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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: Dec 1, 2018

Using TIC to Search for Hazardous Containers

Manfred Kihn

One of a fire department’s biggest fears is fear of the unknown when responding to a call. When information is relayed over the radio while en route, firefighters and officers are trained to mentally prepare themselves for what they are about to encounter. When firefighters hear they are responding to a warehouse fire that contains 45-gallon drums of fuel oil and a bulk propane tank is adjacent to the warehouse building, the crew is now preparing their attack plan.

Using a thermal imaging camera (TIC) can be an effective tool to give firefighters valuable information to help mitigate circumstances such as the example above. The air space in two propane tanks and 45-gallon drums (photos 1 and 2) gives the crew a better understanding of what they are facing, and they can pull a line faster for exposure protection to prevent a catastrophic event.

Another scenario involves a residential structure with an attached garage. Think about what’s in your garage. Now, think about your next-door neighbor. I’ll bet your neighbor is a handyman who stores lots of hazardous liquids such as gas, oil, propane, and paints in his garage. Photos 3 and 4 show the liquid levels in your typical five-gallon fuel container and a propane tank for use with outside grills.

Consider one more scenario: You respond to a residence and find a closet full of chemicals (photo 5). Even worse would be to find these chemicals sitting open in plain sight, which could turn out to be a clandestine lab. If this scenario happens, your day just got a whole lot worse.

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Using TIC to Search for Hazardous Containers

Manfred Kihn

One of a fire department’s biggest fears is fear of the unknown when responding to a call. When information is relayed over the radio while en route, firefighters and officers are trained to mentally prepare themselves for what they are about to encounter. When firefighters hear they are responding to a warehouse fire that contains 45-gallon drums of fuel oil and a bulk propane tank is adjacent to the warehouse building, the crew is now preparing their attack plan.

360
0
Article rating: No rating

Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Inside ProPoly and PolyBilt

BY BILL ADAMS

In June 2018, the 642nd Regional Support Group, a brigade in the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC), United States Army Reserve (USAR), completed a one-year active duty mobilization. ESCs provide command and control (logistics) for certain army units during deployment and redeployment.

Part of command and control responsibilities include legal services. Lieutenant Colonel Timothy S. Dean, USAR, was one of the service members who completed the year of active duty. A JAG Corps officer, Dean is a brigade judge advocate (lawyer) in the 642nd. JAG, the Judge Advocate Corps, is the nation’s oldest “law firm,” established by General George Washington in 1775.

The Ocala, Florida, ProPoly/PolyBilt facility pictured here has more than 20,000 square feet of fabrication area. Corporate offices are located in the building in the background. An additional domestic fabrication plant is located in Augusta, Georgia.

1 The Ocala, Florida, ProPoly/PolyBilt facility pictured here has more than 20,000 square feet of fabrication area. Corporate offices are located in the building in the background. An additional domestic fabrication plant is located in Augusta, Georgia. (Photos courtesy of PolyBilt.)

When service members return from a deployment, they usually return to a civilian routine seldom as chaotic and eventful as active duty. Dean returned to his civilian career as a partner in the Dean Law Firm alongside his brother and father. He also resumed duties as the president and chief executive officer of ProPoly of America, Incorporated. In addition, he restarted fulfilling his responsibilities as the chief executive officer of PolyBilt Body Company. The two companies are generically known as ProPoly and Pro Poly as well as PolyBilt and Poly Bilt. They design and manufacture custom-designed thermoplastic products for a number of industries including fire apparatus manufacturing. Their position in the fire apparatus industry and how they got there are the subject of this article.

PRO POLY—THE EARLY YEARS

A family by the name of Baker started the original Pro Poly in 1991 as a marine-based maintenance and manufacturing company in South Carolina. In the early 1990s, it started doing business on a small scale with E-ONE, which eventually became one of Pro Poly’s primary customers. At the same time, Dean was doing some legal work for E-ONE. In 1996, the Dean family purchased Pro Poly from the Bakers, renaming it ProPoly of America, Incorporated, and Dean became president.

On what his occupation was prior to the Pro Poly purchase, he responds, “Personally, I am an attorney. I graduated from law school in 1991 and in 1996 began helping my family grow, develop, and manage ProPoly of America. I have always maintained my law office though and have served as a reserve judge advocate in the United States Army for almost two decades.” About his experience in manufacturing and the thermoplastic world, he says, “Our family has a long history in manufacturing. My stepmother owns and manages with her brother a very large and well-known manufacturing company in the mining industry.