Finally got to see a "Roto Ray" in action...(video) [Archive] - Firehouse Forums

LRFPD60

12-20-2005, 10:03 AM

I saw these on a DC truck a couple of years ago when I was there and I had never seen anything like it before. I am just curious but who exactly manufactures these. I can't seem to find anything solid on the internet. I figured maybe an East Coaster could help me out, seems they all love 'em out there.

S8ER95Z

12-20-2005, 10:25 AM

Wow..im in the midwest here and have never seen that before.

ChicagoFF

12-20-2005, 10:45 AM

What is it we are supposed to be looking at in that video? I don't get it.

IronsMan53

12-20-2005, 11:29 AM

Roto Rays, Inc.
722 Park Ave.
Herndon VA 22070
703.437.3353

no website

FWDbuff

12-20-2005, 11:38 AM

The Buckeye Roto-Ray was designed by Edward C. Rumsey, of the Buckeye Iron and Brass works. The patent was filed for on 23 Sept 1927, and patent received on 12 Aug 1930. The object of this design was to provide a signal which was particularly adapted for use on fire engines, ambulances and other public emergency vehicles. It was also designed for use at railroad crossings.

hey Bou- you can keep your silly lights- You know us east coasties dont let our good ideas go over there to the left coast. (Except maybe San Fran which is the best FD you guys have!) :D

Ladder27

12-20-2005, 12:35 PM

We just took delivery of a new rescue engine (squad) this summer and it has a roto ray. When we were out at pierce for post paint inspection we were told Pierce is the only manufacturerer (major?) that will install them. I know DCFD has a lot of them on pierces and Seagraves. Did Seagraves install them from the factory or were they installed after the fact? Just curious if anyone has that information.

allineedisu

12-20-2005, 03:38 PM

Ummm, let's see, They were using them things on the rigs when I came on the job in 1970. Some of the rigs were from the 1940's and 1950's. There are a lot of them up on the EAST COAST but they are the newer type. I would rather have a Mars 888 light than the whirly jig! They move traffic better.

allineedisu

12-20-2005, 03:39 PM

CALFFBOU

12-20-2005, 04:03 PM

**cough, cough** Whacker **cough, cough**

You need to get out a bit more there bud. :p

I have been home with the flu, so I just play on the internet during the day.

WaffleHut

12-20-2005, 04:04 PM

you're talking about that swrily thing on front, right?

if so, remember the movie "enemy of the state" with will smith when the dude is running (the guy from "my name is earl" i believe" from the bad guys and gets hit by a fire truck? it had one of those doo hickies in there.

CALFFBOU

12-20-2005, 04:07 PM

What is it we are supposed to be looking at in that video? I don't get it.

The front center of the truck. The three lights that are spinning around really fast.

One side note, those RotoRay must draw a lot of juice?

Slaytallica45

12-20-2005, 04:08 PM

the other company in my town has those "pinwheels" on all of their engines, personally i think they look rediculous. atleast that one is all red, the ones they have are 2 yellow's and a blue.

CALFFBOU

12-20-2005, 04:18 PM

(Except maybe San Fran which is the best FD you guys have!) :D

Well...never mind.

Dave1983

12-20-2005, 08:42 PM

I would rather have a Mars 888 light than the whirly jig! They move traffic better.

Ditto. :cool:

captstanm1

12-20-2005, 09:04 PM

Looking for the video of this one in action....

captstanm1

12-20-2005, 09:07 PM

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5056623997774707425&q=wvfc

Here it is.....only can see it in the first part.....but bad to the bone I think!

