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Posted: Feb 19, 2018

Crane Applications for Fire Apparatus

California OES E-382, a 2014 HME/Ahrens Fox 1871-SFO 1250/850-20 WUI engine, works at the deadly Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County as part of Strike Team 4804A, staffed by firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department. Engine 382 was one of more than 1,000 engines and 8,000 firefighters working the fire, which burned more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and damaged 280 others, and caused one firefighter death. The Thomas Fire became the largest wildland fire in California history. (Photo by Keith D. Cullom/www.fire-image.com.)

California OES E-382, a 2014 HME/Ahrens Fox 1871-SFO 1250/850-20 WUI engine, works at the deadly Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County as part of Strike Team 4804A, staffed by firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department. Engine 382 was one of more than 1,000 engines and 8,000 firefighters working the fire, which burned more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and damaged 280 others, and caused one firefighter death. The Thomas Fire became the largest wildland fire in California history. (Photo by Keith D. Cullom/www.fire-image.com.)

Cranes are being fitted to rescues and technical rescue trucks by some manufacturers for fire departments around the country and are being used for a number of different functions.

These include deploying dive boats or rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RIBs), serving as hoisting points for below-grade rescues, vehicle stabilization, and urban search and rescue (USAR) work.

Crane Use Approaches

Mark Weaver, account manager of crane sales for Altec Industries, which makes Auto Crane, says that there are three different approaches used by the fire service when it comes to cranes. “One is to use a boom on a flatbed to load and unload pods,” Weaver says. “Second is a tractor mount to allow all-terrain vehicles or other equipment to be unloaded off of a trailer. Third is a rear-mount crane, which is often used on rescues.”

Weaver notes that Altec’s cranes have been installed on San Diego (CA) Fire Department rescues and also for the Santa Rosa (CA) Fire Department. “San Diego does a lot of below-grade rescues, and the crane allows them to use it as belay points,” he says. “Both San Diego and Santa Rosa’s rescues use a single set of straight-down outriggers to stabilize the vehicles when the crane is in use.” Weaver adds that depending on the model crane chosen, it could have from three to eight extension sections, as well as attachments for one- or two-person platforms, hazmat barrels, and grapnels.

Mark Zipse national account manager for Iowa Mold Tooling (IMT), says his company makes a wide range of cranes for use on fire apparatus and works closely with Pierce Manufacturing when placing them on rescues. “The largest boom lengths are in excess of 80 feet of reach, but typically the ones on rescues average around 25 feet,” Zipse says. “For instance, our Model 26/180 crane has 26 feet 11 inches of reach and can pick up 6,440 pounds. It’s considered a 26-ton or a 180,000-foot-pound crane. The same crane at a hydraulic reach of 70 feet 6 inches could still pick up 1,345 pounds.”

1 The New Rochelle (N
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Posted: Feb 19, 2018

Crane Applications for Fire Apparatus

California OES E-382, a 2014 HME/Ahrens Fox 1871-SFO 1250/850-20 WUI engine, works at the deadly Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County as part of Strike Team 4804A, staffed by firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department. Engine 382 was one of more than 1,000 engines and 8,000 firefighters working the fire, which burned more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and damaged 280 others, and caused one firefighter death. The Thomas Fire became the largest wildland fire in California history. (Photo by Keith D. Cullom/www.fire-image.com.)

California OES E-382, a 2014 HME/Ahrens Fox 1871-SFO 1250/850-20 WUI engine, works at the deadly Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County as part of Strike Team 4804A, staffed by firefighters from the Sacramento Fire Department. Engine 382 was one of more than 1,000 engines and 8,000 firefighters working the fire, which burned more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and damaged 280 others, and caused one firefighter death. The Thomas Fire became the largest wildland fire in California history. (Photo by Keith D. Cullom/www.fire-image.com.)

Cranes are being fitted to rescues and technical rescue trucks by some manufacturers for fire departments around the country and are being used for a number of different functions.

These include deploying dive boats or rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RIBs), serving as hoisting points for below-grade rescues, vehicle stabilization, and urban search and rescue (USAR) work.

Crane Use Approaches

Mark Weaver, account manager of crane sales for Altec Industries, which makes Auto Crane, says that there are three different approaches used by the fire service when it comes to cranes. “One is to use a boom on a flatbed to load and unload pods,” Weaver says. “Second is a tractor mount to allow all-terrain vehicles or other equipment to be unloaded off of a trailer. Third is a rear-mount crane, which is often used on rescues.”

