The 2018 FDSOA Apparatus Specifications & Safety Symposium got rolling with a keynote by Brad Pinsky covering the legal aspects of apparatus design. Throughout the presentation, Pinsky questioned how the fire service can keep making the same mistakes. Incidents that kill firefighters are being described as “freak accidents,” but they aren’t really. Time after time and example after example—including firefighter LODDs resulting from backing incidents, firefighters falling from apparatus, and civilian deaths involving hose coming off the apparatus—Pinsky related that these are not “freak accidents.” Citing several examples, Pinsky revealed how the fire service has progressed. Sadly, most of the changes it has made have resulted from tragedy. Pinsky is a lawyer, and he asserted that people may hate lawsuits and lawyers, but many times these have resulted in positive change in how rigs are designed and protective measures to ensure what should be on the truck stays on the truck during response. The major takeaway from this keynote is that there are no freak accidents these days. We are accepting that repeated accidents occur, but we accept them until tragedy strikes.

Investigating Apparatus Crashes
Apparatus crashes are not on the decrease, and we are continuing to see them being hit while parked at the scene of an incident, many times in a blocking position. When these crashes occur, the fire department must do its own investigation, and Gordon Routley provided a basic framework for how to proceed with the investigation. Important to remember is that all parties must understand that for a safety investigation, the result is not disciplinary action. The idea is to gather facts and to identify problems that need to be corrected. The investigation needs to kick off immediately. Get time- and location-sensitive information. Take photos, and get initial statements ASAP. Talk to witnesses, take measurements, determine if seat belts were worn, and try to get as many photos from witnesses as possible. After, peruse YouTube and Twitter to see what has been shared from the incident.

After this initial phase, move into getting VDR data, mechanical and maintenance records, incident and response records, driver training records, etc. Conduct follow-up investigations, consult experts, and seek additional evidence.

Critical to the investigation is ensuring the security of the rig once it is removed from the scene to protect from tampering.

Responder to Vehicle Systems
We’ve often talked about how fire apparatus are getting smarter. Cory Hohs, of HAAS Alert, provided a background on emerging technology that will allow apparatus to communicate with the civilian vehicles they encounter. Responder-to-vehicle systems are available now. Responder-to-responder systems are in the offing. Hohs described how these systems work and how they will also integrate with smart city systems as well. He also made a few recommendations:

• Smart Cities’ biggest beneficiary is public safety.
• Check now with your cities for line items regarding public safety.
• Make sure when you sign contracts that you have access to your data.
• Alerting systems will work with multiplexed and traditional hard-wired systems.

Hohs indicated that his ultimate goal is to stop the approximately 60,000 accidents that occur with emergency vehicles. The whole point is to be preemptive.

Ed. Note: These systems have a real chance to gain traction in the fire service. During a panel session at the symposium, I asked the panelists what they were suggesting or building into fire apparatus to help prevent collisions with parked fire apparatus. The consensus was that there is no easy solution because it appears to be more of a distracted driver problem. Systems that allow fire ap

US Fire Pump is proud to announce and welcome Bob Gliem as the Company’s Technical Sales Director. 

Bob joins the team from Ferrara Fire Apparatus and brings with him 29 years in the fire service, both municipal and industrial. He has extensive training and knowledge of Industrial Fire Fighting and Advanced Foam Fire Fighting, Bob has served as a foam firefighting Subject Matter Expert and Instructor for various agencies around the world. His world travel consists of both domestic and international to train firefighters and management on the use of their fixed and mobile foam firefighting systems and fire apparatus. 

Bob previously served as Assistant Fire Chief for one of North America's largest refineries with extensive training in Confined Space Rescue, High Angle Rescue, Hazardous Materials Response as well as Flammable Liquids Firefighting. 

Bob is a certified IFSAC Instructor II/III and holds numerous other national certifications. He has an advanced level of training in the Incident Command System and has served as On Scene Incident Command during emergent situations in many industrial and municipal settings. 

Bob is also a Subject Matter Expert of mobile fire apparatus and conducts training and case studies for large water flow delivery and bulk storage emergencies. Bob continues to build his knowledge in the Emergency Response and Risk Management fields and thoroughly enjoys passing his knowledge on to others.  

