A small fire damaged an unoccupied apartment Tuesday in Wenatchee. The fire was reported at 2:26 p.m. on the 400 block of King Street and contained to the basement complex, said Wenatchee Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Kay McKellar. No one was home when the fire began. Crews arrived at 2:31 p.
- PUB DATE: 1/31/2023 3:12:00 PM - SOURCE: Wenatchee World - Metered Site

By Bill Adkins

Many fire departments are known for taking great care of their apparatus and Loveland-Symmes is no exception. Over the years even the best care can take a toll on fire and EMS vehicles. As a mechanic, I can tell you that automobile engines are not designed to start and go in a moment’s notice without the proper warm-up. In the fire and EMS world, we don’t have the ability to wait for that warm-up. Because of this vehicle replacement is a never ending cycle.

When Loveland-Symmes Fire Department decided it was time to replace its battalion car due to miles and general wear and tear they looked at options between buying a completely new unit versus a refurbished one. LSFD operated with a 2013 Ford F350 standard cab with an aluminum rear box for equipment storage. The battalion officers noted that the standard cab was cramped and didn’t have much space for command equipment and left no space to store a drug bag during inclement weather. Because of this, LSFD knew the next vehicle should be an extended cab or crew cab. 

There was an inspection to determine if the aluminum box would meet the standard and last for the duration of the next vehicle. It was determined that the rear aluminum box was in excellent shape and little to no modifications would be needed. This would save thousands of dollars by not needing to fabricate a new box. The battalion car was maintained so well that even the roll up doors were not in need of replacement. That inspection resulted in the decision to have the truck refurbished instead of building a completely new unit.

Battalion 62

The new chassis for Battalion 62 is a 2022 Chevrolet 3500 crew cab with a 6.6-liter gasoline engine. LSFD went with the gas engine because crews didn’t see the need for the added torque a diesel engine gives and the gas engine is more cost effective in daily operations and yearly maintenance needs. 

With a new chassis picked out, it was time to decide on a lighting and siren package. LSFD had Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder work on that project. Loveland-Symmes covers two major highways in the Cincinnati area. With a national rise in accidents involving fire and EMS apparatus on highways Chief of Department Otto Huber and Chief Goldfeder wanted to make certain they did all they could to make Battalion 62 visible to oncoming traffic.

Starting off the package is a Whelen 54” Duo Liberty (red/Clear) light bar. This light bar has an unlimited amount of flash patterns and has the ability to become all red or all clear (for scene lights). The rear lighting is complemented with Whelen RotaBeams (Red/Amber). Grill lights consist of six Whelen Duo IONS (red/white). Battalion 62 lighting is topped off with a Whelen Arges spotlight. The Arges has remote control option to assist with finding street addresses at night.

This light package is controlled by a Whelen CenCom Carbide siren/controller. This comes highly recommended by Whelen when an Arges spot light is installed. When the Arges spot light is paired with the Whelen CenCom controller it will allow for a sweeping feat

Fire department personnel have determined the origin of a vehicle fire that killed an Aberdeen man last week. Robert Allen Lowdermilk, 42, of Aberdeen, was killed when a fire originating with a portable propane heater consumed the vehicle he was in on Tuesday, Jan. 24. Lowdermilk’s identity was confirmed by the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office.
- PUB DATE: 1/31/2023 12:30:00 PM - SOURCE: The Daily World

The Hoover Fire Department is trading the traditional red fire engine color for orange and blue, ShelbyCountyReporter.com reported. The department will soon receive two aerial fire trucks with unique paint jobs commemorating the colors of local schools.

An orange truck will be based at Fire Station No. 11 in Trace Crossings Home and will represent the Hoover Buccaneers, the report said. A blue truck will be assigned to Fire Station No. 7 in the Inverness Community and will represent the Spain Park Jaguars, the report said.

Preparation and mounting is still being done on the trucks which are expected to arrive sometime in February, according to a fire official.

The fire official said it has a good partnership with both schools, with instructors in the school system teaching fire science as well as emergency medical technician classes, the report said.

Seven Paterson (NJ) firefighters were rushed to the hospital Saturday evening after they became ill from breathing noxious fumes coming from an overheated battery on a fire truck, officials said, The Bergen Record reported.

The firefighters, who were nauseated and dizzy, were treated and released from the hospital that same night, said Paterson Fire Chief Brian McDermott, according to the report.

The truck from Paterson Ladder Company No. 3, which was at the Riverside firehouse on Lafayette Street, underwent several hours of preventive maintenance on Friday, McDermott said, according to the report. There were no problems with the battery when the mechanics left that day, the chief said.

But later that night, a fire captain from the Riverside facility contacted the department’s chief of fire apparatus and deputy chief for the fleet and complained of a foul smell in the firehouse, McDermott said, according to the report. Those two officials suggested that the fire captain flush out the garage floor drains in the firehouse to see if that was the cause of the odor, McDermott said.

The captain never called back that night, and the presumption was that flushing the drains solved the odor problem, McDermott said, according to the report. It wasn’t until the following evening that the fumes from the bad battery forced the seven firefighters to seek medical treatment, McDermott said, according to the report.