How NOT to drive a firetruck.

[Eno821302]

Yeah, no doubt about it.

Our ambulances recently had GPS installed so when we drive over the speed limit, some (enter expletive noun here) from the security company (not even affiliated with us) gets an automatic email- and then that (enter expletive here again) phones our boss to ask him why the medic is speeding.

The last time, the boys were working a code heading into town when the call came in.

Big Brother was definitely watching- although the term is taken out of context a bit because George Orwell wasn't an (enter expletive here).

So here's a question- is explaining why the ambulance is speeding a breech of patient confedentiality?

[1OLDTIMER]

Another version is "Drive like BIG BROTHER is watching you, cause he is!!"

You can bet on it...and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned as there is much, much more to come...here in the land of the free and home of the brave.

[wconlon53]

Wait till next year when the new vehicle dynamics recorders are installed in all new apparatus.Big Brother wont only be watching you but he'll be right in the cab with you.

[MMFireBuff]

How about nearly center-punching a transit bus???? (1:04, Foote St video)

After seeing how close he came to hitting that little Korean car, makes me glad that these guys do not protect my area!

[jeremy1213]

every fire department in the county drives like this..

[Dave1983]

Wow...just wow.

[Engine305]

The video of the Foote Street job is incredible. Third due truck rushing to a scene driving like *******s, Apparatus gets to the scene, Fumbles with the hoseline handjacked back to his truck; and never charges the line.
Must have been a big rush to do nothing.
I dont want to be that crews life insurance salesman.
Holy Moly

[evfd3100]

I know it may be irritating thinking somebody is looking over your shoulder, but really if you aren't doing anything wrong while driving you won't have anything to worry about. As long as we keep having accidents because of poor driver training programs and things like that, its hard to say that the brass has no reason for wanting to look in on driving habits in rigs. I also dispatch for a local police department and we are in the middle of having GPS installed in all of the patrol units. Alot of officers are unhappy about it, as they feel like they aren't trusted and the brass just wants to keep tabs on them. But as we tell them, they will appreciate it when as they are in such a hurry to get out of their car to chase somebody and don't give good info or if somebody just walks up to them somewhere and shoots them, we will know where they are. "Big Brother" can be useful to prove you innocent in some situations too, so it does have its upside.

[kcktrainer]

Gotta agree with EVFD3100. In my 20 years of fire and EMS service it seems like the people that worry so much about cameras and tracking devices are the same ones that are driving without due regard for others, or who want to sneak off to areas they are not assigned to be in.
I always figured that if a company (Department) pays me to come to work and follow the rules, that I should probably come to work and follow the rules.

[ECCMac]

Ritchie VFD, like it's neighbor Kentland, have suppression rigs that are exclusively staffed with volunteers.

Unlike Kentland, most of the Ritchie volunteers are still waiting to get that career firefighter job. They are significantly younger with less experience and training. Most of the active members are under 23 years old.

Three decades ago, Prince George's County lead the DC area in the rate of line-of-duty deaths ... mostly due to vehicle crashes ... almost all with volunteers at the wheel.

It is nice to see the children, many whom are NOT from the PG area, upholding a tradition that generated a dozen funerals and twice as many disabled firefighters "back in the day."
______________________________ _

DC area firefighter line-of-duty deaths 1945 to 2000
A survey of the Washington metropolitan area shows the following number of firefighters who died responding to, operating at or returning from an incident from 1945 to 2001:

25 - Prince George’s County
14 - District of Columbia
02 - Arlington County (VA)
01 - Alexandria City (VA)
01 - Montgomery County (MD)
01 - Fairfax County (VA)

______________________________ __

PS, the Foote St incident also generated controversy with comments posted on the Ritchie VFD website about the tactical placement of Quint 822, a unit from the all-career Tuxedo-Cheverly fire station.

Foote Street report: http://www.ritchie37.com/fullstory.php?50285 (August 25, 2007)

Reaction to webpost:
INTERESTING PHONE CALL
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Around 1100 hrs, we received a phone call here at the station. The caller wanted to speak with the webmaster. The caller stated he was the Tech. at Station 22 and that he wanted the story for Foote Street taken down because the story was inaccurate. We are NOT sorry if we hurt anybody’s feelings...maybe your SOP’s were inaccurate, not the story....better luck next time!

