By Chris Mc Loone

One of the most important aspects of FDIC International is that the event acts as a springboard for conversation.

As great as it is to see friends, catch up, and share stories of FDICs past, there are many discussions taking place as the week commences regarding current issues that directly impact the future of the fire service. One such issue is cancer.

There hasn’t been an FDIC International in recent memory where firefighter cancer was talked about more. From products like particulate-blocking hoods to presentations like Gavin Horn’s “Reducing Cancer Risks for the Fire Service” to major players in the industry committing support for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, FDIC International 2017 proved that firefighter cancer awareness is increasing and that the industry is responding by designing new products to help firefighters reduce their risks. Discussion revolving around cancer centered on the products available to help protect firefighters as well as potential tactical changes on the fireground to help reduce firefighter cancer risk.

Besides cancer awareness, one of the bigger stories at the show was REV Group’s acquisition of Ferrara Fire Apparatus. Announced before the exhibits opened, Ferrara joins E-ONE and KME to comprise the REV Fire Group.

What follows here are reports from Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment team members regarding their impressions of this year’s event.

For complete coverage, go to www.fireapparatus.com/fdic.

FDIC 2017: What’s New for Safety

By Robert Tutterow

When fire service manufacturers decide when and where to introduce new products, the decision almost always defaults to FDIC International.

If size matters, then the Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue tow truck equipped for heavy rescue deserves top billing. The JERR-DAN rig’s rotating boom is rated at 50 or 60 tons, depending on the rating system used, and has a reach of 41 feet 7 inches. Tow trucks have been used in many European fire service brigades for years. Will this concept catch on in the United States?

Keep an eye on Little Giant Ladders. This company continues to improve on one of the basic tools of the trade. This year, it displayed a ladder with stability legs at the base of the ladder.

Last year at FDIC International, Dupont introduced its Nano technology for particulate barrier hoods. This year, W.L. Gore and Stedfast introduced new barrier hood technology. The Stedfast material is called “Prevent” and is available from various hood manufacturers. The Gore material is referred to as the “Gore Particulate Hood” and is currently available only through Majestic Fire Apparel.

Photo by Chris Mc Loone.

As chair of the NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, task group on eye and face protection, I was particularly interested in eye protection products. Bullard’s “ReTrak” series of helmets features an eye shield stowed beneath the helmet shell and flips down with a close fit like safety glasses. Bullard was able to do this without expanding the size of the outer shell. Also, Edge Tactical Eyewear, ESS Eye Pro, and HexArmor Eyew

By Chris Mc Loone

One of the most important aspects of FDIC International is that the event acts as a springboard for conversation.

As great as it is to see friends, catch up, and share stories of FDICs past, there are many discussions taking place as the week commences regarding current issues that directly impact the future of the fire service. One such issue is cancer.

There hasn’t been an FDIC International in recent memory where firefighter cancer was talked about more. From products like particulate-blocking hoods to presentations like Gavin Horn’s “Reducing Cancer Risks for the Fire Service” to major players in the industry committing support for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, FDIC International 2017 proved that firefighter cancer awareness is increasing and that the industry is responding by designing new products to help firefighters reduce their risks. Discussion revolving around cancer centered on the products available to help protect firefighters as well as potential tactical changes on the fireground to help reduce firefighter cancer risk.

Besides cancer awareness, one of the bigger stories at the show was REV Group’s acquisition of Ferrara Fire Apparatus. Announced before the exhibits opened, Ferrara joins E-ONE and KME to comprise the REV Fire Group.

What follows here are reports from Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment team members regarding their impressions of this year’s event.

For complete coverage, go to www.fireapparatus.com/fdic.

FDIC 2017: What’s New for Safety

By Robert Tutterow

When fire service manufacturers decide when and where to introduce new products, the decision almost always defaults to FDIC International.

If size matters, then the Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue tow truck equipped for heavy rescue deserves top billing. The JERR-DAN rig’s rotating boom is rated at 50 or 60 tons, depending on the rating system used, and has a reach of 41 feet 7 inches. Tow trucks have been used in many European fire service brigades for years. Will this concept catch on in the United States?

Keep an eye on Little Giant Ladders. This company continues to improve on one of the basic tools of the trade. This year, it displayed a ladder with stability legs at the base of the ladder.

Last year at FDIC International, Dupont introduced its Nano technology for particulate barrier hoods. This year, W.L. Gore and Stedfast introduced new barrier hood technology. The Stedfast material is called “Prevent” and is available from various hood manufacturers. The Gore material is referred to as the “Gore Particulate Hood” and is currently available only through Majestic Fire Apparel.

Photo by Chris Mc Loone.

As chair of the NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, task group on eye and face protection, I was particularly interested in eye protection products. Bullard’s “ReTrak” series of helmets features an eye shield stowed beneath the helmet shell and flips down with a close fit like safety glasses. Bullard was able to do this without expanding the size of the outer shell. Also, Edge Tactical Eyewear, ESS Eye Pro, and HexArmor Eyew

By Chris Mc Loone

One of the most important aspects of FDIC International is that the event acts as a springboard for conversation.

