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Heavy Rescue 02
During a parade, fire department members drive a heavy rescue vehicle and wave at members of the public. At the end of it's days in front line service, this 1979 Ford/Emergency One vehicle was given to the Stevens Creek Volunteer Fire Department where, sans rescue tools, it continued a slower-paced life as a quick-attack pumper.
Someone has swapped the front-facing red in the Federal California Twinsonic light bar. The unit comes with a 4000 or 4002, essentially a six-inch round headlamp. In its place, someone has installed a 4537. This is an identical-sized 100 watt aviation landing light bulb. That's why the red is so bright. At the time, 6-inch aviation landing lights, 100- and 250-watt versions, were popular as spotlights. The 250-watt versions tend to overheat and fail quickly because they're intended to have cool air flowing over them.
In California, we're seeing a lot of stress on fire departments. All fire department positions require rigorous, specialized training. Members must have a basic understanding of municipal water systems and electricity distribution. One day you're training on delivering a baby and treating a compound fracture. The next day you're practicing pumping water from a lake or backing a vehicle down a narrow alley. Then there's active shooter training and creating helicopter landing zones. Expensive and complex equipment are needed for fires, rescue operations, vehicle maintenance, and dispatching. This has led to consolidations: reducing the numbers of chief officers and administrative people. Urban areas generally are in better shape than rural communities. Technology is expensive, difficult to manage, and necessary. Safety gear — like instruments that measure lower explosive limit and safety boots — must be upgraded. Organizations must scale quickly to shift from a 100-acre (40 hectares) fire to a 10,000-acre (4047 hectares) fire. Can you imagine?
In Santa Rosa [California], just 130 of the more than 400 requests for mutual aid [during the Tubbs Fire] were filled within the initial hours because dispatch systems were overwhelmed. Sufficient help to contain the fire didn't arrive until the third day. This is in Santa Rosa, within the SF Bay Area, where large metropolitan fire departments like Contra Costa Consolidated Fire District, San Francisco Fire Department, Oakland Fire Department, and the Alameda County Fire departments are located.
— Chief Jeff Meston (retired), South Lake Tahoe Fire Department
Journalism grade image.
Source: scanned Kodachrome 25 slide from 1995.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.
Heavy Rescue 02
During a parade, fire department members drive a heavy rescue vehicle and wave at members of the public. At the end of it's days in front line service, this 1979 Ford/Emergency One vehicle was given to the Stevens Creek Volunteer Fire Department where, sans rescue tools, it continued a slower-paced life as a quick-attack pumper.
Someone has swapped the front-facing red in the Federal California Twinsonic light bar. The unit comes with a 4000 or 4002, essentially a six-inch round headlamp. In its place, someone has installed a 4537. This is an identical-sized 100 watt aviation landing light bulb. That's why the red is so bright. At the time, 6-inch aviation landing lights, 100- and 250-watt versions, were popular as spotlights. The 250-watt versions tend to overheat and fail quickly because they're intended to have cool air flowing over them.
In California, we're seeing a lot of stress on fire departments. All fire department positions require rigorous, specialized training. Members must have a basic understanding of municipal water systems and electricity distribution. One day you're training on delivering a baby and treating a compound fracture. The next day you're practicing pumping water from a lake or backing a vehicle down a narrow alley. Then there's active shooter training and creating helicopter landing zones. Expensive and complex equipment are needed for fires, rescue operations, vehicle maintenance, and dispatching. This has led to consolidations: reducing the numbers of chief officers and administrative people. Urban areas generally are in better shape than rural communities. Technology is expensive, difficult to manage, and necessary. Safety gear — like instruments that measure lower explosive limit and safety boots — must be upgraded. Organizations must scale quickly to shift from a 100-acre (40 hectares) fire to a 10,000-acre (4047 hectares) fire. Can you imagine?
In Santa Rosa [California], just 130 of the more than 400 requests for mutual aid [during the Tubbs Fire] were filled within the initial hours because dispatch systems were overwhelmed. Sufficient help to contain the fire didn't arrive until the third day. This is in Santa Rosa, within the SF Bay Area, where large metropolitan fire departments like Contra Costa Consolidated Fire District, San Francisco Fire Department, Oakland Fire Department, and the Alameda County Fire departments are located.
— Chief Jeff Meston (retired), South Lake Tahoe Fire Department
Journalism grade image.
Source: scanned Kodachrome 25 slide from 1995.
Please do not copy this image for any purpose.