Fire Stations Struggle with Aging Engine Fleets -- Sky Arnold
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- Опубліковано 25 гру 2024
- Hermitage, Tenn --- Aaron Clark had every reason to be worried July 4th.
A fire broke out next door at his duplex but those flames never reached his side thanks to a quick response from the Nashville Fire Department.
"The fire marshal said after that if I had waited 3 more minutes that it would've got over to this side and went ablaze," said Clark.
Clark's story is a good example of why every minute really does count in a fire and some say the equipment itself is putting those response times at risk.
Mark Young heads up the union that represents Nashville firefighters.
He says about half of the department's 39 engines are so worn out they frequently break down.
"A lot of our front-line equipment is so worn out it stays in the shop," said Young.
Most of the time, the department sends a reserve engine to fill in but last May the station actually spent two full days with no engine at all because there wasn't a reserve available.
That same month station number 17 spent a day without an engine too for the same reason.
If there had been a fire the next closest engine would've responded but Young says that may not always be good enough.
"You gotta rely on 2nd due and 2nd due's response time is gonna be quite a bit longer," said Young.
Fox 17 News asked Nashville Fire Deputy Director Mike Franklin about that concern and he says you're not any less safe today.
Franklin says the thing to remember is that stations are always close enough to each other the 2nd due response is never far.
"The next engine truck rescue medic unit they're all pretty close anyway, probably a mile and a half two miles maybe in some cases 5 miles from the other one," said Franklin.
Still Franklin acknowledges the basic problem with old equipment.
In fact it's lead the department to start alternating vehicles other than fire engines on medical calls just to reduce wear and tear, including rescue trucks.
Young worries that creates another danger when those rescue trucks are on a medical call and are needed for an actual rescue.
"Those rescues are specialized," said Young.
Once again, Chief Franklin says the department has it covered.
"That rescue unit there's three other ones in the city. We have a back up placement so when a unit is out we back them up with another unit," said Chief Franklin.
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Fire Depts will remain in this situation until they stop rolling $500k vehicles on medical aids. The majority of calls are medical aids, which can be handles by rescues built on a pickup truck chassis. What is needed on a medical aid can fit inside a smart car, a 20 ton vehicle certainly is not necessary. There are a number of smaller vehicle options that are a fraction of the cost to buy and maintain and use less fuel. Municipalities may never again be flush with cash, so they need to stretch the dollars they do have. Yes big ole pumper trucks are way cooler than pickup trucks, but 'cool' is very expensive. It's only logical to wear out a less expensive vehicle.
Spot on!
Stpaul had 1st medics in 1974,by 1980 engines went,/return to medicals,2023 sending Tandom axle ladders/engines to bloody noses, before 1980 we got 20-30yrs out of the ladders/ engines,born 1948 we had 1 ambulance/ police car wagons 4 transport 58 sq.miles 300.000 population now get 10+ yrs wear and out the door 600k$ ea. 1.2 million ladder👍
Its not the fact we send fire engines to medicals, its the fact we don't have enough ambulances to send to medical calls.
For most agencies it's a personnel issue. If you send firefighters out to EMS calls in pickups, there's no one to staff the engines when a "real" fire call comes in.
Why do they have newer pierce impels for their towers and ladders but not their engines? They can totally buy some new engines.
Hey rich people either get taxed or start stepping up and make a good name for yourself and donate some rigs. Hell in WW2 womens axillary's donated tanks and airplanes. If you have a couple million in the bank donate a ambulance or squad/brush truck, If you have 10+ million do a engine or tanker, If you have 50 million do a ladder/heavy rescue/ 2 engines . They will do more for your image than a lambo or Maserati, you'll feel good, the community will like you.
wcresponder couldn't have said it better myself
Well...why don't we start. Using ambulances and smaller vehicles for medical calls...engines are meant to fight fires. However if the engine happens to be closer to a medical call...well by all means go! But otherwise, engines should be responding to med calls.
They may have a problem for just that reason. There is more fire apparatus than ambulances. Paramedics need to meet certain standards which include distribution. So many people per paramedic. Over here fire department has more stations than ambulances. A fire station is always closer than an ambulance especially when it's a busy period. I had an incident where fire was first on scene then police and the ambulance was last in.
Augusta Ga Fire Department is the same
It's crazy but there ladder trucks can have medical supplies on the in shreveport la we have 22 engine and 7 ladders and 2 rescue trucks and we get by
Nashville's ladders DO carry medical supplies. They also cover 526 square miles compared to Shreveport's 120 sq miles and run probably 3 times as many calls.
I live in shreveport
@@firepower782 all of our units have medical equipment engine ladders air trucks districts hazard all but the sand trucks
Max Hallman What department are you referring to?
@@firepower782 Nashville
Funny. Everything is fine by the chief.., he is politically appointed. If he said something negative he would be fired. He is speaking half truths in this video. I had over 30 years as a professional fire fighter in a MAJOR city. So I do know how they operate.
Just start paying tax for public facilities like FS/AB
Spend money on quality and use standarde off-the shelf vehicles in stead of spoiling money on non-functional things like obsolete flashlights and chrome hoseconnectors.
It's pat the nes punk 😁
That is why you do not use engines/trucks for medical calls...
I disagree I've seen someone's family member go into cardiac arrest and the fire engine was on seen first and saved the person's life.