521 replies to this topic

[Xplorer4x4]

Is there any particular reason as to why the USFS trucks have pumps on the rear?

And second, just wondered if Ford makes any sort of interceptor packages for the Tarus? Occasionally I notice them used as undercover cars like yesterday I saw a navy blue one that was undercover.

[MikesPhotos]

Is there any particular reason as to why the USFS trucks have pumps on the rear?

Safety and tactics. On a house fire, you park your apparatus in front of the involved structure and you are between the fire and the apparatus. That is not necessarily a good place to be on a wildland or forest fire. This allows the apparatus to be parked facing out, with the rear towards the fire for ease of use and escape. The newer rigs are also having side pumps and connections for progressive hoselays and structure protection for a compromise of both missions. But for the longest time, all USFS Type III's were rear pumps.

And second, just wondered if Ford makes any sort of interceptor packages for the Tarus? Occasionally I notice them used as undercover cars like yesterday I saw a navy blue one that was undercover.

Nope, the only special service/police packages ford currently makes are the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, Expedition Special Service Vehicle, Explorer Special Service Vehicle and the E-Series Van & Wagon

[Xplorer4x4]

Nope, the only special service/police packages ford currently makes are the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, Expedition Special Service Vehicle, Explorer Special Service Vehicle and the E-Series Van & Wagon

What kind of mods does the Explorer and Expedition use? I would guess modified sway bars, suspension tweaks, and things like that to help it in cornering? And maybe some armor if there feds? What about the Econoline? The only purpose I have seen them serve is for transporting alot of people which there already designed for anyways so its not like they need suspension tweaks.

[MikesPhotos]

What kind of mods does the Explorer and Expedition use? I would guess modified sway bars, suspension tweaks, and things like that to help it in cornering? And maybe some armor if there feds? What about the Econoline? The only purpose I have seen them serve is for transporting alot of people which there already designed for anyways so its not like they need suspension tweaks.

The only differences are found in the electrical setup to accommodate the excess power drain and wiring for radios, sirens, lightbars and such

[Newfoundking]

most cars chosen for policing usually don't need any adjustments from factory default except minor things like power and that.. Elsewise it would be too expensive to make. When companies make certain types of cars, they have ideas for what they want, like if they want it to be a cop car, they make it suitable to be a cop car.

[Xplorer4x4]

Thanks Mike.

@NFK, yeah i see what you mean just figured they had upgrades to improve there handling, but then again chances are there not going to be primary on a high speed chase, and if they are needed in a chase due to terrain I suppose the other vehicles probably not much fast or better handling then the Explorer Expedition/Explorer.


Last question for awhile, maybe.

Is the E-series pretty much the standard for a coroner to use for transporting bodies? I have looked all over the net and havent been able to find the coroners van for my city/county.

[MikesPhotos]

most cars chosen for policing usually don't need any adjustments from factory default except minor things like power and that.. Elsewise it would be too expensive to make. When companies make certain types of cars, they have ideas for what they want, like if they want it to be a cop car, they make it suitable to be a cop car.

Exactly and that is why the Dodge Charger lost out on the CHP Contract. CHP notified them recently that they will be sticking with Ford at least until 2010. Chrysler, in their infinite wisdom, "forgot" to include the price of the ballistic door panels in the contract and it became a huge bureaucratic pissing match with Dodge eventually losing. The handful of ones that were delivered with ballistic door panels may still be deployed, here and there, but most will be relegated to show cars, special duties, and stuff of that nature.

It always comes down to cost, and that little item pushed the cost beyond the acceptable limit.

[Newfoundking]

In reference to the E-series used for coroners, a lot of agencies use them, because they provide the space, and are relatively cheap. However some places also use other types of vehicles for coroners.

Basically it is like crown victorias and patrol cars, They dominate it pretty much. Now you will see other ones occasionally, but the main one is crown vics, the same is true for coroner vans

[Xplorer4x4]

Yeah I notice LA has CVs and trucks for there coroners. The Trucks look like they could fit 2 bodies in its utility bed.

