Richard Marinucci

Each year, the theme of the December issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is a fire service forecast.

This is an opportunity to look ahead to see what may be coming so fire departments can prepare to adjust and adapt to the new world. This is a fun view of the short-term future, and I certainly do not claim to be able to accurately predict the future, even if it is just around the corner. I am reminded of something that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said in 2007 when asked about the iPhone. He is reputed to have said that there was no chance the iPhone was going to get any significant market share. I just heard that on the first day of the release of the iPhone 6S that millions were sold. So much for predictions!

But, I am guessing that submitting just one paragraph for this month won’t be acceptable, so I will do my best in the spirit intended. Regardless of what anyone thinks about 2016, it will be different. There will be changes, and it will be up to those who want to succeed to adapt and adjust. It is from this perspective that I will continue: the need to be ready, willing, and able to change as an individual and as an organization. The reaction to change is more important than being able to predict the future.

Look Back

One way to approach the upcoming year is to evaluate the previous year. In many ways, past performance is a good indicator of future expectations. This is very true in the short term and can be very helpful in determining what lies ahead. Based on this, we can expect more technological advances and continued financial condition improvement for many organizations. There can be better funding of fire departments. On the opposite side of this, we could see the continued trend of reduced volunteer firefighter numbers as more organizations find it very challenging, if not impossible, to find adequate numbers of firefighters to fill their rosters. These are more global issues, but departments should look closer to home to see if there are certain tendencies in the business that will affect their organizations.

Look Outside

Another way to view the future is to look at what has happened outside the service and what will be coming. The past few months have seen a rather volatile stock market. Some may say that this is the new norm, while others caution that a more conservative approach is needed. Consider how your organization has been impacted, if at all. One would be prudent to expect a continuation at least during the early part of 2016.

Another important event in the coming year that will affect much more than the fire service is the presidential election. I can predict that we will have a new president. That is about as far as I can stick my neck out! Seriously, while it is way too soon to even know the nominees, we don’t know if we will have a Democrat or Republican. But, the change will mean that things will be different. On the fire side, we can expect new leadership on the national level for programs that are part of the emergency services. If there are elections in your state and municipality, the winds of political change could be blowing, and you would be best served to have some idea of what you can expect if there are significant modifications in the political philosophies in your community.

Look Inside

Look inside your organization. Do you anticipate any significant changes? Perhaps there are some key retirements ahead or possibly some promotions. There could be changes in labor le

Richard Marinucci

Each year, the theme of the December issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is a fire service forecast.

This is an opportunity to look ahead to see what may be coming so fire departments can prepare to adjust and adapt to the new world. This is a fun view of the short-term future, and I certainly do not claim to be able to accurately predict the future, even if it is just around the corner. I am reminded of something that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said in 2007 when asked about the iPhone. He is reputed to have said that there was no chance the iPhone was going to get any significant market share. I just heard that on the first day of the release of the iPhone 6S that millions were sold. So much for predictions!

But, I am guessing that submitting just one paragraph for this month won’t be acceptable, so I will do my best in the spirit intended. Regardless of what anyone thinks about 2016, it will be different. There will be changes, and it will be up to those who want to succeed to adapt and adjust. It is from this perspective that I will continue: the need to be ready, willing, and able to change as an individual and as an organization. The reaction to change is more important than being able to predict the future.

Look Back

One way to approach the upcoming year is to evaluate the previous year. In many ways, past performance is a good indicator of future expectations. This is very true in the short term and can be very helpful in determining what lies ahead. Based on this, we can expect more technological advances and continued financial condition improvement for many organizations. There can be better funding of fire departments. On the opposite side of this, we could see the continued trend of reduced volunteer firefighter numbers as more organizations find it very challenging, if not impossible, to find adequate numbers of firefighters to fill their rosters. These are more global issues, but departments should look closer to home to see if there are certain tendencies in the business that will affect their organizations.

Look Outside

Another way to view the future is to look at what has happened outside the service and what will be coming. The past few months have seen a rather volatile stock market. Some may say that this is the new norm, while others caution that a more conservative approach is needed. Consider how your organization has been impacted, if at all. One would be prudent to expect a continuation at least during the early part of 2016.

Another important event in the coming year that will affect much more than the fire service is the presidential election. I can predict that we will have a new president. That is about as far as I can stick my neck out! Seriously, while it is way too soon to even know the nominees, we don’t know if we will have a Democrat or Republican. But, the change will mean that things will be different. On the fire side, we can expect new leadership on the national level for programs that are part of the emergency services. If there are elections in your state and municipality, the winds of political change could be blowing, and you would be best served to have some idea of what you can expect if there are significant modifications in the political philosophies in your community.

Look Inside

Look inside your organization. Do you anticipate any significant changes? Perhaps there are some key retirements ahead or possibly some promotions. There could be changes in labor le

By Alan M. Petrillo

Lighting manufacturers offer a seemingly endless number of choices when it comes to the warning lights that can be used on the front, sides, and rear of fire apparatus.

