Seattle Fire Department Engine 2 Aid Response

[FaithOuidalb165]

hehe find ich toll hihi

[305MANKILLA]

what happens if your in the middle of taking a nasty S#*! and a call comes in

[MRAWSOMENESS86]

thay take their time

[Bjornar1998]

wow they are slow, WTF

[firetruckman92]

is the department mostly volunteer or mixed with volunteers and full time staff?

[ColinFWheeler]

@firetruckman92 Hi and thanks for the question.  Seattle FD has an all full time staff, except for the canteen, which is operated by volunteers from the Seattle Fire Buff club.

[Bradisaking11]

no way ? i have the same scanner

[MrDyson01]

@Bradisaking11 what kind is it?

[Bradisaking11]

@MrDyson01 PRO-528 ; Triple Trunking ; 1000 Channels

[MrDyson01]

@Bradisaking11 so a scanner like that one could alert me if my station gets called?

[Bradisaking11]

@MrDyson01 yes .

[denden1127]

very slow.....the man just walk out 0:20...all people burn to death

[devanoo2]

@denden1127 Are you slow???? Do you know what a medical aid is?

[pcfd20]

@devanoo2 So because its just a medical aid they should take their sweet time? Good thing we don't drag our feet here considering that we have went on scene be for the ambulances and had full blown codes a ton of times.

P.S: However i noticed they where waiting on the driver so I'll cut them some slack.. He might have been taking a crap when the tons went out.

[devanoo2]

@pcfd20 do you know what the previous comment said?

[kambelzful]

@pcfd20 didn't really matter because it was a block away and was a BLS call.

[ColinFWheeler]

@800kirby E-28 is on a different run.  I was monitoring the dispatch channel, so it was picking up all calls that came in.

[ColinFWheeler]

@800kirby The one at the very beginning of the video is the station alert tone. A little later is a dispatch tone for E-28.

[trainguy3]

At first when he pulled out, I thought Holy crap that's a one way street!! Epic!!!!

[ColinFWheeler]

@trainguy3 It actually is a one way street, but the Fire Dept is allowed to go in the wrong direction for a block or two on it. I believe the signals turn red at nearby intersections when the station gets a call.

[xELmOEliTEx]

@ColinFWheeler They do not in fact change the lights. They simply play Get out the way by ludacris out of loudspeakers mounted on the traffic poles and fire engine

[MrDyson01]

@ColinFWheeler what number is the alert tone?

[michael70224]

iam glad i dont live in seattle and need the fire dep took them long enough 2 respound

[Powerstroker250]

Hoping to get cancelled by the ALS rig beating them to the call.



[MrAworst]

response time is bad i wached my grandpa when i was little and his rig got out in one min dam step up the game

[MrCyr123]

cool

[DennyDucet]

watch out for the hipaa demons

[joek0617]

@DennyDucet no name, so it doesn't apply

[DennyDucet]

@joek0617 ah......we were told if it was the physical address with age and or gender it was considered enough to let those in scanner land try to figure out who it was. I can really care less, but who knows when someone would want to freak out and play litigation lotto against those of us in blue.

[FreedomHigh4]

Man, 2 minutes to even get out of the bay? Step it up guys...

[4106650464]

why cant my fire station have Q we have eq2b sirens

[mdknutson]

have any of you ever needed help? I have....I was bleeding to death and didnt know it....I collapsed and my husband called 911...they got to our home in less than a min. They asked me questions and I did not tell the truth...I was not lying....I just didnt know. I was in trouble and didnt know and they helped save my life. If they did what you say they all do, I would be dead.

[kwharwood]

the capton looks like shit another call FML haha

[TimboSlice17]

WTF!?!?!  Took them that long to get going...and go down the wrong direction on a one way road!?!?!?

[kambelzful]

@TimboSlice17 It was a BLS call a block away. They didn't need a speedy response anyways.

[MrHosejockey]

@kambelzful If a speedy response wasn't needed, why the red lights & sirens?

