Philadelphia Apparatus Collision Additonal Info 3-19-09

[x635 4,066]

More info and a photo of the apparatus MVA in Philadelphia. Officials at the scene are reporting none of the injuries are life threatening, however they did have to extricate firefighters pinned inside the cab of the ladder truck, which looks to be one of their new tillers.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_updat...enter_City.html

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing. Speedy recovery to the brothers who were injuried any idea if the statements under the pictures and article are true??

[x635 4,066]

Here are some additional photos from PhillyFireNews.com:

http://phillyfirenews.com/content/firewire/detail/2569

[citystation1848 15]

Speedy recovery to our injured brothers

[Guest]

My prayers and best wishes to all the injured for a speedy recovery.

[msg88 4]

I am going to school recently and was driving around City Hall only a few minutes before this and saw Squirt 43 driving by. They seemed to be driving a lot faster than any apparatus should in a crowded city at noon time. Way too many cars around.

Not sure where they were exactly going. There are conflicting reports from various news agencies as to where they were going. Some say a fire at 22nd and Warren St, which doesn't exist. Those 2 streets never meet. Others say 12th and Locust. If 12th and Locust is true, I'm not sure how they ended up at 8th and Lombard. Some are saying they were coming from 2 separate calls when they crashed. They are stationed at 21st and Market St. These are far distances for these trucks to be covering. I know that they're coverage zone starts on a part of Drexel University's campus at 32nd and Market. I dont know how far it goes but it seems like thats a lot of area for 2 trucks to cover.

Speedy recovery to all

[x129K 1,393]

I am going to school recently and was driving around City Hall only a few minutes before this and saw Squirt 43 driving by. They seemed to be driving a lot faster than any apparatus should in a crowded city at noon time. Way too many cars around.

"Seemed"........not were.

[JBE 328]

Always remember, just because they got lights and sirens going doesn't mean they are travelling at breakneck speed. I remember a survey a number of years ago where the people polled thought the rig using lights and sirens was going nearly ten mph faster than actual speed.

[Tanker 10eng 140]

the sad thing here, is that even if your doing the speed limit.... with the lights and sirens going, our big red machines, appear to the general public as speeding !!

[helicopper 1,050]

the sad thing here, is that even if your doing the speed limit.... with the lights and sirens going, our big red machines, appear to the general public as speeding !!

Lights and siren or not - for many of these vehicles traveling at the speed limit IS too fast! Gross vehicle weights, stopping distances, centers of gravity vs. curves/bank angles, cornering, etc. are all vastly different for a vehicle as heavy and high CG as fire apparatus. But we all think we can do it...

The bottom line is - the overwhelming majority of apparatus accidents are caused by operator error and that is something that we can (and SHOULD) be fixing!

SLOW DOWN!!!

[Guest]

Do they require CDL in Pa?? just kidding