Read the features and news on fire trucks and fire equipment from the October 2024 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine.

Audrey Korte
The Chippewa Herald, Chippewa Falls, Wisc.
(TNS)

Oct. 8—Stepping onto the manufacturing floor of W.S. Darley and Co. in Chippewa Falls bombards the senses as machines hum and tools whir and purr under their master’s grip.

The fluorescent lights throw glints off of the metal and bronze components as the smell of paint lingers in the air. Staff, machines and robots move with precision among rows of tools and parts that decorate the space.

“Watch your step,” Carmon Bonn, Sr. Human Resources & Safety Director says as she adjusts her safety glasses. “Safety first.”

Bonn took The Chippewa Herald on a tour of the W.S. Darley and Co. facility in Chippewa Falls on Thursday alongside Plant Manager Mike Severson, and Sr. Manufacturing & Systems Engineering Manager Amanda Normand.

“We really have some impressive machines here,” Normand said. “But I might be a little biased.”

The facility specializes in manufacturing fire pumps, with a team of skilled machinists and engineers. The company originated in Chippewa Falls and has since grown into an international supplier for first responders, U.S. military forces and allied nations with a multitude of pumps, systems and vehicles.

Different environments demand different materials and equipment.

The company, which is now headquartered in Illinois, manufactures portable gasoline powered pumps, diesel, engine and hydraulic driven pumps, various mounted pumps, marine pumps and Ohler pumps, to name a few.

The manufacturer also makes the valves, impellers, seals and all the other components necessary for the equipment to operate appropriately.

Darley’s Chippewa Falls facility recently conducted a pump school with the Bureau of Land Management and is preparing for another this week.

“The goal of our team here in Chippewa Falls is to save lives and we take it seriously,” said Vice President of Pump Manufacturing Operations Greg Field.

Differentiating Darley from competitors

While Darley’s competitors are reputable, Darley stands out due to its founder’s drive to understand customer needs, Field said.

The company supports small truck builders and offers price breaks to help them get started.

Its focus is on making a difference rather than just making money, which resonates with customers and the community. Darley’s commitment to social responsibility is a key component of its business philosophy.

Field shared an example of a critical situation in which the company worked around the clock to produce and ship a necessary pump in just days for a firefighting outfit.

“We had a forest fire a couple years ago out West, and there was a team up in the mountains, and they’d been running their pumps non-stop, and they finally kind of wore out,” Field said. “We got a call from the fire chief on top of the mountain with his satellite phone, and he’s like, ‘I need another pump.'”

The call came in on a Friday afternoon but the team stuck around and manufactured the needed components before testing it and shipping it out Sunday night.

“Then it gets to the airport destination, and then the helicopter picks it up and takes it up the mountains and drops it off,” Field said. “That’s what we do. That’s what we live for. That’s what we’re built for.”

He emphasized the importance of being nimble and responsive to customer needs, especially in life-saving situations.

Field said that being part of such a large and reputable company comes in handy especially during disaster outrea

Northborough is one step closer to getting a new fire station after a Town Meeting Monday, Oct. 7, communityadvocate.com reported.

After presentations and debate, an article authorizing the appropriation of $41.3 million was approved by a vote of 431 to 144, the report said. 

With this vote, the project will be on the ballot on Nov. 5 for a debt exclusion vote. 

The appropriation of $41.4 million is before the estimated $1.9 million in energy rebates, according to the report. Within the appropriation, the department is projecting a budget of $33.4 million for construction; $905,000 for furnishings, fixtures and equipment; $6.8 million for fees and expenses; and $3.7 million for contingency. 

The current station, which was designed in 1974 when there were two people on duty, has physical limitations, the report said. There are two bedrooms and no separation by gender. The kitchen isn’t large; vehicles have gotten bigger; and one room houses the gym, training room, storage room and meeting room, according to the report.

The first floor of the new station would be 21,500 gross square feet and support a “clean station” concept, and the second floor would be 9,350 gross square feet, the report said.

For more information, please go to the Northborough Fire Station Project.

Talking maintenance might have been a better title for this episode since Chris Mc Loone and Ricky Riley tackle issues like shop labor, standardizing fleets, the importance of fleet representation on fire apparatus purchasing committees and more.