The Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation welcomed Milliken & Company to the fire service and honored to be sharing in the mission of developing health and safety innovations for firefighter culture and the communities they serve. By combining science with design and insights, Milliken tackles the issues and concerns of today. Every day, their community of innovators is invigorated by the challenge of finding creative ways to enhance people’s lives and makes the world around us easier, safer, more sustainable and more beautiful.

Milliken has long led the way for “knowledge based” investment, employing over 100 PhDs. Since foundering in 1865, 2200 U.S. Patents have been accumulated - and more than 5,000 patents worldwide.

With over 50 years of FR fabric manufacturing expertise for industrial workwear and military protection, Milliken is excited to expand their knowledge of flame resistant fabrics into the fire service industry through the Milliken ResQ™ brand. Milliken has a long history of doing good and is extending that dedication to educating end users in fire service on risk assessments and the science behind FR fabric technologies. Milliken is very passionate about protecting those who protect us.

Firefighters dedicate their lives to the service of others and are now facing a new challenge to survival. The challenge is fighting cancer from selflessly giving to others. The Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation was established in 2004 to provide international outreach, U.S. support and resource assistance programs for firefighters and family members that are stricken by cancer.

The Foundation is creating state of the art programs for cancer education, awareness, research, and prevention to ensure the quality of life and retirement of firefighters around the world. Through grassroots efforts and “out-of-the-box” problem-solving skills, the FFCF team continues to forge relationships with strategic partners offering experts in science and medicine to improve fire service culture. “Milliken & Company is a long-time leader in creating and manufacturing made in U.S.A. products. We are honored to be selected to work with an organization that so highly values workplace ethics, safety and health,” stated Cindy Ell, FFCF President.

The Fire Fighter Cancer Foundation has been promoting knowledge, awareness and advocacy for firefighters for nearly 15 years, with the Founder’s work encompassing over 25 years. Through our S.P.E.A.R program we Support, Promote, Educate, Assist and provide Research to active and retired firefighters as well as family members of those battling cancer. For more information, visit www.ffcancer.org.

For 150 years, Milliken has been innovating with the purpose to explore, discover and create ways to enhance people’s lives. With expertise across a breadth of disciplines, including specialty chemical, floor covering and performance materials, we work around the world every day to add true value to people’s lives, improve health and safety, and help make this world more sustainable. For more information, visit www.milliken.com

Pierce Manufacturing announced that it has delivered first-ever Pierce® Ascendant® 107-foot tractor-drawn aerial tiller to the Tuscaloosa (AL) Fire & Rescue Department. The apparatus is the first aerial tiller of any type in the department’s 139-year history. 

Appleton, WI—Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced that it has delivered the first-ever Pierce® Ascendant® 107-foot tractor-drawn aerial (TDA) tiller to the Tuscaloosa (AL) Fire & Rescue Department. The apparatus is the first aerial tiller of any type in the department’s 139-year history. The vehicle was delivered to the department immediately following its debut at FDIC International 2017.

Earlier this year, Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue took delivery of two Pierce pumpers; it has two more Pierce pumpers on order.

“The selection of the all-new Pierce Ascendant 107-foot aerial tiller by Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue is a real vote of confidence in our products and the excellent sales and support services provided by our local dealer, Emergency Equipment Professionals; we could not be more proud,” said Matt McLeish, senior vice president of sales and marketing of the Fire & Emergency segment and Pierce Manufacturing. “As cities and towns become more congested, we continue to experience steady growth in tractor-drawn ladder vehicles. With the Pierce Ascendant 107-foot tiller now available, we expect this trend to continue and even accelerate.”

“The Pierce Ascendant tractor drawn ladder is going to greatly enhance our already solid truck company operations,” said Fire Chief Alan Martin, a 43-year veteran of the fire service, and Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue fire chief since 2002. “In our area, the roadways and intersections seem to be getting narrower, and the commercial and residential buildings are situated closer to the streets. With the Ascendant 107-foot tiller, it’ll be easier to get into tight places, yet still provide the reach we need. This is the one truck that will do all of that for us.”

