100' Ferrara Rear Mount Aerials

[Bulldog]

I still think it's very strange they keep adding to this order yet not the first one of these trucks has seen service!  You would think they would at least want a few of them to prove themselves before ordering that many more.

 

[mac8146]

At least one unit L-81 has entered service. Not sure if any others have yet, have not heard reasons for delays, many units have been called to Rock and trained on the apparatus. Also hearing the Rescues have many problems mostly with lack of power can anyone confirm.

 

[fdnycand89]

i had heard that all the rigs had the wrong types of radios installed and they had to be replaced and that the city wanted to put all the rigs in service around the same time

 

[Bulldog]

i had heard that all the rigs had the wrong types of radios installed..... 

That's kind of a major FU!  Was the installation done by Ferrara, the shops or a different vendor?

 

[JohnnyBopp]

i had heard that all the rigs had the wrong types of radios installed and they had to be replaced and that the city wanted to put all the rigs in service around the same time

This is not correct.  Some minor radio issues (which were installed by Ferrara) were part of the list of items needing to be addressed prior to being placed in service.  As is typical with any apparatus order, there are many things to be tweaked and all will happen in due time.

 

[10-3thebox]

Any pics of either R-5 or L-81 now that they're reportedly in service? 

 

[baileyjeff]

I saw bo?h Rescue 5 and Ladder 81 yesterday and they were both not in their new rig.

 

[guitarman314]

Rescue 5 started using the new Ferrara rig yesterday (9/13) but the old E-One rig was still in the lot across the street from the firehouse.

 

[jerm169]

Rescue 5 was just taking some of the brackets and other things they had installed off of the old rig.  The new rig was in quarters and in service.  My company has gone for training on the new ladder but we have no idea when we will get it.

 

[FDNYBuff97]

I heard that the Captain of Rescue 1 doesn't want the new rig

 

[Bulldog]

I heard that the Captain of Rescue 1 doesn't want the new rig

Would you want to trade in the Pierce for a Ferrara?  From what I've heard they really like the Pierce!

 

[guitarman314]

Saturday, Sept. 17th and both L81 & R5 are running with spares. On Friday R5's Ferrara was OOS so they had an E-One spare in their bay while their old E-One was outside parked in the lot. Today they were running with their old (ex-R5) E-One.

 

[Bulldog]

Saturday, Sept. 17th and both L81 & R5 are running with spares. On Friday R5's Ferrara was OOS so they had an E-One spare in their bay while their old E-One was outside parked in the lot. Today they were running with their old (ex-R5) E-One.

Any idea what the problems with the new rigs are?

 

[116ff60]

I really think that the F.D.N.Y is going to be sorry it chose ferrara for its rear mounts, rescues and haz-mat. instead of seagrave and pierce.

 

[116ff60]

The city of Pittsburgh purchased 4 Ferrara rear mount ladders in 2000 and had nothing but problems with them. These trucks were replaced with pierce rear mounts. The ferraras Pittsburgh used were sold for scrap and not even used as spares when replaced. Real junk

 

[JohnnyBopp]

The city of Pittsburgh purchased 4 Ferrara rear mount ladders in 2000 and had nothing but problems with them. These trucks were replaced with pierce rear mounts. The ferraras Pittsburgh used were sold for scrap and not even used as spares when replaced. Real junk

This is meaningless.  We're talking about a brand new cab/chassis that was designed specifically to meet FDNY spec.  This means that nothing comparable has been built.  No conclusion can be drawn until they've seen a couple of years of service.  I work in a seagrave.  It's a piece of junk.  Rides terribly and it's rusting at every single seem and rivet.

I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but the simple fact is:  WHO BUILDS THE RIG DOESN'T MATTER.  It's about spec and materials.

 

[grumpy grizzly]

I remember when Boston switched over to E-One RM. I was visiting in Boston when the first rigs were one-two years in service. They were having a problem with brakes, they were not lasting. They asked me how Chicago was doing with their rigs and brake problems. Problem was the rigs in Boston were assigned to companies in the hilly sections while Chicago is pretty flat. Modifications were made to Boston  rigs which is now almost all E-One.

 

[londonfireguy]

Lets not forget LT Kevin kelley, Boston Fire Department Ladder 26, who made the ultimate sacrifice, January 9th, 2009, after a brake failure on the ladder truck he was riding on that day, failed, resulting in the rig out of control down a hill into a building.

JT

 

[downtownmedic]

Really don't think it's right to mention a LODD death from another city in a thread discussing the pro's and con's of Ferarra RM's in FDNY.  Especially since that LODD was traced back to improper vehicle maintenance and inspection which resulted in a top to bottom overhaul of how Boston services and inspects their rigs.  Yes, that truck was an E-One, but who built the 15 year old truck is irrelevant.

 

[grumpy grizzly]

A few points need to be made. The initial E-One was assigned to Ladder 17 housed with E7 and E26. Rig went everywhere during their evaluation. The rig in question when I visited was L16, housed with E45 and 53 in the West Roxbury section which is kinda hilly. After modifications were made there were no problems to the best of my knowledge. The rig of Ladder 26 which crashed and resulted in the death was repaired by a civilian contractor who used the wrong parts in April of 2008. After this incident Ladder 14 was also found to have improper brakes, and Ladder 15 suffered a brake malfunction on their way to the shops. One more thing, in 1971 the Civil Service Commission ruled that apparatus maintenance was not the responsibility of the department and ordered private mechanics to be hired for the job. A sound decision. But thanx to Kevin ASSOLE White who angered the citizens with his increased tax increases Prop 2 1/2 passed resulting in massive layoffs. Guess who got the ax, right the mechanics. So it was not cut and dry as some posts have indicated.