[kambelzful]

@MrHosejockey Because they are going on a wrong way street to get to the scene.

[TheDonmaster99]

ive heard the bumper mounted line be called a forward cross lay, or its becuase im 14 and dumb. but wouldnt that be important for a city with small streets to reach hydrants?

[Ohet006]

Thx for a good video (videos) I will be u friend!

[occdude01]

damn! thats a nice fed q brake! stopped it on a dime! 

[engine173351]

@occdude01 That's because it wan't a real Q. It was the electronic version.

[TheDonmaster99]

no forward cross lay? isnt that important for a city engine?

[seagraver]

@TheDonmaster99 A "forward cross lay" ?? I am guessing you're talking about a bumper mounted line? That's generally a trash line used for small exterior fires, car fires, dumpster fires, and stuff like that. Some places call them jump lines. They're convenient, but not vital.

[FreedomHigh4]

@TheDonmaster99 There is a crosslay, if you look carefully at 2:07 , you'll see the hose sticking out before the start of the rear compartments.

[rrobertsnot5150]

@larry238 That's probably just a Q cover over the EQ speaker.

[yungdeezy021000]

NICE LIGHTBAR ON THE ENGINE!!!

[GS6FF]

nice

[GS6FF]

nice

[braduh1]

Did somebody kill that siren at the end?

[braduh1]

Holy lightbar!!!

[25Yankeesfan]

you better tell that dispatcher to slow down a little bit i dont think she could have dispatched that call any faster

[ZXROMEO]

Typical Union culture, no rush to do anything, don't give a crap about anything except themselves.

[kambelzful]

@ZXROMEO actually they were waiting for someone to get on the rig, it was a bls call so no rush was needed. it wasn't a fire. and it was 2 blocks from the station. It would took 2 1/2 minutes for them to get to the scene. That's still pretty speedy service.

[ZXROMEO]

@kambelzful Ok, I'll accept your reply's, thanks.

[kambelzful]

@ZXROMEO anyways, if they didn't care about other people, they wouldn't chose the job. a firefighter has hard work that a normal person that doesn't care about anyone else would not work.

[RCcustomPD]

That a scanner u have or a radio?

[ColinFWheeler]

@RCcustomPD Hi and thanks for the question.  That's a trunking scanner.

[RCcustomPD]

@ColinFWheeler Alright thanks. Im looking for one bc right now im using my ipod with an app thats a scanner. Like that eone!

[aceofspades245]

@ColinFWheeler the area around the station doesn't exactly look like the ones where true busy house are located...

[ColinFWheeler]

@aceofspades245 I think the reason the station is so busy is that it's located in the heart of the densely populated north downtown area of Seattle (Bell Town neighborhood)

[zaffdoc]

Great video. Thanks for sharing

[ColinFWheeler]

@zaffdoc Thanks! Yours are cool too.

[MST275]

Why did Medic 1 go a different way than Aid 2?

[ColinFWheeler]

@MST275

Engine 2 and Medic 1 are going on different calls. Engine 2's run is south of the station; Medic 1's was north of the station. Medic 1 is going on the same call that my Aid 2 response video is going on. Medic 1 was responding from quarters at Harborview Medical Center. BTW, Station 2 just reopened, and has been refurbished and strengthened to withstand major earthquakes. I was there today, and the station looks great, both outside and inside.

[joeblow1999]

What a shitty department, takes them over two minutes to even leave the garage!

[vlaup]

@joeblow1999 well lets put it like this would you go balls to the wall for a bs call??? better off taking time then running sometimes...unless its a cardiac arrest, or a fire your better off walking briskly

[joeblow1999]

@vlaup

I used to do this for a living. You're most likely given a code to know the nature of the call but you never truly know what is happening until you actually arrive. Better to give the benefit of doubt to everyone than arrive too late and have regrets. I stand by what I said, unless this is a staged call, this is a shitty department.

