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Posted: Aug 20, 2018

Troy (NY) Fire Department Handles Hudson River Incidents with 32-foot Stanley Fire-Rescue Boat

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Troy (NY) Fire Department is responding to incidents on and along the upper Hudson River with its new Stanley 32-foot high-speed fire-rescue boat.

Eric McMahon, Troy Fire Department's assistant chief, says that the department applied for and received a Port Security Grant that made the purchase of the fire-rescue boat possible. "We put out our specifications that stated we wanted a boat with a bow-mounted door," McMahon says, and the department received a quote from Stanley, which won the contract."

The Stanley fire-rescue boat is 32 feet long with a 10-foot beam, a 10,640-pound displacement, and drawing 19½ inches unloaded and 21 inches loaded. The boat is powered by twin 250-horsepower Yamaha 250XCA outboard engines and carries a Darley PSDE 1,500-gpm pump powered by a KEM 6-liter marinized gasoline engine.

Douglas Coupar, sales representative for Connor Industries, which owns Stanley, says that Troy wanted a dedicated gasoline engine to power the fire pump as well as a fully enclosed wheelhouse to protect the operator and crew from the elements. He notes that the wheelhouse is climate-controlled by a Dometic Dura Sea rooftop air conditioning unit which has a 1,000-watt heating option installed for cold-weather operations.

McMahon points out that the fire-rescue boat can accommodate eight persons, and that its wheelhouse is protected by HEPA filters and is pressurized to keep smoke and toxins out. "As part of the specs, we had folding benches installed in the wheelhouse, so we have the ability to carry two critically injured patients on backboards inside," he says. "And with the drop-down bow door, we are able to walk the injured patients off the boat and directly onto land."

The drop-down bow door also allows the department to lay the door down and run 5-inch LDH off the fireboat and onto shore "to use the fireboat as an endless water supply if needed," McMahon says. "In front of the wheelhouse, there's a Christmas tree with a 5-inch discharge, four 2½-inch discharges with reducers, topped off by a Task Force Tips Typhoon monitor with a fog nozzle and stacked tips. One of the requirements of the Port Security Grant was that the boat have foam capabilities, so it was spec’d to hold a 300-gallon foam tote, and we have a 250-gpm foam eductor to proportion the foam."

Troy's fire-rescue boat also serves as a dive boat, McMahon notes, as the department had two dive platforms added to the back of the vessel. The Stanley-built boat also has a grounding keel that allows the boat to be eased up to shore to allow it to drop its bow gate.

Coupar points out that the fire-rescue boat has two push knees, one on each side of the bow door, that are useful when an operator needs to hold the boat stable against an object. "They might be against a bridge abutment or some other type of object where they need to hold the boat," he says. "The operator pushes against the abutment with the push knees, lowers the gate, and the boat stays rock-steady, even in a heavy current, because the operator is using engine power to push against the object."

The Troy fire-rescue boat also has Pump-Boss 200 marine controls, a 6-kW Westbrook marine generator, two 12-inch Garmin touchscreen monitors, a Garmin VHF 110 marine radio, a Garmin GMR 18HD Radome radar, and a FLIR M324S night vision camera. Emergency lighting includes a Wh

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Posted: Aug 20, 2018

One confirmed dead in Spokane Valley condo fire

Spokane Valley Fire Department investigators confirmed Monday morning that someone died in Sunday night's fire. Investigators say it will likely take several days to complete the investigation. Spokane Valley Firefighters battled a 2-alarm fire in a three-story condominium on the 6000 block of E. 6th Avenue, in Spokane Valley Sunday night.
- PUB DATE: 8/20/2018 3:46:32 AM - SOURCE: KHQ-TV NBC 6
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Posted: Aug 20, 2018

Illinois governor vetoes expanded benefits for paramedics, EMTs

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Sunday vetoed legislation to expand benefit rights for paramedics and emergency medical technicians by defining them as firefighters in municipal collective bargaining agreements. Rauner’s veto of the two measures, which were passed with overwhelming, veto-proof bipartisan majorities, was in line with his previous pronouncements that Springfield shouldn’t dictate “unfunded state mandates on local governments.
- PUB DATE: 8/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Chicago Tribune
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Posted: Aug 20, 2018

Firefighters With Skin Condition Sue FDNY Over Shave Policy

Some black city firefighters, in a departmental dispute over facial hair, will not turn the other cheek. Four African-American FDNY members afflicted by a painful skin condition are bristling over their reassignments to light duty — because the ailment prevents them from getting a clean shave, the Daily News has learned.
- PUB DATE: 8/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: New York Daily News
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Posted: Aug 20, 2018

Injured Washington firefighter: Wildfire ‘stood up and made a huge run … flames were licking under my face’

A firefighter is recovering at Harborview Medical Center after getting severe burns on his body while fighting wildfires in the state. Brett Read is many things. He is a husband. He is a father. He’s also a firefighter. He had risked his life to protect others for seven years. Recently, that risk of losing his life was closer than he’s ever experienced.
- PUB DATE: 8/20/2018 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KCPQ-TV FOX 13
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