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Posted: Nov 1, 2018

Why Do I Need that Equipment or Apparatus?

Chris Mc Loone

My wife and I have three kids: a 15-year-old, a 12-year-old, and a 10-year-old. To say that I have struggled with the question “Why?” through these 15 years would be understating the frustration involved trying to answer that one-word question.

And, every one of them has been different. My oldest will eventually relent, satisfied that I have explained as fully as I can why he can’t do something or why I am doing something. Our 12-year-old is a little more challenging. In some ways, he is almost looking for a fight. He doesn’t always want to know “why” but wants proof that something has to be done in a way that is not his way. Our 10-year-old seems satisfied with our answers but, at least with me, I think there might be a little bit of “I want to know why, but I don’t have time for Dad’s 20-minute explanation” going on—probably listening to the advice of his older brothers.

When you think about it though, that question is a constant throughout our lives: The authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) wants to know why we need new apparatus; kids still want to know why; managers want to know why we need to use a vacation day; and we want to know why products or services are important for us.

For the past few years, I’ve been able to attend the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA)/Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association (FEMSA) Annual Fall Conference. It’s an opportunity for me to catch up with many of the vendor representatives I interact with during the year, and recent years’ conferences have featured a chief’s panel where chiefs from different parts of the country have an opportunity to answer questions from manufacturers and relate the challenges they face in their departments regarding fire apparatus and equipment. It was at this year’s chief’s panel where the question “Why?” came up again.

A question from the FAMA/FEMSA members asked how they should go about getting products into the fire service. The pervading answer was that chiefs, company officers, firefighters, engineers, etc. need to know why the product is important before they can bring a product into their department.

The buy-in has to come from several different places. It’s not only a chief needing to go to his AHJ to convince it to release the funds to make the equipment purchase. The chief often needs to sell his personnel on a product’s merits. As one chief on the panel stated, “Make sure we know the why.” The panel was discussing health and safety initiatives in members’ departments, so the products in mind were those that we’ve seen a lot of lately—those products and initiatives that help reduce exposure to contaminants on the fireground that can lead to cancer developing. Using the “Clean Cab Concept” as an example, that’s not just something a department ca

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Posted: Nov 1, 2018

In The News

Firefighters and their families, friends, and community members from across the nation gathered at historic Lambeau Field on September 22, 2018, to participate in the sixth annual 9/11 MEMORIAL STAIR CLIMB.

Firefighters and their families, friends, and community members from across the nation gathered at historic Lambeau Field on September 22, 2018, to participate in the sixth annual 9/11 MEMORIAL STAIR CLIMB. More than 2,700 people participated. This year’s event raised more than $135,000, with all proceeds benefiting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), and has again been recognized as one of the largest stair climbs in the nation. 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb participants had the opportunity to ascend the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center while wearing a badge with the name and photograph of one of the fallen firefighters. At the 78th floor, the highest floor reached on 9/11, each climber rang a fire bell in honor of the individual on their badge. “Since its inception, the Pierce Manufacturing team has been grateful for the opportunity to cosponsor the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb along with the Green Bay (WI) Metro Fire Department,” said Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “Not only is it an incredible day of remembrance and reflection, supporting the NFFF helps provide access to critical resources for survivors and co-workers of fallen firefighters.”




SVI GRAPHICS, a designer and producer of custom vehicle graphics for the emergency industry, recently overhauled its Web site, www.svigraphics.com, to better showcase the company’s graphics capabilities.

SVI GRAPHICS, a designer and producer of custom vehicle graphics for the emergency industry, recently overhauled its Web site, www.svigraphics.com, to better showcase the company’s graphics capabilities. The redesigned Web site showcases 14 years of industry work in vehicle chevrons, door decals, door kickers, product labels, and fleet vehicle rebranding. The company’s emergency vehicle graphics meet the gamut of NFPA stipulations on coverage and reflectivity to keep crews safe. SVI Graphics offers 3M-certified products, printed with solvent ink and laminated for UV protection for flawless results. The Web site showcases graphics by vehicle type. OEMs and departments can browse fire truck graphics, custom ambulance graphics, police car graphics, and commercial vehicle graphics.




EURAMCO GROUP has partnered with bloom.CAPITAL to launch XFDirect—an independent network of firefighting vehicle and equipment service shops throughout mainland China. XFDirect, over the past 12 months, has completed pilot testing and has now formally launched operations of its mobile application-based case management software for users to quickly create service cases from their mobile devices for their out-of-service equipment, in their own language, which instantly connects to well-equipped, OEM-trained service teams for fast response. XFDirect’s combination of mobile app interface with brick-and-mortar service capabilities, in a regional market where equipment dealers are typically not capable of supporting what they sell, has already gained rapid acceptance among fire departments across the region and leading manufacturers throughout the world.




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Posted: Nov 1, 2018

In The News

Firefighters and their families, friends, and community members from across the nation gathered at historic Lambeau Field on September 22, 2018, to participate in the sixth annual 9/11 MEMORIAL STAIR CLIMB.

