By Alan M. Petrillo

Riceville (NC) Volunteer Fire Department needed a new pumper to replace a 1990 two-seat Emergency Equipment Inc. rig that had seen better days. But Chief Thad B. Lewis put limitations on the truck committee when it started preparing specs, namely a low overall height and a short overall length because of area topography and firehouse size issues; plus, the vehicle had to function as a tanker.

“Our bay doors are only 10 feet high, so we wanted a pumper with a maximum height of 9½ feet,” Lewis says, “and we have truck bays that are about 40 feet deep, so we wanted to see around a 27-foot overall length. The truck had to be maneuverable because of our very hilly district, and it had to serve as a tanker when needed.”

Lewis says the truck committee worked well within the restrictions laid out and developed a set of specifications that five manufacturers bid on. “The truck committee then determined the strengths and weaknesses of each of the bidders and noted what the bidders complied with and what they didn’t,” he says. “KME came the closest to matching everything we wanted, so it got the contract.”

1 The Riceville (NC) Volunteer Fire Department chose KME to build this short overall length, low-height, short-wheelbase pumper. Note the tight front bumper. The vehicle also lacks a backstep, having two pull-out platforms instead. (Photos courtesy of KME.)

The end result is a pumper-tanker on a KME Severe Service MFD cab with a 10-inch raised roof and seating for four firefighters, an overall height of 9 feet 5 inches, an overall length of 27 feet 7½ inches, and a wheelbase of 166 inches. The vehicle is powered by a Cummins 500-horsepower (hp) ISX 12 diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission and has a Hale Qmax 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a United Plastic Fabricating (UPF) 1,000-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon integral foam tank, and a Waterous Aquis 2.5 Class A foam system.

Ryan Slane, product manager for KME’s pumper-tanker group, says one of the ways KME shoehorned a 1,000-gallon water tank onto a short-wheelbase and short-overall-length vehicle is to extend the hosebed and tank to the edge of the truck’s body and raise it a bit higher. “With a full-width hosebed over the tank to the edge of the body, we got 14 extra inches for hose space,” Slane says. “Ladders were nested on the officer’s side, and the hosebed sits higher than is typical because we had to package the volume of the tank. But that was something Riceville was willing to do: have a higher hosebed with 1,000 gallons of water but still on a 166-inch wheelbase.”

2 The Riceville pumper has a Hale QMAX 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a United Plastic Fabricating (UPF) 1,000-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon integral foam tank, and a Waterous Aquis 2.5 Class A foam system.

Lewis points out that in some areas of Riceville’s

By Vicky Broadus

In Lexington, Kentucky, the city fire department’s maintenance facility is housed in a building that dates to the 1920s.

Though a venerable old structure, its age and design presented problems for the maintenance crew staffed there. A big part of its problem could be traced to the metal halide lights that had been in place for 30 years.

When the old building was constructed nearly 100 years ago, 21st-century technology and the requirements of modern fire apparatus were far from anyone’s mind. The ceilings weren’t built very high, so the large profile of metal halides left technicians with barely enough clearance to do their job, requiring creative parking to find the space needed to raise the cabs to get access to the engines.

The old lighting created other problems, too. Metal halide bulbs rapidly dimmed as they aged and constantly needed to be replaced. Even when new bulbs were still at full brightness, there was significant warm-up time. It could take as long as 20 minutes for the fixtures to reach full brightness. And, then there was the issue of energy costs-anyone who’s paid the electric bill on a facility with metal halides knows the significant amount of energy the lights use.

1 The direct light from an overhead LED fixture creates a brighter, more easily visible work area that is especially useful for sight-sensitive tasks such as engine repair and body work, reducing the need for flashlights and numerous portable task lights. (Photos courtesy of Big Ass Light.)

When the battalion chief got the opportunity to replace the metal halides, he knew he wanted to upgrade to energy-efficient LEDs. Additionally, the department needed not only brighter light but more effective placement. Nearly 30 high-bay 26,000-lumen LED fixtures from vendor Big Ass Light were positioned throughout the maintenance facility, and several 14,000-lumen fixtures were placed above the parts department.

The change was dramatic. “Everything is much brighter,” says Battalion Chief Phil Buettner. “Now the lights shine directly over the apparatus bay.” The chief compared it to having a task light for the entire garage. And, the LEDs’ lower profile means they don’t get in the way, so there’s better clearance for engine maintenance. “Before, my mechanics had to use stick lights to see the engines. Now, with the cab raised and purposely placed lights, they can see clearly, with the LED shining down where they need it,” Buettner says.

The maintenance crew also appreciates that the new LEDs don’t require any warmup; the instant-on means less time is wasted. And, the brighter space is a safer place, with no dim corners or shadows and no more fumbling with a flashlight when turning a wrench or hunting down a part in the crowded garage.

The LEDs’ built-in longevity guarantees years of maintenance-free use. And though it’s too soon to calculate and compare energy use, even with the greater number of fixtures, the savings are expected to be significant as the LEDs draw about half the power of the metal halides.

LEDs: A Long-Term Investment

Whether they’re serving large metropolitan cities or small communities, fire departments everywhere face the same chal

By Vicky Broadus

In Lexington, Kentucky, the city fire department’s maintenance facility is housed in a building that dates to the 1920s.

