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Posted: May 9, 2016

Baltimore Unveils Three New Fire Apparatus

Baltimore officials unveiled three new fire trucks on Monday that can help respond to hazardous materials and refill the oxygen tanks of fire department divers. The hazmat and two Airflex trucks cost nearly $1.8 million combined.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference that officials had recently started financing new vehicles in a way that would allow them to save $1 million a year.

"It is not a surprise to anyone here that aging equipment requires more resources to maintain," Rawlings-Blake said. "That's why we've worked so hard with creating fleet management that allows us to turn over the fleet to cut down on excessive maintenance costs."

The hazmat truck has additional space and computers that will allow the fire department to set up a mobile command center in case of a hazardous materials situation. The vehicle, which will be housed at the city's Steadman station at the base of the Bromo Seltzer Tower, also has sensors that will allow firefighters to assess what type of hazardous material is present before leaving the vehicle.

The Airflex trucks can refill the oxygen tanks of fire department divers and have pullout canopies to give firefighters shade to rest in. One of the trucks will be housed at the Steadman station, while the other will be housed at the city's Old Town Mall station.

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Posted: May 9, 2016

Seek Thermal Delivers Affordable Personal Thermal Image Cameras for the Fire Industry

Seek Thermal

Recently at FDIC International 2016, Seek Thermal™ introduced its line of breakthrough, affordable and portable personal thermal image cameras (TICs). The Seek Reveal and extended range version, the Seek RevealXR FastFrame, combine an award-winning thermal imager with a high-performance 300-Lumen LED light into one hand-held device to offer the accessibility, portability, and features needed for fire professionals involved in critical search and rescue missions.

Until now, TICs have been prohibitively expensive, with budget constraints typically allowing for only one or two per firehouse. Seek Thermal is looking to change that by developing a cost-effective alternative that aims to put a TIC into the hands of every fire professional. With the ability to see and read heat, TICs aid in search and rescue missions by helping to track, scout and find adults, children, and especially elderly, even through smoke, so that fire professionals can safely and quickly clear a location.

“There is no question that new technologies are constantly improving our ability to perform our duties in the field, but if we can’t afford to get the tools into the hands of all the firefighters, it doesn’t maximize the benefits,” said Executive Director of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association Rich Marinucci. “We are proud to say that several firefighters are already using Seek products in the field. This benefits us in many ways and not just on the fireground. TICs are invaluable during a fire including saving lives, clearing buildings faster, and even saving the building or home itself.”

“As a company, we see so many benefits to making thermal imaging available to fire safety, search and rescue teams –and this is a prime example of how important TICs are to each and every member of a squad,” said Tracy Benson, VP of Global Marketing for Seek Thermal. “When lives and safety is on the line, thermal imaging technology can be a powerful tool for detection and inspection.”

The Seek Reveal in Blue

The Seek Reveal features intuitive controls, an ergonomic grip, hi-res display and a detectable range of -40° to 626° Fahrenheit. With just the touch of a button, Reveal provides powerful thermal insight by identifying and measuring specific sources of heat—and heat loss—up to 500 feet away. Additionally, a high-performance 300 lumen LED spotlight gives you a quick click method to select desired lighting functions.

Data capture, storing, and sending images from the Reveal is easy so that fire professionals can report back on failed components and more. Integrated connectivity allows you to quickly transfer captured thermal images to any computer or tablet through a USB connector.

The Seek RevealXR FastFrame in Black

Built for long-range detection and identification, the Seek RevealXR FastFrame features a >15Hz frame rate, a 20-degree field of view, and a detectable thermal imaging distance of up to 275 meters away. Its rugged and innovative handheld design makes it easy to capture infrared images in outdoor conditions day or night, near or far and includes a powerful 300-lumen LED flashlight. The products also feature a color display and a 206x156 thermal sensor allowing users to see and snap quality thermal images. Store, save and transfer photos to your computer or tablet using the USB cable or microS

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Posted: May 9, 2016

Fairfax Rural (MO) Fire Protection District Gets Unruh Fire Brush Truck

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Posted: May 9, 2016

Fairfax Rural (MO) Fire Protection District Gets Unruh Fire Brush Truck

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Posted: May 9, 2016

"The Most Powerful Fire Truck in The World" - Big Wind

In this video from Extreme World and Engineering, the specifications of the Big Wind fire truck are detailed. Big Wind is the most powerful fire-fighting vessel on the planet, capable of dispensing over 200 gallons of water per second.

The massive truck was created in Hungary back in the early 1990’s. In an esteemed stroke of innovation, the Hungarian company MB Drilling that manufactured this monster attached 2 MIG engines to a Soviet Tank.

Big Wind was designed to eliminate some of the most catastrophic fires faced in the world, particularly those that stem from oil tanker leaks.  This machine has been used to dispel well fires in Hungary, but since the Gulf War began soon after it was created, the Big Wind was sent off in a cargo carrier to the oil fields of the battlefield of Kuwait.  This is certainly a one of a kind piece of machinery, that, when called upon, is usually the only thing that can get the job done.

It needs to be operated by a crew of 3 – a driver, a controller in the back to run the jet engines and water jets and a fire chief.  When the water is turned on, six nozzles unleashes a water blast that becomes a massive steam spray, with water moving at about 220 gallons per second.  To put that in perspective, this thing would suck a standard suburban swimming pool dry in less than  minute.




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