meat441

I've been reading this thread carefully and i don't think people are realizing the LIABILITY issue's which could involve personnel and department's who provide first responder care.
Questions?
1. At what level of training is the proper equipment levels to be carried on all apparatus? If at the EMT level then the equipment should be as much as a BASIC LIFE SUPPORT UNIT, excluding a streatcher. What good is an EMT arriving at a scene without the supplies needed to properly care for a patient, I.E. all proper size of BP cuffs. O B kit's suction unit's with the proper size cath's. Assorted Cervical collars. Splints. Airway management. Splints. Traction splints, it's a long time to hold traction waiting for that transport vehicle? Oxygen unit's, with ALL the right type's and sizes for patient's.
The list goes on for PROPER PATIENT CARE.
2. Who will provide the money for replacement of the equipment used? REALITY. MY previous work agency WILL NOT hand over replacement supplies to other agencies who provide care at MVA's or other patient care situations prior to EMS arrival and without minimal training.
3. Patient care reports? Legal document's of care provided by First Responder's prior to EMS arrival? I HAVE and WILL continue to document on my patient care report's the agency and personnel involved with care prior to my arrival. In this day and age of camera phones i need to protect MY livelyhood by proper care being delivered. Going to court or giving depositions is becoming old, trying to answer why this or that was done for this patient. I have seen it time and time again C collars placed backwards or upside down on patients and need to correct these mistakes. But it is also documented. If i go to court again, then so will you. This is my profession. For those who have been in front of a judge, jury and especially attorney's, IT'S NO FUN. EMS is frequently involved, not that EMS personnel are being sued but you are part of the process for money mittigation.
Just a few examples. Keep Safe.

Sorry to say, but! It looks like counties north of the city Have a problem with representation. Law inforcement overshadowed fire and especially EMS. Where was the EMS representatives besides Transcare and 1 volunteer. The Senator's CHIEF OF STAFF didn't even recognize (EMS). That in my opinion is a HUGE ISSUE? It's looks as if EMS is going to have problem. This could be a reason for low EMS involvement. Can't blame them.

Good thing i didn't mention about the (FIT 5). That could start a firestorm?

Good thing i didn't mention about the (FIT 5). That could start a firestorm?

And we all remember the undefeated (PATRIOTS) when they met Big Blue in the Superbowl? I mean the defeated (PATRIOTS). LOLL. My lap top is killing me.

