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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: Jul 16, 2019

Apparatus Showcase: July 2019

delivery of the month

 

KME—Aviston (IL) Fire Protection District pumper.

KME—Aviston (IL) Fire Protection District pumper. Predator LFD 100-inch cab and chassis; seating for six; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; full-depth coffin compartments; Hale DSD 1,250-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank; Scott Revolve air cascade system; Safety Vision color 5-camera system with DVR; Warn 9,000-pound winch; Will-Burt Night Scan 12-volt light tower. Dealer: Russ Campbell, Mac’s Fire & Safety, Litchfield, IL.

 

Pierce—Village of Bedford Park (IL) Fire Department Ascendant 107-foot aerial ladder quint.

Pierce—Village of Bedford Park (IL) Fire Department Ascendant 107-foot aerial ladder quint. Impel cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Pierce 1,500-gpm single-stage pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank; 20-gallon foam cell; Pierce Husky 12 Class A foam system; Harrison 10-kW generator. Dealer: Vince Baudek, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL.

 

Rosenbauer—Banff Fire & Rescue, Alberta, Canada, 104-foot rear-mount aerial platform quint.

Rosenbauer—Banff Fire & Rescue, Alberta, Canada, 104-foot rear-mount aerial platform quint. Commander cab and chassis; Cummins ISX12 500-hp engine; Waterous S100C20 1,850-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank; Rosenbauer EZ Load hosebed; galvanized and painted ladder and platform basket; blue LED lighting on all exterior handrails. Dealer: Rocky Mountain Phoenix Inc., Red Deer Alberta.

 

Ferrara—Wabash Township, West Lafayette, IN, MVP rescue-pumper.

Ferrara—Wabash Township, West Lafayette, IN, MVP rescue-pumper. Cinder cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump; 1,000-gallon polypropylene water tank; 20-gallon foam cell; FoamPro 2001 Class A foam system; Will-Burt NS1,8-600WHL light tower; Smart Power 6.2-kW generator. Dealer: Keith Sander, Mid-America Fire & Safety, Evansville, IN.

 

E-ONE—North Brunswick (NJ) Fire Company 3 HPS105 steel aer
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Posted: Jul 16, 2019

Thermal Imaging: Training with the TI

 
Thermal Imaging Manfred Kihn
 

Train Like You Mean It

An engine pulls up in front of the structure and the crew pulls off a line and heads toward the front door, seeing smoke showing from a second-story window.

Carl Nix

The crew members mask up, crack open the nozzle to check for water flow, and make entrance into the structure while another engine, quint, and rescue arrive. The engine crew supplies the attack crew with water from a nearby hydrant and shortly thereafter the attack crew declares the fire knocked down and retreats out of the structure. Wait a minute; let me rewind and start from the beginning prior to all this happening.

Four separate fire departments that run regular mutual-aid calls got together for a routine monthly drill that I happened to be observing. The battalion chief explained the scenario to all crew members and finished by saying, “TRAIN LIKE YOU MEAN IT.”

Now let’s go back to the training evolution that this engine crew just completed; what I didn’t see was the use of a thermal imaging camera (TIC). If you’re going to train like you mean it, then why wouldn’t you use all your tools? If this was the real thing, you would want to be fully equipped and at your best. The more you use the TIC during training, the more proficient you will become.

So, let’s go back to that training evolution. This time, the captain gets off the engine with a TIC in hand. He quickly does a 360° situational awareness search covering the chimney and vents; across the roof level working down to the eaves, walls, doors, and windows; and down to the basement or crawlspace area as the line is being stretched. With the information gathered from this 360° search, the crew enters through the front door where the captain can now direct his firefighters where to go. This is called an imager-directed search.

A quick primary search confirms that the structure is vacant. Or is it? People will seek shelter from fire in many places. Shower stalls and bathtubs in bathrooms seem to be the most popular places to hide. The resident closes the bathroom door and puts a towel to seal the crack under the door to prevent the smoke from getting in. He then seeks refuge inside the tub enclosure or shower stall, closing the shower curtain or glass door.

Photos courtesy of Bullard.

1 Photos courtesy of Bullard.

Photos courtesy of Bullard.

Photos courtesy of Bullard.

Read more
Posted: Jul 16, 2019

Thermal Imaging: Training with the TI

 
Thermal Imaging Manfred Kihn
 

Train Like You Mean It

An engine pulls up in front of the structure and the crew pulls off a line and heads toward the front door, seeing smoke showing from a second-story window.

