City of Charlotte, NC Behind the Crown, 12 May 2022

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From YouTube: Rodney Lee, Heavy Diesel Technician | Behind the Crown

Description

Fire trucks must handle rigorous driving conditions when firefighters respond to a call for service. Heavy diesel technician Rodney Lee is one of a few specialists who make sure each fire truck is up to the task. Watch the second episode of Behind the Crown to learn more about Rodney’s work in the Department of General Services.

In the Behind the Crown series, we highlight the work of the people who keep the city running. If you're interested in starting or extending a career in public service, explore opportunities with the City of Charlotte on our jobs board: https://cltgov.me/careers

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A

There's no room for we can't fix a fire truck, it can't happen. You have to fix it, there's no backing down from at all we'll get to it later. No, you have to be there. You have to get this done now, no matter what this truck's got to go.

A

My name is rodney lee. My title is heavy duty technician for the city of charlotte here: maintaining fire trucks for the city of charlotte.

A

We have to go out and do panic stops to make sure nothing's uh when you hit the brakes like that, the steering wheel, ain't trying to jerk out of your hand- or it's actually coming to a smooth stop in that panic, stop right now.

A

A typical day of work is trucks constantly breaking the city is growing and it's growing fast. These fire trucks are breaking they're breaking fast because they have the response and there's a lot of behind the scenes. A lot of people don't know about it. It takes a lot to run one of these five.

A

There's probably 120 fire trucks, equipment, wise, there's, probably up to uh seven 800 pieces of equipment that we have to maintain yearly and each truck has to come in at least twice a year.

A

My family loves what I do my grandkids, my wife. They all think it's special and what I do- and it is special I've, always seen fire truck as every little kid does, a lot of kids. They love fire trucks, they love them, and it makes me excited that. Sometimes we leave out here.

A

We have to test, drive them and my youngest girl I used to do that to her and uh and she sit in the back of truck and we rolled around the parking lot and she was just laughing like to no end so now, she's, actually a charlotte firefighter causing me. She just became a charlotte firefighter.

A

I look at each one of the firefighters as my kid. If one of those get hurt and it's due to something I've done, I feel just as responsible as anyone else. Every life is very important to me that gets in that truck and that's the way all the guys that I work with feel again. It takes a special person to be a firefighter technician.

A

You can ask any of them anything. You want to they're going to give you the same answer.

A

We're we're we're sort of weird, but we love our job and we do our job well, the firemen's that drive these trucks are just as important, but it takes us for them to be them who they are. So that's the bottom line.