firefighters: what piece do you ride?

Engine 15 on the Plumas NF. Type 3

Helicopter 525 on the Inyo NF. Type 3

 

E10, T8, Louisville fire dept.

 

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IMO ... Oshkosh has the best model line up (and quality & factory support) of the CFRs in the world.

Worked on CFR projects (in the past) with Chubb, Rosenbauer, E-1 and Oshkosh ... and the Oshkosh was the best.

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Captain with local Township Volly Dept. We run a 1981 Ford Pierce as our 2nd due on fires, 1st on car wrecks (we call 'em 10-50's I saw the thread on 10 codes). Our 1st due on fires is a 1989 Mack Firecat, unsynchronized manual. I love that truck! Our brush truck/first responder medical is a 1993 Dodge Ram with the nuclear reactor for power. My God can that thing run. Our ATV is a Kawasaki Mule. That's just at Station 2, my house. Station 1 has a 2001 Pierce that's 1st out on 10-50's and fires, with a 2000 Dodge Ram as the brush/medical. We just got (free) a 1983 Ford box truck, and we've fixed it up to be our squad/command vehicle. We put 8 4500 psi air tanks in the back to fill our SCBA's at a scene, along with a generator, powerbars, 4 cases of water, and other random things we need to make a scene run smoothly. I'll dig out pics if I can remember later.

 

Roanoke Co, VA. Hollins Fire and Rescue Station #5
Split station Half paid Half Volunteers. Paid staff Runs 2 ALS trucks + Wagon/Engine Volunteers Run Ladder/Engine and one BLS truck, soon to get a Rescue Pumper first in the county!

Visit our website CLICK HERE

 

our newest ride out in the sticks. cal-fire,siskiyou, pondosa station.

heres the highlight real. i hope it works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OezlqtPpH-Y?fs=1

 

For work I drive either Medic 84 or 36. 84 is an AEV on a 2008 chevy chassis, rides like hell. 36 is a 1999 frieghtliner which had been to the moon and back in mileage.

As per the fire department where I volunteer. Most of the time you'll find me in a drivers seat since we have squirrels that have proven given the opportunity, they will put an engine in the ditch and kill you. We have 2 stations, 3 engines, 1 brush truck, one rescue, and a traffic truck.

 

I'm sorry but I'm neither firefighter or police officer but firefighting is so overrated. You get all the credit for mainly running medical calls. Police officers are the ones that put there life on the line everyday.

 

that is one badass picture!

 

^^ Awesome pic. Seriously if you have a high-res image please send it to me. I'd love to have it as my desktop wallpaper.

 

This is how I roll.

 

It's not stupid it's the truth. I work with firefighters and police all the time. I'm not saying firefighters are bad but some get a hero complex and get way more credit then they deserve. Your comment only proves it.

 

OK so there is good and bad apples in any job, any profession, anywhere. Thats a valid point. It certainly applies to fire, police, military, lawyers, doctors whatever. Yes there is machismo, and posturing, and there are people that do it for the wrong reasons, but once again, I defy you to find any profession where there ain't.

I dont go onto military threads and start making huge generalizations and degrading what they do, because some small percentage of soldiers have gotten caught up in the war environment and started TORTURING people for fun. I know plenty of military that are GREAT people.

I dont go bait religious folks about how the catholic church aids and covers up pedophile child MOLESTING priests.
Just because some people are rotten, doesnt make the rest of them bad too. unless youre talking about covering for child molestors. theres no excuse for that shit.

This thread was created out of someones curiosity to see what other equipment and situations people have in their fire districts.
I havent seen any body yanking their own chain about rescuing kittens out of trees, or the hot chicks they've been pulling by cruising in their engine.
So I think your comments were out of line and I told you what I thought about it. not in the most polite way, but there was nothing polite about your comments either.
I agree its a tough job to be Law enforcement. god bless em. I dont want anyone shooting at me.
And I know there are some serious overblown losers that also happen to be firefighters. same with LEO, same with military. same with Lawyers, for fuck's sake.

But a lot of folks do this voluntarily, for no pay,or minimal compensation.staying sober when everyone else parties, waking up in the middle of the night, time after time, missing work, leaving their families behind.
to go help people that cant help themselves or have just had the worst day of their life, or the last day of their life. or have just lost everything they own in a fire.Or are just plain stupid. but we hopefully dont judge,and just do our job regardless.

