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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

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.

3 This is the interior layout of a command truck that E-ONE built for Tshwane, South Africa.

Aramco Saudi Arabia had E-ONE build this command truck on a custom chassis. Note the multiple access doors on the curb side.

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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

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.)

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.

3 This is the interior layout of a command truck that E-ONE built for Tshwane, South Africa.

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

Booster Lines on Today’s Fire Apparatus

I thought this topic had run its course in the fire service—other than a rural application or when dealing with an urban interface area where the use of these reels is in a more specifically designed apparatus to meet the challenges of these quick-moving wildfires.

CLEAR DIRECTION

But, they have certainly been making somewhat of a comeback on urban and suburban engine companies as of late. These reels are a pricey option for your apparatus and can take up valuable space on any engine company. So, the department should have a defined need and purpose for using this space and the cost.

Another concern would be a defined operating procedure for the department on what type of fire these booster lines can be deployed and operated at. Their low flow can create some problems on fires where they may have been used in the past. The fuel loads and fuel composition that are ever present in our world today can easily overwhelm this line. The volatility of automobile construction is also another area where the technology and materials have overtaken and will easily overpower the booster line. Be careful when adding the booster line to your apparatus without clear direction on its use in the field.

REEL/LINE SIZE

The booster reel can come in a variety of sizes depending on the space available on a department’s apparatus, and this just refers to the reel size. The size of the hose that is placed on the reel also has a number of options. This size line would be determined by the department’s defined use and the exact water flow it is looking for on the fire it is designed to extinguish. The appropriate nozzle on the end of this line will also need to be considered to ensure it matches the flow requirements for the line.

One of the most common uses for the booster line is to quickly deploy a line on brush fires or small outside fires. This allows for a small maneuverable line that can deliver the desired water flow and then be stored back with minimal effort on the part of the firefighters, with the rewind motor doing most of the work. For the urban engine application, it can handle the quick nuisance fires that many of these companies respond to, such as trash fires and small vegetation fires, and allows for a quicker in-service time for those busy companies.

Any department will need to weigh the operational need of the booster line, the cost, and the space requirements on its apparatus. The choice to add this option is based on the department’s call types and needs for this specific type of line. Although I see the benefits of the booster line and the need by certain departments and their geographic response areas, make sure you are using the booster line for what it is designed for and not using the line out of a matter of convenience or complacency.

RICKY RILEY is the president of Traditions Training, LLC. He previously served as the operations chief for Clearwater (FL) Fire & Rescue and as a firefighter for Fairfax County (VA) Fire & Rescue. He is a firefighter with the Kentland (MD) Volunteer Fire Department. He is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board.