[vlaup]

@joeblow1999 i understand your p.o.v and i understand/do agree but i come from a safe dept. and thats how i roll

[Angerfist2]

VERY COOL

[JNHstudios]

@larry238 It looks to me that E2 has an EQ2B speaker mounted inside a Q2B housing. One of the FDs did that up here so that they could have the look of the "Q" without the massive amp usage.

[Manny4587]

ay dios mio!!! hijo de taco bell!!!!

[jjomanful]

hey guys im moving to seattle soon, im 18 and ive wanted to be a firefighter most of my life. if anyone can give me some good info on how to become a seattle firefighter it would be greatly appreciated.

[VanWADebbie]

@jjomanful Some colleges have fire fighting science courses. Probably getting the ucation might get you there.

[jsinkeywest]

slow man not good

[burtenheimer]

The captain looks like an asshole

[pumperman26]

@burtenheimer Go fuck yourself, asshole. You sound like an asshole. Eat a dick, you don't deserve to be in the fire service let alone comment on it.

[0524cami]

going the wrong way!wow

[VanWADebbie]

Clark County, Washington is going to the automated dispatcher this May.

[theatomicfart1001]

They have a longer time limit cuz it's a mutual aid

[Deion000]

ok.....do u have a time limit...i mean come on 2:30 TO GET OUT THE FIRE HOUSE?????

[MultiMonster69]

thats seattle washington

[richie19r]

fuck takin their sweet ass time huh? im a volunteer and we probably would have made a better et

[VanWADebbie]

@pumperman26 Why are you insulting me? I only visit Seattle via train to go to Mariner games or have an urge to ride the monorail. I`ve only seen the station when I go shopping. I was not aware that the SFD could go against the "grain".

Where I come from the EMS people are leaving the fire house asap. If something is delaying the dispatched engine, another piece of equipment in the area will take it.

My comments were months ago, explained why and I do have a life at least without YOU!.

[whatfield2232]

damn... they sure are going slow enough donning ppe

[suprdav403]

up the one way street the wrong way? interesting

[48alfaone]

On the clock, two minutes to get out of the station code 3 on a day shift, not so good. But i understand, bin there done that. Sometimes one guy just gets held up. This Department i can say is second to none!

[MrJakemoffitt]

hey fast response time.................. not

[E064]

hey this is my neck of the woods

[Rosquis12]

tranquis muchachos no pasa nada nos e ajiten

[tgstout]

That looks like downtown, getting dispatched to Rainier and Othello???? Thats a long ways to go.

[yoyoimhome]

that was a different dispatch. engine 28 was responding to Rainier and Othello. Engine 2 was responding to 2219 4th Ave

[TJE4210]

@Toronto324 , ?

[theshugchannel]

@Toronto324 what?

[WalesMe333]

dosnt matter if its slow u dont wanna rush bad things can happen when you rush id rather get there late then not at all great vid keep it up! stay safe out there everyone

[leavemealone300435]

my dad live like 2 blocks from there

[VanWADebbie]

My condolences!

[zachmeaux34]

that was to slow of a response

[leavemealone300435]

it was just an aid response plus at 1:25 you can hear other engines

[yoyoimhome]

the call was 2 blocks away...

[yoyoimhome]

the call was 2 blocks away! give them a break...

[VanWADebbie]

Are they going the wrong way? Just look at the cars parked and in the driving lanes.

I just don`t understand why the driver took so long to get in the engine and start it up.

[ColinFWheeler]

Hi and thanks for the question.  Yes, the SFD is allowed to go the wrong way for a block or two when leaving this station.

[VanWADebbie]

Thanks for reply. It`s kinda hard to believe this is allowed. I thought it was my need for eye glasses.

Is this station near King Street station?

[h0ktar]

@ColinFWheeler

??What? Don't american emergency vehicles have ALL rights when using lights and siren?