Wow! I didn't know my Turbodraft rant would cause such serious discussions. Let me give everyone my 2 cents about Turbodrafts.
I'm going back around 10 years ago while is was a member of a volunteer FD. in north western NJ. I am no expert by any means in pump operations. Give me the interior work at a fire scene and i'm a Happy Camper. But one day while looking in the FD supply room i came across 3 boxes. When i opened these boxes i found 3 BRAND NEW TURBODRAFT'S. I asked the Captain about them and he told me they were purchased by another Chief 2 years ago. He thought for our RURAL COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN N.J. that they had some possibilities for water supply. I asked the ex-Chief who purchased them why they were still boxed. He said they couldn't get them to work. Someone also lost the information on them. So they boxed and placed them in the supply room for 2 years until nosey me came along. I think they spent around $9000 for them. GREAT INTENTIONS but Cmon, what a waist. I brought up at an officer's meeting next month that i would take on the project of getting these things to work or return them to the company, maybe for some money back. Some officer's laughed while others had comments that i can't mention on this forum. But i gave it a try. The internet is a wonderful thing. Right on the companies web site was all the information i would need along with the operation's of the unit's. I asked the Chief for permission to utilize our draft pumper for testing the Turbodraft unit's and spent 3 hours utilizing every method suggested by the manufacturer for there operations. DAMN THEY WORK.
Step #1 completed, get them to work. Step #2 the hardest, getting the officer's to acknowledge their exsistance. Now the smoke's comming out of my ears, HOW? I knew we had a drafting drill in the next week. Let me tell you how boring drafting drills are? WHY! Because how do you have 50 firefighter's practicing drafting in 2 hours? While the normal drill was underway, the officer's came over to see what i could do with a Turbodraft. Viola they work. Ran 2 preconnected 1 3/4" lines and flowed water. Within 20 minutes the drafting drill was over and Turbodraft drill commenced. I guess that's what happens when you read the instructions. Step #3 training, already commencing that night.
The Chief who purchased the unit's, approached and thanked me for taking on this project. All he's heard for years was grief about waisting all that money to purchase them.
Couple day's later i was asked by a YOUNGER MEMBER of the company if a portable pump could supply a Turbodraft? Hmmm! Let's try. Down to the lake again with a portable pump, hose and you guessed it, a Turbodraft. That worked. What about filling and supplying a Fold-A-Tank? With 2 Turbodrafts and 2 portable pumps we were able to supply a Fold-A-Tank, i believe it was a 3000 gallon tank. Our draft pumper supplied our ladder platform with 1 monitor from the Fold-A-tank for about 15 minutes before draining it. 3 Turbo's solved that problem for continued flows. All off of portable pumps.
A month later i was summoned to the Chief's office for a meeting about the Turbodrafts AGAIN. A township in the next county was planning a drill at their local High school in the next month. Their hydrant system is a lot to be desired. They heard from a firefighter who knew a firefighter who contacted us about the Turbodrafts. Could they be used for filling Tender's? This was to be a 15 Tender filling drill 2 miles from the high school. No drafting sites in area of the school and limited hydrant's. The nearest draft site was a state park with beach access to water. 50' feet of sand. A driveway with access to the beach for 1 engine. The driveway was 100' long then another 50 foot incline to the state park parking area for the Tender's to be filled. Good luck trying to get all this equipment down to the beach with limited personnel? Talking about this on the apparatus floor, a great place for thought? Officer's were leaning against one of our BRUSH TRUCKS. LOLL. Hey they have pumps mounted to them? Why not squirrel tale a length of suction to the pump of the brush unit? Brush unit's normally are 4 wheel drive? Drive over the beach, back the truck in, drop the hard suction, 25 foot length of 2 1/2" from pump to Turbodraft, 50' of 5" supply line to the Folda-Tank, tie off 5" supply to the tank with rope and Draft Pumper supplies 3-3" lines up the grade to the fill site and fills the Tenders? Do this with 2 brush trucks and Holy Cow Batman, instant fill site. 15 minute set up time. 5 firefighter's. The mutual Aid department hosting the drill came with their Rescue to organize the Fill site and showed us they carried a FLOATING Portable pump on unit. OMG 3 Turbodrafts supplying the Folda-Tank? We overflowed the Folda-Tank numerous times till we got the hang of this operation. 2 hours into this we noticed firfighter's standing on top of the state park parking lot above us watching. It seems that the drill ended early because of what we were doing. Almost every department was their watching the fill operation. LOLL.
A few years later i responded with the Forest Fire Service for pump operations in my old town caused by Hurricane Irene. My old department was assigning pump out details. Our first assignment after flood waters receeded was a full basement pump out in a house. The FD was already pumping it when we arrived and said they would be there for hour's. I asked them where the Turbodrafts were and to bring 1 here. Again portable pump lowered the water to 10"s in an hour. Then they moved the other Turbo's to other houses to quickly drop the water levels. The small pumps did the rest of the work later. Another use for them.
By the way, 2 years after that high school exercise Folda-Tank came out with adapter's for connecting large diameter hose to their tanks.
So i guess that OLD, MIDDLE AGED and YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS could learn a thing or 2 by TRYING. When i use to teach, students would ask, what about this and can we try that. If it's safe then why not try it? What a concept, TRY?
KEEP SAFE.

