Each year firefighters and fire departments from across New Jersey gather at the shore in Wildwood for the New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention. Aside from the delegate meetings, seminars, fundraising benefits, and vendor booths, there is another draw to the show: the apparatus. The rigs displayed by numerous manufacturers were superb, as was the weather making viewing these rigs a pleasure.

Here’s a look at some of the logos and department insignias from them:

The Manteca Fire Department is proud to announce it has been awarded more than $3.4 million in federal funding through two major FEMA grant programs, marking a transformative investment in public safety and the future of emergency response in Manteca, the city said in a press release.

This milestone—made possible through the foundational support of Measure Q—represents a vital advancement in ensuring the city of Manteca continues to grow safely, sustainably, and with the resources needed to protect every resident.

The first award, a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant, provides $2,692,300.83 in funding. This grant will allow Manteca Fire to hire nine new firefighters, enabling the department to fully staff an additional fire engine each day. The increase in staffing will reduce emergency response times, improve citywide coverage, and strengthen the department’s ability to serve Manteca’s growing community.

The second award, through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, totals $718,386 and will fund the purchase of new, advanced self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). These upgraded units will provide firefighters with greater respiratory protection, longer operational duration, and improved situational awareness during hazardous operations—helping ensure that first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively.

“These federal grants, combined with the continued local support provided through Measure Q, are truly making a difference in how we serve our city,” said City Manager, Toni Lundgren. “This funding means more firefighters on the streets, faster response times, and safer conditions for both our personnel and the residents we’re sworn to protect. It’s an incredible step forward for public safety in Manteca.”

To ensure full transparency and community understanding, the rollout of additional staffing will be accompanied by a clear, public funding plan. This plan will be presented to and voted on by the Manteca City Council, providing residents with insight into how these new federal and local funds will be implemented to maximize community benefit.

The Manteca Fire Department remains committed to delivering the highest level of service to the community. With the support of Measure Q and these new FEMA grants, Manteca Fire continues to expand its capabilities, strengthen its workforce, and improve emergency response outcomes for every resident.

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The city of Burlington (WI) is auctioning off its 1996 Pierce Lance tilt-cab tandem-axel ladder truck.

Provided condition: Overall good condition. No major mechanical defects noted. Inspection completed and passed June 2025. Both lower dash lights remain on, engine has minor oil leak, hydraulic cylinder for cab tilt leaks, holes from mounted equipment removal, decals, has rust, scratches, dings, stains, rips, wear typical for age, etc. Inspection encouraged. Sold As/Is.

Details: VIN: 4P1CT02S7TA000554. Miles: 16,047. Engine Hours: 1,935. Aerial Hours: 525. Transmission: Allison HD-4060PR Automatic. Engine: Detroit 60 12.7L – DDEC-470. Fuel Type: Diesel. GVWR: 73,000 pounds. Dimensions: 47-feet long x 11-feet 7-inches height. Ladder: 100 foot. Pump Capacity: 1,500-gallons-per-minute. Water Tank Size: 220 Gallons. Generator: Onan 7.5 HP. Accessories: Features: (4) Outriggers, Scene Lighting, Air Brakes. Seller has title.

Current bid: $7,575.

Bidding ends: Nov. 5, 2025.

Click here for more information and to bid.

The post 1996 100-Foot Ladder Truck Being Auctioned Off appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Once you have achieved a level of success with lighting, cutting, and troubleshooting your torch, it may be time to move on to some new challenges, such as making relief cuts, combining torch cuts with heavy rigging, and performing “hot work” in a confined space.

Discussed here will be using a torch to slow controlled release forces such as tension and compression; doing hot work in a confined space; cutting from a man basket; creating connections in steel with a torch for the purpose of attaching rigging, shackles, and wire rope; and limiting heat transfer and fire spread.

Material Behavior/Load Path

Knowledge of how a metal is going to react to our tools is key. Grinding metal (dust) is different than cutting (chips) it. Steel is ductile (can be deformed), and iron is very brittle (will shatter when struck). Steel can be torch cut (kindling temp = 1,800°F); aluminum just melts. Understanding these differences and using them to your advantage, identifying brittle and ductile behavior, will aid you in any rescue/forcible entry assignments. These considerations are essential for performing a patient- based rescue.

1 Assume the cable is highly loaded. Like cutting a compressed object, we want a slow failure. Ideally, you cut the cable one strand at a time. Use a small sized torch tip, 00 or even a 000. (Photos by author.)

