LA County Fire Department Aerial
Truck 8 at the Hollywood Bowl
On a recent trip to Hollywood,
California, I decided to visit some of my favorite
historical places, including the Hollywood Bowl. Rather
than watching a concert, I just wanted to see the place
on a Sunday afternoon. Upon arrival at the parking lot,
I realized it had been almost thirty-nine years since my
last visit, on September 7, 1973.
I still have fond memories of that classic night at the
premier Hollywood venue. Some call it “The
Lost Concert”. Others Google “Elton+1973” and find
Harvey Jordan’s classic image of Elton John playing
live at the Hollywood Bowl. To this day, my
Elton John 9/7/73 T-shirt from that night is a
treasured artifact.
When
I was growing up, every boy wanted to be either a
“fireman” or a “policeman”. Today, every child,
regardless of gender can aspire to be a firefighter or a
police officer. Still, the little boy in me stopped and
stared when I saw Los Angeles County Fire Department
Truck 8, which is an immense “tillered ladder”, with
separate rear wheel steering. Also called a
tractor-drawn aerial (TDA) or hook-and-ladder truck, it
featured a turntable ladder mounted on a semi-trailer
"lorry", as the British might say.
In motion, it would have two drivers, each with separate
steering wheels for the front and rear wheels. The
fifth-wheel articulating design provides a short
turning radius and high maneuverability. Rear trailer
steering allows the “tiller driver” to negotiate tight
corners and congested streets in and around its West
Hollywood home base.
With
research, I discovered that Truck 8 is A Quint truck is
both a pumper and a ladder truck. A "Quint" has: 1. a
pump, 2. hose, 3. a water tank, 4. ground ladders, and
5. an aerial ladder. Truck 8 has a 1000-gpm pump, and
carries 300 gallons of water, and 25 gallons of foam,
delivered through a pre-piped aerial waterway. Truck 8
carries 218 ft. of ground ladders, an Amkus Rescue
System and seven air bags. With only 300 gallons of
water onboard, Truck/Quint 8 supplements available
resources rather than acting as an engine/truck
combination.
Truck 8 was immaculate, from bow to tiller. There was no
grease, grime or even dust on its traditional
high-lacquer red finish. With its pristine look, I would
not have guessed that the truck had already seen
fourteen years of service. To me, it was timeless, as
were my wishes to fight fires and save lives. Growing up
in Los Angeles in mid-century, I watched the TV show
“Rescue 8” and the later TV show, called “Emergency”.
Both shows featured
LACoFD Station 8, where Truck 8 stands ready today.
On
the front bumper of the aerial truck was a large black
and white sticker featuring the old Route 66 logo.
Seeing the distinctive logo, I recalled that nearby
Interstate I-10 (the Santa Monica Freeway) was the
replacement road for
Old-66 through Los Angeles. During a recent spate of
arson fires in and around Hollywood, Truck 8 responded
to the multiday fire-related disaster.
After recovering from my daydreams of being the tiller
driver on Truck 8, I spotted members of LACoFD Station 8
conducting a live firefighting drill in the parking lot.
As their water source, they employed Engine 8, which
operates a 1995 KME 1000-gpm engine. Wearing yellow
waterproof gear, Firefighter Darney, trained a powerful
water hose skyward, casting an arc of water gently
across the sky. On first look, it looked like a waste of
water. Stepping closer, I saw that he directed the
stream of water into the extensive landscaping
throughout the terraced parking lot.
With
the old
Pilgrimage Theater cross standing on the far
hillside and the sun at his back, the firefighter
trained the powerful stream of water back and forth
across the landscape. As he did so, the cascade of
falling water created a rainbow all around him. It was a
glorious sight on a clear winter day in the City of the
Angels. Later, I realized that
Coney the Traffic Cone had sidled up close to the
firefighter, to take in all the action.