Fairfax County VA

[Guest]

[quote name='SrFireOfficial' date='30 June 2010 - 01:12 PM' timestamp='1277916756' post='389937']

MaximSnorkel: This will be the first county-owned Quantum. Personally, I think the Quantum is butt ugly and would settle for an IMPEL just on looks alone. One of the reasons the FRD is going w/the Impel for other apparatus (engines, ladders/towers, rescues) is due to the fact the county's Department of Vehicle Services (DVS) (i.e., the vehicle repair shop) demands to have Detroit Diesel since that is what most of the mechanics work on besides whatever is in the nation's largest (I think FXCO still holds the record) school bus fleet and the Department of Solid Waste has been buying Macks for the last few years (they get whatever they want cause of the huge revenues generated for tipping at the transfer station next to the Fire Academy) so I think that's how the Mack chassis slid in for the tankers (water tenders, whatever you wanna call them). Technically, the DVS folks own the fire trucks and just lets us use them!



Rheems1: I personally don't know of any advantages to having a volunteer owned rig versus a county rig. The Apparatus Division eventually has to approve the specs in order for the rig to be purchased and their is a boiler plate spec that outlines basics for volunteer purchased equipment. Many of the volunteer companies are approaching the point where they can't raise sufficient funds to pay for new rigs despite fund drive letters, bingo one or two nights per week and hall rentals. In "my" perfect world, they would all be county-owned rigs and if there were volunteers who wanted to and were certified to ride, they could ride as auxiliary firefighters. After all, we have auxiliary police officers in the police department but they don't have police cars that say "Mason District Auxiliary Police Department".....



And now, I hope, my first apparatus portrait to appear on FirePics



Medic 428

2010 Freightliner M2 with body by Horton

[/quote]



On a side note about the new Medics I believe they will have the new power cots on them. (Electric cots)

[davemcclung]

[quote name='bigbadred411' date='30 June 2010 - 06:28 PM' timestamp='1277939298' post='389992']

Rumor from the vollies is RE421 is being replaced. Don't know its 1 of the 3 engines on order.

[/quot





when I took shots of the Pierce Lance last year some time they were talking about replacing RE421 sometime this year.

[Guest]

On another side note Fort Belvoir FD's new station in 422's area should be done by Sept or Oct. Only confirmed rigs going there are a engine and a medic unit, but due to it's size (5 bays i believe not too sure) I'm willing to bet more will be placed there. No word on how much of our first due areas will be taken if any.

[Ladder 68]

On the note of the powered cots....



We have had them in HFD for 2 years. You guys will love them. Great invention.

[Guest]

[quote name='Good2Go' date='28 June 2010 - 10:56 PM' timestamp='1277778982' post='389709']

Thanks Shoop. I thought this rig went on to become the original Tower 30? Did it make a pit stop there and then make its way to 36? Or am I way off? Lol (probably the latter) <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



Tower-30 was a 1990 E\-One V-7073. Frying Pan's tower was a hand-me-down from Mclean, a 1988 E\-One V-7079



Paul

[Guest]

Sr - Since you're clearly in the loop I must ask: Why did the county choose to go with the Velocity's? How do the guys on the streets like them? I have seen the apparatus pendulum swing quite a bit over the years, from the short wheelbase E-Ones (currently in reserve) to the well thought out Dash's, but I can't seem to see the merit in the new rigs. Keep in mind I don't have to ride or use them, but I am hoping to hear you 2 cents.



Thanks

Nate

[davemcclung]

[quote name='bigbadred411' date='30 June 2010 - 06:45 PM' timestamp='1277940356' post='390005']

On another side note Fort Belvoir FD's new station in 422's area should be done by Sept or Oct. Only confirmed rigs going there are a engine and a medic unit, but due to it's size (5 bays i believe not too sure) I'm willing to bet more will be placed there. No word on how much of our first due areas will be taken if any.

[/quote]



Will this be the Fort's fourth station or are they combining stations?

[SrFireOfficial]

First and foremost, I screwed up a wee bit referring to the Velocity chassises we purchased as Impels. Granted, the sheet metal/fiberglass is essentially the same but, the County of only buys top of the line!



