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The Finest Supporting the Bravest!

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: Feb 3, 2022

Tolland (MA) Fire Department Has 4 Guys Fire Trucks Build Custom Top-Mount Rescue-Pumper

By Alan M Petrillo

The Tolland (MA) Fire Department is an all-volunteer agency with 15 volunteer firefighters operating out of a single station covering nearly 33 square miles of a mostly rural fire district with only dry hydrants as water sources beyond the water they carry on their pumpers and tankers (tenders).

Tolland (MA) Fire Department had 4 Guys Fire Trucks build this custom top-mount rescue-pumper on a Spartan Metro Star chassis and cab with a 10-inch raised roof and seating for six firefighters. (Photos 1-5 courtesy of 4 Guys Fire Apparatus.)

Jeff LaCasse, Tolland Fire’s deputy chief and chair of its apparatus committee, says Tolland wanted to replace a 1996 custom cab Spartan Laverne engine, which had been donated to the department, with a new rig that could function as a rescue-pumper and also carry a significant amount of water. LaCasse says the department went to Jon Cares, chief executive officer of Granite Fire Apparatus Inc., who sat down with the committee, learned its particular needs, and offered a rescue-pumper with a large water tank built by 4 Guys Fire Trucks.

Cares points out that the Tolland apparatus committee, “Wanted to carry more water than usual, wanted a bigger pump than typical, a top-mount, and a foam system on the vehicle. The resulting rig is on a Spartan Metro Star chassis and cab with a 10-inch raised roof and seating for six firefighters, five of those in H.O. Bostrom 500 SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) seats.” Cares adds that the rescue-pumper is powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission.

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Posted: Feb 3, 2022

Photo of the Day: February 3, 2022

Midwest Fire—Winter (WI) Volunteer Fire Department pumper-tanker. Freightliner M2 106 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 350-hp engine; Darley LSP 1,000-gpm, PTO pump; APR polypropylene 3,000-gallon water tank; three Newton stainless steel dump valves with chutes; fold-down portable tank carrier; All-Poly™ tank and body construction. Dealer: Joseph Juhl, Midwest Fire, Luverne, MN.

MORE FIRE APPARATUS ARTICLES>>

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Posted: Feb 3, 2022

FirstNet, Built with AT&T, Acts on Responder Mental Health Crisis

Boulder Crest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and delivers Posttraumatic Growth (PTG)-based programs to transform the lives of first responders and veterans, announced that FirstNet®, Built with AT&T, will become the exclusive sponsor of its First Responder Initiative, helping it scale nationally over the next two years.

FirstNet is built with AT&T in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority, an independent agency within the federal government. It is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.

AT&T created a First Responder Health and Wellness Program in May 2020 to focus on “Being there” for responders. “The rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety among public safety personnel far exceed the rates of the general population. We are focusing resources on the system change needed to protect this community,” said Dr. Anna Fitch Courie, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, Director, Responder Wellness, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “We are incredibly proud to support Boulder Crest’s groundbreaking effort to build a comprehensive, effective, and scalable approach to the wellbeing of first responders.”

Boulder Crest’s First Responder Initiative focuses on transformative, PTG-based training programs designed to train first responders how to thrive during and after a career under extreme stress.

After years of success with thousands of military service members, the first responder initiative launched a pilot in Florida and Arizona in partnership with major police and fire rescue departments. Since the beginning of 2021, Boulder Crest has trained more than 1,400 first responders in the principles and practices of posttraumatic growth, and how to struggle well.

One notable partnership is underway to train first responders from 37 departments within the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police (MDCACP).

“The Struggle Well training has been immensely beneficial to officers from across Dade County,” said Chief Rene Landa, MDCACP President. “I am heartened that this training is going to be made available to more of my brothers and sisters across the country.”

“As a nation, we have a responsibility to honor the brave service of these men and women by ensuring they can live great lives – during and after their time in service,” said Josh Goldberg, executive director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth. “The First Responder Initiative is doing precisely that, and we are incredibly grateful for the generosity of AT&T, which will enable us to scale nationally.”

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Posted: Feb 3, 2022

FirstNet, Built with AT&T, Acts on Responder Mental Health Crisis

Boulder Crest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and delivers Posttraumatic Growth (PTG)-based programs to transform the lives of first responders and veterans, announced that FirstNet®, Built with AT&T, will become the exclusive sponsor of its First Responder Initiative, helping it scale nationally over the next two years.

FirstNet is built with AT&T in public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority, an independent agency within the federal government. It is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community.

AT&T created a First Responder Health and Wellness Program in May 2020 to focus on “Being there” for responders. “The rates of PTSD, depression and anxiety among public safety personnel far exceed the rates of the general population. We are focusing resources on the system change needed to protect this community,” said Dr. Anna Fitch Courie, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, Director, Responder Wellness, FirstNet Program at AT&T. “We are incredibly proud to support Boulder Crest’s groundbreaking effort to build a comprehensive, effective, and scalable approach to the wellbeing of first responders.”

Boulder Crest’s First Responder Initiative focuses on transformative, PTG-based training programs designed to train first responders how to thrive during and after a career under extreme stress.

After years of success with thousands of military service members, the first responder initiative launched a pilot in Florida and Arizona in partnership with major police and fire rescue departments. Since the beginning of 2021, Boulder Crest has trained more than 1,400 first responders in the principles and practices of posttraumatic growth, and how to struggle well.

One notable partnership is underway to train first responders from 37 departments within the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police (MDCACP).

“The Struggle Well training has been immensely beneficial to officers from across Dade County,” said Chief Rene Landa, MDCACP President. “I am heartened that this training is going to be made available to more of my brothers and sisters across the country.”

“As a nation, we have a responsibility to honor the brave service of these men and women by ensuring they can live great lives – during and after their time in service,” said Josh Goldberg, executive director of the Boulder Crest Institute for Posttraumatic Growth. “The First Responder Initiative is doing precisely that, and we are incredibly grateful for the generosity of AT&T, which will enable us to scale nationally.”

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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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