Real Wheels - Truck adventures - There goes a fire truck - Part 2

ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS JOBS BEING A FIREFIGHTER IS TO WORK ON THE BOMB SQUAD. THIS IS THE VEHICLE THAT PULLS THE TRAILER THAT HAS THE CONTAINER THAT HOLDS THE BOMB. NOW, THIS IS WHERE THEY PUT THE BOMB IF THEY THINK IT MIGHT EXPLODE. THIS CONTAINER IS VERY, VERY THICK, AS YOU CAN SEE, AND IT'S SHAPED IN A "V" FORM SO THAT IF THE BOMB DOES EXPLODE, IT EXPLODES UP INTO THE AIR AND NOT OUT TO THE SIDES, WHERE IT CAN HURT PEOPLE OR VEHICLES. THE CLOTHING THAT THE BOMB SQUAD WEARS IS REALLY INTERESTING. WHAT DO YOU SAY WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT NOW? THIS IS WHAT WE CALL A SELF-CONTAINMENT SUIT OR A BOMB SUIT. WHEN THE BOMB TECHNICIAN GOES UP TO WORK ON A SUSPECTED BOMB, HE HAS TO HAVE THIS SUIT ON. AND AS YOU CAN SEE DOWN HERE OVER HIS BOOTS, HE HAS THIS PART OF THE SUIT TO PROTECT HIS FEET. THIS IS REAL HARD THIS PROTECTS HIS LEGS, COMES ON UP, AND THEY'RE KIND OF LIKE COVERALLS. THIS PROTECTS HIS BODY IN CASE THE BOMB NOW, HE WEARS THE JACKET THAT GOES OVER THIS, AND WHAT WE'LL DO NOW, WE'LL PUT THE JACKET ON. NOW, THIS IS VERY, VERY HEAVY. OK, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT FULLY PROTECTS HIM WHEN HE HAS THIS ON. YOU STEP RIGHT UNDER HERE. GO AHEAD AND PUT THE HELMET ON. OK, AND HE'S ALL SET TO GO WORK ON A DEVICE. HE'S FULLY PROTECTED IN CASE ANYTHING HAPPENS. KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A SPACE MAN. Dave: FIREBOATS ARE ALSO USED IN FIGHTING SOME FIRES. THEY COME IN ALL SIZES AND SHAPES. THE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT YOU SEE BEHIND ME IS A FIRE TRUCK. ITS PRIMARY FUNCTION IS TO TRANSPORT MEN AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT TO THE FIRE SCENE. IT CARRIES NO WATER, IT CARRIES NO HOSE. ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT ON IT IS USED PRIMARILY FOR FORCIBLE ENTRY, AND FOR SALVAGE AND FOR OVERHAUL OPERATIONS. NOW WE'LL STEP A LITTLE CLOSER, TAKE A LITTLE CLOSER LOOK. WE'LL START OFF BY TAKING A LOOK AT THE CAB. THIS IS WHERE THE CAPTAIN AND THE ENGINEER RIDE IN THE FIRE APPARATUS. THE ENGINEER IS AND OPERATES THE UNIT. THE CAPTAIN, OF COURSE, IS IN CHARGE OF THE CREW. ON THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, WE HAVE 4 MEN--CAPTAIN, AN ENGINEER AND 2 FIREFIGHTERS. NOW THE FIREFIGHTERS RIDE BACK UP IN THIS AREA. THIS IS KNOWN AS A JUMP SEAT. AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY RIDE FACING TO THE REAR. WHEN WE GET A CALL, THE FIREFIGHTER GETS ON THE UNIT. HE'S PUTTING ON HIS TURNOUT COAT, HIS PANTS, HIS OTHER GEAR, AND HE'S ALSO PUTTING ON THE BREATHING APPARATUS. THAT WAY, WHEN WE GET TO THE FIRE SCENE, HE'S READY TO GO TO WORK. HE JUST HAS TO STEP OFF THE UNIT, AND HE'S READY TO GO. IN THIS PARTICULAR COMPARTMENT, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT WHAT LOOKS TO BE A LARGE FAN, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS. THIS IS A GASOLINE-POWERED SMOKE EJECTOR. SMOKE, WE HAVE TO, UH, GET THE SMOKE OUT IN ORDER FOR THE FIREFIGHTER TO COME IN AND FIGHT THE FIRE. WE DO THIS BY USING THESE LARGE FANS. WE CARRY 2 OF THESE ON THE UNIT. THIS IS THE COMPARTMENT THAT CONTAINS THE LEVERS THAT OPERATE OUR OUTRIGGERS AND THAT WE CAN RAISE AND LOWER THE LADDER. BEHIND THIS SHEET UP HERE IS WHERE WE KEEP ALL OF OUR LADDERS. ALL THE LADDERS BACK IN HERE. