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John R

needs to get out more

forgive my ignorance, but aren't most modern trucks pumpers instead of haulers/tankers?  they rely on local hydrants for supply, no?

forgive my ignorance, but aren&#039;t most modern trucks pumpers instead of haulers/tankers?  they rely on local hydrants for supply, no?

scooterbug44

SoWal Expert

Considering gas prices, it would certainly make fiscal sense to drive the truck all the way to Mossy Head, THEN fill it up at a hydrant, wouldn't it? :idontno:

Considering gas prices, it would certainly make fiscal sense to drive the truck all the way to Mossy Head, THEN fill it up at a hydrant, wouldn&#039;t it? :idontno:

tight wad

Beach Comber

Not everywhere has a hydrant on every corner like you have in the south end.  I live in Defuniak & we have hydrants, but  I have family that lives in the Gaskin area & they have NO hydrants.  Several areas in mossy head have no hydrants also.  I'm no genuis, but having a fire truck with no water in it seems like being a cop & having a gun with no bullets.

Not everywhere has a hydrant on every corner like you have in the south end.  I live in Defuniak &amp; we have hydrants, but  I have family that lives in the Gaskin area &amp; they have NO hydrants.  Several areas in mossy head have no hydrants also.  I&#039;m no genuis, but having a fire truck with no water in it seems like being a cop &amp; having a gun with no bullets.

any having an engine with a drafting system would be like being able to make your own bullets.

[quote="John R, post: 450292"]any having an engine with a drafting system would be like being able to make your own bullets.[/quote]
 
I bet you can get a lot of water from all that dirt out in Mossy Head/Oakwood Hills :idontno:

<blockquote class="xfBb-quote" data-name="John R">any having an engine with a drafting system would be like being able to make your own bullets.</blockquote> 
I bet you can get a lot of water from all that dirt out in Mossy Head/Oakwood Hills :idontno:

maybe if you live by the river, where water flows over the dirt...

let's remember this thread is based on conjecture.

maybe if you live by the river, where water flows over the dirt... 
 
let&#039;s remember this thread is based on conjecture.

Bob Wells

Beach Fanatic

All fire engines carry water, anywhere from 500 gallons to possibly 1000 gallons. If it did not have water on it then it was filled. Also drafting is a complicated chore and will normally take more than 1 firefighter to accomplish.

Water is carried on all fire engines, if it does not have water on it then it may have been not inspected.

enfuego

Beach Lover

Hmmm, "fiscal sense' vs getting to the fire quickly and putting the fire out...  My vote is to make sure the truck has water and send trained and committed firefighters.

Hmmm, &quot;fiscal sense&#039; vs getting to the fire quickly and putting the fire out...  My vote is to make sure the truck has water and send trained and committed firefighters.

I spoke with a crew at a fire station this evening & they confirmed that a WCFR fire truck (E 11) was dispatched to a structure fire & showed up on scene with no water in the truck.  Luckily the fire was out when they got there.  Unfortunately the luck will run out one day & someone will get seriously hurt, or worse, before things change at WCFR.
 
I also found out that they are seriously under manned on their fire trucks.  As a taxpayer in Walton County I am upset that we have 1 person on a fire truck at most stations.  How is WCFR better than what we had in the past with volunteers?  At least when we had volunteers we had several people show up at calls, most of which have more contact with fires than the ones we have now.
 
Sorry for the rant, this just upsets me.

I spoke with a crew at a fire station this evening &amp; they confirmed that a WCFR fire truck (E 11) was dispatched to a structure fire &amp; showed up on scene with no water in the truck. Luckily the fire was out when they got there. Unfortunately the luck will run out one day &amp; someone will get seriously hurt, or worse, before things change at WCFR. 
 
I also found out that they are seriously under manned on their fire trucks. As a taxpayer in Walton County I am upset that we have 1 person on a fire truck at most stations. How is WCFR better than what we had in the past with volunteers? At least when we had volunteers we had several people show up at calls, most of which have more contact with fires than the ones we have now. 
 
Sorry for the rant, this just upsets me.

Tight Wad 
As the WCFR matures and the budget that they get is enough to provide the service the people want, then they will have more than 1 or 2 people on the trucks. I believe that volunteers still play a part in departments that WCFR has taken over, maybe not to the extent they once but they still are there.