Firefighters and their families, friends, and community members from across the nation gathered at historic Lambeau Field on September 22, 2018, to participate in the sixth annual 9/11 MEMORIAL STAIR CLIMB. More than 2,700 people participated. This year’s event raised more than $135,000, with all proceeds benefiting the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), and has again been recognized as one of the largest stair climbs in the nation. 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb participants had the opportunity to ascend the equivalent of the 110 stories of the World Trade Center while wearing a badge with the name and photograph of one of the fallen firefighters. At the 78th floor, the highest floor reached on 9/11, each climber rang a fire bell in honor of the individual on their badge. “Since its inception, the Pierce Manufacturing team has been grateful for the opportunity to cosponsor the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb along with the Green Bay (WI) Metro Fire Department,” said Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing. “Not only is it an incredible day of remembrance and reflection, supporting the NFFF helps provide access to critical resources for survivors and co-workers of fallen firefighters.”




SVI GRAPHICS, a designer and producer of custom vehicle graphics for the emergency industry, recently overhauled its Web site, www.svigraphics.com, to better showcase the company’s graphics capabilities.

SVI GRAPHICS, a designer and producer of custom vehicle graphics for the emergency industry, recently overhauled its Web site, www.svigraphics.com, to better showcase the company’s graphics capabilities. The redesigned Web site showcases 14 years of industry work in vehicle chevrons, door decals, door kickers, product labels, and fleet vehicle rebranding. The company’s emergency vehicle graphics meet the gamut of NFPA stipulations on coverage and reflectivity to keep crews safe. SVI Graphics offers 3M-certified products, printed with solvent ink and laminated for UV protection for flawless results. The Web site showcases graphics by vehicle type. OEMs and departments can browse fire truck graphics, custom ambulance graphics, police car graphics, and commercial vehicle graphics.




EURAMCO GROUP has partnered with bloom.CAPITAL to launch XFDirect—an independent network of firefighting vehicle and equipment service shops throughout mainland China. XFDirect, over the past 12 months, has completed pilot testing and has now formally launched operations of its mobile application-based case management software for users to quickly create service cases from their mobile devices for their out-of-service equipment, in their own language, which instantly connects to well-equipped, OEM-trained service teams for fast response. XFDirect’s combination of mobile app interface with brick-and-mortar service capabilities, in a regional market where equipment dealers are typically not capable of supporting what they sell, has already gained rapid acceptance among fire departments across the region and leading manufacturers throughout the world.




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Posted: Nov 1, 2018

Official: Wapato house fire causes $100K in damage, 5 displaced

Five people have been displaced from their home after house fire in Wapato Tuesday afternoon. Firefighters were called out to a home at 411 West Wapato Road around noon for reports of a fire on the back porch. One person was inside at the time and evacuated the home safely. When crews arrived, half the home was already in flames and was threatening a neighboring residence about 30 feet away, according to Yakima County Fire District 5.
- PUB DATE: 11/1/2018 10:41:46 AM - SOURCE: YakTriNews
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Posted: Nov 1, 2018

New SCBA for Florida Department

Across the fire service, fire departments are taking a variety of steps to limit firefighter exposure to different contaminants and carcinogens.

One department that has been very proactive in recent years in exposure reduction and cancer prevention is Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue. The department recently replaced all 850 of its self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) through a $6.3 million order with 3M Scott Fire & Safety. The bulk replacement not only brings its SCBA up to the current edition of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, but it also brings SCBA into the department that fit into its overarching program to reduce contaminant exposure.

The Air-Pak X3 Pro, from 3M Scott Fire & Safety, combines high-performance material selection with an easy-to-remove harness for cleaning, decontamination, and serviceability. With minimal water absorption, the new harness assembly can be machine-laundered to minimize contamination and reduce long-term carcinogen exposure. Because the gear can be laundered at the station, firefighters have fast and easy access to their equipment when they respond to the next call. (Photo courtesy of 3M Scott Fire & Safety.)

1 The Air-Pak X3 Pro, from 3M Scott Fire & Safety, combines high-performance material selection with an easy-to-remove harness for cleaning, decontamination, and serviceability. With minimal water absorption, the new harness assembly can be machine-laundered to minimize contamination and reduce long-term carcinogen exposure. Because the gear can be laundered at the station, firefighters have fast and easy access to their equipment when they respond to the next call. (Photo courtesy of 3M Scott Fire & Safety.)

MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is a full-service department that serves 29 municipalities plus unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County. It also provides service to Port Miami, which is the largest passenger seaport in the United States, and protects three airports. “We operate 70 fire stations,” says Chief Dave Downey. “We have 140 front-line apparatus. We have 2,500 personnel, of which almost 2,100 are uniformed firefighters. We serve a population of about 2.5 million, and we cover an area of almost 2,000 square miles.” Specialized fire apparatus include a heavy rescue, three medium rescues, two fireboats, crash fire rescue vehicles, and four rescue helicopters.

THE ORDER

Miami-Dade decided to replace all of its SCBA, although Downey says they might hold onto a few of the older SCBA for training purposes. Implementation played a role in the decision to replace all the SCBA at once, according to Downey. “While the packs are similar, I didn’t want to be in a situation where we were using two different packs at the same time,” he says. “It will still be a monumental task to provide the training and issue the packs in as short a period as possible, so we are using not only traditional instructor-led training but some computer-based training to expedite the implementation. Additionally, we will take the implementation period to provide our annual SCBA refresher training as well.” As far as the purchase itself, the department was able to fun

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