By Alan M. Petrillo

The communications center in a firehouse is its link with 911 dispatching and serves the function of a central nervous system for the fire department.

The hardware and software systems that make the link are a critical part of the efficiency of a department in how firefighters respond and in keeping response times to a minimum. Several manufacturers have developed specialized communications equipment for fire departments and have designed in multiple options that can make getting a rig off the floor easier, faster, and safer.

Tying Stations and Dispatch Together

Doug Bartman, product marketing consultant for Motorola Solutions Inc., says the company offers fire departments the MACH Alert Fire Station Alerting System to fulfill their communications and interface needs. “MACH Alert consists of two components: equipment at the dispatch center and equipment in the fire station,” Bartman says. “The MACH Alert Fire Station Alerting System is designed to reduce alarm handling time-that is, the time from when dispatchers receive a 911 call to the time they dispatch that call out, and also the time from when the fire station receives the alert and when they actually get wheels rolling on the call. The system’s objective is to reduce those two times.”

David Alonzi, business development manager for Harris Corp., says his company’s main dispatching system is its Symphony console product. “Symphony interacts with the radio 911 and CAD systems to help perform the data and voice portions of a dispatch,” Alonzi says. “Symphony is a hardware-based system that runs our custom software and interfaces with P25 and conventional radios. The radio console becomes an extension of the network.”

Alonzi notes that Symphony is a completely digital product that supports system integration from the tip of the antenna to the microphone. “Any equipment that meets the P25 standard will work with the Symphony system,” he adds.

From a dispatch perspective, Symphony can signal a firehouse by sounding an alarm, providing 911 call center information and data, and turning on lights in a fire station, Alonzi points out. “It also can send dispatch information to specific vehicles and get status messages back from them as well,” he says. “It also can declare an emergency when a firefighter is in a Mayday status.”

1 Motorola Solutions makes the MACH Alert Fire Station Alerting System, shown here installed in a firehouse, where it links with dispatch and controls the firehouse speaker, lights, and other building systems. (Photo courtesy of Motorola Solutions.)

Bartman points out that Motorola Solutions partners with DCR Engineering, a Florida-based company that does a lot of work with industrial controls and controls that can manage apparatus bay doors, alarms, and sirens. “The components manufactured by Motorola Solutions and DCR Engineering allow the MACH Alert system to integrate the lights, sirens, call boards, doors, and other elements controlled in the fire station,” he says. “DCR Engineering’s engineers also do a lot of the deployment for Motorola Solutions, where they go to fire stations to install the equipment and get it up and running.”

At the other end of the system, Bartman notes that Motorola’s servers are installe

By Carl Nix

Thermal imaging cameras (TICs) are powerful tools during structure fires, but what about using TICs to help fight fires onboard aircraft and ships?

The advantages and uses of a TIC at a structure fire are similar to those when using a TIC to evaluate an aircraft or shipboard fire. Just the very nature of the fires and the construction of an aircraft or a ship results in the TIC encountering different challenges not commonly found when fighting a structure fire. If you have the proper training, however, a TIC can be an effective tool when fighting a fire in these challenging environments. Let’s look at the challenges facing firefighters when using a TIC in these unique situations.

Aircraft Fires

Fortunately, aircraft fires are not common, but airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) departments must be prepared for the possibility of an aircraft fire every day. With the proper response techniques and TIC training, these firefighting crews are prepared for any incident. They can use the TIC to assist in the size-up of an aircraft incident, fire attack, search and rescue, and investigations just like in a structural fire. There are, however, challenges firefighters need to be aware of when using a TIC in an aircraft incident.

The construction of an aircraft is primarily aluminum, which has a relatively low emissivity. This low emissivity doesn’t send its true temperature to the TIC, so on the TIC’s display the metal can appear black or gray, even though it may be extremely hot. Reading a TIC display of unpainted aluminum could be deceiving to the firefighter. Since aluminum is highly reflective of radiation, firefighters need to be aware of how a scene may be altered by reflections of fire, doors, victims, and so on.

I recently took part in a controlled burn with a crew of young firefighters aboard an aircraft fire simulator. The firefighters were training with a TIC and quickly realized that this type of fire was like no other they had ever experienced. We took the crew through several training scenarios beginning with the approach. Using a TIC to approach the burning aircraft, the firefighters needed to identify a safe passage through the dense smoke while avoiding large volumes of fire or dangerous debris from the crash. We also instructed the firefighters to identify the exact location of doors and windows to help them determine the appropriate entry points. If there are openings in the fuselage from a crash, firefighters can evaluate these as potential entry points as well.

