A custom 1500 GPM 1000 Gallon Pumper arrived on Jan. 8 and was immediately put into service the next day at the annual Old Newbury Christmas Tree Bonfire hosted by the Protection #2 Fire Company, Historic New England and Tendercrop Farm.

Fire Chief Nathan Walker says his crew is "extremely happy with the function and quality" of the new engine and want to thank town leaders and taxpayers for their support in its purchase. 

The new engine, which cost $449,7754, replaces the 25-year-old FMC Engine 10. The town has a lease/purchase contract for the vehicle with annual payments of $52,350.69 over 10 years. 

The Finance Committee is considering paying if off with available funds in order to save approximately $60,000 in interest costs. If selectmen approve this recommendation, it would appear as an article at the spring Town Meeting. A previous override request to avoid interest costs by paying off the vehicle failed at the polls.

Traditionally, Newbury's approach to fire services has been unique among towns in Massachusetts. Although fire protection is provided by the Newbury Municipal Fire Department and both its full-time and call firefighters are considered town employees, the town's two fire companies, independent 501c3 organizations, are in charge of its fire stations and apparatus, all of which it leases to the town, at least until the purchase of this new pumper truck. Last March Walker was hired as the town's first paid fire chief with a starting salary of $60,000.

"This engine is a testament of support and commitment from the town to the evolution of our fire service in Newbury," said Walker. He called the new truck "proof positive" of the commitment of town officials and townspeople to a municipal system that will provide safe, state-of-the-art fire services to protect life and property in Newbury.

For more information, view www.newburyportnews.com

A truck that belonged to City of Palm Coast (FL) was on the verge of being scrapped for about $1,500 until the former chief of the city's fire department, Howard Peiffer, found a better destination for the truck than a scrapyard.

Palm Coast leaders agreed to donate the fire engine. Peiffer used his own money to transport it nearly 700 miles to Lower Clover Fork Fire Department in Verda, Ky.

"Because people need to have something to protect their community and it's the right thing to do," Peiffer said. "It's humanitarian. It's the right thing to do."

Peiffer is president of the Florida Antique Bucket Brigade, a chapter of Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America (SPAAMFAA).

The addition to Lower Clover Fork's fleet means the station now has a fully-functioning fire engine.

Recent budget cutbacks have prevented the department's firefighters from repairing older trucks.

"It doesn't matter where you go in the United States, firefighters are a brotherhood," said Jonathan Jones, the fire chief of Lower Clover Fork Fire Dept. "No matter where you go, everybody knows the situation and how hard it would be in our situation. So everybody is willing to help the best they can. We're a tight brotherhood in the fire service."

Members of nearby fire departments helped firefighters at Lower Clover Fork christen the new truck Wednesday, including the placement of a Bible in the cab and "wetting down" the engine as a sort of initiation.

"It's going to help Harlan County tremendously," Harlan County Emergency Management Director David McGill said. "The fire departments had a rough way to go the last little bit and this is going to help them tremendously with their community."

For more information, view www.wymt.com

 

When part of a road near Kingston washed away last month, North Kitsap Fire and Rescue warned residents along the road that emergency vehicles wouldn't be able drive to them until the road was repaired. In these situations, North Kitsap Fire's boat could be key to providing emergency service to the district's 75 miles of shoreline, said Michele Laboda, the fire district's spokeswoman.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2016 5:30:19 PM - SOURCE: Kitsap Sun - metered site

When part of a road near Kingston washed away last month, North Kitsap Fire and Rescue warned residents along the road that emergency vehicles wouldn't be able drive to them until the road was repaired. In these situations, North Kitsap Fire's boat could be key to providing emergency service to the district's 75 miles of shoreline, said Michele Laboda, the fire district's spokeswoman.
- PUB DATE: 1/19/2016 5:30:19 PM - SOURCE: Kitsap Sun - metered site

Two years ago, retired deputy commissioner Craig Dougherty, Detroit (MI) Fire Departent (DFD), presented at the FDSOA’s Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium, after news had leaked that the DFD’s apparatus fleet was in dire need of repair. At the time, none of the aerials had had annual inspections and only one was deemed suitable for manned master stream operations. Dougherty, then chief, hit the topic head on and discussed it and what the department was working on to fix the problem.

Two years later, Dougherty was back at the event. Now retired, Dougherty spoke with pride about what he had been able to accomplish fleet-wide. In the interim, Detroit filed for bankruptcy, and there were a number of challenges before Dougherty including department traditions, which sometimes can be harder to navigate than the political waters.

After navigating through the political and bankruptcy waters, the department secured a loan that totaled $24.5 million. With it, the DFD was able to add/replace 15 ambulances; replace 10 engines; and purchase 10 rapid-response vehicles, 21 SUVs, and 16 fire marshal vehicles. Additionally during Dougherty’s tenure, the department acquired new SCBA for the department, which introduced 45-minute cylinders into DFD’s PPE ensemble. A huge shift in the DFD was having firefighters trained to be EMTs.

Today, after having to brown out or close multiple companies, the department has opened seven companies. All aerial ladders are NDT-inspected, and all have had their yearly inspections. Twelve aerial ladders are fully inspected and certified. The DFD has taken delivery of 10 new pumpers and has six on order. At the time of Dougherty’s first presentation, the DFD had three aerial platforms all out of service, but today all three are in service and certified.

As the session wrapped up, Dougherty took questions, some of which included the plans for aerial replacement and how the department improved the fleet maintenance program to help avoid previous mistakes. As far as the aerials, the plan before Dougherty’s retirement was to replace them at a rate of two per year. In terms of maintenance, much of it is outsourced, and that was a big part of the ten-pumper order. The DFD, according to Dougherty, wanted to go with an apparatus manufacturer that had a maintenance facility nearby and would service the rigs. 

Dougherty also mentioned that the original plan was to also replace pumpers at a rate of four per year. However, since his retirement, leadership of Detroit has changed. Because of the change, he was not sure if those two replacement programs were still going to move forward. It is a reality of leadership change anywhere and is not specific to Detroit. Dougherty is hopeful that what started under his leadership will continue.