Skip to content

Archives for vehicle-operations-apparatus

See all posts in the network tagged with vehicle-operations-apparatus

Ford 2012 “purpose-built” police cruiser

Comments

Carbon Motors created a great idea.
Carbon01_profile_web

In November 2008 we reported the efforts of Carbon Motors to create a purpose-built law enforcement vehicle (HERE)

A year later, we reported that General Motors was modifying the Australian-based Holder V-8 sedan to be a US Chevrolet Caprice Police cruiser (HERE)

Chevy-Caprice-web

Finally, Ford has revealed it’s replacement to the 30 year old Panther-based Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor.

Based on the Ford 500/Taurus chassis, the 2012 Ford Police Interceptor presents a competitive response to Carbon Motors.

FordPoliceInterceptorFrontView-540x311

Ray Wert, Editor-in-Chief of Jalopnik, posted the most comprehensive report of the new cruiser (HERE).  Ray compares the interiors of all three vehicles:

We’re told by police forces who’ve already seen the vehicle that nearly 90% of the interior’s been redesigned specifically for police. Ford’s done little things — like installing the slimline shifter on the column to free up more console area.

The instrument panel includes a horseshoe shape for aftermarket equipment installations. It even appears they’ve thoughtfully provided standard 9″ spacing between the passenger and driver — just like the Crown Vic — so agencies can transfer existing aftermarket equipment to their new Police Interceptor.

Ford’s also supposedly redesigned the doors to make them open 71 degrees. That’s not quite as good as the Carbon Motors concept’s suicide doors, but not too shabby — and better than the Caprice PPV it’ll really be in competition with.  (read complete article HERE)

The end result of this competition for the annual purchase of 60,000 – 75,000 police vehicles will be a better rig for our law enforcement colleagues.  Plus a nice ride for fire command officers.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on March 13, 2010 • Filed under: Law & Justice, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, cars, crime • Tagged: , , ,

Fire Tanker Heavily Damaged in Collision

Comments

feuertanker b

THE WEBSITE FOR THE FEUERWEHR-WIESLOCH in Germany reported that on Tuesday afternoon one of their tankers was involved in a collision that left it heavily damaged.

feuertanker aThe truck was responding to a  house fire in Malsch when it somehow crashed with a commercial truck on the roadway.  The exact nature of the collision has not been reported, but none of the people involved, either on the firetruck or the commercial truck, were seriously injured.

The tanker is only three years old and will be out of service for a long time.  The VFD is now trying to arrange for a temporary replacement for it to maintain their water delivery capability.

Prepared by Christian Lewalter

Posted by firegeezer on March 10, 2010 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus • Tagged: ,

8 FF’s Injured When Aerial Brushes Electric Lines

Comments

delavan a WISN

WISN-TV

EIGHT WALWORTH COUNTY, WISCONSIN, FIREFIGHTERS WERE injured at a major fire Friday when an aerial operating a master stream brushed along a high-voltage electric line.  All of them were transported with non-life threatening injuries, but one of them remains hospitalized with burns.  Most of them were people who were on the ground but in contact with the truck when it happened.

delevan b WISN

WISN-TV

The fire began at 2 pm when a grease pit under the broiler flamed up.  One of the restaurant’s cooks was there and he acitvated the Ansul system before initiating an evacuation of the popular tavern.  By the time the FD arrived, the fire had extended rapidly.  

The 6-alarm fire completely destroyed the Mulligan’s Sports Bar & Restaurant, a popular business in the community of Delavan.

WTMJ-TV Ch. 4 Milwaukee has this video report:

Posted by firegeezer on March 6, 2010 • Filed under: Firefighter Safety & Health, Fires, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, fire, health & safety • Tagged: , , ,

Firetruck Crash Kills Firefighter(s)

Comments

Update, Friday 9 pm:  More photo links and new information.  Scroll down.

SHORTLY BEFORE 1 PM  ON FRIDAY (local time) A FIRE TRUCK FROM THE THALFANG (Germany) Volunteer Fire Department left the roadway and flipped over while responding to an emergency call.  The driver of the truck was killed and the other FF on board was seriously injured.

de crash a

Geideis-TV

The driver, who has not been identified, was 45 yrs. of age and leaves a wife and three children.  The other FF is 33-yrs.-old and was flown to the hospital in critical condition.  An unconfirmed report says that the second firefighter has died, too.