Wow! I didn't know my Turbodraft rant would cause such serious discussions. Let me give everyone my 2 cents about Turbodrafts.
I'm going back around 10 years ago while is was a member of a volunteer FD. in north western NJ. I am no expert by any means in pump operations. Give me the interior work at a fire scene and i'm a Happy Camper. But one day while looking in the FD supply room i came across 3 boxes. When i opened these boxes i found 3 BRAND NEW TURBODRAFT'S. I asked the Captain about them and he told me they were purchased by another Chief 2 years ago. He thought for our RURAL COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN N.J. that they had some possibilities for water supply. I asked the ex-Chief who purchased them why they were still boxed. He said they couldn't get them to work. Someone also lost the information on them. So they boxed and placed them in the supply room for 2 years until nosey me came along. I think they spent around $9000 for them. GREAT INTENTIONS but Cmon, what a waist. I brought up at an officer's meeting next month that i would take on the project of getting these things to work or return them to the company, maybe for some money back. Some officer's laughed while others had comments that i can't mention on this forum. But i gave it a try. The internet is a wonderful thing. Right on the companies web site was all the information i would need along with the operation's of the unit's. I asked the Chief for permission to utilize our draft pumper for testing the Turbodraft unit's and spent 3 hours utilizing every method suggested by the manufacturer for there operations. DAMN THEY WORK.
Step #1 completed, get them to work. Step #2 the hardest, getting the officer's to acknowledge their exsistance. Now the smoke's comming out of my ears, HOW? I knew we had a drafting drill in the next week. Let me tell you how boring drafting drills are? WHY! Because how do you have 50 firefighter's practicing drafting in 2 hours? While the normal drill was underway, the officer's came over to see what i could do with a Turbodraft. Viola they work. Ran 2 preconnected 1 3/4" lines and flowed water. Within 20 minutes the drafting drill was over and Turbodraft drill commenced. I guess that's what happens when you read the instructions. Step #3 training, already commencing that night.
The Chief who purchased the unit's, approached and thanked me for taking on this project. All he's heard for years was grief about waisting all that money to purchase them.
Couple day's later i was asked by a YOUNGER MEMBER of the company if a portable pump could supply a Turbodraft? Hmmm! Let's try. Down to the lake again with a portable pump, hose and you guessed it, a Turbodraft. That worked. What about filling and supplying a Fold-A-Tank? With 2 Turbodrafts and 2 portable pumps we were able to supply a Fold-A-Tank, i believe it was a 3000 gallon tank. Our draft pumper supplied our ladder platform with 1 monitor from the Fold-A-tank for about 15 minutes before draining it. 3 Turbo's solved that problem for continued flows. All off of portable pumps.
A month later i was summoned to the Chief's office for a meeting about the Turbodrafts AGAIN. A township in the next county was planning a drill at their local High school in the next month. Their hydrant system is a lot to be desired. They heard from a firefighter who knew a firefighter who contacted us about the Turbodrafts. Could they be used for filling Tender's? This was to be a 15 Tender filling drill 2 miles from the high school. No drafting sites in area of the school and limited hydrant's. The nearest draft site was a state park with beach access to water. 50' feet of sand. A driveway with access to the beach for 1 engine. The driveway was 100' long then another 50 foot incline to the state park parking area for the Tender's to be filled. Good luck trying to get all this equipment down to the beach with limited personnel? Talking about this on the apparatus floor, a great place for thought? Officer's were leaning against one of our BRUSH TRUCKS. LOLL. Hey they have pumps mounted to them? Why not squirrel tale a length of suction to the pump of the brush unit? Brush unit's normally are 4 wheel drive? Drive over the beach, back the truck in, drop the hard suction, 25 foot length of 2 1/2" from pump to Turbodraft, 50' of 5" supply line to the Folda-Tank, tie off 5" supply to the tank with rope and Draft Pumper supplies 3-3" lines up the grade to the fill site and fills the Tenders? Do this with 2 brush trucks and Holy Cow Batman, instant fill site. 15 minute set up time. 5 firefighter's. The mutual Aid department hosting the drill came with their Rescue to organize the Fill site and showed us they carried a FLOATING Portable pump on unit. OMG 3 Turbodrafts supplying the Folda-Tank? We overflowed the Folda-Tank numerous times till we got the hang of this operation. 2 hours into this we noticed firfighter's standing on top of the state park parking lot above us watching. It seems that the drill ended early because of what we were doing. Almost every department was their watching the fill operation. LOLL.
A few years later i responded with the Forest Fire Service for pump operations in my old town caused by Hurricane Irene. My old department was assigning pump out details. Our first assignment after flood waters receeded was a full basement pump out in a house. The FD was already pumping it when we arrived and said they would be there for hour's. I asked them where the Turbodrafts were and to bring 1 here. Again portable pump lowered the water to 10"s in an hour. Then they moved the other Turbo's to other houses to quickly drop the water levels. The small pumps did the rest of the work later. Another use for them.
By the way, 2 years after that high school exercise Folda-Tank came out with adapter's for connecting large diameter hose to their tanks.
So i guess that OLD, MIDDLE AGED and YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS could learn a thing or 2 by TRYING. When i use to teach, students would ask, what about this and can we try that. If it's safe then why not try it? What a concept, TRY?
KEEP SAFE.

