Command vehicles

[bcspracklen]

Looking to purchase a new command vehicle for suburban district. Any insight about what works and what doesn't. Also any suggestions about buying do's and don'ts would be helpful.

[Captain 12]

YES IF YOU GET A FORD

SAY NO TO FIRESTONE TIRES


BE SAFE

[WTFD730]

We recently purchased a 2001 Ford Excursion as our new command vehicle. Visit our website at www.wtfd.net for detailed pictures of our new unit. If you have any further questions email me, I'll be glad to answer them.

And yes...we now have Goodyear tires on the unit.

[BFD196]

This is what we do, were a small but kind of busy volunteer department.

My Dad is the chief of our department, and uses a 2002 Ford Explorer as his personal vehicle/chief`s vehicle, it works great, especially if he needs to leave work for a fire. It`s got fire apparatus plates, so we were free to do what we wanted when it came to bells and whistles. We put in a Whelen LED Slimlighter(Expensive but works great) Strobes in the signal, and break lights, wigwags, a siren, and a built in radio. Not too extreme, any less doesn`t do the job. For equipment, we`ve got my dad`s gear, my gear, a flashlight wired into a charger, and whatever portables we grab on our way. We don`t use the vehicle as a command post, 90% of our district is residential, so the IC is moving around keeping an eye on things. If we need to pull out books or set up an Incident Command Center, our rescue is fully equipt.

If your going to be getting a new vehicle for a paid department things change...

[ 09-22-2001: Message edited by: BFD45 ]

[EWFC47]

We are a suburban department w/ a fair number of responses which require a command vehicle. We bought 2 2001 Ford Expeditions and set them up exactly the same. They each have an MX-7000 lightbar, arrowstick, hideaway strobes, console mounted radios in the front w/ remote heads in the rear, plus a command console in place of the 3rd seat w/ various pre-plans, maps, and a dry-erase board. There is also an SCBA and set of gear. So far it has worked great both at structure fires, as well as various MVA's and calls of extended length.