Early reports say that the truck was responding with another VFD to a house grass fire when the truck drifted off the roadway, crashed through a guard rail and tumbled down an embankment.

de crash b geidies-tv

Geidies-TV

Volksfreund has the early story HERE.

Update, Friday 9 pm:
The truck was responding to a grass fire.  Still no confirmation on the mortality of the 2nd firefighter.

Volksfreund now has a 54-image photo gallery posted HERE.  (Hover your mouse icon over the photo to bring up the < and > paging buttons.)

de crash c volksfreund

Another photo in the gallery (linked above) shows the scuff marks
beginning from the right-hand shoulder indicating the
possibility of an over-correction maneuver.
(Volksfreund photo)

 

de crash d volksfreund

Volksfreund

Contributed by Christian Lewalter

Posted by firegeezer on March 5, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus, health & safety • Tagged: ,

Railroad Train Smashes Ladder Truck Left on Tracks

Comments

Updated:  Another video and photo added.  Scroll down.

A DETROIT, MICHIGAN, LADDER TRUCK was parked on a railroad mainline Monday shortly before noon, while the fire company was washing down a gasoline spill from an auto wreck, when an AMTRAK passenger train plowed into it, demolishing the truck.  Ladder 13 had been dispatched for the washdown and had been positioned on the tracks.  When they realized that there was a train approaching, the driver tried to move the truck, but was not in time. 

l13 a freepress jackson

Detroit Free Press / Jackson photo

The train was traveling from Pontiac, Michigan, to Chicago and carrying just over 70 passengers with a crew of 4.  There were no injuries on the train, but one firefighter suffered a gash on his head and required treatment at a hospital.

A visibly angered Fire Commissioner James Mack said, “I’m very upset.  It was a $600,000 truck, we’re trained professionals.  We should always be thinking.  I don’t think the citizens of Detroit are pleased that he parked on the tracks.  This was a disservice to the citizens.  It’s their fire truck, they paid for it.”

 

WUSA-TV has provided this raw aerial video of the crash scene from WDIV-TV:

There were also two police cruisers that had been thoughtlessly left on the tracks, but they were able to get them out of the way.

l13 c

This photo by Daniel Jasina shows L-13’s 2003 Pierce Dash
waiting to be offloaded at DFD’s apparatus shops.

This video report from WJBK-TV Ch. 2 interviews some of the eyewitnesses:

Posted by firegeezer on March 1, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, apparatus • Tagged: , ,

Ontario Firefighter Charged With Careless Driving.

Comments

A VAUGHAN, ONTARIO (York Region) FIREFIGHTER HAS BEEN CHARGED with careless driving following a crash on February 2 that left a civilian dead.

Gianmarco Solimena, 30, was driving a Vaughan Fire and Rescue pumper to an emergencycall with his lights and siren on when he approached a green light at an off-ramp intersection.  As he was about to enter the intersection, the light turned and a 54-yr.-old driver who had been waiting at the light pulled out into the path of the fire engine.

vaughan a CTV

Vaughan firefighters work to extricate the 54-yr.-old
driver from his car.  (CTV photo)

The impact caused the car to spin and strike a light pole leaving the car a tangled wreck with the driver trapped inside.  The four firefighters were all slightly injured, but they immediately went to work extricating the driver.  He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

CTV Toronto has the original story and a video report HERE.

Solimena was charged Thursday with one count of careless driving — a Highway Traffic Act offence.  He will appear before the Provincial Offences Justice Court in Newmarket on March 29.

Vaughan Fire & Rescue WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 26, 2010 • Filed under: Law & Justice, Rescues, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, rescue

In-Station Accident Kills Fire Chief

Comments

A TRAGIC ACCIDENT INSIDE THE LINN VALLEY, Kansas, fire station Wednesday afternoon has taken the life of the department’s Fire Chief Stanley L. Giles.

giles a

Chief Giles, age 69, was standing in the engine bay as a pumper was backing into bay when he somehow got caught between the engine and an FD utility vehicle, becoming crushed.  He died immediately.  Giles had been the VFD’s chief since 1996 when the department was created after a private FD relinquished responsibility for the district’s fire protection.

KCTV Ch. 5 Kansas City has this video report:

The Linn County News has MORE.

Posted by firegeezer on February 12, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, health & safety • Tagged: ,

Around the Web

Comments

Wake County info-mercial about Advanced Practice Paramedics

WakecountylogoOne year after the Hemi-powered APP units hit the street, Wake County EMS posted a 17 minute description of their program. Link to our earlier article HERE.

