The Sidney (NY) Fire Department had a 1980 tanker with no pump that Chief John Gilmore says, “was getting old and tired and needed to be replaced.” When the department also considered that it had a 12-year old pumper sitting in the barn most of the time because of low staffing issues, it decided to replace that rig, too.

“We had a 1989 tanker on a commercial chassis with a 1,400-gallon water tank and no pump,” observes Gilmore. “And, we also had a 2014 pumper with a 1,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump and a 1,000-gallon water tank that was not used very much because of low (staffing) issues. We decided to combine replacement of the two vehicles into a single new apparatus, worked on the specs, and came up with a pumper-tanker that could be handled by two firefighters, and also reduce our fleet by one truck.”

The Sidney Fire Department has 50 volunteer firefighters responding out of a single station protecting the 5,000 residents of the village of Sidney, parts of the town of Sidney in Delaware County, and the town of Unadilla in Otsego County, Gilmore says.

Sidney’s other apparatus include two pumpers with 1,500-gpm pumps and 750-gallon water tanks, an 85-foot aerial platform with a 1,500-gpm pump and a 300-gallon water tank, an F-550 brush truck outfitted with a skid unit, and an F-350 utility truck that’s used for rope rescue work and rapid intervention team (RIT) response.

“We wanted to stay with a single-axle truck, maintain at least a 1,250-gpm pump, and a 2,000-gallon water tank so that the new vehicle would not change our Insurance Services Office rating of ISO 3,” Gilmore says. “The village has a hydrant system, but outside the village we have to bring water, head to the rivers, or find private sites for water sources, so this new rig would be primarily a tanker for us.”

Philip Vander Molen, president of Vander Molen Fire Apparatus Sales & Service, who sold the rig to Sidney Fire Department, says the pumper-tanker was built by Fort Garry Fire Trucks on a Freightliner M2 112 t

Monitor and nozzle makers continue to improve nozzles made specifically to pair with monitors to give firefighters choices when it comes to the best possible master stream to use on a fire.

Ken Howenstine, senior regional sales manager for IDEX Fire & Safety, says that the SaberMaster™ electric master stream nozzle is the most popular nozzle Akron Brass makes for its StreamMaster II Style 3480 and DeckMaster Style 3440 electric series monitors. Howenstine points out that the SaberMaster nozzle allows the operator to change from solid core to fog flow streams with the flip of a switch. “SaberMaster reduces the risk of injury by not having to climb onto the deck to change tips,” he notes. “The nozzle’s built- in Stream Shaper is perfect for compressed air foam systems (CAFS) and has tip sizes of 2 inches, 1 3/8 inches, and 1 1/2 inches.”

Akron Brass’s second most popular nozzle for use on monitors is the Akromatic 1000 hydraulic master stream nozzle, Howenstine says. The hydraulically actuated nozzle is designed for flows from 350 gallons per minute (gpm) to 1,000 gpm operating at 100 pounds-per- square-inch (psi) pressure, he says. Akron Brass also makes an Akromatic hydraulic master stream nozzle in a brass version with a manual pattern control and in an electric-controlled version in a 2,000-gpm size. Both Akromatic nozzle styles can be used on the StreamMaster II monitor.

Howenstein points out that the StreamMaster II monitor and its nozzle can be integrated into IDEX’s SAM™ waterflow control system, where the monitor and nozzle can be run from a SAM control device, which also controls the vehicle’s pump, water tank, intakes, and discharges.

1 Akron Brass makes the SaberMaster electric master stream nozzle for its StreamMaster II and DeckMaster monitors. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of IDEX Fire & Safety.)

2 The Akron Brass FireFox nozzle is available in three styles and flows.

3 Safe Fleet’s Elkhart Brass division makes the X-Stream series of nozzles shown here flowing water through a Cobra monitor. (Photos 3-4 courtesy ofSafe Fleet.)

4 This Elkhart Brass 6000 series nozzle is operating on a Sidewinder monitor.

5 TFT makes the Master Stream automatic nozzle with a 2,000- gpm flow that is remote controlled. (Photos 5-6 courtesy of Task Force Tips.)

6 The TFT Master Stream Vortex can be attached to a monitor behind stacked tips to allow a transition from solid stream to fog pattern.

Akron Brass makes three styles of FireFox™ nozzles for its FireFox monitor, Howenstein notes. Style 3293 is a low-flow adjustable electric fog nozzle flowing 30, 60, 95, and 125 gpm; Style 3293 midflow is an adjustable electric fog nozzle flowing 125, 175, 250, and 300 gpm; while the Style 3293 fixed or

Paul Feely
The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
(TNS)

A child in critical condition being rushed to a hospital in an ambulance had to be transferred into another emergency vehicle after the ambulance they were in was hit by a car Monday morning in Durham, police said.

At 9:13 a.m., local police responded to reports of a motor vehicle crash involving a McGregor Memorial EMS ambulance at the intersection of Madbury Road and Route 4.

According to Durham police, at the time of the crash the McGregor ambulance was transporting a critical pediatric patient from a separate medical aid call to an area hospital.

Ambulance crash

A child in critical condition being rushed to a hospital in an ambulance had to be transferred into another emergency vehicle after the ambulance they were in was hit by a car Monday morning in Durham, police said.

Durham Police said the ambulance, driven by John Hall, 25, of Lee, was traveling north on Madbury Road and crossing the Route 4 intersection, when it was hit in the left rear wheel by a Subaru driven by Greg Aguera, 62, of Makawao, Hawaii.

“At the time of the crash, the ambulance had emergency lights and sirens activated,” Durham Police said in a statement.

The child in the back of the ambulance was transferred to another McGregor ambulance for transport to the hospital.

The patient suffered no new injuries in the crash, police said, and no one else was injured in either vehicle.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information, recordings, or who witnessed the crash this crash, contact Durham Police Officer Chloe Scott, cscott@ci.durham.nh.us, or at 603-868-2324.

© 2025 The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.). Visit www.unionleader.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Two firefighters with Central Surry (NC) Volunteer Fire Department were injured after a fire apparatus overturned Monday, wxii12.com reported.

The accident happened around 10 a.m. on Prison Camp Road as the crew was responding to a call, the report said.

Both firefighters were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the report. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

It’s not clear what caused the fire apparatus to overturn.

The post Two NC Firefighters Injured When Fire Apparatus Overturns appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

South Metro Fire Rescue enhanced its dive rescue operations with the deployment of Dive 19, a Helie Freightliner rescue apparatus paired with a 21-foot Boston Whaler dive boat, the department said on social media recently.

This new unit replaces Dive 16, which will now serve in a logistics role to support department-wide operations. Dive 19 is now stationed at Station 19 off Wadsworth Boulevard, placing it directly across from Chatfield State Park and enabling faster response times during critical water emergencies.

Key highlights:

• Dual dive teams (Dive 31 and Dive 19) with shared personnel and coverage of both Chatfield and Cherry Creek Reservoirs
• Enhanced sonar and dive capabilities for quicker victim location
• Years of research, procurement, and training culminated in today’s readiness.
• Community-driven investment in safety, based on strong citizen feedback.
• Our dive teams undergo rigorous training and use best-in-class tools to respond quickly and effectively when seconds matter.

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