Truck Assignments by Type

Joined
Aug 7, 2012
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61
How does FDNY decide which type of rig (i.e. RM, TDA, TL) to assign to various truck companies?
 
Tillers are assigned to areas where there are narrow streets with tight corners that would be very difficult to negotiate with a standard aerial ladder, like Chinatown in Manhattan and older areas of Brooklyn. But because tillers are so expensive to purchase and maintain, and the city just cannot find any money for the FDNY, they are growing more and more rare. I'm not sure how Tower Ladders are distributed. My guess would be that they're placed wherever an area needs one, assuming a Tower Ladder would fit in the firehouse and in the streets around its area.
 
Basically comes down to location, tillers these days are only issued to company's who absolutely need them do to the areas they service being extremely tight, as far as tower ladders I think they try and have x-amount in each battalion / division. One factor is if the house is capable of housing the heavier rig or in the case of the areas with taller buildings if the house is long /strong enough to house a 95 footer and maneuver the first due area.  I forget exactly how many 75's and 95's is average for a battalion /division, it doesn't work perfectly as on a 10-75 you may sometimes end up with all rearmounts and on some rare occasions all tower ladders as its not a perfect science and all battalions aren't the same. I also don't think there are many if any?? 95 towers on Staten Island. Rear mounts are obviously the standard. I believe when fdny started buying towers to replace rearmounts and tillers they were given to company's that would cover the largest area and have the most impact. Remember the first purchase was for only two tower ladders. And then subsequent  orders were larger and scattered about the boro's. anyone have anything to add
 
Just because I have nothing else to do at midnight here's some of the specific data...Division1 has 4 75ft TL's and 2 95ft TL's...Division3 has 4 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...Division6 has 4 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...Division7 has 6 75ft TL's and 2 95ft TL's...Division8 has 10 75ft TL's(4 in BK and 6 in SI) and 2 95ft TL's(both in BK)...Division11 has 4 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...Division13 has 5 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...D14 has 6 75ft TL's and 3 95ft TL's...Division15 has 5 75ft TL's and NO 95ft TL's. I also have the Tiller and Rearmount data if anyone is interested in it but this message is long enough as it is haha
 
  One of the reasons L34 & L40 have tillers because the motorists in their areas double and triple park. In 1981 Ladders:  26, 27*, 28, 59*, 108, 110, 130, 151, & 173 still had tillers with some getting new 1978,'79, '80 tillers replacing rearmounts (*).
 
G-man, what tiller rig was 130 using in 1981? They had a '55 FWD but I'm sure that was long gone by '81.
 
I believe 130's last tiller was a 1969 ALF it could have been AL6905.
 
FDNY793727 said:
Just because I have nothing else to do at midnight here's some of the specific data...Division1 has 4 75ft TL's and 2 95ft TL's...Division3 has 4 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...Division6 has 4 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...Division7 has 6 75ft TL's and 2 95ft TL's...Division8 has 10 75ft TL's(4 in BK and 6 in SI) and 2 95ft TL's(both in BK)...Division11 has 4 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...Division13 has 5 75ft TL's and 1 95ft TL...D14 has 6 75ft TL's and 3 95ft TL's...Division15 has 5 75ft TL's and NO 95ft TL's. I also have the Tiller and Rearmount data if anyone is interested in it but this message is long enough as it is haha
div 8 has 2 75' TL's in brooklyn (114,149) and 2 95' TLs (161,172)
the 15th division has 6 75' TLs (111,120,153,157,159,170) and does indeed have a 95' TL, 107
 
Back in the 1960's, tillers were probably the most common ladder co. rigs.
The oldest one I personally can remember seeing as a kid was L125's '56 ALF tiller.
I think it shared the apparatus floor with E315's '54 WLF rig.
Living in Central NJ, it's hard to find a TDA anywhere.
Thanks for your answers!
 
memory master said:
G-man, what tiller rig was 130 using in 1981? They had a '55 FWD but I'm sure that was long gone by '81.
According to Fire Bell Club Newsletter of Sept. 1982: L-130 was then running with a 1978 Seagrave TDA.
 
div 8 has 2 75' TL's in brooklyn (114,149) and 2 95' TLs (161,172)
the 15th division has 6 75' TLs (111,120,153,157,159,170) and does indeed have a 95' TL, 107
[/quote]
Wow you're right. My book says otherwise but my father's unit location chart shows that you're right. I have to admit, at first I didn't believe I was wrong haha. I've made a note of it thanks for letting me know.
 
guitarman314 said:
memory master said:
G-man, what tiller rig was 130 using in 1981? They had a '55 FWD but I'm sure that was long gone by '81.
According to Fire Bell Club Newsletter of Sept. 1982: L-130 was then running with a 1978 Seagrave TDA.

Thank you kindly.
 
FDNY793727 said:
div 8 has 2 75' TL's in brooklyn (114,149) and 2 95' TLs (161,172)
the 15th division has 6 75' TLs (111,120,153,157,159,170) and does indeed have a 95' TL, 107
Wow you're right. My book says otherwise but my father's unit location chart shows that you're right. I have to admit, at first I didn't believe I was wrong haha. I've made a note of it thanks for letting me know.
[/quote]

No prob.
 
Hey Grumpy Evanston has 2 TDA's and their both Pierces. So the Chicago area has three TDA's. Niles Illinois used to run a TDA until a few years ago but they had problems and they had replaced it with a hand me down rear mounted Pierce Ladder from some town in Ohio. The Niles TDA did have a tandem (double rear axle for the tractor however which made it very a unique rig. There was a similar such rig in Eugene Oregon I believe.
grumpy grizzly said:
In the Chicago area we have 2 TDA's to my knowledge. One is in Evanston, one in Cicero
 
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