You want to say these people are overrated, overvalued, then you're just a being a douchebag. sure, some volunteers are joeys...rickyrescue...all that, (we know, we came up with the names ouselves) but they're still choosing to give their time and energy. which is of more value to the world then you spouting off and demeaning folks you dont even know.

I am a paid paramedic firefighter. It is my career. I am at work when I am at work, I go home and drink beer, go skiing, whatever. I have separation. you can call me all the names you want. I go to work and do a job. I dont pick who calls, I dont withhold service cause it aint an exciting call. I think fire calls are a good way to break up the monotony of medical calls, because that IS 90% of what we do in my department.
And no, hopefully i am not getting assaulted or shot at, but that just means I got lucky,and i have a good job. No... a great job.

So I stand by my comments...
Think before you say something stupid.
Dont be a dickhead.

and who asked you for your opinion anyhow?

 

^^^That. Well said.

If there was a poll made for career v. volunteer, I think you would find there was 80% volunteer, and that's just on this site. I myself am a volunteer (that's $0 a year for those of you keeping track). We do the job for many reasons. Some to serve, others to get experience to go to a paid department, others still to feel like something bigger than themselves.

Whatever the reasons for joining, we get out of bed in the middle of the night and put ourselves on the line with minimal budget for training and gear. Every department is different, depending on the region you live in.

My department runs a lot of medical calls in support of the ambulance, car wrecks where we ARE the authority and the ambulance supports us, and then the fires. Thank God we are seeing a decrease in the number of fires nationwide. No firefighter worth anything thinks fire is a wonderful thing. What we are seeing is an increase in the severity of the fires that do happen, due to many things, not the least of which is the prevalence of plastic in the building and "weight/cost saving" that leads to a quicker weakening of the building, thus placing us in more danger more quickly. Every FF who has experience probably has had a close call where he/she could have been seriously hurt. I myself have had 4 that come to mind quickly.

So, if you are just here to stir the pot, then sod off. Until you put on our gear and face down an enemy that will kill/maim you and keep going, stay out of this thread and all related unless it is to say "Thanks."

99% of firefighters don't go looking for the recognition, just as 99% of the military (in which we have both served apparently) don't either. There will always be that 1% that make us look bad.

*off soapbox*

 

I was simply defending the police officers that you chose to give crap about. Your the one that started it not me.

 

^^ @ CoalMedic....x2, Thank you, sir. I second your second.

@Andrew 8404: I wasn't bagging on anyone. I havent even been active in this thread for a while, as i had already said my bit.
But if you want to be juvenile.... You started it. I called you out for
Plus if you note, It was.....a joke.

Here's a generalization: LEO are jealous of fire because people are generally happy to see the FD, and not so much to see PD... at least in NM....
FD are jealous because PD get to carry, and thump people if necessary. (not that we cant defend ourselves )

Its called interagency joshing.... you know... like Army bagging on Navy, Navy on Air Force and Marines bagging on everyone. Doesnt mean we dont have each others backs.

jeez. thats about all the explanation you'll get from me.

 

ah ha! a heated debate!!! i agree with coalmedic, as im starting to find it odd that i usually do when we end up on the same thread (whats up man?! hows class?) . . . back to topic, i am a volunteer fireman and i ride whatever set of wheels the call requires (obvoiusly). yesterday actually, we nearly wrecked our 25 year old tanker when a station wagon whipped out infront of us 50yds ahead while we were doing 70 mph (and full of water) on the way to a call. . . . here's my favorite picture, honestly of any picture of all time (and im not even the most gung ho fireman, (im only home on weekends)). it was a few years ago when i was back in high school. me on the right, older brother on left. we had just finished burning down a house for training exercise and we had been in and out of it many times and were beat to hell. don't know why i like it so much, but ive always thought it looked really cool.

 

I know you were but there were other comments too. I just hate when Fire guys hate on everyone when they are just as flawed. Especially when it comes to public perception which thinks fire can do no wrong.

 

That's a really cool pic, something to treasure. Class is going well...check the bored at work thread in the bs room for the complete update.

Back on topic, I'll throw some pics up of my apparatus when I get on the computer they're stored on.