Rescue51

I am curious why San Diego Fire-Rescue does not have in the ladder fleet some towers/platforms? I know they just added a couple new Pierce TDA's, by why no towers in the fleet? Is it a cost issue or that? If you look at Heartland Fire-Rescue they run two towers, T11 and T6. Thanks in advance...~Rescue51

I noticed a couple or few weeks ago that Alpine's E17 (newer KME) was at San Miguel's shops for some time. Noticed a few days back Alpine FD has been running with E217 (older KME) on their runs. I thought it was interesting Alpine goes to San Miguel's shops...they must do some good work there.

Two medic rigs certainly will not be enough to cover Chula Vista. They will need a bunch more. Thanks for sharing that, I did not know Chula Vista was terminating with AMR. El Cajon FD (1/3 agencies within Heartland Fire-Rescue), had their own medic rigs up to a few years back where they went AMR. I wonder how that is fairing for them?

Wishing the firefighters well. Believe one received 2nd degree burns on the roof collapse. This went 3 alarms. I am attaching a photo of the resources dispatched, and inserting a link below of the footage from a local well known news stringer in San Diego. Amazing winds and winds gust today, and where this event it. ~Rescue51 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTsl9W9N-mQ

Great information and makes much $ense. I also was thinking the platform might be more difficult to deploy (elevate) as it is wider than just shooting a straight stick/ladder up between trees. You make great points about the trucks being run on BLS/ALS/frequent flyer 5150/Lyft-Uber kinda calls. If you've followed me here for a while, you will see I've become a parrot almost to point an annoyance of recommending more departments stop using the trucks for the medical aid calls, and consider patrols, squads, rescues. The wear-and-tear on expensive trucks is just not worth it, unless the rig is already out of house and it makes sense to dispatch it to a nearby MedAid. I was very pleased to see Heartland Fire-Rescue finally decided their Piece tower T6 (El Cajon) was being run into the ground on MedAid responses, and they put into service a nice 2-man pick-up which is Squad-6. Technically if S6 is out on a run and a structure response or TC (since T6 has rescue capacity) comes out, T6 can still respond and S6 can join-in with manpower when they clear their previous assignment. Nice to see more departments going to the TDA's. San Miguel Fire-Rescue recently placed into service their beautiful T15 (Pierce quint, if I am correct). It has been running lots of calls out of Fs15's. I hope to see that department too consider a squad simply to reduce the cycles/miles/beat-up on the new T15.

Nice Dodge Ram. This one has a pump/water on it too, If I am not mistaken. ~Rescue51

I was noticing last week that it appeared Heartland T6 (El Cajon) and T11 (La Mesa) were out-of-service and not responding. San Diego Fire-Rescue was even covering El Cajon with their T10. The new Pierce truck that recently went in service with San Miguel (T15), appeared down too, with the older Pierce truck taking the runs. As to Heartland, do you know if T6 and T11 are out-of-service of just not being staffed due to any strike team/mutual aid where there is not enough staffing for the trucks with other FF's deployed up north?

Thank God T6 is a Pierce and not one of the other manufacturers, cuz they'd have no truck. I don't see T6 getting replaced for some time. With the COVID economy, falling tax revenues, the budgets are gonna get super tight if not slashed (or burned up). The best thing El Cajon FD (Heartland Fire-Rescue) did which is what I told the fire chief 10-years ago they should do, is to place into service Squad 6 to run most the calls the truck had been beaten-up on like 5150 frequent flyers, hangnails, METH-heads who OD, and those that cannot afford an Uber so they call 911. T6 was advanced depreciated at an ever-accelerating rate. Poor truck and crew would have not likely been in position to cover a working structure because they were committed on a medical aid. Agencies all around need to rethink their departments, their models, the traditions, as times get much more tough.

Saw Heartland Fire-Rescue's T11 (La Mesa) was running calls today, so that is back in service.

Nice looking rig. Photo credit goes to Pierce's Flickr account.

Credit to Pierce's Flickr page. The are two new deliveries, as show L&A#1 and also L&A#40, both look identical. Lots of Freightliners being sold. ~Rescue51

I noticed Heartland Fire-Rescue T6 (El Cajon, Pierce platform ladder) is outside San Miguel Fire Rescue's shops (fs15). I thought El Cajon shops usually did the maintenance on the El Cajon rigs. Could it be some speciality work like ladder inspection/certification?

So in the case of LAFD's Engine 51, for KLAX, my understanding is the reason these rigs are painted lime, is that because they provide service to an airport, the FAA kicks in some funding for the rig (I do not know how much), but to do so, the rig must be painted lime. Not my favorite color, but with the blue strips, it actually looks good! I prefer yellow over lime if it is not red. Interesting all the California OES rigs are also lime (or most of them).

