TargetSolutions, the leader in online training management applications for fire departments, hosted its annual Networking & Training Workshop on Tuesday in San Diego.

More than 70 attendees from fire departments across the country packed the Marriott Gaslamp Quarter's Altitude Sky Lounge to meet with TargetSolutions account managers and mingle with other training officers.

The highlight of the afternoon was the awards presentation, which honors customers who give so much to TargetSolutions and share the same commitment of providing exceptional fire department training.

Capt. Benjamin Banks of the city of Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department was presented with the Technology Achievement Award, which goes to an individual who is consistently looking to maximize TargetSolutions' web-based system. Banks was the choice because of his forward-thinking mindset for his metro agency's training program.

“Our department in general is trying to use technology more and more, all the time for everything,” said Banks, who has been managing the department’s training platform for the last year. “That’s really been a directive of our mayor and our fire chief, so this falls right in line with that.”

The ability to measure training hours – as well as other key performance indicators related to training – is critical to LAFD, which has increased its utilization of the TargetSolutions platform since Banks took on his current role.

“Being able to provide metrics, that’s what it’s all about,” Banks said. “I hear that across the fire service. Metrics, it’s the numbers, it’s the totals, really being able to show the work that we’re doing, the training that people in the fire stations and otherwise are doing, it’s all about being able to put those numbers on. Unless you have technology that can support that, it’s going to be very difficult. And then having technology that can make that job even easier, I mean that’s what the goal is. TargetSolutions has definitely helped us in that regard.”

Battalion Chief Matt Barnes of Southern Marin (CA) Fire Department was given the Vanguard Award, which goes each year to someone who exemplifies dedication in the delivery of fire department training. Barnes has consistently worked to maximize TargetSolutions and help his agency streamline training and compliance.

“The fire service changes and evolves on a daily basis and the only way to stay current is to research and go out and perform skills based off the information that you’ve gathered and learned from the past,” said Barnes, who has been with the agency for the last 15 years. “We’ve had some significant near misses in our organization. We’ve had two line-of-duty deaths in our organizations due to health, so training is very near and dear to me. I think it’s the fabric of what makes someone become a good, proficient performing individual in the fire service.”

The final award went to Capt. Jamie Young of the St. Charles Fire Department in Missouri. The Helping Hand is delivered each year to someone who goes above and beyond to assist TargetSolutions or their neighboring agencies who are using the platform. Young's department hosted a team of TargetSolutions videographers in 2016 for a special training shoot and the footage is being used in TargetSolutions' upcoming NFPA 1410 training series,

By Alan M. Petrillo

The rescue-pumper has been around for a number of years and makes up a strong part of many fire department fleets, but some departments remain loyal to traditional medium and heavy rescue trucks-both walk-in and walk-around models.

1 VT Hackney Inc. built this heavy rescue truck on a tandem rear axle for the Madison Township (IN) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of VT Hackney Inc.)

Rescue truck manufacturers are continuing to build traditional rescues for departments that want the kind of carrying power that a dedicated rescue allows, from hauling equipment for vehicle extrications to that required by a number of technical rescue disciplines.

Straight Rescue Market

Ed Smith, director of the emergency vehicles group for VT Hackney Inc., says that Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association data for 2015 show 280 apparatus identified as rescues, and that 2016 figures through the third quarter were within two percentage points of 2015. “So, there’s been no growth in the purchase of traditional rescue trucks,” Smith says but notes that “we are still building a good number of big traditional rescues, usually on bodies of 20 to 24 feet long that some states classify as heavy rescues.”

2 The Berea (OH) Southwest Emergency Response Team went to Hackney for this technical rescue rig. (Photo courtesy of VT Hackney Inc.)

Smith adds that Hackney’s rescue truck percentages were up during the past year, especially for light-duty vehicles with 10- to 12-foot bodies on Ford F-550 or Dodge Ram 5500 chassis and cabs. “Departments are designating them as rescue companies and also using them as squads to run medical calls,” Smith says. “The next step up is a medium rescue that would also carry air bags and cribbing, and then heavy rescues that carry equipment for structural collapse, trench rescues, and other types of technical rescue, including hazardous materials response.”