Light bars, light heads, light sticks, micro-bars, beacons, rotating lights, and arrow sticks are some of the more popular offerings. But, determining what will work best for a department depends on the type and size of the vehicle, the rig’s intended use, and departmental preferences.

Vehicle Light Bars

Kelly Kyriakos, vice president of emergency business and marketing for Code 3, says the company recently introduced a two-level LED light bar called the Pursuit “that’s a true two-level bar in a one-level profile.” Pursuit, Kyriakos says, “is fully programmable where the customer can select and program flash patterns into the unit. In addition, the lower level can be used for either flash patterns or scene lighting.”

The Pursuit is three inches tall at its highest point, is 13½ inches wide, and is available in lengths of 30 to 72 inches. It is a multivoltage light bar, available in 12- and 24-volt versions, and departments can choose the type of lighting that goes into the bar from various LED light head modules.

Federal Signal makes the Navigator two-tier LED linear light bar as part of its emergency warning light line. (Photo courtesy of Federal Signal.)

Kyriakos notes that Code 3 integrated solar panels underneath the lens of the Pursuit to charge the vehicle’s battery and that integrated signage can be put into the bar, like a message, department name, or arrow stick. In addition, the Pursuit has an auto-dimming feature-two photo cells that capture the ambient light and dim the bar’s light level so it’s not so piercing at night on a scene.

He adds that Code 3 also makes the Triumph two-level LED light bar that’s useful on large fire trucks because it is 4.6 inches tall as well as the Model 2700 single-stack light bar and the RMX, a double-stack light bar.

Derek Zaremba, of Whelen Engineering Company’s OEM sales division, says Whelen’s Liberty 2 is the newest version of its redesigned line of LED light bars. “We’ve updated the optics, maximized the size of the reflectors to increase the brightness of the lights, and put in improved heat sinks and sealing capabilities,” Zaremba says. “Likewise, our Freedom 4 Series integrates all of the capabilities of our prior Freedom LED light bar into a more modern design.”

The WideLux Series of LED perimeter warning lights made by Feniex are available in several sizes and colors. Shown is the seven- by three-inch LED warning light. (Photo courtesy of Feniex.)

Federal Signal makes a variety of light bar styles, including the Navigator two-tier linear light bar, Vision SLR V-shaped LED light bar, and others. Ron Zack, market manager at Federal Signal, notes its Solaris technology maximizes the light performance of the most intense LEDs available and disperses the light where it

By Alan M. Petrillo

Lighting manufacturers offer a seemingly endless number of choices when it comes to the warning lights that can be used on the front, sides, and rear of fire apparatus.

Light bars, light heads, light sticks, micro-bars, beacons, rotating lights, and arrow sticks are some of the more popular offerings. But, determining what will work best for a department depends on the type and size of the vehicle, the rig’s intended use, and departmental preferences.

Vehicle Light Bars

Kelly Kyriakos, vice president of emergency business and marketing for Code 3, says the company recently introduced a two-level LED light bar called the Pursuit “that’s a true two-level bar in a one-level profile.” Pursuit, Kyriakos says, “is fully programmable where the customer can select and program flash patterns into the unit. In addition, the lower level can be used for either flash patterns or scene lighting.”

The Pursuit is three inches tall at its highest point, is 13½ inches wide, and is available in lengths of 30 to 72 inches. It is a multivoltage light bar, available in 12- and 24-volt versions, and departments can choose the type of lighting that goes into the bar from various LED light head modules.

Federal Signal makes the Navigator two-tier LED linear light bar as part of its emergency warning light line. (Photo courtesy of Federal Signal.)

Kyriakos notes that Code 3 integrated solar panels underneath the lens of the Pursuit to charge the vehicle’s battery and that integrated signage can be put into the bar, like a message, department name, or arrow stick. In addition, the Pursuit has an auto-dimming feature-two photo cells that capture the ambient light and dim the bar’s light level so it’s not so piercing at night on a scene.

He adds that Code 3 also makes the Triumph two-level LED light bar that’s useful on large fire trucks because it is 4.6 inches tall as well as the Model 2700 single-stack light bar and the RMX, a double-stack light bar.

Derek Zaremba, of Whelen Engineering Company’s OEM sales division, says Whelen’s Liberty 2 is the newest version of its redesigned line of LED light bars. “We’ve updated the optics, maximized the size of the reflectors to increase the brightness of the lights, and put in improved heat sinks and sealing capabilities,” Zaremba says. “Likewise, our Freedom 4 Series integrates all of the capabilities of our prior Freedom LED light bar into a more modern design.”

The WideLux Series of LED perimeter warning lights made by Feniex are available in several sizes and colors. Shown is the seven- by three-inch LED warning light. (Photo courtesy of Feniex.)

Federal Signal makes a variety of light bar styles, including the Navigator two-tier linear light bar, Vision SLR V-shaped LED light bar, and others. Ron Zack, market manager at Federal Signal, notes its Solaris technology maximizes the light performance of the most intense LEDs available and disperses the light where it