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Posted: May 13, 2025

Honolulu (HI) EMS Ambulance Out of Commission After Head-On Crash

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

A city ambulance responding to a 911 call this morning was hit head-on by another vehicle on Waialua Beach Road on Oahu’s North Shore, according to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services.

EMS officials said just before 9 a.m., the ambulance was headed to the call, with lights and sirens on, when it was struck head-on by a sedan.

The car driver, an 83-year-old man, allegedly attempted to pass another vehicle and crossed a double-solid line before crashing into the ambulance, EMS officials said.

Paramedics treated the man who declined transport to the hospital. A 50-year-old paramedic in the ambulance sustained minor injuries and also declined transport, EMS said.

A second EMS unit was dispatched to handle the original emergency call.

The damaged EMS vehicle is now out of service and will be replaced by.

“Honolulu EMS urges drivers to yield to emergency vehicles using lights and sirens, ” EMS officials said in a statement.

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The post Honolulu (HI) EMS Ambulance Out of Commission After Head-On Crash appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: May 13, 2025

Montgomery (AL) Unveils $19M Fire Station, the Largest in the City

Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed, the Montgomery City Council, and Montgomery Fire/Rescue officially opened Fire Station 10 Friday, May 9, 2025—marking a major milestone in the city’s ongoing Montgomery Forward initiative and reaffirming its commitment to revitalizing West Montgomery.

Located near the corner of Court Street and Fairview Avenue, Fire Station 10 is now the largest fire station in Montgomery and will directly serve residents and businesses in Districts 4 and 7. The $19 million facility is a cornerstone project of Montgomery Forward—a citywide investment plan to modernize essential infrastructure and strengthen public services in historically underserved areas.

“This fire station is more than a building—it’s a symbol of progress, safety, and equity,” said Mayor Steven L. Reed. “It will enhance emergency response times, support the growth of West Montgomery, and demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that every neighborhood receives the resources and respect it deserves.”

The state-of-the-art facility houses advanced firefighting and emergency medical response equipment, along with upgraded living quarters, training areas, and vehicle bays that support larger apparatus and quicker deployment. Fire Station 10 will serve as a regional hub for Montgomery Fire/Rescue operations and provide support across a wide coverage area.

Fire Chief Miford Jordan, who began his career with Montgomery Fire/Rescue in 1985 and became the department’s first Black Fire Chief in 2006, emphasized the station’s strategic importance and long-term impact.

“This firestation represents more than just brick and mortar. It’s a symbol of our growth, our progress, and our commitment to serve Montgomery with the very best fire and EMS service possible.” said Chief Jordan. 

Fire Station 10 is also the first fire station in the city of Montgomery to have a Safe Haven Baby Box installed. The box allows parents to anonimously and safely surrender infants. The boxes are accessible from the outside of the building with an alarm that alerts first responders that a baby has been placed inside.

“The goal is to end unsafe or illegal abandonment of infants,” said Chief Jordan. “The state of Alabama allows parents to surrender unharmed infants up to 45 days after birth.”

The opening of Fire Station 10 follows a series of community-focused investments as part of the Montgomery Forward bond initiative, including recent multi-million dollar renovations at the Crump, Chisholm, and Sheridan Heights Community Centers. The initiative prioritizes neighborhood development, public safety, and equitable infrastructure across Montgomery.

“This is what Montgomery Forward looks like. It’s not just a slogan—it’s a strategy,” Mayor Reed remarked. “It’s not just about building buildings—it’s about building trust, equity, and momentum.”

Montgomery Gets Two New EMS Rescue Units

Montgomery Fire/Rescue is pleased to announce Rescue 86 and Rescue 87 as new units in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) division.

These two units are strategically located at 405 South Holt Street (Rescue 86) and 2801 Selma Hwy (Rescue 87) respectively.

With over 40,000 emergency medical calls responded to annually, the addition of these units will help mitigate some of the response volume for units across the city.

