Everything has a beginning and for me and the world of blogging this is it. That means the old man is learning a few new tricks. The purpose of this blog is to discuss and promote various topics related to the Fire Department as well as aspects of my home based and directly related endeavor Rustys Rosters.
Some background first. Rustys Rosters was born in late 1999 as a "book" about the Fire Department for various localities around greater Washington DC. Each book included for its particular subject locality (Arlington County VA was the first) current station apparatus listings, other relavent info and data as well as historic info on fire department evolution. This is info I have gathered over the years and as an "obsessive compulsive know it all" am able to retain in my head and articulate to others so as to share. These books were designed as guide for those following specific localities as sort of an anything you wanted to know reference. Yes it catered to fire apparatus as well as fire service history buffs including photographers aka fire-pixers.
As these soft cover spiral bound roster books gained in popularity I began covering Alexandria, Fairfax County in Virginia, Washington DC plus Montgomery County and Prince Georges County in Maryland. Then came Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Howard County. Whew this all became a bunch of work! Somewhere along the way I also added color photos something that certainly enhanced each but also added to the cost and the work to produce them. Then as the decade of Y2K progressed, it seemed everythings especially apparatus fleets began to change at a frequency not before seen. So began a pattern -I'd get a book updated for sale, then nothing then just about the time say 5 new engines and 3 ambos are delivered come a slew of orders. The old man found himself pulling his hair out just to fill orders.
Now throw a few personnal crisies and a move to the Eastern Shore in there and it was time to move on to a different product if you will. Yes we tried the "big books" as they came to be known in 3-ring binders. We also began listing these for sale on our Ebay Store "Bayside-Boyz". This combined with direct marketing the transition went well. Still there were too many pages to have to constantly update just because a few new rigs get delivered. It was time to evolve further, so the rosters were meshed into multi-juresdictional products stapled -and for far less $$$. DC-MD Metro, NoVa Metro, Southern Maryland as they are today, printed with card stock covers and mailed. As for the historic stuff, something I have come to enjoy as much of not more than today's massive wagons and monster medics those became works of their own. Similar style books followed on Loudoun County Virginia, Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland. We ran with his format until about late 2008 when the economy tanked and sales dropped considerably. Great time for changes and enhancements.
So after a bit of a hyatus, Rustys Rosters as of August 2009 is back but this time is a bit different. Instead of printed on paper books we have instead Books on CD. These are in pdf format, the CD burned with each book and associated files of related maps and indexes. Initially, the idea was to e-mail these direct as E-Books. Ebay however does not allow this so for now we have just the CD versions. Currently available are several multi-juresdictional rosters and various history works including a new History of Washington DC and its Fire Service and a Fire Rescue Apparatus History also for Washington DC. This goes along with the ever popular and improved Fire Station History Guide for Washington DC. Others are available and in the works for other localities. The future may also bring a web site, E-books direct e-mailed and only if by popular demand the old printed on paper versions. We also expect to probably add photos at some point but thats a job unto itself. So without further ado, heres the link to our store:
We just have a all or general inventory but as the store expands new categories will follow including one specifically for Rustys Rosters. Do check back here often as we plan to ad info on our works plus other fire department and apparatus related discussions, images and the like. We will also post requests for info related to other efforts in progress like apps history on Montgomery County Maryland. Thank you all of your patronage and support and do visit often.
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