By Bill Adams
Previously, I mentioned an upcoming delivery by Kaza Fire Equipment in Pennsylvania for a rig with a new-fangled pump control system called SAM that I didn’t understand. Going from a mechanical relief valve to a pressure governor was a monumental step for this Raisin. SAM had to be researched before I could comment about it.
I contacted Peter Lauffenburger, Senior Director of Commercial Strategy for IDEX who walked me through SAM’s development. Per my request, Peter was very helpful in explaining the system “in terms a high school senior” could understand. His and Jason Cerrano’s answers to my questions are combined below. It isn’t often vendors refrain from TechnoSpeak when explaining the concept behind their products.
*SAM is the acronym for what or who? “SAM isn’t an acronym. Think of SAM as another person on your crew.”
*What can I compare SAM to in real life? “SAM is similar in concept to a lot of the automation used to control vehicles – almost like the automated systems that can fly aircraft. It was developed to mimic what the pump operator does to control the pump today.”
* Who invented SAM? “It was initially developed by Jason Cerrano, a 20-year veteran of the fire service, who created the first prototype SAM system by retrofitted an existing apparatus.”
* How did IDEX get involved? “IDEX acquired Jason’s business in 2018 and integrated it with IDEX’s Fire & Safety Equipment. SAM was released to market at FDIC 2019.
*How was it developed? “Jason started SAM development in 2015. He was the inventor and primary developer of the system. There were a lot of contributors internally to the integration and final development of the system. It was a combined effort with Hale, Akron Brass and Class1 participating in the system development. Refinements and feature expansion are ongoing. Mike Laskaris was the principal engineer for IDEX Fire & Safety leading the project since the acquisition and worked closely with Jason to integrate with IDEX Fire & Safety equipment. Mike has been with Hale Products for 35 years and recently retired from his local fire department with 30 years of experience on combination and volunteer departments. During his tenure he has worked with fire departments across the globe from California to Germany to Australia and has extensive experience bringing new technology to the fire industry globally.”
* When was the first prototype unit installed? “It was installed in St. Louis on Engine 10 in 2016. Engine 10 is one of the engines that sees the most working fires in the city.”
* How’s SAM been received? “All OEMs can and are willing to install a SAM system. So far, over a dozen apparatus manufacturers have built or are currently in the process of building a truck (or multiple trucks) with SAM.”
Hale’s website has the following bullet points on Sam:
1. It automatically opens the tank to pump valve when it sees it is in pump gear.
2. When the operator then selects a discharge, sets a pressure for that discharge then SAM charges the line and adjusts engine speed as needed and maintains the desired set pressure for each discharge.
3. It automatically transitions to an external water source. When an external water source is ready the operator selects the intake, tells the system to open it and SAM takes action. After transitioning to external source, the system refills the tank
4. If transitioning to a pressurized source the system will bleed air from the line, open the intake valve and manage the engine speed during transition to keep discharge pressure steady.
5. If