By Chris Mc Loone and FA&EE Advisory Board

Every year at FDIC International, there are things that stand out to me as well as our advisory board members, and we like to share them with you as soon as we can, which ends up being the June issue.

As you read about our board’s impressions, you’ll see that there is occasional overlap, which makes it hard to write my section! But, for the most part, each recounting is unique for that advisor’s particular area of expertise.

I definitely saw an increase in the number of stock rigs on display at the show this year. Some of these were destined for road trips as soon as the show ended, some of them were already sold and would either be heading to their dealer or back to the factory for a few more finishing touches, and others were examples of a particular company’s stock fire apparatus. When you put this increase in the context of what is happening industrywide, it represents a concerted effort to provide the fire service with an alternative way to get rigs—and get them quicker and at lower costs.

We also saw a relative newcomer to the North American market, NAFFCO. On display was an aircraft rescue and fire-fighting (ARFF) apparatus (photo 1) that, according to Mohammad Al Khatibeh, head of operations, vehicles division, has already been sold to a South American fire department. NAFFCO has established a manufacturing plant in Texas and manufactures ARFF rigs and ambulances for the North American market.

Technology, as has been the case at many recent FDICs, had a significant presence at the show. From drones to electronic pump controls, new extinguishing agents for EV fires, improved firefighter tracking systems, and warning lights, technology touched just about every aspect of FDIC International 2025, particularly the NextGen Fire Rescue Tech Summit and the NextGen Fire Tech area of the Lucas Oil Experience.

What impacted me the most as I viewed various fire apparatus and products for them was the idea that much like we need to stop fighting fires like it’s 1995, we need to evolve our fire apparatus as well and build them for today’s firefighters and today’s new pump operators. Their comfort level with technology will help them do their jobs more efficiently and continue to lead our operations to successful outcomes.

Following are Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Advisor Board members’ views of what was notworth to them at FDIC International 2025.

Manufacturers Display Wide Array of Rigs at FDIC International 2025

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO

Apparatus makers showcased just about every type of fire and EMS vehicle firefighters could wish for at FDIC International 2025, with many of those rigs featuring new and improved bells and whistles.

Rosenbauer exhibited its new custom industrial foam pumper on a Commander™ cab and chassis with a Rosenbauer N200 6,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) carbon fiber pump, 1,250-gallon foam tank, Hydromatic™ direct-injection foam system, Logic Control System, RM130 4,000-gpm main deck gun, and two RM80 2,500-gpm auxiliary deck guns; a walk-around heavy rescue with nine compartments and four coffins on top for the Toledo (OH) Fire Department

Fire department members involved in specifying and purchasing fire apparatus have a new event designed specifically to get them the information they need to write their apparatus specifications without a sales pitch—the 2025 Fire Apparatus Design Symposium presented by the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers Association (FAMA). The event takes place in Orlando, Florida, from October 21 to October 24 at the Rosen Centre, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819.

Jason Witmier, FAMA’s vice president explains that the purpose of the symposium is not to sales pitch someone. Every presentation will have competing manufactures. For example, if a class would cover deck guns, deck gun suppliers would be the presenters. Attendees would not hear why one company’s deck gun is better than another or why a third one is better than the first two. They would discuss what goes into a deck gun, the latest technology built into them, and what attendees should look out for as they choose the one for their next fire apparatus. “This is truly educational, presented by the people who engineer design, test, and build these products,” Witmier says.

One course, he says, covers 2027 engines that must comply with updated EPA regulations. In this case, Chris Crowel, of Cummins, will present on what the EPA changes mean in 2027, and he’ll be working with representatives from cab and chassis manufacturers to cover how these changes will affect the space inside the cab, what the heat rejection will be like, if purchasers will lose space for driver and officer seats, or if the cab will grow in size. “These are the types of questions everyone’s been asking for months now,” says Witmier. “By the time we present this, we should have some facts to put in front of people and really get the word out on exactly how you’re effected going forward.”

Other topics include specification writing to discuss what’s changed in writing a spec and what’s changed in precons. It also covers what apparatus purchasing committees (APCs) should be considering to ensure they are getting their specs right. “So many people want to write a spec based on what they did 15 or 20 years ago,” says Witmier. “In the past, you could almost spec one truck and go to precon and come out with a completely different truck, for maybe a few dollars more. You can’t do that anymore. If I order a truck on July 1, 2025, Part A is $1,000, and Part B is $900. When I go to precon two years later, I’ll want to go with that cheaper part. Even though it’s less expensive, there’s been inflation over two years and that part’s price has gone up. So, it is absolutely critical that fire departments write the right way from the start.” He adds, “You don’t have a second shot at it these days. You have to get it right the first time.”

