Martin Nowak found three new aerials at the SpartanERV site for the Chicago Fire Department, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
City of Chicago Fire Department, IL (211070-01)
Completion or Delivery Date: 2012-06-15
Series: Aerial
Model: 103′ Rearmount Ladder
Chassis: Spartan Gladiator
Dealer:Equipment Management Company (EMC)
Specifications: 103′ Rear Mount Platform, Tandem Axle, Aluminum Body
SpartanERV photo
Chicago Fire Department, IL (211100-01)
Completion or Delivery Date: 2012-06-15
Series: Aerial
Model: 103′ Rearmount Ladder
Chassis: Spartan Gladiator
Dealer: Equipment Management Company (EMC)
Specifications: Aluminum Body, Roll-Up Doors
SpartanERV photo
City of Chicago Fire Department, IL (211102-01)
Completion or Delivery Date: 2012-06-15
Series: Aerial
Model: 103′ Rearmount Ladder
Chassis: Spartan Gladiator
Dealer: Equipment Management Company (EMC)
Specifications: 103′ RearMount Platform, Aluminum Body, Roll-Up Doors
SpartanERV photo
#1 by DMc77 on September 21, 2012 - 1:39 PM
Driving aerial apparatus in the CFD is usually done by the senior personnel on the company. They don’t just let whoever is there that day show up in the rotation and drive, and the selection of the aerial drivers only comes about after many months, if not years of training. The actual driving is but one component of being a truck/tower ladder driver. Try going to a CFD firehouse and telling the member assigned to drive the truck that day he probably doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Apparatus accidents involving CFD rigs account for a very small amount of rig out of service time – go to Fleet Services at North Ave/Troop street and count the number of wrecked rigs are parked outside there.
And as far as runs for “back in the day”, I would put TL14’s and TL39’s fire duty up against 10/34 any day. Another thing – a truck making 10-15 EMS calls a day vs. a truck making 5 EMS calls and 2-3 fires a day? The difference is on EMS runs, the vehicle is used as a personnel transport vehicle, on fire runs the vehicle is driven harder and faster, then the hydraulic system used to set the outriggers and raise the main, and some, if not most compartments opened and closed. All of the different systems present on a truck company apparatus are used, which accelerates wear and tear.
#2 by Nick N on September 20, 2012 - 11:22 PM
“Well i talked to the president and ceo of pierce manufacturing at fdic and he said back then pierce rigs were not made to withstand alot”
Haha! The CEO was trashing his own products??? If anyone recorded him saying that the entire company could go down, as lets face it, would you buy a product if even the manufacturer doesn’t like it? Quite simply I don’t believe you.
#3 by Breyden Wyman on September 20, 2012 - 9:01 PM
True alot of people on the job rotate to drive the trucks or towers there’s no permanent position for driving the truck or tower but a lot of them don’t know what they are doing sometimes so what happens they wreck
#4 by chris on September 20, 2012 - 5:38 PM
the city needs to train people how to drive thats most of the problem ,its called knowing how to conrtol your rig
#5 by Breyden Wyman on September 19, 2012 - 10:26 PM
i dont blame the manufacturer i blame the Chicago streets and road condition’s
#6 by Breyden Wyman on September 19, 2012 - 9:48 PM
hey thats what the president and ceo told us it was like 10 years ago when cfd bought pierce and the chicago roads potholes and small streets were also some of the causes as well
#7 by Breyden Wyman on September 19, 2012 - 9:46 PM
UHH TOWER 10 TOWER 34 BACK IN THE DAY THEY WERE THE TWO BUSIEST TOWER LADDERS
#8 by Tony on September 19, 2012 - 7:20 AM
breyden, what tower ladder went on 17 or 20 runs a day?
#9 by DMc77 on September 18, 2012 - 1:38 PM
The amount of “shop time” CFD’s rigs see is not a manufacturer issue, it is simply a fact that the urban environment is hard on fire apparatus (ambulances and B/C buggies included). Chicago fire apparatus make a lot of stops/starts, 90 degree turns, runs over potholed streets, exposure to road salt and exposure to extremes in temperature (winter- going from a 50-60 degree firehouse out into the 10-degree cold several times a day). Fleet may also be performing preventative or routine maintenance on the rigs, which can take a few hours or a few days, depending on the type of work being done and the need to replace parts.
The weight of fire apparatus has some bearing, but modern fire apparatus designs take into account the empty weight versus the loaded “street” weight and the chassis components are designed accordingly.
And I too don’t see how the CEO of Pierce would make a statement that Pierce apparatus are not built to withstand the abuse a dept. like CFD can dish out.
#10 by Brian on September 18, 2012 - 10:31 AM
I HIGHLY doubt that a President and CEO of a manufacturer would tell you that the rig his company builds are not made to withstand a lot.
#11 by breyden wyman on September 17, 2012 - 3:28 PM
Well i talked to the president and ceo of pierce manufacturing at fdic and he said back then pierce rigs were not made to withstand alot and he said the more the weight you put on the rig the more it wears down
#12 by Ryan on September 16, 2012 - 8:59 AM
I don’t particularly think its because they aren’t made to withstand a lot of use. They are all made pretty well, some may have a better fit and finish than others. Some chassis are made for more heavy use than others. Unfortunately, ALL rigs now a days have a ton of electronics, which seem to be the majority of problems when rigs are down. (from experience) It also seems it doesn’t matter who you go with when purchasing a new vehicle, they will all have some sort of issue, some more than others. Just depends on what works for each department.
#13 by breyden wyman on September 15, 2012 - 3:33 PM
Man those pierce tower ladders were so cool looking and it gave a good look for the cfd, but the down part for the pierce rigs are they are not made to withstand a lot of use, because back in 2002 and throughout the recent years, the tower ladders were called 17 or 20 times a day.. the fireman beat the shit out of those pierces and tower 10 has been in the shop a lot, but hopefully pierce has upgraded their rigs so they can run a lot and not get torn down. i would like to see new Chicago pierce tower ladders because the Chicago fire dept towers looked too good in pierce rigs instead of spartan erv
#14 by Drew on September 10, 2012 - 10:33 PM
If the third went to the academy, would that make it 2-8-7 and the pierce 2-8-7A?
#15 by Dennis on September 5, 2012 - 5:00 PM
@Bill – the snozzle boom design will be modified to accept a basket on the end instead of the snozzle device is what I’m understanding but like anything else until they’re being built it’s anyone’s guess.
#16 by Breyden Wyman on September 5, 2012 - 4:15 PM
Oh yea tower ladder 34 will always be tower 34 there are not gonna be any changes of that it will always be tower 34