Hackney has seen most heavy rescues going to cities with populations of 100,000 or more, Smith points out. “We’re also seeing smaller rural and suburban fire departments buying heavy rescues when they have the specific need and the resources to purchase them.”

3 The East Freehold (NJ) Fire Department chose Rescue 1 to build this tandem-rear-axle traditional walk-around heavy rescue truck. (Photo courtesy of Rescue 1.)

Mike Mildner, rescue sales specialist for E-ONE, believes that rescues have evolved into highly specialized vehicles. “While very large departments might have two or three specialized rescue vehicles, some of them put it all together in a heavy squad that handles technical rescue,” Mildner says. “Usually hazardous materials is on a separate vehicle because if a combo unit that has h

By Alan M. Petrillo

The rescue-pumper has been around for a number of years and makes up a strong part of many fire department fleets, but some departments remain loyal to traditional medium and heavy rescue trucks-both walk-in and walk-around models.

1 VT Hackney Inc. built this heavy rescue truck on a tandem rear axle for the Madison Township (IN) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of VT Hackney Inc.)

Rescue truck manufacturers are continuing to build traditional rescues for departments that want the kind of carrying power that a dedicated rescue allows, from hauling equipment for vehicle extrications to that required by a number of technical rescue disciplines.

Straight Rescue Market

Ed Smith, director of the emergency vehicles group for VT Hackney Inc., says that Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association data for 2015 show 280 apparatus identified as rescues, and that 2016 figures through the third quarter were within two percentage points of 2015. “So, there’s been no growth in the purchase of traditional rescue trucks,” Smith says but notes that “we are still building a good number of big traditional rescues, usually on bodies of 20 to 24 feet long that some states classify as heavy rescues.”

2 The Berea (OH) Southwest Emergency Response Team went to Hackney for this technical rescue rig. (Photo courtesy of VT Hackney Inc.)

Smith adds that Hackney’s rescue truck percentages were up during the past year, especially for light-duty vehicles with 10- to 12-foot bodies on Ford F-550 or Dodge Ram 5500 chassis and cabs. “Departments are designating them as rescue companies and also using them as squads to run medical calls,” Smith says. “The next step up is a medium rescue that would also carry air bags and cribbing, and then heavy rescues that carry equipment for structural collapse, trench rescues, and other types of technical rescue, including hazardous materials response.”

Hackney has seen most heavy rescues going to cities with populations of 100,000 or more, Smith points out. “We’re also seeing smaller rural and suburban fire departments buying heavy rescues when they have the specific need and the resources to purchase them.”

3 The East Freehold (NJ) Fire Department chose Rescue 1 to build this tandem-rear-axle traditional walk-around heavy rescue truck. (Photo courtesy of Rescue 1.)

Mike Mildner, rescue sales specialist for E-ONE, believes that rescues have evolved into highly specialized vehicles. “While very large departments might have two or three specialized rescue vehicles, some of them put it all together in a heavy squad that handles technical rescue,” Mildner says. “Usually hazardous materials is on a separate vehicle because if a combo unit that has h

By Alan M. Petrillo

The rescue-pumper has been around for a number of years and makes up a strong part of many fire department fleets, but some departments remain loyal to traditional medium and heavy rescue trucks-both walk-in and walk-around models.

1 VT Hackney Inc. built this heavy rescue truck on a tandem rear axle for the Madison Township (IN) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of VT Hackney Inc.)

Rescue truck manufacturers are continuing to build traditional rescues for departments that want the kind of carrying power that a dedicated rescue allows, from hauling equipment for vehicle extrications to that required by a number of technical rescue disciplines.

Straight Rescue Market

Ed Smith, director of the emergency vehicles group for VT Hackney Inc., says that Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association data for 2015 show 280 apparatus identified as rescues, and that 2016 figures through the third quarter were within two percentage points of 2015. “So, there’s been no growth in the purchase of traditional rescue trucks,” Smith says but notes that “we are still building a good number of big traditional rescues, usually on bodies of 20 to 24 feet long that some states classify as heavy rescues.”

2 The Berea (OH) Southwest Emergency Response Team went to Hackney for this technical rescue rig. (Photo courtesy of VT Hackney Inc.)