Start HERE, then click EMS Advanced Paramedic Program

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle

OshKoshEric Tegler, writing in the March 2010 issue of Car and Driver magazine, described riding in the latest vehicle that is deployed into Afghanistan. You may recognize some components used in the Oshkosh built vehicle. HERE.

Experienced MRAP drivers need 14 hours of training to drive the Oshkosh, rookie drivers need 40 hours. That may have reduced the problems that the fire service experienced with the same vehicle component.

Could make a great wildland-urban interface firefighting rig!

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward
somewhere in the snow

Posted by fossilmedic on February 7, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: , , , ,

Back to the Driving Simulator

Comments

THURSDAY WAS NOT A GOOD DAY for the 1st-responders of New Britain, Connecticut.  In the span of only eight minutes they crashed a fire engine, a police car, and an ambulance in three separate accidents.

The troubles began earlier in the morning when a swift winter storm moved across the region leaving a heavy and slick snowfall that disrupted the morning rush hour and led to a lot of dispatches for traffic accidents.

The city’s woes began at 9:48 am when a fire engine that was just leaving an accident scene collided with a road-sanding truck.  One minute later, at another accident scene, a police cruiser was rear-ended while the officer was sitting inside.  Capping off the hat-trick with a solid triple, at 9:56 an ambulance had a head-on collision with an automobile.

Fortunately, all the injuries incurred were relatively minor.  The city has not yet said how much damage the emergency vehicles had.  Read the complete report in the New Britain Herald HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on January 29, 2010 • Filed under: Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus, weather • Tagged:

Dragging Hose Injures Pedestrian

Comments

Update:  Victim dies.  Scroll down.

A CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, WOMAN WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED Tuesday when a pre-connected hoseline came loose and struck her legs.  The Cambridge Chronicle REPORTS:

According to Cambridge Police, the fire department responded to call at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday. The Cambridge Fire Department engine was on Mass. Ave. with its lights and sirens activated when one of the hoses on the side of the engine became dislodged and began to trail behind the vehicle.

The engine took a left turn onto Western Avenue and the trailing hose reportedly struck an 82-year-old Somerville resident who was standing on the median island after allowing the it to pass.

The woman sustained serious injuries to both legs and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital where she went through surgery.

Cambridge Fire Department WEBSITE.

Update, 8 pm:
The victim, who has since been identified as Gertrude King, 82, died early Thursday morning in the hospital nearly two days after being struck by the loose hose.  The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office has now been notified while the Cambridge police continue their investigation.

Posted by firegeezer on January 28, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: ,

Cincinnati Nut Tries To Steal Fire Engine

Comments

A CINCINNATI ENGINE COMPANY AND A MEDIC unit responded Thursday afternoon for a medical call.  When they arrived on the scene, a man came out of the house and began acting very strangely and not cooperating with the medics’ attempt to evaluate him.

When he continued his act, they called the police for assistance.  While they were waiting for PD, the man jumped into the cab of the fire engine, locked the doors and tried to drive away.  He revved up the engine several times, but didn’t know the sequence to put the truck in gear.  The police arrived quickly and got him out of the cab and into the handcuffs.

cincy a WLWT stolen engine

WLWT-TV image

Makhtar Fall, 23,  was taken to a hospital psychiatric ward for evaluation and then transferred to jail where he has been charged with felony theft along with resisting arrest.  Fall has been arrested several times in the past five years for an assortment of petty crimes.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has the DETAILS.

Posted by firegeezer on January 15, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus, crime • Tagged: , , ,

What Is He Doing?

Comments

THIS PHOTO OF A SUPER-STRONG FIREFIGHTER HAS BECOME separated from the story that it was illustrating.  We don’t have any idea what he is doing, so you can help us out and supply the caption that should go with this picture.  Enter it in the Comments section to get this story wrapped up.  Firegeezer thanks you.

strong firefighter

Posted by firegeezer on January 7, 2010 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, culture, fun • Tagged: ,

Fatal Firetruck Rollover in France

Comments

A FIRETRUCK FROM THE HENNEBONT FIRE DEPARTMENT in the Morbihan region of France crashed shortly after 1 am this morning, killing one firefighter and injuring three two others, one seriously.  The worst-injured firefighter was ejected from the cab.

france a ouest-france

Ouest-France photo

The truck was responding to a vehicle accident call when it got onto an icy patch of roadway, went out of control and had a complete rollover.  The three FF’s were all career firefighters;  the unidentified 40-yr.-old man who perished was  trapped under the cab and had to be extricated by his colleagues.

