Each year firefighters and fire departments from across New Jersey gather at the shore in Wildwood for the New Jersey State Firemen’s Convention. Aside from the delegate meetings, seminars, fundraising benefits, and vendor booths, there is another draw to the show: the apparatus. The rigs displayed by numerous manufacturers were superb, as was the weather making viewing these rigs a pleasure.

Here’s a look at some of the logos and department insignias from them:

The Manteca Fire Department is proud to announce it has been awarded more than $3.4 million in federal funding through two major FEMA grant programs, marking a transformative investment in public safety and the future of emergency response in Manteca, the city said in a press release.

This milestone—made possible through the foundational support of Measure Q—represents a vital advancement in ensuring the city of Manteca continues to grow safely, sustainably, and with the resources needed to protect every resident.

The first award, a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant, provides $2,692,300.83 in funding. This grant will allow Manteca Fire to hire nine new firefighters, enabling the department to fully staff an additional fire engine each day. The increase in staffing will reduce emergency response times, improve citywide coverage, and strengthen the department’s ability to serve Manteca’s growing community.

The second award, through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, totals $718,386 and will fund the purchase of new, advanced self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). These upgraded units will provide firefighters with greater respiratory protection, longer operational duration, and improved situational awareness during hazardous operations—helping ensure that first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively.

“These federal grants, combined with the continued local support provided through Measure Q, are truly making a difference in how we serve our city,” said City Manager, Toni Lundgren. “This funding means more firefighters on the streets, faster response times, and safer conditions for both our personnel and the residents we’re sworn to protect. It’s an incredible step forward for public safety in Manteca.”

To ensure full transparency and community understanding, the rollout of additional staffing will be accompanied by a clear, public funding plan. This plan will be presented to and voted on by the Manteca City Council, providing residents with insight into how these new federal and local funds will be implemented to maximize community benefit.

The Manteca Fire Department remains committed to delivering the highest level of service to the community. With the support of Measure Q and these new FEMA grants, Manteca Fire continues to expand its capabilities, strengthen its workforce, and improve emergency response outcomes for every resident.

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The city of Burlington (WI) is auctioning off its 1996 Pierce Lance tilt-cab tandem-axel ladder truck.

Provided condition: Overall good condition. No major mechanical defects noted. Inspection completed and passed June 2025. Both lower dash lights remain on, engine has minor oil leak, hydraulic cylinder for cab tilt leaks, holes from mounted equipment removal, decals, has rust, scratches, dings, stains, rips, wear typical for age, etc. Inspection encouraged. Sold As/Is.

Details: VIN: 4P1CT02S7TA000554. Miles: 16,047. Engine Hours: 1,935. Aerial Hours: 525. Transmission: Allison HD-4060PR Automatic. Engine: Detroit 60 12.7L – DDEC-470. Fuel Type: Diesel. GVWR: 73,000 pounds. Dimensions: 47-feet long x 11-feet 7-inches height. Ladder: 100 foot. Pump Capacity: 1,500-gallons-per-minute. Water Tank Size: 220 Gallons. Generator: Onan 7.5 HP. Accessories: Features: (4) Outriggers, Scene Lighting, Air Brakes. Seller has title.

Current bid: $7,575.

Bidding ends: Nov. 5, 2025.

Click here for more information and to bid.

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Once you have achieved a level of success with lighting, cutting, and troubleshooting your torch, it may be time to move on to some new challenges, such as making relief cuts, combining torch cuts with heavy rigging, and performing “hot work” in a confined space.

Discussed here will be using a torch to slow controlled release forces such as tension and compression; doing hot work in a confined space; cutting from a man basket; creating connections in steel with a torch for the purpose of attaching rigging, shackles, and wire rope; and limiting heat transfer and fire spread.

Material Behavior/Load Path

Knowledge of how a metal is going to react to our tools is key. Grinding metal (dust) is different than cutting (chips) it. Steel is ductile (can be deformed), and iron is very brittle (will shatter when struck). Steel can be torch cut (kindling temp = 1,800°F); aluminum just melts. Understanding these differences and using them to your advantage, identifying brittle and ductile behavior, will aid you in any rescue/forcible entry assignments. These considerations are essential for performing a patient- based rescue.

1 Assume the cable is highly loaded. Like cutting a compressed object, we want a slow failure. Ideally, you cut the cable one strand at a time. Use a small sized torch tip, 00 or even a 000. (Photos by author.)

2 Making a secure connection to a steel building component can be tricky. Using a torch, we can create an opening to accept a sling or shackle and make a positive connection to stabilize the steel or move it.

3 Cut out enough steel to insert the rigging. Because of the sharp edge left from a torch cut, attach a shackle to the beam first, then add the sling to it.

Size up the load path of the work piece. Understand that when you create an opening or remove a load-bearing member, the remaining structure must continue to carry the load. You may need to add shoring/cribbing before the cut. It is likely that any object you need to cut will be loaded in several directions at once, located in different areas of the object. For example, a horizontal beam supported on its ends will be under tension on the bottom edge of itself and compression as it sags downward on the top edge.

Not unlike cutting a fallen tree with a chainsaw, at some point the saw bar gets pinched from the compressive forces in the upper part of the tree trunk. Then, as you continue downward, the trunk splits open from the tension along the bottom portion, pulling the cut apart. In this example, vertically support the log on both sides of the cut to limit the compressive forces pinching the bar.

Have a structural engineer help with sizing up these types of situations. This input will greatly increase your chances of success and the safety of everyone.

Compression

During a fire or tornado/hurri- cane or other impacts on a building, structural components will be placed outside of their normal loading. Beams can be overloaded by shifting loads and become bent and twisted. Structural parts meant to be horizontal may be vertical. It may be very difficult to determine if the steel you need to remove is predominantly in compression, tension, or both. Significant crushing stresses can lead to instabilities such as buckling or racking over sideways.

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