“I’m very excited to start this next chapter,” Gliem said, “and want to continue building our product brand and build our relationships around the globe!” 

For more information on US Fire Pump, visit www.usfirepump.com

OCALA, FL—E-ONE, a worldwide designer and manufacturer of fire trucks with more than 28,000 vehicles in operation around the world, is pleased to welcome Darch Fire as the new E-ONE dealership and service supplier in Ontario, Canada. Darch Fire has been servicing Ontario with apparatus and equipment since 1993, when they were founded by John Darch and Susan Miller. Recently, Darch Fire was acquired by the 1200 Degrees Group.

The combination of Darch Fire and 1200 Degrees in Ontario offers:

• 12,000-square-foot facility with 18 full-time employees.
• Five mobile service vehicles with three EVT technicians and 24-hour service.
• Three service bays.
• Services including annual pump testing, pump, foam system and valve repairs and maintenance, rebuilds and overhauls, electrical diagnostics and repair, equipment mounting, and emergency light and siren installations.
• Sales of aftermarket parts

Darch Fire is excited about carrying the E-ONE line of products in Ontario. “Susan and I are very excited to join the 1200º Group and be part of the growth of 1200º Group and E-ONE into Ontario,” says John Darch, Fire Truck Sales Manager for Darch Fire.

“By adding Darch Fire to the 1200º group, we become an indisputable force in the firefighting industry, providing the best fire trucks available, E-ONE,” said François Proulx, president of the 1200º group. With this merger, Darch Fire and 1200º Group now offer a team of 58 employees, an inventory worth more than $2.8 million, nine service vehicles and three service centers, dedicating 30,000 square feet of workspace to be at the service of fire departments throughout Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces.

“We are thrilled to welcome another great dealership into the E-ONE family,” said Jeff Park, Regional Director for E-ONE. “Darch Fire has a great facility with seasoned professionals; and to partner with them is absolute success for our customers in Ontario. Mutually, with our ‘Best in Class Fire Trucks and Systems’ and the Darch Fire team, we are very excited about the future of E-ONE’s entire product line in Ontario.”

For more information, www.darchfire.com.

OCALA, FL—E-ONE has announced its new TITAN® 4×4 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle, as the first configuration in a completely new line of ARFF products. The new TITAN® series has an aggressive stance with innovative styling features and offers performance in several key measurable categories such as acceleration, braking, dynamic stability, and pumping performance.

The E-ONE TITAN® 4×4 provides:

• POWER with an available 770-hp engine, providing 2,215 foot pounds of torque for greater acceleration.
• CONTROL with a variable rate coil spring v-link suspension and 17-inch disc brakes as standard, coupled with dual calipers on each front wheel end.
• STORAGE with a total of 360 cubic feet including a full transverse compartment.
• KNOCKDOWN with 3,000-gpm pump, electronic foam proportioning with patented ECOLOGIC® calibration system and multiple high-flow turret configurations including the low-attack high-flow RHINO® bumper turret.
• PAYLOAD capacity with 1,585 gallons of water, 225 gallons of foam, and 500 pounds of auxiliary agent.
• SERVICEABILITY with a redesigned rear body providing ground level maintenance access from either side of the vehicle as well as from the spacious top deck.
• OPTIONS with the TITAN® 4×4 EXT, a 54-foot high reach extendable turret (HRET).

“The new TITAN® 4×4 is truly an amazing work, combining performance with robust firefighting systems in a revolutionary design not often seen on vehicles of this size,” says Matt Reda, E-ONE’s global product manager. “The anticipation and customer response has already resulted in new orders.  E-ONE is very proud of the teamwork and commitment that drove this project from recognition of worldwide customer demands to engineering conceptual designs and daily interaction with the program team. We are confident that the new TITAN® offers technologies and functionality that, moving forward, will raise the expectations of buyers across the globe in the ARFF market sector.”

For more information, visit the TITAN® Product Page.

Parker’s Mill Fire Department, Somerset, KY, MVP rescue-ladder-quint. Cinder cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; 500-gallon polypropylene tank.