Charlotte Fire ladder flips over and catches fire

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blinkthing

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At ~8:20am today, Charlotte Fire Ladder 32 was involved in an MVA where it overshot an intersection, flipped, and caught fire. Would be interesting to hear the radio traffic for this one: Charlotte Fire

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu9V0yqCkAc

Article, pics, and better video here: Charlotte fire truck flips, catches fire; 4 firefighters injured | www.wsoctv.com

Another article with pics of other responding units (including what might be multiple battalion chiefs): Four firefighters injured after fire truck overturns in Ballanty - WNCN: News, Weather
 

yardbird

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I sat right there at work and listened to every bit of it.

The scene Battalion Chief was very hateful towards the responding units.

She called for a Haz-Mat truck from way across town, when the State Haz-Mat truck RRT 7 was within a

couple of miles from the scene.

I even heard Car 1 the Chief on the radio and that is something very rare.

Needless to say the radio conversations were very interesting.

David
 

kd8x

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Your hard earned tax dollars being chewed up and spit out....Ever hear of driving school CFD???
 

yardbird

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No!

Four Firefighters injuried, but none life threatning.

However about a 500,000 to 1 million dollar ladder truck destroyed.

All because of the adreniline rush to get to a medical call.

David
 
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W8RMH

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Being a former FF/EMT I could never understand this practice of using an expensive piece of equipment like this to respond to a medical call.

I might be "Old School", but back in my day ambulances responded to medical calls and trucks responded to fires and rescues.

It not only makes this equipment unavailable for it's intended purpose, it also causes excessive, and expensive wear-and-tear on the equipment and places the public, as well as department personnel at risk, as is obvious from this incident.
 
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yardbird

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I know where you are coming from with an expensive piece of equipment for a medical.

Charlotte runs there apparatus to all kinds of calls.

They even send haz-mat, heavy rescue units, tankers and even brush trucks to medicals.

They even send airport blaze equipment out for medicals at the airport.

I have even heard them sending a Battalion Chief's to medical calls as well.

David
 
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flythunderbird

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Glad to hear that nobody was seriously injured!

Being a former FF/EMT I could never understand this practice of using an expensive piece of equipment like this to respond to a medical call.

I might be "Old School", but back in my day ambulances responded to medical calls and trucks responded to fires and rescues.

It not only makes this equipment unavailable for it's intended purpose, it also causes excessive, and expensive wear-and-tear on the equipment and places the public, as well as department personnel at risk, as is obvious from this incident.

Heh, they do it here, too ... watching a Pierce 100' aluminum platform truck respond to medical calls or fender-benders just makes you shake your head ...
 

WA4MJF

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We run Durangos, that we call medical cars, as first out for medical calls, brush trucks as second out. That being said if an Engine is out and available it will call swap and take call. Next door in Johnston County, some departments have the MRs respond POV. Raleigh runs the big rigs. Wendell Holmes uses brush trucks. Knightdale runs an Engine on first one and MR pickup truck second. Everyone seems to do it differently.
 

ka4gfy

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Here in Northern VA, an engine company always goes out with the medic. The school of thought is if there isn't a medic available right away, the engine company crew can begin treating the patient until the medic gets there. In addition, having an engine company on the scene guarantees sufficient manpower to move a patient up and down stairs in a multi-story dwelling. Having had the EMS folks in my house on occasion, the paramedics can by working with the patient while the firefighters/EMTs are gathering background information on the patient. I don't think sending an engine company or even a truck company on an EMS call is strange at all. It works very well around here.

73,
Rich, KA4GFY
 

n5ims

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I agree with ka4gfy. Having the extra people on scene is often helpful. It allows the medics to concentrate on the patient while the others collect information or explain the process to family members. One other thing the large trucks do at an accident scene is provide protection. When a distracted driver that's amazed at all the blinky lights or spending more time rubbernecking the scene than driving causes a second crash at the scene, they hit the large heavy truck which generally doesn't move. Had they hit a much lighter PD vehicle or ambulance it could easily be pushed onto the people working the scene or the original victims.
 

davenlr

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Being a former FF/EMT I could never understand this practice of using an expensive piece of equipment like this to respond to a medical call.

We also run fire apparatus to medical calls here, and across the river in Little Rock. It made sense when the fire trucks could arrive on the scene several minutes before the ambulance crews, but now, the ambulance companies, at least here, usually beat the fire department to the scene. I can understand the response for vehicle accidents with possible entrapment, but not routine medical calls.
 

car55

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We also run fire apparatus to medical calls here, and across the river in Little Rock. It made sense when the fire trucks could arrive on the scene several minutes before the ambulance crews, but now, the ambulance companies, at least here, usually beat the fire department to the scene. I can understand the response for vehicle accidents with possible entrapment, but not routine medical calls.

Why not run police to medical calls? They would get there before fire or EMS.
 

bravo14

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Being a former FF/EMT I could never understand this practice of using an expensive piece of equipment like this to respond to a medical call.

I might be "Old School", but back in my day ambulances responded to medical calls and trucks responded to fires and rescues.

It not only makes this equipment unavailable for it's intended purpose, it also causes excessive, and expensive wear-and-tear on the equipment and places the public, as well as department personnel at risk, as is obvious from this incident.

Back where I use to live at if any rescue call goes out they send a Engine with them doesn't matter if it's a small cut to the hand. If a rescue goes into the city limits they send a Engine also to a call.

Now where I live at no city FF goes to medical calls unless they need to.
 

car55

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Back where I use to live at if any rescue call goes out they send a Engine with them doesn't matter if it's a small cut to the hand. If a rescue goes into the city limits they send a Engine also to a call.

Now where I live at no city FF goes to medical calls unless they need to.

It will make more sense to send police than fire they will get on seen before fire or EMS. Unless you need manpower.
 

WA4MJF

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Here in Northern VA, an engine company always goes out with the medic. The school of thought is if there isn't a medic available right away, the engine company crew can begin treating the patient until the medic gets there. In addition, having an engine company on the scene guarantees sufficient manpower to move a patient up and down stairs in a multi-story dwelling. Having had the EMS folks in my house on occasion, the paramedics can by working with the patient while the firefighters/EMTs are gathering background information on the patient. I don't think sending an engine company or even a truck company on an EMS call is strange at all. It works very well around here.

73,
Rich, KA4GFY

If you have plenty of money, like say Dunn Loring VFD up where my parents lived Fairfax
County. Compare cost of mogas to diesel and how much more an engine will use as
opposed to a small SUV. Lotta pancake plates and raffle tickets for some departments.

Ronnie
 
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