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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: Jun 24, 2025

Fire Apparatus of the Day: June 24, 2025

FERRARANewton (NJ) Fire Department 77-foot aerial ladder quint. Inferno cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; three-section rear- mount aerial ladder; 500-pound tip load flowing 1,500 gpm; Alco-Lite ground ladders. Dealer: Todd Rudolph, Firefighter One, Sparta, NJ.

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The post Fire Apparatus of the Day: June 24, 2025 appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: Jun 24, 2025

Water Delivery: Designing Rigs to Move High Volumes of Water

Among the points discussed in this episode, Chris Mc Loone, Andy Soccodato, and Bill Adkins elaborate on three considerations for designing pumpers to move high volumes of water:

  • Define the fire apparatus’s mission before designing begins.
  • Plumbing and intake/discharge configuration make or break flow efficiency
  • The entire system—pump, engine, plumbing, and hose—must be balanced as a package

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The post Water Delivery: Designing Rigs to Move High Volumes of Water appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: Jun 23, 2025

Rescue Cutting Torches: the Exothermic Torch

In this fourth article of the series, I discuss the exothermic torch, or thermal lance. An exothermic torch cuts ferrous and nonferrous metals, including stainless steel and heavily rusted, painted, and concreted encrusted metal, using pressurized oxygen and a metal rod/tube to create a high-temperature flame.

The operator ignites the tip of the rod by sparking it against a 12-VDC battery striker plate as the oxygen flows through the rod, creating a class D fire at 10,000°F as long as the oxygen flows by depressing the trigger on the torch handle. It is not a precise tool. This torch takes less training than the other torches. Developed originally for demolition and machinery repair work, it now comes in backpack/tactical versions for special operations teams.

Exothermic reaction is defined as a chemical reaction resulting in a release of energy—in this case, heat and light, just like other torches. This torch consists of a long steel tube packed with alloy steel rods, sometimes mixed with aluminum rods to increase the heat output. One end of the tube is placed in a handle, and oxygen is fed through the tube. Some exothermic torches even operate underwater.

Do not burn the rod completely down to the handle. This will result in damage to the interior parts. Leave a few inches of rod, then switch out. Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes a shade 10 lens required, burn jacket, helmet/shield, and gloves.

Do not use petroleum products around pure oxygen because concentrated levels of oxygen can lower the ignition/flammable level of the petroleum, potentially causing a fire.

The torch is lit by arcing the rod while flowing oxygen with a battery. This electrical spark requires a surge of at least 100 amps to ignite the rod. If the battery has not been properly charged, it will not have enough amperage to ignite the cutting rod.

To accomplish this, the operator drags the alloy rod (connected to one pole of the battery) across a metal plate connected to the other pole of the battery, igniting the rod by causing a series of short circuits creating hot sparks. This ignites the rod and starts the exothermic reaction. The metal plate collecting the slag from igniting rods can cause poor electrical connections, which means it needs to be cleaned or replaced. The rod begins burning back immediately, losing length. Battery life is short also because of the short circuiting of the cells when igniting the rod. Therefore, you must be in position to cut as soon as the rod lights and keep pushing it against the object to be cut. There is now a system that uses two regular 9-volt batteries to ignite a redesigned rod, eliminating the large 12-VDC battery.

Slicing and piercing are the two most common techniques used with this type of torch. An intense ball of burning metal is produced at the rod end and can be used to cut rapidly through thick materials. The rod is quickly consumed. Once the rod is burned short, the operator lets off the oxygen trigger, discards the remaining stub, and installs a new one.

Most problems are with the battery having enough charge to ignite the rods. The only viable alternative is to keep extra batteries or get another torch. There is no tip to clean.

Before using this type of torch, visually inspect the following for damage:

  • Torch.
  • Striker plate.
  • Electric cable.
  • Oxygen supply hose.
  • Electrical and gas fittings/connections (should be tight).
  • Battery.

TIPS FOR EXOTHERMIC CUTTING

Exothermic cutting procedures vary based on the job. The standard process for exothermic cutting is done by a push technique. Hold the rod at a 45-to 80-degree angle to the work piece. Always maintain a proper travel speed. The speed of the cut tends to get too fast when the kerf is not visible to t

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Posted: Jun 23, 2025

Colorado Department Adds two Tankers on Commercial Chassis

Rosenbauer built this 3,000-gallon tender, designated Tender 132. (Photos courtesy of West Douglas County Fire Protection District)
Rosenbauer built this 3,000-gallon tender, designated Tender 132. (Photos courtesy of West Douglas County Fire Protection District)

The West Douglas County (CO) Fire Protection District was formed in 1980 by combining three underfunded volunteer fire districts. The new district struggled to provide appropriate fire apparatus for its firefighters, with its fleet consisting primarily of used apparatus or rigs that were underpowered and didn’t meet the district’s needs. Beginning in 2006, the district received state and federal grants that substantially funded two Type 1/3 wildland urban interface (WUI) engines, a Type 1/3 wildland rescue engine, two brush trucks, two ambulances, extensive extrication equipment, a foam trailer, and most recently, two Rosenbauer water tenders (also known as tankers).

Assistant Chief David George-Nichols says the two new Rosenbauer tenders replaced a 1980 Kenworth 3,000-gallon tender with a body fabricated by a local builder and a used 1960s-era military 2½-ton 6×6 with a small pump and a 1,000-gallon water tank. “One third of our district is rolling grassland running from canyons to a state highway and the South Platte River,” George-Nichols points out, “and the use of a 3,000-gallon tender has been traditional in Douglas County.”

Tender 132 has a 1,000-gpm Waterous CXK pump with its panel in an enclosed L1 compartment, a Trident air primer, a FoamPro 1600 foam system, and a 60-gallon foam cell.

He continues, “We wrote a spec and got a good response from Rosenbauer and decided to go with them for the 3,000-gallon tender. We also needed a tender on a single rear axle with a shorter wheelbase that could negotiate long unimproved gravel roads and driveways that may be a mile or two long, as well as being able go off road in the national forest, so we chose a Rosenbauer tactical tender.”

Floyd Bacon, owner of Max Fire, who sold the two tenders to West Douglas, says Rosenbauer built Tender 132 on a Kenworth T880 two

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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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