[Newfoundking]

Um, to my knowledge (might not be completely acurate) but the LA county coroner only uses this type of vehicle for transportation of bodies.

The rest are for investigative, or whatever. But if you meant something like this Those don't do transportation of bodies...

-NFK

[Xplorer4x4]

Yeah I was talking about the ford pick up.

For the FFs here, is it normal for people to just drop by the station to take pics?

[pyrothijs]

Yeah I was talking about the ford pick up.

For the FFs here, is it normal for people to just drop by the station to take pics?

Well normal is a big word... But sure it happens from time to time.

[MikesPhotos]

Yeah I was talking about the ford pick up.

For the FFs here, is it normal for people to just drop by the station to take pics?

Quick reply:

the trucks are used only for Investigative and logistical support

Depends on the department and the station and the policies post 9/11. LAFD stations have becoming near impossible to just drop by at from what I've heard, LACoFD fire stations are hit and miss, 127s (fabled sta 51 from the show) is always open to visitors, others will turn you away at the door and tell you to leave their property. When I was with Riverside Co FD, the stations with volunteers were more open then the straight CDF stations who would usually tell you to wait for the departments open house. The most common thing I've seen is if you come to take pics, instead of just a family dropping by to say hi, they'll ask to see some identification and make you sign a visitor guest log. It's not just 9/11 that has forced this, but people scouting stations and then waiting for a call to empty them before breaking in and robbing the firefighters blind.

The best way to do it is send a formal request to the departments PIO/FIO and make contact with that station before hand. Just be respectful, and if they say go away, don't start a fight because you will lose. Some children on this board and others, and in real life seem to have strange ideas of rights and rule of law, and remember, all government buildings are paid for by taxpayers, but they are still private property and private places of business and you have no right to be there if they tell you to leave.

[Xplorer4x4]

^I had no idea it was like that these days. I cant believe people would rob the ffs like that. I dont exactly approve of stealing in the first place but that takes it to the extreme there. Now I realize why one of the stations I stopped at today had heavy duty locks and key pads on the doors.

I did get to stop at one station and they were more then happy to even pull the trucks out for me. Of course I only asked for 2 of the 4 trucks but still. Not to mention the station is a run down POS and houses 2 Engines, a brush and a Chevy 5500 Medium Walk In Rescue parked in 2 single file rows. Happy to open the rigs up, explain the uses of the rigs. Hell he even pointed out that there main pumper has 1500 gallon tank while most of the city trucks have a 500 gallon. Explained why they also special in Hazmat, and alot of various reason for there apertures and techniques.



I also have another question. :$ A BLS FF would not be trained/allowed to use a defib right? So why do so many fire engines carry them if they cant use them?

[Newfoundking]

Most people now, be it ALS firefighter, BLS firefighter, cop, or even people like me are trained to use defibrillator, because it is part of the most basic first aid course. Now as for whether or not trucks carry them, yes a lot of them do, but you have to remember these are very expensive machines, ranging around a few thousand dollars.

Defibrillators are not really that hard to use in most cases, as things like this are becoming much more user friendly, so if they are ever needed, it doesn't take a doctorate to use.

Hope this might explain a bit

[Xplorer4x4]

Ok I just assumed since the EMTs on the LA Mod cant use them this was how it was in real life.

[Xplorer4x4]

Me again, back to bug you all more,

Is it common for CSI to drive the standard dept issue cv, or an undercover cv? Kind of like how our SWAT team some times responds in standard issue cvs..

[MikesPhotos]

I also have another question. :$ A BLS FF would not be trained/allowed to use a defib right? So why do so many fire engines carry them if they cant use them?

Most people now, be it ALS firefighter, BLS firefighter, cop, or even people like me are trained to use defibrillator, because it is part of the most basic first aid course. Now as for whether or not trucks carry them, yes a lot of them do, but you have to remember these are very expensive machines, ranging around a few thousand dollars.

