Task Force 7

Here are some photos taken by Gus Stretz and myself of new apparatus deliveries received in Westchester County.

Today, I traveled to San Antonio, TX to attend the Tow Expo 2011.
Here is the link to my photos from the event:
http://www.emtbravo.com/texas/towexpo11.php


http://www.emtbravo.com/texas/towexpo11.php
Of course, I did get some fire apparatus along the way:
San Marcos, TX Truck 5: 2010 Smeal Sirius/Smeal

San Marcos Truck 3:

Selma, TX Pump 1:

http://www.emtbravo.com/texas/towexpo11.php

I was driving through Trophy Club, Texas yesterday when I happened to see that the Circus had set up shop in the parking lot of the Country Club. Curious to know what it was, I pulled in and parked. It happened to be Trophy Club's fire station.

They have a Engine, Brush Truck, Medic, and Quint parked inside.

There's a mobile home set up next to the tent for their living quarters.

The reason for this is because they tore down the old station to build this new station on the same lot as the old one. This new station is set to open this Summer.

I was driving through Trophy Club, Texas yesterday when I happened to see that the Circus had set up shop in the parking lot of the Country Club. Curious to know what it was, I pulled in and parked. It happened to be Trophy Club's fire station.

They have a Engine, Brush Truck, Medic, and Quint parked inside.

There's a mobile home set up next to the tent for their living quarters.

The reason for this is because they tore down the old station to build this new station on the same lot as the old one. This new station is set to open this Summer.

Here's a direct link to the video. Its pretty cool, lots of good firefighter footage! http://m.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqjjkFTEyqA4%26feature%3Dchannel_video_title&h=8e7b4&refid=0&_ft_a=182342489752&_ft_tf=201833869854851&_ft_tpi=182342489752&_ft_ti=17&_ft_time_ft=1304964805&_ft_mf_objid=201833869854851&cb=5

Round Rock Fire Department (Williamson County, TX) New Brush 7
2011 Ford F-550/Siddons Skeeter T5

Here are some more shots. The Siddons Skeeter brush trucks are built right here in Texas, at a shop right outside San Antonio. They are built for use in Texas. The Siddons Skeeter is a division of Siddons-Martin Fire Apparatus, the local Pierce dealer. They produce about 40 units a year, and they bought this brush truck company in 2008 and it has evolved and grown.
Some more info on Skeeter Brush Trucks:
http://www.skeeterbrushtrucks.com

the "trenches" that are cut by the Forest Service tractor plows are what stops a fire, water and/or foam will cool the fuels, take the heat away, protect structures, and stop a small slow moving fire, but bare dirt (mineral soil) is the only sure thing (unless you can safely counterfire in front of the wildfire)

Just thought I would share some of my photos from the 1st quarter of 2011.


















and two from my Tampa trip,


Comments and/or a rep are always greatly appreciated. Please do not take any of my photos without permission.

Fort Worth, TX. Quint 9

Fort Worth, TX. Ladder Tender 9

Fort Worth, TX. Truck 1

Fort Worth, TX. Engine 1

Fort Worth, TX. Quint 12

Fort Worth, TX. Engine 12

Pump panel on Fort Worth Engine 12

ALL PHOTOS ARE PROPERTY OF TASK FORCE 7
I have about 15 more photos that I need to down load. Hopefully this will do you guys for now. Enjoy!!

Fort Worth, TX. Engine 35

Fort Worth, TX. Water 35

Fort Worth, TX. Attack 35

Fort Worth, TX. Rescue 35

Fort Worth, TX. Rescue 352

Here are the logos. The Lewisville ones were actually on the side of the rigs. Of course the Coppell one is painted on the wall inside the bays.

Fort Worth, TX. Quint 9

Fort Worth, TX. Ladder Tender 9

Fort Worth, TX. Truck 1

Fort Worth, TX. Engine 1

Fort Worth, TX. Quint 12

Fort Worth, TX. Engine 12

Pump panel on Fort Worth Engine 12

ALL PHOTOS ARE PROPERTY OF TASK FORCE 7
I have about 15 more photos that I need to down load. Hopefully this will do you guys for now. Enjoy!!