It’s About Connections

Besides providing attendees with the information they need to buy a rig the day they get home, the 2025 Fire Apparatus Design Symposium is an opportunity for purchasers to connect with each other and various industry suppliers. To that end, vendors will have the opportunity to discuss their products with attendees, but not through a full-blown exhibition. No apparatus will be on display. Each vendor can set up at a table, with or without products, but Witmier asserts that it’s more about connections and peer networking so when purchasers need to write their specs, they have details about a particular part and the connection to contact for more information.

Attendees

Target attendees include chiefs, APC members, mechanic

An ambulance responding with lights and sirens rolled over near Elliott Hospital in Manchester Wednesday just before noon after colliding with another vehicle at an intersection.

The ambulance had two medics trapped inside the accident on Tarrytown Road. They were rescued through the windshield and taken to the hospital for evaluation. No patients were aboard the ambulance at the time, WMUR reports.

Shortly afterward, a police cruiser en route to that crash was involved in a separate collision at Valley and Jewett streets. The officer and two occupants of the other vehicle were transported to the hospital for treatment.

Later in the day, a Manchester fire truck was involved in a third crash with a car near the intersection of Merrimack and Chestnut streets.

All three incidents are currently under investigation.

Visit WMUR for more.

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The Crown Point (IN) Fire Department provides fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) response to a suburban city of 40,000 residents from a single station staffed by 52 paid firefighter/paramedics running an engine, an aerial ladder, and three advanced life support (ALS) ambulances. The department has been a Pierce Manufacturing customer for more than 30 years, so when it needed to replace a 17-year-old Pierce pumper, it naturally turned again to Pierce for a new rig.

“We have been adding more staff, so we changed how our rigs were designed in terms of carrying equipment,” Mark Baumgardner Jr., Crown Point’s fire chief says. “With the advent of battery-powered hydraulic tools, there is no need for hydraulic reels and hoses and pumps, which opens up a lot of compartment space on an engine. We wanted a new rig with high compartments on both sides and coffin compartments on top to give us the maximum amount of storage space for equipment.”

Ken Sebo, Pierce’s pumper business development manager, says Pierce built a rescue-pumper for Crown Point on a Velocity® cab and chassis with seating for four firefighters, three of them in Pierce PS6 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats, powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 engine and Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission, with a TAK-4® independent front suspension and an air ride rear suspension.

Sebo says the Crown Point rescue-pumper has a Pierce PUC™ 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a UPF Poly® 750-gallon water tank, a HAAS Alert collision avoidance system, and a Clearsky Intelligence™ Connectivity Solutions network. Wheelbase on the rig is 209 inches, overall length is 34 feet 6 inches, and overall height is 10 feet 10 inches.

Dave Polkow, apparatus sales representative for MacQueen Emergency Group, who sold the rescue-pumper to Crown Point, points out that the rig has two 200-foot crosslays of 1¾-inch hose, one 200-foot crosslay of 2½-inch hose, 200 feet of 2½-inch hose dead lay, and four slots for pike pole storage that are protected behind a roll-up door. The rig also has 150 feet of 1¾-inch hose in a compartment in the 22-inch extended front bumper, a Task Force Tips Crossfire deck gun, and a Hannay electric hose reel

Anne Arundel County Fire Department held a christening ceremony for its two new state-of-the-art 50-foot Defiant fire boats Tuesday, June 10, at Sandy Point State Park.

The milestone event marked the addition of these critical emergency response vessels to the department’s marine division, enhancing emergency operations on the waterways of Anne Arundel County.

The ceremony included remarks by County Executive Steuart Pittman and Fire Chief Trisha Wolford, followed by the unveiling of the names of both vessels, a toast to safe voyages, and finally, the christening for good luck.

The fire boats’ names were officially announced as Miss Avalon, operating out of Avalon Shores in southern Anne Arundel County, and Klas-y Lady, a take on the name of Chief Harry Klasmeier, the county’s first and longest serving fire chief, chesapeakebaymagazine.com reported. Klas-y Lady will work out of Cape St. Claire. Members of the public and the fire department had input on the vessels’ names.

The twin vessels, Metal Shark Defiant NXT Monohull Pilothouse fire boats, were made in Louisiana.

The water pumping volume is 8,500 gallons per minute, making them more powerful for knocking down flames on a boat, or at a marina or waterfront home, the report said.

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