Woody? Any other firemen? Need your help (not what you think, pervs)

Hey guys, Do any of you know what the approximate fuel consumption would be for a Spartan Gladiator aerial truck (2005)? It's for a story on best/worst fuel consumption I've experienced driving.

It's hard to make a direct comparison. They are generally custom built and no two are exactly the same. These things don't cover a lot of distance per hour of operation. For reference, our tower ladder weighs 68,000 pounds and gets 1.2 mpg. It cost $795,000.

Holy smokes. I had a couple of pumper estimates, between 3 and 7 mpg. The Spartan I drove was $1 million Canadian - very comparable.

Pumpers are much lighter.

I think your figures are exactly what I need. This is the truck I drove:

http://www.autos.ca/motoring-memories/feature-behind-the-wheel-of-a-big-red-fire-truck/

You can go to Cummins and they will tell you the burn rate per hour. But it will be around 4-5 mpg for that truck. A lot would depend on city vs highway

Our 95' platform gets about 3gpm. It gets refueled regularly. Our newer engines(pumpers) actually seem to do pretty well, but I couldn't tell an actual figure.

Haven't had the chance to read your article but I hope you had a chance to drive or at least ride on the street while responding to see the rediculous stuff people do when you approach them on the road.

My favorite is when they just slam on breaks in front of you to see if you can out brake them in a 73k lb truck

Oh god no, I drove it on a closed course. Believe me, I appreciate how skilled you guys must be. We had to drive a slalom backwardto imagine what it's like backing up around parked cars and obstacles.

The guys who instructed us mentioned that their biggest frustration was people who just don't get out of the way.

In reply to Lesley:

Funny you mentioned that. I had a driver get right pissy with me over a fire truck coming up behind us today.

Three cars were going through a construction zone that had narrowed the street down to a single lane in each direction. I was the last car in line.

A fire truck with lights and siren came up behind us, the first car kept going down the street and pulled over well clear of the construction, where the road widened back into four lanes.

The driver in front of me pulled over and stopped in the construction area, leaving zero room for a firetruck to get around us.

I laid on the horn and the flagger started yelling at her and pointing at her to move out of the construction zone. She gave me the finger and started yelling at the flagger.

She finally got the message when the person driving the firetruck used the air horn.

I can't believe how stupid people can be.

If you take some of the words used in these replies out of context, ...well...(perv)...

Woody wrote: It's hard to make a direct comparison. They are generally custom built and no two are exactly the same. These things don't cover a lot of distance per hour of operation. For reference, our tower ladder weighs 68,000 pounds and gets 1.2 mpg. It cost $795,000.

Pffft! That's hypermiling compared with the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. 68 tons and 0.5 MPGs.

I just got cleared for medical calls on my volunteer department, but cant help you with any data

Lesley wrote: Oh god no, I drove it on a closed course. Believe me, I appreciate how skilled you guys must be. We had to drive a slalom backwardto imagine what it's like backing up around parked cars and obstacles. The guys who instructed us mentioned that their biggest frustration was people who just don't get out of the way.

I've seen this on the highway lots of times .. but then I've ALMOST been caught out doing the same thing …

the biggest "problem" I see is folk not paying attention to their mirrors … that coupled with the inability to hear the sirens

the Doppler effect combined with much tighter built automobiles these days … stereo on … etc .. and sometimes the "dead to the outside world" driver doesn't know the EV is behind them until too late …

I try my darndest to stay alert, and am usually very conscience of what's around me .. but many drivers haven't a clue

Nobody pays attention to us.

my dog does she howls like a coon hound when she hears a siren

wbjones wrote: my dog does she howls like a coon hound when she hears a siren

Please tell her that I appreciate her efforts.

will do

In reply to wbjones:

Part of the problem with folks not hearing the truck coming is those stupid electronic sirens they insist on using now (in my area anyway)

When they had the old Federal sirens, you could hear them miles away.

These guys are in Ocala, south of us by ~35 miles. Right on the highway. Always really cool finished trucks parked out front, waiting to be delivered. Maybe you could call them and ask?

https://www.e-one.com/

https://www.google.com/maps/place/E-ONE/@29.173067,-82.18428,3a,75y,88.17h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sgKyXNEg-HSBYgeEtmJCBYw!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x5f251f5b8362e5ac!6m1!1e1

What floors me is when people slow down as if to stop when an emergency vehicle approaches in another lane... separated by a median.

Trans_Maro wrote: In reply to wbjones: Part of the problem with folks not hearing the truck coming is those stupid electronic sirens they insist on using now (in my area anyway) When they had the old Federal sirens, you could hear them miles away.

My truck has a Federal, plus dual (huge) air horns that you can feel, and an electronic siren that we rarely use (that's more of an ambulance thing). People just aren't paying attention.

Here's a little tip from the pros that might help you to not get killed:

If you do pull over for the firetruck like you're supposed to (and we thank you for that), avoid the urge to immediately pull back out into the lane. Check behind you first. There may be a second truck right behind it. The sirens of two trucks often blend together and are mistaken for one. Even when people know that the first truck is coming, that second truck is always ignored.

One more thing:

Emergency vehicles are always supposed to pass on your left.

If you are sitting in the left turn lane waiting for a light and there is a lane or lanes to your right, the emergency vehicle is still supposed to cross the yellow (if it's safe) and pass on your left, even if those lanes to your right are unoccupied. You are supposed to pull over to the right.

You might also be surprised to learn that we really don't go that fast. It's pretty rare for us to exceed 45 mph. It takes a while to get one of these things up to speed, they don't corner well (especially with 750 gallons of shifting water on board, at 8.3 pounds per gallon) and you have to plan your stops well in advance.

I don't drive anymore, but I have a speedometer on my side of the truck to keep track of how fast my driver is going. You can't fight a fire if you don't get there.

Woody wrote: Nobody pays attention to us.

You guys are a bit more noticeable than motorcyclists......