Fire Engine 209 response

[glewis80SC]

Me at work responding a structure fire call through downtown LA. I know it is not a Porsche video but I hope you like it anyway.
gregE209Video

[charlesbahn]

Cool. Few jobs let you speed, run red lights, and drive on the wrong side of the road in heavy traffic.

[S. Silverwood]

Strong work Greg! I'm a captain in San Diego and it's funny how watching a five and a half minute response seems like thirty minutes when you're watching it. Seems like thirty seconds when your doing it! Great driving, I've taught my drivers for years to use the on-coming lanes of traffic. Those folks who won't yeild when you're behind them think better of it when you're coming straight at them. Good work at the intersections too. Safe and fast!

Stay low!

Stacy

[Carl83911]

Where can I get one of those Sirens and horn. hehe...

[charlesbahn]

I think Pelican has them on special.

Edit: But I think they garner less respect on a P-car.

[Craig 930 RS]

Greg -


Do you get to drive often?
Ultimately, what was the call for? Structure fire?

[daka]

WOW.., great....legal too..not like the Ferrari in Paris.!!

[Gasman59]

I was getting a bit worried that you might be first due. Glad to see not.. At least your residents get out of the way.
Nice video.
(From a suburban Volunteer FF).

Best,
Ron Y
1970 911 E Targa (required Porsche content)
Engineer, Rescue 538 NVVFD

[emcon5]

Looks like it has Porsche content to me:



Tom

[Grady Clay]

WOW!

You go a lot faster than I do in my ’27 American LeFrance pumper.

That was a very long run to that call. Were you called from a neighboring district or something? I’m impressed the cars did a reasonably good job of staying out of the way. Does your area have the IR controlled traffic signals?

Good driving.

What do you weigh? I’ll bet it doesn’t stop or corner like your Porsche.

Be safe.

Best,
Grady

[RoninLB]

911 Tech Forum mandatory

[kycarguy 935]

Originally posted by emcon5
Looks like it has Porsche content to me:


Tom

3:37 has more Porsche content.

Nice video you made. Do you have others or is this the first? Good job.

[1973911s]

Sweet video and driving, you guys had a long way to roll to the fire.

Looks like you left from the Spring street station?

Michael

[notfarnow]

Impressive driving!

I lost count of the cars that just froze in their lanes instead of pulling over to the right... that must drive you nuts. They should have a police car follow behind and dole out fenes.

Get out of the way!

[glewis80SC]

The call turned out to be a small fire in a bathroom, it was in FS 11's first in not mine. We tried to get there asap but safe at the same time.
I'm trying to get more videos made, it was not me driving I was in the back getting suited up and looking for fire hydrants to lay a line to if we needed to.
I'm glad you enjoyed it I'll post more when i get them done, we were in a 2005 Seagrave, i'll try to get some night shots the lights look great at night.
greg

[VINMAN]

Hey Ron, is that a Grover air horn sittin on there?

[VINMAN]

Very cool video! As a former fire chief I can appreciate that!

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by VINMAN
Hey Ron, is that a Grover air horn sittin on there?

yep

[rammstein]

Thats sweet. You should put a cow-catcher on the front of it.

[Overpaid Slacker]

Sweet video!

I imagine it's similar in CA, but we're not allowed to pass any vehicles on the right. Ever.

It makes for some interesting intersection work... going "around" all the cars in the far left lane, to their left and through the intersection. But I'm a truckie, and my hooptie weighs 32 tons (what an M1A1 MBT weighs). So we get some respect. Or fear. Whatever.

One of my first rides as an EMT was with a very... stoic... paramedic. Always even-keeled; never flustered. We were called on mutual aid to a neighboring district, who had their taxi on scene, so we took our medic car. It's suburbia/exurbia, and we're going full lights/sirens down a well-travelled 2-lane road. Easily 1/4 of the drivers just lock up and slow WAY down, staring into their rearview mirror, without moving over. So they're just slowing us down, essentially.

After a few of these, I just erupt "What the F**K is wrong with these people? How F**KING tough is it to just move the F**K over? If these morons just 'lock up' under this level of stress, WTF is wrong with this fat, complacent town?!?! I hope someone F**Ks up my ability to get to you when you're choking on a Krispy Kreme, you moron!!!" etc... and I'm gesticulating pretty emphatically, as those of you who know me can imagine. (edit: I'm not saying this through the PA, mind you...)

Phil (the paramedic), the vision of intense serenity, chewing his nicorette purposefully, staring ahead steely eyed says, with the quiet, chiding wisdom of years as a para in NYC, "Get used to it, it's part of the job."

I'm still steaming, but I quiet down. For about 10 seconds.

Then a bimbo in a SNAAB pulls out of her driveway, right in front of us. I light off like a roman candle again, reaching for the PA and trying to figure out how to turn the volume up to 11.

Phil the Stoic: "JP, {chew, chew} I told you you have to get used to it. {chew, chew}"

Me, seething out of every pore: "Phil. I know. I'll get used to it, but I haven't gotten used to it in the last 10 seconds, OK?"

Phil: "{chew, chew}"

Two minutes later, I've cooled off a bit and we're within sight of our location (the YMCA). The road is now 2 lanes our way and one oncoming. We're in the left of our 2 lanes. Some jackass of an ethnicity not known for its driving prowess, actually checks his mirrors, looks right at us -- at ME! -- and changes lanes almost right into us, forcing us halfway into oncoming traffic. Then this shytbag manages to look at US (lights & sirens blaring!!) like we snuck up on his blindspot.

Phil just freaking explodes. He is apoplectic, turning purple and his gum hits the inside of the windscreen. He's not just yelling at this moron, but at everybody.

I'm sitting, exuberantly stunned, smirking for a few seconds... and then I join in with him ... two unhinged lunatics in a medic car, hustling to a CVA, screaming at the auto-ignorati. I stop, and Phil keeps going on, really warming to his subject and in full-throat. He looks over at me, flushed, eyes bulging, JVD'd and I'm just cackling.

"What?!? Huh? Now you've gone all retard on me too?"

"No, Phil, I'm just getting used to the job." smirk.

"You know, they told me you were an enabler."

We arrived with tears of laughter streaming down our cheeks.

JP

FF/EMT-D; Dive Rescue Team