Weaver notes that Altec’s cranes have been installed on San Diego (CA) Fire Department rescues and also for the Santa Rosa (CA) Fire Department. “San Diego does a lot of below-grade rescues, and the crane allows them to use it as belay points,” he says. “Both San Diego and Santa Rosa’s rescues use a single set of straight-down outriggers to stabilize the vehicles when the crane is in use.” Weaver adds that depending on the model crane chosen, it could have from three to eight extension sections, as well as attachments for one- or two-person platforms, hazmat barrels, and grapnels.

Mark Zipse national account manager for Iowa Mold Tooling (IMT), says his company makes a wide range of cranes for use on fire apparatus and works closely with Pierce Manufacturing when placing them on rescues. “The largest boom lengths are in excess of 80 feet of reach, but typically the ones on rescues average around 25 feet,” Zipse says. “For instance, our Model 26/180 crane has 26 feet 11 inches of reach and can pick up 6,440 pounds. It’s considered a 26-ton or a 180,000-foot-pound crane. The same crane at a hydraulic reach of 70 feet 6 inches could still pick up 1,345 pounds.”

1 The New Rochelle (N
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Posted: Feb 19, 2018

He Was Never Alone

Editor’s Opinion chris Mc Loone
 
Chris Mc Loone

In my neck of the woods, it was pretty busy around the holidays. We were running a lot of calls—not all working jobs, of course, but the end of December and beginning of January found us taking in our fair share of work.

Sadly, this work came at the worst possible time, as residents were no doubt relaxing during their holidays. For responders, the temperatures in the Mid Atlantic region have been frigid. Many areas had not seen a day where the temperature got above freezing since Christmas, making firefights difficult.

The first job came in right after Christmas and involved a renovated farmhouse. The large single-family dwelling had a very long setback with a hilly, long driveway. This narrow driveway served as access to the dwelling and the route for the large-diameter hoseline as a supply line. Crews had to go defensive on this one.

On New Year’s day a fire that started on the exterior of a dwelling quickly spread and extended to the interior. Multiple additions made opening up to find all hidden fire a challenge, and temperatures outside made conditions treacherous for walking around the fireground and very uncomfortable for those awaiting their assignments. The attack remained offensive for this fire, and several newer firefighters got inside on their first job. There is a good mix of the young and old in my department right now, so calls like this allow seasoned veterans to mentor the younger firefighters.

Finally, the next day was a working job at an automobile dealership. The fire was above a dropped ceiling. The structure’s construction allowed crews to work inside, and the fire was brought under control with no injuries to firefighters—and a couple of Corvettes inside were saved!

As with many municipalities throughout the country, the majority of the calls for my department do not end up being working fires. So, the calls are frequent, but the opportunities to see work are less frequent. So, when we get multiple jobs close to each other, it’s easy to see an energy emerge. The youngsters are finally getting to do what they signed up to do, and many of the older firefighters are happy to turn over the reins and rest their knees. All of a sudden across multiple fire companies, the common bond is there—they were all at multiple jobs together. They worked well together, and the camaraderie was obvious.

After a few days without any work, things were more normal, although the burst pipe calls were becoming more frequent around the area. With the cold temperatures, fire departments were running more calls than usual all over. After getting a taste of the “fun” parts of the job, we were all brought back down to earth with news of the line-of-duty death (LODD) of Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department Lieutenant Matt LeTourneau. He died after injuries he sustained when the floor he was working on at a working fire collapsed. An 11-year veteran, he was 42 years old.

There were conflicting reports as the scene unfolded, but soon every firefighter’s worst fear was realized, and we received confirmation that we had lost a firefighter.

That week, the local fire service experienced the two extremes of the job. It had the feeling of hands-on firefighting resulting in jobs well done and properties saved, and it had the tremendous feeling of loss as we learned of LeTournea

Read more
Posted: Feb 19, 2018

He Was Never Alone

Editor’s Opinion chris Mc Loone
 
Chris Mc Loone

In my neck of the woods, it was pretty busy around the holidays. We were running a lot of calls—not all working jobs, of course, but the end of December and beginning of January found us taking in our fair share of work.

Sadly, this work came at the worst possible time, as residents were no doubt relaxing during their holidays. For responders, the temperatures in the Mid Atlantic region have been frigid. Many areas had not seen a day where the temperature got above freezing since Christmas, making firefights difficult.

The first job came in right after Christmas and involved a renovated farmhouse. The large single-family dwelling had a very long setback with a hilly, long driveway. This narrow driveway served as access to the dwelling and the route for the large-diameter hoseline as a supply line. Crews had to go defensive on this one.

