REV Group, a manufacturer of specialty vehicles, including industry-leading fire apparatus brands such as E-ONE®, KME®, Ferrara®, Spartan Emergency Response®, Smeal®, and Ladder Tower®, is pleased to announce the Apparatus and Technology Conference, a three-day virtual event from May 18 to May 20, filled with the latest in fire apparatus and innovative technologies.  

REV Group is partnering with Clarion, which owns the FDIC and industry-leading publications, to produce the virtual Apparatus and Technology Conference. Hosted and moderated by Bobby Halton, Editor in Chief of Fire Engineering magazine and Education Director of FDIC, the conference will allow customers to connect with representatives from each of the various companies and learn about the latest trends.

From custom rescue pumpers and aerial ladders to the innovative systems that support them, attendees will discover useful information via product walk-around presentations and live Q&A sessions for specifying trucks for both today and tomorrow.

The scheduled agenda is as follows:

May 18 – Technology Day

• New Spartan FC-94™ Chassis
• Identifying Clean Cab Solutions That Are Right for Your Department
• New Smart Reach™ Multi-Stance Aerial Controls and Advanced Rung Lighting
• Latest in Fire Apparatus Chassis Suspensions for the Fire Service

May 19 – Aerial Demonstrations

• KME Tractor-Drawn Aerial™ for North Penn Volunteer Fire Co., PA
• E-ONE HR 100 Single Rear Axle
• Ferrara HD-107™ Rear Mount Ladder

May 20 – Pumper Demonstrations

• KME X-Series™ Custom Pumper
• E-ONE eMAX® Custom Pumper
• Ferrara Cinder® Top Mount Custom Pumper for Bayou Blue, LA
• Smeal Top Mount Enclosed Custom Pumper for Calgary, Alberta

As a bonus, conference attendees will get a behind-the-scenes tour of a world-class fire truck chassis manufacturing operation and explore how to design and manufacture a true purpose-built fire truck chassis. 

“We’re excited to once again bring an event of this magnitude to the fire industry,” said Kent Tyler, President, REV Fire Group.  “We are building upon the success of last year’s virtual expo, and we think it’s important to offer the fire service easy access to the latest information regarding industry-leading apparatus and technology.  Each of our fire truck brands are committed to the advancement of the fire industry through product innovation and valuable education.”

Sponsors for the conference include United Safety & Survivability Corporation (USSC), IDEX Corporation, W.S. Darley, Whelen and Hendrickson International.

To find out more information and to register for the event, visit www.firetruckexpo.com.

By Alan M. Petrillo

Mobile (AL) Fire-Rescue Department has opened its newest fire station—Station No. 18 in the Spring Hill section of the city, a 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that cost $2.5 million.

Jeremy Lami, Mobile Fire-Rescue’s chief, says that Station 18 incorporates the latest safety features for the department’s firefighters, including a decontamination room with particulate extractors and equipment for deconning turnout gear, a ventilation system to extract harmful fumes and gases from the apparatus bays, and fast-opening bi-fold apparatus bay doors to allow apparatus a safer, faster exit from the station.

Sandy McArthur, president of Watermark Design, the architectural firm that designed and built Station 18 for the department, says the new station is built on the same site as an older station from the 1950s that had outlived its usefulness. “Station 18 is based on a prototype building we designed for the city of Mobile,” McArthur points out. “This is the third station we’ve done, having previously built a three-bay and a four-bay station.”

Station 18 has two double-deep, drive-through apparatus bays located in the center of the single-story brick structure, he notes. “On one side of the apparatus bays is the administrative side of the station, with the captain’s office, decon room, fire sprinkler room, kitchen, turnout gear room, radio room, and public restrooms,” McArthur says. “There’s a laundry room with an extractor and turnout gear drier, which with the turnout gear storage area has its own ventilation system to keep contaminants out of the living spaces.”

Despite a few finishing touches still to come, the grand opening of the new, $6.7 million North Conway (NH) Fire Station is set for Saturday, May 22 at 10 a.m., reports conwaydailysun.com.

The invited guests include Gov. Chris Sununu, State Sen. Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro), and retired State Fire Marshall Paul J. Parisi.

Located at 70 Norcross Cir. on the site of the former ‘60s-era brick station, the new station has five bays, a dirty holding area, clock tower, and offices on the northern end. The lower level has a small conference room and office for the chief, as well as support spaces for accessing the vehicle bays. Upstairs is a training/common room, bunk room, kitchen space, and an atrium over the rescue vehicle bay.

North Conway Water Precinct voters approved the new station at their annual precinct meeting in June 2020 by a vote of 45-3.

Related Articles:
Construction on North Conway (NH) Fire Department Station Ahead of Schedule
North Conway (NH) Getting New Fire Station
North Conway (NH) Fire Station Construction Nears Completion

Huntington City (WV) Council recently approved the purchase of a property at 3208 and 3210 Piedmont Rd. in Westmoreland to be the future site of a station, reports herald-dispatch. The negotiated price was $55,000, but the appraised value of the half-acre was $95,000.

Officials say that the design phase hasn’t yet begun but estimate that construction wouldn’t start for another year or two.

The current Westmoreland station, located on Camden Road, was built in 1926. Officials say that the new station has been in the works since 2012.