CALFFBOU

12-20-2005, 10:16 PM

Nice video. Thanks for sharing.

trailboss2

12-21-2005, 12:57 AM

I could see those as being a good thing or a bad thing. I couldnt stop staring at them which would be bad if I was driving.

hwoods

12-21-2005, 01:42 AM

As the proud owner of one of those "Whirly-birds", I like them. Ours is Red, White, and Blue. ( www.gdvfd18.com ) Only thing that I'd change on the current generation of Roto Rays is the rotation speed. The earlier ones, especially the 6 volt models, turned much slower than those out there now, and as a result, there was a much more pronounced flash of light, rather than just a blur.

ehs7554

12-21-2005, 02:55 AM

What kind of maintanence is required for these things? The videos looked great. 2 of these things going might cause someone to have an epeleptic fit. I think we would break them.

pwc606

12-21-2005, 06:55 AM

The Warenton piece has been upgraded to have LED Roto Rays. They are the second station in the area to have LED Roto Rays. The first was Buckhall Fire and Rescue in Prince William County. At the time of manufacture the Warrenton piece was either the first or second engine to have two Roto Rays in the country. The Roto Ray has been said to be one of the most visible warning devices made for fire apparatus. The video does not show how it really looks while it is turning. It actually looks like a red and white doughnut. Most of them are disabled when the park brake is activated if it has a white light in it.

Matt :)

hwoods

12-21-2005, 10:32 AM

ehs - Maintenence is absolutely minimal. A neighboring VFD here ( www.Arundelfire.com ) has one on a 1987 Ford/Ranger Squad, and about 3 years ago they had it removed and sent back to the Manufacturer for a rehab, all it needed was new gears, it's been fine ever since.

Matt - Thanks for your post. The "disabled when the parking brake is on" is from a NFPA standard on Apparatus lighting. Maryland now has a Law that prohibits the use of that standard in the state. In Maryland, by law, the apparatus driver has total control over all warning devices, and the use thereof.

DennisTheMenace

12-21-2005, 11:22 AM

I would rather have a Mars 888 light than the whirly jig! They move traffic better.No reason you can't have both.........................w e do! :D

hwoods

12-21-2005, 01:01 PM

No reason you can't have both.........................w e do! :D

Our Roto Ray is centered over the Grille, with two Mars 880s on the cab corners. With a new LED Lightbar, we have 58 lights facing forward or rotating so they can be seen from the front. You can't miss us coming up behind you.

oldman21220

12-21-2005, 01:22 PM

Come on chief, you know that there's people out there that will miss the Second Coming.

RFRDxplorer

12-21-2005, 03:43 PM

But I wll still take my forward facing, solid red light.

NEVER!!!

No roto rays around here, but I am from the east coast and love the things.

CaptainS

12-21-2005, 04:32 PM

Mars lights and Steady Burns baby :D

Murphy4329

12-21-2005, 04:44 PM

Question though, do they stop spinning when you get on scene?? I can see one of my company idiots loosing his head when he’s going for a line off the bumper.

hwoods

12-21-2005, 05:03 PM

Question though, do they stop spinning when you get on scene?? I can see one of my company idiots loosing his head when he’s going for a line off the bumper.

No, they spin until you turn them off. I've seen a few helments knocked off..... No heads though..... :D :D

Oldman, You are correct. I think they are in staff positions though..... :D

MalahatTwo7

12-21-2005, 05:09 PM

Vienna has rotos on their trucks, as does DC, and a lot of others around the Fairfax Co stns - I think. I had one come up behind a few weeks ago - didnt hear the siren first because they kept turning it on and off, as they are wont to do here for some reason. When I caught the whirly-gig in the mirror tho, it got my attention fast enough. I would have moved over sooner if they had just let the siren do its job though.

When they work, I think they are a great asset. That two lamp system on Warrenton's truck is even better I think.

Vienna has one on the 1946 Maxim, but I think the bearing is pretty much shot in it, meaning it doesnt rotate most of the time. Which, in seeing the query about it moving when the truck is stopped got me to thinking. Could you install wind vanes on the sides of the lenses? That way, when the truck is rolling, the air flow would rotate them without the need of a motor.

MemphisE34a

12-21-2005, 05:09 PM

Our Roto Ray is centered over the Grille, with two Mars 880s on the cab corners. With a new LED Lightbar, we have 58 lights facing forward or rotating so they can be seen from the front. You can't miss us coming up behind you.
I have to say, that seems a little excessive. There comes a point in time that you have to realize that it doesn't really matter how more lights you add, people are still going to pull out in front of you and refuse to get out of the way.