2 Making a secure connection to a steel building component can be tricky. Using a torch, we can create an opening to accept a sling or shackle and make a positive connection to stabilize the steel or move it.

3 Cut out enough steel to insert the rigging. Because of the sharp edge left from a torch cut, attach a shackle to the beam first, then add the sling to it.

Size up the load path of the work piece. Understand that when you create an opening or remove a load-bearing member, the remaining structure must continue to carry the load. You may need to add shoring/cribbing before the cut. It is likely that any object you need to cut will be loaded in several directions at once, located in different areas of the object. For example, a horizontal beam supported on its ends will be under tension on the bottom edge of itself and compression as it sags downward on the top edge.

Not unlike cutting a fallen tree with a chainsaw, at some point the saw bar gets pinched from the compressive forces in the upper part of the tree trunk. Then, as you continue downward, the trunk splits open from the tension along the bottom portion, pulling the cut apart. In this example, vertically support the log on both sides of the cut to limit the compressive forces pinching the bar.

Have a structural engineer help with sizing up these types of situations. This input will greatly increase your chances of success and the safety of everyone.

Compression

During a fire or tornado/hurri- cane or other impacts on a building, structural components will be placed outside of their normal loading. Beams can be overloaded by shifting loads and become bent and twisted. Structural parts meant to be horizontal may be vertical. It may be very difficult to determine if the steel you need to remove is predominantly in compression, tension, or both. Significant crushing stresses can lead to instabilities such as buckling or racking over sideways.

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Day 1 of the first annual FAMA Fire Apparatus Symposium featured topics on specification writing, modern electrical systems, compartmentation, foam systems, and vehicle lighting (warning and scene) with speakers representing the companies that provide these systems to the fire service. But, from the beginning, organizers stressed that they wanted the sessions to be interactive because, as David Durstine, former FAMA board member and an emcee for the event, said, the instructors are learning as much from the attendees through the interaction as the attendees are from the speakers.

The day began with Durstine and Jason Witmier, current FAMA vice president and incoming president for 2026, welcoming attendees to the symposium, explaining the format, and again encouraging interaction.

Durstine and Larry Daniels, vice president of sales for the REV Fire Group, took the stage to lead the discussion on apparatus specification. Both stressed the importance of specifying fire apparatus for your region and the mission of the rigs. Durstine related his experiences as a young firefighter on a an apparatus purchasing committee (APC) and how those experiences helped shape future committees at his fire department. For example, the first APC he was appointed to did not have any officers from the company. Future committees did. The number of people on the committee changed as well, with an important recommendation to ensure there is an odd number of people for tie breaking.

Daniels stressed defining the needs for the apparatus and engaging the end users who will be using the rigs for, in some cases, the next 25 years. Decisions made now will affect firefighters for years to come.

Daniels also said that the most important trip an APC can make is to the preconstruction meeting. That is where the rig is finalized, and that is where any other changes that need to be made to the spec—the guide the manufacturer will use—can be made before incurring costs for the changes.

Modern electrical systems were next for participants. A brief history of multiplex systems was followed by definitions for common terms and a discussion on how multiplex systems work. Communication is via the controller area network (CAN) and there are a variety of different languages that companies use to communicate via CANs. This is important because the OEM’s CAN might not always communicate with the chassis manufacturer’s CAN in the case of commercial vs. custom chassis. Important to remember is that if you spec a rig with a commercial chassis, you may have two multiplex systems: one that comes with the commercial chassis and one for the body that the OEM features.

Maintenance is one advantage of a multiplex system because these systems are easier to troubleshoot. Multiplexed systems log faults that maintenance personnel can go back to identify where a problem has occurred—especially if it is an intermittent problem.

Compartment management was the next session and representatives from a variety of equipment mounting companies and compartment design companies shared insights on what is available for fire departments to keep their equipment secure and also what NFPA 1900 requires for securing equipment. Proper distribution or equipment was also discussed as well as weight requirements by the NFPA at the time of delivery and the requirement to weight rigs every year.

Foam has gotten a lot of attention lately, so it’s natural that the Symposium offered a session that covered foam itself and the variety of systems available to deliver this foam. Not only was a background on foam and foam systems offered but also a section on troubleshooting these systems and recommendations for running them properly.

Day one wrapped up with a conversation about lighting on emergency vehicles. The control systems available for lighting have become very sophisticated and some important points include how flexi