FireGuy

Members
 View profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    32

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

Posts posted by FireGuy

  2. Posted

    2 Task Forces, 2 engines, 2 ALS and 2 BLS RA's BC, USAR5, Crash 80 and 2 Foam rigs. 1 ARF stays availible at St 80. And stair 80 responds.

    Incorrect. The LAFD has an assignment for "Major Aviation Incident" with far more than this allocation and no ARFF stays available, even on a standby incident.

  4. Posted

    Why would LAX only have 6x6 arff rigs? Phoenix has nothing but 8x8 and they are a smaller airport with smaller aircraft. Only 1 747 flys in a day. I would think LAX would want to have the biggest arff trucks on the market. I believe Dallas has all 8x8 as well. Just wonderin!

    The argument provided is that this six ARFF vehicle configuration would provide the ability to handle two simultaneous aircraft incidents. As far as the biggest, it's more about providing the required firefighting foam capacity to mitigate an incident for the type of aircraft currently utilizing LAX. Whether it is on four rigs or six, it's about the capacity of the total response force. There are crew size configuration considerations in the context of this decision, but not going to go there.

  5. Posted

    I don't think any of the Simon Duplex trucks have been scrapped. 95's and 69's are still running Simon Duplex trucks as their front line rig as well as a few other stations. The rest are in the reserve fleet.

    At least two 1993 Simon LTIs have been salvaged. One of them a couple years ago that was stripped of everything for parts.

  6. Posted

    FireGuy, I agree that 70 is a odd number. My contacts are true as i know exactly how many tillers LAFD has. I believe the confusion is 10 year contract with 7 trucks a year. Nope... First order 7, after that ???? for 10 year add on. Sorry for any confusion on my behalf.

    No problem.

  7. Posted · Edited by FireGuy

    LAFD signed a 10 year contract with Pierce for 70 Pierce XT Tillers. A good friend is at Pierce now doing a accetence testing on his new rig. KME has the contract with the Eng until 2016.

    That would be welcome news if it was even remotely accurate. No funding has been approved beyond the seven trucks on order right now, so unless Pierce is donating fire apparatus, it's purely speculative as to the quantity of fire apparatus that will be approved in future years. Moreover, given that there are 55 trucks in the LAFD fleet (42 active/13 reserve), 70 trucks in 10 years means the LAFD would retire 17 of these Pierce trucks within that time span, and it also assumes the age of every truck in the fleet would be less than 10 years.

     

    There is no question you have good friends at Pierce, there are many fire apparatus currently exceeding the replacement cycle, and that there is much excitement over this contract award, but putting out unchecked info like this will only fuel rumors.

  9. Posted

    That's too bad - that Motorola siren tone has been the signature wail/yelp calling for the LAFD since they switched over to the 800mhz radio system in 1990. Now there's really no way the distinguish LAFD from anyone else at a distance.

    RA51 along with the new KME engines have the Motorola H1615 siren control head attached to the radio; did Motorola come out with a new siren driver?

  10. Posted

    Thats why I asked. It should be ALS but missing the markings like all the other Dodge's.

     

    Sorry no link handy.

    It was probably just an oversight before the vehicle was delivered from the LAFD Shops. The Body Shop normally applies the "Paramedic" lettering. The number is what is a solid indication of ALS or BLS.

    Station number = ALS ambulance

    200 series = Second ALS or Ready Reserve ALS

    600-700 series = Ready Reserve BLS

    800-900 series = BLS ambulance

    Xplorer4x4 likes this

  11. Posted

    I actually saw LF95 A Few months ago in the Harbor on a Hazmat Incident and E295 was in An 05 Pierce

    They were in a 1996 Seagrave until recently, but now back in a 1999 Pierce at last check, shop # 60558.

  12. Posted

    HAve all of the paramedic rescues been assigned a dodge?  If not approximately how many are left?

    All 93 ALS Rescues will be covered after full delivery in this latest order, in addition to a number of 800 series.

  14. Posted

    E295 was assigned E95's 05 Pierce Once E95 Received Their KME a Couple of years ago and RA95 is

    Currently assigned a Dodge.

    E295 is assigned a 1999 Pierce Dash. The 2005 Arrow XT was bumped down to E106.

  19. Posted

    Thanks for the information Waterguy.  Did US&R 88 get its front light bar replaced with a new LED bar/kit?  For some reason I had noticed it in this photo  http://www.flickr.com/photos/lafd/11635900344/in/pool-losangelesfiredepartment/

     

    Definitely an LED retrofit. I believe SQ21 has the retrofit as well, in fact, they've had it since it was SQ4.