Wow! I didn't know my Turbodraft rant would cause such serious discussions. Let me give everyone my 2 cents about Turbodrafts.
I'm going back around 10 years ago while is was a member of a volunteer FD. in north western NJ. I am no expert by any means in pump operations. Give me the interior work at a fire scene and i'm a Happy Camper. But one day while looking in the FD supply room i came across 3 boxes. When i opened these boxes i found 3 BRAND NEW TURBODRAFT'S. I asked the Captain about them and he told me they were purchased by another Chief 2 years ago. He thought for our RURAL COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN N.J. that they had some possibilities for water supply. I asked the ex-Chief who purchased them why they were still boxed. He said they couldn't get them to work. Someone also lost the information on them. So they boxed and placed them in the supply room for 2 years until nosey me came along. I think they spent around $9000 for them. GREAT INTENTIONS but Cmon, what a waist. I brought up at an officer's meeting next month that i would take on the project of getting these things to work or return them to the company, maybe for some money back. Some officer's laughed while others had comments that i can't mention on this forum. But i gave it a try. The internet is a wonderful thing. Right on the companies web site was all the information i would need along with the operation's of the unit's. I asked the Chief for permission to utilize our draft pumper for testing the Turbodraft unit's and spent 3 hours utilizing every method suggested by the manufacturer for there operations. DAMN THEY WORK.
Step #1 completed, get them to work. Step #2 the hardest, getting the officer's to acknowledge their exsistance. Now the smoke's comming out of my ears, HOW? I knew we had a drafting drill in the next week. Let me tell you how boring drafting drills are? WHY! Because how do you have 50 firefighter's practicing drafting in 2 hours? While the normal drill was underway, the officer's came over to see what i could do with a Turbodraft. Viola they work. Ran 2 preconnected 1 3/4" lines and flowed water. Within 20 minutes the drafting drill was over and Turbodraft drill commenced. I guess that's what happens when you read the instructions. Step #3 training, already commencing that night.
The Chief who purchased the unit's, approached and thanked me for taking on this project. All he's heard for years was grief about waisting all that money to purchase them.
Couple day's later i was asked by a YOUNGER MEMBER of the company if a portable pump could supply a Turbodraft? Hmmm! Let's try. Down to the lake again with a portable pump, hose and you guessed it, a Turbodraft. That worked. What about filling and supplying a Fold-A-Tank? With 2 Turbodrafts and 2 portable pumps we were able to supply a Fold-A-Tank, i believe it was a 3000 gallon tank. Our draft pumper supplied our ladder platform with 1 monitor from the Fold-A-tank for about 15 minutes before draining it. 3 Turbo's solved that problem for continued flows. All off of portable pumps.
A month later i was summoned to the Chief's office for a meeting about the Turbodrafts AGAIN. A township in the next county was planning a drill at their local High school in the next month. Their hydrant system is a lot to be desired. They heard from a firefighter who knew a firefighter who contacted us about the Turbodrafts. Could they be used for filling Tender's? This was to be a 15 Tender filling drill 2 miles from the high school. No drafting sites in area of the school and limited hydrant's. The nearest draft site was a state park with beach access to water. 50' feet of sand. A driveway with access to the beach for 1 engine. The driveway was 100' long then another 50 foot incline to the state park parking area for the Tender's to be filled. Good luck trying to get all this equipment down to the beach with limited personnel? Talking about this on the apparatus floor, a great place for thought? Officer's were leaning against one of our BRUSH TRUCKS. LOLL. Hey they have pumps mounted to them? Why not squirrel tale a length of suction to the pump of the brush unit? Brush unit's normally are 4 wheel drive? Drive over the beach, back the truck in, drop the hard suction, 25 foot length of 2 1/2" from pump to Turbodraft, 50' of 5" supply line to the Folda-Tank, tie off 5" supply to the tank with rope and Draft Pumper supplies 3-3" lines up the grade to the fill site and fills the Tenders? Do this with 2 brush trucks and Holy Cow Batman, instant fill site. 15 minute set up time. 5 firefighter's. The mutual Aid department hosting the drill came with their Rescue to organize the Fill site and showed us they carried a FLOATING Portable pump on unit. OMG 3 Turbodrafts supplying the Folda-Tank? We overflowed the Folda-Tank numerous times till we got the hang of this operation. 2 hours into this we noticed firfighter's standing on top of the state park parking lot above us watching. It seems that the drill ended early because of what we were doing. Almost every department was their watching the fill operation. LOLL.
A few years later i responded with the Forest Fire Service for pump operations in my old town caused by Hurricane Irene. My old department was assigning pump out details. Our first assignment after flood waters receeded was a full basement pump out in a house. The FD was already pumping it when we arrived and said they would be there for hour's. I asked them where the Turbodrafts were and to bring 1 here. Again portable pump lowered the water to 10"s in an hour. Then they moved the other Turbo's to other houses to quickly drop the water levels. The small pumps did the rest of the work later. Another use for them.
By the way, 2 years after that high school exercise Folda-Tank came out with adapter's for connecting large diameter hose to their tanks.
So i guess that OLD, MIDDLE AGED and YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS could learn a thing or 2 by TRYING. When i use to teach, students would ask, what about this and can we try that. If it's safe then why not try it? What a concept, TRY?
KEEP SAFE.

