Great suggestion! I have a couple of other departments in the works, but Ill add that one to the list.

👍

Yes they do. I have discussed that and will talk more about it in a couple of upcoming videos.

Yeah, I have been waiting for the new station response map. I am assuming it will update the battalions.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 OK cool deal thanks so much for letting me know! As you know by now, I really appreciate the effort you put into your channel and your video content. Keep up the great work.!⭐️🚒👨‍🚒🇺🇸

Thanks a lot 😊

I believe the BC is running out of Station 2 currently, but I am not sure about the Safety Officer.

Thanks

Thanks. The charlotte apparatus video is in the works.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 awesome thanks so much! I look forward to seeing it!⭐️🚒👨‍🚒🇺🇸

I don't have any plans to go that far south, but that doesnt mean I wont, just no plans yet.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 well nevertheless I enjoy your insights on cfd and surrounding departments…Look forward to your upcoming work!

I have a video on Charlotte's "standard" engines and ladders in progress. You should see it soon. And the City did approved three new ladders for the coming fiscal year, one for the new station 45, as well as one at 20 and 17. 17 is supposed to eventually get a tower. I'm still working on a bunch of other videos.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 cool deal sounds good buddy thanks so much for all your awesome content keep up the great work!🇺🇸⭐️🚒👨‍🚒

Thanks. Glad you like them. CFD is a great department and really growing. Lots of opportunity in the future for people interested.

@@TourgeTales you should definitely apply when your ready! They are always looking for great people! You should visit some stations sometime their firefighters are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. They also have a great KZfaq channel for the department just search Charlotte Fire Department their channel emblem is their patch.👨‍🚒🚒Best of luck to you!

Pierces are gorgeous and nice when they are brand new. Our problem in my full time department is the Cummins engines. So many problems. We have 14 pierce engines, 4 pierce aerials, 3 pierce rescues. It is a struggle to keep them in service.

@@igotJesus88 We keep sending our CAT engines to Brazil for factory rebuilds and ship them to Ensenada. We send an enclosed truck to transport them back here. I agree about Cummins.

@@NormanSilver oh wow! I can’t imagine having to do that. The main reason we keep buying pierces is because we have spartan apparatus 15 min away. They do all the pierces warranty work. Also Cummins is local.

31 CAT 3406's still running strong.@@igotJesus88

I always appreciate the input, although I try to stay away from assessing the quality or picking a favorite. That is a recipe for starting a 'comment war'. Firemen have strong feelings about their apparatus. ;-)

Skip what numbers? I am not sure what you are asking. If you are asking about 11, its because they are assigned to Station 11. Company numbers are linked to the station number.

I am not sure. I know their response area has buildings and structures that are taller than a 100'. They also have large residences that are set well off the roadway.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 I started my firefighting career in 1980 and one thing I have learned over the decades is that the vast majority of tillers are acquired simply for the status symbol. And similar can be said for most large towers.

I could do one on Mooresville. I'll put it on the list.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

I am planning to do Salisbury Fire at some point down the road. I have been working on their history, but I will need some more images to create a decent video. But hopefully, I will get that way soon.