Ladder27

12-21-2005, 06:47 PM

Ours stops spinning as soon as the trans is shifted to neutral... no chance of a KO going for the bumper tool. I think they are set up that way unless you specify otherwise.

britfan1

12-21-2005, 06:55 PM

If I recall, one of the between scene shots on the old show Rescue911 showed a front shot of a DC rig responding to a call, and it had a set of Rotorays on it, so the newer Rotorays were being installed 15 or more years ago but they do seem to have really taken off within the last decade.

Down in my neck of the woods, Richmond, Va. has had Rotorays on all of it's front line rigs for several years, and Chesterfield County has 'em on a couple of rigs and I have a feeling will continue to install them on new units. Both departments run mostly Pierces and the Rotorays all use two red and one white light. All of Richmond's are set up so they stop when the unit is parked, don't know if it's parking brake or transmission controlled.

As for effectiveness I've had both Richmond units and CFD Rescue 14 come up behind me ant the rotorays are definitely the first lights you notice...

...but not the first THING you notice...EVERYone runs Qs and dual Grover Stuttertones, and trust me...there is absolutely NO tendency to not use 'em!

Rob

oldman21220

12-21-2005, 09:36 PM

britfan1,

I take it that you folks down Richmond way aren't "progressive?"

Chief Woods,

Some of the staff people in BCo think that they ARE the Second Coming.

CALFFBOU

12-22-2005, 06:06 AM

Question though, do they stop spinning when you get on scene?? I can see one of my company idiots loosing his head when he’s going for a line off the bumper.

LOL....I agree. Probably takes a while for them to whine down.

hwoods

12-22-2005, 09:58 AM

I have to say, that seems a little excessive. There comes a point in time that you have to realize that it doesn't really matter how more lights you add, people are still going to pull out in front of you and refuse to get out of the way.

Excessive?? Gee Bob, do you think we'd let anybody get ahead of us, after all, it's not about keeping up with the Joneses, it's about staying wayyyy ahead of them........... :D :D :D :D :D

If you take a close look, most lightbars, in particular the LED models, are built with the BASIC models having 16-24 lights.

MalahatTwo7

12-22-2005, 10:03 AM

Excessive?? Gee Bob, do you think we'd let anybody get ahead of us, after all, it's not about keeping up with the Joneses, it's about staying wayyyy ahead of them........... :D :D :D :D :D

Harve: What does that li'l sticker on the window of the Blitz Truck read? I forget ;) heehehehehe

**I still wanna hear the story behind that one......

hwoods

12-22-2005, 10:09 AM

Harve: What does that li'l sticker on the window of the Blitz Truck read? I forget ;) heehehehehe

**I still wanna hear the story behind that one......

You mean the two eyes looking over the fence, with the caption "Doesn't play well with others"? It's on the Heavy Rescue. :D

The story is we had to physically move (gently of course) a person from a auto accident scene so we could get the extracation done. Most folks who do Heavy Rescue tend to agree that in our business you tell us what needs to be done, and we'll do it. If your training does not equal or exceed ours, don't hang over my shoulder and tell me HOW to do it. :eek: :eek:

britfan1

12-22-2005, 10:09 AM

britfan1,

I take it that you folks down Richmond way aren't "progressive?"

Chief Woods,

Some of the staff people in BCo think that they ARE the Second Coming.

Heck yeah they are...they have them new-fangled electric starters on the rigs and everything now! ;)

Richmond also runs Quints out of each station (Some are towers, some rear mount aerials) which operate either as an engine or a truck company depending on theiir place on the assignment. Each company is actaually a two piece company, the second piece being a commercial chassis'd 750GPM pumper, which responds on medicals, car fires, etc.

There are some people down our way who KNOW they are the Second Coming...just ask 'em!

Rob

adamkhalil

12-22-2005, 11:56 AM

I think the roto-rays look dumb and outdated.

