Image from KBCI-TV.
Four firefighters are assigned to Boise Fire Department’s Truck 5. Only three were on board when the crew left the station to respond to an automatic fire alarm at Adams Elementary School.
The rig sideswiped a pick-up truck shortly after leaving Fire Station 5 on South 16th Street. No one was hurt and the truck is back in service.
Here are excerpts from KBCI-TV’s report:
The investigation is still ongoing, but officers and Boise Fire officials say it appears the ladder truck may have been at fault, being driven without one of its key personnel on board – the rear driver, Boise Police said in a release.
“When there is any kind of collision involving a citizen’s vehicle one of our fire apparatus, we take it very seriously,” said Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doan. “In this case, most importantly, we’re thankful no one was hurt.”
When officers arrived on scene, witnesses, including firefighters and the driver of the pick up told officers the ladder truck had just left Fire Station 5 at 212 S. 16th Street on an emergency call, when turning right, or east onto Grove, the tail end of the fire truck swung wide and hit the driver’s side of the Tacoma that was headed west on Grove.
Click the image for more photos from KTVB-TV
This paragraph from KIVI-TV’s report caught my eye, considering there was only one driver on Truck 5 at the time of the wreck:
In accordance with Boise City policy, both assigned drivers of the fire truck are currently being drug tested. City policy dictates any driver of a city vehicle involved in a collision that results in disabling damage of another vehicle is subject to post-accident drug testing. Boise Police officers investigating the accident say there was no indication drugs or alcohol were involved.
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D’oh!
Budget cuts? See, there’s a reason for minimum staffing!
Intercom recording released: “Bill, you’re really quiet today. ..Bill?”
Its good to see one of the laptop pilots from last week has found work already.
Is that like a horse finishing a race riderless?
They might want to look into an “engine starter interlock” like we have on our tiller. We can not even the truck without someone in the box.
There is a reason that you leave the truck bay door down (or halfway down) and only the tillerman opens it.
This is one of those “I always wondered what would happen” stories…
Come on guys!! It was an automatic fire Alarm. WTF.
In DC our door was never above half open, and the tillerman controled the door opening,,,,,,,,,until a rookie opened the door from the watch desk…….I was lucky, and Thank God for the Rear View MIRROW…stopped.
Ugh, Houston we have a problem!
how do you forget one of the most important guys on the truck…..the other driver to be exact????dosent make too much sense and b.f.d has a major problem if you ask me…
My dad was tillerman on a 1953 Seagraves tiller, had a buzzer on the floor the driver was supposed to wait to hear before moving, Low tech, and Pierce would probably charge $3000 to have one installed today but the interlock sounds like the way to go.
This is the reason that you have a minimum crew which should include an engineer, officer, two firefighters and a tillerman
Hmm.
In accordance with Boise City policy, both assigned drivers of the fire truck are currently being drug tested.
Did I read that right? Honestly the only reason I read the comments was to see what folks had to say about Boise drug testing the guy who wasn’t even on the vehicle during the accident.
The results of the drug test on the tillerman might explain why he wasn’t on the rig. Heh.
how about a tillerman who open the door and start the engine then gets out of the back and dose not tell any one hes not back there. luck we stop before somthing bad happened.
Where was the tillerman and why wasn’t he on the truck? Maybe a test is in order
SOP Paragraph 4: The truck shall not leave the station without a driver & a tillerman.
I’ve never been around tillers, but isn’t it possible to lock the rear axle and drive the truck like an 18-wheeler? (Obviously, that wasn’t the case here… Just curious, though.)
I sorta blame the officer. When I was first assigned to a truck in Baltimore. The officer always watched the tillerman get seated before the officer would get on the wagon.Hence, never leaving without a tillerman.
The interlocks are OK, but most have an over ride under the dash for mechanics to use or for the driver to start the vehicle during daily maintenance. I still say if the officer wathes the tillerman get on, you cant screw it up.
“This is the reason that you have a minimum crew which should include an engineer, officer, two firefighters and a tillerman”
I know we are always looking for reasons to get our local governments to give us more people… but what would having one more person in the front have done to prevent this from happening?
ONE STOPPPPP….. TWO GOOOOOO…… THREE BACKUP…….
This happened to Truck 4 Santa Ana Fire Dept. in Orange County Calif. Night run Truck 4 pulled out of station made left turn onto Broadway then left turn onto Edinger went 5 blocks before BC alerted
Engineer that his Tiller driver was not on board.
Lucky no on hurt and nothing hit.
Wow! Even us knuckle-draggin” firemen can count to “4″. Usually without even taking out boots off!
A simple, “Hey Fred… you set?” would suffice.