How many Aerials does your FD have?

[LODDO252]

I am on a truck committee in a city with a population of about 15,000 people. Our combination department operates out of 2 stations, and protects almost $3 Billion dollars worth of property spread out over about 8 square miles. We average between 800 and 1000 calls per year.

My question to all of you is: Based on population, protected property and size of community, etc.-- How many aerial apparatus do you have in your fleet?

We are looking into replacing our "reserve" ladder, the aerial device has regrettably been Out-Of-Service for about a year.

I am anticipating a hard sell to the City Council, something along the lines of "You've done fine for a year without a second aerial..."

So I am compiling as much demographical information as possible to support our side of the anticipated argument.

Any and all input will be VERY helpful.

Also, since I know some of you are wondering, our first due Ladder is a 2001 100' Rear-Mount Seagrave (No Pump). What we are looking to replace (hope you are sitting down) is a 1955 (yes, 1955) Maxim 85' Tractor-Drawn.

[mglax13]

Our town is about 2.2 square miles, has a population of roughly 20,000, and at least 10 buildings over 4 stories, some upto 7 or 8 stories tall. Also includes one of the biggest hospitals in our area. We are fully volunteer and have around 500 calls a year. We currently have 2 aerial devices. The main point of us having both is that they are totally different from each other. One is a 1993 E-One with a rear mount 110' ladder. The other is a 1991 E-One\Pemfab with a 103' ft Bronto Skylift. Having these 2 differn't pieces of apparatus, there isn't much that we can't cover.
Maybe you should consider going to like an aerial platform or tower ladder since you already have a regular ladder. Tell the City Council that it's easier to save a frantic person by placing them on a platform and lowering them than to try to guide them down 100' of ladder.

[SpartanGuy]

Our neighboring all career department, which has much the same demographics as yours(~17k in approx. 12 sq miles) has a 55ft telesqurt and a 100ft Sutphen aerial platform. The platform is an 1988, the squrt is a 1992.

They're trying to repalce the 100ft Sutphen with a 75ft Straight Stick. A bad move, in my opinion, but it bodes well for my department

A cheap, 100ft test ladder so we can work on specing our own monster out:-D

I'd recommend, as mglax has, something 100+ feet with a platform. If you get the magazine Fire Apparatus News(or something similar, it's a very large magazine with purty pictures), it has a GREAT article on the advantages of 100ft+ ladders ONLY in regards to ISO rating and actual rescue situations.


Oh, and don't be so surprised about your ladder. My department recently got rid of a 1948 Mack 85ft midmount! We're looking to replace with with a Quint and a Tower, however.

[Weruj1]

pop.7500 1 85 ft Quint 1978
next big city .......pop.330 K, runs 4 trucks 2 towers and 2 sticks. 2 of them have extrication equip.

[LODDO252]

you say 4 trucks and 2 sticks... what do you consider a truck versus a stick? THIS IS NOT A CHANGE-OF-TOPIC, just an aside.

[Weruj1]

let me try again...................4 total truck co's ........2 are platforms/buckets/tower ladders. 2 are straight sticks with pre-piped waterways.............2 of the 4 trucks have extrication equipment.

[LODDO252]

ohhhh ok, sorry, i was confused.

thanks so far, would enjoy hearing from more people about the original topic.

-------
Safety Bob says: "Put that fire out!"

[Weruj1]

are you just wrecked ? I answered the topic YOU posted.

[CaptOldTimer]

63 or so square miles, 200,000 or so population, 20 aerial ladders, all on quint apparatus.

[livewire09]

Pop. 16,000 Residents
12 sq. miles city limits
32 sq. miles township
3 stations
1 1995 102' Ladder Platform, 2000 gpm pump
1 75' Ladder, single axle 1500 gpm pump (delivery expected in April)

[N2DFire]

Originally posted by mglax13
Maybe you should consider going to like an aerial platform or tower ladder since you already have a regular ladder. Tell the City Council that it's easier to save a frantic person by placing them on a platform and lowering them than to try to guide them down 100' of ladder.

If you decide to go the "bucket" rout - don't tell them - show them.
Arrange a demo from any builder or borrow a neighboring Dept's bucket. Have all the council members meet somewhere in an elevated office (higher the better).
While the "Pitch man" is giving the verbal portion of the presentation - have your ladder thrown to the window. The pitch man can then invite any of the council members to climb down pretending the room is on fire and there is no other means of escape.

Next you can throw up the bucket and see if you have any takers that declined the first time.

As to the topic question, the 10 Volunteer departments combined cover roughly 712 square miles and serve 22,717 people.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County,_Virginia)

We have a total of 2 Aerial devices in the county & my department is *supposed* to be the recipient of the 3rd one *recommended* by our insurance carrier. Both of the existing trucks are 100+ ft Tower Ladders.
Ladder 10 serves the more congested area to the East including Smith Mountain Lake while Ladder 1 serves the Central portion of the county (including the Town of Rocky Mount) which comprises the majority of industry in the county.

Ladder 3 (when & IF it gets here) will most likely be a 75-85' stick w/ waterway and will cover a majority of rural farm land and one small college campus.

[SAFD46Truck]

population around 1.4 million
400 sq. miles (?)
49 stations
13 straight sticks
4 platforms
2 service trucks

[firenresq77]

population ~5500
~ 7 square miles
2 stations
900+ runs
1 1978 50' telesqurt

[dmleblanc]

Umm....let's see....last time I counted....0.

[fdmhbozz]

We cover an area of 132 sq. miles, with a total population of around 12,000. We operate out of one station, averaging around 300 calls per year. Our lone aerial ladder is a 1986 Grumman AerialCat 102' platform.

[edit] I put down the wrong size for our district and was off by a year on the ladder. Oops. [edit]

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Population 40,000
22 square miles
3 stations
2 E-0ne 110 foot rear mount aerials*

*Ladder 1 frequently goes out of service to to manpower concerns. It has been in service only 20% of the time this year on average.

[BCmdepas3280]

2

[SBLGFD]

Population +- 4000 - large summer increaseto +- 20,000
56 Sq miles
2 stations
One 50' squirt ( 85 Pierce Arrow)

SBLG

www.sblgfd.com

[Dave1983]

My department has three stations, one 75' straight ladder quint with an area made up of about 7 miles of barrier island (straight shot) and a 4 sq mile block on the mainland. Population around 10k (I think). Single family houses, townhouses, apartment complexes and hi-rise residentials.

The only way we can do this (having only one aerial) is our county wide automatic mutual aid system. We can get a 110' straight quint and a 110' platform quint MA in under 10 minutes, and another 4 aerials in about 15.

County wide, lets see. About 65 sq miles, population 900k (off season) 1.2 million (during season). 63 stations, 18 aerials (at least 75') all but three are quints. About a half dozen tele-squirts as well.

Dave

[SCOOBY14B]

437 square miles
700k residents/ 1 million+ daytime
25 stations
4 90'+ platforms
2 75' sticks
1 108' tiller/ toolbox

We need about 5 more ladder companies, but just got the fifth a year ago.