Tight Wad 
As the WCFR matures and the budget that they get is enough to provide the service the people want, then they will have more than 1 or 2 people on the trucks. I believe that volunteers still play a part in departments that WCFR has taken over, maybe not to the extent they once but they still are there.

Santiago

Sorry but I think that this thread is useless without pictures of said boob job.

Please edumacate me - how the puck is dispatching an empty truck w/ only one person it an effective way to fight fires?

Based on my rather limited experience w/ firefighting I was under the impression that several people were needed just for basic operations like holding/directing a fire hose etc. Even flushing the hydrants is a 2 person job from what I've seen. :idontno:

Please edumacate me - how the puck is dispatching an empty truck w/ only one person it an effective way to fight fires? 
 
Based on my rather limited experience w/ firefighting I was under the impression that several people were needed just for basic operations like holding/directing a fire hose etc. Even flushing the hydrants is a 2 person job from what I&#039;ve seen. :idontno:

It's not safe or effective, but when you are limited by your budget, something is better than nothing. With the push for lower taxes and Constitutional Amendments, it will eventually affect services provided. Whether that means roads don't get paved or libraries close early, or reducing the amount of Fire, EMS or Police or Sheriff protection we receive. Going to the fire with an empty truck will obviously affect the outcome. Hope this helps.

It&#039;s not safe or effective, but when you are limited by your budget, something is better than nothing. With the push for lower taxes and Constitutional Amendments, it will eventually affect services provided. Whether that means roads don&#039;t get paved or libraries close early, or reducing the amount of Fire, EMS or Police or Sheriff protection we receive. Going to the fire with an empty truck will obviously affect the outcome. Hope this helps.

rdelong43065

I'm assuming that they did not [B]intend[/B] to go without the water. All 4 lights burned out on the pump panel perhaps?

I&#039;m assuming that they did not intend to go without the water. All 4 lights burned out on the pump panel perhaps?

I dont' think it is the most safe and effective way but budgets do limit what they can do.  Even in tough times they should be able to afford shirts and at the very least, (see post #1), keep them on...

I dont&#039; think it is the most safe and effective way but budgets do limit what they can do.  Even in tough times they should be able to afford shirts and at the very least, (see post #1), keep them on...

Cut & pasted from WZEP1460.com
 
"[B]Walton Fire Rescue Looks Into Truck With No Water[/B]
 
Bill May, C Shift Walton Fire Rescue Battalion Chief investigated an incident at the Mossy Head station where a report came a fire truck responded with no water in it’s tank. May’s investigation showed that on August 6, Engine 11 responded to a structural response call. May says he received a call later in the day from Volunteer Richard Mason stating that Engine 11 did not have water in the tank when the crew responded to the call.
 
During his investigation, May says he made contact with 3 of the 4 personnel involved, Lt. Lusk, Roach, and Pippin. May said each reported basically the same information.
 
The Engine had been sent for repair and was being returned that morning. Lt. Lusk had called for Medic 11 to assist with moving equipment from the reserve Engine back to the primary unit. Prescott drove the unit to Station 11 (Highway 90 West) and was to return with the reserve Engine to Station 4. During the swap of equipment, Lt. Lusk found a note to the pump engage lever that she read (and was later verified by H. Roach) “New water in tank”. Lt. Lusk later found the meaning of the note to be “needs water in tank” not there was water in the tank. May says the note had been written in a hurry by maintenance person working on the CAFS when the unit was leaving after repair.
 
The Engine 11 crew (Lt. Lusk, H. Roach) stated that after taking about an hour swapping the equipment in the midday heat, they had gone into the station for something to drink and to cool down. They were inside approximately 15 minutes when the call was received for the structural response.
 
May says Medic 11 had arrived on scene first, making contact with the resident who stated he had the fire out. Medic 11 crew (G. Pippin, J. Lovell) packed out and entered the residence to verify the extinguishment of the fire. All other responding units were cancelled.
 
 
 

In his conclusion, May says:
[LIST]
[*]After a repair, whether major or minor, the repair should be checked for operational proficiency prior to placing a unit or piece of equipment back in service.
[*]All components of a vehicle that ensure it to be operational should be checked prior to placing that vehicle in service.
[*]Lt. Lusk stated she accepts full responsibility for this incident. He says he disagrees, Holding all personnel involved responsible to varying degrees.
[/LIST]The Battalion Chief says he counseled with the 3 primary personnel involved in reference to the conclusions."