Here in Austria, as soon as we activate the light we are "excluded" from traffic regulations, meaning we can do pretty much ANYTHING as long as we drive carefull

[pumperman26]

@VanWADebbie You are a fucking dumbass. This is the busiest engine in Seattle, and they are going on a BLS run. And yes, God forbid, they are going the wrong way up a one-way street. Quit commenting and get a fucking life.

[VanWADebbie]

@pumperman26 Why are you insulting me? I only visit Seattle to go to Mariner games or have an urge to ride the monorail. I`ve only seen the station when I go shopping. I was not aware that the SFD could go against the "grain".

Where I come from the EMS people are leaving the fire house asap. If something is delaying the dispatched engine, another piece of equipment in the area will take it.

My comments were months ago and I do have a life at least without YOU!.

[pumperman26]

@VanWADebbie Maybe the engineer was on the can, or just got done taking a shower after working out, and was a little slow getting to the rig. You ever work in the fire service, Van WADebbie? Don't sound like it. You sure ask a lot of dumb questions.

[VanWADebbie]

Clark County, WA has what is called "Pre-alert where the fire dept. gets tones for rescue and address while the 911 call is taken. Another tone goes out for the same call to the rigs for the information about the patient.

I`ve seen volunteer FDs respond faster than the Seattle fire dept.

[dduron]

you guys know what would be cool?

A techno song make from the sounds of every departments' tones.

Wish I knew how to make techno music.

[agentz100]

they are a slow fd

[yoyoimhome]

yes, the driver was delaying getting on the rig. the silence was funny.

[FLASCHE9]

they are chilled xD

[ZXROMEO]

I know this probably differs from city to city but how long is the response time suppose to be? Don't know what an "aid response" it but it does seem like it took a while for them to get moving.

[yoyoimhome]

An Aid Response is not usually a victim that's in very bad condition, plus they didn't need to respond that fast because the call was like a block away.

[dduron]

oh each dept. has their own. Ours is tone to truck = 45 for the day time and 90 secs for the night time.

[bayisdaman13]

wow the fucking response time is very long, the person might as well be dead, medics respond faster!

[yoyoimhome]

The medics were responding to another call that had been dispatched 5 minutes earlier. The engine really didn't need to respond to quickly. The call was just 2 blocks away and wasn't a medic response.

[thorny82much]

great vid!! badass truck!

[911caddy]

The Q grill you see on the Officers side of this Engine is the same used with both the eQ2b and regular Q2b electro-mechanical siren. The eQ grill comes with an adaptor that mounts to the front bumper of the appaartus. It has two 100 siren speakers behind it.

Notice from the side the eQ grill is much thinner than a typical Q2b siren front.

I have seen a hand full of apparatus with two Q2b sirens and like you mentioned a Q2b and an eQ2b siren. It does happen.

[911caddy]

Hit the wrong button. This is a reply to Larry238's query.

[CDPDPatrolUnit]

I don't know why do they have both a Q2b and an EQ2b. Usually the reason why some trucks have EQ2b is because of some reason they don't have a Q2b but wanted to have something sound like a Q2b.

[911caddy]

I saw this apparatus last year that had the eQ2b 200 watt speaker set up with the federal Q grill.. It was hooked up to a Federal electronic siren box. Not the eQ2b. weird.

But, it did have a Q2b as well.

[powerhourcoug]

You seriously need to get laid...

[911caddy]

Nice apparatus! The Medic Unit looks great too!

Nice to see these guys using the eQ as it should be used!! Siren brake tone as well. Well done!!

[113524]

what is an amr?

[ColinFWheeler]

AMR (American Medical Response) is a nationwide ambulance company. They have the contract in Seattle to provide transports on Basic Life Support calls. Fire companies on the scene can call the AMR dispatcher directly and ask for a "unit" or an "AMB" to be sent to their location.

[yoyoimhome]

I've heard that there are ALS amr ambulances in seattle now.

[ColinFWheeler]

Interesting ... thanks for the info. Do they now go on the initial medic responses along w/ the SFD?