This Pierce Ascendant tiller apparatus for Tuscaloosa is built on a Pierce Arrow XT™ chassis and features a 500-hp engine, a four-door cab, and seating for six firefighters. The tiller trailer includes TAK-4® independent suspension for a smoother ride and enhanced control. The vehicle has 570 cubic feet of storage and carries a full complement of ground ladders, rescue tools, and equipment. The 107-foot aerial ladder features a weight-optimized design structure that places weight and mass only where required. The aerial delivers a full 107-foot vertical reach and a 100-foot horizontal reach with a below-grade operation of -10º.

Tuscaloosa is the fifth largest city in Alabama and is located on the Black Warrior River in the west central section of the state. Tuscaloosa Fire & Rescue features 12 engine companies, 11 stations, and 250 paid personnel. The department’s protection area includes the University of Alabama as well as a Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant. “For seven weekends a year during football season, we’re the second largest city in the state,” said Martin. “The stadium seats around 106,000 and there’s another 25,000 to 30,000 gathered outside the gates. It presents some significant challenges for us, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!” 

The Pierce Ascendant Class of aerials has expanded to include

By Bill Adams

One of the raisins brought in an old yellowed and wrinkled up Peter Pirsch advertisement from 1973 showing a tractor-drawn aerial ladder (TDA). It was a real ladder truck—without a pump. Mounted on the side of the trailer was a big old deck gun, probably a MacIntyer or Eastman, with the long stream straightener and straight tips. It looks like it meant business. It was piped to a siamese so it could be supplied by a pumper. I consider a deck gun a master stream device that is permanently mounted on a rig and is usually, but not necessarily always, hard piped to an onboard pump. A portable/deck monitor is one that can be used on top that also can be removed and used on the ground. Again, those are my own definitions. Refer to your favorite text to find a definition to your liking. We white hairs do all the time.

Anyhow, morning coffee ended up in a donnybrook about the merits of having a permanently mounted deck gun on a ladder truck (aka truck company). It didn’t matter if it was a quint. It lasted for a couple of days until most of us either forgot what we were arguing about or what side we took. Bear in mind that from the early 1970s to the mid 1990s is when the majority of the wrinkle squad were the most active.

I am a proponent of having a deck gun on a ladder truck because the truck company is always going to be close to the building. Besides, if you’re using master streams, the pumpers belong on hydrants. Others’ comments are italicized. Mine are in quotes. What if the walls collapse? “You should stay out of the collapse zone.” Well, it is cheaper to lose a pumper. “It doesn’t matter what it is, it shouldn’t be that close.” That depends who the driver is. I let it go. A couple of days later I brought some photos to morning coffee showing new quints with prepiped deck guns. It didn’t matter. Those are quints. “So what?” You were talking about ladder trucks. “The principle is the same.” Harry, the quintessential bellyacher and resident tight wad: You’re too old fashioned—times have changed. “Times have changed? You old fool, you’ve been living in the past for the past 10 years.” 

He should’ve been a politician. His philosophy is if you don’t like the idea but can’t discredit it or disprove it, kill the messenger. And, he’s so miserly that he can bite a nickel so hard the buffalo will pass gas. When I said to give me one good reason why you shouldn’t put a deck gun on a ladder truck, his answer was predictable. It’s too expensive. “Ah, never mind.” I left.

This prepiped master stream (above and below) is on the passenger's side of a quint in East Rochester, New York.  If the barrel is not tilted down to the deck when not in use, it should be supported with a stand to prevent undue stress on the gun's internal gears. Photo by author.

Early the next morning, one of the young guys who overheard the previous discussion mentioned the deck guns in the photos were actually combination portable/deck monitors hard piped to the rig’s pump that also could be removed and used with a separate base section as a portable. I mentioned I don’t really like them. He said: But, didn’t you sell a whole bunch of them? “Yeah, but that was a long time ago.