Thanks Nate...
Anyway, the point I have made emphatically in both of my previous posts about a tiller ladder truck in a volunteer system is that it needs two drivers versus one driver for the rear mount. As I stated when I initially put the P38 to the worm can here, there were incidents when the rear mount truck at the volunteer house I lived in got out the door before the tiller truck did at the neighboring hook and ladder company all because they were waiting for a tiller or tractor driver on home response.
And since it has been a while since tillers were in-service in PWC, the question of who will staff it during the day time hours when the career crews are working rears its head. Please correct me if I am wrong but it's probably been a over dozen and maybe closer to 20 years since there were front-line tillers in PWC. I have a gut feeling there maybe some resistance to having a TDA back in the system based on their staffing and training requirements (how many tractor/tiller qualified Tech's are there to staff the truck based on annual/sick leave etc).
Ah yes, quillers; quick trivia question: Anybody know off the top of their head where the East Coast quiller is (at least the only one I know of [hint, Welles Crowther])?
Like any quint type apparatus, a quiller is full of compromises from an equipment storage point (where does the supply bed go) to how it can be deployed on the fire ground (it's gonna look funny hooked to the hydrant when the stick is needed at the front of the fire building). While the point is made that a tiller can be re-tractored (Phoenix FD and others) have successfully done this, re-tractoring a quiller (think of a pumper with no hose body and a fifth wheel instead) is going to cost almost as much as a pumper. And again, if there aren't two drivers, it's going to scratch no matter how much equipment it carries.
Don't get me wrong, I love tiller ladder trucks and truly consider it a religious experience to watch a chrome-laden tractor drawn Seagrave aerial ladder truck with the Q pegged weave through traffic as it responds on a box alarm but due consideration must be given to getting the truck to the scene first.
Best always....
SFO
Anyway, the point I have made emphatically in both of my previous posts about a tiller ladder truck in a volunteer system is that it needs two drivers versus one driver for the rear mount. As I stated when I initially put the P38 to the worm can here, there were incidents when the rear mount truck at the volunteer house I lived in got out the door before the tiller truck did at the neighboring hook and ladder company all because they were waiting for a tiller or tractor driver on home response.
And since it has been a while since tillers were in-service in PWC, the question of who will staff it during the day time hours when the career crews are working rears its head. Please correct me if I am wrong but it's probably been a over dozen and maybe closer to 20 years since there were front-line tillers in PWC. I have a gut feeling there maybe some resistance to having a TDA back in the system based on their staffing and training requirements (how many tractor/tiller qualified Tech's are there to staff the truck based on annual/sick leave etc).
Ah yes, quillers; quick trivia question: Anybody know off the top of their head where the East Coast quiller is (at least the only one I know of [hint, Welles Crowther])?
Like any quint type apparatus, a quiller is full of compromises from an equipment storage point (where does the supply bed go) to how it can be deployed on the fire ground (it's gonna look funny hooked to the hydrant when the stick is needed at the front of the fire building). While the point is made that a tiller can be re-tractored (Phoenix FD and others) have successfully done this, re-tractoring a quiller (think of a pumper with no hose body and a fifth wheel instead) is going to cost almost as much as a pumper. And again, if there aren't two drivers, it's going to scratch no matter how much equipment it carries.
Don't get me wrong, I love tiller ladder trucks and truly consider it a religious experience to watch a chrome-laden tractor drawn Seagrave aerial ladder truck with the Q pegged weave through traffic as it responds on a box alarm but due consideration must be given to getting the truck to the scene first.
Best always....
SFO
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