you have to drive through nowhere to get there. I never really figured the city to be that big. All the utilities and facilities are already built and ready for a community.

Anyways, they recently opened Station 34:

And were assigned a 2010 Spartan/Rosenbeaur ("General Fire Apparatus"- they dealt with them for many purchases until the buyout). I know they've spec'd their pumps like this for a while, but it was really cool to see it up close. I didn't get as many detail shots as I would have liked, but it gives me another reason to make a future trip!

Weren't we just talking about this in another thread?:

They were also assigned this 2010 Ford F-550 4x4/Metro Fire Apparatus Specialists CAFS Equipped (the local Crimson dealer in house build)

MedStar, which is a hybrid EMS system, covers the complex. They are a pretty high class operation and keep everything and everyone in top notch shape, even though they run SSM. They even have a mounted EMS team (yes, they provide EMS at special events via horses)

http://www.medstar911.org/

[Guest BillyBlazes]

SSM?

[efdcapt115 1,511]

System Status Management (SSM) is the most widely accepted method for managing ambulance/EMS resources in the PUM environment. SSM has two dominant components:

Dynamic Deployment

Ambulances are geographically deployed based on projected demand by the time of day and day of week by using historic demand data. This model responds to the fact that as populations move from home to work and back, geographic demand patterns vary. Using SSM, ambulances do not respond from fixed stations, but are "posted" to street corners on an hour to hour basis. The "posts" are selected to provide the best response times for the projected demand at that time of day.

Peak Demand Staffing

Shift schedules are designed to provide the number of ambulances needed for the time of day and day of week projected demand. Consequently, in a typical PUM EMS provider system, ambulances typically begin duty every hour from 5:00 a.m. until noon and then the numbers start declining about 5:00 p.m. until midnight. Shift lengths are typically 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 24 hours in a large and busy system.

SSM enables a public utility model EMS contractor to match resources to demand more accurately than using a more traditional 'static' model of fixed staffing and fixed stations for all hours of the day and days of the week.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Utility_Model

[osufire90 18]

Thats a very unique pump panel layout. It must make servicing the pump easy. It is interesting that there are no rear intakes or discharges, as in most rear mount pumps...all intakes and discharges appear to be off the side.

[Guest TCA-ALS25]

http://en.wikipedia....c_Utility_Model

Another upside to SSM, if done correctly: It keeps burn-out to a minimum by allowing dispatchers and/or coordinators to rotate "quiet" units into high volume areas and allow the busy units to rotate away and catch their breath, so to speak.

[Bnechis 3,961]

Another upside to SSM, if done correctly: It keeps burn-out to a minimum by allowing dispatchers and/or coordinators to rotate "quiet" units into high volume areas and allow the busy units to rotate away and catch their breath, so to speak.

Most medics refer to it as System Sacrificing Medics.....based on that, I suspect most places dont run it right.

[TXCHIEF 9]

Seth, station 34 which just opened in September of this year in the Sendera Ranch development in north Fort Worth as you stated is supporting a development that at build out will be about 10,000 roof tops. currently the City of Fort Worth covers approx 300 sq miles (always subject to change). Fort Worth has built several new stations in the past 10 yrs especially on the North & West side where the growth has occurred and have also added on additional Fire companies due to the growth and the requirements of annexation here in TX ( annexation must lay out plan for many things but in particular FD & PD) they currently staff 42 stations, with minimum staffing of 4 per apparatus.

In regards to the apparatus another thing I find very positive down here is the cities abilities to utilize cooperative purchasing agreements for the purchase of among other things fire apparatus and Fort Worth does take advantage of this

in lieu of having to go out to bid individually and based on the pricing already received they can also add on to the base price. This has proven to be a very cost effective solution across the state.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

What size hose is on the booster reels?

[Alpinerunner 61]

Great shots... that is a very unique rig and it looks like it has a lot of bells and whistles. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Just lots of things on the pump panel I don't recognize. It looks like they run it as a squad, which makes sense if they don't have a truck nearby.

[osufire90 18]

Most of their engines appear to be set up as squads. All of their new engines have light towers as well, which is unique, as most large fire departments dont even spec generators, let alone light towers, on their engines.

