Brian, don't listen to any whining if you want to have a training drill outside this winter in the cold.
We finally got a chance to get out of the building for something other that aircraft stand-bys or driving around town to get people familiar with the area. We had two people that needed to get tested on pump operation so that they could become Driver/Operators for the Engines and the Tanker. So we took and hour and went down by the ice edge and threw 4500 gallons of water back out to the sea.
Of course the temperature was about 3F but the sun was out and there was no wind, so it was actually nice. And we were only outside for the total of an hour and a half, so it wasn't long.
I was the officer on Tanker 3, and our job was to supply water to Engine 1. And since the entire crew on Engine 1 was there to get time on the pump, my crew ended up on the hoseline for the entire drill. Which is all good.
For those of you that care, I will give you a rundown of our structural firefighting trucks that are kept in town. We have twin Engines (#1 and #2 clever huh?) and they are 1992 Pierce pumpers. They are 1000 gpm dual stage pumps with 750 gallons of water on them. The tanker (Tanker #3) is a 1985 Ward with a 750 gpm dual stage pump and 3700 gallons of water on it. All of the trucks are All Wheel Drive and they all are PTO pumps for some reason.
We man two trucks at one time. So normally E1 and T3 are in service in the station and E2 is stored outside. If either E1 or T3 is down for repairs or maintenance then E2 goes in service as either the supply engine or as the attack engine. And did I mention that the tank on E2 is cracked and holds no water and the pump is sealed and full of anti-freeze. So if Engine 2 is the attack engine it has to be feed by T3 or if it is the supply engine it has to hook to a hydrant to feed any water. And before the pump can be used, we have to dump the coolant before flowing water. It is a very interesting system.
Nothing too exciting to report otherwise. Just technical stuff today and some photos. The NY Air National Guard was supposed to arrive with the ski equipped LC-130's today, but the weather has been very stormy. Lots of snow (very unusual) and high winds. But the temps have been in the 15F range during the day, so it was not too bad out. And there seems to be a pretty big storm here so this weather pattern should stay here for a few days, so I bet the NYANG will be delayed for at least two days. Once they get here, we will be manning station 2 at the runway 24/7 for the remainder of the season. That will actually help us get into a good rhythm here.
Talk to you soon.
R.J.
Of course the temperature was about 3F but the sun was out and there was no wind, so it was actually nice. And we were only outside for the total of an hour and a half, so it wasn't long.
I was the officer on Tanker 3, and our job was to supply water to Engine 1. And since the entire crew on Engine 1 was there to get time on the pump, my crew ended up on the hoseline for the entire drill. Which is all good.
For those of you that care, I will give you a rundown of our structural firefighting trucks that are kept in town. We have twin Engines (#1 and #2 clever huh?) and they are 1992 Pierce pumpers. They are 1000 gpm dual stage pumps with 750 gallons of water on them. The tanker (Tanker #3) is a 1985 Ward with a 750 gpm dual stage pump and 3700 gallons of water on it. All of the trucks are All Wheel Drive and they all are PTO pumps for some reason.
We man two trucks at one time. So normally E1 and T3 are in service in the station and E2 is stored outside. If either E1 or T3 is down for repairs or maintenance then E2 goes in service as either the supply engine or as the attack engine. And did I mention that the tank on E2 is cracked and holds no water and the pump is sealed and full of anti-freeze. So if Engine 2 is the attack engine it has to be feed by T3 or if it is the supply engine it has to hook to a hydrant to feed any water. And before the pump can be used, we have to dump the coolant before flowing water. It is a very interesting system.
Nothing too exciting to report otherwise. Just technical stuff today and some photos. The NY Air National Guard was supposed to arrive with the ski equipped LC-130's today, but the weather has been very stormy. Lots of snow (very unusual) and high winds. But the temps have been in the 15F range during the day, so it was not too bad out. And there seems to be a pretty big storm here so this weather pattern should stay here for a few days, so I bet the NYANG will be delayed for at least two days. Once they get here, we will be manning station 2 at the runway 24/7 for the remainder of the season. That will actually help us get into a good rhythm here.
Talk to you soon.
R.J.
posted by R.J. at 5:19 AM
4 Comments:
Clear on the training. Close to 80 deg F today in SW. Lake Erie is 61 deg F which may be the warmest wwater temp ever recorded for this date. Can you say Lake Effect?
Why does the post text I entered appear under the post title?
Ann Curry from the Today Show will be in McMurdo on Monday the 5th of November. Will you guys be on tv?
Here is the link to the story on msnbc.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21487380/
Let us know if you will be on tv! We want to watch you!
Nice to see your FD has a Ward in the lineup. Not a bad second to an Ambassador. Have fun.
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