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The purpose of the Fire Mechanics Section is to promote standardization of fire apparatus and equipment preventative maintenance, improve safety standards and practices, promote workshops, conferences, and seminars related to the purposes of this Section, and to promote cost savings through standardization of building and equipment purchasing and maintenance.

RECENT FIRE MECHANIC NEWS

Posted: Nov 26, 2025

Fire Apparatus of the Day: Nov. 26, 2025

HME AHRENS-FOX—Notre Dame Fire Department, South Bend, IN, pumper. HME Ahrens-Fox short front overhang (SFO) medium four door (MFDxl) cab and chassis with 12-inch raised roof; Cummins L9 380-hp engine; Hale DSD 1,500- gpm pump; 700-gallon polypropylene water tank. Dealer: Kyle Koons, 911 Fleet and Fire Equipment, Florence, KY.

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The post Fire Apparatus of the Day: Nov. 26, 2025 appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: Nov 26, 2025

Six Electric ARFF Trucks Join the Dallas Fort Worth Airport (TX) FD Fleet

Special Delivery Alan M. Petrillo

To help protect aircraft and miles of runways and taxiways, the 28-square-mile Dallas Fort Worth Airport Fire Department has placed six Oshkosh Striker Volterra™ aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) trucks in service—four front-line rigs and two in reserve.

Daniel White, Dallas Fort Worth Airport’s fire chief, says he and the department were drawn to the vehicle when Oshkosh first introduced the idea of a Striker Volterra. “What caught our attention when Oshkosh brought the concept vehicle out in 2020 was the pump-and-roll capability with the power divider drivetrain,” White points out. “It allows a constant pressure level on the pump with no surging or disruption and a very smooth constant manifold pressure.”

In addition, White notes, “When in electric vehicle drive mode, the Striker Volterra ARFF truck uses only its onboard batteries to power the rig fully on electricity, which is very useful for reducing emissions and removing exhaust fumes when exiting and entering the fire station.”

When hard acceleration is needed from the truck, he adds, the rig automatically transitions if the acceleration drive mode is active and allows the batteries and diesel engine to work together to maximize performance and improve response time by developing up to 950 horsepower (hp). “The Striker Volterra is very fast, going from zero to 50 miles per hour (mph) in 21 seconds,” White says.

1 The Dallas Fort Worth Airport (TX) Fire Department has six Oshkosh Striker Volterra 6×6 ARFF trucks in its fleet. (Photos courtesy of Oshkosh Corp.)

2 The trucks are easch powered by two 700-VDC lithium-ion batteries, a Scania DC13 diesel engine, and an Oshkosh power divider.

3 The rigs have Waterous CRQB 2,000-gpm pumps, 3,170-gallon water tanks, 425-gallon foam tanks, Oshkosh ECO EFP foam systems, and 550-pound dry chemical powder systems.

Department

Dallas Fort Worth Airport (TX) Fire Department

Strength: 191 paid full-time firefighters; six stations.

Service area: The Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Airport Fire Department is an all-hazards ISO-1 agency that provides aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF), emergency medical services (EMS), structural firefighting, rescue and technical rescue, confined space, and hazardous materials response to the airport’s 28 square miles.

Other apparatus: Six Oshkosh Striker Volterra ARFF 6×6 trucks, four front-line, two reserve; two Oshkosh Striker 6×6 ARFF trucks with 65-foot high-reach extendable turrets (HRETs); two Oshkosh Striker 4×4 rapid response vehicles with ultra-high-pressure pumps and hoselines; one Oshkosh 4×4 Striker ARFF with a 50-foot HRET for the DFW Fire Training Center; four Pierce pumpers, three front-line, one reserve; two Pierce 105-foot aerial ladders; two Pierce 105-foot aerial ladder platforms; one Pierce technical rescue/hazmat truck; one Pierce aerial ladder quint in reserve.

Travis Ownby, sales representative for Siddons-Martin Emergency Group, who sold the six Striker Volterra ARFF trucks to Dallas Fort Worth Airport, says the ARFF rigs are all identical 6×6 trucks with TAK-4® all-wheel independent suspensions and regenerative braking through electro-mech

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Posted: Nov 26, 2025

Milwaukee (WI) Overrides Mayor’s Veto, Secures $10M for Fire Apparatus

The Milwaukee (WI) Common Council voted Tuesday Nov. 25, 2025, to override the mayor’s veto of funding for city fire apparatus, wisn.com reported. The council’s decision restores the fire department’s budget for new vehicles to $10 million for 2026.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson had previously vetoed the council’s amendment, cutting the allocation to $6 million, the report said. The move to override was driven by concerns over the city’s aging fire apparatus.

