Rescue or Engine?

How does your dept. handle MVA's? Do you have a rescue truck or do you just use your engine? If you have a rescue, is it light, medium, or heavy? What kind of equpment do you have on it? My dept. runs a medium duty rescue that has an onboard PTO generator that runs pre connected extrication equipment, a 20 ft. telescoping light tower, full sets of lift bags and rams, hand tools, various saws and scene lighting. As well as other tools and water rescue equipment.

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Permalink Reply by Jacob on June 18, 2009 at 1:56pm

This is our order of truck response...
1st Out
Rescue 234- It is a Rescue/Contender...2008 GMC 5500

2nd Out
Engine 231-Larger version of 234. 2001 ALF
3rd Out
Utility 237-2006 GMC 2500 diesel:For manpower/ traffic control
We have a interstate that runs through our area...I-64 E and W

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Permalink Reply by Paul J. Storke, Jr. on June 21, 2009 at 7:49pm

We run 2 engines and an ambo on mva's our main engine is a 1995 Seagrave 8 man cab with hand tools, Amkus hydraulic rescue tools spreaders, o-cutters, 2 rams on board pump for rescue tools, portable power plant, Air chisel and recipricating saw sets Z-Mag struts, high lift jacks, tons of cribbing, built in on scene lights and Air bags the other is a 1998 Seagrave 6 man cab with basic cribbing a combi tool, ram, cutter, portable power plant and built in on scene lights and for techinacal rescue our truck is equipped for rope and water rescue

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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on June 21, 2009 at 10:27pm

We don't have a rescue truck, but do have a rescue pumper that responds along with the ambulance to all crashes. For night calls or known entrapment a second pumper responds with manpower.

The second pump carries the thermal imager which I like to see come along at night in the event we find no occupants. They have been known to hide out in the woods until the scene is cleared.

The rescue pumper carries the TNT tool set, cribbing, miscellaneous extrication hand tools (sawzalls, can openers) and a stabilization jack set. Also has absorb-all and 5 galloons of AFFF on board just in case we have a fuel spill.

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Permalink Reply by Padre Pete on June 21, 2009 at 10:36pm

MVA = Ambulance, Engine & Heavy Rescue for initial response. Requests for more for traffic control can usually be expected.

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Permalink Reply by rescueortruck on June 21, 2009 at 10:59pm

we run a truck and a squad, if personnal is there, the truck carry the tools the squad blocks and med equipment. They are wanting to go med. rescue but cant right now

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Permalink Reply by Marc on June 22, 2009 at 12:53am

We run an engine and rescue or a *lightforce (see below) and rescue to all MVA's. Then they give OCD (dispatch) a size up and request additional resources. All of our Trucks carry all of the high/low angle, trench, confined space and the holmatro rescue; cutters, spreaders, rambars, support beams, sec-u-net, on bored generator and 2 portable generators. Some of our engines carry mini-halmatro cutters and a small portable generator. If the MVA is really bad, we call in our heavy rescue and possibly our USAR (see pictures 1& 2).
Most of the time a *Taskforce (see below) and how ever many rescues are needed can handle any good sized MVA.
The MVA calls in which our heavy rescue is called are; high mechanism roll overs (semi, tankers, SUV), semi vs car, car over the side (of the freeway), and Fire apparatus vs. Civilian vehical.

hope this awnsers your question.
Explorer Capt. Marc Hurwitz
Los Angeles CITY Fire Department

*Lightforce(LF) = truck and 2nd engine/pump 2__(T58 & E258 = LF58)
*Taskforce (TF) = Truck, engine and 2nd engine/pump (T58, E58 & E258 = TF58)

heavy rescue 56

USAR 85

TF88 + USAR 88 (left to right = T88, E88, E288, USAR88)

TF88 +Heavy Rescue 56 (heavy rescue is way over on the left)

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Permalink Reply by Justyn Boling on June 22, 2009 at 5:28am

we have a light duty rescue/ squad that has all extrication equiptment including, ram spreaders, o cutters, pedal cutters, airbags, resQue jacks, air chissle , and a few more, more or less home made tools, we have quite a few heavily used hwy's in our district and this truck has most deff done the work, we have recently purchased a new peirce rescue engine that will be second out on all mva's, our squad also has a 500 gal water and 500 gal foam tank with preconnects for both and a booster reel for brush fires

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Permalink Reply by Justyn Boling on June 22, 2009 at 5:33am

just to add to my last, luckily our 911 comm center has the capibilty to gain the greatest info ive ever heard in the fire service,example, mva fire, smoke or pin in, we will roll the squad, then an engine for fire supp, then another for possible landing zone, i dont beleive there is no right or wrong with anyone we all have to abdapt to our services period, but i dont think its a bad idea for a squad, rescue/engine or rescue, engine to respond to all mva's