Stockton Fire Looses A Truck

The City of Stockton slashed Truck 4 which is not an Engine, but is the big long trucks that are driven by two people. Truck's are not front line, what I mean by this, is that they do not respond to medical calls or some of the other things, that engine's normally handle. However, for example:Company 4 is stationed right at the edge of Delta Community College, near Robin Hood at Pacific; this was a strategic spot for the placement of a Truck. Truck 4 could handle calls on both University of the Pacific, Delta College, Both Malls, and the busy intersections of March Lane, Pacific Lane, El Dorado at March(considered a highspeed intersection), and many in an area where there is a lot of traffic, people, and some residential, but mostly commercial property. There basic response area was all of Pacific Lane, March Lane, El Dorado, a very large part of northern Stockton. The closing of this particular truck to me a disservice to the citizens of Stockton.

Truck 4 was auto dispatched to all structure or building fires, rescues(persons trapped, pinned in, vehicle accidents with reported people trapped), only the trucks carry the rescue gear for auto accidents the require the use of the jaws of life, cribbing, shears, the ram, inflatable air bags, all of these tools could be used where a person is pinned in their car. According to Foster City's FAQ page:

[] Fire Engines and Fire Trucks perform significantly different functions at a fire scene, they are very different. Fire engines are equipped with hoses and water so that personnel can aggressively fight the fire. Fire Trucks are like the firefighters tool box -- carrying ladders, rescue equipment and other tools to enable personnel to support firefighting activities.  Foster City FAQ

The definition or comparison from Foster City is accurate to the use of Fire "Trucks" in the City. If for example my home was to catch on fire, Truck 4 would have been the first in Truck, their job on scene would have varied. While it is the Engines primary responsibility to pull hand lines from the engine, and start attacking the fire with the water from the engines pump, the next in engine drops hose line for a hydrant to supply the first engine on scene. Having the policy of aggressively attacking the fire, the Department uses "fast attack approach", so by the first engine on scene not having to drop a line and supply its own water, seconds, minutes, are saved, with a better chance of saving life and property.


The policy or attitude towards fire trucks are no different, when the truck gets on scene of any structure or building fire, they are responsible for entering the structure to check for persons trapped,secure utilities, roof ventilation, or use of the aerial ladder water pumping capabilities on large fires.

All fire department officials have a responsibility to save life and property, but a Truck is a vital part of doing that job. Engines do not have the room to carry large ladders of different sizes,water removal pumping equipment,or large ventilation fans used to ventilate homes. An engine simply cannot carry all the tools that a Truck does, and on any rescue or fire a truck is where the gears is for basic removal or use of a large ladders to free or allow the police department to use, etc.


A truck is toolbox and has many different versatile and vital uses, that front line engines need on different emergency incidents. Now with the removal of Truck 4, the nearest Northern Truck available is at Company 7, which is located off Hammer Lane sitting before I-5, and before Thornton Road.

There used to only be three trucks:2,3, and 4, then the City Administrator's in their wisdom allowed for the addition of a fourth truck which was important, and provided better coverage of the North half of the City so that it was not Truck 4 responsibility.


Now because the City has expanded so far out North all the way to Morada, the city line sits right at the Waterloo Morada Fire Department. It will now be all of Truck 7, who will be auto dispached for almost everything North of El Dorado at March Lane, West Lane, etc. Truck 4 used to do it before, but this was before all of the development that took place in 2003-2004-2005. Response times are now going to be inevitably longer, through no fault of the department. Say for example, Truck 7 is at a rollover with a person trapped at Eight Mile and I-5, and there is a building fire that comes in while they are dedicated already to the rescue, let's say the fire is at Bear Creek High School, the next in due truck would be Truck 2 if busy, then it would roll over to Truck 3.


Each of those Trucks are assigned on the South side of the Crosstown freeway. It would be about a good 10-15 min response time if traffic was heavy or any numerous reasons, if either of the trucks were dispatched to a call North of the Crosstown it would be an extended response time. I would guess even in the best of conditions the response time would be around 9 mins at best. In a dynamical environment like any active fire it gets bigger and bigger as the seconds or minutes pass, five or six minutes can mean loosing everything with nothing left to try and salvage. To a person trapped, unconscious or in and immediate casualty, the response time could be the decisive factor in whether they live or die


I understand the City has to make tough choices, but both Police and Fire Departments should be hands off when it comes to the pivotal point where it is detrimental to the Citizens of the City. This closure may save money, but will the money ever equate to another person's life, or the loss, that comes from saving only a fraction of what the City is in the deficit for. I would think the answer would be NO, but I guess in all their wisdom down at City Hall and the City Administrator; They have taken the same approach that the Governor of this State has done, and that is take something, or from someone that simply does not or cannot do without.


To the City of Stockton Administrator or City Council the decision to the cut this vital necessary tool from the Fire Department, have done a great disservice to the people of the City of Stockton. You may think that there will be no consequences for your poor ability to manage money when we had it, or even mange a negative budget now; someday or some way this will hurt the people that when you became administrators of the City you swore to protect, and regulate with common sense.


If you ever wonder why we are always on the bad lists of things, take a look in the mirror and you will see the reasons why. It's not the crime, or other issues, it's in your lack of leadership and ability to manage this City that makes us the worst of everything.





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