APPARATUS: THE SHOPS

For fire departments across the country, one of the most difficult and often debated decisions is whether to continue repairing aging fire apparatus or to invest in replacements.

With budgets tight, demands high, and safety always the top priority, this choice can’t be made lightly. Knowing when to say “enough” to ongoing repairs and “yes” to new equipment is a key component of effective fleet management.

THE TRUE COST OF REPAIR

It’s common for departments to try and squeeze a few extra years out of an aging engine or ladder truck. On the surface, it might seem more cost-effective to keep repairing a vehicle that’s already paid off. However, the true cost of repair goes beyond the invoice from the maintenance shop.

Downtime is one of the most underestimated expenses. When a frontline unit is out of service—whether for days, weeks, or in extreme cases months—it forces the department to rely on reserve units, mutual aid, or delayed response. This can negatively impact service delivery and increase risk to both firefighters and the public.

Frequent breakdowns also contribute to operational fatigue. Crews lose confidence in unreliable equipment, which can affect morale and increase the stress of already difficult situations.

LIFE CYCLE CONSIDERATIONS

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that frontline apparatus be replaced after 15 years and reserve apparatus after 25 years. While some departments successfully stretch these numbers depending on call volume, it often comes with a trade-off in safety and performance.

Departments should be tracking the life cycle of each vehicle in their fleets, not just by years but by usage metrics—miles driven, engine hours, pump hours, and total repair costs. A good rule of thumb is this: If a vehicle’s annual repair costs exceed 10% of the cost of a new vehicle, it’s time to consider replacement.

SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE

Modern apparatus are built to higher safety and emissions standards. Older vehicles may lack rollover protection, air bags, electronic stability control, and clean diesel technology. This makes them more dangerous for crews and less environmentally responsible.

In addition, departments that want to remain compliant with NFPA standards or ISO rating criteria may find that maintaining outdated equipment works against them during audits or recertifications.

WHAT CAN BE FIXED AND WHAT SHOULDN’T

Not every repair signals the end of a truck’s useful life. Components like pumps, electrical systems, warning lights, and body panels can usually be serviced or replaced effectively. However, when repairs begin to affect core systems—frame integrity, suspension, drivetrain components, or the aerial structure—it may be a warning sign that you’re investing in a losing battle.

1 Replacing a fire truck is a major investment but, when made at the right time, it protects lives, improves service, and saves money in the long run. (Photo courtesy of author.)

Rust, especially in critical frame or suspension areas, can be a death sentence for older vehicles. That is one reason you should insist on some type of frame protection. Personally, I believe galvanized frame rails are superior. Similarly, persistent electrical issues in older wiring harnesses often become timeconsuming and costly to troubleshoot.

Another factor is parts availability. As manufacturers change pl

The Wallace Fire Department in Nova Scotia, Canada, provides fire and rescue services to approximately 3,100 residents in Cumberland County. The department has 35 volunteer firefighters working out of a single station. The rigs include a 2013 pumper, a 2018 Ford F-550 rescue truck, a utility pickup truck, a fire/rescue utility terrain vehicle (UTV), and a drone. The department had a 1988 pumper that it needed to replace and it chose Fort Garry Fire Trucks to build a new pumper-tanker.

Chief Tom Flynn says the department had a number of features it wanted to see on the new rig, including a commercial chassis, a top-mount pump in an enclosed cab to keep the pump operator out of the weather, a center console in the driving compartment, and a remotely-operated deck gun with an automatic extension riser.

Adam Baldwin, Fort Garry’s Maritimes/Atlantic regional manager, says the pumper-tanker that Fort Garry built for Wallace Fire is on a Freightliner M2 106 four-door 4×2 cab and chassis with seating for six firefighters, four of them in self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) rear-facing seats in the crew cab, a 5083 saltwater marine grade aluminum rescue body, a 350-horsepower (hp) 7.7-liter Detroit DD8 engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission.

He says that the wheelbase on the rig is 257 inches, overall length is 34 feet 7¾ inches, and overall height is 10 feet 7½ inches, while gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) on the rig is 38,600 pounds with a 14,600-pound front-axle rating, and a 24,000-pound rear-axle rating.

Baldwin points out that the pumper-tanker has a 1,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) Waterous CX pump, an enclosed cross-control (top-mount) pump panel with a crown enclosure, a co-polymer 1,000-gallon water tank, a 25-gallon integral foam tank, a FoamPr

Alia Pharr
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(TNS)

One late August morning, a man fell about 100 feet down a ravine near the Chattahoochee River.

The trench was in a wooded area behind an apartment complex in Cumberland. The 41-year-old man couldn’t climb out because he’d injured his hip and arm, according to Cobb Fire Department officials. But he could video call 911 to help responders find him.

It was the first time Cobb dispatch and rescue crews used live video from a 911 caller. They had some difficulty accessing the feed at first, the fire department said. But with the help of the dispatcher, bystanders and ultimately the video, rescuers found the man and pulled him out on a special stretcher known as a Stokes basket.

A rescue boat, and then an ambulance, took him to the hospital.

“The integration of video from the 911 caller into the response operations, it was extremely valuable,” said Melissa Alterio, executive director of the Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications. “The fire department is just so grateful for the assistance.”