Wow! I didn't know my Turbodraft rant would cause such serious discussions. Let me give everyone my 2 cents about Turbodrafts.
I'm going back around 10 years ago while is was a member of a volunteer FD. in north western NJ. I am no expert by any means in pump operations. Give me the interior work at a fire scene and i'm a Happy Camper. But one day while looking in the FD supply room i came across 3 boxes. When i opened these boxes i found 3 BRAND NEW TURBODRAFT'S. I asked the Captain about them and he told me they were purchased by another Chief 2 years ago. He thought for our RURAL COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN N.J. that they had some possibilities for water supply. I asked the ex-Chief who purchased them why they were still boxed. He said they couldn't get them to work. Someone also lost the information on them. So they boxed and placed them in the supply room for 2 years until nosey me came along. I think they spent around $9000 for them. GREAT INTENTIONS but Cmon, what a waist. I brought up at an officer's meeting next month that i would take on the project of getting these things to work or return them to the company, maybe for some money back. Some officer's laughed while others had comments that i can't mention on this forum. But i gave it a try. The internet is a wonderful thing. Right on the companies web site was all the information i would need along with the operation's of the unit's. I asked the Chief for permission to utilize our draft pumper for testing the Turbodraft unit's and spent 3 hours utilizing every method suggested by the manufacturer for there operations. DAMN THEY WORK.
Step #1 completed, get them to work. Step #2 the hardest, getting the officer's to acknowledge their exsistance. Now the smoke's comming out of my ears, HOW? I knew we had a drafting drill in the next week. Let me tell you how boring drafting drills are? WHY! Because how do you have 50 firefighter's practicing drafting in 2 hours? While the normal drill was underway, the officer's came over to see what i could do with a Turbodraft. Viola they work. Ran 2 preconnected 1 3/4" lines and flowed water. Within 20 minutes the drafting drill was over and Turbodraft drill commenced. I guess that's what happens when you read the instructions. Step #3 training, already commencing that night.
The Chief who purchased the unit's, approached and thanked me for taking on this project. All he's heard for years was grief about waisting all that money to purchase them.
Couple day's later i was asked by a YOUNGER MEMBER of the company if a portable pump could supply a Turbodraft? Hmmm! Let's try. Down to the lake again with a portable pump, hose and you guessed it, a Turbodraft. That worked. What about filling and supplying a Fold-A-Tank? With 2 Turbodrafts and 2 portable pumps we were able to supply a Fold-A-Tank, i believe it was a 3000 gallon tank. Our draft pumper supplied our ladder platform with 1 monitor from the Fold-A-tank for about 15 minutes before draining it. 3 Turbo's solved that problem for continued flows. All off of portable pumps.
A month later i was summoned to the Chief's office for a meeting about the Turbodrafts AGAIN. A township in the next county was planning a drill at their local High school in the next month. Their hydrant system is a lot to be desired. They heard from a firefighter who knew a firefighter who contacted us about the Turbodrafts. Could they be used for filling Tender's? This was to be a 15 Tender filling drill 2 miles from the high school. No drafting sites in area of the school and limited hydrant's. The nearest draft site was a state park with beach access to water. 50' feet of sand. A driveway with access to the beach for 1 engine. The driveway was 100' long then another 50 foot incline to the state park parking area for the Tender's to be filled. Good luck trying to get all this equipment down to the beach with limited personnel? Talking about this on the apparatus floor, a great place for thought? Officer's were leaning against one of our BRUSH TRUCKS. LOLL. Hey they have pumps mounted to them? Why not squirrel tale a length of suction to the pump of the brush unit? Brush unit's normally are 4 wheel drive? Drive over the beach, back the truck in, drop the hard suction, 25 foot length of 2 1/2" from pump to Turbodraft, 50' of 5" supply line to the Folda-Tank, tie off 5" supply to the tank with rope and Draft Pumper supplies 3-3" lines up the grade to the fill site and fills the Tenders? Do this with 2 brush trucks and Holy Cow Batman, instant fill site. 15 minute set up time. 5 firefighter's. The mutual Aid department hosting the drill came with their Rescue to organize the Fill site and showed us they carried a FLOATING Portable pump on unit. OMG 3 Turbodrafts supplying the Folda-Tank? We overflowed the Folda-Tank numerous times till we got the hang of this operation. 2 hours into this we noticed firfighter's standing on top of the state park parking lot above us watching. It seems that the drill ended early because of what we were doing. Almost every department was their watching the fill operation. LOLL.
A few years later i responded with the Forest Fire Service for pump operations in my old town caused by Hurricane Irene. My old department was assigning pump out details. Our first assignment after flood waters receeded was a full basement pump out in a house. The FD was already pumping it when we arrived and said they would be there for hour's. I asked them where the Turbodrafts were and to bring 1 here. Again portable pump lowered the water to 10"s in an hour. Then they moved the other Turbo's to other houses to quickly drop the water levels. The small pumps did the rest of the work later. Another use for them.
By the way, 2 years after that high school exercise Folda-Tank came out with adapter's for connecting large diameter hose to their tanks.
So i guess that OLD, MIDDLE AGED and YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS could learn a thing or 2 by TRYING. When i use to teach, students would ask, what about this and can we try that. If it's safe then why not try it? What a concept, TRY?
KEEP SAFE.