Yesterday, I traveled to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to attend the Avalance Tour featuring Art Of Dying, Halestorm, Skillet, Theory Of A Deadman, and Stone Sour at the Verizon Theater. The best concert I've ever been to. I managed to get some fire apparatus photos before the show, and figured I'd share them with you.
Thanks to Pete (TaskForce7) and Ben for the help........
First up, North Richland Hill's new 2011 KME Predator:

Fort Worth Truck 2, American Lafrance

Corey Taylor and Stone Sour putting on a killer set!

Dallas FD Truck 3, Spartan/Crimson

Plano, TX FD Engine 1- 2010 Spartan/Rosenbaeur


Dallas FD USAR Task Force 2 Component (International/Reefer Trailer donated by Schlepps Dairy):

Dallas FD Battalion 1-2011 Ford F-250 awaiting lights, radios, and equipment

Plano, TX Truck 1- 2010 Spartan/Smeal

Dallas FD Engine 6, Spartan/Quality

Dallas FD EVOC Training Unit:

An In N Out under construction....finally a confirmation that In N Out is really coming to Texas

A Union Pacific train makes it's way through Grand Prarie, TX:

Grand Prarie FD Truck 1 (sorry it's not a better shot):

Fort Worth FD Engine 12, Spartan/Central States

Dallas USAR Task Force 2 Component-2011 Ford F-750

Lizzie from the band "Halestorm" makes time for the fan betwenn Skillet's and Theory Of A Deadman's sets.

Dallas's New EOD Battalion car, 2011 Ford F-250, awaiting lights,equipment, and radio installation. Same spec as 2011 Battalion cars with the exception of black paint with no lettering.

Another angle of Dallas FD Truck 3:

Dallas FD USAR Task Force 2 Tactical Communication Vehicle:

More photos when I'm feeling better....

We've been having some beautiful weather here lately, with crystal clear skies and temps in the 60's-70's. So, going to and from, I've gotten some photos inbetween. I know some of you are probaly sick of me posting Texas stuff. I also may have posted some of these in other threads, but all these photos are brand new.
First up is Temple, TX Quint 6, which comes out of the northwest portion of the city. It is a Spartan FF/Quality/RK 75'. It serves a large heavy industrial area. This is a Paramedic Quint, and does ALS first response.
All photos by me.

Temple FD just opened a brand new Central Station, which houses Engine 1, Truck 1, Booster 1, Hazmat 1, and Command 1. It does have poles.

Which is a HUGE improvement over their previous station, which closed last month when they moved:

Engine 1, a 2008 Spartan/Crimson responds from Station 1, and is a very busy engine, serving a diverse mix of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. As with all Temple Engine companies, this one is a Paramedic Engine.

A nice message on all their vehicles (taxpayers vote to approve these purchases):

And something to help with repacking the hose:

EMS in the city is provided by Scott And White EMS, which is run by a company in Michigan under some deal with the hospital. They just took delivery of this 2011 Chevrolet/Wheeled Coach Crusader:

Their supervisor responds in this:

The volunteer portion of the Taylor Fire Department runs this unit as Brush 333:

The career portion of Taylor FD has a new Central station, which also houses a Williamson County Medic Unit and EMS Hazmat unit.

Back to Taylor Volunteer Fire Department, they run this as Rescue 336:

Temple Truck 1 enjoys some breathing room at it's spacious new home. It's a Spartan/Quality/RK Aerial:

And, as posted in another thread, an ambu-hearse:

The City Of Round Rock, TX just took delivery of this 2011 Pierce Impel for Engine 5, which covers the western portion of the city.

Georgetown, TX runs this Ford Excursion as Battalion 1:

Round Rock FD just took delivery of this 2011 Ford F-550/AG Meir for Rescue 3:

Engine 2 had fun training on this school bus, donated by Round Rock schools. The bus was initially "t-boned" intentionally by a front end loader, and placed on it's side to simulate real damage:

The City Of Cedar Park just took delivery of this 2011 Spartan Gladiator/Smeal:

Austin FD runs this Ford F-250 as a Search and Rescue unit:

And this F-350 as Battalion 2:

While EMS supervisors use these police package Tahoes:

Round Rock uses this behemoth as part of their SWAT team:

Aus-Tex Towing operates this 2010 Peterbilt/Century 9055:

Austin FD Engine 2 and Battalion 1 cover the northern part of downtown as well as the UT campus from these quarters:

After securing the cab to the ladder of Quint 17, Fort Worth Fire Rescue TRT crew then rappelled down from the ladder of Quint 17 to remove the truck driver out through the passenger side window. Keep in mind the cab is dangling over the bridge about 100 feet above the ground. Once they got the truck driver out, they brought in two big wreckers to secure the tanker truck so they could begin extrication on the two people in the car. The car was pinned underneath the tanker up against the concrete wall. Rescuers had already made contact with the people in the car who amazingly were both conscious, and alert. The truck was designed to carry water, but the tanker was empty. I know the truck driver was okay. He was very shaken up, but was checked out by MedStar personell and was released at the scene. Both people in the red Honda Accord suffered only minor injuries and were transported to a Fort Worth hospital.
Great job by all the rescuers!!

After securing the cab to the ladder of Quint 17, Fort Worth Fire Rescue TRT crew then rappelled down from the ladder of Quint 17 to remove the truck driver out through the passenger side window. Keep in mind the cab is dangling over the bridge about 100 feet above the ground. Once they got the truck driver out, they brought in two big wreckers to secure the tanker truck so they could begin extrication on the two people in the car. The car was pinned underneath the tanker up against the concrete wall. Rescuers had already made contact with the people in the car who amazingly were both conscious, and alert. The truck was designed to carry water, but the tanker was empty. I know the truck driver was okay. He was very shaken up, but was checked out by MedStar personell and was released at the scene. Both people in the red Honda Accord suffered only minor injuries and were transported to a Fort Worth hospital.
Great job by all the rescuers!!

Here's one of the first Tower Ladders in Dallas. Dallas has been a all Spartan Quality, Spartan Crimson dept. since the early 80's. They've even gone back to Tillers in some parts of the city.

Engine 33

B.C. 6

B.C. 9

All photos are property of Task Force 7.

Okay in my last post I gave a quote from a study done, but now I'm chiming in. Are Police Officers different here in Texas from those of NY? Yes, they are. But then Police in Los Angeles do things different from us. Seth, take a look where you live in Round Rock. Do your Officers walk a beat like those in NYC? No they don't. They drive around in their patrol car, or maybe ride a bike around the Outlet Mall. Does that make it right or wrong? No. We all do things differently. What works in Texas may not work in New York, Florida, California, etc. However in the end we all get the job done. My father walked a beat in Milwaukee when he was a cop. The people got to know him, because they saw him every day walking the streets. When we moved to Phoenix he drove around all day in his patrol car. The people of Phoenix didn't know him from Joe Q Public. But that's what worked for the Phoenix PD. Do I personally know my Police Officers that patrol Fort Worth. I only know 2! That's because I took the time to go to a neighborhood crime watch meeting to meet them. Do I see them on the streets. From time to time I see them drive by along with all the other Officers that patrol the Westside. What matters to me is when I dial 911 someone responds in timely manner. I don't care how they get there, or how they do it. Just as long as they help me when I need them. If every FD, PD, EMS were the same, we would all be driving the exact same patrol cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.
Everyone have a GREAT DAY and be safe out there!!

A study was done on the different styles of police work back in 1968. Here is the quote from the study.
Given the broad mandates of police work, and yet having limited resources, police administrators must develop policies to prioritize and focus their activities. Some of the more controversial policies restrict, or even forbid, high-speed vehicular pursuits.
Three styles of policing develop from a jurisdiction’s socioeconomic characteristics, government organization, and choice of police administrators. According to a study by James Q. Wilson (”Varieties of Police Behavior”, 1968, 1978, Harvard University Press), there were three distinct types of policing developed in his study of eight communities. Each style emphasized different police functions, and were linked to specific characteristics of the community the department served. (Wilson’s field of study was in the United States, and it is not clear if similar studies have been done for other countries with different governmental organization and laws.)
Watchman. Emphasizes maintaining order, usually found in communities with a declining industrial base, and a blue-collar, mixed ethnic/racial population. This form of policing is implicitly less pro-active than other styles, and certain offenses may be “overlooked” on a variety of social, legal, and cultural grounds, as long as the public order is maintained. Smith and Cole comment the broad discretion exercised in this style of policing can result in charges of discrimination, when it appears police treatment of different groups results in the perception that some groups get better treatment than others;
Legalistic. Emphasizes law enforcement and professionalism. This is usually found in reform-minded cities, with mixed socioeconomic composition. Officers are expected to generate a large number of arrests and citations, and act as if there were a single community standard for conduct, rather than different standards for different groups. However, the fact that certain groups are more likely to have law enforcement contact means this strict enforcement of laws may seem overly harsh on certain groups;
Service. Emphasizes the service functions of police work, usually found in suburban, middle-class communities where residents demand individual treatment. Police in homogeneous communities can view their work as protecting their citizens against “outsiders”, with frequent but often-informal interventions against community members. The uniform make-up of the community means crimes are usually more obvious, and therefore less frequent, leaving police free to deal with service functions, and traffic control.
Wilson’s study applies to police behavior for the entire department, over time. At any given time, police officers may be acting in a watchman, service, or legalistic function by nature of what they’re doing at the time, or temperament, or mood. Individual officers may also be inclined to one style or another, regardless of supervisor or citizen demands.

