Richard Marinucci

For someone who has been in the fire service a long time, I am amazed that there are vehicles that cost more than $1 million.

Yet, trucks, aerials, platforms, sticks, or whatever you call them have a purpose, and departments need to understand their necessity, versatility, and functionality. With a price tag so high, departments need to get their money’s worth and maximize usage. Of course, added usage comes with a price, as it reduces the vehicle’s life expectancy. Good strategy and planning will make this vital piece more useful.

There are many reasons vehicles cost so much. I understand some of them and still can’t figure out others. Regardless, I do know that vehicles are more complex, have more governmental regulations, and are doing more functions. It is these factors and more that make it difficult for many departments to have the expertise to go through a comprehensive purchasing process including specifications, accepting formal bid proposals (or RFPs - requests for proposals), and ultimately accepting the apparatus.

In most cases, departments do not regularly and routinely order fleets of vehicles. They purchase one or two over a period of years with the expectation that they are likely to do this once or twice in a career. With personnel turnover, it is also unlikely that the same people, apparatus committee, vehicle technician, and purchasing agent will be involved in the process. Even if they are, the apparatus and the standards will have changed, meaning there is still much to be learned. Few organizations have significant experience in this arena. This could lead to mistakes - mistakes that can be very costly.

Departments should seriously consider hiring an apparatus consultant if they do not have a well-established fleet management system with knowledgeable and experienced personnel who regularly and routinely purchase apparatus and who continually study and learn within their areas of responsibilities. Those that do not have the appropriate experience should look to someone who regularly does this work. The cost is not generally exorbitant, and the quality consultants will easily save you more than the fee that they charge by keeping you from making those costly mistakes. If you were to build a $1 million addition onto one of your fire stations, you would certainly hire an architect and possibly a project manager. You would need the advice of someone who has the necessary knowledge. The purchase price for apparatus should get you to at least do the same - get expert help.

If you go this route, you still have to do your homework. You need to investigate your options and ask for proposals from qualified individuals or firms. There are good folks out there, so you have choices. You can look at references and get advice from others in the industry. Outline your needs and expectations. Most consultants will customize their approach to meet your needs. But, remember, they are the experts, so you may need to compromise. Be sure to check on your organization’s policies regarding professional services in advance.

If you decide to go the consultant route, you are not absolved of doing some work. If you have used an apparatus committee in the past, there is no reason to stop. The committee still must establish the organization’s needs and essential requirements. Quality consultants will need a starting point and want to get you the piece of equipment that meets your wants and needs. They will ask questions and do their best to get you the “best bang for the buck.” They are no

By Alan M. Petrillo

Snozzle, Sky-Boom, T-Rex, ACP 55, Stinger, Roadrunner, Snorkel, TeleSqurt, Squrt, and Bronto Skylift are some of the boom and articulating boom configurations that are finding their way into fire departments around the country.

Departments using such apparatus see the rigs as valuable in operating up and over obstacles and buildings, in below-grade operations, and for getting into tight places.

1 The Eagan (MN) Fire Department had Piece Manufacturing build a pumper with a 50-foot Snozzle articulating boom with a 1,500-gpm waterway and a piercing nozzle that flows 250 gpm with a 40-foot spray pattern. (Photos 1-3 courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.)

Snozzle and Sky-Boom

Tim Smits, senior manager of national sales and product support for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says the Snozzle articulating boom comes in 50- and 65-foot lengths and is popular on both municipal fire apparatus as well as on aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) rigs made by Oshkosh. “Both Snozzle lengths feature a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) waterway and have a piercing nozzle option that flows 250 gpm with a 40-foot spray pattern,” Smits says.

2 Engine 5 of the Delavan (WI) Fire Department features a 65-foot Snozzle with a piercing nozzle built by Pierce Manufacturing.

Smits points out that when the Snozzle is mounted on a traditional pumper body, it’s mounted midship, which means the rear compartment on the pumper is unrestricted, unlike a rear-mounted unit. The Snozzle consists of two boom arms and one telescoping boom that can extend 15 feet, and it also can operate below grade. Both lengths can be installed on a single-rear-axle vehicle and are supported by two midship, A-frame-style stabilizers that stick out 12 inches on each side.

