AA County Fire Companies
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Llwellyn
Member
*cough, cough, sneeze*
A bit dusty in here, eh?
Hard to believe I've been posting on this site since '04... fond memories for New Years!
A bit dusty in here, eh?
Hard to believe I've been posting on this site since '04... fond memories for New Years!
ChuckWal
Member
I think there is a new Station 4 on Route 170 that has the following units:
Engine 4-1
Quint 4
Medic 4
Engine 4-1
Quint 4
Medic 4
troymail
Silent Key
ChuckWal said:
Actually, the housed unit is QUINT-4... It's only Engine 4-1 when the Quint is in the shop.
Batt Chief 1 and the MCCU (commumications van) are also housed there.
Also, station 8 is under construction in Annapolis Neck (finally). There have been Co. 8 'box areas" for as long as I can remember .. soon there will be an Engine 8 and Medic 8
baydog
Member
Speaking of station 8, when the first paramedic unit was posted to the Riva Station, it was designated as Paramedic 8. I could never figure out why "8" and not "3". This was in the early 1980's.
dpm797
Member
It was Paramedic 8 because there was an Ambulance 3. They did recognize 2 medical units at the same station. At the same time. Paramedic 22 was housed at station 18 in Marley with Ambulance 18, and Paramedic 25 was at station 28 in Odenton with Ambulance 28. There was no 9 at the end of the BLS ambulances.
dpm797
Member
Yes, I forgot 1 unit. The original Ambulance 30 was housed at station 10 Jacobville ran by Career personnel Monday thru Friday 7am to 5pm. On some weekends it was relocated to Station 12 Earleigh Heights to be run by the volunteers.
dpm797
Member
In that era the following Paramedic Units were chase vehicles not transport units
PM1, PM5, PM8, PM10, PM17, PM21, PM25. Now all Paremedic Units are transport units.
PM1, PM5, PM8, PM10, PM17, PM21, PM25. Now all Paremedic Units are transport units.
wadeless28
Member
dpm797 said:
Ahh...The days with the ol' LTD station wagons.
They were fun. That brings back some memories.Mike
baydog
Member
Thought of a couple more units that I haven't heard dispatched in a looooong time.
Second Line Ambulance 40 ( What did second line mean?)
Floodlight 34
Floodlight 19
David
Second Line Ambulance 40 ( What did second line mean?)
Floodlight 34
Floodlight 19
David
Llwellyn
Member
baydog said:
In that context, second line would be the second ambulance unit in the station, only deployed after the first line unit (Ambulance 40) would have been deployed. That must have been before they were using the -8 and -9 designations; a second-line ambulance at 40 would be ambulance 408 now.
I've also heard "first line unit" called the "first due piece"... basically, the first apparatus of a designated type at a given station that would respond to an alarm. Think of station 12... they have (or used to, pre Squad 12) a first and second line engine almost all the time... 121 being the first line unit, and 122 being the second line unit. 122 would never be dispatched to a call before 121. In theory, 121 would be the superior apparatus as far as installed equipment and staffing, thus making it the first line unit for a reason.
Also, I think the floodlights are now either out of service altogether, or they've been reassigned to the Special Operations Division.
troymail
Silent Key
The floodlight units no longer exist--- typically a Squad or other suppression unit (Engine or Truck) will do that job now. For example, when that child was struck by a car on Telegraph Road list week in Station 4's first due, the police requested a unit for lights and Squad 34 (Ferndale) was sent over. Hard to believe we tie up a big piece of equipment like this for lighting but that's all we have.
I'm not sure I remember the ambulances being designated reserve, etc. (but my memory isn't what is used to be). I do, remember, however, Ambulance 408 and Ambulance 409.... either way, they've been reduced to Medic 40 at thie point.
I'm not sure I remember the ambulances being designated reserve, etc. (but my memory isn't what is used to be). I do, remember, however, Ambulance 408 and Ambulance 409.... either way, they've been reduced to Medic 40 at thie point.
dpm797
Member
In August 1989 the county reverted back to placing a 9, an 8, or even at 7 at the end of the Ambulances, which was a practice of the 1960's and very early 70's. From that time frame until 1989 the ambulance just used the radio designation Ambulance and the station number. Station 40 actually 3 ambulance when I 1st started listening to a fire radio/scanner. Ambulance 40, Second Line Ambulance 40, and Reserve Ambulance 40. Most stations with 2 Ambulances example station 2 used Ambulance 2 and Reserve Ambulance 2. Several other stations used this same unit designation Scheme
dpm797
Member
As for the term used today. PM32 to firealarm we are going into 1st line PM32. They had been in a reserve unit ie RPM18 (reserve Paramedic 18). The term also applies to Engines......1st line E121. E121 & E122 are both 1st line engines......E122 is NOT a Reserve!!!!!! This may not mean much to the scaanning public. Today a Reserve unit is an older unit that is used as a loaner unit for when 1st line units are recieving Maintenance. Do not let the number 1 or 2 or 3 behind a 1st line Engine confuse the difference between 1st line and Reserve apparartus.
dpm797
Member
The flood light units.......were not replaced as the units went out of service do to age. New Technology enabled light towers to be placed on Squads and Engines while incoroporating space saver features that were not possible 20 years ago. As the flood light units aged and the cost of replacing them got more expensive those units became to costly to keep around. Therefore it was not cost effective to maintain and replace them for the amount of calls they actually went on. We are "doing more with less"
So it had nothing to do with FL34 driving into an overhead obstruction while the tower was elevated? Or FL11 being sold to the county to become SU5? And Didn't 30 sell their floodlight to 19 about 8 years ago? I'd rather have a $25k pickup with a $5k light tower sitting on scene then a $750k rescue squad. But I'm just a taxpayer. (and yes, I do support my local volunteers)dpm797 said:
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dpm797
Member
Floodlight 19 was sold and went where ever way before FL30 was placed out of service. Floodlight 30 was never sold to co19. Company 30 tried giving the unit to the county police at the request of the fire administration. The police who use the flood light units the most did NOT want it. FL30 was sold to a construction company. The light tower that was damaged on FL34 was replaced with a new style light tower. When SQ34 went in service the new light tower that was on FL34 was removed and placed on the Squad. The county administration did not want to pay tax money to insure, fuel, and maintain these vehicles in addition to the large apparatus. Since they were already insuring, maintaining, fueling, and some times staffing the larger appratus the logic was more bang for the buck.
dpm797
Member
FL11 was sold to the county to be special unit 5. FL11 was larger than a pick-up truck. It was a small sized rescue style body vehicle.
dpm797
Member
I can not speak for the fire administration on the logicof this; but this is the logic that used to place these vehicles out of service. It seemed the county wanted to reduce the size of the vehicle fleet it maintained.
Oh well, I guess my source was wrong about BX30, but I still think the county's idea of cost savings is a bit off. The "white wave" fleet has most certainly increased in the last few years. Thats where they could save a few bucks. And I know the size of FL11, I also know its a stick shift. But to say they went out of service due to age is a bit of a stretch, I see old FL34 every once in a while being driven by its new owner.
Anyway, we're here to talk radios- not argue semantics about how the county conducts business right? Lets get back to radios!
Anyway, we're here to talk radios- not argue semantics about how the county conducts business right? Lets get back to radios!
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