CFD Apparatus status discussion (Non-Radio Information)

[dhoustonAB]

Drove by 8 today. Rescue 8 and Ladder 8 are back at 8 Station. 33 and 29 are back to single Engines.

 

[255-Jacobs]

I was wondering when they would return to 8. Nice to see the hall stacked again!

 

[Calgary_Fire_Filmer]

Caught em going to a fire a couple days ago, totally forgot to let you guys know haha

 

[ENGINE_4]

I found this tender for new Engines and Rescues…

Alberta Purchasing Connection

vendor.purchasingconnection.ca

L also wraps for any air support rig. According to CFD's Chief Mechanic once A/L 4 is gone, it's over. It might be the same case for HRS 2 once it's retired.

I don’t know much about air/SCBA refill systems, so please someone chime in if they know more!

It seems it would be cheaper for CFD to go with couple smaller or even similar sized truck to A/L 4 that does not have a re-fill compressor or breathable refill tanks on board.

A few reasons for this; upkeep/maintenace of the system (multiple contracts have gone out over the years to keep HRS 2 and A/L 4’s air system in tip top shape so they can stay in front line service) regulations around refilling SCBA’s, renting/delivering of air tanks and down time changing them out (are the tanks kept on top of the truck? Do they have to be changed out at the shop with a crane?) — overall, more time and money having a portable system then having a system in say a fire station or central building.

Most fire departments in Canada (Toronto included) and some major FD’s in the US like FDNY use a system of trucks that carry multiple SCBA’s and when those SCBA’s are used they take them back to a central building and refill them.

I don’t know how many SCBA bottle refill stations are located in CFD stations, but to me the small truck/central refill station makes more sense if we’re talking about cost

A few reasons for this; up keep/ Maintenace of the system (multiple contracts have gone out over the years to keep HRS 2 and A/L 4’s air system in tip top shape so they can stay in front line service) regulations around refilling SCBA’s, renting/delivering of air tanks and down time changing them out (are the tanks kept on top of the truck? Do they have to be changed out at the shop with a crane?) — overall, more time and money having a portable system then having a system in say a fire station or central building.

Most fire departments in Canada (Toronto included) and some major FD’s in the US like FDNY use a system of trucks that carry multiple SCBA’s and when those SCBA’s are used they take them back to a central building and refill them.

I don’t know how many SCBA bottle refill stations are located in CFD stations, but to me the small truck/central refill station makes more sense if we’re talking about cost

 

[dhoustonAB]

I found this tender for new Engines and Rescues…

Alberta Purchasing Connection

vendor.purchasingconnection.ca

Looks like they have shifted away from making the Rescues into Aerials

 

[ENGINE_4]

Not necessarily the “Rescues” could be for Tech Rescue Units, Air-Lights, Hazmats and actual Rescues.
Of course CFD could change things around, but I think we can all agree more Ladders are needed in Calgary.
Rescues are cheaper to build then Ladders though and it doesn’t seem like costs of apparatus are coming down anytime soon, so it will be interesting to see what will happen

Rescues currently carry 20 SCBA’s - so we could say the smaller truck system is already in effect. But 20 extra bottles doesn’t seem like enough at a scene. As usual we will see what plays out and if Brass politics change and something new comes into replace the A/L / rehab side of things for CFD

 

[Calgary_Fire_Filmer]

I found this tender for new Engines and Rescues…

Alberta Purchasing Connection

vendor.purchasingconnection.ca

I don’t know much about air/SCBA refill systems, so please someone chime in if they know more!

It seems it would be cheaper for CFD to go with couple smaller or even similar sized truck to A/L 4 that does not have a re-fill compressor or breathable refill tanks on board.

A few reasons for this; upkeep/maintenace of the system (multiple contracts have gone out over the years to keep HRS 2 and A/L 4’s air system in tip top shape so they can stay in front line service) regulations around refilling SCBA’s, renting/delivering of air tanks and down time changing them out (are the tanks kept on top of the truck? Do they have to be changed out at the shop with a crane?) — overall, more time and money having a portable system then having a system in say a fire station or central building.

Most fire departments in Canada (Toronto included) and some major FD’s in the US like FDNY use a system of trucks that carry multiple SCBA’s and when those SCBA’s are used they take them back to a central building and refill them.