As I stated in one of my previous posts, the FRD is merely the end-user of the fire apparatus owned by the county's Department of Vehicle Services (DVS). The FRD's Apparatus Section develops specifications based on needs and input from the Apparatus Committee. DVS also has input on the specs since DVS eventually has to provide maintenance and service on the parts of the apparatus that make it a "truck", i.e. chassis, drive train et cetera; the same stuff that's on a garbage truck. DVS has a penchant for Detroit Diesel products in its big rigs and since (to the best of my knowledge) Pierce is only offering Detroits in the Velocity/Impel line, our hand was forced in that direction.





To streamline and standardize DVS fleet operations, it does make a modicum of common sense to consistently purchase the same motors and related parts whether they be for the previously mentioned garbage truck or a bright shiny pumper. It's been my observation that DVS really doesn't care whether the vehicle is a fire truck or other county vehicle other than the fire truck might get a higher priority to be worked on ahead of something with just amber lights.



I really haven't heard much feedback from the folks liking or disliking them. As with any change in the fire service, i.e., putting the 111 mirrors in new whacky locations, there is some grumbling among the veterans but then again, the previous generation of old crusty veterans groused with the first generation of bus mirrors in the early nineties.



RUMOR is that the new Operations AC would like the Apparatus Section to take a step back and see what can be done to rein in the size of the rigs on future purchases but that will require some sort of seance with the Apparatus Section, Committee and DVS all singing Kumbaya together happily.



As a side note, the Apparatus Shops nee, Technical Repair and Preventive Maintenance section; work on the parts that make the truck a fire truck, i.e. pumps, aerials and after-market fabrications,

[Guest]

Sr - Many thanks for your always informative responses! I look forward to seeing how this issue evolves over the next few years.



Thanks again,

Natw

[Guest]

[quote name='Dave McClung' date='01 July 2010 - 07:12 PM' timestamp='1278024724' post='390142']

Will this be the Fort's fourth station or are they combining stations?

[/quote]



4th. I don't think they will be combining for this house as it is on the other side of the highway in our area. Plus they never got back to us on combining our house with thiers. They may shift rigs around though.

[crapgame79]

[quote name='SrFireOfficial' date='01 July 2010 - 07:30 PM' timestamp='1278025855' post='390146']





RUMOR is that the new Operations AC would like the Apparatus Section to take a step back and see what can be done to rein in the size of the rigs on future purchases but that will require some sort of seance with the Apparatus Section, Committee and DVS all singing Kumbaya together happily.



[/quote]







HOLY CRAP-that would be amazing! Honestly though, one only needs to look at the other fire department that engine 128 belongs to, to see a rig that was designed superbly......

[Guest]

Joe - Can you clarify the Engine 128 reference?



Thanks!

[Guest]

Shot the Fort today. Lots of activity. Station 4 will be an addition, and is not complete as of yet. Engine 464, which is delivered. The Air/Light unit, which is at singers, and a tower to be ordered very shortly will be stationed there. Also, working on getting a hand me down hazmat which is a big tandem axle Pierce. Supposedly an Arrow XT engine is on order to replace the last E\-One. Also, a Tanker and Straight ladder are in the works for next year.

[Guest]

Thanks for the info Shoop!

[davemcclung]

[quote name='Good2Go' date='02 July 2010 - 10:02 PM' timestamp='1278124964' post='390296']

Joe - Can you clarify the Engine 128 reference?



Thanks!

[/quote]



perhaps he meant 108.......I think the reference is to the Arlington Arrow XT's but I may be wrong.

[davemcclung]

[quote name='Shoop' date='02 July 2010 - 10:34 PM' timestamp='1278126874' post='390306']

Shot the Fort today. Lots of activity. Station 4 will be an addition, and is not complete as of yet. Engine 464, which is delivered. The Air/Light unit, which is at singers, and a tower to be ordered very shortly will be stationed there. Also, working on getting a hand me down hazmat which is a big tandem axle Pierce. Supposedly an Arrow XT engine is on order to replace the last E\-One. Also, a Tanker and Straight ladder are in the works for next year.

[/quote]



Lots of changes in the works. Nice to see that the military is buying rigs because very few others are.

[Guest]

In my opinion these are the best thought out rigs in our area.





http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4758...fcd8_b.jpg

[Guest]

Side View

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4758...8b45_b.jpg

[Guest]

And the rear. Nicely done Arlington.







FYI - For the life of me I cannot figure out how to get the photos to show up from my Flickr account - even when I cut and paste the address or URL. Can anyone help? I never had this problem with photobucket!



Thanks!

Nate

[Guest]

Last one from the front



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/4303...130f_z.jpg