    Also for Stations to get the front LED Floodlights installed is it as simple as just putting in the request and then it will get completed upon the rigs next visit to the shops?

      

    no I believe tat is the original lightbar on usar 88. its all LED wit rotators on the corner ends. all the squads have the same lightbar as well. are there any pics of engine 104 with the new lightbar???

    UR88 swapped out with UR5 due to mileage about two years ago, so nothing technically original.

  20. Posted

    I think that the LAFD do what Santa Monica Fire did. Do away with the rescues and farm that service out to private ambulance companies and the money they used to buy new RA's, buy what they can of engines and trucks and place the rest of that personnel on the rigs. This way you can maybe get back to a "heavy task force" station and or fully manned 200 series engine companies. Everyone still has a job and fire and EMS protection is still there.

     

    Just a thought.

    Not looking to start a debate here, but private EMS in a City the size of Los Angeles would be a public health disaster, and the City would permanently give up its exclusive right to transport under Health and Safety Code Section 1797.201 AKA: 201 Rights. Private ambulance companies will never be able to be able to provide the same level of service as the Fire Department.

  22. Posted

    Fire Guy when you refer to a third party caller reporting a person down can you give an example. I would imagine that the third party would be someone who in not a witness to the incident correct.?  For example if I were to see someone down on the street then I would be  a first party caller, correct?  If I were to knock on my neighbors door and ask them to call 911 for a person down on the street would the neighbor or person that is asked to make the call would they then be a second party caller or would they be a third party caller?

    Here's another example. If a Taxi Driver were to see someone collapse on the street (which could be classified as a witnessed event and he would get on his radio and ask his dispatcher to call 911 for a witnessed Cardiac arrest or witnessed collapse would it still be considered as as third party call or would that really be a second party call? 

    This is just for a clarification ,thank you.

    First party would be the patient themselves. Second party would be someone at the patient's side. Third party would be a person not involved in the incident, such as a neighbor asked to call 9-1-1 as you cited, or more commonly, someone driving by in a car who observes a man laying down on the sidewalk. These calls in the current ProQA software come up as in the high risk ALS "Delta" category. The overwhelming majority of these calls turn out to be BLS in nature (or someone just sleeping). I believe only about 15% of these calls actually require ALS intervention.

  23. Posted

    The mutual aid agreements are quite detailed, as are the internal policies of each agency with respect to "buying-in" to a fire. The mutual aid agreements with LA City and LA County cover far more areas than just West Hollywood and Marina del Rey. Add Kagel Canyon, Topanga Canyon, San Pedro Hospital Area and the 5/14 split area by Sylmar just to name a few...

    Little known agreement - the LAFD (96's District border) has first-in responsibility over Bell Canyon in Ventura County through a standing cash compensation agreement.

  24. Posted

    Interesting ideas by all. A few thoughts and considerations:

    - NFPA guidelines set minimum truck staffing in large cities at a minimum of five, not four

    - Quints would never make it up many of the city's hillside narrow streets due to the longer cab wheelbase

    - The 200 series engine provides flexibility for the truck personnel to immediately staff up an additional engine

    - During a major pre-deployment/staffing augmentation/recall the 200 series engine is fully staffed along with the truck

    - The 200 series often remains in quarters for an EMS response

    Budget stuff:

    - The DWP budget is not a competing budget priority for the LAFD. The DWP, while a municipal utility, is funded like a private utility in that it's revenues are derived from ratepayers dollars, not taxes or the city coffers.

    EMS stuff:

    - Most engines and light forces are now ALS assessment companies in LA City.

    - One + one paramedic staffing requires LA County Department of Heath Services approval and there are other issues that require close examination of such a configuration, not the least of which is that it would require the ALS RA to always respond with an engine.

    - The LAFD "person down" ALS level response algorithm for third-party callers was recently modified to only dispatch the closest BLS ambulance, OR a single engine if closer. No engine AND paramedic RA are going on the initial response anymore.

    - The whole argument that LAFD is an EMS agency and that 85% of calls are EMS is factually correct, but really serves the undermine the multi-disciplinary role of an all risk fire and life safety agency.

    It's always a delicate balancing act to configure the right mix of resources to respond to both primary missions, especially under budgetary pressures and competing priorities, but the leaders of modern fire service are really doing the profession a disservice (in this poster's opinion) by at this point overemphasizing the EMS role. Yes, the private sector EMS vultures are always trying to swoop in and take over, but throwing out stats like 85% EMS only serves to lead the elected decision makers to believe fires are a once and a while occurrence. The truth, as we all well know is that there are working fires in Los Angeles everyday, and the big ones are incredibly resource taxing and justify the need for a well staffed standing army. We also live in earthquake country...