Defibrillators are not really that hard to use in most cases, as things like this are becoming much more user friendly, so if they are ever needed, it doesn't take a doctorate to use.

Hope this might explain a bit

Ok I just assumed since the EMTs on the LA Mod cant use them this was how it was in real life.

Once again terminology plays a KEY role in understanding the vary complex set of procedures, protocols, and equipment used in Emergency Medicine. First off, there are two types of defibrillators in use today.

The Automatic External Defibrillator and the Manual Defibrillator. AED's automatically diagnose two types of irregular rhythms, ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia and shock if appropriate. Its a simple place the pads, press the button, let the machine do its thing. All Firefighters, EMT's and many lay people are trained to utilize these. Unfortunately, they only are effective in those 2 rhythms and nothing else. It is simply a follow the voice prompt "idiot-proof" tool. For most fire departments in Southern California, and LAFD in particular, here are the protocols for useage from LAFD SOP:

For cardiac arrests that are not witnessed by LAFD personnel, CPR shall be
performed for 2-3 minutes prior to application of the AED. Cardiac arrests
witnessed by LAFD members should have the AED applied as soon as possible.

Since ALS care is almost always on scene within that time of BLS care being on scene, the AEDs are rarely utilized but are there if needed.

Los Angeles County, and LACoFD especially, was one of the few test pilot programs to usher in the use of 12 Lead EKG Manual multi-functional defibrillator monitor such as the Lifepak 12. These machines are utilized by paramedics trained in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and allow the medics to better diagnose and treat a plethora of other heart anomalies and rhythms beyond just v-fib and v-tac along with their boxes of heart drugs. Previously, they used standard 4 lead for years before companies were able to field a reliable and effective 12 lead similar to the large machines found in emergency rooms throughout the world.

So back to your question, FF's can and do use AED's, but not Manual Defibs. Only paramedics utilize those, and while you do not need a doctorate to use one, it does take many hours and a high level of knowledge and training to be able to understand the complexities of the machine and the heart.

[Xplorer4x4]

Many thanks again Mike. I witnessed a small structure fire tonight across the street from where I live. While it was a small fire there were 2 ladders/quints on scene, 2 pumpers, and a rescue squad truck. Oh and a bc and arson investigation was there. I am guessing this is pretty standard in apartment complex fires as I would imagine an aggressive attack is rather common for apt complex fires? Now i found it rather odd that most of the fire units, including the BC, were Evansville Fire Department(city units) because it falls under jurisdiction of Knight Township Fire Department which is located in Evansville, but is an all volunteer company. Now I have a few questions regarding the way things were handled. Now I realize with out knowing our dept policies its hard to give a precise answer, but I am merely asking for an educated guess here. Why send so many EFD units when Knight TWP has a station about 2 miles or less away housing a quint, 2 pumpers,and 2 BCs? Further more Knight TWP has another station about 10 mins away, but still pretty much right down the street, which also houses a pumper. My uneducated guess would be lack of man power due to being an all volunteer dept, while EFD is all paid. Another thing I noticed was I kept hearing a weird sound. A neighbor of mine was out side and asked me what it was. It was a strange beeping sound, and my guess would have to be one or two of the trucks had a carbon monoxide detector on board. It did not sound like your typical home smoke detector. Now the most surprising thing was that this truck, EFD Rescue 3 was dispatched from clear across town. Now since it is strictly a rescue and doesnt have a water tank. my guess is this truck was used as a rehab? They had something on board that they pulled out that took 2 firefighters to carry, and looked like a stretcher but was only like half the length and was about 1 foot in height. Any idea what this may have been?

Thanks to all of you for providing answers, its really intriguing to learn these things.

[Newfoundking]

well as for the response, it was probably due to the size of the building and the fire that the paid team was dispatched az they would arrive quicker than a volunteer fire department. As for the the thing that was taken off the truck, I don't know what it is, maybe it was a stretcher, but closed up or something, can you give a better description?