The dedication and commit

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Posted: May 12, 2025

Rosenbauer America Announces All American Fire Equipment Expansion to Cover All of PA

WYOMING, Minnesota (May 12, 2025) – Rosenbauer America, a leading manufacturer of fire apparatus and emergency equipment, is pleased to announce a significant expansion of All American Fire Equipment’s area of responsibility (AOR) to now include the entire state of Pennsylvania, effective Monday, May 12, 2025.

All American Fire Equipment, led by Owner and President Don Newlon, has been a valued and successful partner, consistently representing Rosenbauer America with distinction in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Western Pennsylvania. This strategic expansion is a testament to their strong performance, deep understanding of customer needs, and robust capabilities in both sales and service.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with All American Fire Equipment to encompass the entire state of Pennsylvania, “said Diego Salazar, Director of Dealer Development at Rosenbauer America. “Their proven track record, extensive experience with the Rosenbauer product line, and commitment to exceptional customer service make them the ideal partner to support the fire service community across Pennsylvania. We are confident that Don Newlon and his team will continue to provide the high level of support and expertise that our customers expect and deserve.”

With over 20 years of dedicated representation of Rosenbauer, All American boasts four established service and office locations strategically positioned across their existing territory, including facilities in Southern Ohio (Washington C.H.), Northern Ohio (Canton), West Virginia (Ona), and Western Pennsylvania (Ebensburg.) These existing facilities, combined with their mobile service capabilities, ensure timely and expert support for fire departments. In a further commitment to serving the expanded territory, All American is dedicated to establishing a new service facility in Eastern Pennsylvania, further enhancing their ability to provide comprehensive and localized support to our valued customers throughout the entire state.

About Rosenbauer America

Rosenbauer is the world’s leading manufacturer of firefighting vehicles and equipment. Rosenbauer America incorporates the global strengths of Rosenbauer while utilizing the expertise of its U.S.-based manufacturing operations. With locations in Lyons, South Dakota; Wyoming, Minnesota; and Fremont, Nebraska, Rosenbauer America produces a full line of custom and commercial pumpers, rescue trucks, tankers, aerial ladders and platforms, and the advanced Rosenbauer COMMANDER™ and WARRIOR™ custom fire chassis.

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Posted: May 12, 2025

Pump Pandemonium! Troubleshooting Common Pump Problems, Part 2

Part 1 (March 2025) discussed common problems encountered on the intake side of the pump and pump/ mechanical issues. Part 2 covers problems experienced on the discharge side of the pump.

Discharge Side Problems

Problem: compromised hose. Attack lines can be compromised for a number of reasons. From “burn through” when contacting hot coals or fire, to a burst hoseline resulting from being dragged across sharp objects, to hose failure from simple wear and tear, a compromised attack line can be a life-threatening condition. This situation usually requires the line to be backed out. Another cause of the attack line’s stream being compromised would be a valve being inadvertently opened such as someone kicking the valve handle open on the other side of a gated wye during an extended stretch operation. The result is the same in any of the above-mentioned scenarios: Water is discharging outside of the attack line before the nozzle, resulting in a loss of water to the nozzle team.

Solution: Getting a call on the radio from an interior crew reporting a loss of water pressure at the nozzle is a call that no driver/ engineer ever wants to receive. Fortunately, this problem can be readily diagnosed at the pump panel in most situations. Knowing is half the battle. Remember, water in any attack package is a closed system until it reaches the nozzle. Should water leave the system before the nozzle, the result is a reduction in available water at the nozzle.

So, what does this look like at the pump panel? Depending on how much water is leaving the system, whether from a burst/ burned-through section of hose or from an open valve (the gated wye example above), the result will be a drop in or fluctuation of pressure noted on the gauge of the discharge in question. Furthermore, when trying to throttle up to increase pressure to the affected line, the needle on the discharge will not respond normally and will start to “bounce” along with a fluctuation in rpm, especially if the pump is in psi mode. In most cases, the gauge will have difficulty raising and maintaining the discharge pressure because of water hemorrhaging outside the attack line prior to the nozzle.

