On February 9, 2017 what started out as a small fire along the roadside escalated into a 16 acre woods and field fire. Brisk winds were blowing this day along with super dry conditions spread the fire through a woods and into an open field threatening some houses in a wooded housing development. Mutual aid came from Carroll and Howard Counties. There were no hydrants in the area and portable tanks were set up along with numerous tankers shuttling water throughout the fire  Two alarms were struck along with numerous special calls and it took about 7 hours to contain and place the fire under control.

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I could smell the smoke on the wind in my neighborhood.  By the time we got there, it was still a very smoky scene, but the majority of the fire had been knocked down, a quick stop by the CFD.

 

The A & D sides of the scene, upwind from the smoke.

 

The call came in at 12:03 Saturday morning. There were 4 people at home at the time of the fire.  No injuries reported

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anyone know the history of this one?

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As the Syracuse Fire Department gained more experience with its Rescue Company, by 1960 they began to study the high number of simple emergency and first aid runs that the heavy rescue was responding to. It was thought that a smaller unit utilizing two of the company’s personnel could better handle these types of calls, conserving the wear and tear on the larger unit.  Accordingly, in 1962 a light rescue unit was placed in service as the second vehicle of the Rescue Company. This unit would be called the First Aid. The vehicle chosen was a Chevrolet Suburban-based unit, suitably modified by the Automotive Conversion Corporation with ambulance equipment.  Automotive Conversion Corp. introduced the Suburban-based Rescu-All in late 1958. Available on both long- and short-wheelbase Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans, the vehicle was well-equipped for rescue duty and included a full complement of warning lights, a beacon, a siren, head light flashers, medical cabinetry, an attendant's seat, a full-size collapsible stretcher and frosted plexiglass rear window inserts. These types of vehicles were offered by ACC from 1958 through 1979. Cost of the SFD's new unit, delivered in 1962, was $4,990.

 

Here's an excellent shot by Dick Sparrow showing Syracuse's 1962 unit shortly after it entered service:

 



 

The new unit proved to be extremely useful and versatile - and busy!  So much so that it was in need of replacement within only a few years. During those years, the City of Syracuse was capably served by a local private ambulance company, Eastern Ambulance.  They stepped forward in 1970 and made one of their older units, a 1965 Cadillac, available to the SFD. Although the firefighters loved having a Cadillac, unfortunately the nice ride didn't last long. Within a year, the Cadillac was totaled when it was T-boned at a downtown intersection while responding to an alarm. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries - and also fortunately, a new First Aid unit was already on order.  UNfortunately, however, the Cadillac was in service for such a short time that no pictures seem to exist of it, either in eastern Ambulance or SFD livery. What appears below is a quick 'n dirty Photoshop of a rig that isn't ours, just to show what it looked like. I sure would like a "real" photo, if anyone has one.

 



 

The new SFD First Aid unit was delivered in May 1970, and was built by the Gerstenslager Company of Wooster, Ohio.  The vehicle cost $10,475 delivered.  A few years after it entered service, the unit’s radio designation was changed from “First Aid” to “Rescue 2” (the heavy rescue was, of course,” Rescue 1”).

 

Heard from a reliable source that Dalla has left Spartan and gone to Pierce.

The story of the Syracuse Fire Department Rescue Company started in 1933, with a 1925 Obenchain-Boyer engine (#37706) that had been one of the three apparatus acquired when the City of Syracuse annexed the Village of Eastwood on its eastern border. The unit served briefly as SFD Engine 17, then as Engine 15 until August, 1930. As Chief Edward Geiselman saw the need for a supplementary company to assist the SFD’s engines and trucks, he saw that other cities were beginning to utilize “flying squads” for additional manpower, or, as the FDNY had done since 1915, organized specially-equipped “rescue companies”.  Chief Geiselman decided that this was the way to go, and the former Eastwood engine was converted by the department’s own shops into a Light & Squad Truck. This unit was equipped with a separate Kohler 4-cylinder engine driving a 2.0 kW 110-volt DC generator. The rig carried two gas masks, an oxygen mask, an inhalator, salvage covers, two 750-watt spotlights, four 250-watt portable spotlights, and over 1100 feet of electrical cord. The new Light Squad Company, manned by 3 to 4 men per shift, was placed in service on December 1, 1933 and quickly proved itself responding to major alarms and emergencies.  

