According to a report from NBC5, a private citizen who was volunteering his help in fighting the Chalk Mountain Fire in Somervell County, Texas, with his “military-style fire truck” escaped serious injury after being overtaken by flames on Monday. The vehicle, however, was a total loss after the sustained fire damage.

The Somervell County Sheriff’s Office said Deputy Greg Sharp was going door-to-door to give evacuation notices, when he came across the man as he was fighting the flames with his own

Eventually, man was forced to abandon the vehicle as it was overcome by fire. He joined Sharp in his vehicle as they narrowly escaped the oncoming flames. Both escaped with just minor injuries. Sharp’s department vehicle was also damaged.

The Somervell County Sheriff’s Office said the two vehicles were the only ones to be known to have been damaged by the Chalk Mountain Fire.

As of Thursday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said the Chalk Mountain Fire has scorched 6,339 acres and is just 10% contained.

The FDNY is touting its Alternative Support Apparatus, which its members call ASAP units.

“In areas around the city where we have long sections of beach and boardwalk, we have dedicated FDNY units that can respond into these often hard to access areas to quickly treat and transport sick and injured patients. We refer to them as ASAP units, Alternative Support Apparatus.

“We are able to bring this vehicle, which has all the lifesaving equipment that a Basic Life Support ambulance would have, right to the shoreline. Currently we have these units in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens,” said FDNY Lieutenant LaToya Darden of Station 47.

“A lot of the areas of beach we cover are very wide, and often crowded. Being able to drive the ASAP unit right up to a patient with all the equipment we need to treat them benefits them greatly. Once we remove the patient off the beach or the boardwalk we then will transfer care to an Advanced Life Support or Basic Life Support Unit for transport to a local hospital. I have seen firsthand how beneficial these units are for New Yorkers and anyone who visits are beaches and boardwalks,” said FDNY EMT Andrew Ochtera of Station 47. 

FDNY ASAP Units are also used throughout the year in Times Square and at special events such as the NYC Marathon, July 4th fireworks, parades, and other events.

CAL Fire is among the agencies taking a hard look at a small, new type of apparatus that will make it easier to transport water over difficult terrain.

The FIREBX is an attachment that holds 300 gallons of water and attaches to a skid steer. The unit’s inventor told Fox 26 News his goal was to make something that was more maneuverable than a standard truck/trailer setup.

The unit can be used to put water directly onto a fire. It can also transport foam and diesel and pump directly from a body of water. The U.S. Air Force is negotiating the purchase of several units, as are several logging companies, the company says.

Firefighters with the Covington (GA) Fire Department and officials with Covington-Newton County 911 conducted a push-in ceremony to put a $1.4 million aerial in service, according to a report published by The Covington News.

The 100-foot aerial platform was built by Pierce Manufacturing, according to the report, which added that the firefighters waited 11 months for the delivery of the new apparatus.

Anthony Salamone

The Morning Call

(MCT)

Easton firefighters receive a hand-held “accountability tag” when they begin attacking a building fire or enter a collapsed structure.

It lets the department know who’s on the scene and make sure they’re all out at the end of the day, but it’s got limitations.

“There is no way to truly account for your personnel once they hand you that tag and they walk away from you,” city fire Chief Henry Hennings said.

On Thursday, Hennings led a demonstration of a device touted as providing firefighters with enhanced vision and situational awareness for any dangerous emergency calls.

It’s called LUNAR. Easton firefighters will begin to use it around mid-August, bringing it for the first time to the Lehigh Valley.

Easton will be the first community in the nation to equip all its firefighters with the device, according to Hennings and Joe Underwood, a spokesperson with manufacturer MSA Safety of Cranberry Township, Butler County.

Hennings said the LUNAR devices cost $2,600 each, with the $135,000 overall cost covered by the fire department budget, city and county assistance and a grant from the state fire commissioner’s office.

LUNAR stands for Location, Unit, Name, Assignment, Air Status and Resources Requested, according to Marc Stempka of MSA Safety. Specifically, the LUNAR is a hand-held, personal thermal imaging camera with internet connectivity and cloud network to let fire commands better monitor firefighters. It’s about the size of a TV remote and weighs less than 2 pounds. With the camera tethered to their protective suits, it offers detection and greater ability to search for a firefighter either downed by falling debris or in need of other aid, Underwood said.

When a mayday distress is called at a fire scene, the device can provide firefighters and an incident commander with information to find and rescue a fallen firefighter, he said.

“It’s a huge improvement for us,” Hennings said before a demonstration in the city’s Central Fire Station. “If you have a three-story building that collapses, officials better be able to zero in on fallen victims,” he said. “So we’re not wasting time digging into a portion of a building where we don’t know where a person is.”

Hennings said LUNAR offers a “major advantage” in tracking firefighters, beyond previous accountability tags or cameras.

Several firefighters, including Ian Insley, donned protective suits and apparatus to show the equipment’s operation. A three-year Easton firefighter who has worked at other departments, Insley said the LUNAR could be a good tool for a squad that’s faced staffing restrictions.

“The biggest thing is we’re limited in manpower,” Insley said, noting there are 10 firefighters on duty most days.

“At a working fire, the 10 guys are each doing three or four roles at any one time. So this is another tool that helps us in our jobs,” he said.

Bethlehem fire Chief Warren Achey attended the demonstration and said he hopes to learn more about the device, but liked its unique features, such as providing the distance to a downed firefighter, something thermal imaging cameras can’t do.

“First time I’ve seen it,” Achey said. “[It] definitely enhances the safety for firefighters.”

Morning Call journalist Anthony Salamone can be reached at asalamone@mcall.com.

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