By Bill Adams

According to its website, all 382 pages of the newly crafted 2024 National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1900: Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles, Automotive Fire Apparatus, Wildland Fire Apparatus, and Automotive Ambulances, 2024 Edition is available for $147.00 USD.

Burned Bottoms

What burns my bottom more than a fire in three-foot-high scrub brush is what I call “disingenuous” headlines when the media describes accidents involving fire apparatus. Unfortunately, there are some incidents that do involve fire apparatus operator error. And, it is tragic when death and injury is involved. However, it appears headlines are mostly written to infer all accidents and crashes are the fault of the fire truck. That’s not right – it’s downright misleading.

There’s a news media saying If it bleeds, it reads. The following is paraphrased from online research about the saying: “It is a mantra US marketing and media live by knowing that feeding people dull facts is not an effective tactic for capturing viewers’ attention.” It sucks. 

Here’s one headline: “Fire Truck Crashes During Emergency Call; Driver Cited with Failure to Yield.” Well, that’s appears to be a slap in the face to the fire department. The local citizenry may forever have disdain for the department if they failed to read the third paragraph where it said the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the fire truck was the one cited.

Here’s another: “The city’s newest million-dollar fire truck totaled in expressway crash.” Buried in the story was the fact the fire truck was appropriately parked when blocking traffic at another accident scene.” As long as I’m on a scorched bottom rampage, it amazes me why so many LDH equipped apparatus have multiple gated 2½-inch auxiliary suction inlets especially when they have two gated LDH inlets.  Granted they “might” be necessary if there’s a remote chance non-LDH equipped apparatus may be supplying the apparatus with multiple 2½-inch or 3-inch supply lines. But if everyone around you uses LDH, buy an LDH by a 2½-inch female adaptor for each of your gated LDH inlets – if you don’t already carry them! The adaptor is a lot cheaper than the entire 2½-inch gated inlet.

Cummins

Jim Lyons of J. Lyons Fire Consultants in Connecticut sent a link to a Linkedin – or Linkup or something like that – story about Cummins motors. Considering Cummins is a major player in the fire truck world, I thought I’d pass it on: 

“Another change for the North American Fire Service, when we least need it. For those of you who might not yet know, there are some major changes on the horizon from the largest engine manufacturer, Cummins. The current fire apparatus model lineup will change significantly. The popular legacy engines, the medium duty L-9 engine with 860 -1250 lb. Ft torque and the even more popular heavy-duty X-12 engine with 1250 – 1700 lb. Ft torque are going away! On 2/13/23 Cummins announced both engines would be replaced by the next engine in the fuel-agnostic series, the X-10. It will comply with 2027 US EPA regulations and is to be released in 2026, a full year early. Based on the information available, the expected medium-duty ratings of the X10 range from 320 to 380 hp with torque ratings of 1000 to 1250 lb-ft at 2100 rpm. For heavy-duty applications, the expected ratings are from 350 to 450 hp, with torque from 1350 to 1650 lb-ft at 1800 rpm. The new engine can be married to the Allison EVS series transmission, the model

Firefighters from Yakima and Naches Heights rescued a woman who fell and was stuck in rocks in a Naches Heights cliff. The woman was free climbing a basalt formation in Cowiche Canyon when she slipped and fell upside down between two boulders, Naches Heights fire Capt. Steven Mack said. The woman was able to call for help around 12:40 p.
- PUB DATE: 3/10/2023 9:30:00 AM - SOURCE: Yakima Herald-Republic

Pasco County (FL) Government posted the following on its Facebook page:

“Another fire station is in the works in #PascoCounty! Commissioners & county leaders break ground on Station #3 – which will serve the State Road 52/Little Road area. The state-of-the-art station includes special zones to keep our first responders safe by eliminating harmful chemicals. Learn more about how Pasco Fire Rescue serves you: mypas.co/FireRescue.”

The West Hartford Fire Department made the following post on its Facebook page Wednesday:

“Last week members of Local 1241 completed training on the departments new UTV. This vehicle gives us the ability to facilitate search and rescue in the more rugged parts of town and also provides us with a great mobility platform for the larger scale public events in town. Just another way we will be ready to serve.”

Bail-Out Kits

The West Hartford Fire Department now has enough bail-out kits for every single front-line member of the department – kits that will provide those department members with the proper equipment to evacuate themselves from a life-threatening situation – thanks to a generous $25,000 grant provided by the Leary Firefighters Foundation.

The kits were on the back burner until the department learned of the grant opportunity from the Leary Firefighters Foundation and applied for the tools that will make sure the town’s firefighters have the most modern and efficient tools to keep them safe, the report said.

The successful grant application means that the West Hartford Fire Department now has 85 bail-out kits – enough for every front-line firefighter to have a means of self-rescue, according to the report.

The kits include a hook/anchor, rope, and a device that attaches to a window sill and allows for safe and rapid descent from higher levels of a building, the report said.

We're thrilled to spotlight one of our 2022 grant recipients, the @WestHartfordFD in CT. Through our grant program, we were able to provide a bail-out kit to each firefighter in the department. pic.twitter.com/W9g0Uq52ba

— Leary Firefighters (@LearyFF) February 26, 2023

Pasco County (FL) Government posted the following on its Facebook page:

“Another fire station is in the works in #PascoCounty! Commissioners & county leaders break ground on Station #3 – which will serve the State Road 52/Little Road area. The state-of-the-art station includes special zones to keep our first responders safe by eliminating harmful chemicals. Learn more about how Pasco Fire Rescue serves you: mypas.co/FireRescue.”