Squad Tender 44

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

Curious, what kind of apparatus is Squad Tender 44? I know what a Squad is in the various Phoenix-dispatched departments, (a heavy rescue-type apparatus with HazMat and TRT equipment), but I haven't gone out looking for Squad Tender 44 yet.

 

[Phoenix805]

As often happens, I have conflicting information, so I'm no help! My list shows Squad 44 as a 'Rapid Response' unit, whatever that is. I don't show a Squad Tender 44. I know what a Ladder Tender is, and they make good sense to me, but I can't imagine what a Squad Tender would be for.

I checked PFD's equipment list on the web and it wasn't helpful. Apparently Station 34 closed down and they put some of their equipment in station 44 (engine 34, Squad 34, and foam 34). The current list doesn't show either a squad 44 or Squad Tender 44. And they don't show when the page was updated, so I don't know if it's current info or outdated info.

 

[rpgaun]

I've seen the Squad. It responded several times to my work @ 6500 W Buckeye for medical calls. It looks the same as a Ladder Tender. I was not able to get the tour to see what equipment (other than medical) the unit carries.

 

[Phoenix805]

I believe you, It's just that my info is out of date! (story of my life)
Actually the more I think about it the more it does make sense. Say a station has 2 crews, and engine crew and a ladder crew (or squad crew). The engine is more economical to operate, so they get most of the calls. But then that crew is busy and the other crew sits around waiting for a call that uses their equipment. So why not send them out too? But it's not economical to send out a big ladder or Squad, so they send the crews out in smaller tender trucks.

Have you ever looked at this site?
Phoenix Fire Department Apparatus

 

[PaulSuperman]

FOUND IT!

I found Squad Tender 8 http://www.angelfire.com/planet/chucksfirepics4/images/PhoenixST8.JPG hopes this helps to me at Tender brings more of something. Water Tender (water), Hose Tender (hose) etc.

If the above link does not work go here http://www.angelfire.com/planet/chucksfirepics4/PhoenixFire1.html And scroll down to Squad Tender 8.

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; U; en-US) Gecko/20081217 Vision-Browser/8.1 301x200 LG VN530)

Thanks for the pics. Are there more pages to them?

 

[KB7MIB]

These 3 pages will take you up through Station 30. Does anyone know what the url's are for any further pages, if they even exist? (Changing "PhoenixFire1" to a 4 or 5 gives a 404 error. I didn't try a 6 or higher. I haven't tried emailing Chuck. Does Hotmail even exist anymore?)

Phoenix Fire Dept. Apapratus Page 1

Phoenix Fire Dept. Apparatus Page 2

Phoenix Fire Dept. Apparatus Page 3

John
Peoria

Edit: Disregard. Duh...

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/chucksfirepics4/index.html

 

[Cameron1055]

Ambulance Pumper

https://www.flickr.com/photos/image7801/8285108345/

Here is some more information from flickr.

 

[Kars10az]

ST8 is basically the same as ST44. The Squad Tenders are used in lieu of putting high mileage on the Squads, just like the Ladder/Ladder Tender pairs. It's the same crew with only the most needed equipment on a truck that costs only about 1/3 of the Squad or Ladder. Like the Ladder Tenders, they're used for EMS responses and other calls that don't require the full compliment of resources available on the big truck.

 

[KB7MIB]

Thanks all. I kinda figured that it was like the LT's, but I had not seen them since there's only 2, and I hadn't gone out deliberately looking for either.

John
Peoria

 

[QDP2012]

So is the term "Squad Tender" simply that locale's name for what is generally described as a "Class 1/Light Duty Squad" or "Class 2/Medium-Duty Squad" -- a smaller unit that gets used in places where the larger "Class 3/Heavy Squad" won't fit/go and to reduce mileage on the expensive Heavy Squad? Or, is there a configuration difference?

 

[MFD4305]

Wow!

This is probably off-topic; if so, please forgive me. I was a firefighter / company officer / EMT for thirty years and this is the FIRST time I've ever seen reference to - let alone a picture of - a combination ambulance/pumper. I guess I can look forward to going to that great firehouse in the sky pretty sure that "I've seen it all now"

 

[djewel6]

This is probably off-topic; if so, please forgive me. I was a firefighter / company officer / EMT for thirty years and this is the FIRST time I've ever seen reference to - let alone a picture of - a combination ambulance/pumper. I guess I can look forward to going to that great firehouse in the sky pretty sure that "I've seen it all now"

They are just oversized "squads" like LA County uses. They cant transport. Phoenix FD still relys on their Rescue (Ambulances) units to transport to the hospital.. What bothers me is short of a 962 (Phoenix Metro''s classification for a wreck) they never send EMS transport at all until 1st responders have arrived and assessed. I wish they would at least have them in route Code 2 to a call immediately or very soon afterwards because it delays transport to the ER when you wait on scene for transport to show up after the 1st responder truck has been on scene and such (and admittedly tries their damndest to talk patients out of going to the hospital sometimes).

 

[rpgaun]

What bothers me is short of a 962 (Phoenix Metro''s classification for a wreck) they never send EMS transport at all until 1st responders have arrived and assessed. I wish they would at least have them in route Code 2 to a call immediately or very soon afterwards because it delays transport to the ER when you wait on scene for transport to show up after the 1st responder truck has been on scene and such (and admittedly tries their damndest to talk patients out of going to the hospital sometimes).

The problem is there are not enough PFD Ambo units to do that. That was and is the Phoenix model since the first bid for a single ambulance provider was published in 1984. I was involved in preparing the bid for the company I worked for at the time. Every ambo company in the Valley bid on the contract and many were under the bid provided by the Fire Department (How a city department can bid on a city contract beats me but they did.). With this model Alarm triages the calls and sends an ambo when it sounds like the crash could have serious injuries. They also attempt to send an ambo to medical calls that may require ALS transport.

 

[KB7MIB]

There have been many times driving to work in Glendale where I saw a Southwest unit slow rolling to an EMS call behind the engine which was running code 3. I have to assume that the Southwest crew was monitoring ch 1 and decided to head towards the call before getting dispatched so as to cut their response time to nil.