 

 



 

By 1940 It  became apparent, however, that the open- cab unit was extremely underpowered – the Federal chassis produced only 33 horsepower (about the same as an early Volkswagen). It was decided that a larger, more powerful apparatus was required – and one with more compartment space for the ever-increasing complement of equipment that the company was beginning to carry. Unfortunately, war was on the horizon and new apparatus exceedingly hard to come by. In spite of these obstacles, in October of 1941 a new Light Squad truck was delivered, built on a 1941 Chevrolet AJ 4-door 185” WB chassis (#5632) , with a fully-enclosed rear body built by the local Salina Body Works. Costing $4,234, it featured a 129 HP motor, and a 5 kW generator. In addition, a full complement of spotlights, electrical cable, torches and salvage equipment were carried in the rig’s multiple compartments.

 



 



 

This modern unit gave exceptional service throughout the trying war years, and as the immediate post-war world moved forward, it reached the point where the amount of equipment this rig was carrying started to exceed its safe capacity . . . plus, the mission of the company itself had evolved as well. It was time to move away from the "Light and Squad" concept, and fully embrace the idea of a dedicated, specialized Rescue Company.

I watched a video of Detroit fire at a house fire and one of the companies had new black gear. Does anyone know what brand they got?

The long-lasting relationship between the Syracuse Fire Department and the Sutphen Corporation started in the early 1970s. At that time, 7 of the 8 Syracuse truck companies were equipped with mid-mount 100’ aerial ladders. The sole exception was a 1964 American LaFrance Aero-Chief 90-foot snorkel assigned to Truck 6. While this unit had proved its ability to reach places that no straight stick could, on a cold January 14th night in 1971 at a multiple-alarm warehouse fire on Syracuse’s near west side, it suffered a catastrophic failure and collapsed. There were two firefighters in the basket, and one of their life belts broke, throwing the firefighter to the street.  He died on the way to the hospital. The officer’s belt held, although he too was ejected from the basket and struck the boom , causing serious injuries. The operator on the turntable was also thrown to the street, suffering  severe injuries. Here is a shot of Truck 6 after the collapse:

 



 

Syracuse Fire Chief Tom Hanlon, while recognizing the tactical value of the snorkel, vowed that there would never be another articulating-boom apparatus purchased while he was the Chief. He did not like the fact that there was no alternative way down for the members aloft.  Alternative types of apparatus would have to be considered. Here is one of the typical SFD Truck Companies of the time, this one is a 1968 Seagrave 100' mid-mount assigned to Truck 1:

 



 

At the time of this tragic 1971 fire, the same Fire Department Reorganization Plan that I discussed in my article on Syracuse Mini-Pumpers was reaching the point where it was time to do something about it. The plan had been around since 1961, and the need for its improvements  was increasing year by year.  As the Syracuse Fire Department began to look around for new types of fire apparatus, a man in Ohio was looking for new markets for his revolutionary aerial towers. Utilizing a box beam, and featuring aircraft-style Huck-bolted construction, he thought that they might just be what Syracuse was looking for. His name was Tom Sutphen.

A series of demonstrations was arranged in 1972 at the Syracuse Fire Department’s Training Academy.  Taking Chief Hanlon up to the top floor of the training tower, the Sutphen engineer quickly brought the bucket straight down the side by lowering and retracting it at the same time. While Chief Hanlon was impressed, his only comment was “Don’t EVER do that again!”. The two Toms struck up what would turn out to be a life-long friendship, based on mutual admiration and respect.  Chief Hanlon was able to secure funding for a series of three of the new towers, to be delivered in 1973. What would follow was a series of 22 aerial towers over the next 44 years, with two more planned for 2018. There have been many evolutionary changes since that first tower appeared, but the current towers are still very much cast in the same Sutphen mold that Syracuse firefighters have grown to know and trust for so long. Let’s take a look at them through the years.

 

Here is the very first Syracuse Sutphen Tower delivered, Serial # HS-833. It is an 85-foot unit with a 1000 gpm pump, 300-gallon water tank, and a 100-gallon Class B foam tank. The cost new was $129,992. This was the first of the three-truck order delivered and went to Truck 4. The others, when delivered, were assigned to Trucks 1 & 8.

 



 

As I mentioned, there would be many, many more Sutphen towers to follow - but this is the one that started it all in Syracuse.

Hey

 

I was wondering if anybody has information on or a CAD drawing of the FDNY 1996 E\-One test engine

that FDNY was testing out in the late nineties.

 

Thanks!