This month, we will continue with our series of helpful hints, consisting of applications, approaches, and tactical techniques for using thermal imaging. As with anything that we do in the fire service, proficiency only happens with continuous practice.
HAZMAT
A thermal imager (TI) is a great tool to help you determine any type of product levels in containers and vessels, spills, and container leakage. Note: There may be two instances in which the TI would not be able to determine any product levels: (1) If the TI does not detect anything, the containers might be empty or filled right to the top. There needs to be air space for the TI to make any type of temperature determination. (2) The containers must be single walled and noninsulated. If they are double walled or insulated, the TI cannot detect anything. If it is inconclusive, always weigh on the side of error and caution and consider that the container is full until proven otherwise.
SIZE-UP
Most fire departments are consumed with arriving on scene and establishing a water supply. They frequently overlook the value of a TI for external size-up. When a working fire is declared, a quick glance prior to making entry may be very telling. Use a TI to help you determine the location and severity of the fire; spot thermal clues; and identify flow paths, the lowest level of burning (above or below grade), failing windows, doors, or building envelope.
Note: National Fire Protection Association 1801, Standard on Thermal Imagers for the Fire Service (2021 ed.), does not allow the use of spot temperature measurement in Basic Mode, only in Basic Plus Mode because of its inaccuracy. If your TI does display a spot temperature measurement, look at what the TI is showing you in terms of image interpretation before making any tactical decisions.
1 A 45-gallon drum with detection of product level. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)
2 Size-up indicates a hot and a cold window.
3 The TI shows yellow, orange, red, and crimson red colorization.
4 Reflectance from a burn barrel can been seen on shiny steel walls and floor.
5 A victim’s image and heat signature are detected under the bed covers.
Read more
- 59
- Article rating: No rating
Posted: Apr 7, 2025
The Cummington, Massachusetts, homemade ladder truck (Ladder 1) story is delayed. I’m taking a timeout to rant and rave. My intent was to describe how a small fire department with limited resources used a homemade rig to achieve firematic objectives. However, I made a big mistake at morning coffee showing the Raisin Squad some photos and Part 2’s outline. They beat me up for weeks. The squad’s tirade continued after several social dinner meetings with them and other mostly past-their-prime firematic players—most partaking in more than just coffee.
When a Raisin gets on a roll, others jump in for the kill regardless of the topic. It’s really fun. I’ve done it myself. When topics can’t be faulted, the messenger is attacked. Having body parts smashed over controversial articles isn’t new. I enjoy the banter, except when: “It’s opening day of duck season and you’re the duck.”
Photo 2 shows another homemade tanker on a used 1983 GMC chassis with a repurposed oil tank. Several were built like this. Most had portable pumps mounted in the rear. (Photo by Mike Boynton, courtesy of Northeast FireNews)
Disclaimer: They weren’t belittling homemade (aka repurposed) apparatus. Nor were they disparaging Cummington. They were criticizing anyone without a barn full of new apparatus. Mocking fiscally challenged departments just isn’t right. When I tried defending cash-strapped volunteers, it was my turn being the duck. The diehard bellyachers would not accept it, saying, even well-to-do departments can suffer from an unforeseen lack of funds because of the economy; fiscally responsible (damn cheap) politicians; lack of staffing; or physical disasters like floods, fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes. They think it only happens to someone else and besides—taxpayers will always foot the bill.
Younger geezers can also be a burr under the saddle. One came in the kitchen when I said Cummington’s citizens probably have no idea how much money their volunteers have saved them over the years. He declared, “Let’m raise taxes if they got no money.” I retaliated that his well-heeled department has about 7,000 people crowded into one square mile of homes and businesses. Cummington has around 800 people and covers 23 square miles of mostly forests. What are they going to do tax the trees? Their story, which is Part 2, is delayed, and in it I will defend the departments that don’t have as much money for apparatus as larger departments. Cummington’s resourcefulness is used as example.
Read more
- 55
- Article rating: No rating
Posted: Apr 7, 2025
The Tri-Village (NY) Volunteer Fire Company provides fire suppression, rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) to the three communities of Old Chatham, Chatham Center, and Malden Bridge in the Town of Chatham, Columbia County. The fire company runs most of its apparatus from its main station in Chatham Center, while one pumper responds from its Station 2 in Malden Bridge.
Tri-Village was seeking a replacement for a 2009 pumper that it sold to the Albany Area (OH) Volunteer Fire Department and decided to look for a demo or stock unit to shorten up the delivery time of the new rig. “We formed a truck committee and quickly determined that we didn’t have the time to wait for a long build time, which meant going with a demo or a unit already on a production line,” says Chief Rick DeGroff Jr. “We also wanted a top-mount pumper because we didn’t like having our pump operator on the ground when near a roadway, and having a top-mount pumper gives an extra set of eyes to an incident commander at structure fires and motor vehicle accidents.”
The Tri-Village (NY) Volunteer Fire Company purchased this KME top-mount pumper built on a K-180 cab and chassis with seating for six firefighters. (Photos 1-4 courtesy of Tri-Village Volunteer Fire Company)
DeGroff notes that the truck committee touched base with several vendors and learned that two dealers had demo units going onto their respective production lines. “We went with KME because we wanted a Cummins engine, which the KME pumper had,” he says. “As it turned out, the KME pumper had everything that we were looking for and we were able to get the pumper six months after we signed the contract.”
Marc Mazza, vice president of fire apparatus and EMS sales for Bulldog Fire Apparatus, who sold the pumper to Tri-Village, says the rig is built on a KME K-180 cab and chassis with seating for six firefighters, five of them in H.O. Bostrom Zip Clean seats with Duraware® Plus zip-off seat covers and IMMI SmartDock® self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) brackets. He adds that the pumper is powered by a 500-horsepower (hp) X12 Cummins engine, and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission, and has a wheelbase of 206 inches, an overall length of 33 feet 6 inches, and an overall height of 9 feet 8 inches.
Read more
- 48
- Article rating: No rating
Posted: Apr 7, 2025
MIDWEST FIRE—Slanesville (WV) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company pumper-tanker. Freightliner M2 106 gab and chassis; Cummins L9 360-hp engine; Hale MBP 1,000-gallon PTO pump; APR polypropylene water tank; three Newton stainless steel dump valves; stainless steel “Tip Down” portable tank carrier; All-Poly™ construction. Dealer: Scott Boll, Midwest Fire, Luverne, MN. (Photo by Dennis Sharpe)
PREVIOUS PHOTO OF THE DAY >>
MORE FIRE APPARATUS ARTICLES >>
The post Fire Apparatus of the Day: April 7, 2025 appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.
Read more
- 52
- Article rating: No rating
Posted: Apr 6, 2025
MANSFIELD — The town of Mansfield has moved paid fire staff from Fire Station 107 to Station 207 Four Corners. Fire Station 107 is located at 879 Stafford Road (Route 32) in Storrs Mansfield.
According to Fire Chief John Roache, the station, trucks and apparatus will remain the same.
“It’s just not going to be staffed quite the same. It will be volunteers. We know there are events for UConn basketball, graduations and spring, and we bring in extra staff anyway. We’ll definitely use this facility during that time,” Roache said.
© 2025 The Chronicle (Willimantic, Conn.). Visit www.thechronicle.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The post Mansfield (CT) Fire Staff Moved to Four Corners Station appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.
Read more
- 62
- Article rating: No rating