It is a question I get a lot and and I think a lot of folks were surprised when Charlotte announced that Pierce would be supplying 7 new engines, at least 1 TDA and 3 new rear-mount aerials (including a lot of people who work for CFD). I have never heard an 'official' reason or statement for the switch. I think its just part of the move to diversify their fleet. Until a couple of years ago, Charlotte had purchased identical engines and ladders from Smeal for about 20 years. And even before that, they were purchasing standard apparatus that were set up so they could function in either role. Ladders had water/foam tanks and hoses and the engines had 40' ground ladders and in some cases, extrication equipment. The first fleet change was the addition of mid-mount platforms. They just put their fourth platform in service and have plans for a 5th (they are Smeal platforms). Then came the tillers and hazmat support engines. I think (and it is just my opinion) that the department leadership had decided to move towards specialization with their apparatus and away from rigid standardization. The department has seen some significant changes over the last couple of years beyond just its apparatus. I also think the brand change (for a lot of departments including Charlotte) is in responses to loss of competition in the apparatus industry, which has lead to big price increases. Big department's selecting a new supplier is just a way to let their current suppliers know that need to stay focused on quality, service and price if they want to keep their business. FYI, Raleigh NC FD (a long time Pierce customer) just order some Spartan/Smeal engines. I know everyone has their preference, but I am not sure any brand is that much better than another (<-- that should get some strong responses). The best way to keep the price reasonable is to have manufacturers continue to try and out bid their competition and not just 'count on' their big city customers 'automatically' purchases the same manufacturer. Once again, that is just my opinion. Thanks for the support and this might be a good topic for another video. Like my photography videos, I have found that when you start talking about brands, people really have strong opinions.

Definitely planning on stations 5, 6, 7 and 8. The older stations require a lot more work, but they are interesting. Several others are in the planning phase too.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 sounds awesome. I’m sure I will be very pleased with what you can come up with.! Thanks again for your commitment. It is truly refreshing.

Thanks. These are fun to do, although they are more work to make than I originally thought they would be. More to come.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 yes sir definitely I understand. That being said, I appreciate your level of detail in each video and don’t let it deter you from your effort in the series. I have always appreciated your channel and this series is of particular interest and one of my favorites. I definitely didn’t realize ladder 15 had served that recently at station 15. very interesting history.. I still remember when engine 64 now engine 42 ran out of station eight. There was a few double engine companies in the 70s I believe and engine 64 was from the old station three if memory serves before it relocated to Monroe Road. The old station three closed when they opened the current station 18 in West Charlotte in 1970. I don’t know how many other stations you plan to do, but I would definitely be interested in learning about some of the older ones. If you don’t mind and can find the time. Regardless, I appreciate all the content you put out and the effort you put in to the channel! If I can be of any assistance, please let me know! I would definitely like to see Stations 8, 2, 16,18, 1, 24, 26 and 27 if possible. ⭐️🚒👨‍🚒 I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.! 🇺🇸😊

I will agree Charlotte Fire has an interesting history although it can take a bit to untangle. Initially, all the double engine companies stations adopted numbers in the 20s. When the department closed the old Station 3 in the Belmont community in 1971, they moved the engine co to nearby Station 8 as a kind of concession to the Belmont Community. The old E3 became Engine 24. At that point, Station 8 was then one of 5 stations with two engine companies. The Monroe Rd station got the second engine company from Station 1 (E20) when station 3 opened a few years later (it was part of the group that included stations 19 & 20). With the opening of a Station 20, all the second engine companies were renumbered from the 20s to the 60s, so E24 became Engine 64. But that sounds like material for another video...

I would definitely enjoy a video on that topic when you get the chance. Thanks so much. I still miss Chief Hannon he was one of my favorite public safety leaders for sure!⭐️

Thanks. I am not sure about time frame for communications. I have list of ideas, and that is on the list, but I am trying to come up with some photos/videos. I would like to get into communications and see if I can get their blessing on photographing and videoing their operation. I am working on that too.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 that sounds awesome thanks so much!⭐️🚒👨‍🚒

Deputy chief Winkles is over alarm and their superintendent is Bill but unfortunately I don’t know his last name he’s fairly new to the position

I Agree. I think the key is knowing what your camera can (and cannot) do when it comes to your photography needs. And if you NEED a full frame camera, by all means - get one. But I am an advocate for spending your money wisely and getting what you need, not what you (or someone else) thinks you want.

D810 is a sweet camera. My last full frame one too. I moved to MFT, then abandoned photography 😂

That's kinda of sad ending. Hopefully it wasn't a crop sensor that drove you away from photography.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 no, I was very happy with my OM-D EM5 II. This hobby just ran its course for me. Carrying any extra amount of gear became a hassle. I have a good camera in my phone, and photography is mostly about the composition anyway.