1 An aircraft has a number of obstacles, including seats, doors, carts, and storage bins, not normally seen in a structure fire. If you have the proper training, however, a TIC can be an effective tool when fighting a fire in these challenging environments. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Once inside the aircraft, the firefighters encountered challenges. Think of the tight narrow aisles of an aircraft, row after row of seats, and low ceilings made for storing carry-on luggage. Simply put, an aircraft has a number of obstacles, including seats, doors, carts, and storage bins, not normally seen in a structure fire. Maneuvering past these obstacles can make a quick search difficult because the TIC cannot see through t

By Carl Nix

Thermal imaging cameras (TICs) are powerful tools during structure fires, but what about using TICs to help fight fires onboard aircraft and ships?

The advantages and uses of a TIC at a structure fire are similar to those when using a TIC to evaluate an aircraft or shipboard fire. Just the very nature of the fires and the construction of an aircraft or a ship results in the TIC encountering different challenges not commonly found when fighting a structure fire. If you have the proper training, however, a TIC can be an effective tool when fighting a fire in these challenging environments. Let’s look at the challenges facing firefighters when using a TIC in these unique situations.

Aircraft Fires

Fortunately, aircraft fires are not common, but airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) departments must be prepared for the possibility of an aircraft fire every day. With the proper response techniques and TIC training, these firefighting crews are prepared for any incident. They can use the TIC to assist in the size-up of an aircraft incident, fire attack, search and rescue, and investigations just like in a structural fire. There are, however, challenges firefighters need to be aware of when using a TIC in an aircraft incident.

The construction of an aircraft is primarily aluminum, which has a relatively low emissivity. This low emissivity doesn’t send its true temperature to the TIC, so on the TIC’s display the metal can appear black or gray, even though it may be extremely hot. Reading a TIC display of unpainted aluminum could be deceiving to the firefighter. Since aluminum is highly reflective of radiation, firefighters need to be aware of how a scene may be altered by reflections of fire, doors, victims, and so on.

I recently took part in a controlled burn with a crew of young firefighters aboard an aircraft fire simulator. The firefighters were training with a TIC and quickly realized that this type of fire was like no other they had ever experienced. We took the crew through several training scenarios beginning with the approach. Using a TIC to approach the burning aircraft, the firefighters needed to identify a safe passage through the dense smoke while avoiding large volumes of fire or dangerous debris from the crash. We also instructed the firefighters to identify the exact location of doors and windows to help them determine the appropriate entry points. If there are openings in the fuselage from a crash, firefighters can evaluate these as potential entry points as well.

1 An aircraft has a number of obstacles, including seats, doors, carts, and storage bins, not normally seen in a structure fire. If you have the proper training, however, a TIC can be an effective tool when fighting a fire in these challenging environments. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Once inside the aircraft, the firefighters encountered challenges. Think of the tight narrow aisles of an aircraft, row after row of seats, and low ceilings made for storing carry-on luggage. Simply put, an aircraft has a number of obstacles, including seats, doors, carts, and storage bins, not normally seen in a structure fire. Maneuvering past these obstacles can make a quick search difficult because the TIC cannot see through t

By Carl Nix

Thermal imaging cameras (TICs) are powerful tools during structure fires, but what about using TICs to help fight fires onboard aircraft and ships?

The advantages and uses of a TIC at a structure fire are similar to those when using a TIC to evaluate an aircraft or shipboard fire. Just the very nature of the fires and the construction of an aircraft or a ship results in the TIC encountering different challenges not commonly found when fighting a structure fire. If you have the proper training, however, a TIC can be an effective tool when fighting a fire in these challenging environments. Let’s look at the challenges facing firefighters when using a TIC in these unique situations.

Aircraft Fires

Fortunately, aircraft fires are not common, but airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) departments must be prepared for the possibility of an aircraft fire every day. With the proper response techniques and TIC training, these firefighting crews are prepared for any incident. They can use the TIC to assist in the size-up of an aircraft incident, fire attack, search and rescue, and investigations just like in a structural fire. There are, however, challenges firefighters need to be aware of when using a TIC in an aircraft incident.