On New Year’s day a fire that started on the exterior of a dwelling quickly spread and extended to the interior. Multiple additions made opening up to find all hidden fire a challenge, and temperatures outside made conditions treacherous for walking around the fireground and very uncomfortable for those awaiting their assignments. The attack remained offensive for this fire, and several newer firefighters got inside on their first job. There is a good mix of the young and old in my department right now, so calls like this allow seasoned veterans to mentor the younger firefighters.

Finally, the next day was a working job at an automobile dealership. The fire was above a dropped ceiling. The structure’s construction allowed crews to work inside, and the fire was brought under control with no injuries to firefighters—and a couple of Corvettes inside were saved!

As with many municipalities throughout the country, the majority of the calls for my department do not end up being working fires. So, the calls are frequent, but the opportunities to see work are less frequent. So, when we get multiple jobs close to each other, it’s easy to see an energy emerge. The youngsters are finally getting to do what they signed up to do, and many of the older firefighters are happy to turn over the reins and rest their knees. All of a sudden across multiple fire companies, the common bond is there—they were all at multiple jobs together. They worked well together, and the camaraderie was obvious.

After a few days without any work, things were more normal, although the burst pipe calls were becoming more frequent around the area. With the cold temperatures, fire departments were running more calls than usual all over. After getting a taste of the “fun” parts of the job, we were all brought back down to earth with news of the line-of-duty death (LODD) of Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department Lieutenant Matt LeTourneau. He died after injuries he sustained when the floor he was working on at a working fire collapsed. An 11-year veteran, he was 42 years old.

There were conflicting reports as the scene unfolded, but soon every firefighter’s worst fear was realized, and we received confirmation that we had lost a firefighter.

That week, the local fire service experienced the two extremes of the job. It had the feeling of hands-on firefighting resulting in jobs well done and properties saved, and it had the tremendous feeling of loss as we learned of LeTournea

Read more
Posted: Feb 19, 2018

He Was Never Alone

Editor’s Opinion chris Mc Loone
 
Chris Mc Loone

In my neck of the woods, it was pretty busy around the holidays. We were running a lot of calls—not all working jobs, of course, but the end of December and beginning of January found us taking in our fair share of work.

Sadly, this work came at the worst possible time, as residents were no doubt relaxing during their holidays. For responders, the temperatures in the Mid Atlantic region have been frigid. Many areas had not seen a day where the temperature got above freezing since Christmas, making firefights difficult.

The first job came in right after Christmas and involved a renovated farmhouse. The large single-family dwelling had a very long setback with a hilly, long driveway. This narrow driveway served as access to the dwelling and the route for the large-diameter hoseline as a supply line. Crews had to go defensive on this one.

On New Year’s day a fire that started on the exterior of a dwelling quickly spread and extended to the interior. Multiple additions made opening up to find all hidden fire a challenge, and temperatures outside made conditions treacherous for walking around the fireground and very uncomfortable for those awaiting their assignments. The attack remained offensive for this fire, and several newer firefighters got inside on their first job. There is a good mix of the young and old in my department right now, so calls like this allow seasoned veterans to mentor the younger firefighters.

Finally, the next day was a working job at an automobile dealership. The fire was above a dropped ceiling. The structure’s construction allowed crews to work inside, and the fire was brought under control with no injuries to firefighters—and a couple of Corvettes inside were saved!

As with many municipalities throughout the country, the majority of the calls for my department do not end up being working fires. So, the calls are frequent, but the opportunities to see work are less frequent. So, when we get multiple jobs close to each other, it’s easy to see an energy emerge. The youngsters are finally getting to do what they signed up to do, and many of the older firefighters are happy to turn over the reins and rest their knees. All of a sudden across multiple fire companies, the common bond is there—they were all at multiple jobs together. They worked well together, and the camaraderie was obvious.

After a few days without any work, things were more normal, although the burst pipe calls were becoming more frequent around the area. With the cold temperatures, fire departments were running more calls than usual all over. After getting a taste of the “fun” parts of the job, we were all brought back down to earth with news of the line-of-duty death (LODD) of Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department Lieutenant Matt LeTourneau. He died after injuries he sustained when the floor he was working on at a working fire collapsed. An 11-year veteran, he was 42 years old.

There were conflicting reports as the scene unfolded, but soon every firefighter’s worst fear was realized, and we received confirmation that we had lost a firefighter.

That week, the local fire service experienced the two extremes of the job. It had the feeling of hands-on firefighting resulting in jobs well done and properties saved, and it had the tremendous feeling of loss as we learned of LeTournea

Read more
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