How Hard It Is To Drive A Firetruck 

*In NYC it's gotta be a pain in the ass to drive one*

This is why we should be grateful for these men who are dedicated to protecting us

1:19 how are you supposed to read “keep 200 feet back” from 200 feet away

I just play GTA 4 Same thing

i can't be the only one that lovesssss the sound of a fire truck starting or revving

I remember learning from an old timer almost 40 years ago about driving tractor trailer in the streets of Boston and New York City and one of his saying has always stuck with me to this day: “Anybody can drive a car in a straight line but to do this job you’ve got to bring your A game every day” I recently retired from driving everything you can imagine after 37 years and 3 plus million miles and I say Bravo to the men and women who drive fire apparatus in the cities You have much more patience than God ever have me

1:52 Randall's Island is between Island of Manhattan and Queens (not Brooklyn) and is considered to be a part of the borough of Manhattan

One of the best videos ive seen. Most are completely over hyped and quick, but this one states the facts, and does it calmly. Great work.

*Instead of your mom's Ford focus*

How hard is it to start a fire?

0:49 LITTERLY

That's indeed a huge difference between American and German fire departments: keeping the crews of Engines and Aerials apart ... here the fire-fighters are cross-trained on every standard apparatus and then a selected special operations units. Depending on the department they might staff several different units at the same time. And every few weeks they switch their position on their "primariy" truck, thus e.g. they might be primarily on the Engine for some weeks and then on the Tower Ladder the next weeks

I can drive one with confidence, but backing it up into the bay is a whole other story!

Randalls island is not between Manhattan and Brooklyn. It’s between Manhattan and Queens. Smh

The narrators voice makes me sleepy 😴

Have you ever heard of a Semi?

We don’t appreciate fire fighters enough

I'll be joining the firefighter academy next year and I CAN'T WAIT!! :)

8 minute time limit for the course: Forward and reverse Forward and reverse serpentine Diminishing lane Lane change at speed Parallel park 3 point turn Back up A proficient driver can get it done in 3-4 minutes

(her) honks horn and is frightened (me) honks horn and is exicted

engine, quint, tiller, ladder, ambulance, suv/battalion/field/division/supervisor.

The public thinks it's easy to do that. They're wrong on all counts. This is a good video for all beginners. And should be taught in driver's Ed.

I think everyone in the US should be required to learn how to drive a big heavy truck to get their license. I think a lot of things would change on the road if we did that.

1:09 if i was 4 all those diecast firetrucks would've been hidden under mh bed

As a firefighter, this video made me cringe on multiple levels. lol

Depends to some degree, response, return and learn the feel of each rig. I found it's something we all wanted to do and we learned

I’d imagine it’s not hard it’s a straight truck. However driving down the road with lights and sirens is something I don’t think I’d want to do . Then again I’m a cdl driver already so that makes it a little easier. God bless you men and women and law enforcement also.

As a volunteer firefighter, i love to drive the fire engine. Lucky for me I live in a rural town, so the driving is easier compared to NYC I imagine.

I drive tow trucks. Same concept, my flatbed probably a little less that 43 ft though. Make sure your rear tire is a little past whatever your trying to turn by. Simple concept now execute it in a fire truck and remember you have overhang past the last rear axle so the end of the truck also whips out a bit. i.e. a narrow street with cars parked on both sides the end of the truck can clip a cab and it'll take it straight out lol.

My cousin is a chauffeur in his Brooklyn firehouse he says it’s the greatest seat in the house. Gotta be a senior man though to get that position but he loves it

Thank yous all who help saves lives...

Would love to see more bloopers and the reporter give the trucks a drive! Nice video!

My grandfather drove fire trucks and now his son, my Uncle Brian, drives them.

I remember doing the same obstacle course backwards in an ambulance to see who was the best. Took EVOC in the engine…would have been fun!

As an FDNY Buff this is actually interesting

Here in the UK, you first have have a minimum of 3 years driving experience and obtain a Category C1 license which costs around £3000, then you’ll do a few test drives in the training yard annd then go out on the road for your blue light run tests 😊

They forgot to mention the added challenges of motorcycles, bikes etc. also gfood carts, outdoor dining.

We don’t really do “calculations”. We go by what the members in the burning building say. Cause we aren’t in there. That’s my department but every department is different.

Dominique Torreto would have nailed it in 5secs

Thank you for this, I really wanted to know.

_Look ma no hands_

ooh i want all of those models

I like fdny cars and sirene. Im from Hungary

Respect these men and women

Now imagine the ladder truck with the trailer

"The person behind the wheel will appreciate it." Oh you have no idea how much..

1:06 OMG the models of fire truck in his back i want to play with it

practice is all it takes. That's why so many people can do it.

I drove a fire truck from spring 1986 till end of July 2017 in suburban Chicago I hated when people failed to pull over for us when we had our lights and sirens

These guys got my respect though driving that beast in NY lol

0:31 oh I’d have a blast with that

New york city is diabolical. I drive a ready mix truck. Easy day except for hills. Sometimes i get sent to portland Oregon. It sucks there. Id take these mountain back roads any day

1:55 correction: Randall's Island is between Manhattan and the Bronx, not Brooklyn. For some reason, a lot of non NY people mix up Brooklyn and the Bronx.

my mom acctually has ford focus

TEEX written course was pretty much common sense scenarios with some laws thrown in their such as (with du regard) and siren use. Driving course was awesome in the engine.

It’s between Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx not Brooklyn. The “driver” of the Engine is called a MPO. Motor Pump Operator.

