Tiller Truck Companies

The New York City Fire Department has 146 active Ladder Companies. Of that, 60 are Tower Ladders, 61 are Rear Mounts and 15 are Tillers. In the next couple of months two of the Tillers will be replaced with Rear Mounts. I have always thought that the tillered trucks were the most interesting mostly because of the tillerman seat. But I love the Tower Ladders the best!

Stay safe Brothers
GB

Since the focus of this discussion has strayed from the original question, let's try to put it back on track.

First, DC decided to purchase rearmounts for a variety of valid and not-so-valid reasons. There was a lack of 'qualified' drivers at that time, due to a huge exodus in an 'early out' a few years earlier. Most new hires, as a result of a residency requirement, did not have volunteer experience like nearly all of their predecessors. They also did not have military service (and the resultant esposure to trucks, tanks, etc.), as many previous recruits had.

It did not take long to realize that DC's streets were not made for long trucks that didn't bend in the middle. However, because of budget pressures, once apparatus is purchased, it takes at least ten years of city service to be considered for replacement.

By the way, both of the ladder trucks involved in the infamous collision were rearmounts, and both were at least ten years old.

Well said ArmyTruckCompany. My personal preference is a Tower (Aerialscope), but we don't have the tight streets that others need to deal with. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with tillers. As far as I know, there's only one in our county. What do you guys think are the advantages over towers (other than the obvious turning advantage)?

Real ladder trucks bend in the middle.....and real ladder trucks also don't have "wastes of compartment space".....You know the ones I am talking about- the ones with all the gauges, dials, gates, discharges, intakes.......

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"Loyalty above all else, except honor."

Hey Nate, KMA! That thin air up there in the mountains must be having an adverse affect on you! Who the hell are you to comment on my department. Stick to what you know, and, based on your comments on this board, that ain't much!

[This message has been edited by DCFD1051 (edited 05-01-2001).]

Just seems that when you crash 2 trucks into each other that maybe you need to rethink your driving requirements and sop's.

I hope you guys get your pay increase and take care of the problems you seem to have with your chief but from every post I read from one of you guys here you seem to put ypur time and effort into beards and pajamas when it would be better off fighting for your much deserved pay increase and to get rid of your chief.

The city here tried to do away with tiller rigs. Now they are finally realizing that in some of the nieghborhoods, tiller rigs are a neccessary apparatus and have gone back to ordering them.

DC1051 & TenTruck, give Nate hell. He seems to enjoy knocking every department east of Colorado. Get your head out of your rearend Nate and put a post worth reading on this forum.

[This message has been edited by FireLt1951 (edited 04-29-2001).]

DCFD1051 Couldn't have said it any better Brother. DCFD is a fine organization, and anyone that doesn't work here or know people who do, wouldn't understand. Tillered Trucks are it baby.

[This message has been edited by Tentruck (edited 04-28-2001).]

Nate Marshal,

The purpose of this thread is to talk about tiller ladder trucks, not to bash fire departments. As for your comments about the DCFD, what would you know about driving or figthing fire in an urban setting? Accidents happen in a busy deparment. Some are preventable, some are not. People make mistakes. As for your comments about the personnel in my department, the DCFD employs some of the finest, most knowledgeable and agressive INTERIOR firefighters in this country. But, then again, what would you know about that?

It certainly sounds like a people problem.

Perhaps they need stricter hiring standards.
Better training and a new chief.

2 aerials crashing into each other really says a lot about the people of DCFD.

Hey Doc,

Yes, lately we have wrecked some apparatus here in DC. But it is not as common as you are assuming. Two of the rearmounts that we wrecked crashed into each other at an intersection enroute to the same box. One was totalled, the other rebuilt. A tower ladder was totalled after it tipped over at a job (operator eror in setting the jacks!) I'm not sure of the underlying causes of these accidents, but, I think, one of the problems is that we have had a high turnover of personnel in recent years, so we have a lot of younger guys on the job. It takes experience to be a good driver, so hopefully things will get better as time goes on.

Originally posted by SAY_WHAT:
joshusn971

For not trying to turn this thread into an arguing match you did a good job. Before asking accusatory questions you should first, exam the number of runs for each unit in DCFD, then average out the number of accidents per capita.

Finally this thread is about companies who went from tillered ladder companies to straight trucks and are thinking of going back to tiller trucks.

[This message has been edited by SAY_WHAT (edited 04-22-2001).]

Take a real close look at the last line. I did say, common as in more than 1 every 5 years. DCFD has had two rigs lost this year alone. I am not accusing of poor pratices. I am asking a question. NYC is not immune to accidents. However, ours are rare compared. Either that, or yours are just recieving WAY more publicity.

Doc DC3

We have had ,and mostly still do have, non-bending ladder company apparatus, but plan on replacing our tiller with another. Using modern concepts such as pre-piped waterways and such, but with both steering wheels.

Hell yeah they do! I love our Mack CF Tiller! There are only two in the County, us and Camden City.

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The statements above are my own opinions

FF Greg Grudzinski
Oaklyn Fire Dept.
Station 18-3

Like the ol' man always used to say..."Son, real ladder trucks bend in the middle!"



Yeah, baby!



[This message has been edited by NozzleHog (edited 04-22-2001).]