Diesel_Storm

Hey, I have a question for all of our Vol. Fire/Rescue/EMS people. How do you respond with your trucks (if you do), and avoid hot shut downs.

I have seen a couple of Vol. Firefighters from a neighboring department that drive Cummins trucks, the last time I saw them pull into the station (for a meeting, not a call), at least one of them shut the truck down hot.

How can I avoid this while still being able to make decent time getting into the station, gearing up, and getting out the door, aside from spending $$$ on a turbo timer?

chaikwa

Shut it down hot or leave it running. Either way is gonna cost you. I used to leave mine running, especially in the colder weather, which explains the 16,000+ hours I had on the meter when I sold it. But that's also WHY I installed the hour meter as I knew it would have long periods of non-moving run time. I also installed a hand throttle to kick the RPM's up to 1200 when I left it running.

This is one of those things that present a 'cost' to the volunteers of our fire service that the general public, and sometimes even the volunteers themselves, can't see. Or refuse to see. It is becoming a very costly endeavor to be a volunteer firefighter these days.

chaikwa.

BC847

I had to do the turbo-timer.

raymond21

If I run hard to a call I'll leave it running. If I have to pick up a truck at the station I'll just roll in and shut down after I get my gear out. I'm not real sure I buy in to the having to do a cool down on an unloaded truck before shut down. My BIL has 300G on his Cummins and he drives it like you would any other gas rig with no problems yet. If I'm loaded I always cool down regardless of the situation. VOLUNTEER does not pay for new trucks!!

Diesel_Storm

My biggest concern is responding from home, seeing as how I am close enough that I am usually one of the first ones there.

I also have a 95 Chevy Lumina, which has also been inspected and registered for emergency use, also have a light for it, just need a siren.

So, what I will probably do is respond in the Lumina from home, and have lights and siren on the truck, so if I am already out in the truck, I can respond with it.

stackx2

just wait for your egts to hit 300 and you should be good

Diesel Doc

I see you have a auto try downshifting manually when you arive on scene I use the tranny to slow down pumping all of that cool air thru the engine cools it down in a hurry I am usually at 300 by the time I stop.

jthorpe

You should never be running "hard" to a call in a personal vehicle in the first place. Red lights and siren? Well, I'm not a big fan of it but if you're going to do it, that doesn't give you the right to speed or drive like a maniac. You're asking for people to yield, not demanding it. Drive like a normal person and get there safely. You might just save a life, AND your turbo. After seeing what this kind of response can do to innocent people, I'm all for getting rid of red lights on ALL personal vehicles. It's not needed and it doesn't make sense.

--------

Anyways, about the turbo deal. Unless you have a turbo timer, you're going to have to shut it down hot. Either that or drive another vehicle that's a gasser.

chaikwa

I'm with you on driving safely, not exceeding speed limits, etc., but we had a case in Massachusetts about 10 years ago that ended up with a court case that held a volunteer liable. He was an older guy, known for his advocacy in teaching volunteers awareness of driving safely and within legal limitations. He was responding to the station in his POV to a 'routine' call and was t-boned at an intersection where he had the right of way, (the other guy had a yield sign). The police investigation showed the volunteer to be operating well UNDER the posted speed limit by at least 5 MPH. The guy that failed to yield was cited and the criminal courts found him at fault and he was fined accordingly, but in a civil suit the guy that t-boned him contended that if the volunteer had had lights and a siren, and was using them, he would have been more easliy seen and heard and the accident most likely would not have occurred. The civil court agreed and the volunteer lost a rather large sum of money.

We had an incident within our own department where the apparatus was leaving the station for a lockout call and was hit, (lightly), on the front bumper by a passing car. While our operator was clearly at fault, the lady in the car that did the hitting stated that she thought the apparatus was backing into the station because she didn't see any lights or hear a siren and there-fore didn't pay any attention to what the apparatus was doing.

I agree that too many volunteers get tunnel vision and run code 3 when they shouldn't, but I also believe in having, and USING with discretion, every warning device applicable to the situation. This is a sue-happy society and we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves from the idiots out there!

Sorry to hi-jack the thread BTW!

chaikwa.

jmd025

I leave my personal vehicle running while I start the apparatus and build up air pressure. By the time the buzzer goes off I'm at 300 or less.

As far as the lights and siren, I used to run them, but I have seen some accidents caused by unsafe driving by firefighters who assumed that folks would get out of the way because they had thier lights on. I have also seen cars run off the road to avoid a vehicle with lights and sirens. So i've since taken the goodies out of my truck, and ya know, I think I can respond faster when folks think Im just an average person trying to get somewhere in a hurry!

If you are gonna use lights and sirens in your personal vehicle, you better check with your personal insurance company and the departments as well. You may be suprised what you find out there!

Diesel_Storm

I agree 100%, on not running "hard" to a call and not driving like a maniac with light and siren. When I am going to the station for a call, I make darn sure I do not drive any faster than i normally do.

I would like to trade the truck for a decent used CVPI, but at these prices, and the fact that I may be getting a job that requires a truck, that probably wont happen.

That is why I mentioned the Chevy Lumina, I may use that to respond more than the truck.

This is exactly why I want them on my vehicle.

As for tunnel vision, it is easy to get. I have personally caught myself running more than 10 over en-route to the station with out light and siren, and immediately slowed down to with in 5 mph of the limit.

and since we are discussing lights and POV:

raymond21

WOW!! I didn't realize running "hard" meant total disregard for common sense and public safety. We have rules and regulations we abide by but I don't drive my truck the same on an emergency as I do any other time. (Harder acceleration means higher EGT's etc.) Our dept. allows 10 mph over posted speed even though the state will allow 20. We do not tolerate wreckless, dangerous driving. Just thought I might clear that up.

Free89W350

No mater what color your lights are, no matter what the side of your veh say's and no matter what kind of patch is on your shoulder it doesn't give you the right to speed or drive like a fool. As far as there should not be "red lights or sirens" on personal vehicles I would tend to disagree, I am a deputy fire chief of a vol fire co and I run red lights and sirens on my personal veh. I am not going to respond to the fire house through a town to get a truck to take to scene and park. I use my truck as a carry all for any equipment we don't feel like loading on the trucks at the calls. Whether you run lights on your personal vehicle or not you should be held responsible for the way you drive.

As far as cool down goes if you are usually the first one at station just give it the time it needs and make the truck wait a few extra seconds.

DmaxEter

Man dont get me wrong, I want EVERYONE to be safe and live to see another day but if I am stuck in my house and its on fire, PLEASE HURRY UP AND SAVE ME!

I also know that the order of importance is "I, We, Them!"

Redleg

Dieselstorm, do you have a pyrometer installed? If not, get one. You might find it not needing as much cool-down time as you think it does.