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Welcome

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

In The News

Posted: Feb 1, 2019

In The News

PIERCE MANUFACTURING INC. has secured an order for 11 custom apparatus for the Greenwood County (SC) Fire Service. The order is made up of custom apparatus including five SaberÂ® FR pumpers, four PierceÂ® dry side tankers, an AscendantÂ® 107-foot aerial ladder, and a Pierce 100-foot heavy-duty rear-mount aerial tower. This apparatus order has been placed in partnership with South Carolina’s exclusive Pierce dealer, Spartan Fire and Emergency Apparatus. The custom Pierce pumpers will be spread throughout the county based on call volume, and they will include several special features including a Saber FR 6010 cab and chassis with seating for five, CumminsÂ® L9 450-horsepower engine, AllisonÂ® EVS 3000 automatic transmission, 1,000-gallon water tank, Hale Qmax 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump, ladder storage in the body, and WhelenÂ® LED lighting package.

USSC GROUP, a manufacturer of custom seating and fire suppression products for the transit, military, and first responder markets, announced the acquisition of VISTA BRAKE LOCK, LLC., located in Sanford, Florida. It manufactures and sells innovative safety and security systems for all emergency vehicles. Invented by Randy Smathers, a 34-year career firefighter and retired division chief, Vista Brake Lock for apparatus equipped with air brakes, and Vista Park Lock for apparatus with automatic transmission shifters are designed to prevent theft of emergency vehicles while on a call.

SPARTAN MOTORS, INC. announced the appointment of Todd Fierro as president of Emergency Response (ER), effective January 7, 2019. In this role, Fierro will have P&L responsibility as well as direct oversight of the sales, engineering, and product management functions. He most recently served as the president and chief operating officer of Heilux, LLC, where he helped transition the business from a product development startup to a sales and manufacturing company.

TRUE NORTH GEAR AND DRAGONWEAR have shared reenergized brand identities. The True North logo retains its familiar ellipse shape while incorporating modifications to the logo’s shape and outline. The continued inclusion of the north-facing arrow within the logo signifies the company’s ongoing commitment to staying the course of the brand’s mission and values. The DragonWear logo shows off the most dramatic change with custom lettering and a new, expanded dragon icon centered within the reshaped badge; both elements convey the strength and protection its products represent. The arc and category ratings retain their valuable placement to allow for immediate, visible identification of safety compliance. The redesigned brand marks will appear on select pr

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In The News

Posted: Feb 1, 2019

In The News

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

Bay Shore (NY) Purchases Four Rosenbauer Fire Apparatus

BOB VACCARO

The Bay Shore (NY) Fire Department (BSFD) is located on the south shore of western Suffolk County. Its demographics contain numerous apartment and condominium complexes, a large mall and numerous strip shopping centers and restaurants, a large hospital medical center, schools, and a large waterfront area.

Like most towns on Long Island, it is served by a volunteer contingent of firefighters. The fire district was in the process of obtaining a bond issue for enlarging its fire headquarters and the subsequent large purchase of fire apparatus to replace four aging units.

PLANNING THE PURCHASE

According to Chief Ed Kunz, “In the past two years, we had to begin to think to replace four pieces of aging apparatus. One of our ladders was a 1983, and we also had 1982, 1991, and 1997 pumpers that were in need of replacement. In the process, we looked at four manufacturers. Our apparatus replacement committee comprised the chief’s office, the district manager, and representatives from each company that was to have a vehicle replaced.”

Lineup of all three: Rosenbauer Commander engines and Rosenbauer Viper 109-foot rear-mount ladder. Each company chose a different color for the top of the cab. (Photos by author.)

1 Lineup of all three: Rosenbauer Commander engines and Rosenbauer Viper 109-foot rear-mount ladder. Each company chose a different color for the top of the cab. (Photos by author.)

The department’s fire district gave it $2 million to spend on the purchase. “We chose to go with the NJPA purchasing program, which made it easier for us not having to go out to bid,” says Bill Stenger, fire district manager. “And Rosenbauer, which we eventually chose for the build, was in that program.” He adds, “We also wanted to go back to the basics as far as operation of the vehicles. We didn’t want any electronic valves or flow meters. We wanted to go old school. Also, we designed each engine to be identical as far as compartments and operation were concerned. If you operated and responded with one engine, you could operate the other two as well. They all carry the same tools in the same compartments. All the hoselays are also identical, for the most part, with location and the amount of hose carried, with one exception.”

The department also wanted larger compartments and went to a single-stage pump for the engines, something that took a lot of convincing for current drivers. “They were brought up on two-stage pumps,” says Stenger. “But with higher horsepower engines and larger pumps, we didn’t think it would be much of a problem.”

All the engines feature large, deep hosebeds.

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

From Small to Large, Command Vehicles Are Central Hubs for Complex Emergency Incidents

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO

Command vehicles often become the hub of activity at large incident scenes because of the communication, control, and monitoring functions built into them. The various styles of command vehicles used by fire departments range from large RV-sized vehicles and trailers to small command areas built into the back of SUVs and pickup trucks.

MEDIUM SIZE

Joe Messmer, president of Summit Fire Apparatus, says that while large command vehicles and trailers continue to be supplied to departments that have regional responsibilities, many recent command units Summit has done are on smaller medium-duty chassis, both commercial and custom. “On that size command vehicle, we’ll put on a standard 20-foot-long box that’s wide open on the inside and then set up the partitions as the department requests,” Messmer says. “We’ve even outfitted extended cab rescue-pumpers with modified slide-out tables, desks, and cabinetry to allow a command post to be set up, especially when the users need to get out of the weather. Some departments get started at an incident with a unit like that and then hand command duties off to a large command post when it arrives later on the scene.”

1 E-ONE built this command truck for the Sarasota (FL) Fire Department on a Freightliner 114 D chassis with a 22-foot body. (Photos 1-5 courtesy of E-ONE.)

Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Rescue had E-ONE build a battalion command vehicle on a Ford F-550 four-door chassis with a slide-out tray at the rear holding all the command and control equipment.

2 Virginia Beach (VA) Fire Rescue had E-ONE build a battalion command vehicle on a Ford F-550 four-door chassis with a slide-out tray at the rear holding all the command and control equipment.