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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: Nov 10, 2017

Man Arrested After Stealing Ambulance From Parkland: Police

Dallas police said a 19-year-old man hopped into a running Allegiance Ambulance parked outside the hospital at about 11:55 a.m. and drove away. 

Not long after the theft Dallas police were called and located the ambulance. 

Officers followed the driver to NorthPark Center, a little more than five miles from the hospital, where a "high-risk traffic stop" was conducted near a parking garage on the northeast side of the shopping center. 

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Posted: Nov 10, 2017

Quincy eyes bigger, more maneuverable fire trucks

The department is looking at trucks that would have ladders of 100 to 110 feet, about 25 to 35 feet longer than any of the three it has right now, he said.

The desire for a bigger truck is at least in part driven by the building boom in Quincy. In the next few months, work is planned to begin in Quincy Center on the 15-story Chestnut Place, which will be the tallest building in Quincy. The building will only be a couple of stories taller than several the other buildings, so it won’t be a drastic change, but the city hopes to use this truck for the next couple of decades, so it should be able to handle whatever pops up during that time, Barron said.

“We use these trucks for many years,” he said.

The chief said the department is considering the big new ladder truck being what’s called a tiller truck, which is a bit more maneuverable. That’s a long dual-chassis apparatus that needs a second driver steering at the back of the rig, controlling the back half that can swing independently of the front as the truck drives.

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Posted: Nov 10, 2017

Unified Fire Authority Unveils New High-Tech Trucks

Each new tractor drawn aerial (TDA) fire truck is over 60 feet long, yet considerably more maneuverable than the department’s other trucks and engines. This maneuverability is possible because the trucks have steerable rear axles.

“It’s versatile in any of the tight turn-arounds. Business parks,  a lot of apartments have really narrow entry and egress. Normally, a fire apparatus struggles to get in position for an emergency scene and might have limited capability because of that. With these new trucks, we can get anywhere. Anywhere that a small ambulance can get, we can get in this,” said Matthew McFarland, Unified Fire Authority spokesman.

The increased maneuverability also allows the trucks to:

  • enter and exit cul-de-sacs without reversing or making multi-point turns
  • drive in two lanes of traffic at once, with the cab in one lane and the rear in another
  • parallel park by “crabbing” (moving sideways)

Each truck has a 100-foot ladder on a turntable which can be controlled remotely, allowing the engineer to position the ladder from a clear vantage point.

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Posted: Nov 10, 2017

Duncan Fire Department purchases new fire truck

Duncan's assistant fire chief said the new truck will replace the that one and has more safety features to better equip not just the drivers of the truck but other firefighters.  

"We're hoping that this will be a more reliable truck,” said Rob Loafman, Assistant Fire Chief. Loafman said the department hasn't purchased a truck since 2011. Besides allowing them to carry the usual things like water, pump and ladders, it will also have added safety features the old truck didn't have, like back view camera systems that help the driver and inside systems like seatbelt detection. "It's a full complement for firefighting,” said Loafman. He said the department had been planning to purchase a new truck and had room for it in their budget.

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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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