Update:
The deceased firefighter’s name has been released.  He is Damien Hochet.

Ouest-France has the STORY.

SDIS 56 WEBSITE provided this photo of the truck taken before today:
france b sdis 56

Hennebont FD WEBSITE.

Posted by fireball on December 23, 2009 • Filed under: In the Line of Duty, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus, health & safety • Tagged: , , ,

Mugs-Without-Borders

Comments

TODAY’S MUG SHOT COMES TO US FROM GERMANY.  Long-time reader Christian Lewalter submitted this photo of him holding his GeezerCup while standing in front of his department’s brand new rescue/engine.

lewalter a

The spanking-new engine was delivered to the  Freiwillige Feuerwehr Brandoberndorf (Brandoberndorf Volunteer Fire Department) this past Wednesday and, after four days of intense preparation, it was placed in active service today – December 21.

The 2,000 lpm pump also has a foam tank, pneumatic light pole, and a full compliment of hydraulic rescue tools.  The crew cab has room for the driver, officer and seven firefighters.

lewalter b

The Brandoberndorf VFD has their own website where you can visit and view more photos HERE.  Don’t worry if you can’t understand the words, just keep clicking on the links.

lewalter c

If you haven’t sent us your mug shot yet, don’t be shy….email it to us so that we can add it to our gallery.  If you don’t have your own GeezerCup yet, then CLICK HERE and order yours today using our safe and secure PayPal button down at the bottom of the order page.

Posted by firegeezer on December 21, 2009 • Filed under: Mug Shots, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus • Tagged: , , , ,

I Still Want A Porsche

Comments

I used to rent luxury and performance vehicles while on business trips.
I mentioned it in earlier blog items HERE and HERE. From my lament of the loss of the good old days:06ShelbyGT_SanFran_WEB

A far cry from the cash-rich days of renting directly from the Hertz Prestige Collection: Audi S4 and A6; Jaguar S type and X type; Cadillac XLR, Volvo S80, Lincoln LS, and Land Rover LR3.

The high point was renting a 2006 Shelby GT-H with just 20 miles on the odometer in San Francisco.

I also sampled more exotic cars. Most were interesting, some were awful. Few lived up to the hype … except one.

I rented a Porsche 911 Carrera while working a trade show in Vegas. This 2008 German commercial sums up my experience:

Got the commercial from the guys at Jalopnik. This is from their article that provides a list of the “Ten Most Sexually Suggestive Car Commercials” (HERE).

Posted by fossilmedic on December 17, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, cars, culture • Tagged: , , ,

Techo Jeep

Comments

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

The sounds in this video are ACTUAL sounds from the Jeep. Everyone began rehearsing their parts 2 weeks before we began shooting the video. It took us 7 hours of filming to get a solid take.

jULIANsMITH

Posted by fossilmedic on December 16, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, cars, culture • Tagged: , ,

The Velocity Fire Force Tanker

Comments

velocity a KTTV

KTTV image

A HOLLYWOOD STUNT-MAN HAS DEVELOPED WHAT HE THINKS could be a valuable resource for the incessant wildfires that occur in California and elsewhere every year.  George Sack has built a specially-designed tanker truck that blasts water and retardant ahead of oncoming flames.  Dubbed by Sack as the Velocity Fire Force, it has a shotgun-style nozzle that lays down a blanket of water or fire retardant up to 200 ft. away to act as a barrier to fire spread.

KTTV Ch. 11 filed this video report on his innovative tanker:

Sack has spent about five years developing and building his truck and has offered to sub-contract it to fire protection agencies for firefighting duty.  So far he hasn’t been able to convince any of them to try his approach.

Velocity Fire Force has a website HERE and has also produced this promotional video:

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, Wildland, apparatus • Tagged: , , , ,

How often do you change the oil?

Comments

Ever since I posted the Google Street View picture of the toppled Netherland bicyclist, I have been checking out Jalopnik, an intense auto enthusiast website.

Wes Silver, Jalopnik’s Road Test Editor, recently participated in a unique motorhead marketing event that was mentioned in Forbes.com. Wes has not posted his experience, yet, but I found this stunning picture:

What Happens When You Don’t Change Your Oil For 60,000 Miles

Reportedly from a BMW 328Ci. Go HERE for the rest of the pictures, information and commentary that Silver posted yesterday.