Cut &amp; pasted from WZEP1460.com 
 
&quot;Walton Fire Rescue Looks Into Truck With No Water 
 
Bill May, C Shift Walton Fire Rescue Battalion Chief investigated an incident at the Mossy Head station where a report came a fire truck responded with no water in it’s tank. May’s investigation showed that on August 6, Engine 11 responded to a structural response call. May says he received a call later in the day from Volunteer Richard Mason stating that Engine 11 did not have water in the tank when the crew responded to the call. 
 
During his investigation, May says he made contact with 3 of the 4 personnel involved, Lt. Lusk, Roach, and Pippin. May said each reported basically the same information. 
 
The Engine had been sent for repair and was being returned that morning. Lt. Lusk had called for Medic 11 to assist with moving equipment from the reserve Engine back to the primary unit. Prescott drove the unit to Station 11 (Highway 90 West) and was to return with the reserve Engine to Station 4. During the swap of equipment, Lt. Lusk found a note to the pump engage lever that she read (and was later verified by H. Roach) “New water in tank”. Lt. Lusk later found the meaning of the note to be “needs water in tank” not there was water in the tank. May says the note had been written in a hurry by maintenance person working on the CAFS when the unit was leaving after repair. 
 
The Engine 11 crew (Lt. Lusk, H. Roach) stated that after taking about an hour swapping the equipment in the midday heat, they had gone into the station for something to drink and to cool down. They were inside approximately 15 minutes when the call was received for the structural response. 
 
May says Medic 11 had arrived on scene first, making contact with the resident who stated he had the fire out. Medic 11 crew (G. Pippin, J. Lovell) packed out and entered the residence to verify the extinguishment of the fire. All other responding units were cancelled. 
 
 
 
 
In his conclusion, May says: 
<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">After a repair, whether major or minor, the repair should be checked for operational proficiency prior to placing a unit or piece of equipment back in service.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">All components of a vehicle that ensure it to be operational should be checked prior to placing that vehicle in service.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lt. Lusk stated she accepts full responsibility for this incident. He says he disagrees, Holding all personnel involved responsible to varying degrees.</li>
</ul>The Battalion Chief says he counseled with the 3 primary personnel involved in reference to the conclusions.&quot;

You have made good points. It is obvious that those responsible have been held accountable, whether the punishment fits the offense is not for me to judge. Obviously B/C May made some good points to prevent this from happening in the future which is positive and corrective in nature. In the end, if you as a resident/ taxpayer have issues with this type of incident you can talk with Chief Rivers or Mr. Baltzley at the EOC and address your concerns with them, if that fails talk to your County Commissioners.

I have been a long time lurker of this site & appreciate all of the information on it.  However, I have heard several things going on in Walton County Fire Rescue over the past year or 2 & I have had enough.  It appears that they are at it again.  Last week that they had a fire engine dispatched to a structure fire in Mossy Head & the fire truck showed up at the house with no water. I'm no professional, but I would guess that water plays a huge part of putting out a fire. This just so happens to be the same female lieutenant that was at a fire station off duty that showed her breasts after a boob job & got a slap on the wrist for, that was played all over WZEP & in the paper.
 
How long is the county going to sweep these things under the rug?  I have had enough & I plan on making a phone call to my commissioner & would encourage everyone else to do so also.
 
Once again, I'm sorry for my first post to be negative.  If this is in the wrong topic please move it to the appropriate location.

I have been a long time lurker of this site &amp; appreciate all of the information on it. However, I have heard several things going on in Walton County Fire Rescue over the past year or 2 &amp; I have had enough. It appears that they are at it again. Last week that they had a fire engine dispatched to a structure fire in Mossy Head &amp; the fire truck showed up at the house with no water. I&#039;m no professional, but I would guess that water plays a huge part of putting out a fire. This just so happens to be the same female lieutenant that was at a fire station off duty that showed her breasts after a boob job &amp; got a slap on the wrist for, that was played all over WZEP &amp; in the paper. 
 
How long is the county going to sweep these things under the rug? I have had enough &amp; I plan on making a phone call to my commissioner &amp; would encourage everyone else to do so also. 
 
Once again, I&#039;m sorry for my first post to be negative. If this is in the wrong topic please move it to the appropriate location.

I hate for this to be a first post, but....

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I hate for this to be a first post, but....

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