Personally, i think we should put some of those cow-catcher bumper guards like what police use. We could "assist" people with getting out of the way with those on a rig :-p

MalahatTwo7

12-22-2005, 12:38 PM

Personally, i think we should put some of those cow-catcher bumper guards like what police use. We could "assist" people with getting out of the way with those on a rig :-p

NOW THAT I LIKE! :D I've thought of that a few times, too. It seems that by looking in the rear view mirror and seeing a set of silver squares, 2 squares high, by three wide, or reading the letters "EG" in Frieghtliner" just doesn't seem to make the point of "GET THE HECK OUTTA THE WAY!"

DaSharkie

12-22-2005, 06:57 PM

I actually saw one coming South on I-95 last night as I was heading North around Quantico, VA. Just happened to have a clear shot across the median and I played whacker and caught a glimpse. Pretty interesting.

Screw the cowcatcher - I still want my turret mounted twin .50 cals.

fdmhbozz

12-22-2005, 07:40 PM

I have to agree with what Harve said about the older RotoRays. They are much more effective when running on a 6 volt system than a 12 volt.

S8ER95Z

12-22-2005, 08:59 PM

Guys should just save the money on it.. buy a steel beam and mount it on the front. If they miss the normal lights and sirens...give them a love tap ;) They will move. ha ha

Dave1983

12-22-2005, 09:17 PM

we have 58 lights facing forward or rotating so they can be seen from the front.

Ya know Chief, if thoese BYT's of yours were BRT's, people would know its a fire truck and not a school bus and you wouldnt need 58 lights. ;) ;)

hwoods

12-23-2005, 12:43 AM

Ya know Chief, if thoese BYT's of yours were BRT's, people would know its a fire truck and not a school bus and you wouldnt need 58 lights. ;) ;)

Some years ago, my wife drove a school bus at the same time that I was working as the Full Time Driver at Glenn Dale. We both had the same Job. We both rode around all day in a Big Yellow Thing with Flashing Red lights and a bunch of kids in the back.... :eek: :eek:

oldman21220

12-23-2005, 10:12 AM

The truth spoken.

MalahatTwo7

12-23-2005, 10:24 AM

Ya know Chief, if thoese BYT's of yours were BRT's, people would know its a fire truck and not a school bus and you wouldnt need 58 lights. ;) ;)

Ya, Glenn Dale's trucks are kinda school bus yellow...... Althoug I do like the 3M black/reflective paint stripe along the sides. Looks sharp when the light hits it (all 58 of them eheheehehehehe).

Dave1983

12-23-2005, 11:41 AM

We both rode around all day in a Big Yellow Thing with Flashing Red lights and a bunch of kids in the back.... :eek: :eek:

LOL! :D :D

BoxAlarm187

12-23-2005, 11:54 PM

Richmond also runs Quints out of each station (Some are towers, some rear mount aerials) which operate either as an engine or a truck company depending on theiir place on the assignment. Each company is actaually a two piece company, the second piece being a commercial chassis'd 750GPM pumper, which responds on medicals, car fires, etc.

Rob

Just for clarification (not bashing), RFD only runs one tower ladder, a 105' rear mount at Quint 5. All the rest of the quints are 75' and 105' rear mount sticks. There are also a number of companies (6, 10, 25, 24) that are still running thier Seagrave pumpers as their engines, and were never assigned the Frightliner FRV's.

Here in Virginia, it's correct that Buckhall VFD (Prince William Company 16) was the first department with LED Roto-Rays in the USA, and the 2nd department was Quinton VFD (New Kent Company 2). Those were installed in early 2004.

Long live the Roto-Ray! :D

IGotTheJumpSeat

12-24-2005, 11:23 AM

I cant wait for the day I see some whacker with this on there POV. When theres a whacker theres a way!

toddman

12-24-2005, 12:25 PM

Very cool video. Any idea who performes the sound track?

nmfire

12-24-2005, 12:28 PM

I am I the only one that pictures that causing severe trauma to someone unsuspecting that tries to lean or sit on the front bumper?

