Limited accesses highway

[chicago2008]

Good afternoon, what is the response for FDNY regarding highways and incidents on limited accesses highways? For fires does one engine stay off the highway to tag a hydrant? Thanks and Happy Labor day weekend

 

[Signal73]

I'm not 100% sure about limited accesses highways. Maybe certain areas around the boroughs are tight.

But years ago they had Highway Units. They were at L159 & L170 are used for responses on the Belt Parkway. They carried a compliment of truck tools and were used to access stretches of the Belt where weight requirements on the bridges did not permit a regular ladder apparatus.

 

[Atlas]

The normal response is one engine & one truck in each direction. That will provide a 2&2 response with a Battalion Chief as the I/C.
Now ever, there are locations through out the city where that policy is modified to meet the situation. The standard FDNY engine carries 500 gallons of water in their booster tanks. If the hwy had a dry standpipe an engine can be assigned to supply it. If needed one can be assigned at each end. This is done for certain bridges and tunnels.

Due to construction projects & weight restrictions on roadways on Manhattan east side, & the Belt Pkwy in Brooklyn local ladder companies were not permitted on the roadway with their regular assigned rigs so they were provided with an utility truck as a second piece that carried some of the truck co tools and portable extinguishers.

I believe that both highway projects have been completed.

 

[Skyler Fire]

Also note they use marine units to supply for FDR / West Side Hwy where no hydrants or pressure.

 

[Atlas]

FDNY Marine Companies are assigned to certain bridges & tunnel boxes where there are connections at the base of the span for them to supplement the water system. They was a case concerning a vehicle fire on the East River Drive where Marine 6 was able to use their nozzles to extinguish the fire since units at the scene ran out of water. Normally an additional engine co would be special called to a street location to provided a positive water source to the engine on the hwy. I have already seen them use an extended TL as a waterway to get water to an elevated highway location.

 

[GeoC]

The normal response is one engine & one truck in each direction. That will provide a 2&2 response with a Battalion Chief as the I/C.
Now ever, there are locations through out the city where that policy is modified to meet the situation. The standard FDNY engine carries 500 gallons of water in their booster tanks. If the hwy had a dry standpipe an engine can be assigned to supply it. If needed one can be assigned at each end. This is done for certain bridges and tunnels.

Due to construction projects & weight restrictions on roadways on Manhattan east side, & the Belt Pkwy in Brooklyn local ladder companies were not permitted on the roadway with their regular assigned rigs so they were provided with an utility truck as a second piece that carried some of the truck co tools and portable extinguishers.

I believe that both highway projects have been completed.

Man dies in fall through gap on Newburgh-Beacon Bridge after car breaks down

By WABC Staff Click here for updates on this story BEACON, Orange County (WABC) — A man trying to get to a safer location after his car broke down on an Orange County bridge fell to his death through a gap in the roadway Tuesday night. New York State Police say the victim, 29-year-old Paul

abc17news.com

Does this sound familiar to Ff. StevenPollard LODD L170, that’s another reason to have units respond from both directions.

 

[FDNYSTATENISLAND]

Man dies in fall through gap on Newburgh-Beacon Bridge after car breaks down

By WABC Staff Click here for updates on this story BEACON, Orange County (WABC) — A man trying to get to a safer location after his car broke down on an Orange County bridge fell to his death through a gap in the roadway Tuesday night. New York State Police say the victim, 29-year-old Paul

abc17news.com

Does this sound familiar to Ff. StevenPollard LODD L170, that’s another reason to have units respond from both directions.

And I believe the newly announced over the air to responding units: “be aware of the open gap that exists between the roadway” over bridges. Think I started hearing it on highway accident boxes after That LODD.

 

[RCL]

FDNY Marine Companies are assigned to certain bridges & tunnel boxes where there are connections at the base of the span for them to supplement the water system. They was a case concerning a vehicle fire on the East River Drive where Marine 6 was able to use their nozzles to extinguish the fire since units at the scene ran out of water. Normally an additional engine co would be special called to a street location to provided a positive water source to the engine on the hwy. I have already seen them use an extended TL as a waterway to get water to an elevated highway location.