I don’t know how many SCBA bottle refill stations are located in CFD stations, but to me the small truck/central refill station makes more sense if we’re talking about cost

A few reasons for this; up keep/ Maintenace of the system (multiple contracts have gone out over the years to keep HRS 2 and A/L 4’s air system in tip top shape so they can stay in front line service) regulations around refilling SCBA’s, renting/delivering of air tanks and down time changing them out (are the tanks kept on top of the truck? Do they have to be changed out at the shop with a crane?) — overall, more time and money having a portable system then having a system in say a fire station or central building.

Most fire departments in Canada (Toronto included) and some major FD’s in the US like FDNY use a system of trucks that carry multiple SCBA’s and when those SCBA’s are used they take them back to a central building and refill them.

I don’t know how many SCBA bottle refill stations are located in CFD stations, but to me the small truck/central refill station makes more sense if we’re talking about cost

So the High Rise and Air Light both have refill capabilities, but they are never used. The thought was to have a truck that could refill bottles on scene, as opposed to driving to a station somewhere else.

The issue is that the air around the truck on scene is almost never good enough to put into SCBA bottles, especially at fire scenes, so they never got used. They might even be deactivated now, not sure. Now that the new Ladders have carry 24 bottles (I think), and rescues also carry 16 or so, so at a fire scene the Air Light/High Rise usually only provides tables and chairs for a rehab area.

Calgary has 3 SCBA refill station, one at Training, one at the Shop and one at HQ. CFD wants to move to pre-stocked SCBA in pods, and run those to major events if it’s bigger then the Ladder/Rescue can handle. However, if 43 or 44 get a major fire, that POD truck would have quite the run, and is too tall to take some roads, so not sure how viable that option is.

 

[JABoomer]

So the High Rise and Air Light both have refill capabilities, but they are never used. The thought was to have a truck that could refill bottles on scene, as opposed to driving to a station somewhere else. The issue is that the air around the truck on scene is almost never good enough to put into SCBA bottles, especially at fire scenes, so they never got used. They might even be deactivated now, not sure. Now that the new Ladders have carry 24 bottles (I think), and rescues also carry 16 or so, so at a fire scene the Air Light/High Rise usually only provides tables and chairs for a rehab area. Calgary has 3 SCBA refill station, one at Training, one at the Shop and one at HQ. CFD wants to move to pre-stocked SCBA in pods, and run those to major events if it’s bigger then the Ladder/Rescue can handle. However, if 43 or 44 get a major fire, that POD truck would have quite the run, and is too tall to take some roads, so not sure how viable that option is.

Do the current High Rise and Air/Light units not have a cascade bottle fill system for SCBAs, before the onboard compressor needs to be used?

 

[255-Jacobs]

Do the current High Rise and Air/Light units not have a cascade bottle fill system for SCBAs, before the onboard compressor needs to be used?

They do. But as CFF explained, they aren't utilized as these machines suck in all the air around them at the fire scene. The downside of this is that on a fire scene the thing that is usually in the air the most is smoke. So basically you would be filling up the one thing that protects a FF from smoke with smoke. So they aren't used.

The new RFP might of been the one I mentioned a few weeks ago. Really interesting details. CFD intends to purchase 5 engines every 9 years bringing the amount to a grand total of 45 engines. CFD might also purchase a total of 10-20 rescues over the life of this contract which strikes me as odd because wasn't CFD supposed to phase out the rescues? I would imagine it would be for Tech Rescues but it says 10-20. Maybe CFD is scrapping the plan to phase out rescues and stack more halls up with rescues? Once a contract has been awarded CFD will order first order 5 engines that will arrive in the next 2 years.

This RFP does seem to be seperate from the RFP put up in March for 4 lease engines. Those seem to be engines that are needed in a hurry to maybe replace some 2016s that will either go into the spare pool or maybe replace Engine 43 and maybe act as Engine 340 and Engine 341 when those units come online in June.

 

[ENGINE_4]

They do. But as CFF explained, they aren't utilized as these machines suck in all the air around them at the fire scene. The downside of this is that on a fire scene the thing that is usually in the air the most is smoke. So basically you would be filling up the one thing that protects a FF from smoke with smoke. So they aren't used.

