In this episode of the Fire Apparatus and Emergency Equipment Podcast, Chris Mc Loone sat down with Jamie Little, director of market development at RESCUE Intellitech. Their discussion covered the company’s approach to firefighter gear cleaning and decontamination, the health risks firefighters face, and the role of modern cleaning technology in reducing exposure to toxins.

While technology is critical, Little emphasized that firefighter behavior remains the biggest challenge to exposure reduction. He admitted firefighters often delay cleaning their gear due to turnaround time or underestimating contamination extent—especially after seemingly minor calls. But he warned that even kitchen fires can produce the dirtiest chemical residues.

Learn about Rescue Intellitech and the cleaning technology available to reduce your firefighters’ exposure to contaminants in this episode of our Podcast.

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Thanks to a historic investment by the 89^th Texas Legislature, Texas A&M Forest Service approved $164 million in funding to award 558 fire trucks and 321 slip-on units to Texas volunteer fire departments through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, the service said in a press release issued Oct. 14, 2025.

The Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program was established by Texas House Bill 2604 in 2001 to provide grants to rural volunteer fire departments for essential firefighting equipment and training. Since its onset, the program has awarded over $500 million in grants to Texas fire departments, including today’s funding meeting.

Today’s meeting marked the largest allocation of awards and the first phase in distributing more than $192 million to Texas volunteer fire departments, following an appropriation approved by the 89^th Texas Legislature for departments that submitted funding requests on or before Nov. 7, 2024.

Texas uses a tiered approach to wildfire response, establishing local fire departments and counties as the first on the scene. State response is activated as wildfires become more complex and grow beyond the capacity of local first responders.

“Texas fire departments are the front line of local response, and their equipment capacity is vital to response time and effectiveness,” said Al Davis, Texas A&M Forest Service Director. “This historic funding reflects the strong support of the Texas Legislature and governor. Their investment allows us to continue supporting and equipping firefighters who protect Texas’ lives and property.”

By using the funding through this program to purchase critical equipment, local fire departments increase their equipment capacity to respond to wildfires and a wide array of emergency incidents, including house fires and motor vehicle accidents.

During the legislative session, this program was also appropriated approximately $88 million in base funding for the biennium (fiscal years 2026-27)—the most ever allocated—to address ongoing needs for critical equipment at the local level.

Additional funding for fire and rescue equipment, personal protective equipment, training aids and dry hydrants will be awarded to Texas fire departments over the coming months.

Texas fire departments are eligible to apply for grants and assistance through FireConnect, a Texas A&M Forest Service database that provides a streamlined grant portal for the agency and fire departments. FireConnect also provides a comprehensive directory of Texas fire departments that is viewable for the public and all Texas fire agencies, as well as a portal for fire departments to submit incident reports to increase statewide situational awareness and track suppression costs.

View the list of grant recipients from the first FY26 funding meeting.

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This month, I want to focus on some “tips and tricks” when conducting size-up of a building using a thermal imager (TI). Structural size-up in firefighting is a critical, ongoing assessment of the fire scene that begins on arrival and continues until the incident is under control.

It involves gathering and analyzing information about the building, occupancy, fire conditions, and other factors to determine the best course of action and ensure firefighter and civilian safety. A thorough size-up informs the incident commander’s decisions regarding resource allocation, attack strategy (offensive or defensive), and potential hazards.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you.

1. Preparation: Ensure all personnel are trained in TI operation. Familiarize yourself with the Tl’s controls and any advanced settings. Establish safety protocols and proper communication procedures.

2. Initial assessment: Start scanning or conducting a 360-degree assessment of the building as soon as possible while maintaining situational awareness. Use the TI to scan the exterior surfaces for any heat signatures. Identify areas with abnormal heat patterns indicating fire or hot spots and extension. Take into consideration the angle and direction of the sun, which is creating heat called solar loading. Scan across the roof level, observing any chimneys and roof vents, looking for thermal clues. Again, watch for any solar loading created by the sun, which will give you false readings on the TI. Be cognizant of the various types of building/roof construction materials you are scanning, as they will display different emissivity values, which will affect your TI readings. Scan all the building sides to locate potential entry and egress points. Doors and windows that are white hot should be considered infeasible for safe entrance. Do not rely on any temperature measurements on your TI, as these can be very inaccurate. Scan down to the crawlspace and basement levels, observing any windows and possible fire conditions below grade. Try to determine if the fire is below or above grade or in the upper level/upstairs/ attic areas.

3. Structural evaluation: Look for signs of structural compromise, such as large or spreading heat zones, at the same time evaluating smoke and fire conditions (color, volume, and behavior). Note any areas where heat is concentrated, which may suggest active fire or structural weakness. Check for the presence of hazardous materials, special conditions, propane, fuel oil tanks, and overhead powerlines.