But not more light per unit of area. The image projected onto a full-frame sensor is no brighter than a crop sensor. If the sensors are the same resolution, the individual pixel cells can be larger on a full-frame camera and thus each pixel can absorb more light. But we're seeing these super high resolution full frame sensors that get 45-60 + mp which isn't really much better than 20-30 mp crop sensors. The main advantage is that you get more detail from enlarging a larger source image. This is why larger film formats were preferred. But in the film days, it was much easier to compare film sizes because the film stock was the same. It would be easier to compare full frame and apsc sensors if they were all cut from the same sensor material and all had identical optical, electrical, and mechanical properties (ie, the same photo cell size and density).

I admit the full size sensors may have a technical advantage over APS-C sensors, but I think your Camry analogy is right on. I would like a Corvette too, but the reality is I would probably never drive even close to its full capabilities. So if I am not going to use the cars capabilities, I might as well stick with my Camry (and FYI, I do drive a Camry).

Yes, it can gather more light, however the light normalized by the size will be identical. There are two things that make Full Frame better, in my books. 1. Typically, you get higher speced sensors and lenses. If you compare Sony Full Frame and APS-C lenses, the FF lenses are of higher quality. Ok, you can mount them to an APS-C body but then you lose compactness. 2. I am mainly into landscapes and cityscapes. On a cropped sensor camera, it is often hard to find lenses that are wide enough. On the other hand, the negatives can be positives for you. With cropped sensor cameras, you can save money and space and if you are, e.g., into bird photography, you get a closer reach.

Folks need to remember that the 'crop factor' of APS-C lenses impacts the length AND aperture. That means an APS-C 50 mm f2 lens is more like 75mm f3 lens. Longer reach, but smaller aperture. So its pretty difficult for an APC-S to compete with a full frame f2-ish lens on that level. I would also agree that both Nikon and Sony APS-C lenses may not be the greatest because they have an incentive to drive you towards their full frame cameras and lenses. That's not the case for Fujifilm. Fuji glass is excellent and their lenses come in three qualities, good (XC), better (XF) and best (XF Red Badge) and they are all 'reasonably priced'.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 That's not completely accurate. I get where you're coming from, but no, technically a smaller sensor (and cropping a large image down) doesn't affect the focal length or the aperture. The properties of the lens haven't changed, only the area recording the image from it. Now, I get that there are adjustments to be made in order to get similar framing, and its these adjustments that have us taking into account our smaller sensor size when choosing focal lenths, and that shorter focal lengths and/or changing the distance to our subject affects depth of field. We really need to get out of this comparison mindset and just accept that lenses are what they are and describe their inherent optical properties as is and simply learn to feel them on different sized sensors. Because whether you're on APS-c or 35mm format, f/2 is f/2 and your exposure is the same regardless.

.... or "real photographers" only use prime lenses or shoot B&W, etc.. I remember getting a Nikon camera in the 1980s and thinking I had finally become a real photographer. Admittedly, it can be difficult to NOT get caught up in the hype for the latest and greatest thing.

Thanks. I get the attraction of the video and film sims with Fujifilm, it was important when I got my X-S10. But has i said, the film sims be came way less important has I used the camera. I don't think I wanted my new, high tech camera to give me photographs that look like ones i got in the 1980s with a film camera. But if you have the time, I found you can create your own sims or recipes to get jpegs straight from the camera that look like I want them to lok. But the post production processing is still my preference. As for videos, I use my iPhone a lot. I even bought a little hot shoe iPhone mount so I can video on my phone while taking photographs if i want.

Sorry, but that is a little out of my area. I am not familiar with that department.

