THE CALL: Respond for one slumped over the wheel
THE SCENE: Intersection of Powedr Mill Rd and New Hampshire Ave. A guy is asleep behind the wheel in the turn lane of Northbound New Hamp. Ave, with three people surrounding him (they called 911). We get there and they tell us he's been there for "a couple hours" not moving.
HOW IT WENT DOWN:
- DAVE: [Goes up to the man's halfway rolled-down window] "What's up man."
- GUY: [Clearly drunk, but now awake] "hmmmmmm"
- DAVE: "You alright?"
- GUY: "Yeah man, I'm cool."
- DAVE: "What are you doing?"
- GUY: "Driving home." [First mistake]
- DAVE: "Where do you live?
- GUY: "I live in Greenbelt" [He's going Northbound on New Hampshire Ave...second mistake]
- DAVE: "Greenbelt's the other way, homie."
- GUY: "I know. That's why I'm in the turn lane."
- DAVE: "Ok. You been drinking?"
- GUY: "Nah man, I'm cool. Oh, there's my light..." [Guy drives away. The light is clearly red.]
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Truck Training Continues
Driver training continues. Today we returned to a certain Jackson Rd. parking lot for more training in backing up the truck. Backing up a tiller truck is tricky, as the front end driver and the tillerman have to work together and communicate. Largely, the front end driver will just "follow" the tillerman as he or she steers the back wheels. But sometimes the front end driver needs to push the trailer a certain way to get the truck where it needs to be. I got to do both today. It had been a while since I'd done any tillering (I'd been focused on driving the front end and all that comes with that). I was able to pick it back up for the most part, but still have a lot of work to do. The key is, when driving either the back and the front, to try and keep your turns as a smooth arc, and not jack-knife the truck into a 90 degree angle. Sometimes you have to get the truck into that type of position, but you'll bring it back into an arc or straight almost immediately. It's hard to describe...it's something that must be "felt." I'm looking forward to "feeling" the truck a lot more as the shifts go on.
The below picture is our truck, stuck in the Snowpacalypse of 2010.
The below picture is our truck, stuck in the Snowpacalypse of 2010.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Truck Training
Check Out
- When the truck loses hydraulic power (drive shaft will still be spinning), use the EPU (Emergency Power Unit, "Poney Pump") to stow aerial ladder and outriggers.
- Activate the control you desire, the hit the EPU switch. When stopping, come off the EPU switch first, then release the control. You do this to minimize how much the EPU actually works.
- The EPU can be run for a maximum of 30 minutes and needs at least 30 minutes of cool-down time.
- When you lose electrical power (drive shaft will no longer be spinning; truck will be shut down, may have slight battery power), use the manual controls (Aerial or Stabilizer button, outrigger out/in, jacks up/down buttons)
- Scott showed me that instead of using my fingers to push the buttons (I struggled with this a few shifts ago), use an allen wrench to push the button, because of the angle in it.
- The buttons have a sweet spot. Find the sweet spot and the the outriggers/jacks will go up/down, in/out a lot easier.
Aerial Deployment (Step by Step)
- Parking break
- High Idle
- Aerial Master
- Front Wheel Lock
(Come out of cab)
- Set wheel chock
- Deploy outriggers and ground pads (sloped side first)
- Switch power to aerial ladder via red switch with black handle on the fifth wheel (on both sides of the truck)
(Climb to turn-table)
- Raise aerial
- Rotate aerial
- Extend aerial
- Lower aerial
Spotting Buildings
- Square up to the building as much as possible
- When you can't square up to a building, keep in mind one rail of the ladder will touch before the other. If it's the right rail, make sure you have enough clearance for the water way, then forget about it. If it's the left rail, continually monitor that side for water way clearance.
- When positioning aerial for rescue, try and put the ladder just under the area where you are going (right under a balcony railing top, right under a window ledge or lip. Make it easy for whomever you aim to rescue to get on the ladder.
- When positioning aerial for firefighters, make it easy for them to work off of, or step off onto the roof. Get the ladder a few inches off the roof, or away from the ledge of the building.
- When the truck loses hydraulic power (drive shaft will still be spinning), use the EPU (Emergency Power Unit, "Poney Pump") to stow aerial ladder and outriggers.
- Activate the control you desire, the hit the EPU switch. When stopping, come off the EPU switch first, then release the control. You do this to minimize how much the EPU actually works.
- The EPU can be run for a maximum of 30 minutes and needs at least 30 minutes of cool-down time.
- When you lose electrical power (drive shaft will no longer be spinning; truck will be shut down, may have slight battery power), use the manual controls (Aerial or Stabilizer button, outrigger out/in, jacks up/down buttons)
- Scott showed me that instead of using my fingers to push the buttons (I struggled with this a few shifts ago), use an allen wrench to push the button, because of the angle in it.
- The buttons have a sweet spot. Find the sweet spot and the the outriggers/jacks will go up/down, in/out a lot easier.
Aerial Deployment (Step by Step)
- Parking break
- High Idle
- Aerial Master
- Front Wheel Lock
(Come out of cab)
- Set wheel chock
- Deploy outriggers and ground pads (sloped side first)
- Switch power to aerial ladder via red switch with black handle on the fifth wheel (on both sides of the truck)
(Climb to turn-table)
- Raise aerial
- Rotate aerial
- Extend aerial
- Lower aerial
Spotting Buildings
- Square up to the building as much as possible
- When you can't square up to a building, keep in mind one rail of the ladder will touch before the other. If it's the right rail, make sure you have enough clearance for the water way, then forget about it. If it's the left rail, continually monitor that side for water way clearance.
- When positioning aerial for rescue, try and put the ladder just under the area where you are going (right under a balcony railing top, right under a window ledge or lip. Make it easy for whomever you aim to rescue to get on the ladder.
- When positioning aerial for firefighters, make it easy for them to work off of, or step off onto the roof. Get the ladder a few inches off the roof, or away from the ledge of the building.
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