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Chris Mc Loone |
When I joined the fire service in 1993, fire company veterans at the time were not that far removed from riding the back step.
The closest I ever got to riding the back step was standing up in the jump seat area of our '81 American LaFrances, which was still permissible at the time. I started thinking of this recently after a conversation I had with my former chief.
It was meeting night, and a fire company member had recently completed a project he took on to gather existing manufacturer nameplates we had and research and purchase nameplates of all the apparatus we've had through years. The collage he came up with, all mounted on a piece of diamond plate, or tread plate for the spec writers and readers out there, was pretty impressive. This former chief is the one I joined under, and he was chief for most of my 20 years in the fire company. As we admired the work, he would point at a nameplate and say, "I rode that one, and that one, and that one, but not that one … I wasn't around for that one." The names on the collage include Garford, Palmer-Singer, Saulsbury, American LaFrance, and Ward LaFrance. Besides the '81 American LaFrances I'm sure most are tired of hearing me mention by now, and which I won't stop doing, we ran a 1923 American LaFrance. We paid cash for it, and it was the first brand new apparatus we owned.
We used that truck until 1951. This is remarkable to me and is really a testament to the workmanship of fire apparatus even then. My former chief rode the truck at least once in his childhood, "somewhere between 1947 and 1951," he said.
The conversation turned to changes in apparatus in recent years, and I remarked that for our newest members, those who joined in the past 10 to 15 years, there aren't many differences between the trucks we're building now and the ones they came into the fire service with. They have only known fully enclosed cabs with SCBA in the jump seats and seat belts for all. Speaking of SCBA, they've only known fully integrated PASS alarms, not the ones we needed to remember to turn on ourselves. They've known regulators that attach directly to their face pieces vs. a hose coming off the face piece connecting to a regulator at our chest. They came in with and have only seen five-inch LDH dropped from a hydrant. They've only known 1¾-inch attack lines, and the booster reel is something that rarely gets used.
Do they necessarily need to know every aspect of the SCBA I used 20 years ago? Of course not. I'm more concerned with them using what we have now properly. However, knowing what came before them is still important. It's only when we understand where came from that we can better understand how we arrived where we are and plot a course for the future.
I found myself wondering how our newest members will look back at their first 20 years. What will their stories be? Hopefully, they'll be talking about the old days when you actually had to hold a thermal imaging camera in your hand, when ICs kept track of a company's location with magnets instead of on a laptop or tablet screen in real time, and when SCBA weighed more.
The key is to keep talking. The kitchen table at the firehouse is a great place to discuss tactics, lessons learned, and recent events in the fire service. It's also a great time for newer members to listen to seasoned members. There is also a lot to learn from war stories and about how things used to be done. It not only provides newer firefighters with an appreciation for what they have now, it also preserves the history of the fire department. Word of mouth has preserved our history for hundreds of years.
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Posted: Jun 30, 2014
By Dennis Mueller
Since the recession of 2008, fire departments across the country have had to cut their budgets and postpone replacing their aging and failing fleets.
My agency, the Lake Havasu City (AZ) Fire Department (LHCFD), is no different. Yet in May 2013, our city council approved the simultaneous purchase of four new Pierce Velocity 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pumpers and one new Pierce 105-foot aerial quint. The order cost $2.6 million, and the new apparatus were delivered in May 2014.
You might be wondering, "How was the LHCFD able to replace its aging and failing fleet when funds remain an issue for most communities?" or "How did the LHCFD convince community leaders it was time to purchase five new apparatus-half its fleet?" This article describes the plan we developed to obtain the necessary funding for the apparatus and to secure city leaders' commitment to a 10-year replacement cycle going forward. We began six months prior to the May 2013 budget talks. Below is a description of that plan, which easily can be adapted by other agencies for their use.
Step 1: Do Your Homework
Identify the apparatus that truly must be replaced. Create a list of the problems associated with each apparatus. Items such as the age of the apparatus, their mileage, and their maintenance records are good items to start with. Also include any incidents of unsafe or unreliable performance on this list.
Obtain preliminary bids from vendors for the number and type of apparatus you wish to purchase or lease.
Develop a list of stakeholders who will support your cause. This should include the mechanics who work on your apparatus, the vehicle maintenance foreman, the Public Works director, the finance manager of your community or department, your city manager, and possibly a key board member.
Step 2: Engage Your Mechanics
Meet with the mechanics who maintain your apparatus and obtain their support. They know the problems your fleet has, so they are credible sources of information. They should be able to identify which apparatus should be replaced-i.e. those that are unreliable and those that are about to fail.
Ask for the vehicle maintenance records and cost sheets for each apparatus over its lifetime. This information will tell you how much money has been spent to keep your fleet in service. An uptick in costs indicates it's time to start thinking about replacement.
Ask for a copy of your community's vehicle replacement program. This plan should identify when apparatus should be replaced and why. It will help identify apparatus slated to be replaced already. Study it and develop your presentation around the existing plan. If there is no replacement plan, help develop one.
Step 3: Meet with the Vehicle Maintenance Manager
The shop manager wants to run an efficient and effective shop, and you can help. Emphasize this common goal. Share the reports from the mechanics and point out the frequency that your apparatus are in and out of the shop. Show that in addition to reducing costs and increasing the shop's efficiencies, the new apparatus will free up the mechanics' time to work on other equipment in the city's fleet.
Review the estimated costs associated with future repairs and ask how you can help minimize them. This conversation will lead into a discussion of costs vs. benefits, which will open the door for bringing in your financial administrator.
Even if you don't have a shop or fleet manager in your community, you can review the same items with the manager of the garage or shop that maintains your apparatus. Be prepared for resistance. Private garage or shop owners may not like your plan to replace your apparatus because they are reaping the benefits of your aging and failing fleet. This will be especially true if you are their number one customer.
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Posted: Jun 16, 2014
WFM Meeting Minutes have been added to the document library. Sign in with with your login (firstname.lastname) and your password (your WFC number) to view the minutes from 6/3/2014.
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Posted: Jun 12, 2014
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Posted: Jun 12, 2014
The first quarter of the year has been full of learning and relationship opportunities for me as your Executive Director. The WFC Board hired me and I began on January 1, 2014. I learned very quickly how many moving parts there were to our WFC operation, even though I was on the WFC Board for eleven years and a Past-President it never the same as being in the position! I would be remiss if didn't thank our WFC staff and our WFC Board for their patience and diligence in this transitional time.
We Serve:
Audit: Our bylaws require occasional audits and each time there is a change in Executive Director. Our board was pleased with a very positive audit report which highlighted how important our policies, procedures, and most of all our WFC staff is when it comes to fiscal controls. This also gave us the opportunity to introduce our new Financial Committee to the inner workings of the WFC finances. The WFC Financial Committee was a direct result of the Bylaws Changes voted into effect at the 2013 WFC Conference...
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