Rescuepimp

12-25-2005, 04:31 PM

Awsome video.. Loved the Song more than anything.. I am a RECOVERING whacker, so I need to asstain from the lights.. lmao :D :) :D .. Anyways, who was that singing...??????

toddman

12-25-2005, 07:55 PM

I figured it out after I posted the question. Its "Creed" and the name of the song is "One", I knew I had heard that song before, but could not remember.

nmfire

12-25-2005, 08:50 PM

How many amps does that thing suck anyway?

HFRH28

12-25-2005, 09:28 PM

Somebody please tell me what that oscilating thing is with the two oscilators in it, on the Manassas Tower. For those of you not familiar: http://www.manassasfire.com/video/video.htm

Weruj1

12-25-2005, 09:56 PM

I believe that is a Federal Signal product ..................well lets say it is no longer sold by them ..cant find it on line ..........

HFRH28

12-25-2005, 09:59 PM

I'm familiar with the oscilaser.... this one has two inside one rectangular housing.

medicmaster

12-26-2005, 01:46 AM

I'm sorry if I offend you guys that like them so much, but...those roto-rays just look dumb!

CALFFBOU

12-26-2005, 03:08 AM

MedicMaster- I am with you. I dont see a need for those. Plus, they draw a lof of juice too.

medicmaster

12-26-2005, 05:05 AM

MedicMaster- I am with you. I dont see a need for those. Plus, they draw a lof of juice too.

Yeah, all the improvements in low-draw strobe and LED technology, and we are still strapping these disco lights on the front of apparatus! :eek:

MalahatTwo7

12-26-2005, 09:51 AM

Hmmm yes, the old ones do draw a lot, but then so does any 'regular' light system. The newer LED types dont draw any much more than any other LED light, so far as I've been told.

At first, I thought they were a bit garish too. But after seeing them in action and their effectiveness, I have a new mind (of course, I dont know what happened to the old one though....)

hwoods

12-26-2005, 10:03 AM

MedicMaster- I am with you. I dont see a need for those. Plus, they draw a lof of juice too.

It's the neighborhood. You wouldn't catch my guys and gals wearing tupperware or throwing wooden ladders. We also have a major coronary event if someone hooks a hose directly to a hydrant. It's what folks like for their part of the world.

CaptainGonzo

12-26-2005, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by hwoods
It's the neighborhood. You wouldn't catch my guys and gals wearing tupperware or throwing wooden ladders. We also have a major coronary event if someone hooks a hose directly to a hydrant. It's what folks like for their part of the world.

posted by TrojanHorse
Gee, not for nothing, but if I don't hook a hose to the hydrant what do I hook to it?

I think that Harve meant tying a hoseline directly into a hydrant without the use of a quarter turn or morse gate for the deuce and half hydrant ports. Harve's FD still uses 3" for their supply lines.

Of course, when using front suction you can connect directly to the steamer port of the hydrant.

HFRH28

12-26-2005, 02:07 PM

I THINK this might be what is on the manassas tower (right above the Q in the pictures)

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=12/35911582149.jpg&s=x12
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=12/35911591718.jpg&s=x12

Any idea?

Dave1983

12-26-2005, 04:44 PM

I believe that is a Federal Signal product ..................well lets say it is no longer sold by them ..cant find it on line ..........

Yes its a Federal and I think it was called a "Crossfire" but Im not sure. And your correct, no longer available.

Dave1983

12-26-2005, 04:46 PM

I'm familiar with the oscilaser.... this one has two inside one rectangular housing.

The "Oscilaser" is a Code3 (PSE) product, the thing on the tower is from Federal. The pumper shown in the first part of the video does have the Oscilasers on it, one each side above the headlights.

Dave1983

12-26-2005, 04:53 PM

I'm sorry if I offend you guys that like them so much, but...those roto-rays just look dumb!

Dont feel bad, I think they look silly as well, no matter how effective they are.

Although, from what Ive seen in all the videos, I dont think they are that effective (never seen one in person). Maybe if they flashed while spinning Id think otherwise. I just think the Mars 888 or Code3 Oscilasers grab more attention.