I like (and use) the X-T5 a lot. The X-T5 does some things better than the old X-T1, but there is something special about the X-T1. I love its small size and every time I use it, I am so impressed with the images, especially the colors. I also really like the looks of the X-T cameras - they have a classic 35 mm film camera look - and they look good with the larger zoom lenses I typically use. I think the X-E2 would be a great 'pocket' camera with the right lens.

Im not sure, I haven't seen to the specs on the new Charlotte Pierce engines. I know Charlotte is going to the flat roofs and eliminating the 40' ladders that they currently carry, so they may be similar in appearance.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 cool thanks I appreciate you and your channel as always! Happy Easter have a great rest of your weekend!⭐️🇺🇸

Thanks. Most of the info is publicly available, if you know where to look. I use the City and Department websites, newspaper archives and a couple of great fire related sites, Legeros Fire Blog and Charlotte FD Trucks. They are great sources of information. I also know enough people who work for the area departments and they can fill in some areas or info if needed. I do have plans for videos on Charlotte's engines, ladders, towers and rescues (I already did one on their tankers). I would also like to do short videos on new apparatus whenever they go into service, if I can make that all work.

Glad you like them! stay tuned for more.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 awesome yes sir I definitely plan on it!🇺🇸👨‍🚒🚒⭐️

I would love to, but that is a little out of my area. But you never know.

Thanks.

Thank you! Will do!

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 how long have you been a photographer?

40+ years. But I only made the jump to digital about 4 years ago.

My pleasure!

I suppose there is some equipment that you should be buying new, but for most of us, used gear works great and meets all the needs.

I believe it was.

The Storm Troopers.

Got to agree. Fujifilm has cameras in several "style" options (ie., XT, XH, XS and X100V), offers lots of bang for the buck and lots of room to grow. FYI, one of the things I like about my X-S10 is the small size, but it still has a great grip. I carry my camera around (with just a wrist strap) all the time so I like to 'smaller' cameras. And just a note, before Mack trucks were built in PA, they were built in my hometown of Plainfield NJ.

Yes, Charlotte Station 11 is going to be rebuilt on the same site. The department liked the location of the station. The rebuild is schedule to start in the next couple of months and the old station will be razed and a new 4 bay, 2 story station will be built on the site of the current station. FYI, the old fire department maintenance building next to station 11 will remain. During the rebuild, Engine 11 is moving to Station 4 and Rescue 11 will go to Station 1.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 awesome thanks for the info I found out they are getting ladder 39 in June and ladder 20 sometime next year sometime. Have you ever considered doing a video on some of the old Charlotte fire stations no longer in use? I know there was several station two’s back in the day as well as a former station 10 on remount Road not too far from the current station 10 as well as a former station three off of Belmont I believe near the current station eight. I just thought it might be a cool topic to do a video on provided you can find enough information.. maybe you can come up with something cool for us. I have no doubt in your ability.. while I’m on the topic of Firestation construction. Do you know if all the newer stations are being done by the same architectural firm? Thanks so much keep for the awesome channel and wonderful content! Enjoy your evening!

I believe Station 39 is getting a ladder once Tower 27 goes into service. There have been rumors about adding a ladder at Station 20 for a while, but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. I know the Dept wants to reduce call volumes for the really busy companies (like E20), but with station 30 being relocated further into 20s area, they may wait and see what impact that has. Plus, CFD is already adding three new companies (E44, L45 and L39) in the coming year, that would be a lot of new personnel. As for the older stations, I have them on the list, however, getting images is a little challenging. But we will see.

@@wgkpublicsafetyimages9153 cool yeah I agree! The guy who runs Raleigh fire museum Mike Legeros use to have a website with old Fire Station pictures maybe y’all could do a show together who knows!⭐️🚒👨‍🚒 have a great day thanks for the information as always!

Rescue 10 is still there. Rescue 11 was originally Rescue 3. CFD moved the rescue out of Station 3 when the Ladder 29 moved to Station 3. The rumor was that R3 would go to Station 42. I'm not sure why it ultimately ended up at Station 11.