Chief Aaron Lipski has stated that several of the city’s fire trucks are beyond their recommended 15-year frontline lifespan, according to the report.

The department has recently borrowed apparatus from nearby cities and last month, a wheel fell off the city’s last reserve ladder truck while it was downtown.

related content

The post Milwaukee (WI) Overrides Mayor’s Veto, Secures $10M for Fire Apparatus appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: Nov 26, 2025

Six Electric ARFF Trucks Join the Dallas Fort Worth Airport (TX) FD Fleet

Special Delivery Alan M. Petrillo

To help protect aircraft and miles of runways and taxiways, the 28-square-mile Dallas Fort Worth Airport Fire Department has placed six Oshkosh Striker Volterra™ aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) trucks in service—four front-line rigs and two in reserve.

Daniel White, Dallas Fort Worth Airport’s fire chief, says he and the department were drawn to the vehicle when Oshkosh first introduced the idea of a Striker Volterra. “What caught our attention when Oshkosh brought the concept vehicle out in 2020 was the pump-and-roll capability with the power divider drivetrain,” White points out. “It allows a constant pressure level on the pump with no surging or disruption and a very smooth constant manifold pressure.”

In addition, White notes, “When in electric vehicle drive mode, the Striker Volterra ARFF truck uses only its onboard batteries to power the rig fully on electricity, which is very useful for reducing emissions and removing exhaust fumes when exiting and entering the fire station.”

When hard acceleration is needed from the truck, he adds, the rig automatically transitions if the acceleration drive mode is active and allows the batteries and diesel engine to work together to maximize performance and improve response time by developing up to 950 horsepower (hp). “The Striker Volterra is very fast, going from zero to 50 miles per hour (mph) in 21 seconds,” White says.

1 The Dallas Fort Worth Airport (TX) Fire Department has six Oshkosh Striker Volterra 6×6 ARFF trucks in its fleet. (Photos courtesy of Oshkosh Corp.)

2 The trucks are easch powered by two 700-VDC lithium-ion batteries, a Scania DC13 diesel engine, and an Oshkosh power divider.

3 The rigs have Waterous CRQB 2,000-gpm pumps, 3,170-gallon water tanks, 425-gallon foam tanks, Oshkosh ECO EFP foam systems, and 550-pound dry chemical powder systems.

Department

Dallas Fort Worth Airport (TX) Fire Department

Strength: 191 paid full-time firefighters; six stations.

Service area: The Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Airport Fire Department is an all-hazards ISO-1 agency that provides aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF), emergency medical services (EMS), structural firefighting, rescue and technical rescue, confined space, and hazardous materials response to the airport’s 28 square miles.

Other apparatus: Six Oshkosh Striker Volterra ARFF 6×6 trucks, four front-line, two reserve; two Oshkosh Striker 6×6 ARFF trucks with 65-foot high-reach extendable turrets (HRETs); two Oshkosh Striker 4×4 rapid response vehicles with ultra-high-pressure pumps and hoselines; one Oshkosh 4×4 Striker ARFF with a 50-foot HRET for the DFW Fire Training Center; four Pierce pumpers, three front-line, one reserve; two Pierce 105-foot aerial ladders; two Pierce 105-foot aerial ladder platforms; one Pierce technical rescue/hazmat truck; one Pierce aerial ladder quint in reserve.

Travis Ownby, sales representative for Siddons-Martin Emergency Group, who sold the six Striker Volterra ARFF trucks to Dallas Fort Worth Airport, says the ARFF rigs are all identical 6×6 trucks with TAK-4® all-wheel independent suspensions and regenerative braking through electro-mech

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Fire Mechanics Section Board

Chair

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Chair

Elliot Courage
North Whatcom Fire & Rescue
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Vice Chair

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Vice Chair

Mike Smith 
Pierce County Fire District #5
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Secretary

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Secretary

Greg Bach
South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue
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Director #1

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #1

Doug Jones
South Kitsap Fire & Rescue
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Director #2

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #2

Paul Spencer 
Fire Fleet Maintenance LLC
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Director #3

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #3

Jim Morris
Mountain View Fire Department
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Director #4

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #4

Arnie Kuchta

Clark County Fire District 6

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Director #6

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #6

Brett Annear
Kitsap County Fire District 18
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Director #5

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #5

Jay Jacks
Camano Island Fire & Rescue
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Legislative Representative

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Legislative Representative

TBD
TBD
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Immediate Past Chair

Posted: Oct 20, 2015

Immediate Past Chair

Brian Fortner
Graham Fire & Rescue

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