First let me say, there is NO excuse for the way that rig was driven.

Now with that said:

Q22 was not spotted properly. They did block the road needlessly, and their stick was useless due to their proximity to the overhead wires and telephone pole. They failed to support E384 but secured their own water source?

Just some observations.

Could someone who knows their ops better than I dochime in here, why did E93 come in so hot right to the driveway? Seems like there was plenty of trucks/equipment onscene. They could have better placed in the roadway behind Q22.

[GeorgiaEVT]

OK guys I figured out why the guy was driving the way he did. He didn't have a choice he used up all his air blowing the air horns and didn't have any left over for his brakes.
Another scary concept is that they HAVE dash cameras and they STILL drive that way. I don't think the youngsters care at least not until it happens to them.

[Jay911]

OK guys I figured out why the guy was driving the way he did. He didn't have a choice he used up all his air blowing the air horns and didn't have any left over for his brakes.
Another scary concept is that they HAVE dash cameras and they STILL drive that way. I don't think the youngsters care at least not until it happens to them.

I hope you're being sarcastic there in the first bit. Because if you run out of brakes, regardless if you're going to a code, or a building fire or a cat up a tree, that's when you make your best attempt to stop the vehicle and place it out of service.

As for the 'dash camera' - watch another video. It's somebody's personal camcorder wedged into the spot between the dash and the windshield. During another hot run, it repeatedly falls over and somebody (presumably the driver) keeps tilting it back up.

[BoxAlarm187]

I do think that EVT is being sarcastic -- I'd like the presume that an EVT would know that if all of the air had been used on the air horns (which means the limiting valve didn't work) that the brakes would lock up, not cause the vehicle to run amok.

[chiefengineer11]

I do think that EVT is being sarcastic -- I'd like the presume that an EVT would know that if all of the air had been used on the air horns (which means the limiting valve didn't work) that the brakes would lock up, not cause the vehicle to run amok.

Actually, if the air system is plumbed to meet DOT, the tank that the horns draw air from would be isolated by a limiting valve at somewhere between 60 and 90 psi. That way the rest of the system still has plenty of air to make normal brake applications.

[GeorgiaEVT]

Yes I was being sarcastic. And no I didn't realize that it was a camcorder.

[StevieWonder]

Every appliance in our brigade is equipped with a forward facing camera (it's an identical model to that used by police traffic cars, just without the speed measuring equipment). I personally think it's a good idea...as has been said above, if you're not doing anything wrong, you've nothing to fear. It's just as good for proving you innocent as for screwing you over.

[4bugsdad]

The video is running at a accelerated(sp?) pace. The movements of the unit versus the surrounding stationary objects make it look very fast, but compared to other moving objects it does not. Even though it looks like he is flying it takes forever to overtake other moving traffic. At the intersections if the video was rolling at a more accurate speed I think he would be rolling the lights not blowing them.

However why do you want to post something that makes it look like your department acts like that anyway???!?!?!?

[StevieWonder]

The video is running at a accelerated(sp?) pace. The movements of the unit versus the surrounding stationary objects make it look very fast, but compared to other moving objects it does not. Even though it looks like he is flying it takes forever to overtake other moving traffic. At the intersections if the video was rolling at a more accurate speed I think he would be rolling the lights not blowing them.

However why do you want to post something that makes it look like your department acts like that anyway???!?!?!?

The audio seems to run at the right speed, and it fits in with what you see on screen (engine revving when he takes off).

[BoxAlarm187]

The video is running at a accelerated(sp?) pace.

No, the video is not modified or accelerated. The audio matches the video exactly and without distortion, which would not be possible even if the video was "sped up" and then the audio was dubbed back over top of it.

They really ARE driving through the traffic lights that fast (take a look at the original video at 3:01).

I can assure you that this happens, I've spent time in PG and have gotten to see how some of the FD's in the county drive to emergencies.

[pretendpilot]

INCOMPREHENSIBLE!!

I am in shock that folks claiming to be "Rescuers" have such a blatant lack of regard for human safety!

Scientific studies indicate (this is true) that the males of the species really don't have fully developed Frontal Lobes (that part in charge of insight and forethought, result-and-consequence kind of stuff) until AT LEAST 21 years of age. Apparently in Ritchie it is somewhat older than that!

Well, I too have logged my piece onto YouTube, for what it's worth but Dang! That sucks.