My friend that used to work in 146, told me that a lot of times for vehicles accidents, they would travel below the elevated road and look for stopped traffic, then use the bucket to go onto the elevated road. They did that for a lot of extrications. This was back in the 90s though.

 

[GeoC]

My friend that used to work in 146, told me that a lot of times for vehicles accidents, they would travel below the elevated road and look for stopped traffic, then use the bucket to go onto the elevated road. They did that for a lot of extrications. This was back in the 90s though.

We did that along the Gowanus when I was in L131 back in the day. Than they changed some of the response to L101 from the Bklyn Battery Tunnel. Didn’t make sense to me as the Highway would be backed up do to the accident. Many times we weren’t even sent on the box.
We would stop put the bucket up (without outriggers) check for location and than announce location. When we were under location we would set up move members, equipment, line if necessary. Quick and efficient.

 

[FDNYSTATENISLAND]

Sounds efficient and thinking out of the box. Love it. Speaking of HWY boxes, always interested me when you see 2 sets of companies coming from opposite directions…most of the time it’s companies that would never run in with eachother due to distance yet on HWY depending on exits where they enter it may be the case. Examples: 241/109 and 202/101 on BQE. Also saw 259/128/45 on the same BQE box as 211/119. Especially when bad location is given, both companies traveling in their direction searching. I recently saw E166/TL86 on the Staten Island EXPWY searching for MVA and the members in back were actively out window searching for any car. First one to spot it I guess.

speaking of SIE (I-278), frequent MVAs. 8xxx box series and companies such as 166/86, SQ8, 163/83 and E160 can usually count on visiting the highway at least once or twice a tour.

 

[OMalley]

We did that along the Gowanus when I was in L131 back in the day. Than they changed some of the response to L101 from the Bklyn Battery Tunnel. Didn’t make sense to me as the Highway would be backed up do to the accident. Many times we weren’t even sent on the box.
We would stop put the bucket up (without outriggers) check for location and than announce location. When we were under location we would set up move members, equipment, line if necessary. Quick and efficient.

Why exactly without outriggers?

 

[RCL]

Why exactly without outriggers?

Quick sneak peak. Drop the corner jacks, raise the bucket straight up from the bed, see nothing, come down and move on. Takes an extra minute or so, plus space out of the equation. Especially if you have to move. If you dont have to move, you still have to come down and get every one and everything else, so while everyone is getting ready to go up, drop the out riggers or respot the rig to do that.

 

[FDNYSTATENISLAND]

Would this still be done today? Haven’t seen it. Wonder if over the years the rules have changed.

 

[RCL]

Sounds efficient and thinking out of the box. Love it. Speaking of HWY boxes, always interested me when you see 2 sets of companies coming from opposite directions…most of the time it’s companies that would never run in with eachother due to distance yet on HWY depending on exits where they enter it may be the case. Examples: 241/109 and 202/101 on BQE. Also saw 259/128/45 on the same BQE box as 211/119. Especially when bad location is given, both companies traveling in their direction searching. I recently saw E166/TL86 on the Staten Island EXPWY searching for MVA and the members in back were actively out window searching for any car. First one to spot it I guess.

speaking of SIE (I-278), frequent MVAs. 8xxx box series and companies such as 166/86, SQ8, 163/83 and E160 can usually count on visiting the highway at least once or twice a tour.

When I was with West Hamilton, we would see 302 and 155 on 8404 which was the Belt/XBay box.If we saw them any other time, something big was going on. I forget who wed see going towards Bklyn. and Pennsylvania. The big problem we had and probably still is, that the Belt, Nassau and Conduit were always getting confused, on the Queens side. It wasnt out of the question to spend 30 minutes or more looking for a accident, that theyd get multiple calls on. All with a different location. Wed go from 3rd or 5th due to first due, by pure luck.

 

[3511]

Back before the new response system, Bronx River Pkwy, South of Fordham Rd, 88/38 go south, 96/54 came north, companies that usually don't respond together. (90/41 covered incidents north of Fordham Rd back then but I believe they now go south as well.)