Day 6- March 18, 2009

I slept in a little later this morning and met my nephew’s family at their motel after breakfast. The entire family was out by the pool taking it easy. Keith’s Augsburg baseball team had a double-header way out someplace south of Chandler starting at 1300 hours. Keith’s family wasn’t sure if they’d be going down for the games as it was quite a ways out and there was no shelter from the sun. With the weather to be in the upper 80s this afternoon, it could be miserable watching the game. I told them to call me and let me know their plans.

I left them around 0930 hours to visit some Mesa stations. My first stop was the closest station to where we are staying. MFD Station 205 where Engine 205 and Engine 2205 are quartered. Engine 2205 was out on a run. I waited for them to return. Just as they were about to pull up out in back of the station, Engine 205 got a run. I was too slow getting around to the front of the station to get a shot before they took off. They had parked Engine 2205’s brand new Quantum just perfect for photos out back for me. I got a few nice shots of it.

I headed to Mesa Station 210, which I found was totally empty. I headed to Station 202, home of Engine 202 (another new Quantum), Utility 202, Air-Light 202 and the new RTV 202 (using a station wagon right now), which was out on a run. Two very nice firefighters there pulled the engine out for photos and said they’d pull the other rigs out also if I wanted (I had shot them both two years ago). Mesa has two TRV’s (Tactical Response Vehicles) operating at this time. They run with a crew of two and their primary purpose is to take BLS runs to free up the paramedics on the engine companies. The other RTV is at Station 209.

I misunderstood the Mesa FD shop foreman yesterday in regards to this. Mesa is not planning on transporting or going into the medic business at this time. There are no longer any Ladder Tenders at fire stations. They are all in reserve or being used by the TRV’s. They plan to order a couple of brand new TRV units, similar to the Ladder Tenders, but without pumps. Mesa has also moved some apparatus around. Engine 218 is now running out of Engine 203’s quarters. Engine 2201 is now assigned to Station 217 and will eventually become Engine 219 when a new station is built near Signal Butte and Elliot. Both Station 219 and Station 218 near 8th & Alma School Road are on hold right now, due to budget problems. There are also plans for a new Station 215 (near Williams Field) and a badly needed new Station 3 (the oldest and mist cramped of current Mesa stations.

They have also moved the Air-Light from Station 208 to Station 202. Two 2005 Pierce Quantum Heavy Rescue Squads are at Stations 204 and 206, but are cross-manned by the ladder trucks at those stations. These are primarily used for confined space rescue. I headed up past Station 203, but it is so cramped with a short ramp that is impossible to get photos there. I kept heading west along University headed into Tempe.

I stopped at their training tower and caught shots of new Engine 276 (2008 Spartan/GS-Rosenbauer), Salt River Ladder 293 and Tempe SS-274 (Scene Support). They were training under live smoke conditions in the tower and were laying lines off Engine 276 (hence the poor photo). I drove down near Tempe Station 276, but conditions for photos there are near impossible too. I drove along the new Light Rail Line that now runs from Phoenix through Tempe and just into Mesa. The new LRTcars look nice, but the system seems to operate much too slow to be of any advantage over the buses that were passing the LRT by. Yesterday they had a car pull in front of and get hit by an LRT just north of downtown Phoenix.

I stopped at Tempe Station 271, which has two new pieces of apparatus. Engine 278 just went in service there in the past month and they also have a new Heavy Rescue 278 that will be cross-staffed by Engine 278’s crew. The engine is currently running with a 1990s vintage Spartan/Saulsbury pumper, but one of the three new Spartan/GS-Rosenbauers pumpers will be assigned to them. I couldn’t get them to pull out the new Squad as it isn’t totally equipped or even in service yet. The crews have been training on it only.

I headed back into Mesa and drove by Station 201. It looked empty, except for some specialized rigs. I headed to Mesa Station 206 to see the ladder truck that was assigned there now. I was greeted at the door by the youngest looking firefighter I’ve ever seen on the job. He was a very nice kid, but he looked to be 16 years old. He explained that the ladder truck was in for maintenance and Ladder 206 was using a reserve Quantum pumper temporarily. Engine 206 had gone out on a run just before I arrived and never returned while I was there. I got shots of HazMat 206 parked outside and an indoor shot of Squad 206.

I drove by Station 208 and then realized that I had taken a shot of their pumper at the shop just yesterday. I headed back towards the motel after that. The sun was really bright and I was getting a little tired. I had a lot to do yet at the motel. I wanted to get this report done early as we may all be going out to dinner after the Augsburg Baseball games. I also have to get the car re-packed tonight so that I can get out of here quickly tomorrow morning before rush hour.