Kiersten Hacker
Baltimore Sun
(TNS)

BALTIMORE — Almost one year since two firefighters were killed after battling a blaze on Linden Heights Avenue, the fire has been classified as accidental, according to a news release from the Baltimore City Fire Department.

A fire broke out on Oct. 19, 2023, tearing through a group of rowhomes. Two firefighters, 31-year-old Rodney Pitts III, of Baltimore, and 26-year-old Dillon J. Rinaldo were killed and four others were injured.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms found that the fire at 5210 Linden Heights Avenue began in the rear addition on the first floor. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, which also investigated, found no violation of applicable laws or regulations.

“The loss of our colleagues in the Linden Heights fire is a profound tragedy that deeply affects our entire department and the community,” Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said in a statement. “Our firefighters put their lives on the line every day, and it is heartbreaking when such sacrifice results in loss.”

The cause of the fire remains unknown, despite finding its origin. ATF investigators were able to rule out an electrical system failure or improperly disposed smoking materials, according to the fire department.

“While it has been determined the fire was accidental in nature, the impact it caused is no less tragic,” Toni M. Crosby, ATF special agent in charge of the Baltimore Field Division, said in the release. “Our hearts continue to be with the firefighter’s families and friends and our partners at Baltimore City Fire Department.”

A 2011 graduate of Digital Harbor High School, Pitts started as a firefighter and EMT in August 2023 after joining the city fire department the year before. He was on Engine 29 stationed in Park Heights.

Rinaldo came to Baltimore to pursue his goal of becoming a career firefighter, leaving the fire department in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, which he joined as a junior firefighter while in high school and where his father served as chief.

The Linden Heights fire occurred while the city was still reeling from the fire inside a vacant home in the 200 block of S. Stricker Street that left three firefighters dead in 2022.

“The thoughts of BCFD are with the families of those who were killed and injured and their bravery is honored,” the release said. The fire department “remains committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and operational excellence.”

©2024 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Hutchinson Fire Department experienced the Cottonwood Complex fire in 2023, a wildland/urban interface fire event that burned 36 homes, 92 outbuildings, 110 vehicles and 12,000 acres of grassland and northern red cedar. The department had two Weis F-550 quick attack/wildland pumpers, two F350 wildland rigs, and three 6×6 1,000-gallon tankers to deal with the situation from its end. After the conflagration, Hutchinson decided it needed more Weis quick attack/wildland rigs for future wildland/urban interface situations.

Nick White, Hutchinson’s battalion chief, says that after the fire Hutchinson received a grant which allowed it to purchase three Weis quick attack/wildland rigs. “We put together a committee, determined what we liked and didn’t like, what was missing from our current trucks, and developed a spec that we sent to Weis,” White says.

Mike Weis, owner of Weis Fire and Safety, says the three quick attack/wildland pumpers for Hutchinson are built on Ford F-550 4×4 chassis and Super Cabs with seating for four fighters, powered by 475-horsepower (hp) 6.7-liter diesel engines, and with Super Singles wheels and tires. The quick attack units have a 100 gallon-per-minute (gpm) Hale HPX 200-K24 pump powered by a 24-hp Kubota diesel engine, and a 450-gallon water tank.

White points out that the quick attack rigs have a HyperSight thermal imaging camera at the top of the front brush guard, two ground sweep nozzles at the front corners of the truck, a stainless steel Stang front bumper monitor with a half-inch smoothbore tip to give stream quality and reach compared to a combination nozzle, six feet of one-inch whip line in the crosswalk, and 150 feet of one-inch booster line hose on an electric reel.

BRANDON, South Dakota (Oct. 14, 2024) – Spartan Emergency Response, part of REV Group, Inc., and a leading manufacturer of fire apparatus, is building four custom pumpers for Toledo Fire & Rescue Department, with the trucks expected to be delivered by the beginning of 2026.

In October 2023, the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department asked the Toledo City Council for $3.2 million from the Capital Improvement Fund to purchase four fire engines. The purchase marks the first time the Toledo department has ordered Spartan Emergency Response fire apparatus. Johnson’s Emergency Vehicles Solutions, the Spartan Emergency Response dealer for Ohio, worked with the department to determine their specifications and to design an apparatus customized for their operations and built efficiently to fit into their budget.

Toledo Fire & Rescue department has 18 active fire stations and seven support buildings with almost 600 professional firefighters who respond to over 60,000 calls a year.

“Johnson’s Emergency Vehicle Solutions was able to help us source much-needed fire apparatus,” said Chief Allison Armstrong, Toledo Fire & Rescue Department. “We look forward to receiving and putting these pumpers into service to help protect the city and people of Toledo.”

“We’re delighted to introduce Spartan Emergency Response to the city of Toledo,” said Tony Johnson, dealer principal, Johnson’s Emergency Vehicle Solutions. “We are optimistic that our partnership will evolve and grow as Toledo continues to.”

The four custom pumpers are built on a Spartan MetroStar LFD cab and are designed to meet the unique needs of this large city with:

• Custom body with a low hosebed
• Custom ladder and hard suction storage rack on the truck’s right side
• 500-gallon water tank
• 30-gallon foam cell for an external eductor system
• Hale QMax 1750 GPM pump

These units were sold by Jesse Sopko, Ohio Sales Manager for Johnson’s Emergency Vehicle Solutions. Visit https://www.johnsonsevs.com/ to learn more about Spartan Emergency Response fire apparatus.