The construction of an aircraft is primarily aluminum, which has a relatively low emissivity. This low emissivity doesn’t send its true temperature to the TIC, so on the TIC’s display the metal can appear black or gray, even though it may be extremely hot. Reading a TIC display of unpainted aluminum could be deceiving to the firefighter. Since aluminum is highly reflective of radiation, firefighters need to be aware of how a scene may be altered by reflections of fire, doors, victims, and so on.

I recently took part in a controlled burn with a crew of young firefighters aboard an aircraft fire simulator. The firefighters were training with a TIC and quickly realized that this type of fire was like no other they had ever experienced. We took the crew through several training scenarios beginning with the approach. Using a TIC to approach the burning aircraft, the firefighters needed to identify a safe passage through the dense smoke while avoiding large volumes of fire or dangerous debris from the crash. We also instructed the firefighters to identify the exact location of doors and windows to help them determine the appropriate entry points. If there are openings in the fuselage from a crash, firefighters can evaluate these as potential entry points as well.

1 An aircraft has a number of obstacles, including seats, doors, carts, and storage bins, not normally seen in a structure fire. If you have the proper training, however, a TIC can be an effective tool when fighting a fire in these challenging environments. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Once inside the aircraft, the firefighters encountered challenges. Think of the tight narrow aisles of an aircraft, row after row of seats, and low ceilings made for storing carry-on luggage. Simply put, an aircraft has a number of obstacles, including seats, doors, carts, and storage bins, not normally seen in a structure fire. Maneuvering past these obstacles can make a quick search difficult because the TIC cannot see through t

By Gregg Geske

When the Lincoln Charter Township (MI) Fire Department (LTFD) began specing a new truck, the Michigan volunteer firefighters made the decision to retire an old tanker truck and replace it with a new engine.

The swap meant losing about 1,000 gallons of water capacity. But by adding new pump technology to the engine, the LTFD made up for the lost water. “It was important to us to stretch our water, because we decided to retire a tanker and replace it with an engine,” says Lieutenant Griffin Ott with the LTFD. “We had a 2,000-gallon tanker we were replacing with a 1,000-gallon engine. We were cutting our water in half, which was a major concern of ours.”

To help ease these concerns, Ott and his team took a realistic look at their fire problems and how the department could effectively and efficiently respond to calls and protect their jurisdiction. They also took a realistic look at new firefighting technology available to help stretch water use while maintaining effective fire suppression. “In our area, we’re about 90 percent hydranted,” Ott says. “But, we do protect some rural areas that are nonhydranted. As the first-arriving engine on the scene, we want to be able to get a good knockdown with our engine before additional resources arrive with more water.”

Exploring Options

During the spec process, the LTFD truck committee researched technology that would allow the department to make better use of its limited water supply and build a truck that best met the fire problems of its jurisdiction. Working with truck builder KME, the LTFD selected an engine that provided reliability, ample water supply, and additional features the team desired.

1 Combining LED scene light bars on the front, back, and both sides of the truck with LED warning lights, the department upped its lighting capacity for better on-scene visibility for firefighters, victims, and passersby. [Photos courtesy of the Lincoln Charter Township (MI) Fire Department.]

“We wanted to make sure we optimized our space within the truck, so we have interior through-the-tank ladder storage, which is accessible from the rear of the apparatus,” Ott says. “The engine also has self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottle storage above the wheel wells that can hold 10 bottles, which is a space-saving alternative to devoting an entire cabinet to storing bottles, which is what we had in our former apparatus.”

As well as bottle storage, intuitive SCBA seats in the new truck give LTFD firefighters speed and agility when it comes to attaching SCBA and quickly exiting the apparatus, a process that was often more cumbersome and time-restrictive in the old engine. “The seats have a quick-release lever that consists of a simple latch between your legs, and you just lift up on the latch, step out of the seat, and go,” Ott says. “There’s no pulling on tethers, so it’s a pretty simple process to get out of the apparatus with your SCBA attached.”

Safety Features

As well as required efficiencies and necessary space optimization, the LTFD’s new apparatus incorporates advanced safety features, including multiple air bags and advanced LED lighting. “Safety was a major reason we chose the KME Severe Service chassis,” Ott said. “The engine