Ducati Monster Forum

Hi everybody
   
        I joined my local fire department as a volunteer fire fighter , and was woundering what would be the best vehicle to own. when im not a the fire house i still want to be able to respond to "calls", being a volunteer fire fighter i know that i need something that can hold all my gear, and be very durable. the Chevy suburban and jeep Cherokee are in consideration


oo yeah the color red comes to mind, since its the fastest and all   [thumbsup]

Nissan Pathfinder

270 HP

 ;D

ducati 9 er ;D

extended cab pickup

Here ya go.  Plenty of room for your gear, and you can just pick up your buds at the fire station as you drive by.  It can be painted red, as desired.   [thumbsup]  ;)

(http://www.firefighter-emt.com/files/2009/01/oshkosh2.jpg)

Or this one:

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d9/E_One_HPR_8x8.jpg)

Thanks for volunteering! [thumbsup]

Unimog!

(http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/02/02-fiat-500c-1280_580op.jpg)

Whatever you can pay cash for and just gets the job done.  No need for a "little dick" 3/4+ ton to haul your boots and coat around.

Its red [thumbsup]

(http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll161/porschaholic/bmw_isetta.jpg)

Do you guys respond in POV direct to the scene? Honestly, anything bigger than a Smart Car or Aveo basically will hold a set of turnouts and grass gear. A small car's trunk can do it but it's a little tight. I've gotten all mine in the back of our Audi S4. The only downside is that if you're filthy it sucks cleaning the trunk out. Any small truck works well for throwing all your crap in the back. Then just hose it out, and it won't make the interior reek. As a bonus the tailgate is an excellent spot to sit and put on all your stuff, that's much easier than in the front seat of a car. Especially grass gear. I'd look at an extended cab small truck (clean gear in the back seat), but it's doable in nearly anything.

a pickup is essential if you are going to be a VFD.

a) many VFD respond directly to the scene, especially if they have been with the department for a while. with that comes the need for space to keep (securely) a bunch of additional specialized equipment.
-SCBA
-turnouts
-medical gear for the medics
-rescue equipment
-wildland gear
...the list is extensive


b) think about all the nasty stuff (other peoples bodily fluids, carcinogens, chemicals, etc...) that you kept off your body by wearing the turnouts, boots, helmet, etc....
no think about what happens when you toss all that dirty gear in the back seat of your family car.

of course, thats just my experience ;)

At least around here, the SCBA, medical gear, rescue equipment, and so on, should go out on the engine. Even for companies that respond straight to the scene. Of course, I have no idea about this particular dept.

I forgot to mention, good for you and congrats. As a member of a paid call department, I can tell you the pay is terrible, but at least the hours are bad too.  ;D  [thumbsup]

First or Second series Subaru Forester.
(http://www.paulromein.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/1999_subaru_forester_4dr_4dr_manual_4x4_2_5l_cylinders_4_gas_am_fm_stereo_air_co.jpg)

Yeah something like this one, a guy I work with has this. It's somewhere around 350 hp or so.

(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a295/giacco/312h3lt.jpg)

OMG!!  Want an Isetta so bad I can't stand it. In blue.   

And yeah, +1 on you don't need a weiner-extender to be a fireman.  My old BMW R890R's saddlebags would hold all the junk you need to haul to a fire, provided somebody else drives the fire truck.

All people who own trucks aren't compensating for something, just saying...

Aren't they actually compensating for not owning a truck?

Hahahahaha

Good for you Andro. I wish I had the time for something like that.

You really just need something that will carry the beer from the distributor to the fire house.

Did you start growing your mustache yet? ;D

If you go with an older forester, get one made after 01. The first two years they had a design flaw that causes an oil leak. It's a minor issue they fixed in MY01. They had a body change in 03 or 04. Those are the best foresters, imo (I have a 99 forester).

The mega-hp torque machines are the XT series. They are turbo and will seriously impress you with their power, but they also require higher octane than the non-turbo series.

What kind of price range are you thinking about ?

Will this be your primary or secondary vehicle ?

As others have said some type of pickup sounds like it would fit the bill.  I have a Toyota Tacoma TRD that is a great overall ride for me.

If you don't need 4-wheel drive they make the same body style in just a 2wd called the Pre Runner.  It comes in a four banger and a V6, auto and 6-speed.



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