I don’t believe air around the truck is sucked in, it should be more of a bottle/cylinder fed system. Think more of air liquid/air gas company. That is what a cascade system is. All the Rescues in the fleet have this system, the bottle is stored on top of the truck in a compartment and I think is switched out at the shops - HRS2 and A/L 4 should be the same

So the High Rise and Air Light both have refill capabilities, but they are never used. The thought was to have a truck that could refill bottles on scene, as opposed to driving to a station somewhere else. The issue is that the air around the truck on scene is almost never good enough to put into SCBA bottles, especially at fire scenes, so they never got used. They might even be deactivated now, not sure. Now that the new Ladders have carry 24 bottles (I think), and rescues also carry 16 or so, so at a fire scene the Air Light/High Rise usually only provides tables and chairs for a rehab area. Calgary has 3 SCBA refill station, one at Training, one at the Shop and one at HQ. CFD wants to move to pre-stocked SCBA in pods, and run those to major events if it’s bigger then the Ladder/Rescue can handle. However, if 43 or 44 get a major fire, that POD truck would have quite the run, and is too tall to take some roads, so not sure how viable that option is.

I didn’t even think about the Ladders having bottles lol. If CFD sticks with the system, they will need a truck or the current supplies truck to switch out bottles at stations often

Do the current High Rise and Air/Light units not have a cascade bottle fill system for SCBAs, before the onboard compressor needs to be used?

They do. They also hold 40+ SCBA bottles each (I forget the exact number on the HRS, I don’t know the number on the A/L) The compressor is part of the cascade system

 

[Calgary_Fire_Filmer]

They do. But as CFF explained, they aren't utilized as these machines suck in all the air around them at the fire scene. The downside of this is that on a fire scene the thing that is usually in the air the most is smoke. So basically you would be filling up the one thing that protects a FF from smoke with smoke. So they aren't used.

The new RFP might of been the one I mentioned a few weeks ago. Really interesting details. CFD intends to purchase 5 engines every 9 years bringing the amount to a grand total of 45 engines. CFD might also purchase a total of 10-20 rescues over the life of this contract which strikes me as odd because wasn't CFD supposed to phase out the rescues? I would imagine it would be for Tech Rescues but it says 10-20. Maybe CFD is scrapping the plan to phase out rescues and stack more halls up with rescues? Once a contract has been awarded CFD will order first order 5 engines that will arrive in the next 2 years.

This RFP does seem to be seperate from the RFP put up in March for 4 lease engines. Those seem to be engines that are needed in a hurry to maybe replace some 2016s that will either go into the spare pool or maybe replace Engine 43 and maybe act as Engine 340 and Engine 341 when those units come online in June.

I’d be shocked if we order any more Rescues, as there’s already been hiring for filling 4 man Ladder positions while phasing out Rescues. I heard we are getting 6 new Rescues (4 TRT, 2 TRS) and maybe another 3 Hazmats, as the old ones are already 7 years old.

Again, maybe a couple A/Ls are also in that batch. Who knows?

 

[255-Jacobs]

Yeah maybe the city got lazy when writing up that RFP and decided to call the TRs, TRSs, HazMats A/L and HRS all rescues to make things easier for them. I could see new a TRS10 and 11 come out of this RFP since both are long due for a replacement and new TRs since R0118 is the only 2018 rescue with the Technical Rescue configuration.

 

[JABoomer]

Yeah maybe the city got lazy when writing up that RFP and decided to call the TRs, TRSs, HazMats A/L and HRS all rescues to make things easier for them. I could see new a TRS10 and 11 come out of this RFP since both are long due for a replacement and new TRs since R0118 is the only 2018 rescue with the Technical Rescue configuration.

Are the Technical Rescues different from the Rescues right now, or does it come down to the equipment carried?

 

[255-Jacobs]

R0118's (Tech Rescue 10) tool set-up and configuration are different from the other 5 2018 rescues. It looks the same as the others but everything is different on the inside. R0811 (Tech Rescue 11) is different from the rest as well but we all know how 😂

 

[Calgary_Fire_Filmer]

