Day 12- March 20, 2007

I slept in later this morning, as I was so tired last night. I feel asleep while trying to finish yesterdays report. That’s why you got it this morning instead of last night. I checked at of the Red Roof Inn $64.95 plus tax and headed into Phoenix to check out some stations and the PFD shop.

I got off I-10 at Baseline and drove by new Station 32. I only took a station photo as they were still running with a reserve engine. Next was nearby Station 23, which was vacant. On to new Station 16, which was also vacant. I got station photos of both, however. I headed up to the PFD Headquarters complex and got a photo of a reserve PFD Utility vehicle (I can’t even believe they still own it). I went into the PFD offices and asked them if the shops had moved as there was no apparatus outside again today.

I was told that the shops had moved to 2625 S 19th Avenue, not far from the PFD Training Academy. I didn’t have enough time to run over there. The only apparatus being repaired at the former PFD apparatus repair facility next to headquarters are the ambulances.

I headed to the motel where my relatives and the Augsburg College Baseball Team is staying (my nephew is the coach). I was able to get in at 1030 hours as they had already cleaned a few vacated rooms. I off-loaded all my crap and shortly after that we headed to the Augsburg baseball game played at the Gene Autry fields in Mesa (far NE corner). We stopped at a McDonalds with a kids playland so my nephews kids could climb and slide.

After lunch, the rest headed for the baseball game while I stopped at Mesa Station 11 and Station 8. Engine 218 is now in service at Station 3. They need the equipment because o f the number of runs, but as one fireman told me, they need new stations to adequately cover certain areas and right now there’s no money to build them.The crew pulled Engine 11 out for me, but the crew at Station 8 was sleeping (a secretary that works in the MFD Battalion 3 office told me). I took a photo of their crash truck parked out back.

I stopped at the WallMart store across from Station 8 and pickup up some stuff for the kids o play with. As I was walking back to the car, I noticed a shopping cart rolling away from a van where a woman was seat-belting her kids in the backseat. I looked where it was headed and sure enough it was headed for my car. It actually hit the car next to me first and then bounced into mine. All I saw at the time was a little scratch on the fender in front of the driver’s side front wheel. Later on in the afternoon, however I noticed I also had a small dent behind the front wheel.

I went to join the rest of the crew at the baseball game. It wasn’t too bad out as it was actually overcast. When it cleared up it became brutally hot in the sun. I think it got to 90 degrees here today. I went back to Station 8 after the first game was over and Engine 8 was gone. I headed to Mesa Station 14 and got photos of Ladder 14. I headed down to the Mesa FD shops, but was told the shop personnel went home at 1430 hours. I met a nice woman from Minnesota (Brainerd area) was asked me if she could help. She had the apparatus list on her computer and printer me a copy.

I headed to Mesa Station 16. Just as they were about to pull the rig out for me they got an alarm for a standby at the Mesa Airport (Station 8). I tried getting photos as they pulled out, but I don’t think they were very good.. I headed back to Station 8, but the engine was still gone. I met a very nice captain in chage of the crash truck and the Air/Light unit. He pulled the air/light unit out for photos. I started my back to the motel. I stopped at Station 5 and got a shot of Engine 5. I was surprised that they also had a second engine at Station 5- Engine 2205. The sun was getting so low that it was difficult to get a good shot of Engine 5. I didn’t ask for Engine 2205 to be pulled out.

I got on the 60 Freeway headed back towards the motel when they sent a number of companies to assist Engine 283 with smoke in a commercial building at 2252 Pecos Road.. I tried glancing at the map, but had a hard time trying to find where exactly the fire was. I headed south on the 101 but found no Pecos Road exit. That’s because the freeway runs where Pecos Road should be. I had to loop north, go a major streets east and then head back west and south to get to the fire.

By the time I arrived, most companies had picked up. Engine 288 left just as I was walking up to them. I did get photos of Engine 283, Ladder 281 and Bn 2 still on the scene. I headed back to the motel, dropped off some crap and headed up to the airport to pick up my brother (flying in from SFO). His flight had been delayed almost an hour. I got near to the airport and awaited a call from his cell phone.

He called shortly after 1800 hours and I picked him up at Terminal 4. We joined my .nephew and his family for dinner and then retired to the hotel for the evening. I finally got back to the room shortly after 2200 hours.

There were at least thee other working fires that I am aware of in the Phoenix area today. One I missed altogether I saw on the TV news last night. It was a pretty good working fire in a John Deer plant on 21st and Deer Valley, way up north in Engine 36’s first-due area. The news footage of that looked pretty good. Earlier in the day Mesa had a working fire someplace in 203’s first due area. Phoenix also had a working fire at 900 S 8th Street, I assume a Haz Mat incident as they sent a lot of HM apparatus. Just after the incident came in that I went to in Chandler, Mesa had a working fire at 4616 W Main Street at 1702 hours. Not until later did I figure out that I would have been far better off just going to the Mesa fire as I was actually pretty close. Oh well.

Tomorrow the Augsburg team plays at the same field. Maybe I’ll be able to catch Mesa Engine 8 at home tomorrow. I’ll try the Mesa shops again also –there are usually a bunch of rigs in for repair and reserves parked outside the facility. I’ll try and get to a few more new stations in the Mesa area.

I’ll have to send this report tomorrow morning,as I’m about to fall off…. It is now tomorrow morning (today) and I still have to download the photos from yesterday. I didn’t monitor overnight as I know I’d probably not hear a thing.

That’s all for today (yesterday).

Your Roving Reporter