After a 10-year fundraising initiative, a new 2022 Pierce Commercial Cab fire engine, ordered almost two years ago, was delivered Jan. 4 to the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company, triblive.com reported.

The $380,000 fire engine will replace one that the fire company bought in 1999, the report said. The company approved the new purchase in May 2021.

It’s part of a process to upgrade older fire trucks to comply with current safety and capability standards, the report said.

Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company has two fire engines, an aerial platform and a service truck.

The old fire engine will be sold, probably to a fire company in the South, and the proceeds will be put back into the department coffers to pay the remaining balance on the new truck, according to the report.

The new fire engine is 32 feet long, which is shorter than the truck it is replacing, according to the report.

The new truck features more water pumping capabilities, offering more than 750 gallons-per-minute than the 1999 truck, the report said.

The New Bedford Fire Department took delivery of a Ward/MCB Rescue Vehicle built on a 2022 Ford F550 4×4 chassis Thursday, the department announced on social media.

According to the department’s announcement, “This unit will be equipped to respond to hazardous materials and technical rescue calls for service. The majority of the NBFD’s search and rescue equipment is carried and operated by the three ladder companies.

“This unit is also equipped with a thermal imaging camera, an Industrial Scientific MX6 multi-gas meter, ph paper and test strips, and non-sparking (intrinsically safe) tools for operating in potentially hazardous atmospheres. Other hazardous materials mitigation equipment include:

• Lithium ion battery overpack kits
• Liquid chemical containment pools
• Dahlgren Decon universal chemical/biological decontamination solution and kits
• Class D fire extinguishers

“Squad 1 is also equipped with specialized cutting equipment for industrial accidents. This includes an oxyacetylene torches and an Arcair Exothermic Torch. Also carried is thermal paste which is applied between the trapped victim and area where cutting would take place.

“The truck is also equipped with a quiet running 3000w, 30amp Honda inverter generator. The generator is mounted and can run while remaining on the roll out shelf. A 10,000 lb. winch is also included and can be deployed from three sides of the vehicle.

“Additional technical rescue equipment will be added in the near future.”

Hawkins County Volunteer Fireman’s Association received donated fire apparatus and equipment during the last two months of 2022 by a volunteer fire department in Maryland and a construction company in Northern Virginia, therogersvillereview.com reported.

The Association was alerted to a surplus ambulance in Prince Georges County Maryland recently removed from front line service with the Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire Department, the report said. Negotiations during the months of September through October resulted in the donation.

The owner of RMSS Services prepared the ambulance for delivery and drove the unit to Church Hill. The ambulance will be placed in service with the Hawkins County Emergency Response Team, the report said.

Robert DeMarr, President/CEO of DeMarr Construction in Falls Church (VA), contacted the Association late last year with an offer to donate a 1990 2500-gallon tanker, the report said.

Eight new tires were installed on the tanker and delivered to Hawkins County at no cost to the Association, according to the report. The 1990 International Harvester pumper tanker will replace a smaller 40-year-old tanker and improve fire response capability countywide, the report said.

By Bill Adams

It’s not easy getting old. I’ve tried readdressing SafeSpeak and TechnoSpeak since last March. Either some major world event happens or I just forget about it. When there’s time to address it, my computer screen has a gazillion of them little manila folders and I can’t remember where I filed the damn thing. The topic originally started over coffee when the Raisin Squad started busting my stones because I claimed some vendors can talk for 20 minutes without answering a question.

SafeSpeak and TechnoSpeak are two words I plucked out of thin air – or thought I did. I’m either semi-wrong or half-right because TechnoSpeak is a real word. Both mean pretty much the same thing. My online research seeking formal descriptions of synonymous words found another real word – Technobabble. One description is: “technical jargon incomprehensible to non-specialists; — sometimes used derogatorily of discussions using unnecessarily technical terminology and intended to impress or confuse, rather than inform, the listener.”  Another description: “Technical or scientific language used in fiction to convey a false impression of meaningful technical or scientific content.” Yet another is: “From the point of view of the layperson, technical and scientific literature not understood.”   

I tried explaining the definitions to the geezers over coffee. It wasn’t working. One white hair said: “That’s how you salesman get away with lying.” I retorted I’m no longer a salesman; I’m retired. “Well, you used to be one.” Another said: “You guys might not lie, but you don’t always tell the truth. Have you people ever just said you don’t know?” The kicker was: “Sure. Ask a damn question and you get a bunch of BS. It is doubtful he was talking about baloney sandwiches.

Following are some examples of possible answers – or baloney sandwich statements – that some vendors can lay on members of an apparatus purchasing committee when asked a question they don’t want to or can’t answer.

Is this cab and chassis your most popular model? “You’ll really enjoy driving this rig. It handles like a Cadillac and just like a Cady, its interior is well appointed. All of our customers that have them love them. They say they wouldn’t buy anything else. If you’d like, we can make arrangements to bring one to your station so all your members can test drive it. They’ll love it too.”

How long have you been building this particular model chassis? “Our company is one of the oldest and most respected manufacturers of fire apparatus in the country. In fact, it started when the original owner began fabricating horse drawn apparatus before the turn of the century. It has been a leading pioneer in the use and development of motorized fire apparatus. It still is today. Our reputation speaks for itself.”

Are all of your service technicians EVT certified? “That is an excellent question. It’s an important topic that more purchasing committees should be concerned with. In the late 1980s the International Association of Fire Chiefs initiated the first formal program to certify fire apparatus mechanics. It has evolved into a curriculum today for Emergency Vehicle Technicians that has different levels of certifications for specific fields of expertise like apparatus, ambulances and crash trucks. There are different tests that must be taken and passed including one to be recertified. Additionally, most of the major suppliers of fire apparatus components provide certifications for mechanics who successful