Calgary Fire Department Dispatch Response
All Numerical Response Codes

Code	Response
01	Abdominal Pain / Problems
02	Allergies / Hives / Medication Reactions
03	Animal Bites
04	Assault / Rape
05	Back Pain
06	Breathing Problems
07	Burns
08	Carbon Monoxide / Inhale / Hazardous Materials
09	Cardiac / Respiratory Arrest
10	Chest Pain
11	Choking
12	Convulsions / Seizures
13	Diabetic Problems
14	Drowning (Near) / Diving Accident
15	Electrocution
16	Eye Problems
17	Falls
18	Headache
19	Heart Problems
20	Heat / Cold Exposure
21	Hemorrhage
22	Industrial / Machinery Accident
23	Overdose / Poisoning / Ingestion
24	Pregnancy / Childbirth / Miscarriage
25	Psychiatric / Behavioral Problem
26	Sick Person (Specific Diagnosis)
27	Stabbing / Gunshot Wound
28	Stroke / CVA / TIA
29	Traffic Injury Accident / MVC
30	Traumatic Injuries (Specific)
31	Unconscious / Fainting
32	Unknown Problem (Person Down)
33	Interfacility / Palliative Care
36	Pandemic / Epidemic / Outbreak
50	Case Entry Protocol (CFD Specific)
51	Aircraft Emergency
52	Alarm Bells
53	Service Call
54	Confined Space / Structure Collapse
55	Electrical Hazard
56	Elevator / Escalator Incident
57	Explosion
58	Extrication / Entrapment
59	Fuel Spill / Fuel Odor
60	Gas Leak / Gas Odor (Natural & LP Gases)
61	Hazmat
62	High Angle Rescue
63	Lightning Strike (Investigation)
64	Marine / Boat Fire
65	Mutual Aid / Assist Outside Agency
66	Odor (Strange / Unknown)
67	Outside Fire
68	Smoke Investigation (Outside)
69	Structure Fire
70	Train & Rail Collision / Derailment
71	Vehicle Fire
72	Water / Ice / Mud Rescue
73	Watercraft In Distress / Collision
74	Suspicious Package / Explosives (Letter, Item, Substance)
75	Train / Rail Fire
76	Bomb Threat
77	Motor Vehicle Collision
78	Backcountry Rescue
79	Lost Person
80	Outside Tank Fire
81	Sinking Vehicle / Vehicle In Floodwater
82	Vegetation / Wildland / Brush / Grass Fire
83	Weather / Disaster Situations
72 - A	Water Rescue
61 - B	Building Evacuation & Health / Life Safety
78 - C	Backcountry Hazards
77 - D	USAR / Vehicle & Other Hazards
69 - F	Tunnel Fire
82 - G	Wildland Fire Hazards
50 - H	Case Exit Protocol

Severity	Response
Alpha	Priority 3 / Cold Response / No IDLH - Unknown / Unconfirmed
Bravo	Priority 2 / Hot - Cold Response / No IDLH - Unconfirmed
Charlie	Priority 1 / Hot Response / IDLH - Unconfirmed / Required
Delta	Priority 1 / Hot Response / IDLH - Unconfirmed / Required
Echo	Priority 1 / Hot Response / IDLH - Confirmed / Required
Omega	Priority 3 / Cold Response / No IDLH - No Response Required

Finally compiled a list of the CFD terminology for assignments. All events are listed above, all severities listed below.

 

[255-Jacobs]

Thanks for this major contribution CFF! Had no idea Omega even existed in the call severity list. What does IDLH mean?

 

[mciupa]

IDLH is Immediate Danger to Life and Health

 

[ENGINE_4]

CFD 2023 annual report is out, it can be found here: Calgary Fire Department Just scroll down a little. Always a great read

Edit: I've only read up to page 10 so far, interesting read on station construction time line; if you google the address for the Hotchkiss station it's going to an interesting spot. This station is still To Be Decided on when it will be built and operational - maybe the address could change too? Road access will be improved for sure but still looks hard to get to lol. Will be nice to see when built and have the very SE corner of the city well served

 

[255-Jacobs]

Looks like the plan to make a Station in Rockland Park was scrapped and the location was moved to Haskayne right along the Bow River. I would put down money that this will become Station 48. IIRC Belmont will be 46 and looks like it's going to cover the southern parts of 26 and 37s districts and the western end of 43. Hotchkiss will be 47 and looks like it's taking everything East and Southeast of 30s. Looks like it will also cover the Southeast bend of the Ringroad. Nothing much on 12 and 27s replacements. I'm putting down money that 12 will have a new station built on the same site. I did hear that 27 would get their new hall on 36th and 80th but I don't know how credible that information is anymore. The next few years are looking bright for CFD! Engines 46, 47, and 48 will return!

P.S Has anyone seen any trace of that new lease Tender for 21? It's supposed to arrive either this month or in June.

 

[255-Jacobs]

Pierce Mfg. has revealed a photo of CFD's new Volterra on their Instagram page and I gotta say it looks amazing.