[TXCHIEF 9]

Here is what Fort Worth Runs

37 Engines, 10 Quints, 4 Trucks, 6 Aircraft Rescue, 13 Brush (4x4) Units, 2 Utility/Light & Air, 2 Water Tankers, 1 Command Unit, 1 HazMat/Rescue Squad.

[STAT213 332]

That pump panel is very interesting. I also like the wheels for the gates, and right at the discharge itself. Great idea.

Our engines are set up very similarly. We don't always have the luxury of getting the truck to every call, as its cross staffed with an engine, so our pumps have to be able to do it all. There is very little on the truck that isn't on each engine. In fact, our truck is not as well equipped as our engines.

Always good to see how other departments skin the cat in their own way.

[osufire90 18]

Here is what Fort Worth Runs

37 Engines, 10 Quints, 4 Trucks, 6 Aircraft Rescue, 13 Brush (4x4) Units, 2 Utility/Light & Air, 2 Water Tankers, 1 Command Unit, 1 HazMat/Rescue Squad.

Do they run their quints as true quints, or trucks with pumps?

[PFDRes47cue 653]

Great shots. The rig looks awesome! Very nice job, best of luck with it.

[x635 4,066]

Do they run their quints as true quints, or trucks with pumps?

TXChief may be able to better explain this, but from what I understand, in most areas, they run with Engine companies as a truck. I believe the pump/tank/hose is there as an auxillary tool, so the Quint can be sufficient for master streams, and run as an Engine company when needed.

[TXCHIEF 9]

TXChief may be able to better explain this, but from what I understand, in most areas, they run with Engine companies as a truck. I believe the pump/tank/hose is there as an auxillary tool, so the Quint can be sufficient for master streams, and run as an Engine company when needed.

You are correct Fort worth runs with the engine company/quint combination and has been doing so for many years. In addition they are very specific in their station assignments for the quints using a standard that the station they run out of are typically in areas of concentrations of apartments or garden homes, which allows for quick use of water

and aerial capability for rescue. They are also typically assigned in stations in which the quint runs less than 2K alarms per yr

[osufire90 18]

there used to be a nice page with pictures of all Fort Worth fire apparatus, but I cant seem to find it now

[TXCHIEF 9]

there used to be a nice page with pictures of all Fort Worth fire apparatus, but I cant seem to find it now

Here is a site that has a large number of photos of FWFD

http://www.fortworthfire.net/index.cgi

[x635 4,066]

You are correct Fort worth runs with the engine company/quint combination and has been doing so for many years. In addition they are very specific in their station assignments for the quints using a standard that the station they run out of are typically in areas of concentrations of apartments or garden homes, which allows for quick use of water

and aerial capability for rescue. They are also typically assigned in stations in which the quint runs less than 2K alarms per yr

Here's an example of a Fort Worth FD Quint. Quint 33- 2009 Spartan/Smeal 105'/1500/500

[ems731 0]

What does this saying translate to? I know the first part is speak spanish? What does "Le puedo ayudar" translate to?

[efdcapt115 1,511]

What does this saying translate to? I know the first part is speak spanish? What does "Le puedo ayudar" translate to?

It means "May I help you?"

[Mark Z 18]

What does this saying translate to? I know the first part is speak spanish? What does "Le puedo ayudar" translate to?

Edited December 29, 2010 by Mark Z

[cas2383 22]

What does this saying translate to? I know the first part is speak spanish? What does "Le puedo ayudar" translate to?

It's asking if you speak spanish.. I/we can help you.

[Mitch 49]

Beautiful Engine and Station. Tell them good luck with them!

[Task Force 7 65]

Quint 33 is one of the few stations in Fort Worth where they don't have an Engine assigned. Station 9, and 13 are the other stations. Quint 33 runs with an Attack Company since the next closet FWFD station is about 5 miles a way. Quint 33 is located in Centreport on the far Eastern edge of the city just South of D/FW Airport. They have American Airlines Headquarters and several industrial buildings, hotels, apartments, and a TRE Rail Station in their first due district. The City of Euless, Grand Prairie, and D/FW Airport have stations closer to Quint 33's quarters than FWFD does.