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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: Apr 4, 2023

Firefighters Recount Tornado Damage at Little Rock (AR) Fire Station No. 9

Firefighters whose west Little Rock station was damaged following Friday’s tornado are operating out of a different location as cleanup efforts continued Monday, arkansasonline.com reported

A Little Rock Fire Department official said the move was temporary, but that it was too soon to tell when the firefighters would be able to return to work at their station, the report said.

Fire Station No. 9, 1324 North Shackleford Road, was heavily damaged when the tornado swept through Central Arkansas, cutting a six-and-a-half mile trail of destruction in the city before continuing north through North Little Rock, Sherwood and Jacksonville, according to the report.

A fire official said the station firefighters had been preparing their apparatus and tools Friday when the tornado struck, the report said. 

After the tornado passed, they examined the station for damage and shut off the water and gas, according to the report. A 40-foot beam had traveled roughly 60 yards from a neighboring church and struck “halfway through the station,” the report said. 

One of the facility’s engine bay doors flew about 80 yards to the west, damaging another building, the report said.

Despite the damage to the facility, its vehicles — two engines, a ladder truck, an SUV and the battalion chief’s pickup — are operational, the report said.

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Posted: Apr 4, 2023

Niles (IL) Re-Purchases 1941 Fire Engine Used in the Village Decades Ago for Parades, Events

Caroline Kubzansky
Chicago Tribune
(TNS)

A 1941 fire engine has returned to Niles after a long sojourn in Wisconsin, village officials announced March 28.

The vehicle, which Fire Chief Marty Feld told village trustees was the second fire engine ever used in Niles, had been in Birchwood (WI) as part of a private collection.

The collection owner contacted the village and asked if officials would be interested in purchasing it, spokesperson Mitch Johnson told Pioneer Press.

“Fire Department staff spent time determining if it was ours, eventually finding a Village document with the original vehicle’s [identification] number,” Johnson wrote in an email to Pioneer Press. “We compared it to the vehicle for sale and it matched.”

The village paid $5,000 for the engine and another $500 in fuel costs to Lin-Mar Towing to bring the engine back to Niles, Johnson said.

The vehicle is in “excellent” condition, Johnson said, and will be part of future parades and special events in the village.

According to information posted on the village website, the first “fire wagon” in the village was a hand-drawn apparatus known as “Blue Boy.” It now resides at Fire Station #2 at the intersection of Dempster Street and Cumberland Avenue, the website states.

Information in the village’s 1999 Centennial History book states that the fire department partially retired Blue Boy to part-time service in 1910 following the purchase of a horse-drawn pumper.

Around the time that the 1941 Pirsch would have been in use in Niles, the Niles Fire Department was raising money for an ambulance, eventually purchased for $6,000.

Niles established a full-time fire department in 1953, according to the centennial history. It had hired its first full-time firefighters in 1947, establishing their salaries at $225/month in 1948 for a combination of firefighting and custodial work.

Neighboring Park Ridge also has its own vintage fire engine from 1934. Also a Pirsch, the truck returned to the city in 2020 following decades with the Memphis, Tenn. fire department. To return it here, the Park Ridge Historical Society purchased it for $20,000. That truck was taken out of service in 1955, according to prior reporting.

©2023 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Posted: Apr 4, 2023

Manufacturer’s Profile | David Clark Company

By

Q&A with Bob Daigle

Systems Manager, David Clark Company

 

 

FA: Please provide a short overview of David Clark Company.

BD: David Clark Company is an American manufacturing company founded in 1935. The company designs and manufactures a wide variety of noise-attenuating communication headsets and headset systems for clear communication in high-noise environments.

David Clark Company offers a broad line of aviation headsets for private, commercial, and military pilots. The company is also a leading manufacturer of aerospace and industrial protective equipment, including air-space space suit systems and anti-G suits for high-altitude flight.

David Clark also designs and manufactures wired, wireless, and digital headset communication systems for the fire/rescue, marine (workboats/patrol boats), and airline/airport market for ground support crews.

 

 

FA: How did David Clark Signal evolve to include the fire and EMS markets?

BD: The first David Clark Company wired headset intercom systems for the fire/rescue market were introduced in the early 1980s. Since that time, David Clark has also introduced the Series 9900 Wireless and Series 9100 Digital systems to promote clear communication and safety while also providing mobility for crew members without being tethered to apparatus or equipment, as well as offering much-needed hearing protection for firefighters, both en route and at the scene.

 

 

FA: Describe the attributes of your products and the problems they’re designed to solve.

BD: David Clark Company headset systems are designed to provide firefighters with clear communication both en route and at the scene. While en route, all firefighters—from the front seats to the rear jump seats—are able to hear commands and instructions from dispatch and other mobile units on the way to the scene, above the din of road noise and blaring sirens. Firefighters are better prepared and gain a tactical advantage on arrival. Once at the scene, fireground communication is greatly enhanced, particularly for pump operators, who are able to hear and communicate clearly, even when loud engines are fully engaged.

 

 

 Pump panel operators can hear and communicate clearly at the scene over loud, engaged engines. (Photos courtesy of David Clark.)

 

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Posted: Apr 4, 2023

Fire Apparatus of the Day: April 4, 2023

Alexis—Washington Township Fire Department, Arcadia, OH, flatbed brush truck. Ford F-550 Crew Cab and chassis; 7.3L V8 350-hp gas engine; Darley 375-gpm @ 25-psi 2BE 21H direct-drive, skid-mount pump with Honda 20-hp gas engine; 300-gallon skid water tank; 10-gallon foam cell; Scotty through-the-pump foam eductor and mixer; Akron 3463 front bumper turret. Dealer: Jeff Huber, 911 Fleet & Fire Equipment, Florence, KY.


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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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