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About Spartan Emergency Response

Spartan Emergency Response, comprised of REV Group, Inc. (NYSE: REVG) subsidiaries Spartan Fire, LLC, Smeal SFA, LLC, Smeal LTC, LLC and Smeal Holding, LLC, is a North American leader in the emergency response market and offers brands including Spartan Authorized Parts, Spartan Factory Service Centers, Spartan Fire Chassis, Smeal, and Ladder Tower. Spartan Emergency Response vehicles are well known for safety, quality, durability, aftermarket product support, and first-to-market innovation. The company operates facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

About REV Group, Inc.

REV Group companies are leading designers and manufacturers of specialty vehicles and related aftermarket parts and services, which serve a diversified customer base, primarily in the United States, through two segments: Specialty Vehicles and Recreational Vehicles. The Specialty Vehicles Segment provides customized vehicle solutions for applications, including essential needs for public services (ambulances and fire apparatus) and commercial infrastructure (terminal trucks and industrial sweepers). REV Group’s Recreational Vehicles Segment manufactures a variety of RVs from Class B vans to Class A motorhomes. REV Group’s portfolio is made up of we

PRESS RELEASE

The city of Encinitas has made the decision to temporarily relocate firefighters from Fire Station 1 to Fire Station 3 out of an abundance of caution due to concerns about the building’s structural safety. This precautionary measure comes after a recent building inspection that pointed to potential risks that could compromise the safety of first responders and the community they serve.

“The safety of our firefighters is paramount,” said City Manager Pamela Antil. “After discussing the building inspection of Fire Station 1, we are taking swift action to ensure our team is not put at unnecessary risk.”

Firefighters and equipment from Fire Station 1, located at 415 Second Street, will be relocated to Fire Station 3, located at 801 Orpheus Avenue, while further investigations and repairs are conducted. The city is committed to minimizing any disruptions to emergency services during this period.

“The fire department wants to assure the public that this move will not affect our ability to respond to emergencies promptly,” added Fire Chief Joshua Gordon.

The city will do a thorough evaluation process to determine the extent of the necessary repairs. Depending on the findings, the city will either proceed with the required renovations or explore alternative solutions to ensure the long-term viability of Fire Station 1.

“Prior to my service on the City Council, Fire Station 1 was identified as a facility in need of rehabilitation. The findings of this recent building inspection underscore the urgency for the city to address concerns about seismic safety issues with the building and move forward with the essential improvements to ensure firefighter safety,” said Mayor Tony Kranz. “Our top priority is maintaining the highest level of service to our community while ensuring the safety of our personnel.”

In the meantime, fire service coverage in the area will continue through a coordinated effort with other nearby fire stations. The city will provide regular updates as new information becomes available.

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By Alan M. Petrillo

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are playing a more central part in fire suppression, reconnaissance, search and rescue, and other functions for fire departments, with some agencies setting up special operations units to handle aerial responsibilities. And with drone manufacturers continually improving their aircraft and the equipment they carry, departments are upgrading to more efficient, persistent, and technologically able unmanned aerial systems.

Michael Leo, captain of the Robotics Drone Unit at the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), says the department’s ded-icated drone unit operates Command Tactical Unit 1 (CCU-1), a GMC quad cab pickup truck staffed 24/7 by an officer, pilot/operator, and visual observer running out of Roosevelt Island. “We carry several different DJI drones and a Fotokite tethered drone that’s permanently mounted on top of CCU-1 for when we need persistent aerial operations,” Leo says.

CCU-1 carries a DJI M300 UAV with payloads that include a visual light camera with pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) capabilities, a thermal camera, a spotlight, and a speaker, Leo points out. It also carries a DJI M30T UAV with a visual light camera with zoom and wide-angle capabilities, a thermal camera, and a laser rangefinder to measure distance and identify GPS coordinates, he says. It also includes a DJI Mavic 3E, which is used mostly for mapping, and a DJI Avata, a small drone with a visual camera and spotlight that the FDNY uses for indoor aerial operations.

The FDNY also runs Car 11X, Leo’s command vehicle from which he manages airspace and deconflicts with other drone and helicopter agencies, and Command Tactical Unit 3, three utility terrain vehicles that each carry a DJI drone.

“Each mission is different,” Leo observes. “If we’re looking for someone missing in the water, we usually use the M300 because of its large spotlight and night vision sensors. For structure fires, we’ll fly the M30 and use its thermal sensors to track firefighters on a roof, track which way the fire is moving, identify hot spots for the crews, and identify firefighter escape routes. For night operations, we’ll use the M300 with its large spotlight that can light up an entire rooftop, use its infrared camera to check all four sides of a building, scan the scene, and give the incident commander a 360-degree picture of the situation.”

Leo notes that for a parking garage collapse in 2023, the FDNY used several different drones, including a ground robot. And, while on a recent crane fire, his drone team was able to fly a M30 to a position where it gave the incident commander (IC) views of the fire from above, below, and alongside. “The drone can fly between buildings where a helicopter can’t go, and our drone allowed firefighters to see how far and where their water stream was hitting on the crane,” he adds.