Wow! I didn't know my Turbodraft rant would cause such serious discussions. Let me give everyone my 2 cents about Turbodrafts.
I'm going back around 10 years ago while is was a member of a volunteer FD. in north western NJ. I am no expert by any means in pump operations. Give me the interior work at a fire scene and i'm a Happy Camper. But one day while looking in the FD supply room i came across 3 boxes. When i opened these boxes i found 3 BRAND NEW TURBODRAFT'S. I asked the Captain about them and he told me they were purchased by another Chief 2 years ago. He thought for our RURAL COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN N.J. that they had some possibilities for water supply. I asked the ex-Chief who purchased them why they were still boxed. He said they couldn't get them to work. Someone also lost the information on them. So they boxed and placed them in the supply room for 2 years until nosey me came along. I think they spent around $9000 for them. GREAT INTENTIONS but Cmon, what a waist. I brought up at an officer's meeting next month that i would take on the project of getting these things to work or return them to the company, maybe for some money back. Some officer's laughed while others had comments that i can't mention on this forum. But i gave it a try. The internet is a wonderful thing. Right on the companies web site was all the information i would need along with the operation's of the unit's. I asked the Chief for permission to utilize our draft pumper for testing the Turbodraft unit's and spent 3 hours utilizing every method suggested by the manufacturer for there operations. DAMN THEY WORK.
Step #1 completed, get them to work. Step #2 the hardest, getting the officer's to acknowledge their exsistance. Now the smoke's comming out of my ears, HOW? I knew we had a drafting drill in the next week. Let me tell you how boring drafting drills are? WHY! Because how do you have 50 firefighter's practicing drafting in 2 hours? While the normal drill was underway, the officer's came over to see what i could do with a Turbodraft. Viola they work. Ran 2 preconnected 1 3/4" lines and flowed water. Within 20 minutes the drafting drill was over and Turbodraft drill commenced. I guess that's what happens when you read the instructions. Step #3 training, already commencing that night.
The Chief who purchased the unit's, approached and thanked me for taking on this project. All he's heard for years was grief about waisting all that money to purchase them.
Couple day's later i was asked by a YOUNGER MEMBER of the company if a portable pump could supply a Turbodraft? Hmmm! Let's try. Down to the lake again with a portable pump, hose and you guessed it, a Turbodraft. That worked. What about filling and supplying a Fold-A-Tank? With 2 Turbodrafts and 2 portable pumps we were able to supply a Fold-A-Tank, i believe it was a 3000 gallon tank. Our draft pumper supplied our ladder platform with 1 monitor from the Fold-A-tank for about 15 minutes before draining it. 3 Turbo's solved that problem for continued flows. All off of portable pumps.
A month later i was summoned to the Chief's office for a meeting about the Turbodrafts AGAIN. A township in the next county was planning a drill at their local High school in the next month. Their hydrant system is a lot to be desired. They heard from a firefighter who knew a firefighter who contacted us about the Turbodrafts. Could they be used for filling Tender's? This was to be a 15 Tender filling drill 2 miles from the high school. No drafting sites in area of the school and limited hydrant's. The nearest draft site was a state park with beach access to water. 50' feet of sand. A driveway with access to the beach for 1 engine. The driveway was 100' long then another 50 foot incline to the state park parking area for the Tender's to be filled. Good luck trying to get all this equipment down to the beach with limited personnel? Talking about this on the apparatus floor, a great place for thought? Officer's were leaning against one of our BRUSH TRUCKS. LOLL. Hey they have pumps mounted to them? Why not squirrel tale a length of suction to the pump of the brush unit? Brush unit's normally are 4 wheel drive? Drive over the beach, back the truck in, drop the hard suction, 25 foot length of 2 1/2" from pump to Turbodraft, 50' of 5" supply line to the Folda-Tank, tie off 5" supply to the tank with rope and Draft Pumper supplies 3-3" lines up the grade to the fill site and fills the Tenders? Do this with 2 brush trucks and Holy Cow Batman, instant fill site. 15 minute set up time. 5 firefighter's. The mutual Aid department hosting the drill came with their Rescue to organize the Fill site and showed us they carried a FLOATING Portable pump on unit. OMG 3 Turbodrafts supplying the Folda-Tank? We overflowed the Folda-Tank numerous times till we got the hang of this operation. 2 hours into this we noticed firfighter's standing on top of the state park parking lot above us watching. It seems that the drill ended early because of what we were doing. Almost every department was their watching the fill operation. LOLL.
A few years later i responded with the Forest Fire Service for pump operations in my old town caused by Hurricane Irene. My old department was assigning pump out details. Our first assignment after flood waters receeded was a full basement pump out in a house. The FD was already pumping it when we arrived and said they would be there for hour's. I asked them where the Turbodrafts were and to bring 1 here. Again portable pump lowered the water to 10"s in an hour. Then they moved the other Turbo's to other houses to quickly drop the water levels. The small pumps did the rest of the work later. Another use for them.
By the way, 2 years after that high school exercise Folda-Tank came out with adapter's for connecting large diameter hose to their tanks.
So i guess that OLD, MIDDLE AGED and YOUNG FIREFIGHTERS could learn a thing or 2 by TRYING. When i use to teach, students would ask, what about this and can we try that. If it's safe then why not try it? What a concept, TRY?
KEEP SAFE.

