Automotive

We thought it might be fun to have bright red and chrome as our theme for this post at the end of the year. Regular readers will remember that I found multiple fire engines over the last few months, and I was sorry not to have more details on each one. So I made an appointment to rectify the situation!

This San Diego fire station serves 6 square miles of residential and light commercial buildings in a community built in the 40's-70's. It is criss-crossed with canyons and several freeways. As of today, they have responded to 2745 events in 2016, including 275 fires, hundreds of heart attacks, scores of children locked in running cars, and one cat stuck in a tree.



Engineer Dorian drives and operates the engine. The fire captain operates the radio and studies the computer which has plans of large commercial buildings, hospitals and factories in their zone. The firefighters lay down water, enter the buildings, open locked doors in cars, and serve as emergency medical technicians. Each team includes a paramedic who can give advanced medical treatment. 

They tipped the cab so we could see the engine.

Here's the twin-turbocharged 6-cylinder Detroit Diesel. That black shaft at lower left is the steering column. 

The Pierce fire engine carries 500 gallons of water. They would normally pump this at 200 gallons per minute, so they can pull up to a site, connect an "attack" hose, and start putting water onto a fire. Supply hose on the left connects to a fire hydrant. Attack hose on the right goes to a nozzle. Ladders swing down on the right side of the engine. 

After they put to the scene, the engineer has about two minutes to connect his "supply" hoses to a hydrant before calling on the main pumps which can deliver 1200 gallons per minute. The pumps are driven from their main engine, via a Power Take-Off driveshaft. He runs all this!

The engine carries several ladders, lots of hoses and fittings, chain saws, a "Jaws of Life" hydraulic cutter/spreader, medical equipment, oxygen, etc. etc. Total weight is about 42,000 lbs (20,000 kilos). This is the engineer's toolbox.