500x_bimmer_sludge

Posted by fossilmedic on December 1, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, cars • Tagged: , , , ,

Fire Truck vs Bicyclist

Comments Off

Ben Wojdyla at Jalopnik posts a picture from Google Street View that appears to show a bicyclist struck by a Neatherlands fire truck.

500x_google_ive_fallen_and_i_cant_get_up

Go to the November 11 post (HERE) to see the rest of the street pictures that start before the encounter and the aftermath. It appears that the fire company did not stop to assist the elderly bicyclist.

PICTURES REMOVED BY GOOGLE

Wojdyla provides a follow-up on November 12:

A moment on Google Street View showing a Dutch fire truck driving away after allegedly knocking down a little old lady on her bike hit the internet yesterday, today Google’s completely erased the moment. Too bad we kept the pictures. (item HERE)

500x_google_censorship

To see other interesting, weird or …., check out Google Street View Sightings.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on November 20, 2009 • Filed under: News, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus • Tagged: ,

All Bugatti All The Time

Comments Off

IT IS HARD NOT TO BE NOTICED IN A NEAR $2 MILLION DOLLAR CAR

Last month Total Pro Sports posted this picture of a Veyron that was illegally parked and booted:

bugatti-veyron-parking-fail

October 27

 

Click HERE or on picture to see the blog entry.

Tomas TTTTT, commenting in the original blog:

Hurrrayyyyyyy SLOVAKIA!!!!!!!!
Yep ya all, this was done in the city of Bratislava, capital of SLOVAKIA.
How do I know, live here and was passing by that night.
Was amazing to see a Veyron live and the boot just made this so funny.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on November 15, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, cars • Tagged: , , , ,

2 Injured When Wheel Flies Off Firetruck

Comments Off

A DANIA BEACH FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT (Florida) fire apparatus lost a wheel while it was responding to an emergency on Monday morning.  The wheel went bounding across the roadway and struck the front wall and window of a business office.  The manager of USA Air Duct says that the wheel injured two employees.  One of them had to be transported to a hospital and the other was treated on the scene.

dania b

WPLG-TV

WPLG-TV reports that Fire Rescue officials said no one in the fire truck was injured and that the vehicle was badly damaged. The representative said the truck has had no previous problems and that the department would investigate why the wheel came off.

dania a

WPLG-TV

Posted by firegeezer on November 10, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus

Firetrucks Collide in NYC

Comments

Updated information and new photos added.  Scroll down.
Update #2, video added.

TWO FDNY APPARATUS, ENGINE 236 AND LADDER 107 collided at an intersection in Brooklyn shortly after 9:30 this morning.  Both of them were responding to an emergency. 

The New York Post reported 45 minutes after the crash:

Ladder 107, which was heading north on Ashford, flipped on to its side. Its back end landed on a minivan parked on the street and its front end jammed into a tree, witnesses said.  The other rig sped into the front lawn of a nearby home.

ny a wabc

WABC-TV

“I heard one firefighter yelling, ahhhh,” said witness Everton Brown. “After [the ladder truck] flipped, the one standing on the back flew off the truck and landed on his face. He walked back and sat on the other truck. Then guys from both trucks got out and started to help.”

Two firemen were trapped inside Ladder 107’s truck – one was cut out and removed on a stretcher. The other is still inside.

The Fire Department said there are 12 injuries all together, four serious and eight minor. No civilians were hurt.  The firefighters were taken to three local hospitals with unspecific injuries, authorities said.

 

WNYW-TV Ch. 5 filed this video report:

Update, 6:00 pm:
So far, the only information released about the crash by the FD says that Ladder 107 was in the intersection when Engine 236 struck it near the rear of the truck, effectively knocking it over  and then skidding into a tree crushing the cab.  The driver of the Ladder was entrapped for two hours before he was freed.

 

102409accident-gnm

New York Post photo

Both units were responding to the same call, a report of a gas leak near the accident site.

KZ9J0068.JPG

The engine ended up in a front yard.  (NY Post)

FDNY AAOVT 102409 6.jpg

NY Post

Posted by firegeezer on October 24, 2009 • Filed under: Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, apparatus • Tagged: , , , , ,

DUI Brings Demotion in Albuquerque

Comments Off

AN ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, APPARATUS DRIVER in the Albuquerque Fire Department has been demoted and given a pay reduction after being charged by the police for drunk driving this past Saturday.  Nicholas Wilson, 34, was stopped by patrol officers who saw him swerving in his car.

