Volly madness

[eldridgefd]

I'm on a volunteer Fire Dept. we protect one square mile anddo mutual aid for 2 other counties and do about 40 runs a year. are trucks are all in there mid 80's mint cindition but sometimes they dont get ran for days or even months and were only allowed to drie them for calls and i know if they sit to long the cylinder walls rust as well as the valves can somebody help me out and give me some inpout to print out and give these guys???

[WaterbryVTfire]

Perhaps on a monthly maintenance night? Our dept. (a vollie dept. w/250+ runs a year) we do a regular truck check out, which includes starting, checking fluids, equipment etc...just an idea for you?

[dmleblanc]

I'm on a volunteer Fire Dept. we protect one square mile anddo mutual aid for 2 other counties and do about 40 runs a year. are trucks are all in there mid 80's mint cindition but sometimes they dont get ran for days or even months and were only allowed to drie them for calls and i know if they sit to long the cylinder walls rust as well as the valves can somebody help me out and give me some inpout to print out and give these guys???

A regularly scheduled check is a good idea, but if I were you the first thing I'd try to do is address that "We're only allowed to drive them for calls" BS. That's about the worst thing you can do with any piece of mechanical equipment, is let it sit up indefinitely.

Do you have a regular drill or meeting night? Weekly, monthly? At least crank 'em up and run 'em around the block a couple of times. How does anybody get any experience or training driving, especially since you only run around 40 calls a year?

I know budgets are tight and fuel ain't cheap, but your rigs should be getting run more often than "only for calls". From both a maintenance and a training standpoint, it makes sense.

[pkfd7505]

I'm with dmleblanc on this one, it will probably cost you more in repairs then it will to run those engines. We run ALL of your engines weekly, even if they are used during the week. This means all trucks, chainsaws, blowers, hydraulic pumps etc.. We also make sure our gas is always good, use some Stabil if your not going to use that engine for awhile, or replace the gas a few times a year.

[permaprobie]

if I were you the first thing I'd try to do is address that "We're only allowed to drive them for calls" BS.

Ditto, at 40 calls and no exercising of equipment has to be an indicator of some other operational proficiencies that are not being honed, and not just driver training.

At minimum check the nitrate and PH of the engine coolant so your mint trucks don't rot from the inside out.

[ChiefReason]

And you might want to check with your pump manufacturer about the gaskets and seals in your pumps. My guess is that they want them pumped at regular intervals.
CR

[firepimp]

You guys really need to run those trucks at least for 15 minutes a day , whether it be pulling them out on the pad giving them a good wash and running the pump and such and all the equipment on the truck . And the most I would say letting them go without running do a truck check once a week. I'd be more worried about a pumps integrity than the engine itself , that truck is your lifeline right there and well if it's not allowed to be properly checked and ran then you guys are pretty much trying to repel off a 400 ft cliff with 100 ft of cotton rope from 1932 .

[Dalmatian190]

Besides the mechanical...

How the heck do guys train if the trucks can only role for calls?

[mcaldwell]

Well our call volume means the trucks seldom sit for more than a week or two before a call or a training night, and in the busy season they run several calls a week (i.e. 14 calls in the last 30 days). We do not have the resources, nor is it necessary to run them every day, but if they happen to sit for more than two weeks in the off-season, we make sure to get them out for a good long drive and systems check.

As for the small engines, we try to run them monthly at least. We do find that they are easier to start (one pull) if we run them up to temp at least twice monthly. If we leave them for a month or more, they can be a real pain.

Our original 1979 King-Seagrave has only 8000 kms. If it was a 1979 Porsche, it would be worth a mint.

[bfdtruckie12]

Man alive you guys can only run them on calls? Yikes is all I can say. We run ours ALOT. On meeting nights, trainings,plus monthly truck checks ( or as many as you feel like doing in the month which is the best policy to have.) Better to find out that "Great the pump is junk,or the saw doewsnt start,or the brakes are shot. While in the comfort of your station and not under the glaring lights of the media.
Question, how do you train the probies to drive?

Got one of them 78 Seagraves ( Alas it has been sold to a department up the river, but they will use her. Its replacement will be a 104 foot arieal.

[nozzelvfd]

40 calls? wow. we hit 40 calls on January 16th....LOL.