In our department the person sitting behind the driver connects to the hydrant and the driver moves to control the pump so we can get water on the fire and not wait to hook up to a hydrant first

Which emergency vehicles is the best A.fire truck B.ambulance C.police car D.tow truck

Since when is Randalls island btwn Bronx and Brooklyn? I thought it was the Bronx and Queens.. I remember doing lovely bbq's with my family there b4 it was all baseball fields, skipping rocks on the water with my mom and sister. I miss the old Randalls but change was due.

Try driving a 60 foot transit bus with a incredibly tight schedule, oh ya your moving all right. 40 foot bus is the same. But I understand driving a fire truck can and is very difficult at times as well.

Crash course on what EVOC III and DPO is like huh? EVOC = emergency vehicle operation, there are three levels to it. 1 are police cars and other small vehicles, 2 is ambulance operation, 3 is fire truck operations. DPO is driver pump operator, which is required for anyone to drive the truck as they are the ones supplying the water. If you only have EVOC, technically you can't drive the truck while on duty until you have DPO.

My uncle drives one in NYC

Hell everyone trains on the rock. We were at the Parks enforcement academy down the road from the FDNY academy. Almost right across from the soccer field.

Next up. Driving a Caterpillar 797 off highway dump truck down a 3 lane highway with out heaving the road if you turn or come to an abrupt stop.

Great report

Brooklyn is a far ways from Randall's Island. Its between QUEENS & Manhattan.

Learning to drive and maneuver is only a part of the equation, acquired skill (calming the adrenaline) and patience are definitely needed in and around NYC. Depending on the location of the station, it might be months or years to become a good "CHAUFFER"!

Firetrucks and big vehicles what are the most obvious difference? *Spelling*

lol "does it have a horn?" uhhh its a fire truck haha

“Engine truck”

I would pick being a chauffeur of an Engine every time

just remember FDNY is the exception, not the standard.. not all volunteers get this good of training

1:08 OMG it’s Michael Jackson lol

O.O 1:07 that's a lot of small FDNY Trucks

I'm gonna say... Is that a UPS truck making a left turn?

1:18 keep back 200 feet!??? Thats like 60 meters

To elaborate on engine classification: Terms vary from region to region, having dealt with sales of emergency vehicles in my area this is what we used. The term fire engine is a generic term, used to describe any vehicle belonging to a fire department (Yes including ambulances). The technical terms are these: Rescue Pumper - An apparatus/appliance designed to carry and dispense water for fighting the fire while carrying equipment for performing rescue procedures. wildland/Field Pumper - A truck generally built on a commercial chassis designed to fight fires in wildland and farm areas. Generally, they have the capability of pumping water as they drive. Tanker/Tender - This truck is designed to carry large amounts of water and/or foam to sites that have limited water access. Rescue - This truck is specially designed to carry a wider array of tools than a rescue pumper for rescue procedures. Mass Casualty Unit - A specialized unit designed to carry tools and/or facilitate certain functions during mass casualty incidents such as terrorist attacks, multi-vehicle accidents, and natural disasters. Hazmat - A vehicle that is equipped with the tools and gear required for scenarios where hazardous items I.E: Radioactive waste, oil, biohazardous contaminants etc.. are at play. Mobile Command Unit - A vehicle designed for use in situations where onsite communications and command posts are necessary. This list doesn't include EMS vehicles as primarily I am wanting to talk about what most people think of when they think "fire engine". Another thing that is not as talked about but is crucial to departments purchasing new rolling stock is the chassis. Terms vary again so speaking from where I live there are two types: Custom and Commercial. Commercial refers to any chassis that is pre-made, these being your pickups, mid-duties and semis. They are cheaper to purchase but aren't fully specialized as a custom. Custom refers to the purpose-built chassis made especially for firefighting, while purpose-built and fitted for the task these tend to cost more than a commercial chassis thus are not as common among smaller departments. Now feel free to add on to this an discuss differences, I just felt like explaining a bit from my perspective on the matter of emergency vehicle classifications.

*Points at Otis' Cane* I'm so glad you're back, Stella was a really bad driver. Does anyone here watch Chicago Fire?

Parallel parking an 18 wheeler is a challenge

Fun fact: fire trucks usually have north of 500 HP sometimes 600

Great video

I've seen most of these videos elsewhere and they weren't sped up to look cartoonish

Its just like driving a rigid lorry

Cool video

Does every firefighter drive one or do they have specific people driving it?

FD NY if you are a truck driver for the FD NY you gotta have some skills and control over anger and frustration

I WANT THOSE FIRE TRUCK MODELS IN THE GUYS OFFICE;-;

i drive a class b epoxy truck which is about the same length. I promise you trucks are not as intimidating as they look Id reccomend anybody to get their commercial drivers license

My uncle is apart of Rescue 1

Just ask Angry Cops. That’s it.

*FDNY* 2003 SEAGRAVE AND KME

That first one isn't as easy as you would think especially when they final gate gives you about 2" on each side.

I live in East harlem right near Randall’s island it is not nowhere near Brooklyn randalls Island is between Manhattan and Queens

Man, I miss driving the rigs. Now it’s an ambulance 😩

Try parking a combine

Been there done that....I miss my ladder truck.

Learn difference between the engine and the truck

I really hope they also get teaches how to drive through traffic, and not just in a simulator

3:09 what happened to the headlights

I've seen videos of rescue 1 of the driver hauling through parked cars all the while not looking like he slows down much of any. And there wasn't much room left between him and the cars on either side of the truck