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Posted: Jan 6, 2017

KFT Fire Trainers Hires Sam Goldwater as Vice President

KFT Fire Trainers

KFT Fire Trainers, the world’s largest producer of live fire training props and support equipment, announces the hiring of 40-year fire service veteran Sam Goldwater as their new Vice President.  After a yearlong search for someone who has a pulse on fire service training, Goldwater was chosen for his understanding of training needs for the fire instructor, while having a business savvy to take the company through the next century of operations. His commitment to the firefighter customer is unmatched and will allow KFT to develop products that are not only relevant in a changing fire service environment, but operate safely, are well engineered, easy to maintain, and challenge the firefighter student while meeting the goals of the training officer. 

Goldwater’s hands on experience as a training officer and chief gives him practical knowledge of what drives the firefighter, the needs of the TO, and what a safe training environment truly is. While on staff of the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), Sam was a member of the NFPA 1403 Committee on Live Fire Training Evolutions and authored IFSTA’s “500 Competencies for Fire Fighter Certification” as his Master’s Thesis in Adult Education at Oklahoma State University. Sam has written articles for Fire Engineering and Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, has presented at the FDIC, and was the FDIC’s voice for podcasts featuring FDIC exhibitors. Sam started his fire service career in Maryland where he graduated from the University of Maryland and attended the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. He finished his firefighting career as a Division Chief where, as a federal contractor, he not only responded to some of the largest emergencies in history, he also responded to some of the most complicated industrial fires including the Tunnel 7 Fire in Oregon, The Sacramento Railroad Bridge Fire, and the Feather River Derailment. As Area Command during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Goldwater worked with multiple agencies in the most trying of conditions.

According to Rob Lane, President of KFT, “We will draw on Sam’s broad range of Fire and Business experience to propel KFT forward while meeting the ever changing needs of the fire service and the fire service instructor."

More info: www.kft.firetrainer.com

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Volunteers Want to Acquire Historic Downtown Hagerstown Fire Station
Volunteers Want to Acquire Historic Downtown Hagerstown Fire Station
Posted: Jan 6, 2017

Volunteers Want to Acquire Historic Downtown Hagerstown Fire Station

The fate of a historic downtown fire station remained up in the air Thursday evening. Seven members of the Pioneer Hook & Ladder Co. voted unanimously that they want to try to acquire the city-owned building at 21-23 W. Franklin St. After that, Hagerstown Fire Chief Steve Lohr discussed the building and other issues.

He outlined what he called Hagerstown’s normal process for properties the city no longer needs.

Lohr said that the properties go into what is called a competitive negotiated sale, or CNS, program.

The Hagerstown City Council council this month is to consider putting the building into that program, he said.

“It’s my understanding that every property goes into the CNS program,” Lohr said.

He said that the program is managed by Jill Frick, director of community and economic development for the city.

After the discussion with Lohr, the volunteers agreed to contact Frick.

“If we keep this building, it’s never going to be anything more than a meeting house,” new company President Jaered Hebb said after that discussion.

“It all depends on the price,” Vice President James Burdett said.

Last month, Lohr told Mayor Robert E. Bruchey II and the Hagerstown City Council that the building is no longer adequate for the city fire department.

It has housed part of the department’s operations for decades, but a group of volunteers is in charge of some day-to-day operations of the building, according to previous Herald-Mail Media reports.

The Pioneer Hook & Ladder building was to be the home of one of two 100-foot ladder trucks recently purchased by the city.

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Police: West Haven Man Attempts to Steal Firetruck
Police: West Haven Man Attempts to Steal Firetruck
Posted: Jan 6, 2017

Police: West Haven Man Attempts to Steal Firetruck

A West Haven man accused of stealing a firetruck might have got away with it, if he had not turned on its sirens and got the attention of firefighters. Wayne Gagne, 63, of West Haven, was arrested after getting into the parked firetruck on Wednesday, turning on its sirens and trying to put the truck in motion before firefighters dragged him out of it, police said.

Gagne was charged with criminal attempt to commit larceny in the first degree and possession of a dangerous weapon. He had a large hunting knife in his possession at the time, police said.

Police responded after firefighters reported that a man had gotten into their firetruck while they were on a medical call. The firefighters came outside to find that the man, identified as Gagne, was trying to get the truck in motion, police said.

The firefighters pulled Gagne from the truck and held him until officers arrived, police said.




Read More at Hartford Courant
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Passenger Rescue Drone Airborne
Passenger Rescue Drone Airborne
Posted: Jan 6, 2017

Passenger Rescue Drone Airborne

Passenger Rescue Drone Airborne 'by 2020' According to a report the passenger drone completes its first low-level flight in November 2016. This has been developed over fifteen years ago and used by military for rescue. Where in June another passenger drone -184 made by Chinese company Ehang, received an approval for test flights in Nevada.
The Urban Aeronautics Air Mule, that formerly Air Mule or Mule, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) codename Pereira.  This unmanned flying object designed by Rafi Yoeli and built by Tactical Robotics LTD, which is a subsidiary of URBAN AERONAUTICS LTD. As it was reported, a flying object that is safer than helicopter and can be used on evacuations from buildings and places with minimum access.

Developers’ Urban aeronautics believes the dark green drone with internal rotors rather than propellers (on helicopters) could evacuate people from hostile environments or safe military access.   For me this is another vehicle like Black – Hawk or X- Hawk that is being use by military. According to a report in 2004 this vehicle’s concept was started and at June of 2008 a scale –down technology with a new flight control system flew by Panda.    Then after every year this vehicle was improved and used for different purpose at the testing stage and improvement was done year-by-year accordingly Later on the name was changed and worked on hover control system, free hovering and low –speed flight maneuvers. Full flight envelope testing, finally changes on the Design, flight stability including speed and safety, and the sensors (laser, GPS, climate sensor was added), the flight control system, and Ground control with communication devices.
Read More at DailyTech
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Long-Awaited Fire Truck Upgrade
Long-Awaited Fire Truck Upgrade
Posted: Jan 6, 2017

Long-Awaited Fire Truck Upgrade

The paid on-call department took delivery of the $504,000 pumper/rescue truck just prior to Christmas. It is the department's first new truck in 10 years. Sipe said the department hopes to have all the equipment on board and all training completed so the truck can go into service by the end of the month.

All of the department’s firefighters will be trained to drive the truck and operate its electronics and the side-mounted pump. There’s a lot of new technology on the vehicle, so it’s important to have everyone properly trained before the truck rolls, Sipe said.

The Spring Lake Fire Department could have replaced its 1988 pumper five or six years ago.

“But we kept pushing it back because it ran so good,” Sipe said.

That allowed funds from a millage to build up enough to cover the cost of the new truck, and helps when it comes time — at least 5-6 years down the road — to replace the next truck.

During its last annual maintenance, inspectors determined that the frame on the truck now being replaced was starting to crack, so the department began the process of getting the new truck.

Once a decision was made on the needs of the department and community, a contract was signed and the new truck’s construction began about 10 months ago, Sipe said.

Officials decided to go with the rescue/pumper, though slightly smaller actually has more capacity to serve most of the Spring Lake department’s needs.

The smaller truck will be easier to maneuver in driveways, yet its water tank is only slightly smaller than the truck it is replacing. Because of new technology, the water tank is molded around storage areas, giving the department places to hold emergency medical supplies and a booster wheel with a smaller hose already attached to fight grass fires.

Read More at Grandhaventribune
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