GA_Dave

I was there before the rain hit and photographed several rigs and talked with several friends and acquaintances. I saw many of the apparatus that were present and have seen photos of others that attended later on, many of which I have previously photographed. When the rain hit, I packed it in and headed south, my destination being Durham, NC for the night. Traffic through Maryland and much of Virginia was HORRIBLE, so I believe I made the correct decision. As for the few rigs I missed out on, there is always another year. The SPAAMFAA Muster was the last event of this road trip that began on July19th, taking me to Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, plus the states I passed through to get there and back to Georgia. I put 3663 miles on the Challenger and photographed about 300 more fire apparatus.

Hoping for good weather, doubtful we'll get it.

Speaking of Artificial Intelligence, that was the nickname given to a blonde female police officer in the city where I was a firefighter after she dyed her hair red!

I previously posted this 1989 Mack MC688FC/Swab Wagon Company heavy rescue in it's original home, the Goodwilll Fire Company in Pottstown, PA. Here is a recent shot in it's current home, the Altamahaw-Ossipee FD in Burlington, NC. It carries Mack #1064 and Swab #4740.

Engine 5, Middlesex, NC 1988 Mack R/E.E.I. 1500/1000 R686FC-1072/#8562

Sad indeed. Sorry to hear it.

I can't say exactly what happened as I was not there, but looking at the photos I have found, I have my suspicions. The position of the base section is the biggest clue. The angle of elevation of the base section is much lower than it would have been to get the bucket to the rooftop. There are only two possible ways for that section's elevation to lower, either hydraulic failure or operator error. With the aerial elevated to where the bucket was higher than the roof, the weight of each aerial section above the base section keeps them in alignment. If the bucket is lowered to just rest on the roof, the sections should maintain their alignment. The manufacturer does not recommend this practice, instead, one should maintain a small gap between the bucket and roof and let personnel embark/disembark without the aerial making contact. If downward force was applied to the aerial and the bucket made contact with the roof with enough force, the pictured results could happen. A hydraulic failure with contact from a short distance away should not cause this to happen and the story reports that the bucket was only a short distance above the roof when the failure occurred. The investigation will be enlightening!

Not really. A very small percentage of the population threw a tantrum because they are not getting their way. We're keeping our guns!

The second shot is a much better angle.......

They need to bring back the Forward Control!

Not surprising how the mainstream media has all but swept this school shooting under the rug! Meanwhile, they keep telling us to listen to high school children tell us that those under age 21 are too immature to own a gun.....

Perhaps it's because mosquitoes don't care for the smell of a dog's ass!

Tanker 13, Spring Ridge VFD, Gilchrist County, FL 1982 Mack DM/KME A/S-32R-9 600/5000 #DM4 925-1920/KM-213

Not even close to being true! The US already has laws to address the issue of guns and those who are deemed "nut cases" by a Court of Law. It is our US Constitution and Bill of Rights that require the DUE PROCESS it takes for these people to be adjudicated as mentally incompetent, before any right to keep and bear arms can be taken away. Is the NRA a powerful lobby? Sure they are, but don't buy into the liberal media's vision of the "evil NRA". The NRA is the oldest and most powerful CIVIL RIGHTS organization in the US.

I don't mean to sound stupid, but if these guns are off the USS New Jersey, what guns are on the USS New Jersey?