Pierce also offers the Sky-Boom, a two section, rear-mounted boom in 55- and 61-foot lengths that mounts on a single-rear-axle vehicle. The Sky-Boom uses a single set of A-frame-style stabilizers and can flow 1,000 gpm.

3 The Snozzle units are often used on ARFF vehicles built by Oshkosh, such as this 8x8 Striker with a 65-foot Snozzle built by Oshkosh for the San Francisco (CA) International Airport.

T-Rex, ACP 55, Stinger, and Roadrunner

Rosenbauer makes two articulating boom products and one elevated boom product, says Dave Reichman, national sales manager. “The T-Rex has a 115-foot vertical reach and 93-foot horizontal reach and is composed of three sections with an 18-foot

By Alan M. Petrillo

Snozzle, Sky-Boom, T-Rex, ACP 55, Stinger, Roadrunner, Snorkel, TeleSqurt, Squrt, and Bronto Skylift are some of the boom and articulating boom configurations that are finding their way into fire departments around the country.

Departments using such apparatus see the rigs as valuable in operating up and over obstacles and buildings, in below-grade operations, and for getting into tight places.

1 The Eagan (MN) Fire Department had Piece Manufacturing build a pumper with a 50-foot Snozzle articulating boom with a 1,500-gpm waterway and a piercing nozzle that flows 250 gpm with a 40-foot spray pattern. (Photos 1-3 courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.)

Snozzle and Sky-Boom

Tim Smits, senior manager of national sales and product support for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says the Snozzle articulating boom comes in 50- and 65-foot lengths and is popular on both municipal fire apparatus as well as on aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) rigs made by Oshkosh. “Both Snozzle lengths feature a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) waterway and have a piercing nozzle option that flows 250 gpm with a 40-foot spray pattern,” Smits says.

2 Engine 5 of the Delavan (WI) Fire Department features a 65-foot Snozzle with a piercing nozzle built by Pierce Manufacturing.

Smits points out that when the Snozzle is mounted on a traditional pumper body, it’s mounted midship, which means the rear compartment on the pumper is unrestricted, unlike a rear-mounted unit. The Snozzle consists of two boom arms and one telescoping boom that can extend 15 feet, and it also can operate below grade. Both lengths can be installed on a single-rear-axle vehicle and are supported by two midship, A-frame-style stabilizers that stick out 12 inches on each side.

Pierce also offers the Sky-Boom, a two section, rear-mounted boom in 55- and 61-foot lengths that mounts on a single-rear-axle vehicle. The Sky-Boom uses a single set of A-frame-style stabilizers and can flow 1,000 gpm.

3 The Snozzle units are often used on ARFF vehicles built by Oshkosh, such as this 8x8 Striker with a 65-foot Snozzle built by Oshkosh for the San Francisco (CA) International Airport.

T-Rex, ACP 55, Stinger, and Roadrunner

Rosenbauer makes two articulating boom products and one elevated boom product, says Dave Reichman, national sales manager. “The T-Rex has a 115-foot vertical reach and 93-foot horizontal reach and is composed of three sections with an 18-foot

By Alan M. Petrillo

Snozzle, Sky-Boom, T-Rex, ACP 55, Stinger, Roadrunner, Snorkel, TeleSqurt, Squrt, and Bronto Skylift are some of the boom and articulating boom configurations that are finding their way into fire departments around the country.

Departments using such apparatus see the rigs as valuable in operating up and over obstacles and buildings, in below-grade operations, and for getting into tight places.

1 The Eagan (MN) Fire Department had Piece Manufacturing build a pumper with a 50-foot Snozzle articulating boom with a 1,500-gpm waterway and a piercing nozzle that flows 250 gpm with a 40-foot spray pattern. (Photos 1-3 courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.)

Snozzle and Sky-Boom

Tim Smits, senior manager of national sales and product support for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says the Snozzle articulating boom comes in 50- and 65-foot lengths and is popular on both municipal fire apparatus as well as on aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) rigs made by Oshkosh. “Both Snozzle lengths feature a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) waterway and have a piercing nozzle option that flows 250 gpm with a 40-foot spray pattern,” Smits says.

