After years of planning, Oakland Park (FL) city officials are one step closer toward breaking ground on a new $16 million fire station, NewPelican.com reported.

City commissioners recently voted to approve both a construction services agreement and work authorization for Fire Station No. 9 – one of several projects outlined in the city’s comprehensive 10-year facilities plan, the report said.

The existing one-story, 55-year-old Fire Station No. 9, located at 301 NE 38 Street, is slated to be replaced with a new modern facility adjacent to Stevens Field off Northeast 6 Avenue after a citywide assessment determined the need for an upgraded building, the report said.  

Plans for the new two-story fire station include three apparatus bays, state-of-the-art offices for staff and dedicated parking spaces for employees, according to the report.

The station will also be home to the city’s fire administration and fire prevention divisions. Both divisions are currently housed at separate facilities.

Last month, Oakland Park was awarded a $2.5 million grant through the Department of Environmental Protection for the construction of the fire station, the report said.

According to the City of Oakland Park website: Oakland Park is implementing a 10-year Facilities Plan to construct and renovate several facilities aimed at “Building Our 2nd Century.” Sixty-seven percent of voters approved a bond in 2018, which will be used to construct many of the buildings in the Facilities Plan, including City Park, the North Andrews Gardens Community Center, Fire Station 9, and Fire Station 20.

Other buildings to be renovated as part of the Facilities Plan include Park Place at Jaco Pastorius Park, Fire Station 87, and the City’s Municipal Building. Learn more about the bond projects and facilities plan here.

When lithium ion batteries inside electric vehicles catch fire, it can create dangerously high temperatures and, without the right tools, be difficult for fire departments to extinguish, WKBW.com reported.

The battery pack for the cars are inside a metal box, the report said. It can catch fire from overheating or from accidents, and when it does, it is difficult for firefighters to reach the source of the fire and extinguish it. Fires from electric vehicles also burn hotter than regular fires and smoke produced by a burning EV is toxic, according to the report.

Rosenbauer, a worldwide fire solution company, is aiming to make fighting these fires a lot simpler, using the ‘Battery Extinguishing System Technology,’ also known as BEST, to puncture the metal box, the report said.

Ranging upwards of $35,000, this equipment is now catching the attention of fire departments in Western New York, including Cheektowaga, the report said.

With electric vehicles becoming more popular, this equipment is definitely crucial for fire departments, a fire official said.

Blog by Piercemfg.com

Innovative firefighting technology helps ensure firefighters have access to advanced tools and equipment designed to function safely and effectively on the fire ground.

But what about their apparatus?

Telematics improves all aspects of fire trucks, including the way they are built, operated and maintained. Telematics improves fleet maintenance, fleet operations and fleet budgeting by providing real-time asset data. Learn how in the blog post below.

What Are Fire Truck Telematics?

Fire truck telematics provide real-time data on the status of the fire truck. This real time data can help understand the vehicles current state of ‘health’ and can be used to track location and activity and it can be used to forecast or predict service needed on the vehicles.

By predicting or forecasting this information, the department can manage when vehicles enter the service facility, causing less disruption in station operations and supporting a much faster service interval.

For more information, please visit https://www.piercemfg.com/pierce/blog/benefits-of-fire-truck-telematics.

By Chris Simpson

Calls involving hazardous materials (hazmats) are low-frequency/high-risk events. There are many variables to take into consideration when working on such incidents.

A risk-based analysis should be performed at all incidents to determine the number of personnel and resources needed. An often-overlooked component of the incident is who is doing the rescuing of the technician down range in the event of an emergency. While the topic is underdiscussed, it is an important aspect of the incident. The high-risk/low-frequency events often have the most room for error.

There are different philosophies on who does the rescuing, whether it is the backup team, a rapid intervention team (RIT), or simply a hazmat rescue team. That aside, what is the best method to rescue the person and how effective and efficient is rescuing him in a timely manner?

Time is the enemy and of the essence. Project MAYDAY¹ has shown the average time to get the rescue team to the hot zone is around six minutes. The times can vary based on the rescue team’s position and readiness. Then there is significant additional time in locating, packaging, and removing the patient. From medical training, we know permanent brain damage and death may occur without adequate profusion and oxygen to the brain in from four to six minutes.²

A game-changing drag rescue device is known as the FAST Board. Its application is versatile; however, with the drag blanket it is a great solution to rescuing a down member. In relation to hazmat incidents, the FAST Board can primarily be used to rescue civilians. If a civilian needs to be rescued down range in the hot zone, the rigid platform and easy connection make packaging and moving more efficient and effective in a short period of time. In regard to confined space whether from a tank, hopper, vault, or pipe, there is no changeover from a horizontal drag to a vertical lift. Furthermore, if the entry team is operating belowgrade or above-grade and even on a catwalk or tank car, you need to consider how a victim will be removed. There are many issues such as limited access when carrying and dragging will not work. Having the right piece of equipment to do the job for the limited-accessible spaces is key.

When deep inside a building, belowgrade, abovegrade, or other location down range for a considerable amount of time, air depletion is expected. While operating in such situations, more than likely fatigue will set in, possibly causing a slip, trip, or fall. In addition, a medical emergency such as dehydration, cardiac event, heat stroke, or seizure may occur.

• Hazardous Materials Response
• Hazardous Materials Response vs. Structure Fire Response
• Hazmat Responses Answered with Large and Small Rigs
• Hazardous-Materials Incident Response
• Specialty PPE in Use at Hazardous Materials, ARFF, and Industrial Incidents
• The Challenges of Hazmat Responses
• Lessons Learned from Hazmat Training and Response
• Responding to a