ERD Apparatus

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harryshute

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I'm not sure if this is radio related. But if so I want one of these magic wands.

The 2012 Edmonton Fire Rescue budget includes $585,000 so fire trucks can give themselves green traffic lights. It involves 45 intersections that can be turned green during response to emergencies.

They call it a pilot project but many will remember in Edmonton when fire dispatch could control downtown intersections but turning all directions red. That ended in about 1975 when control moved out of the little brick building at the base of the CN Tower. It went to police HQ for a while and then ended up at it's current location it used to share with City EMS.

In early discussions someone thought this initiative was to switch the emergency lights on fire vehicles from red to green. It was not an April fools joke but a miscommunication based on a scrap of real information.
 
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Jay911

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Harry, you'll want to explore 3M's Opticom traffic control systems. My father's department in Ontario had it back in the '80s and a lot of departments have it now. I should say - that is one of, and the oldest, traffic signal pre-emption system in use. There are others that may use different technology, but as I say, Opticom is the most prominent.

Opticom systems use a strobe flash with a specific frequency and wavelength, with or without an IR component, mounted on vehicles. Fire and ambulance definitely have them, some police have them, and in Alberta I have even seen a few gas company trucks with them. Some places also give them to transit buses. I believe you can have several levels of priority, so the transit buses don't pre-empt if a fire truck has already captured the intersection from another direction.

The receivers on the equipped intersections (often just major intersections or along routes that lead to/from fire stations - it's not cost effective to equip all signalized intersections) look like tiny steam whistles turned on their sides... not much bigger than a Sharpie marker. Below is an example from Wikipedia - the floodlight is lit up when the Opticom "captures" the intersection, so the approaching crew knows they have the light. (If they don't get the floodlight, they are to treat the intersection as a red light, because either the Opticom has failed or another crew has captured the intersection from another direction.)

Millersville_opticom.jpg


Several years ago, someone was flooding eBay (etc) with schematics and/or built devices that would allow the general public to take control of an Opticom-equipped intersection. These were quickly made illegal. Contrary to popular belief, though, flashing your high beams really fast or using a Radio Shack strobe lamp or things like that won't cut it. You need a legitimate Opticom sender.
 

harryshute

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Thanks Jay some interesting reading when you search theOpticom system. I may have to put off my purchase of a Federal Signal 792R emitter until we see what happens here:) A little bulky and obvious to my liking but probably a good thing. Excellent photo I'll have to keep my eyes open for similat stuff mounted on poles.
 

harryshute

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New Pump 27 is Unit 473 with portables 3027,4027,3427 and 4427.
New Pump 28 is Unit 475 with portables 3028,4028,3428 and 4428

Pump 27 will be located in Ellerslie but is hanging out at another South Hall 24? Hall 27 will be at 1203 Ellwood Rd SW Edmonton.
 

harryshute

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Ladder 12 has moved to Hall 23 as LD23 (Unit 628) New ladder unit 631 is getting ready for service.

City Council has given the fire department the green light for a pilot traffic light program to start soon.
 

harryshute

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Does anyone know what the four new Fire vehicles are? They are numbered 827,828,829 and 830. 826 was the last I had listed and was the Technical Rescue unit.
 

harryshute

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Very nice Mr. Velvet. The new unit 603 all in the new black and white colors. New Harris radios and it is on it's way top Edmonton from Fort Collins, CO.
 

awstott

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630 was running as Ladder 2 for a few days a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure if it still is or not. It's been awhile since I have been by the hall. Haven't been paying attention when it's been on the radio either to see what it's radio ID is.
 

harryshute

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Hi awstott good to hear from you. I really miss your great shots of EFR units. I also have 630 as ladder 2. 631 is still a question mark. We will have to watch for units going to Hall 27 which opened on the weekend. I have 473 as Pump 27 and 475 for Pump 28 which doesn't have a new station quite yet. Sounds like Technical Rescue will move there and perhaps a ladder and rescue. It is going to become the District station for that area so perhaps also a D/C car.
 

awstott

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27 has been open for awhile now. They just had their official grand opening. Pump 27 and 28 have been there for a few weeks, possibly a month already. I'm not too impressed with the advertising of the grand opening. I usually go to these and I didn't know anything about it until I saw the news articles.

It'll be interesting to see if they do put a DC there - it's pretty close to station 9. 24 also has a DC and that isn't that far away now with the Henday. Possibly the DC from 24 will move to 27?

I don't have many new shots of rigs - I haven't had much time to get out and about to take anymore. I've been spending a lot of my time play with my ham radio gear. I need to put a scanner back in the car so I can listen while on the road again as well. I should put my psr-500 in there now that I have a 996 in the house.
 

harryshute

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Edmonton Fire is changing the color of the hall placards from yellow to red. At least they are still large and easy to read.
The four new ATP's have not yet been put into service despite this being wild fire season.

The mobile command post had to pull out of the Emergency Expo yesterday to attend a two alarm fire.

STARS helicopters did not attend due a a large number of calls. Air 1 and the Global chopper were there.
 
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