Over a mile of 5" inch supply line? How long did this take to establish? How much apparatus was required? How much manpower for this laying line operation?
Only my input but! By the looks of South Salem it appears to be a Rural Department. No dependable hydrant system but a good amount of lakes in close proximity to fire. BUT THEY SAID NO GOOD WATER SUPPLY?
Photo's of the fire show a lake with dock behind structure. Another lake across the street with driveway access.
I'm sorry but it just sounds like poor planning to me? The water supply was there. Photo shows portable pumps on a dock, drafting from a lake BEHIND THE HOUSE, supplying water. Again this appaears to me to be a RURAL DEPARTMENT with water supply issue's. This was a great way to move water. The source was right there. Pre-planning is a must especially in rural area's.
What about purchasing some (TURBO-DRAFTS)?
Portable pump drafting thru a Turbo Draft, pumping thru a couple of length's of 5" hose to supply either apparatus or portable dump pools. I noticed in the department's web site they own what appears to be a Brush Truck with mounted pump. This is a great resource for driving down the opposite drive way to the other lake and supplying thru another Turbo Draft to an engine on the street. 150 foot driveway.
I have used these Turbo Drafts and you'll be amazed at the amount of water you could supply, especially thru portable pumps. Nice looking apparatus is fine, but if you can't supply water quickly and pre-plan then why are we here? Sorry for my rant.

