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Posted: Sep 17, 2024

Kansas City (MO) Firefighter, 10-Year Veteran, Dies in Training

A veteran firefighter-paramedic from Kansas City passed away Tuesday following a medical emergency during a training exercise.

The incident occurred around 11:45 a.m. at Station 35, a high-traffic station within the city. Despite immediate medical attention and transport to the hospital, the firefighter died around 1 p.m., KMBC reports.

The firefighter, a 10-year member of the Rescue Division, was widely recognized for his dedication.

In a statement, the Kansas City Fire Department expressed deep sorrow and extended condolences to his family and colleagues, offering support and grief counseling to department members, KMBC reports.

Visit KMBC for more.

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Posted: Sep 17, 2024

NC Fire Captain Dies After Responding to Vehicle Collision

Louisburg Fire Department Captain Thomas “Ray” Patterson, 74, died Sunday after responding to a call out for a motor vehicle collision.

The US Fire Administration reported:

On September 12, 2024, Captain Thomas Patterson responded to two emergency calls. The first response was at 1:12 p.m. to a vehicle collision. The second response was at 2:30 p.m. to a fire alarm activation. After the responses, Captain Patterson returned home where, at approximately 3:25 p.m., he was found unresponsive and passed away.

His obituary is online here.

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Posted: Sep 17, 2024

Ferrara Builds Three Smaller Pumpers for Paterson (NJ) FD Due to City Congestion

By Alan M. Petrillo

Paterson (NJ) Fire Department is experiencing a lot of congestion in the city, with tight streets loaded with parked cars on many roads, and new buildings going up with ground floor parking garages that only allow one parking space per apartment on the four upper stories, meaning more cars and trucks are spilling out onto city streets to find parking spots.

Mike Cleenput, Paterson’s deputy chief, says “With all these five story buildings, the garage overflow is going onto the streets, with vehicles parked corner to corner on every street. We’ve had a lot of hits on midship pumper compartments while making tight turns with our top-mount pumpers, and we wanted a smaller apparatus to combat those situations.” Cleenput notes the department chose Ferrara to build side-mount pumpers that would reduce the wheelbase and overall length, and provide a low hosebed to keep firefighters from having to get on top of the rig.

The Paterson pumpers each have a Hale Qmax 1,750-gpm pump, and a 750-gallon polypropylene L-shaped water tank to make a low hosebed.

Paul Christiansen, apparatus manager for Firefighter One, who sold three side-mount pumpers to Paterson, says the pumpers are built on Cinder chassis and cabs with seating for five firefighters, four of them in H.O. Bostrom self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats with SecureAll™ brackets, with an emergency medical services (EMS) cabinet behind the driver’s seat. The rigs each have a wheelbase of 188 inches, an overall length of 32 feet one inch, an overall height of 9 feet, and are powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission.

Christiansen notes that each pumper has a Ferrara extruded aluminum body, ROM roll-up compartment doors, a Hale Qmax 1,750-gallon-per-minute pump, and a 750-gallon polypropylene L-shaped water tank for a low hosebed, which, left to right, holds 200 feet of preconnected 2-1/2-inch hose, 300 feet of preconnected 1-3/4-inch hose, 800 feet of 5-inch large diameter hose (LDH), 200 feet of preconnected 1-3/4-inch hose, and 500 feet of 2-1/2-inch hose split into two preconnected 250 foot lays. There’s also one 2-1/2-inch hose crosslay over the pump panel, 200 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose in a front bumper compartment, and an Akron Brass Apollo 3426 deck gun with a StreamShaper nozzle and quad tips.

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Posted: Sep 17, 2024

FA Viewpoints | NFPA 1900 and Required Equipment

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1900, Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles, Automotive Fire Apparatus, Wildland Fire Apparatus, and Automotive Ambulances, has many changes, not the least of which is combining several apparatus standards into one. One notable change was moving most of equipment to be delivered with each new rig to the Annex and making it recommended vs. required. This month, we asked Bill Adams and Ricky Riley, “Did the NFPA make the right decision moving most equipment to the Annex and recommending it vs. requiring it on newly delivered rigs in NFPA 1900?”

Answer: Yes It Did

By Bill Adams

BILL ADAMS

In my opinion, the NFPA made an excellent decision when it moved most of the ancillary equipment requirements in NFPA 1900 to Annex A. The change makes the document a little less confusing and easier to read.

My comments are directed mainly at fire apparatus intended for structural firefighting. The history of why and when NFPA 1900 and its preceding apparatus standards as well as commercial (for-hire) insurance rating organizations developed lists of ancillary equipment is irrelevant for this discussion. It has been addressed previously (https://www.fireapparatusmagazine. com/equipment/apparatus-purchasing-iso-and-nfpa-equipment-lists/).

Removing most of the ancillary equipment requirements reinforces my conviction that NFPA 1900 and its preceding NFPA fire apparatus standards have overstepped my interpretation of the actual scope of the document.

SCOPE

Dictionaries have multiple definitions for the word “scope.” They include intention, objective, range, and purpose. Pick one of your choosing. I concur with NFPA 1900’s published definition of scope as stated in its own words, which is to describe the minimum criteria for an apparatus to transport personnel and equipment to a scene and to support the suppression of fires and mitigation of hazards after arriving on scene. (Underlining is mine for emphasis.) In my opinion, supporting fire suppression does not necessarily mean being responsible for the actual extinguishment. That is “splitting hairs” to justify a personal agenda or belief.

NFPA 1900 Chapter 7 Fire Apparatus-General Requirements (NFPA 1901/1906) section 7.1.1* Scope states: “Chapters 7 through 27 define the minimum requirements for the design, performance, and testing of new automotive fire apparatus and trailers designed to be used under emergency conditions to transport personnel and equipment and to support suppression of fires and mitigation of other hazardous situations, including wildfires.” Section 7.2.3 Purpose states: “This purpose of Chapters 7 through 27 is to specify the minimum requirements for new automotive fire apparatus and trailers that will be safe and reliable when maintained and used within design parameters.”

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

NFPA 1900 does not say its scope includes specifying the ancillary equipment a fire truck has to carry or should carry. Remember: The document specifically says to transport and support. It does not say anything about how to put out a fire, how to mitigate a hazard, or how much and what type of equipment has to be carried to accomplish the mission. Don’t read between the lines!

I wholeheartedly concur with NFPA 1900 determining what is required to ensure an apparatus can safely transport people and equipment. I have no prob

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Posted: Sep 17, 2024

The Apparatus Workshop: Setting Up Ladder Trucks for Success

In this episode of The Apparatus Workshop, Nick Wilbur and Win Slauch take ground ladder selection, platforms/towers vs. aerials, and more and roll them together to cover all the ins and outs of what it means to get a ladder truck to be operational and set up for success.

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