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT JUST UNBUTTONS. WE'VE GOT ALL OF OUR LADDERS-- 16-, 20-FOOT, AND THE BIG 40-FOOTER. OVER ON THIS SIDE, WE HAVE ANOTHER 16, ANOTHER 20, AND A 35-FOOT. ALSO IN THIS AND THEY'RE KIND OF HARD TO SEE, BUT IF YOU LOOK REAL CLOSE, BACK UP IN HERE, WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL PIPE POLES. LONG POLES WITH A HOOK ON THE END. WE USE THOSE POLES TO PULL DOWN CEILINGS INSIDE A BUILDING IF WE NEED TO GET UP INTO THE ATTIC AREA. OK, I'M NOW UP IN THE BASKET OF THE UNIT. AS, UH, WE TOLD YOU PREVIOUSLY, THIS WILL GO 100 FEET IN THE AIR. NG HERE. THAT'S THE NOZZLE. THERE'S BASICALLY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS NOZZLE AND THE NOZZLE YOU HAVE AT HOME ON YOUR GARDEN HOSE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS, THIS NOZZLE IS JUST A LITTLE BIT BIGGER. WORKS ON THE SAME PRINCIPLE. WE CAN FLOW AT MAXIMUM GALLONAGE-- 1,000 GALLONS A MINUTE THROUGH THIS NOZZLE. AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO TO OPERATE IT IS JUST TO TURN IT, LIKE THIS, AND YOU GET A WIDE PATTERN, OR YOU CAN GET A VERY SHARP DEFINITE PATTERN. BY TURNING THIS WHEEL, WE CAN ROTATE IT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. BY LOOSENING IT UP... AS YOU CAN SEE, UP AND DOWN. THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IS USED PRIMARILY FOR LARGE FIRES, LARGE BUILDING WHERE WE NEED TO GET UP ABOVE THE FIRE, SHOOT WATER DOWN ON IT, TO LITERALLY DROWN OUT THE FIRE. Dave: ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT USED TO FIGHT FIRES IS THE HELICOPTER. IT HELPS WITH RESCUES, IN MOVING EQUIPMENT, AND IT CAN ALSO CARRY SMALL AMOUNTS OF WATER. NOW THIS IS A BIG ONE. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF FIREFIGHTING VEHICLES. THIS IS AN AIRPORT FIRE TRUCK, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, NOT ALL FIREFIGHTING VEHICLES COME IN THE COLOR RED. THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIREFIGHTING TRUCKS. IT'S YELLOW. IT COST ALMOST HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, AND IT'S FOR FIGHTING SOME VERY SPECIAL KINDS OF FIRES. HI, I'M MIKE STRAUSS. I'M WITH ONTARIO AIRPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT, T ONE OF THE BIGGEST TRUCKS IN THE FIRE SERVICE TODAY. NOW THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO FIND AIRPORT FIREFIGHTING. WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF THERE'S A PLANE CRASH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND WE'LL TAKE THIS TRUCK OUT IT'S SPECIFICIALLY DESIGNED TO FIGHT AIRPORT FIRES. AND WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON THE FRONT AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY JUST SQUIRT WATER OUT OF 'EM FROM HERE AND HERE. AND THE TOP ONE THERE AT A RATE OF ABOUT 1,200 GALLONS A MINUTE, AND THAT'S ABOUT 15 TO 20 BATHTUBS FULL OF WATER A MINUTE. AND THE BOTTOM ONE SQUIRTS OUT AT A LITTLE BIT