[yoyoimhome]

Yes, I believe they just started now. Now they will hopefully go to medic response calls where the victims are still in ALS condition, but need transport. Heard from a firefighter who is the captain of E16.

[yoyoimhome]

I've also heard that since AMR is changing to ALS units the SFD might not have 7 per rule.

[sirhcdeer]

@yoyoimhome No, not true. AMR only does only BLS transports--that's it.

[Declethor]

@ColinFWheeler Interesting, AMR is here in Las Vegas where we have four fire departments. County, City, North City, and Henderson. We also have AMR, which has ALS and all our rescues are ALS but the Engines are always ILS. County is only allowed a certain amount of transports a year, so AMR always transports unless its severely life threatening.

[cityoflegburgh136E]

??ok i dont understand why the engine went one way and the paramedics went the other??

[ColinFWheeler]

Hi and thanks. The Medic unit seen driving by (Medic 1) is enroute to another incident north of the station. The Aid unit in the station (Aid 2) was dispatched to that call about 4 minutes before E2 got this run (A2 and M1 both went on that call). See my video titled Seattle Fire Department Aid 2 Medic Response for that dispatch. E2's run is to about 2 blocks south of the station. ~4 minutes after the E2 call, L4 got a run. This emptied the station except for Safety 2.

[yoyoimhome]

What was the black and yellow jacket that one of the FF's put on? Is that a poor weather jacket?

[ColinFWheeler]

The one that the capt. or Lt. put on is, I believe, a standard fire fighter jacket. It's heavy duty like that for protection in burning buildings.

[yoyoimhome]

Yeah the one that the captain put on.

[vlaup]

yes colin that was a standard coat that all firefighters use in american, much heaver than our euro friends coats

[medmark]

what was up that that super slow turnout time? Were they waiting for someone else to get on the rig that whole time?

[ColinFWheeler]

Yes, the driver was delayed in getting to the rig.

[pumperman26]

Their response time wasn't that slow, and what if a crew member was caught on the toilet or in the shower after working out? Give these guys a break.

[evfire23]

Does SFD run traditional helmets?

[ColinFWheeler]

Hi. I think they're traditional helmets, but I'll defer to a SFD employee for more detail.

[yoyoimhome]

Does a dispatcher always tell what the emergency is like "Restroom, Elderly Female, Fall, Head Injury" or "55 Year Old Female Leg Pains"?

[ColinFWheeler]

Yes, the protocol is that after the responding company (ies) enter "Responding" on their MDT, a live dispatcher states the address. The first due company then does a read-back of the address, other companies say "OK" and then dispatch gives more info on the nature of the call. Some departments give all info during the initial dispatch, but the SFD way allows the crews to focus on getting to the rig first. Once they're on the street they can focus on the details of the call.

[FireBuff51]

I know that the L.A. City Fire Department uses digital voice dispatching at the stations, but also does a regular human voice dispatch over the dispatch frequencies.

FDNY also uses digital voice dispatching. I personally prefer the human touch, but that's just me.

[ColinFWheeler]

I like real person dispatch too, although Locution does have its advantages. In the SFD, the initial dispatch is made w/ Locution ... once the company hits "responding" on its MDT, a real dispatcher reads the address, the responding companies read back the address, and then dispatch gives additional info about the nature of the call.

[macantr]

We just got the Locution system for Indianapolis Fire and the other Marion County departments. Mixed feelings on it, but definitely nice to have a uniformly clear dispatch.

[FireBuff51]

"The Seattle FD use of the distinction between Aid units for BLS care and Medic units for ALS care is relatively rare."

Unless I've misunderstood you, it's not that rare. LAFD runs both ALS and BLS rescues as well as Long Beach (CA.) FD and the FDNY.

Cool video by the way. Do they do a digital dispatch over the air and at the station?

