Broadcast Truck
The roads are no stranger to unique vehicles. One unique vehicle is a broadcast or news truck. As firefighters, we have a keen sense to notice a news truck on scene of an incident. Usually it is setup a colleague to get recorded and put on the local news so they must buy lunch or dinner. However, news trucks have a substantial amount of weight added in unusual locations.
I wanted to learn a little more about the weight of these vehicles that are out on the road so I contacted Rolltechs Specialty Vehicles and received some information from Tony Beigel. Rolltechs Specialty Vehicles starts with a factory vehicle like a Mercedes Sprinter or a Ford Transit. Equipment like Flooring, mast, on-board generator, cabinets/work stations, air conditioners, and the AV equipment. Once the company up-fits the vehicles the final weight is close to the GVWR ratings. A good estimate of the added weight is 3000 lbs. Keep in mind that this includes: Flooring, some sort of mast, an on-board generator, cabinets/work stations, Air Conditioners, and then the AV equipment. So a good idea of that weight would be around 3000 lbs. The Gens themselves are around 800 lbs. I am excluding any passengers.
Below are pictures from the Crunch Time Extrication Learning Symposium several years ago. One of the vehicles available for training was an old Econoline news van. Even with much of the equipment removed, the reinforcements left added weight in the rear of the van the affected the center of gravity.
Heavy Stabilization & Lift Class
This weekend, Toranze Lee and Premier Extrication held their Heavy Stabilization and Lifting class taught. The class focused on advanced techniques using the Paratech equipment, eDraulic tools, grip hoists, vehicle stabilization methods, airbags for lifting, power tools, and the use of heavy wreckers for extrication.
Some of the departments that attended:
The North Carolina Extrication School at Sandhills Fire Training Center was hosted by the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal. Firefighters had the opportunity to learn cutting-edge tactics in the world of vehicle extrication from some of the top instructors in the county.
Heavy Rescue
Large Animal Rescue
Working with their past experince, the Patterson Fire Department’s completed their 4th horse rescue in the past several years.
Horse Rescue
Per the post from the Patterson Fire Department’s Facebook page:
At 0732, 25th of August 2021, the Patterson fire department was dispatched for a public assist to a local farm. Patterson’s heavy rescue, 22-6-1, arrived on scene and found a 31-year-old male horse, named “Dozer”, in distress. He had apparently fallen and managed to get himself stuck between a rock and a fence line. At first, the crew attempted to assist the horse in getting up by shifting his position. It became apparent that additional equipment was going to be needed to help Dozer out since he had become too exhausted to get up on his own. After some discussion, it was established that the best plan of action was to use a Paratech bipod system. It would be used as an artificial high directional with TU-32 griphoist’s assistance to lift the horse up. With a lot of sweat and effort, the crew was able to lift the horse up onto his feet. After some much-needed fluids and rest, we were happy to see Dozer trot away, unassisted.
An interesting fact, this is Patterson Fire Department’s 4th horse rescue in the past several years, all with successful outcomes.
Photos below from Andrew Akin
