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Die-Nacht t1_j7s79yu wrote

Reply to comment by This27that in FDNY ranks in 'turmoil' after commissioner demotes chiefs, high-ranking officials step down by nyujoe

You keep really trying to drive this "building materials" point. Do you have any source that Europe and Asia just build their stuff from better materials and that that's the reason we need bigger trucks?

I've researched this topic a bit and I've never heard that excuse. The only excuse I've found for why they are so big in the US is just that the streets are wide, and since they are wide, there's no reason to make them smaller. Now, with cities having budget issues, there may be a financial incentive to go smaller.

This article goes over the differences: https://www.fireapparatusmagazine.com/fire-apparatus/fire-apparatus-united-states-vs-europe/#gref

They mention the "aerial trucks" and make the point that one difference between the US and Europe is the methodology. Over there, they focus on rescues, not so much on fighting the fires. I could see that being a major difference.

Regardless of the reason, we need to find a way to make them smaller. We can't keep our streets as wide as they currently are, too many ppl are getting hurt.

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This27that t1_j814wke wrote

No source necessarily. Just anecdotal discussions I’ve had.

Regardless of the building materials issue, our trucks are more versatile than theirs are. This is probably because they have been restricted (by their narrow roads) to smaller trucks that therefore have less capabilities. If they had room for our trucks, I’m sure they’d be using them.

Other than the safety issue you mention, there is no reason for us to go backwards and start using less capable, smaller trucks.

And in terms of that “methodology,” I don’t think European departments are more focused on rescues, just that they can only use their ladder trucks for rescue and not for fighting fire. They are restricted to using the trucks only for rescue—it’s not a choice.

As for the safety issue on the streets, there are plenty of options to make them safer other than making them smaller. The city can add speed bumps; they can use roundabouts; they can add speed cameras. Reducing the size of fire trucks is not the only option.

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