But, if the brothers that use them say they work, who am I to question? ;)

BTW, I feel the same about bells. A waste of good money that good be spent elsewhere.

CaptainGonzo

12-26-2005, 06:11 PM

Posted by Dave1983

BTW, I feel the same about bells. A waste of good money that good be spent elsewhere.

I feel the same about whistles...although I have never seen a whistle on a fire truck!

oldman21220

12-26-2005, 08:34 PM

Gee Cap, I was in high hopes that I wasn't the only one to have ever heard an exhaust whistle.

hwoods

12-26-2005, 08:38 PM

Gee Cap, I was in high hopes that I wasn't the only one to have ever heard an exhaust whistle.

You're not. . . . . .

hwoods

12-26-2005, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by hwoods
. posted by TrojanHorse

I think that Harve meant tying a hoseline directly into a hydrant without the use of a quarter turn or morse gate for the deuce and half hydrant ports. Harve's FD still uses 3" for their supply lines.

Of course, when using front suction you can connect directly to the steamer port of the hydrant.

BZZZZZAP......... Wrong Answer. Game Over Player One.

I meant hooking a supply line up to anything that is not part of a Fire Engine that is already hooked to a Hydrant. We put a Pumper on the Hydrant. Period. Our Hydrants often hit several thousand gallons, and by putting a pumper on the hydrant, you now have 5, 6, maybe even more connections to hook lines up to. On a recent training event, I had one 1,250 pumper on a hydrant that had 115 PSI Static. That pumper had 8 discharges that I could hook a 3 inch line up to, and we ran 6 lines from it. Total flow thru a Wagon Pipe, 2 Tower Ladder guns, and three hand lines was about 2,600 gpm. We also drill on Tandem Pumping, as we call it, Here's how: Hook up a pumper to a Hydrant with good flow capabilities. Start flowing water to another Engine down the street, thru several 3in. lines. Bring a Second Pumper along side the one on the hydrant. Carefully close the hydrant til you get the intake pressure on the first pumper down to almost zero. Remove a steamer cap from the side intake of the first pumper, and hook up the suction sleeve from the second pumper to it. Open the hydrant wide, and supply more lines from the second pumper. I first did this about 1963 or so, and it worked well. It still does.

HFRH28

12-26-2005, 09:43 PM

Yes its a Federal and I think it was called a "Crossfire" but Im not sure. And your correct, no longer available.

After a quick Google search, Crossfire is correct. Thank you!

oldman21220

12-26-2005, 09:51 PM

Carefull Harve, some clown will try it with this PVC stuff. Done the tandem to, must go along with the exhaust whistle. We're probably the only ones to have ridden on an Amoskeg steamer as well.

Dalmatian190

12-27-2005, 12:29 AM

Carefully close the hydrant til you get the intake pressure on the first pumper down to almost zero. Remove a steamer cap from the side intake of the first pumper, and hook up the suction sleeve from the second pumper to it.

Ok Harve...if I'm ever down in your neck of the woods, you're gonna have to throw a drill that night for me...cause the fire geek in me has got to see that maneuver in action!

There's probably four hydrants in a neighboring borough that are the only ones in my region you could pull that trick off!

Bones42

12-27-2005, 10:28 AM

hmmm, 6 3" lines or 2 5" lines. Have fun, I'll vote the latter. ;)

MEAN15

12-27-2005, 11:49 AM

hwoods

12-27-2005, 12:10 PM

We teach all of our engineers how to tandem pump, and we've done it many times, however never at an actual incident. (At least not in my 28 years of service)

What does this have to do with Roto-Rays?

About halfway down the last page, we got sidetracked. I can try to justify the direction change by claiming that only Roto Ray equipped apparatus can be used for tandem pumping, but that would cause a gigantic toilet flush, so I won't mention it. :D :D :D :D :D

Sudden thought: Since Warrenton's Wagon 1 has dual Roto Rays, can they Quadruple pump? :eek:

LRFPD60

12-27-2005, 01:49 PM

Harve, sure they can quadruple pump but....... are you prepared for the consequences of disrupting the time space continuum?