As great as it is to see friends, catch up, and share stories of FDICs past, there are many discussions taking place as the week commences regarding current issues that directly impact the future of the fire service. One such issue is cancer.

There hasn’t been an FDIC International in recent memory where firefighter cancer was talked about more. From products like particulate-blocking hoods to presentations like Gavin Horn’s “Reducing Cancer Risks for the Fire Service” to major players in the industry committing support for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, FDIC International 2017 proved that firefighter cancer awareness is increasing and that the industry is responding by designing new products to help firefighters reduce their risks. Discussion revolving around cancer centered on the products available to help protect firefighters as well as potential tactical changes on the fireground to help reduce firefighter cancer risk.

Besides cancer awareness, one of the bigger stories at the show was REV Group’s acquisition of Ferrara Fire Apparatus. Announced before the exhibits opened, Ferrara joins E-ONE and KME to comprise the REV Fire Group.

What follows here are reports from Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment team members regarding their impressions of this year’s event.

For complete coverage, go to www.fireapparatus.com/fdic.

FDIC 2017: What’s New for Safety

By Robert Tutterow

When fire service manufacturers decide when and where to introduce new products, the decision almost always defaults to FDIC International.

If size matters, then the Miami-Dade (FL) Fire Rescue tow truck equipped for heavy rescue deserves top billing. The JERR-DAN rig’s rotating boom is rated at 50 or 60 tons, depending on the rating system used, and has a reach of 41 feet 7 inches. Tow trucks have been used in many European fire service brigades for years. Will this concept catch on in the United States?

Keep an eye on Little Giant Ladders. This company continues to improve on one of the basic tools of the trade. This year, it displayed a ladder with stability legs at the base of the ladder.

Last year at FDIC International, Dupont introduced its Nano technology for particulate barrier hoods. This year, W.L. Gore and Stedfast introduced new barrier hood technology. The Stedfast material is called “Prevent” and is available from various hood manufacturers. The Gore material is referred to as the “Gore Particulate Hood” and is currently available only through Majestic Fire Apparel.

Photo by Chris Mc Loone.

As chair of the NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, task group on eye and face protection, I was particularly interested in eye protection products. Bullard’s “ReTrak” series of helmets features an eye shield stowed beneath the helmet shell and flips down with a close fit like safety glasses. Bullard was able to do this without expanding the size of the outer shell. Also, Edge Tactical Eyewear, ESS Eye Pro, and HexArmor Eyew

Chris Mc Loone

I feel like I’m at a weird stage in life where I can use a smartphone but there’s functionality on it that I will never understand the need for nor how to use it.

My 13-year-old son has tried to explain these things to me, and I’m sure I give him the same face he gives me as I try to explain why diagramming sentences might not seem important at this moment in time but will benefit him later in life.

It’s sometimes a little scary thinking about the future and what it will bring. Sometimes, in an attempt to make our lives easier, consumer goods manufacturers build products that work well but are more complex, meaning it’s not as easy today as it was back in the day to take apart a clothes washer, for example, to replace the pump. And in the future, it will be even less so, more than likely.

So, I just got back from FDIC International, and it was a week of what you’d expect from Indy: camaraderie, challenging training, new products - the best of the best of what the fire service has to offer. Discussions went from the good old days, to new firefighters, to the changing times, to “did you see this truck” or “did you see the new widget from ABC company?” But, it is the future that has really gotten me thinking since I got home.

Rosenbauer, for the first time, displayed its Concept Fire Truck (CFT) at a public exhibition. The CFT is the end result of a project that commenced in 2011. The target of the project was to “create a scientific concept incorporating the latest technology based on trends which indicate future behavior and perceptions.” It’s important to remember that the truck displayed was not a prototype but a concept. We could not take pictures or videos of the inside of the truck, but Rosenbauer was kind enough to let me mention a few things about the truck I found interesting.

First, and I have to admit that I did not notice this right away, the CFT did not have any side mirrors. Instead, the inside of the rig’s A pillars had screens connected to cameras that allowed an apparatus operator to see the rear and side of the truck. As someone who has whacked a few signs in his day with apparatus mirrors, I was a fan of this concept. I was able to sit in the driver’s seat of the CFT for an idea of the driver experience and, while there would be an adjustment period for going from mirrors to the A pillar screens, it seemed like a plausible direction to go in in the future.

At an invitation-only event prior to the exhibits opening, Rosenbauer representatives introduced the crowd to the CFT, and it made its grand entrance by driving down an aisle and turning into Rosenbauer’s booth, practically in complete silence. This is because the truck is electrically driven and has all-wheel steering, making it maneuverable and very quiet. Think about that on the road to a fire. Inside, firefighters faced each other on bench seats along the driver and passenger side. Will this design element become pervasive? I don’t know. The point was not to say, “This is what’s coming, get ready for it.” The point was for show attendees to consider the future and what it may be bringing.

I am sure that some walked by the booth and only took a look and said, “Not in my firehouse.” But, my hope is that more attendees walked by and walked around the rig and thought, “Hmph. I hadn’t thought of that. That could work.”

Each of us has an opinion on what the future holds for the fire industry and fire apparatus design. My hope is that