If the line in question has any valves such as wyes, water thieves, etc. in play, those valves should be checked first and promptly closed. If there are no issues with open valves, or if the hoseline is preconnected with no such valves in use, then the most likely cause is that the hose has been compromised somewhere between the pump and the nozzle. This information should be relayed immediately on making the diagnosis. A backup line should be advanced and take over for the compromised line. The affected line should be backed out and replaced with a new section of hose.

Problem: blockages. There are several causes of blockages forming in attack lines. Kinks, debris in the line/nozzle, and delamination are all reasons an attack line can become clogged or blocked. The result is inadequate or no water being discharged from the nozzle. We will briefly examine each of these problems below. But first, we will discuss diagnosing a blockage.

As I noted in the previous section, the attack line is a closed system until water exits the nozzle. If a crew suddenly reports a loss of water pressure or volume with a fully open nozzle, one of two things may be happening. Either water is leaving the system somewhere else, as was discussed in the compromised hose section above, or the water is still in the system but is not making it in sufficient quantity to the nozzle for one of the several reasons discussed in subsequent sections of this article.

The astute driver/engineer can begin to diagnose this problem from the pump panel. If all

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Posted: May 12, 2025

Pump Pandemonium! Troubleshooting Common Pump Problems, Part 2

Part 1 (March 2025) discussed common problems encountered on the intake side of the pump and pump/ mechanical issues. Part 2 covers problems experienced on the discharge side of the pump.

Discharge Side Problems

Problem: compromised hose. Attack lines can be compromised for a number of reasons. From “burn through” when contacting hot coals or fire, to a burst hoseline resulting from being dragged across sharp objects, to hose failure from simple wear and tear, a compromised attack line can be a life-threatening condition. This situation usually requires the line to be backed out. Another cause of the attack line’s stream being compromised would be a valve being inadvertently opened such as someone kicking the valve handle open on the other side of a gated wye during an extended stretch operation. The result is the same in any of the above-mentioned scenarios: Water is discharging outside of the attack line before the nozzle, resulting in a loss of water to the nozzle team.

Solution: Getting a call on the radio from an interior crew reporting a loss of water pressure at the nozzle is a call that no driver/ engineer ever wants to receive. Fortunately, this problem can be readily diagnosed at the pump panel in most situations. Knowing is half the battle. Remember, water in any attack package is a closed system until it reaches the nozzle. Should water leave the system before the nozzle, the result is a reduction in available water at the nozzle.

So, what does this look like at the pump panel? Depending on how much water is leaving the system, whether from a burst/ burned-through section of hose or from an open valve (the gated wye example above), the result will be a drop in or fluctuation of pressure noted on the gauge of the discharge in question. Furthermore, when trying to throttle up to increase pressure to the affected line, the needle on the discharge will not respond normally and will start to “bounce” along with a fluctuation in rpm, especially if the pump is in psi mode. In most cases, the gauge will have difficulty raising and maintaining the discharge pressure because of water hemorrhaging outside the attack line prior to the nozzle.

If the line in question has any valves such as wyes, water thieves, etc. in play, those valves should be checked first and promptly closed. If there are no issues with open valves, or if the hoseline is preconnected with no such valves in use, then the most likely cause is that the hose has been compromised somewhere between the pump and the nozzle. This information should be relayed immediately on making the diagnosis. A backup line should be advanced and take over for the compromised line. The affected line should be backed out and replaced with a new section of hose.

Problem: blockages. There are several causes of blockages forming in attack lines. Kinks, debris in the line/nozzle, and delamination are all reasons an attack line can become clogged or blocked. The result is inadequate or no water being discharged from the nozzle. We will briefly examine each of these problems below. But first, we will discuss diagnosing a blockage.

As I noted in the previous section, the attack line is a closed system until water exits the nozzle. If a crew suddenly reports a loss of water pressure or volume with a fully open nozzle, one of two things may be happening. Either water is leaving the system somewhere else, as was discussed in the compromised hose section above, or the water is still in the system but is not making it in sufficient quantity to the nozzle for one of the several reasons discussed in subsequent sections of this article.

The astute driver/engineer can begin to diagnose this problem from the pump panel. If all

Read more
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