A call to one of the recognized PSD training agencies might be in order prior to calling a recovery outfit. One will have some good info for sure but both may have a lot to offer. 
Gary D.
Gary D.
Dive Trailer
- Thread starter JEScholz
- Start date
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JEScholz
Contributor
Thanks for the info / advice so far. Please keep it coming. Our VFD has had a "dive team" for years but we have not been active. We have a converted bread truck with 4 bottle cascade, generator, auxiliary heaters and all our gear. One of the problems we are having, (believe it or not) is that many of our new members do not know how to drive a stick! We are in a rural area of many lakes and snowmobile trails. Fortunately, we have only had 1 dive call in the last 5 years and although it came in as a rescue, (heavy equipment in a gravel pit overturned into the water) it turned out that the vehicle had been overturned for an unknown period of time before we were dispatched and the cause of death was not drowning.
To one of Gary's points, I dive with my personal gear, so I keep it in my garage ready to go. I do respond code to many fire and EMS calls as I am remote from our station and often am on scene before any of our station vehicles.
My preference is to keep our van and update it, but it still will be a stick. Another option is to move our gear into a retired ambulance but that would be a lot more work to retrofit. There are a few people pushing for a trailer so I thought I would ask the question and get the feedback from people with experience in a trailer before we make up our mind.
Thanks again!
To one of Gary's points, I dive with my personal gear, so I keep it in my garage ready to go. I do respond code to many fire and EMS calls as I am remote from our station and often am on scene before any of our station vehicles.
My preference is to keep our van and update it, but it still will be a stick. Another option is to move our gear into a retired ambulance but that would be a lot more work to retrofit. There are a few people pushing for a trailer so I thought I would ask the question and get the feedback from people with experience in a trailer before we make up our mind.
Thanks again!
The fewer calls you have the more you need to train. It keeps the PSD skill sharper.
Get an auto salvager to donate an automatic transmission and see if a local garage would donate the instalation. It never hurts to ask around.
Gary D.
Get an auto salvager to donate an automatic transmission and see if a local garage would donate the instalation. It never hurts to ask around.
Gary D.
I hope it works out for you Jim
I really like our trailer - for a trailer. Except for the missing peices that I mentioned earlier (compressor, insulation, heater, awning) that we can't put in anyway due to the weight the only thing I'd change would be aluminum shelves - but thats big $$. We went with steel shelving at the cost of losing the insulation and awning due to weight.
It also cost us over $8G to fit the trailer out the way it is
Someone mentioned enamel paint - not sure what that would do for you on a wood interior(?). Our trailer is completely water sealed with rubber floor matting to facilitate drainage and easy cleaning
That said, I'd trade it in a second for your truck if I had the chance!
I really like our trailer - for a trailer. Except for the missing peices that I mentioned earlier (compressor, insulation, heater, awning) that we can't put in anyway due to the weight the only thing I'd change would be aluminum shelves - but thats big $$. We went with steel shelving at the cost of losing the insulation and awning due to weight.
It also cost us over $8G to fit the trailer out the way it is
Someone mentioned enamel paint - not sure what that would do for you on a wood interior(?). Our trailer is completely water sealed with rubber floor matting to facilitate drainage and easy cleaning
That said, I'd trade it in a second for your truck if I had the chance!
Get the trailer... sorry bridge. but in five years, the van... if it can be driven wont start, and if it does the seals and rings will be dry rotten.
Clay
We can have fun with this one.
Keep the van AND get a trailer. Sorry DP. But in 5 years they should be training a lot. Then it could be driven with good plyable seals and rings without any rot and tow the trailer with the nice new automatic transmission.
Ummmmm can your guys back up a trailer?Gary D.
ok... point taken.... our trailer is fully equiped with the gear to hook up each individual diver if we show on scene without gear, such as last march, I was one exit away on the interstate when a car went into the river. one of the first on scene, but my gear was in my van
(not a pun at the trailer van arguement) but I was in my farm truck and 45 miles away from my equipment. long story short. Most of our divers keep their equiipment in their primary vehicle (volunteers) we cant run code or any thing like that.. but in this case it was nice to have the sherriff enrout with the dive trailer equiped with every thing from lift bags- tanks- compressor- bla bla bla while we were in the planning stage of what to do. Is this how other agencies run their trailer equipment setups as well? and sorry if this may belong in another thread. just curious,
DP
PS, turns out the driver of the car had a cardiac arrest and was already deceased when he dove into the river with his sedan. sometimes it doesnt matter what the responce time is.... your just too late
(not a pun at the trailer van arguement) but I was in my farm truck and 45 miles away from my equipment. long story short. Most of our divers keep their equiipment in their primary vehicle (volunteers) we cant run code or any thing like that.. but in this case it was nice to have the sherriff enrout with the dive trailer equiped with every thing from lift bags- tanks- compressor- bla bla bla while we were in the planning stage of what to do. Is this how other agencies run their trailer equipment setups as well? and sorry if this may belong in another thread. just curious,DP
PS, turns out the driver of the car had a cardiac arrest and was already deceased when he dove into the river with his sedan. sometimes it doesnt matter what the responce time is.... your just too late
Like Gary says thats why we got different stuff. We're a paid FD so we can't have any of our gear with us (won't fit on the pumps or ambs). Everything needs to be in our "vehicle" whatever that may be.
What's this about backing up trailers? Are we missing something here?
What's this about backing up trailers? Are we missing something here?
Im assuming that if there is a problem with nobody knowing how to drive a standard Transmission, then there is reason to question the abilities to handle a trailer... at least in my part of the state, tow vehicles are generally standard. at least alot of them are..
just guessin though
DP,
and objects in mirror are closer than they appear.... lol
just guessin though
DP,
and objects in mirror are closer than they appear.... lol
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