On a side note, I just graduated college with my Fire Science Degree and we were actually taught this drill in my Hydraulics class. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.

britfan1

12-27-2005, 06:12 PM

Just for clarification (not bashing), RFD only runs one tower ladder, a 105' rear mount at Quint 5. All the rest of the quints are 75' and 105' rear mount sticks. There are also a number of companies (6, 10, 25, 24) that are still running thier Seagrave pumpers as their engines, and were never assigned the Frightliner FRV's.

Here in Virginia, it's correct that Buckhall VFD (Prince William Company 16) was the first department with LED Roto-Rays in the USA, and the 2nd department was Quinton VFD (New Kent Company 2). Those were installed in early 2004.

Long live the Roto-Ray! :D

Thanks for the clarification on that! For some reason I thought that one of the Southside companies had a tower. Also, I didn't realize any of the companies still ran Saegraves...the times I've seen one enroute to a call, I assumed they were reserve units replacing an OOS rig.

Hey, I don't get around the way I used to!

Rob

MalahatTwo7

12-27-2005, 06:21 PM

Carefully close the hydrant til you get the intake pressure on the first pumper down to almost zero. Remove a steamer cap from the side intake of the first pumper, and hook up the suction sleeve from the second pumper to it.

Ok Harve...if I'm ever down in your neck of the woods, you're gonna have to throw a drill that night for me...cause the fire geek in me has got to see that maneuver in action!

I think I'm up for that request too. Back home we didnt have hydrants so this is well beyond "Thinking outside the Box" for me. I'd like to see it in action too.

BenHur

11-06-2007, 04:03 PM

firemangeorge

11-11-2007, 07:12 PM

They really aren't an East Coast thing, it's just where it started :/

I think they look ridiculous, if I were a driver I would be staring at it a lot, kind of like what happened with lime-green apparatus, it just makes your jaw drop.

I don't know that the east coast is exactly where they started, but my company had one on this:
<img src='http://cfdhistory.com/jpgs/Sq52-18A-2.jpg'>
1918 Ahrens Fox Cincinnati Fire Dept Shop #25152
Photo from the Steve Hagy Collection

According to Steve, it came new, equipped with it.
So I guess we can say "Been there, done that"

fg

dmleblanc

11-11-2007, 07:25 PM

I noticed one on an engine in Metarie (suburb of New Orleans) a few years ago...only ones I've seen around here....

DCFDCAR5

11-11-2007, 08:27 PM

Wow. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to 2005.

CALFFBOU

11-12-2007, 10:56 AM

No more video= no more roto-ray.:mad:

PureAdrenalin

11-12-2007, 12:04 PM

no worries bou...youtube will save your desire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPMgRdk40Bk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nbXXtiTiu8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srg-sqDRXHE

CaptainGonzo

11-12-2007, 12:10 PM

no worries bou...youtube will save your desire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPMgRdk40Bk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nbXXtiTiu8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srg-sqDRXHE

The first video is a whacker's dream. :D
The second video's background noise sounds like someone is "whacking it"! :D:D
The third one? Reminds me of a girl I saw in a strip club! :D:D:D

PureAdrenalin

11-12-2007, 12:39 PM

Hey..i try. I laugh at the second one whenever I see it somewhere.

WFDjr1

11-13-2007, 11:50 AM

Maybe if they flashed while spinning Id think otherwise. I just think the Mars 888 or Code3 Oscilasers grab more attention.

The new LED ones flash while spinning, and after the parking brake is set, will continue to flash after it has stopped spinning.

And somebody had asked about how much time it takes to wind down after setting the brake, it only takes about 3 seconds.

We have them at work, but I much prefer the oscilaser!

Dave1983

11-13-2007, 02:18 PM

No more video= no more roto-ray.:mad:

Hey Bou...I just checked out the video from your first post. Yup, still there.:eek:

Nice video, except early on when they they blow a red light. Nice. :mad:

Im still not sold on the Roto-Rays. We actually now have two rigs in this area with them. The new Chief there is from up north and hes putting them on the new rigs.