2 Engine 5 of the Delavan (WI) Fire Department features a 65-foot Snozzle with a piercing nozzle built by Pierce Manufacturing.

Smits points out that when the Snozzle is mounted on a traditional pumper body, it’s mounted midship, which means the rear compartment on the pumper is unrestricted, unlike a rear-mounted unit. The Snozzle consists of two boom arms and one telescoping boom that can extend 15 feet, and it also can operate below grade. Both lengths can be installed on a single-rear-axle vehicle and are supported by two midship, A-frame-style stabilizers that stick out 12 inches on each side.

Pierce also offers the Sky-Boom, a two section, rear-mounted boom in 55- and 61-foot lengths that mounts on a single-rear-axle vehicle. The Sky-Boom uses a single set of A-frame-style stabilizers and can flow 1,000 gpm.

3 The Snozzle units are often used on ARFF vehicles built by Oshkosh, such as this 8x8 Striker with a 65-foot Snozzle built by Oshkosh for the San Francisco (CA) International Airport.

T-Rex, ACP 55, Stinger, and Roadrunner

Rosenbauer makes two articulating boom products and one elevated boom product, says Dave Reichman, national sales manager. “The T-Rex has a 115-foot vertical reach and 93-foot horizontal reach and is composed of three sections with an 18-foot

By Carl J. Haddon

Simple truth: Had it not been for FDIC International, I would likely not have had the privilege of writing the “To the Rescue” and “Rurally Speaking” columns for this magazine. You see, this column was literally born on the floor of FDIC all those years ago.

Much has been written about the benefits of attending FDIC International - the networking; the educational opportunities; and all the countless apparatus, equipment, and goods and services that the global fire service has to offer, all found under one (collective) roof on that massive trade show floor. To echo the words of most souls who enter the trade show floor for the first time, “WOW!”

For me, attending FDIC International and being an FDIC instructor since 2011 have afforded me opportunities that I never would have imagined. The effects of FDIC International’s reach are far and wide, and I am living proof of that. Even before it had the moniker “FDIC International,” FDIC was, in part, responsible for my becoming an “international” fire service instructor who is blessed to travel the United States and the world teaching, sharing, and consulting in fire departments, emergency services groups, and equipment manufacturers.

This summer, I will travel to Vietnam to provide training and consulting. One of the criteria for awarding this opportunity was my having been an FDIC instructor for five or more years. The good folks from Vietnam have attended FDIC International and understand the weight and value bestowed on those of us who are fortunate to have been chosen to present programs at the largest yearly gathering of firefighters and fire instructors in the world.

As I write this piece, I am sitting on a Polynesian island in the South Pacific for a fire service/consulting work assignment. This assignment requires that I return to this tropical paradise for a week to 10 days each month for four months. Not a bad gig, right? In addition to doing a couple of things right in my 35 years in the fire service, being a part of FDIC International was one of the major players on my résumé that helped to get me this assignment.

I’m not some superfamous fire service guru that hails from a large urban department. Nor am I one of the present generation of fire service keyboard warriors who have more tech and Internet technology skills than I could ever even hope to comprehend. For the past 15 years, I have lived and served in the very rural Rocky Mountains of Idaho. Both this column and “Rurally Speaking” are based on my travels to fire departments and fire service equipment manufacturers all over the country and abroad. Every article is based on events that I’ve been a firsthand part of as a direct result of face-to-face interactions with firefighters and manufacturers the world over. I couldn’t have had the experiences to write these columns had I not had the opportunities afforded me by FDIC International. My point is, I’m just another soul with a badge (just like you) who was able to work hard and take advantage of some great opportunities that were enhanced by attending, learning, and teaching at FDIC International.

It still amazes me that some fellow firefighters don’t know about FDIC International. On my way to the islands, I was waiting for a flight in Spokane, Washington, when I happened across a couple of firefighters awaiting the same flight (they were traveling to Atlanta to take delivery of a new apparatus). As our conversation progressed, I asked if they were going to attend this year’s conference. They looked at me like I had three heads, as they were unfamiliar with FDIC International. With that said, in all fairness, I too have to admit that for all of my prior years working in Southern California (prior to semiretirement an