To "Q" or not to "Q"?

Should departments run federal Q's or not?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Harry Faulk Jr on August 29, 2007 at 3:30pm

Just got done with a emergency vehicle operator course and the insurance company had information on the different sirens and the electronic siren in the wail postition was the most noticeable siren. I don t' care what they say give me the Federal Q anyday.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on June 30, 2008 at 6:06pm

Recently I was discussing the Q2B versus the Electronic Q siren question with a well-known (in NYS) EVOC instructor. He told me that the city of Rochester, NY Fire Department conducted a side-by-side test of the two at the training facility, and that he was present for the test along with several others.

The group was quite a distance (unknown, I'm guessing 1/2 mile) from the truck, which was facing them. The good ol' Q2B was sounded, then the electronic Q. There was no contest, the ELECTRONIC Q was LOUDER.

The explanation offered was this: In the mechanical siren, the sound departs from around the circumference of the siren and travels away from the siren at right angles to the road. By contrast the electronic Q, which uses a 200 W forward facing speaker, focuses its sound energy down the road ahead of the vehicle. Based on this test Rochester has switched over to the electronic Q on all new apparatus deliveries.

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Permalink Reply by roy yoder on July 15, 2008 at 2:07pm

its been a few years back when they did this test and they haven't changed the electronic siren much( maybe a different sound) but they have changed the object we are trying to move. GRANNY GRUNTS AND HER SOUND PROOF VEHICLE. with normal stopping distance between vehicles a electronic siren was out driven at 35 mph. so much for moving traffic. Ga. law says that we have to have an automatic and audible warning device going when we turn on our red lights. So we have to have an electornic to please the law cause if you have a wreck here come the lawyers. i usually un my Q to move traffic and the electronic to change tone at intersections. oh i don't forget my air horn although one of our trucks is set up like the old trucks and runs off the air for the brakes and will stop blowing when air is low. the new one has its own air compessor. I love my old style Q I don't quite know what you are talking about when you say eletronic Q. Hard for me to imagen it being as loud as a fedeal Q but please guys let up on it a little it has to do with the rise and fall that helps with the senses telling GRANNY stop and pull to the left or is that just stop or speed up to 26 mph in a45 zone.
we don't want to hear this but there is talk out there of slowing the fire trucks to speed limits and slower to avoid wrecks. i saw one dept. was at 25 mph period. they were in a city with i think 13 stations, all had very short runs. stay safe and on the cuting edge

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Permalink Reply by FETC on July 15, 2008 at 2:24pm

REAL Q all the way. And not that fake electric crap either...

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Permalink Reply by Johnathan Turner on July 15, 2008 at 4:00pm

Amen Brother.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Kerr on July 17, 2008 at 10:10pm

q forever i think it would be one of the stupidist ideas to get rid of one. although the "Q" sounds pretty good with the powercall and a little airhorn.