Day 4- March 12, 2007

I didn’t hear much of anything on the AFD trunked system over night. I hit the hay early so I could take the car in around 0700 hours. I couldn’t find a Chevrolet dealer listed for Albuquerque in the yellow pages, so I called early and made an appointment with the Buick-GM Service center on Lomas Blvd. On the way there I came across a Chevrolet dealer on Lomas Blvd near the Buick dealership (that is only listed by name in the yellow pages with no address). I turned into the Chevrolet dealer as I thought they would have the parts.

They hoisted my car up and there was a lot of damage underneath. They came and got me and showed me all the damage. It had to have been something very hard and metallic I ran over for all the damage to have occurred. The Catalytic Converter cover was all but gone, the Catalytic Converter was almost “disintegrated” and there were muffler straps ripped out. What was really surprising is that there was a hole poked through the back seat floor on the passenger side. They were missing one part that no dealerships in the area had in stock. They told me I can run the car without that part until I get to Los Angeles. The total bill was $768.00!

Yes that’s a lot of money. But it could have been a lot worse if the motor had been damaged. Luckily there is a heavy metal frame piece on the front and back of the motor. Both those had deep gouges where the offending object left its mark. The part I am still missing connects to the Catalytic Converter and costs $130 installed. If I make it to LA alive, I’ll get that fixed.

The people at the dealership were very nice to me. They told me the car should be ready around noon. They let me use my computer at a desk on the sales floor and even brought in a long extension cord for power. I spent time working on a new Pro-96 program for the Los Angeles area. The service manager told me about a very good restaurant across the street that opened at 1100 hours. I went over there at 11 and had a very good lunch. By the time I finished, my car was parked outside the dealership. I paid the bill and I was on my way.

When they told me the car would be ready at noon I decided I may as well spend the entire day in Albuquerque. It was sunny and in the upper 60s here today- my favorite weather. After I got the car around 1230 hours, I checked back into the motel I’d stayed at the night before, dropped off a lot of luggage and headed out to visit some AFD Stations. I headed up north and west to visit stations I hadn’t visited before.

Station 19 was empty so I just got station photos. Engine 29 was in Station 29, which is an old Bernalillo County station. They had an old ALF aerial similar to the one the at the fire museum back home. I got a half photo of it. The next station north was Bernalillo County Station 1. I got a photo of Engine 1. I headed to the west side of the Rio Grande River and Station 27, on a high hilltop overlooking the city. The station was empty so I just took a station photo.

Station 18 was the next station south east of the Rio Grande. I met a very nice firefighter there who pulled the rig out and told me of new Station 21, just opened north and east of Station 27. I went up there and found the most impressive station with a million dollar view. The station was very well designed with a lot of natural light. The kitchen area, game room and day have a lot of glass with spectacular views. There is a huge covered outdoor area off the kitchen where two firefighters were sitting in lounge chairs sipping iced tea while they enjoyed the spectacular view. I asked the firefighters how much they had to pay a month to be stationed in the awesome spot. They all laughed. They told me that Station 5 had an identical new station. I made a mental note to get there.

I got photos of Ladder 21 and the departments new Command post and a few around the station. Engine 21 (brand new) was at the hospital. I left for Station 17, located just south of 18, but I couldn’t find it or the street that it was supposedly on. Oh well. I was near I-40 so I cut across town to new Station 5. As I arrived, a woman was taking a boy with what looked like a broken wrist into the station. Firefighters splinted his arm and made a sling. The woman wasn’t the mother, but she called the mother and decided to transport the crying boy in an ambulance to the hospital. They called for a county ambulance for transport.

Both Engine 5 and Ladder 5 (used to be Ladder 3) were using reserve pieces. I got a photo of the Reserve Pierce Contender (one of two the AFD owns). The reserve ladder was old Ladder 15, which I’d shot in 2002. I got the Pierce numbers on all the rigs I shot today- all Pierce apparatus with the exception of the reserve ladder (an E One).

While Albuquerque does have a number of Rescue (ambulance) units, they do not transport. I asked the firefighters what units they would send on a confirmed house fire. The answer was: three engines, one ladder, one HM unit (they have two which are called Squads), Squad 2 (a heavy rescue), Battalion Chief and two Rescues (ambulances with two firefighters). Most of the engines run with four and the ladders with three or four.

I headed to Station 3 to get a shot of their Heavy Rescue (Squad 2). A very nice firefighter pulled it around back so I could get a shot in the sun. It was 1630 hours when I left Station 3. The sun was getting too low for any more photos. I headed back to the motel for the night. At least I didn’t lose the entire day. Things worked out surprisingly well. My pockets are a little lighter though.

Tomorrow I’m off early for a stop in Tucson before spending the night in Phoenix. Wednesday morning I’ll head to LA- a day late. That’s all for now.

Your Roving Reporter