Over a mile of 5" inch supply line? How long did this take to establish? How much apparatus was required? How much manpower for this laying line operation?
Only my input but! By the looks of South Salem it appears to be a Rural Department. No dependable hydrant system but a good amount of lakes in close proximity to fire. BUT THEY SAID NO GOOD WATER SUPPLY?
Photo's of the fire show a lake with dock behind structure. Another lake across the street with driveway access.
I'm sorry but it just sounds like poor planning to me? The water supply was there. Photo shows portable pumps on a dock, drafting from a lake BEHIND THE HOUSE, supplying water. Again this appaears to me to be a RURAL DEPARTMENT with water supply issue's. This was a great way to move water. The source was right there. Pre-planning is a must especially in rural area's.
What about purchasing some (TURBO-DRAFTS)?
Portable pump drafting thru a Turbo Draft, pumping thru a couple of length's of 5" hose to supply either apparatus or portable dump pools. I noticed in the department's web site they own what appears to be a Brush Truck with mounted pump. This is a great resource for driving down the opposite drive way to the other lake and supplying thru another Turbo Draft to an engine on the street. 150 foot driveway.
I have used these Turbo Drafts and you'll be amazed at the amount of water you could supply, especially thru portable pumps. Nice looking apparatus is fine, but if you can't supply water quickly and pre-plan then why are we here? Sorry for my rant.

Staffing of 2 Rescue/Specialist's.

Staffing of 2 Rescue/Specialist's.

The question is WHY? 10 year old truck? If the citizens of that FIRE DISTRICT vote yes for the new truck, Then they diserve what they get. MORE MONEY OUT OF THEIR POCKETS? For WHAT?