As land lines become symbols of nostalgia, metro Atlanta’s biggest 911 dispatch centers are spending millions to switch their networks from copper wire to digital, enabling new features such as video feeds and precise location capabilities.

Georgia is lagging behind other states in adopting the new technology, known as Next Generation 911. Alongside increased staffing, it can help improve answer rates that have been dismal in some counties.

After the recent tech upgrade, Cobb’s dispatchers can see a map with the exact location of every cellphone contacting them. In addition to video calls, there is a “silent chat” feature people can use to communicate secretly with 911 during domestic violence or active shooter incidents. The new technology uses artificial intelligence to translate and transcribe foreign languages. It also connects calls to the 911 center faster.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation two years ago found thousands of emergency callers across the region were left on hold for significant periods of time when they called 911.

The 911 centers run by three of Georgia’s four most populous counties failed to meet the national standard of answering 95% of calls within 20 seconds. Of those counties, Cobb was the one that hit the mark.

Cobb dispatchers said their new technology also helps them respond more efficiently once they pick up the phone. Before the upgrade, they said, the only independent verification of a caller’s location came from the nearest cell tower.

“We had to ask the callers a bunch of questions and write it all out,” dispatcher Julianna Shetterly said one recent afternoon, after sending wreckers to an accident in Kennesaw where someone was trapped. “Location is absolutely everything.

“Even if the caller isn’t able to tell me what’s happening, if I have their location, I can get some kind of services to them.”

In Cobb, the upgrade has increased the Department of Emergency Communications’ budget by about $1 million per year.

The department plans an expansion to meet the needs of the fast-growing county, which includes Truist Park and The Battery mixed-use development.

Cobb’s 911 department has 160 positions and about 10 vacancies as of last month, Alterio said. County officials would like to hire more dispatchers and a larger technology team, but there isn’t enough space in the Marietta center.

The Cobb County Commission in August approved almost $1.6 million to buy

Joey Oliver
mlive.com
(TNS)

BAY CITY, MI – Bay City commissioners are being asked to approve a $99,615 contract with a Flint-area company to replace the failed heating system at Fire Station 1 before winter weather arrives.

City Manager Dana Muscott is recommending the city hire Goyette Mechanical of Flint for the urgent boiler replacement after the existing 51-year-old system became unserviceable. The current boiler serves as the sole source of heat for the fire station and may not function when temperatures drop, according to city documents.

The measure will appear on the budget for the Monday, Oct. 20, city commission meeting. The agenda can be found online.

Fire Station 1 was built in 1973 with the original boiler still in place until it was deactivated this past spring. Contractors told city staff that future repairs would be impossible due to the unavailability of replacement parts for the aging equipment.

The city received four sealed bids in October after posting the project on BidNet Direct in September. Proposals ranged from Goyette Mechanical’s low bid of $99,615 to a high of $255,468 from Great Lakes Air Mechanical.

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Under the city’s Responsible Contracting Ordinance, Goyette Mechanical received the highest composite score of 66 in the evaluation process. The Flint company is located at 3842 Gorey Ave.

The city had budgeted $84,000 for the fire station boiler replacement in fiscal year 2026. The remaining $15,615 will come from the Fire Services Building Maintenance Account through postponed projects or projects that come in under budget.

The replacement addresses a critical infrastructure need as Bay City prepares for colder weather when reliable heating becomes essential for fire station operations.

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Fawn Grove is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, near the Maryland border. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area, covers 33 square miles, and has a population of 12,000. The Citizens Volunteer Fire Company (VFC) is 100% volunteer and operates out of one station. Its response area includes numerous towns and villages, has a large school district, and several strip shopping centers.

Scott Dixon, chairman of the Citizens VFC truck committee that designed its newest apparatus, states, “Our response area has virtually no fire hydrants. Our firefighting operations have us drafting out of various lakes in the area. There are some areas that have 5- to 25,000-gallon cisterns that we can draw water from as well. So, our fire company has a history of drafting for the most part.”

The fire company looked at several manufacturers for the design of a new rig. “We had a fondness with International since our first fire truck was a 1937 International, and the truck that this new piece replaced was a 1987 International/Pierce. International has always given us great service, so we wanted to go with them again for the cab and chassis.”

The fire company tries to replace apparatus at the 30-year mark or close to it. The department has a capital reserve fund for apparatus that is made up of funds from the borough and township plus some fundraising the department does.

It was time to replace the 1987 rig, so the department went out to bid and received three bids for the purchase.

The committee decided to award the bid to 4 Guys Fire Trucks. “4 Guys had refurbed several of our other apparatus through the years, and we were happy with the quality of their work,” Dixon said. “Another plus was that they are also located in Pennsylvania, and it made travel easy for our committee members to visit the factory several times for inspections.”

Delivery time was just under two years. “It would have been sooner, but it took longer to get the chassis from International,” Dixon said. “The size of the new apparatus is really not much different than we had with the older rig. We just made some user-friendly adjustments such as an air prime, update to lighting, and a larger 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump.”

The new apparatus will be used primarily to establish a draft site, if needed, for operations.

The truck will also be used for brush fires as it has two booster lines with 200 feet of 1-inch hose, as well as drafting, and can be used in hilly terrain when it snows. “Some of our re