Family of fallen FF wants trucks replaced

[jmur5074]

The family of a Boston firefighter killed on duty says it's losing patience with city lawmakers.

NewsCenter 5's Janet Wu reported Friday that Kevin Kelley was the Boston firefighter killed when the brakes on his truck failed, sending it careening into a building in January. His family can't understand why the council won't consider a bill to have trucks replaced every 10 years.

Kelley's family said its grief is compounded by City Councilor Maureen Feeney's refusal to take up a bill before her government operation's committee.

"If Kevin had gone into a fire and died, tragic yes. Maybe there's some sense that's there. There's no sense in him dying because the brakes failed," Kelley's sister, Peggy Paulli, said.

Paulli said the ladder truck, which was 15 years old when the brakes failed and crashed into the building, should not have been on the road. City Councilor John Tobin filed a bill in June mandating that all fire trucks be replaced every 10 years.


More at the link
Fallen Boston FF's Family Wants Trucks Replaced | Firehouse.com




Maybe it's just me, but I would think that considering a new truck is at a BARE MINIMUM $250,000...but realistically more in the neighborhood of $400,000+, proper use (not driving like an animal) and proper maintenance and a regular maintenance schedule would be more cost efficient than buying new trucks every 10 years. But again, maybe it's just me.

[pgg]

Around here most fire trucks are expected to have a 30 year service life. Even in those 30 years it rare to see one get over 100,000 miles. Like jmur said. maintenance is the key issue and responsible driving. You can't go carreening around corners with a 80,000 lbs rig and expect it to perform and respond like a sports car

[jmur5074]

It's a sore spot for me because I've seen a TON of irresponsible driving from local firefighters. No less than 5 yrs ago I was one of them until I gained a little common sense. And obviously, cops are guilty of it too, but I see an awful lot from the guys in the red trucks.

I live less than a block from a 4 way stop intersection on one of the primary roads in the whole city, and almost daily I watch a fire truck blow through the intersection without so much as touching their brakes.

Like I said, cops do it too. But I see a lot more out of the firefighters. And I hate that people get hurt and killed as a result.

[luckyme]

Yeah I'd like to see the reason the brakes failed. I would assume they are supposed to do a CDL type inspection every morning. Maybe she needs to go after truck inspection policy instead of just new trucks.

[Pudge]

A well maintained rig will easily last 20-30 years. Our station just moved it's primary engine to a rescue, and replaced it with a new Ladder. The truck is a 1991 Pierce in great condition, but will probably serve another 5-10 as a heavy rescue.

[Bama512]

They just bought a new ladder truck here (well the big city next to us) to replace a 1987 model. Price tag was a cool 1.2 million!

[BigOSPig]

Either proper maintenance would have prevented this or the truck had defective parts, which falls back on the manufacturer or a parts supplier. Either way, there is no need to replace trucks at a set time frame. That being said, everyone loves FF's, so they will probably get a new truck every ten years at the expense of some other city budget.

[jmur5074]

Here's the rest of the story!!!

A Boston Fire Department contractor installed the wrong parts on Ladder 26 several months before it crashed, killing a firefighter at in early January, according to The Boston Globe.
The newspaper reviewed the police report from a recent investigation, which found the contractor replaced a brake chamber and pads on the ladder truck in spring of 2008, significantly decreasing the stopping power of the vehicle.
It also found that firefighters not licensed as mechanics repeatedly adjusted the brakes and may have masked underlying problems.
The decreased braking power played a role in the brake failure that occurred as Ladder 26 sped down a hill before slamming into an apartment building on Jan. 9, killing Lt. Kevin M. Kelley, according to the report.


More at the link
Wong Parts in Boston Truck Crash | Firehouse.com