Rescue In Houston

I won't vote if the Idoit Republican Party nominates democrat Mitt Romney again. That would be the dumbest thing in the history of dumb republican moves in the last 8 years.

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---Sounds like the "experts" in education... Those that have never been in front of a classroom have all the answers.. (and have no clue what works and what the real problems are) .. Those who have no history in fire dept. think they know best. Politicians are the same.. they fund things that don't need funding (pet projects) and often don't fund things that need funding.

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Oh, the opportunities to follow-up on this one......

But isn't that the point - that 95% of fire service has nothing to do with fires -it's all the other stuff, hence the smaller, less expensive trucks.

Id be interested in learning about the fronts you suggest that make it a horrible idea.

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Well for starters, our one example is a pickup truck that has plenty of EMS equipment(usually fits in one compartment), some extrication tools and no water. If your child was trapped in the back seat of a car that was rear ended on the freeway, and there is fuel spilling out and there is going to be a lengthy extrication to get him out, because sometimes that just happens, would you rather have a pick up truck with a minimal amount of extrication tools aboard and no water,...that is light enough to also become a hazard to all involved if also rearended because 1) it only weighs 12,000 pounds and 2) it's only long enough to block one lane putting the rescuers themselves in danger of a second impact from behind?

Or would you prefer a truck that has all available extrication tools we buy on board,....750 gallons of water on board in case there is an ignition of fuel,....that weighs 40,000 plus pounds that will easily absorb the impact of most highway vehicles if rearended and long enough to safely block across three lanes offering those trying to perform the extrication the safest route to do so?

Of course you would want the larger truck.

Scene safety is THE number one consideration for emergency responders, and that includes ambulance and police personnel as well. The advantage a full size fire truck offers in regards to scene safety out on the highway is immeasurable and we spend a crap load of time on the freeway, especially in bad weather.

Also, the company in question has a full size truck as well but they take the pickup out on non fire related calls such as EMS calls. So when the pickup is taken on EMS calls the regular larger fire truck is left behind. When this happens and a fire call goes out in their area, either from a vehicle fire, grass fire or structure fire, the pickup guys have to request another regular fire truck from another zone to take the call because they have no firefighting capabilities at all on board, thus delaying the response to the fire. That works great if it isn't your shit on fire or it isn't your relative trapped and/or needing help out on the freeway.

This whole idea evolved due to the call volumn increasing astronomically over the past 3 to 4 years for one station. Instead of adding a crew and another truck at that location, or going with a smaller European style fire truck that might get better fuel performance, or building another station nearby and splitting the work load, they thought a smaller pickup truck as a quick attack would save in fuel costs, and it does, but at a ridiculous risk. IMO I'm surprised the program hasnt been canceled already?

Rick

Edited March 28, 2014 by FirefightnRick

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Well for starters, our one example is a pickup truck that has plenty of EMS equipment(usually fits in one compartment), some extrication tools and no water. If your child was trapped in the back seat of a car that was rear ended on the freeway, and there is fuel spilling out and there is going to be a lengthy extrication to get him out, because sometimes that just happens, would you rather have a pick up truck with a minimal amount of extrication tools aboard and no water,...that is light enough to also become a hazard to all involved if also rearended because 1) it only weighs 12,000 pounds and 2) it's only long enough to block one lane putting the rescuers themselves in danger of a second impact from behind?

Or would you prefer a truck that has all available extrication tools we buy on board,....750 gallons of water on board in case there is an ignition of fuel,....that weighs 40,000 plus pounds that will easily absorb the impact of most highway vehicles if rearended and long enough to safely block across three lanes offering those trying to perform the extrication the safest route to do so?

Of course you would want the larger truck.

Scene safety is THE number one consideration for emergency responders, and that includes ambulance and police personnel as well. The advantage a full size fire truck offers in regards to scene safety out on the highway is immeasurable and we spend a crap load of time on the freeway, especially in bad weather.

Also, the company in question has a full size truck as well but they take the pickup out on non fire related calls such as EMS calls. So when the pickup is taken on EMS calls the regular larger fire truck is left behind. When this happens and a fire call goes out in their area, either from a vehicle fire, grass fire or structure fire, the pickup guys have to request another regular fire truck from another zone to take the call because they have no firefighting capabilities at all on board, thus delaying the response to the fire. That works great if it isn't your shit on fire or it isn't your relative trapped and/or needing help out on the freeway.

This whole idea evolved due to the call volumn increasing astronomically over the past 3 to 4 years for one station. Instead of adding a crew and another truck at that location, or going with a smaller European style fire truck that might get better fuel performance, or building another station nearby and splitting the work load, they thought a smaller pickup truck as a quick attack would save in fuel costs, and it does, but at a ridiculous risk. IMO I'm surprised the program hasnt been canceled already?

Rick

Nothing makes a police officer responding to a major accident on a busy freeway more happy than to see a big assed fire truck providing a safety barrier on or shortly after the police officer's arrival.

Even if no one is trapped or even hurt in the accident, that big ass fire truck prevents minor accidents from becoming something much more.

Rick is dead right here.

Yeah, that's an interesting point. It looks good on paper but is a horrible idea on several fronts for the fire service. There are several other ways to save money that doesn't put employees and citizens at risk. I'm hoping its a passing fad but who knows?

Rick

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--No need to waste money but cheaper does not always mean better... Smart cars are cheaper but I don't want one for multiple reasons. When you need a large truck you NEED a large well equipped truck and not a bunch of little ones and it is too late to go buy one. .There is a fair size town near me that seems to vote down everything... well the state finally made them build a new school (condemned the old one) and utilities are a total mess now and falling apart. [ big fire occurred because fires plugs in an area were in-operative .. yes they had been inspected as required but not repaired ] Sometimes one just has to spend some money on what is needed, not what is cheap.. Looks like that is what they are not doing.

Edited March 28, 2014 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66