The Ridgefield Fire Department's new No. 2 engine - a 2016 4 Guys/Spartan rescue-pumper - is a shining example of the digital revolution. Equipped with a 750-gallon water tank, a 10-gallon Class A foam tank and a 20-gallon Class B foam tank, the new apparatus's pump panel - the control center for water, foam, tachometer, and volume - is mostly electrically operated.
“Even the engine throttle is an electric push-button affair,” said fire Chief Kevin Tappe, going over the vehicle’s features.
He explained to The Press that Class B foam is necessary for flammable liquid fires — such as gasoline, diesel fuel or oil — and that Class A foam is a wetting agent that reduces the surface tension of water, allowing it to penetrate objects deeper and thus extinguish fire faster in combustibles like wood, paper and furniture.
“This is important for us, since we respond with very limited staffing and must do more with less,” he said. “The fire pump is a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump.”
The rescue-pumper will be located at the department’s Ridgebury station and is equipped to handle that terrain better than a lot of its predecessors.
“Even in Ridgebury, where there is no Verizon signal, we have built-in cell phone extenders in the new engine in order to reach hard-to-access cell locations,” Chief Tappe said.
“Another technology addition is the use of iPads on all of our apparatus to store water source locations, pre-plans, and Knox-Box locations,” he said.
Seeing double
Tappe said the new No. 2 engine was built to resemble “as closely as possible” the department’s No. 1 engine at fire headquarters on Catoonah Street.
According to the chief, this helps
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Posted: Nov 7, 2016
The 1941 GMC pumper was brought by flatbed to the Germantown firehouse on Saturday, more than 50 years since the truck was sold by the department to the Squantz Engine Company in New Fairfield. "It's a piece of our history from our community and one of the first pieces of apparatus that the department purchased," said Germantown Fire Chief John Cole.
After more than five decades and countless hours of service, one of Germantown Volunteer Hose Company’s first trucks has made its way home.
The 1941 GMC pumper was brought by flatbed to the Germantown firehouse on Saturday, more than 50 years since the truck was sold by the department to the Squantz Engine Company in New Fairfield.
“It’s a piece of our history from our community and one of the first pieces of apparatus that the department purchased,” said Germantown Fire Chief John Cole. “We are really excited that the truck is home again.”
Germantown sold the truck to the Squantz company around 1960. The truck was in regular service in New Fairfield until about 1983, when it was pulled from the line and used for local parades and other charity events. But an engine problem five years ago caused the truck to sit on the sidelines - until now.
“We’re hoping, and it’s a big hope, that we can have the truck running again in time for the Memorial Day parade,” Cole said.
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Posted: Nov 7, 2016
Live Broadcast WATCH NOW Five people were injured, including three Chicago firefighters, in a head-on crash involving a fire truck Saturday morning, the Chicago Fire Department said. The crash occurred on Ridge Boulevard near Loyola Avenue. The crash pinned in the driver of the other vehicle and a passenger.
Five people were injured, including three Chicago firefighters, in a head-on crash involving a fire truck Saturday morning, the Chicago Fire Department said.
The crash occurred on Ridge Boulevard near Loyola Avenue. The crash pinned in the driver of the other vehicle and a passenger. They were both hospitalized in serious condition.
Three firefighters were transported to the hospital and there injuries are not considered serious, the fire department said.
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Posted: Nov 7, 2016
NEW BEDFORD - Engine 7 was damaged when it was rear-ended Saturday by a car on Sawyer Street near Mitchell Street, Fire Chief Michael Gomes said. He said Engine 7 was parked on Sawyer Street about 1 p.m. when a car struck the back of it.
The car's airbags deployed and the driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, struck the windshield.
Engine 7, which is stationed at Durfee and Mt. Pleasant streets, suffered damage to the rear, driver's side section, he said. A storage compartment is stuck in the closed position and the rear lights on the engine are damaged.
Gomes said Engine 7 remains in service, but will need to be repaired and will be out of service for 2 to 3 weeks while it being repaired.
The driver did not have a driver's license and the car was not registered or insured, according to Gomes.
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Posted: Nov 7, 2016
A holiday trip seven years ago to Nicaragua set in motion a dream for a Whitehorse firefighter to help out some poorly-equipped firefighters in that country. Mike Martin saw an urgent need in Nicaragua, so he started searching for retired emergency equipment in B.C. and the Yukon, including pumper trucks and ambulances.
Now he's got two fire trucks, from Faro and Whitehorse, ready to be given a second life in Central America.
Many fire departments across Nicaragua had been destroyed during the country's revolution. Since then, volunteer firefighters in Nicaragua have been working to rebuild and re-supply their emergency services.
Martin's idea grew into a partnership with the fire department based in Kamloops, B.C., called "Project Nicaragua", which has found and donated nine firefighting trucks to Nicaragua over the last seven years.
One of the trucks was donated jointly by the volunteer fire departments in Skagway, Alaska and Carcross. Another, Martin bought in Prince Rupert, B.C. for $5,600.
Two of the fire trucks are now in a town called Chinandega.
Martin says there are cities in Nicaragua with over 100,000 people, and no firefighting equipment or ambulance capability.
He says even old equipment can be useful.
"We might be sending a truck down that doesn't even have a pump that is working. As an example, they would just use it as a water tanker, put on a portable water pump on the back, re-jig it so it works for them, and do their fire fighting."
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