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By Eli Dupslaff

It goes without saying that every town is different, and with that, the needs that emergency services must meet differ greatly. The importance of a fire apparatus that meets those needs cannot be understated.

The Fairview (NY) Fire District protects 4.5 square miles in the cities of Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park along the Hudson River in upstate New York. Its service area features steep grades, areas without hydrants, and a high concentration of garden-style apartment buildings. Last year, the district took delivery of its new Ladder 1, which was custom built to address these challenges after an extensive planning process.

Deputy Chief Robert Ridley shares some insight into how Fairview approached customizing and spec’ing a new apparatus. Ridley has been in the fire service for 25 years and has been with the district since 2007. Before helping spec its new ladder, Ridley was involved with the build process for one of the department’s engines and two ambulances.

FORMING A TRUCK COMMITTEE

Traditionally, when Fairview needed a new apparatus, a committee was formed without an apparatus replacement strategy—a pattern Ridley wants to disrupt. “One of the directives that I’ve started as a deputy chief is to actually form a committee on an apparatus replacement plan because it’s an area where we had a weakness, strategically planning,” he explains. Since the apparatus market is changing, a once-in-a-while committee with no continuity is not beneficial to his department’s future. There are multiple aspects that must be considered before a purchase is even in the cards. “We want to make sure that our people understand that it’s not just like, ‘OK, we’re going to build a ladder truck, cool, this is fun.’ But, here’s where the money is coming from, and these are the grants that we have to look out for,” he says. Ridley explains that Fairview was able to purchase its new ladder with help from a State and Municipal Facilities (SAM) grant and New York State Assemblywoman Didi Barrett.

1 Fairview Fire District’s Ladder 1 set up on a downhill grade. (Photos courtesy of Robert Ridley.)

Eight years ago, the fire commissioners for the district, who follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines for the lifespan of apparatus (15 years for engines and 20 for ladders), formed an apparatus committee to replace the district’s aging ladder truck—a process that was not always smooth. “It was a huge committee at first, which wasn’t beneficial because there were so many hands in the pot,” Ridley says. “Through attrition, we were able to get the committee down to three people, working with oversight from the chief and a commissioner, and we were able to move forward and get things done.” Ridley says he values objectivity, a level head, and mechanical aptitude in the members of a truck committee. “For fire apparatus design in general, you have to look at the needs of the citizens you’re serving and what you need that piece of apparatus to do. A lot of times, especially in the fire service, people become emotionally attached to an item or a product. You cannot be emotionally attached to what you’re purchasing. You can be emotionally attached to the job because you want to be dedicated to delivering the best service. You want to make sure that whatever you’re designing will be able to save a life,” Ridley explains. “The apparatus needs to stabilize an incident and protect property. A member has to have a level head and be able to take the emotions out of it.”

Having someone with a strong mechanical aptitude is important to the department as well. With the unique challenges in the department’s service area, c

LYDIA SNOW
Elko Daily Free Press, Nev.
(TNS)

DEETH — The new Deeth Volunteer Fire Department building is under construction.

“We’re hoping that we can get it done by June 30th,” Deeth Volunteer Fire Chief Dale Lotspeich said. He said it depends on digging a well in time.

Roomy interior

The new Deeth fire station will be out of the floodplain, so annual flooding won’t be an issue.

“The building should be sealed up and complete probably in the next 45 days,” he said.

The station will include a Type 3 brush truck, which can also serve as a structure fire engine. It will also have a water tender.

Side view

The new Deeth Volunteer Fire Department building “should be sealed up and complete probably in the next 45 days,” Deeth Volunteer Fire Chief Dale Lotspeich said.

Further, the new building will allow the department to take on first responses from River Ranch to Welcome, Lotspeich said.

“The big feature with this station is the fact it’ll be up out of the floodplains,” meaning yearly floods will not be a concern, the chief said.

Exterior

The new Deeth fire station will be away from railroad tracks, eliminating concerns about train stoppages during calls.

It will also be away from railroad tracks, which eliminates concerns about train stoppages during calls.

© 2025 Elko Daily Free Press, Nev.. Visit www.elkodaily.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Dickinson (ND) Fire Department covers the 14-square-mile city of Dickinson from two stations with 45 full-time and part-time paid firefighters who staff three aerial ladders, one engine, and a rescue truck. The department had a 1994 Pierce aerial ladder that was due for replacement and decided to go back to Pierce for another aerial but chose a rear-mount platform instead of a straight stick.

Jared Rhode, Dickinson Fire captain and training officer, says the department’s operations division is responsible for fire suppression, motor vehicle accident (MVA) response, hazmat incident response, medical assistance calls, and technical rescue. “We also are hiring 17 more firefighters to take over advanced life support (ALS) transport for 650 square miles of Stark County and the surrounding area,” Rhode points out. The department’s fleet also has a regional hazmat response trailer, a regional response structural collapse/trench rescue trailer, a special operations trailer, and six utility vehicles.

“With the new aerial, we wanted to transition to a platform to increase our capabilities,” Rhode says. “While the tallest building in Dickinson is six stories, we also have a lot of tall grain elevators in the area, some up to 180 feet high. After we got the new Pierce platform we went to a grain elevator fire and used the tower as a standpipe at a high ledge where firefighters put out the fire on top with hand lines.”

Scott Berge, district sales representative for MacQueen Emergency Group, who sold the Pierce platform to Dickinson, says the 100-foot heavy-duty steel aerial platform is built on a Velocity cab and chassis with seating for four firefighters, three of them in Pierce PS6 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats, and is powered by a 605-horsepower (hp) Cummins X15 engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. Instead of rear-facing seats, the cab has a driver’s side compartment for the engineer’s turnout gear, and an officer’s side compartment with inside and outside access for emergency medical service (EMS) equipment.

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