Though a venerable old structure, its age and design presented problems for the maintenance crew staffed there. A big part of its problem could be traced to the metal halide lights that had been in place for 30 years.

When the old building was constructed nearly 100 years ago, 21st-century technology and the requirements of modern fire apparatus were far from anyone’s mind. The ceilings weren’t built very high, so the large profile of metal halides left technicians with barely enough clearance to do their job, requiring creative parking to find the space needed to raise the cabs to get access to the engines.

The old lighting created other problems, too. Metal halide bulbs rapidly dimmed as they aged and constantly needed to be replaced. Even when new bulbs were still at full brightness, there was significant warm-up time. It could take as long as 20 minutes for the fixtures to reach full brightness. And, then there was the issue of energy costs-anyone who’s paid the electric bill on a facility with metal halides knows the significant amount of energy the lights use.

1 The direct light from an overhead LED fixture creates a brighter, more easily visible work area that is especially useful for sight-sensitive tasks such as engine repair and body work, reducing the need for flashlights and numerous portable task lights. (Photos courtesy of Big Ass Light.)

When the battalion chief got the opportunity to replace the metal halides, he knew he wanted to upgrade to energy-efficient LEDs. Additionally, the department needed not only brighter light but more effective placement. Nearly 30 high-bay 26,000-lumen LED fixtures from vendor Big Ass Light were positioned throughout the maintenance facility, and several 14,000-lumen fixtures were placed above the parts department.

The change was dramatic. “Everything is much brighter,” says Battalion Chief Phil Buettner. “Now the lights shine directly over the apparatus bay.” The chief compared it to having a task light for the entire garage. And, the LEDs’ lower profile means they don’t get in the way, so there’s better clearance for engine maintenance. “Before, my mechanics had to use stick lights to see the engines. Now, with the cab raised and purposely placed lights, they can see clearly, with the LED shining down where they need it,” Buettner says.

The maintenance crew also appreciates that the new LEDs don’t require any warmup; the instant-on means less time is wasted. And, the brighter space is a safer place, with no dim corners or shadows and no more fumbling with a flashlight when turning a wrench or hunting down a part in the crowded garage.

The LEDs’ built-in longevity guarantees years of maintenance-free use. And though it’s too soon to calculate and compare energy use, even with the greater number of fixtures, the savings are expected to be significant as the LEDs draw about half the power of the metal halides.

LEDs: A Long-Term Investment

Whether they’re serving large metropolitan cities or small communities, fire departments everywhere face the same chal

By Vicky Broadus

In Lexington, Kentucky, the city fire department’s maintenance facility is housed in a building that dates to the 1920s.

Though a venerable old structure, its age and design presented problems for the maintenance crew staffed there. A big part of its problem could be traced to the metal halide lights that had been in place for 30 years.

When the old building was constructed nearly 100 years ago, 21st-century technology and the requirements of modern fire apparatus were far from anyone’s mind. The ceilings weren’t built very high, so the large profile of metal halides left technicians with barely enough clearance to do their job, requiring creative parking to find the space needed to raise the cabs to get access to the engines.

The old lighting created other problems, too. Metal halide bulbs rapidly dimmed as they aged and constantly needed to be replaced. Even when new bulbs were still at full brightness, there was significant warm-up time. It could take as long as 20 minutes for the fixtures to reach full brightness. And, then there was the issue of energy costs-anyone who’s paid the electric bill on a facility with metal halides knows the significant amount of energy the lights use.

1 The direct light from an overhead LED fixture creates a brighter, more easily visible work area that is especially useful for sight-sensitive tasks such as engine repair and body work, reducing the need for flashlights and numerous portable task lights. (Photos courtesy of Big Ass Light.)

When the battalion chief got the opportunity to replace the metal halides, he knew he wanted to upgrade to energy-efficient LEDs. Additionally, the department needed not only brighter light but more effective placement. Nearly 30 high-bay 26,000-lumen LED fixtures from vendor Big Ass Light were positioned throughout the maintenance facility, and several 14,000-lumen fixtures were placed above the parts department.

The change was dramatic. “Everything is much brighter,” says Battalion Chief Phil Buettner. “Now the lights shine directly over the apparatus bay.” The chief compared it to having a task light for the entire garage. And, the LEDs’ lower profile means they don’t get in the way, so there’s better clearance for engine maintenance. “Before, my mechanics had to use stick lights to see the engines. Now, with the cab raised and purposely placed lights, they can see clearly, with the LED shining down where they need it,” Buettner says.

The maintenance crew also appreciates that the new LEDs don’t require any warmup; the instant-on means less time is wasted. And, the brighter space is a safer place, with no dim corners or shadows and no more fumbling with a flashlight when turning a wrench or hunting down a part in the crowded garage.

The LEDs’ built-in longevity guarantees years of maintenance-free use. And though it’s too soon to calculate and compare energy use, even with the greater number of fixtures, the savings are expected to be significant as the LEDs draw about half the power of the metal halides.

LEDs: A Long-Term Investment

Whether they’re serving large metropolitan cities or small communities, fire departments everywhere face the same chal

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 Barkman, 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,” Barkman 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.)

Barkman 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, Barkman notes that Motorola’s servers are installe