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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: Oct 1, 2025

FF Says His Gear Gave Him Cancer. Now He’s Taking Companies to Court.

LUCA POWELL
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
(TNS)

A Richmond (VA) firefighter is suing some of America’s biggest chemical companies, alleging their negligence contributed to his leukemia diagnosis.

Jonathan Clarke, a veteran master firefighter, is suing numerous companies involved in the making of firefighter “turnout” gear, which he’s worn for more than 20 years on the job.

The suit alleges that his leukemia diagnosis in 2022 was the result of chemicals woven into firefighting gear in order to make the garments waterproof. The science around the chemicals, known as PFAS, has recently clarified the picture around their potential link with cancer.

Illustration by ChatGPT.

Clarke’s suit names 21 companies, including 3M, Chemours, Honeywell and another 18 associated with the production of PFAS or firefighter turnout gear. He’s one of several firefighters alleging harm from the gear in Virginia.

The suit alleges that the chemical makers and purveyors of turnout gear knew about the harms of PFAS but failed to relay the chemicals’ “toxic nature” to firefighters.

The Times-Dispatch reached out to 3M, Chemours, Honeywell and three other named makers of firefighting turnout gear. None returned requests for comment. Some companies, including Honeywell, have recently rolled out PFAS-free firefighter gear.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of chemicals first created by chemists at DuPont in the 1930s. They are prized for their strong chemical bonds, which don’t break down naturally, and their water-resistant and flame-retardant properties. By dipping fabric into vats of PFAS chemicals, manufacturers were able to imbue both those qualities into firefighting turnout gear.

But a growing body of science has also tied PFAS to a series of worrying health risks, including developmental delays, immune dysfunction and links to several forms of cancer after prolonged exposure. As a result, federal regulators have imposed increasingly tighter limits on PFAS, particularly in American drinking water.

Firefighters first drew their attention to the chemicals in 2016, when the wife of a Massachusetts firefighter sought answers for her husband’s cancer diagnosis. She sent samples of turnout gear to a nuclear physicist at the University of Notre Dame.

PFAS, or forever chemicals, have been increasingly in the news in recent years. Here are 8 articles from the past year.

That physicist, Graham F. Peaslee, used a technique called proton-induced gamma emission to measure the percentage of PFAS in a given sample of turnout clothing.

In 2020, Peaslee said his tests found approximately a pound of the chemicals in each full set of gear. His tests also found that PFAS shed from the clothing over time. The next year, further research found that even the dust in fire stations is heavy with the chemicals, suggesting a health risk even when firefighters are off-duty. In 2024, researchers in England found that the chemicals move through human skin.

The findings came after manufacturers said their products contained just “trace amounts” of PFAS, if any were used at all, according to a letter sent by manufacturer Lion to The Columbus Dispatch in 2017. In 2023, Lion issued a news

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Posted: Oct 1, 2025

PA Fire Department Renovates 1877 Fire House

Laurel Rex Fire House (Source: York City Dept. of Fire/Rescue Services)

The York City (PA) Department of Fire/Rescue Services held a rededication and ribbon-cutting ceremony recently for the Laurel Rex Fire House.

Built in 1877, the Laurel Rex Fire House is one of the longest-running, continuously-operated fire stations in the country. The firehouse has undergone a year-long renovation. This investment preserves its history while ensuring it continues to serve our community for generations to come.

“A huge thank you to the Powdermill Foundation, ARPA, the state RACP program, and all the project partners who made this possible — And special thanks to State Representative Carol Hill Evans, Commissioner Doug Hoke, Mayor Michael Helfrich and Councilwoman Betsy Buckingham for joining us this afternoon,” the department said in a Facebook post.

“Many thanks go out to our sponsors who helped make today possible. Downtown York, PA, Around the Clock Cleaning, York County History Center, Royal Square District, MISSION BBQ, Martin’s Potato Chips, East York Walmart, and First John’s Church,” the department added.

The post PA Fire Department Renovates 1877 Fire House appeared first on Read more

Posted: Oct 1, 2025

Alcohol Use Suspected in Fatal Fire Truck Crash in MN

Paul Walsh
Star Tribune
(TNS)

Several beer cans were found near the scene where a firetruck “rolled several times” with a suspected drunken driver behind the wheel, according to a newly released court document filed by police.

The crash occurred Friday in Wood Lake while the town’s Fire Department was participating in Lakeview High School’s annual homecoming festivities.