A study was done on the different styles of police work back in 1968. Here is the quote from the study.
Given the broad mandates of police work, and yet having limited resources, police administrators must develop policies to prioritize and focus their activities. Some of the more controversial policies restrict, or even forbid, high-speed vehicular pursuits.
Three styles of policing develop from a jurisdiction’s socioeconomic characteristics, government organization, and choice of police administrators. According to a study by James Q. Wilson (”Varieties of Police Behavior”, 1968, 1978, Harvard University Press), there were three distinct types of policing developed in his study of eight communities. Each style emphasized different police functions, and were linked to specific characteristics of the community the department served. (Wilson’s field of study was in the United States, and it is not clear if similar studies have been done for other countries with different governmental organization and laws.)
Watchman. Emphasizes maintaining order, usually found in communities with a declining industrial base, and a blue-collar, mixed ethnic/racial population. This form of policing is implicitly less pro-active than other styles, and certain offenses may be “overlooked” on a variety of social, legal, and cultural grounds, as long as the public order is maintained. Smith and Cole comment the broad discretion exercised in this style of policing can result in charges of discrimination, when it appears police treatment of different groups results in the perception that some groups get better treatment than others;
Legalistic. Emphasizes law enforcement and professionalism. This is usually found in reform-minded cities, with mixed socioeconomic composition. Officers are expected to generate a large number of arrests and citations, and act as if there were a single community standard for conduct, rather than different standards for different groups. However, the fact that certain groups are more likely to have law enforcement contact means this strict enforcement of laws may seem overly harsh on certain groups;
Service. Emphasizes the service functions of police work, usually found in suburban, middle-class communities where residents demand individual treatment. Police in homogeneous communities can view their work as protecting their citizens against “outsiders”, with frequent but often-informal interventions against community members. The uniform make-up of the community means crimes are usually more obvious, and therefore less frequent, leaving police free to deal with service functions, and traffic control.
Wilson’s study applies to police behavior for the entire department, over time. At any given time, police officers may be acting in a watchman, service, or legalistic function by nature of what they’re doing at the time, or temperament, or mood. Individual officers may also be inclined to one style or another, regardless of supervisor or citizen demands.

It's not something that were use to down here in Dallas Fort Worth. However the week leading up to the Super Bowl this year we had one of the worst winter storms in 20 years. Ice came crashing down off of Cowboys Stadium injuring about 6 NFL workers a few days before the Super Bowl. Arlington Fire Rescue had to spend a day trying to break the rest of the ice off the roof of the stadium so it would be safe came Super Bowl Sunday.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/020411-Falling-Ice-at-Cowboys-Stadium
I hope the Chicago Medic makes a speedy recovery.

The first of the five new Ferrara rescues being constructed for FDNY is finished and will be assigned to Rescue 5. Here are a few photos of it on display at the Long Island Fire, Rescue & EMS Mega Show, which is going on this weekend at Nassau Coliseum. My apologies for the "cluttered" and blurry shots. Was very difficult to get a good shot with all the people around, and a "point and shoot" job doesn't always get along with sub-par lighting situations. But, until the rig is delivered and the "experts" get access to it, these will have to do.

The first set of decals is on, the second set will be white lettering and metallics. The Bare Metal Foil application was tricky, I haven't done it in such a long time. Besides finishing the decals, I need to add mirrors, an access ladder, scene lighting and other fixtures, and miscellaneous details. I also need to paint and install the various doo-dads and gadgets I made for the compartments. I probably won't make the February 28 deadline, but I'm in no rush. ;D