[ColinFWheeler]

OK, thanks ... I stand corrected.  Of the departments that I follow (Portland F&R, Dallas F&R, Seattle FD, Minneapolis FD, St. Paul FD, and St. Louis FD), only the SFD uses one type of Rescue for BLS calls, and another for ALS calls. Interesting that the departments that you mention do it to. Yes, the digital dispatch (Locution Systems) comes out over the station loud-speaker, but for some reason it's ~1 second ahead of the radio transmission.

[POOH875]

wow nice leds on the truck is tha a eq2b siren i thought i saw a real q on the front bumper nice video 5*****s

[ColinFWheeler]

Thanks a lot. I don't know the answer to the siren question ... perhaps a SFD employee can answer?

[yoyoimhome]

Is that a medic unit responding in the street to another call?

[ColinFWheeler]

Yes, that's M1 responding from Harborview to the call that A2 was dispatched to a few minutes before ... see my vid of A2 being dispatched on a Medic Response w/ M1.

[yoyoimhome]

oh, that's right.

[trailthumper]

I wonder why SFD uses an ambulance as an aid unit instead of buying a "squad" type vehicle like LA county? Do guys rotate to the aid units or is it a bid or jr. guy position? Does SFD have driver/engineers or do ff's rotate to that position as well?

[ColinFWheeler]

Hi and thanks for the great questions. I'll let SFD employees answer these. I suspect that the answer to your 1st question is that having a "box" on the Aid units allows transport to be made if AMR has no units available, or during a mass casualty incident, but I'm just speculating. Cobb County ,GA also has non-transporting 2 man squads like L.A. County has.

[trailthumper]

So I guess my question is, why does the dept. have aid units if they don't transport? Thanks for the posts, keep em coming!

[ColinFWheeler]

Thanks for the good question. I think the answer is that if the Aid units didn't exist, there would need to be a second Engine at Stns 2, 25 and 10, given the call volumes of the Aids in these stations. A14's call volume is not as high as the other 3, so perhaps L7 could handle the runs of both A14 and L7. The benefit of using a small vehicle for EMS calls (versus an Engine) is that their operating costs are lower and they can more easily navigate the downtown streets than the bigger rigs.

[trailthumper]

How come the SFD Aid unit does not transport BLS patients?

[ColinFWheeler]

Hi. Good question. I think it's because the depart. has a contract w/ AMR to provide BLS transport. I think it has to do w/ not having the public sector take work away from the private sector. Also, if Aid units provided transport, although this would bring in revenue for the dept., it would delay their being able to return to service. More full time Aids would probably be needed, given how busy the 4 Aids currently are. Perhaps a SFD employee can comment further.

[yoyoimhome]

Which departments have Medic units?

[ColinFWheeler]

Hi. There's a pretty wide spectrum here. Some departments (e.g. Atlanta and Minneapolis FDs) don't have any, or they contract out all EMS service to companies like AMR. Engines and Trucks still respond as first responders. In many departments Medics are called Rescues (e.g., Dallas FD and Portland F&R,)... (cont.)

[ColinFWheeler]

(cont.). The Seattle FD use of the distinction between Aid units for BLS care and Medic units for ALS care is relatively rare. In some departments, Medic / Rescue units are staffed with BLS (not ALS) trained EMTs. There's no fixed standard. In the Seattle FD, BLS transport is contracted out to AMR. AMR is not initially dispatched on Aid and Medic calls ... they are requested by fire companies if transport is needed. This contrasts with the Portland F&R system in which ... (cont.)

[yoyoimhome]

Do medic one or Fire Department Units Transport people to the hospital?

[ColinFWheeler]

In the Seattle FD, the Medic units transport if the patient needs to get to the hospital quickly. For non critical BLS care, AMR will do the transport even though a SFD Aid unit may be on the scene.

[ColinFWheeler]

(cont.)...AMR "Medics" are dispatched at the same time, and on the same channel, that fire companies are.

[yoyoimhome]

Wow! Thanks for the response!

[mattysmama]

love it, they should get silver rims

[yoyoimhome]

Keep on making great videos like this! Really enjoy them.

[ColinFWheeler]

Thanks a lot. I'm glad you like them.