Rescue crews found Patrick Steven Remiger, 43, trapped beneath the truck when they arrived. He died at the scene.

related link

The driver, Andrew Vanhecke, 37, and passenger Beaux, his 6-year-old son, were injured and have since been released from the hospital, State Patrol Lt. Mike Lee said Monday.

The patrol said it believes Vanhecke was under the influence of alcohol when the firetruck crashed on its way back to Wood Lake after participating in homecoming festivities.

Police in nearby Marshall, after getting court permission, collected a sample of blood from Vanhecke while he was being treated for his injuries at a hospital in that city, according to a search warrant affidavit made public Tuesday.

The sample was sent to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing to determine Vanhecke’s degree of intoxication. Those results are pending.

Vanhecke was driving the firetruck north on 490th Street just north of Cottonwood “when it veered into the [right] shoulder, struck a mailbox, overcorrected and rolled several times” before landing in a ditch,“ the filing read.

Several 12-ounce cans of beer “were located close to the firetruck,” to affidavit noted.

Charges against Vanhecke are pending, Yellow Medicine County Attorney Mark Gruenes told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Tuesday, adding, “that could change at any time, of course.”

No one in the truck had on restraint devices, according to the patrol.

On Monday, Vanhecke’s wife filed for divorce, court records disclosed.

Part of the festivities included Lakeview’s cross-country team delivering the homecoming game ball on a 10-mile run to the high school from Wood Lake. Two of Remiger’s children are cross-country runners and are coached by their mother, Becky Remiger.

Remiger was a 20-year member of the volunteer Fire Department while also running a dairy farm, according to his obituary.

“Pat was proud to be a dairy and beef farmer,” his obituary read. “He was incredibly punctual, reliable, had an unmatched work ethic, and could fix anything that would break down.”

Along with his wife, Remiger is survived by their children, Cole, Tate and Shelby Remiger; parents Steve and Jane Remiger; and a sister, Hope Mammele.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

The post Alcohol Use Suspected in Fatal Fire Truck Crash in MN appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: Oct 1, 2025

Advancing the Line: Rethinking the 2½-Inch Attack Line to Work Hard, Smarter

Sponsored by Mercedes Textiles, Ltd.

Firefighting is built on progress—passing down the trusted traditions while considering new information and adjusting to new realities. This is how we continuously advance the line.

About a decade ago, that progression brought about the resurgence of 2½-inch hose for aggressive interior attack armed with water mapping data. Today, most departments rightfully understand the need for getting Big Water to the seat of the fire.

The shift to 2½-inch handlines hasn’t been without its challenges though—particularly with limited staffing growing throughout the fire service. The good news is that there are options that strike a balance to meet technical attack requirements without sacrificing tactical performance like Mercedes Textiles’ KrakenEXO SUPER II®.

Photo: Captain Steve DesRuisseaux and Kevin Pfluger flowing the KrakenEXO SUPER II at the New Hampshire Fire Academy training facility.

“TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE ON THE FIRE GROUND”

While the 2½-inch line has become the preferred handline to reach those required flows for fires in commercial occupancies and standpipe-equipped buildings, the larger diameter comes with disadvantages related to weight, maneuverability, and quick water application.

Those limitations are felt across North America, as Kevin Pfluger points out. Pfluger is an 18-year veteran of the fire service, currently stationed with Guadalupe County (TX) Fire Rescue. He also leads the DAGUM Training Cadre and recently joined Mercedes Textiles as its Southwestern sales representative.

Pfluger says that moving and flowing with the 2½-inch through tight urban spaces or expansive suburban homes can be challenging even at full staffing, because the weight and inflexibility require considerably more strength and effort, slowing down response times and putting lives at risk.

“UL studies show us we need to be getting to the seat of the fire, but with the restrictions of where you can get the 2½-inch line, that becomes significantly harder,” he says. “With victims possibly inside, you’re delaying that time of putting the fire out. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

He set out to find a line that delivers the 265-gpm flows with less weight and more maneuverability for his department back in 2021.

“The whole point of this is to be more effective on the fireground…”
– Lt. Pfluger, Live Oak (TX)

MAKING THE MOST OF MINIMAL MANPOWER

Limited staffing exacerbates these realities. Captain Franklin “Linn” Baxa—with the Buckhannon (WV) Fire Department—is among those who experience this regularly.

“We are

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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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