LOWER RATE OF ABOUT 500 GALLONS A MINUTE. AND WHAT ALSO COMES OUT OF THE WATER IS WHAT WE CALL FOAM, LIKE, UH, IF YOU TAKE LIKE A BUBBLE BATH, YOU HAVE, LIKE, FOAM SITTING ON TOP OF THE WATER AND THAT'S WHAT COMES OUT OF THIS AS WELL. OK, NOW WE'RE INSIDE THE CAB, AND WE WEAR THESE HEADPHONES SO WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH THE TOWER, WHICH TELLS US IF THERE'S A PLANE COMING OUR WAY OR NOT, AND TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER FIREFIGHTERS AND INSIDE THE CAB, WELL, WE CONTROL MOST OF OUR FIREFIGHTING BY WHAT WE CALL JOYSTICKS, AND THEY'RE JUST LIKE A BASIC VIDEO GAME AT YOUR VIDEOS--AT YOUR VIDEO STORES OR WHATEVER. AND YOU CAN CONTROL MOST OF YOUR FIREFIGHTING-- THE TURRETS THAT I SHOWED YOU EARLIER-- BY MOVING THE JOYSTICK BACK AND FORTH, AND IT'LL SQUIRT WATER WHICHEVER WAY YOU TURN IT. AND IT--EVERYTHING IN HERE IS BASICALLY -- YOU'VE GOT YOUR GAS PEDAL, AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR BRAKE PEDAL. AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR GEAR SHIFT, STEERING WHEEL, AND HORN. DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIREFIGHTERS USE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. AS YOU CAN SEE, I'VE GOT A YELLOW COAT ON. AND YOU GUYS HERE AT THE AIRPORT WEAR SILVER COATS. RIGHT. UH, THEY'RE BASICALLY DESIGNED FOR THE SAME THING-- TO PROTECT YOU WHEN YOU GO INTO A FIRE. UM, THE REASON WHY THEY'RE ALUMINIZED IS TO REFLECT THE HEAT A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN--THAN THE STANDARD NOMEX FIREFIGHTING, AND THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT HEAVIER. D SUITS, SO THEY'RE A LITTLE HEAVIER, AND, UH, THEY'RE ABLE TO RETAIN A LITTLE MORE HEAT-- REFLECT A LITTLE MORE HEAT BECAUSE AT A FIRE, WHEN IT BURNS, IT BURNS CLOSE TO 2,000 DEGREES THE FUEL ITSELF. ME GHT THE FIRE . AND WHAT WE HAVE DOWN HERE ARE JUST BASICALLY THE SAME THING WITH PANTS, AND EVERYBODY HAS THE REGULAR FIREMAN BOOTS. AND, UM--WELL, HERE'S A QUESTION FOR YOU, DAVE. DO YOU KNOW WHY FIREMEN HAVE RED SUSPENDERS? I HAVE NO IDEA. TO HOLD UP THEIR [ALARM BEEPING] [ENGINE STARTS] [SIREN BEEPING] SAFETY, READY? Woman: YEAH. GO AHEAD. Man: TAKE A COUPLE OF STEPS IN, ALICIA. OK. Dave: AT THIS TRAINING FACILITY, GHTERS KILLS THAT THEY WILL NEED TO PROPERLY AND SAFELY DO THEIR JOB. OK, OK. OK, PUT IT ON THIS BEAM. FULL EXTENDED FLY. GIMME THE WEIGHT. HOLD IT TOWARDS YOU. THAT'S TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH. THERE WE GO. Man: SOME GUYS ARE JUST STEPPING UP TO THE BOTTOM, BACKING INTO IT. TABLE. THAT'LL REALLY COME IN HANDY. [SIREN WAILING] 131 WILL BE ESTABLISHING COMMAND AT A 3-STORY INDUSTRIAL BUILDING. WE HAVE SMOKE AND FLAMES SHOWING. ALL UNITS CODE 3. THIS IS A CONDITION B FIRE. MY COMMAND POST IS TO BE LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING TO THE WEST. TRUCK 131, PLEASE COME IN AND TAKE UTILITIES AND VENTILATION. WE'RE LAYING A LINE. Dave: EXPERIENCED FIREFIGHTERS HAVE TO KEEP UP THEIR SKILLS AS WELL. THIS IS A PRACTICE FACILITY WHERE THEY START THE FIRES THEMSELVES, AND THEN PRACTICE BY PUTTING THEM OUT. EVEN PUTTING OUT PRACTICE FIRES IS DANGEROUS BUSINESS.