Telesquirts (Telesqurt)

[fyreline]

 

What were the reasons Syracuse decided to start buying engine companies with the telescoping booms? What are the main reasons they continue to stay relevant in the department today?

 

A fairly extensive study was done in the 1960s regarding a complete reorganization of the Syracuse Fire Department. Taken into consideration were present and future station locations, manpower, water supply and demographics of a changing city. What evolved was the replacement of nearly every existing fire station. Many of those stations had been located to allow for the Erie Canal which then ran right through the center of town, and had bridges that the heavy steam fire engines of the day could not safely cross. Basically, we started with a clean sheet of paper, projections of where the business districts and residential areas would be in the foreseeable future, and the ability to locate as many new fire stations as would be required wherever they could do the most good. In the end, ten new fire stations were built in locations that allowed for minimum response times, easy highway access, and the best coverage for the entire city possible. Few departments ever get the chance to reinvent themselves so completely, and new apparatus was a huge part of the plan as well. It was decided to replace the city's eight truck companies, all equipped with 100' mid-mount aerials, with tower ladders. It was decided that the 21 engine companies could be replaced with 12 two-piece companies utilizing a mini-pumper and a maxi-pumper. The mini could handle a large portion of the company's alarms with two of the four-man compliment, leaving the maxi available in quarters. To increase the usefulness of the maxi-pumpers, they were envisioned with 1500 gpm pumps (quickly increased to 2000 gpm), 4 crosslays, and a 50-foot telescoping boom. The boom made sense due to the typical Syracuse working fire . . . a 2-1/2 story balloon-construction wood frame with asphalt shingles ("gasoline siding"), minimum setback, and less that 10 feet between houses. Entering into the thinking was the fact that Syracuse is blessed with a prolific and abundant water supply grid, with nearly 8000 hydrants all of which provide 80 pounds or better. Our SOP was (and is) to share the front of the building between the first-due tower ladder and the first-due engine, and strip that engine completely as needed. A training program stressing a rapid, aggressive and continuing interior attack was implemented, backed up by the capability of multiple elevated master streams should an exterior attack become necessary. The TeleSqurt is just another tool in the fireground commander's box, and having had that role for a number of years, it's a damned nice one to have. I should stress that although our engines have an aerial device, and our tower ladders all have pumps and crosslays, neither has ever been considered, manned or dispatched as a Quint. They are engines and trucks (as God intended  ) and simply have added dimensions available for use whenever and wherever needed. This configuration has worked very well for us, and now, in these challenging economic times which have seen the SFD further reduced to nine total fire stations (10 including the airport), nine engine companies and five tower ladders, those optimally-located fire stations are more important than ever. So too are the added capabilities that our engines and trucks carry. 

 

So, to answer your question more briefly, Syracuse elected to pursue telescoping-boom engines due to the nature of our buildings, our ability to supply these types of apparatus, and the added flexibility it gives the fireground commander in these challenging times. Hope that explains it.