Los Angeles City FD New Heavy Rescue 56 (Really Cool Rotator)

[x635 4,066]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Did I mention awesome?

Quote

 

For more than 130 years, your ‪#‎LosAngeles‬ ‪#‎FireDepartment‬ has been called to often dramatic and challenging rescues. Since 1948, the LAFD has maintained in service, a series of Heavy Utility / Heavy Rescue vehicles designed to expertly manage uncommon scenarios at which life, property and the environment hang in the balance.

 

Built to LAFD specification and resembling heavy-duty tow trucks built on Kenworth, Mack, Crown and now Peterbilt chassis, they have been a constant part of our fleet, seeing around-the-clock citywide emergency service for nearly 70 years................

 

 

PHOTOS:

 

[SECTMB 612]

So who would actually respond in this apparatus?  It would obviously require a degree of specialized training. Are operators available 24/7 or are they special called to 'go get' the rotator and then respond to a scene?

Edited May 10, 2016 by SECTMB

[vodoly 535]

Nice piece of equipment out there bet it ran them a good 500 grand?

[mfc2257 464]

HR56 is staffed by a technician trained in its operation and a firefighter 24/7 out of station 56 if I recall. It is used extensively by not only LAFD but the surrounding agencies and has been made available to any SoCal department that needs it. 

[SOUSGT 357]

Vincent's towing in Mamaroneck has one of these (and several other heavy wreckers) and operators who are trained how to use it. 

They are on call 24/7 for I-95 by the Thruway Authority. 

[vodoly 535]

Tummino's  & Manhattan Towing in Ridgefield Park for heavy duty wreckers with rotators  handle  our area highways Tummino's has a website.   Tumminostowing.com

Edited May 11, 2016 by vodoly

[x635 4,066]

Here's a photo of the old Heavy Rescue 56 that I took in 2003:

 

And another:

 

 

 

[Reliance 29]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 6:35 PM, vodoly said:

Tummino's  & Manhattan Towing in Ridgefield Park for heavy duty wreckers with rotators  handle  our area highways Tummino's has a website.   Tumminostowing.com

It should be http://www.tuminostowing.com/ with only one m in it.

[vodoly 535]

9 minutes ago, Reliance said:

It should be http://www.tuminostowing.com/ with only one m in it.

Thanks for the correction !! 

[x635 4,066]

Rotators were once a towing industry specialty, and now they are becoming an industry standard. As far as FD's, Los Angeles County FD and Washington DC also have a rotator in their fleet, but have been unable to duplicate LAFD's program. I'm actually surprised that they are not more commonplace in the fire service.

 

Stiloski's was one of the first in our area to have a rotator. John has and still owns several 60 and 75 tons.  Vincent Towing is another local company that has a 75 ton.

 

The rotator was also brought to fame by the TV Show "Wrecked: Life in the Crash Lane" which was aired on the SPEED Network in 2008-2009, which followed a large heavy truck towing and recovery company as they responded to wrecks along Chicago's numerous highways.

 

Jerr-Dan, a competitor to the industry leader, Miller Industries Century brand, had a rotator on display at FDIC. A friend of mine snapped a photo. He knows who he is and that I'm still upset he didn't bring it home for me LOL. I hope I will see in Harrisburg if I get to go.

 

[AFS1970 504]

These are certainly cool trucks, and they can do a lot. However I wonder just how busy they are? Do the runs justify having them in the fleet? Are they ever used (even internally) for towing, since they are essentially heavy duty wreckers?

[SOUSGT 357]

10 hours ago, AFS1970 said:

These are certainly cool trucks, and they can do a lot. However I wonder just how busy they are? Do the runs justify having them in the fleet? Are they ever used (even internally) for towing, since they are essentially heavy duty wreckers?

You would need  a huge fleet to justify the expense. It is more cost effective to have a list of local tow operators with the equipment and offer to train with them. 

At the end of the day its just like any other piece of equipment. Once you get past the initial purchase, you have to constantly train to remain proficient. In this case it may be best to rely on the commercial operators who use the equipment everyday. 

[x635 4,066]

12 hours ago, AFS1970 said:

These are certainly cool trucks, and they can do a lot. However I wonder just how busy they are? Do the runs justify having them in the fleet? Are they ever used (even internally) for towing, since they are essentially heavy duty wreckers?

 

1 hour ago, SOUSGT said:

You would need  a huge fleet to justify the expense. It is more cost effective to have a list of local tow operators with the equipment and offer to train with them. 

At the end of the day its just like any other piece of equipment. Once you get past the initial purchase, you have to constantly train to remain proficient. In this case it may be best to rely on the commercial operators who use the equipment everyday. 

 

LA City FD covers about 4 million people over 471 square miles. They have a huge fleet including over 162 Engines, 42 trucks, 100 ambulances, and tons of support vehicles, including ARFF trucks and helicopters.  This truck (and it's spare)  responds to about 30-40 calls where the boom is placed into rescue service each year.  It's also on call to tow any disabled apparatus.  Additionally, it also provides support services, such as uprighting overturned vehicles and trucks or removing them from cliffs, etc. It's also a good tool for moving debris during large scale emergencies such as earthquakes and other USAR operations.

[AFS1970 504]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering how much use it got. Just the fact that it can be used to tow disabled apparatus probably makes it worth having with a fleet that large. For most departments around here there would not be a need for a department owned wrecker. Then again few departments around here have the cliffs that LA has or the freeway system, although we do have busy highways. This is why it seemed odd to me. I know of three companies I can call in Stamford for heavy duty equipment like this. I am sure there are a few more regionally. I can even remember one call where they debated special calling a crane from a local hauling company, but in the end did not need it.

[pump305 53]

HR56 ran about 500 runs last year is what i read in a statistic report. They respond on every Physical rescue, USAR, Major emergency(second alarm and greater).  Also can be special called by the IC if needed. Yes, they are staffed 24/7 with an Engineer and FF both highly trained in operations.

[dwcfireman 656]

On 5/15/2016 at 9:48 AM, SOUSGT said:

At the end of the day its just like any other piece of equipment. Once you get past the initial purchase, you have to constantly train to remain proficient.

 

This statement is truer by 10 fold for specialized equipment.  Whether it's a heavy rescue rotator, ARFF, a tower ladder with an articulating boom, a chemical truck (purple K unit or such), or any thing else that's not an ordinary piece of equipment (by ordinary I mean engines, ladders, and rescues).  Specialized equipment is built for a special purpose, which requires specific training for the apparatus and it's operation, and specific training on the equipment it carries for the very specific role that it plays on the scene.  The alliteration of the word "specific" is excruciatingly important due to the fact that some pieces of apparatus are designed and built for one very reason.  I can speak on behalf of ARFF apparatus, which is designed to respond and spray foam with 3 minutes of a crash...It takes a lot of training to remain proficient with the operation of the vehicle, the location of certain buttons and switches, where important equipment is located, and usage of the correct equipment for particular situations.