Carl Nix

The crew members mask up, crack open the nozzle to check for water flow, and make entrance into the structure while another engine, quint, and rescue arrive. The engine crew supplies the attack crew with water from a nearby hydrant and shortly thereafter the attack crew declares the fire knocked down and retreats out of the structure. Wait a minute; let me rewind and start from the beginning prior to all this happening.

Four separate fire departments that run regular mutual-aid calls got together for a routine monthly drill that I happened to be observing. The battalion chief explained the scenario to all crew members and finished by saying, “TRAIN LIKE YOU MEAN IT.”

Now let’s go back to the training evolution that this engine crew just completed; what I didn’t see was the use of a thermal imaging camera (TIC). If you’re going to train like you mean it, then why wouldn’t you use all your tools? If this was the real thing, you would want to be fully equipped and at your best. The more you use the TIC during training, the more proficient you will become.

So, let’s go back to that training evolution. This time, the captain gets off the engine with a TIC in hand. He quickly does a 360° situational awareness search covering the chimney and vents; across the roof level working down to the eaves, walls, doors, and windows; and down to the basement or crawlspace area as the line is being stretched. With the information gathered from this 360° search, the crew enters through the front door where the captain can now direct his firefighters where to go. This is called an imager-directed search.

A quick primary search confirms that the structure is vacant. Or is it? People will seek shelter from fire in many places. Shower stalls and bathtubs in bathrooms seem to be the most popular places to hide. The resident closes the bathroom door and puts a towel to seal the crack under the door to prevent the smoke from getting in. He then seeks refuge inside the tub enclosure or shower stall, closing the shower curtain or glass door.

Photos courtesy of Bullard.

1 Photos courtesy of Bullard.

Photos courtesy of Bullard.

Photos courtesy of Bullard.

Read more
Posted: Jul 16, 2019

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute Launches Close Before You Doze Video Contest

July 16, 2019 (Columbia, MD) –UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) launched today a nationwide contest aimed at spreading the Close Before You Doze fire safety message. This public safety campaign encourages everyone to close all the doors in their homes each night before bed as research conducted by UL FSRI shows that in a home fire, a closed door can be an effective barrier against deadly levels of carbon monoxide, smoke and flames. Now, UL FSRI is looking for the public’s help to share this message via videos that educate viewers on the importance of closing bedroom doors. The creative interpretations of this life-saving message will raise awareness and promote fire safety, and UL FSRI has committed to donating funds to the winners’ local fire department, or department of their choosing, to put toward fire safety education.

The contest is open now through Aug. 31, 2019. All qualifying submissions will be published on CloseYourDoor.org/contest, and the public will vote to determine the top eight finalists. The public voting period will run Sept. 3-15, 2019, and a panel of UL representatives will select the top contestants from the eight finalists. The winners, who will be announced in Oct. ahead of Fire Prevention Week, will receive a donation in their name to their local fire department, or fire department of their choosing, with a grand prize donation of $25,000. The runner-up and second runner-up will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively, and five additional winners will be recognized with a $5,000 donation and honorable mention.

“We want this video contest to inspire passionate, creative minds across the country to develop fresh, innovative and memorable ways to deliver the Close Before You Doze message,” said Zoe Susice, director of strategy and marketing at UL FSRI. “We’re open to all creative interpretations – if you are a singer, write a song about fire safety and film your performance; if you have graphic design skills, make an animated short; or if you are pet-obsessed, your animal can be the star and tell people to Close Before You Doze.”

Brad Tanner, aka Brad the Dad, created a Close Before Your Doze music video which will be released today at 7 p.m. ET to inspire contest entrants. A member of the fire service community, Tanner took a creative spin on sharing this critical message.

“We were surprised and impressed by Brad’s informative, edgy and catchy song,” continued Susice. “We’re excited to see what others come up with over the course of the contest.”

For more information about the contest and to submit a video, please visit CloseYourDoor.org/contest.

About UL FSRI:

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) advances fire research knowledge and develops cutting edge, practical fire service education aimed at helping firefighters stay safe while more effectively protecting people and property. Guided by a global advisory board comprised of fire service personnel, UL FSRI investigates residential, commercial, and industrial fires through full-scale testing, field-testing, and modeling to replicate actual fires faced by firefighters. Research results are shared through interactive training courses that have reached hundreds of thousands of firefighters globally. To learn more, visit ULFirefighterSafety.org. Follow UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute on Read more

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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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