Sandy Davis, former chairman of the Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA), passed away Friday, November 3, after battling colorectal cancer. Sandy was 62 years old. Davis served on the FDSOA Board of Directors for 12 years and was a popular speaker at conferences across the U.S. and Canada.

Davis began his fire service career with Shreveport (LA) Fire Department and served as safety officer until he retired after 26 years. He then joined the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management and served as Homeland Security Director for Caddo-Bossier for 12 years.

After being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2013, Davis made it his mission to increase firefighter awareness to wear PPE at every incident. In 2015, Davis and John Phelan, a Shreveport firefighter, produced a five-minute video in 2015 for firefighters about the importance of wearing their PPE “Every incident, every time.” In the video, Davis states, “The colostomy bag is my PPE now.” He added that many nights he would lie awake wondering if wearing turnout gear would have prevented his colon cancer.

“Sandy Davis was a great contributor to the FDSOA and we are all grateful to him,” said Rich Marinucci, executive director of the FDSOA. “Safety officers have become a more vital part of the fire service and Sandy’s messages on firefighter cancer were powerful. Rest in peace.”

Michael Petroff, former FDSOA Chair, served on the board many years with Davis. “Sandy was a mentor and a friend. Even during his illness, after his term as chairman of the FDSOA, he assisted in the search and hiring of Director Rich Marinucci,” said Petroff. “Sandy always had a smile and a story to tell. Some of his stories could even be repeated in polite company. I know he was a devoted family man and a dedicated public servant. His Facebook post about wearing PPE speaks of his character and concern for others.”

A funeral service was held on Tuesday, November 7^th, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

More: https://www.fdsoa.org/

RELATED

Firefighter Cancer: Not All Firefighters Make it Home

How Can We Kill the 'Toxic Snake' of Cancer?  

Occupational Cancer and the Fire Service

I

Coxreels is pleased to offer its customers two upgraded swivel options for the 1125 Series. The medium-pressure (up to 4,000 psi) and high-pressure (up to 5,000 psi) can both be factory installed on the standard 1125 Series. 

The medium-pressure swivel is precision machined from solid brass and features upgraded wall thickness, and upgraded seals and backup rings. When requesting this upgrade, change the model prefix to –MP (example: MP1125-4-200). 

The high-pressure swivel is machined from high strength steel and nickel-plated for corrosion resistance. This ball bearing swivel features maximum flow and enhanced load bearing capabilities. When requesting this upgrade, change the model prefix to –HP (example: HP1125-4-200).

For more information, visit www.coxreels.com.

AXIS Architecture + Interiors designed Station 44 for the Carmel (IN) Fire Department. The first floor houses the apparatus bay, gear room, and office/work space for those on duty. The second floor allows circulation to personal dorms and bathrooms. There is also a large open kitchen, dining, and TV room in the new construction for Station No. 44. Photo Courtesy of AXIS Architecture + Interiors.

The following are 10 station design tips compiled by members of F.I.E.R.O. based on its jurors’ years of experience in designing fire stations as well as judging station designs for F.I.E.R.O.’s Fire Station Design Symposium awards entries.

1. The decontamination area should have large stainless steel sinks and perhaps a shower stall as well.
2. The decontamination room should have an outside entrance, otherwise you will have contaminated the station getting to it.
3. Be familiar with the NFPA requirements for response times when selecting a site for your station. For career departments, the standard is NFPA 1710, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments. For volunteer and combination departments, it is NFPA 1720, Standard for the Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Volunteer Fire Departments.
4. Make sure to accommodate turning radius and weight of trash and recycling vehicles in parking area designs.
5. Don’t forget to seek input from the people who will be working in the firehouse. It will not only boost morale and create pride of ownership but may also create an award-winning firehouse.
6. Incorporate materials that are durable and low-maintenance. Limit painted surfaces when possible. Refrain from floors that need to be waxed.
7. Make sure HVAC systems are designed to be used 24/7/365. This is not a house, and it is not a commercial building—it’s a hybrid that is always working.
8. Design landscaping to be low-maintenance or even maintenance-free. Use native plants that are most likely to survive the test of time.
9. Be aware of security issues and the potential for terrorist threats. Employee access, security cameras, fences, gates, outside lighting, etc.
10. In designing curb cuts, drive turning radii, and the like, be aware that the path of the rear wheel of the apparatus follows a path that is inside the turning radius of the front axle.

Tips courtesy of the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.).

CLICK ABOVE TO VIEW THIS FIRE STATION GALLERY >>

By Alan M. Petrillo

The Santa Cruz River runs through the center of the Tubac (AZ) Fire District, putting 51 percent of the area's population on the west side of the river and 49 percent on the east side. Before a bridge was built over the river, Tubac fire apparatus had to ford the river from the west at low water crossings, but during some months of the year high water prevented that option, meaning a long response to the south through a neighboring fire district.

The solution, says Kevin Keeley, Tubac Fire Department's chief, was to build identical fire stations on each side of the Santa Cruz. "We hired Breckenridge Group to give us the scope of what we needed so we could go to the voters for a bond election," Keeley says. "The Breckenridge people went through our community taking photos of the architecture and came up with renderings of buildings that were extremely functional and fit nicely into this Southwestern community. The $15 million bond passed comfortably and Breckenridge Group was hired as the architect for two stations."

Klindt D. Breckenridge, president of Breckenridge Group, notes that the fire district wanted to engage the community in the stations, so his firm included a community room in the first station built, Tubac Station 3. "The design of the stations also had to blend with the overall look of the community, had to be sustainable with low water and energy consumption, and be made of 'firefighter-proof' materials and finishes," Breckenridge says.

Tubac Station 3 is 9,200 square feet, has three double-deep, drive-through apparatus bays, five dorm rooms, a kitchen, a day room, two unisex restrooms for firefighters, a communications room, EMS storage room, mechanical and storage areas, the community room, and a restroom for visitors. Off the apparatus bays are a hose room, work room, decon room, laundry and turnout gear room, and an SCBA room.

Each of the dorm rooms has a single bed, desk, and three lockers, Breckenridge says. "We chose unisex restrooms because the unisex concept generates a smaller footprint as there are no urinals," he notes. "In the kitchen, we have solid-surface counter tops, wood-faced cabinetry, a high-grade propane gas range, and a lot of counter space."

Breckenridge says Tubac Station 3 "uses materials, forms, and colors indicative of the architectural flavor of the region." Sustainable elements include low-flow plumbing fixtures, he notes, native landscaping and water harvesting to conserve water, cool roof materials and high-performance windows to conserve energy, and photovoltaic roof panels to generate on-site renewable energy from the sun.

Tubac Station 4 is nearly identical to Station 3, but without the community room. Keeley points out that because Station 4 sits on a small site of only 1.94 acres, it was necessary to flip the floor plan 180 degrees so Station 4 is a mirror-imag