I believe Medic #63 is still running out of Lindbergh (KSAN), because I have a friend who was on that rig recently. I cannot answer your other questions, sorry. Do you recall Medevac Ambulance, goes way back and they had contracts with San Diego Fire (-Rescue). Who remember the presence of Hartson's Ambulance in San Diego? When I was a kid, I recall they were in La Mesa, I believe, but real close to an on-ramp from Severin Drive, onto the I-8. I'd see them rolling code coming down the on-ramp to get onto the I-8 going east. I think back then, most the East County fire departments likely had Hartsons's as their EMT/BLS responses. I believe Santee FD in conjunction with Lakeside FD, went operational with the first East County medic rigs ever, respectively Medic 4 and Medic 1. They were sorta the pioneers of ALS/paramedics, modelled sorta after Los Angeles County's medics which the show EMERGENCY was all about (if I recall, I could be wrong). Santee had been a very progressive department, with a rescue rig, even a HazMat rig they bought but never put into service as HazMat (it ran as a rescue, a GMC, as Rescue 4). Santee has a technical speciality of trench/confined space rescue (if they still do). I have not forgiven the chief and/or city council there for going away from the yellow painted rigs to the red. ~Rescue51

3rd alarm. Been going on since about 8:50AM. Federal Fire requested assistance. The ship is: USS Bonhomme Richard. I am seeing live feed from copter and it does not really look to me like they have a handle on it at all. Picture is the resources SDFR has listed on it. ~Rescue51

I understand the military firefighters were pulled off the ship this morning, because it started to list towards the port side (pier side).

Nice news video of a vegetation fire today in El Cajon/Heartland Fire-Rescue's district. Good video of some of the newer rigs like Santee B4, and Barona's WT27 (I had not seen that one yet). Even Sycuan's Hot Shots were there. ~Recue51 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CMEzXq3zQE

I noticed the reserve rig for station 6's (El Cajon FD/Heartland Fire-Rescue), E206, was rolling with the former E9 (Pierce, what, mid 2000's year?). I asked the captain what fs 9's is running now, and he said 8's got the new Pierce pumper, and the existing Pierce went to 9's. I noticed 7's is still running with the original E6 (Pierce from the earlier 2000's, what maybe a 2004?). Looked to me like 9's is running a KME reserve rig. Was sorta surprised 7's did not get the old 9's, and the current 7's (old 6's) went back to 6's as reserve. Now that I am utterly confused, hope I did not confuse you too. ~Rescue51

KME= Keep Mechanic Employed. Actually, KME has become better rigs in the last decade.

New San Miguel Fire & Rescue Truck#15. Photo credit to department's Facebook page. Did not realize the current Truck#15 was a 1999 Pierce, thought it was newer. ~Rescue51

Nice looking rig. Photo credit to Pierce's new deliveries Flickr page. I also saw the other day that San Miguel Fire & Rescue has taken delivery of their new Pierce quint (not a TDA) and are tooling it, stocking it, and training. I saw a post suggesting new rescue equipment on-board the new Truck 15. ~Rescue51

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg36duyIsAs

Thanks. Real nice looking rigs. Do you know if those clear lens side marker lights next to headlamps, which once were always amber covered lens, if they might flash in a warning color rolling code without the turn signal activated (red/white)?.

Saw the new pumper in service yesterday in El Cajon. Nice looking rig. Sorry I could not get better pics. Does anyone know where the prior E8 went, which station?

Per LAFD. It seemed to be a condo tower. ~Rescue51 8:37 A.M. on January 29, 2020 to 11740 Wilshire Blvd in Brentwood Dispatched LAFD Units: E293 T93 E88 RA59 RA19 E60 E5 E263 T63 BC18 BC4 E43 RA37 E269 T69 CM42 E26 E69 E58 E61 E109 E41 E288 T88 E51 E67 E68 E99 E227 T27 E278 T78 E226 T26 E294 T94 T5 E205 E235 T35 E239 T39 E215 T15 E290 T90 EM9 BC10 UR88 UR27 HR3 E89 BC5 RA92 E81 H0F H0C H0D T73 E273 E35 H5 H1 HA5 HA1 E37 E90 RA90 RH114 BC9 RA43 RA63 RA88 RA60 RA99 RA29 RA78 RA95 RA97 RA23 EM4 EM18 AR1 EA1 RM2 E39 RM3 BC14 BC17 BC12 HA4 H4 HA3 H3 AR9 PH1 BC11 CM52 CM43 CL1 AR17 MD1 E6S E5S DC2S AR11 E233 T33 E52 E229 E278 T78 T61 E261 E62 E63 RA892 T95 E295 T37 E237 T92 E292 E19 E59 RA837 RA857 RA19 TL1 FR9 CE59 RA23 HL7 HL9 PI3 FR82 FR64 AP65 FR91 RA71 BC701 AR5 AR12 EM13 EM55 RA58 EM2 CE43 CM3 CS227 CS226 AR2 E36 E2 T64 E264 T10 E210 E3 E38 E23 E9 T87 E287 T20 E220 T66 E266 RA837 RA92 RA10 RA801 E98 E73 E15 T60 E260 T11 E211 T89 E289 T12 E212 RA257 E64 T48 E248 RA34 E94 T85 E285 E37 T37 E237 T37 E237 E37 T92 E292 AR17 H6 HA6