4. Occupancy considerations: Observe the time of day when assessing the potential for occupants, their location, or any indications of trapped occupants. Vehicles parked in the driveway and children’s toys and bicycles in the yard could give clues as to how many occupants. Never assume the structure is empty until a 100% clear has been given on an allroom search.

1 An observation of a heated attic vent and three darker windows. (Photos courtesy of Bullard.)

2 3 A darker window (top) indicates little heat; the broken window (above) shows two whiter areas, indicating heat.

5. Ongoing monitoring: Continuously monitor hot spots as fire conditions evolve. Adjust firefighting tactics based on TI feedback. Record findings, including hot spots, fire origin, and fire spread. T

Hazardous materials response trucks are packed with equipment and instruments that give incident commanders and firefighters a critical look at the hazards they will be facing during a hazmat incident.

Such equipment includes material analyzers, atmospheric monitoring systems, weather stations, multiple gas detectors, radiation detectors, and drones and robotics for performing surveillance and human-free activities.

Mark Norman, PhD, senior field applications scientist for 908 Devices, says a hazmat firefighter might face an array of hazardous materials, such as toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), toxic industrial materials (TIMs), and chemical warfare agents (CMAs). Norman notes that his company recently launched a chemical analyzer called VipIR” that uses a combination of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy technology to identify potentially hazardous solids and liquids.

He points out that FTIR spectrometers analyze how materials absorb infrared radiation to identify unknown chemical substances, while Raman spectroscopy analyzes laser radiation scattering to allow for the rapid and safe identification of hazardous chemicals and materials through certain containers, reducing the need for direct sampling and minimizing exposure risks for first responders.

“VipIR puts both technologies in one handheld 8-pound box that uses a smart spectral processing (SSP) algorithm to search a 23,000-compound FTIR library and a 16,000-compound Raman library to produce a one-button single result,” Norman says. “VipIR can report up to six components of a mixture and assign each a series of star ratings to indicate identification confidence.”

1 908 Devices makes the VipIR chemical analyzer that uses FTIR and Raman spectroscopy technology to identify potentially hazardous solids and liquids. (Photo 1 courtesy of 908 Devices.)

Norman says that 908 Devices also makes XplorIR®, a handheld gas analyzer that can accurately detect, identify, and quantify thousands of unknown chemicals and vapors in seconds. “Hazmat technicians can use XplorIR to continuously monitor for immediate answers during high-threat operations or change to point mode for isolated target intelligence,” he points out. “It also is able to identify and quantify up to six gas components in real time within complex mixtures and provides detection in as quick as four seconds, with positive identification results displayed within a minute.”

XplorIR can detect and identify more than 5,600 unknown gas and vapor chemical threats in seconds and with quantification added can report parts- per-million (ppm) readings for nearly 5,000 airborne chemicals, he adds. Some of the hazardous chemicals XplorIR can detect and identify, Norman says, include TICs, TIMs, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), fire gases, refrigerants, petroleum products, industrial gases, solvents and corrosives, as well as nerve agents, blister agents, choking agents, and blood agents.

Another hazmat detection product that 908 Devices makes is ProtectIR®, a handheld FTIR device that can rapidly provide solid and liquid identification and analysis for hazardous materials, narcotics, and explosives, Norman says. “Its handheld FTIR technology utilizes a diamond attenuated total reflection (ATR) sample interface to identify unknown powders and liquids,” he points out, “enabling hazmat response teams and first responders to analyze bulk substances in seconds.”

2 This Rosenbauer RTE robot can be sent into a hazmat scene and be

The Harford (PA) Volunteer Fire Company said its engine experienced a catastrophic electrical failure while traveling down the road and caught fire Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, the department said in a Facebook post.

No firefighters were injured.

“Unfortunately, as many have already heard, we lost our rescue engine last evening. While returning from an assist for an MVA on the interstate, our Rescue Engine suffered a catastrophic electrical failure and the truck caught fire inside the cab while we were traveling down the road.

“The operator was able to quickly and safely move the truck to the shoulder and get it stopped. The crew of two in the truck tried to save as much equipment as possible, but unfortunately that was not much. From the time the call was made to our communications center advising of the fire and the need for assistance, to the time the rapid fire growth overtook our crew and forced them away from the truck was less than three minutes.

“This is a devastating loss for our department and our community. But our people are safe and uninjured. Today we are thankful for that.

“We do have insurance, of course, but that still won’t cover the total replacement of the truck and equipment. Now, more than ever, we ask for your support as we navigate the weeks and months ahead.

“We would like to thank the surrounding departments for your rapid response in our dire time of need. Your quick and professional actions saved tens of thousands of dollars in equipment. The truck will likely be a total loss, along with all equipment still in the cab. But the fire was stopped at the back of the cab. No equipment in the body, nor any of the brand new hose from our 2024 AFG grant was damaged.

“Thanks go out to:

• Columbia Hose Company NO.1
• Hallstead Fire Company – Station 7
• Great Bend Hose Company #1
• Susquehanna County 911 dispatchers
• Marv’s Towing”

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