Wilson also showed signs of impairment during a series of field sobriety tests.  He then admitted to police that he had a few drinks at a downtown bar, according to the criminal complaint.  He was charged and bonded out that same night.  On Monday Wilson, a 10-yr. employee, met with Deputy Fire Chief Craig Sadbury and was notified of the swift discipline of being demoted to Firefighter and relieved of any driving responsibilities.  Wilson is also a paramedic.

KOB-TV has this video report:

Dep. Chief Sadbury says that he has seen at least seven AFD firefighters charged with DWI over the past couple of years. He says firefighters like Wilson should by now realize the consequences of driving drunk.

“It is kind of scary and kind of disappointing and we would expect for him to know better. He’s seen the aftermath of DWI crashes and things before, and so he definitely knows better,” Sadberry said.

Posted by firegeezer on October 21, 2009 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, News, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos, labor

American LaFrance Maroon

Comments

SINCE THE HAPPY MEDIC PEEKED OUT OF HIS DIGITAL CLOSET, I want to share a San Francisco based story.

When I started on the job, we had American LaFrance rigs with a rich maroon color. I fondly remember riding the 1969 100′ tiller at Station 22.
1969-lafrance-truck-22_web

The county tried to duplicate that color when they were buying their first Seagraves in the early 1970’s, but it was not the same.

CENTENNIAL EDITION PAINT FINISH

To commemorate the Great Earthquake and Fire, San Francisco Fire Department and American LaFrance used paint chips from a museum steamer and hose cart to duplicate the original maroon color. American LaFrance delivered ten pumpers with a special Centennial Edition Paint Finish in 2006.

SFFD_brown_web

ABOUT THAT ACCENT WALL

I was getting my apartment painted and wanted ALF maroon for an accent wall, a dark background for the hi-def television.

While on a business trip I visited the museum that is part of San Francisco Station 10. Looked at the color on a 1893 4th size, double 550 gpm, steam engine. Also looked at the centennial paint job on Engine 10. Determining the right hue was as difficult as looking at paint swatches at Home Depot.

Had to laugh at the sign on the inside of the watchroom: R U AIQ? Immediately recognized the message, a question asked in every fire station that uses a computer aided dispatch system.

Found a shade of burgundy that seemed close enough, a friend suggested I should have added gold leaf trim on the corners of the wall. Another suggested a white V-stripe like the front of Truck 22.  Great man-cave ideas.

Now I just need a recording of an unmufflered 900 series ALF tiller  taking in the box when the exhaust was louder than the siren. That would be a great alarm-clock alert.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on October 17, 2009 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, apparatus, fun • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

New Caprice Police Car

Comments

CHEVROLET GETS BACK INTO THE REAR WHEEL DRIVE V-8 LAW ENFORCEMENT GAME. Chevrolet is adopting the Holden (Australian) framework that brought us the Camaro and the late Pontiac G8 to provide a law enforcement competitor to the Ford Crown Victoria and Dodge Charger.

011_Caprice<

The Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle is similar to the Holden-based Chevrolet Caprice that is available in the Middle East.  The police vehicles will be available in 2011, the same year that Ford will phase out the Crown Vics in favor of a front-wheel drive Taurus-based police vehicle.  Announced at today’s International Association of Chief’s of Police conference, you can follow the development of the car at this website:  http://www.chevroletcapriceppv.com/

In July, Automobile News was posting stories that the Pontiac G8 would morph into a consumer available Caprice.  In addition to the Saudi Arabian Caprice, the vehicle is sold as a Buick Park Avenue in China and the Lumina in Asia. With a EPA city rating of 15 miles-per-gallon for the V-8, GM’s Bob Lutz said that he could not make a business case for a Caprice in the US.

2008 Caprice LTZ in local setting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe1lQPXMihc

Enthusiasts were hoping that the $44K supercharged Pontiac G8 GXP could be the next Caprice SS.

G8_GXP

As pointed out in last year’s Carbon Motors announcement (HERE), the 30 year old “Panther” platform Ford Crown Victoria is the dominant brand of the 75,000 sedans purchased every year for law enforcement.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on October 5, 2009 • Filed under: Law & Justice, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, cars • Tagged: , , , , ,