Smith adds that Hackney’s rescue truck percentages were up during the past year, especially for light-duty vehicles with 10- to 12-foot bodies on Ford F-550 or Dodge Ram 5500 chassis and cabs. “Departments are designating them as rescue companies and also using them as squads to run medical calls,” Smith says. “The next step up is a medium rescue that would also carry air bags and cribbing, and then heavy rescues that carry equipment for structural collapse, trench rescues, and other types of technical rescue, including hazardous materials response.”

Hackney has seen most heavy rescues going to cities with populations of 100,000 or more, Smith points out. “We’re also seeing smaller rural and suburban fire departments buying heavy rescues when they have the specific need and the resources to purchase them.”

3 The East Freehold (NJ) Fire Department chose Rescue 1 to build this tandem-rear-axle traditional walk-around heavy rescue truck. (Photo courtesy of Rescue 1.)

Mike Mildner, rescue sales specialist for E-ONE, believes that rescues have evolved into highly specialized vehicles. “While very large departments might have two or three specialized rescue vehicles, some of them put it all together in a heavy squad that handles technical rescue,” Mildner says. “Usually hazardous materials is on a separate vehicle because if a combo unit that has h

Chris Mc Loone

In mid December, the industry got word that Spartan Motors had agreed to acquire Smeal Fire Apparatus.

Spartan expects the acquisition to strengthen its Emergency Response business unit (Spartan ER), ranking it as one of the top four North American fire apparatus manufacturers. The combined company will also have 47 dealers in 44 states, 10 provinces, and three territories, giving Spartan Emergency Response the ability to serve customers in the entire United States and all of Canada. Spartan completed the acquisition effective January 1, 2017.

It was quite a way to end a year that featured several other mergers and acquisitions (M&A), including IDEX Corp.’s acquisition of Akron Brass, REV Group’s KME acquisition, and TFT purchasing AMKUS Rescue Systems. In December’s 2017 outlook, no one we spoke to thought the M&A activity would cease, but no one was sure about the pace at which it would continue.

When you take a look at 2016’s M&A activity, nothing sticks out as a deal where anyone said, “Huh? That doesn’t make sense.” Everything seemed to be a fit, and the Spartan/Smeal transaction was no different. Smeal has long been a Spartan customer. And, Smeal’s acquisitions of UST and LTI (now LTC) in 2014 further provide Spartan ER inroads into the tanker/tender business and articulating water tower and boom platform business with LTC’s TeleSqurt® and Snorkel® products.

And, speaking of a new look for 2017, one of the people I frequently turn to for insights on the fire service industry had decided to retire in 2017 but is going to hang around just a little bit longer, and that is Rod Carringer, chief marketing officer at TFT. Additionally, Phil Gerace, who had been with KME for 25 years, most recently serving as its director of sales and marketing, has moved into the position of vice president of marketing for TFT and AMKUS Rescue Systems. So, Rod’s retirement has been, shall we say, “rescheduled” for now as he ties up loose ends at TFT. Additionally, Rod is very involved with his fire department’s fire station replacement. Hopefully, we can twist his arm to share some insight on that whole process!

Already for the fire service market, 2017 is off to a very auspicious start. It will be fun to watch where we go from here and, as always, it adds to the excitement of FDIC International.

Speaking of FDIC, you’re probably going to hear some new sounds as you walk by self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) booths. Make sure you check out our news section this month for information on a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) for NFPA 1982, Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) [2013 ed.]. NFPA 1982 (2013 ed.) implemented a standardized alarm for all PASS devices. However, beginning in 2015, the committee responsible for PASS began to hear of concerns regarding the new sound and how easy it was to hear it. This TIA calls for all PASS devices manufactured after December 21, 2016, to employ a more audible alarm. Although it does not require departments that use NFPA 1982 (2013 ed.)-compliant PASS devices to upgrade, the NFPA encourages departments to consider it. It’s hard not to give the matter serious consideration when it comes to firefighter safety, which brings me to my change for 2017.

I’m moving over to the safety side of the business this year, becoming one of two safety officers at my fire company. From the day I joined Weldon Fire Company, the leadership here proved time and time again t