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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: Apr 23, 2017

FDIC Instructors: Must-Share Moments 1

Raul Angulo

Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar posed this question to some of our FDIC International instructors: During the past year, was there an event, an occurrence, or a bit of knowledge you came across that moved you to think, “Wow! I must remember to include that in my FDIC class or workshop this year?”

Response from Raul Angulo:

Absolutely!

I was walking the show floor at last year’s Fire Department Instructors Conference International when I heard this guy speaking, and I heard this occasional loud “snap.” The booth drew a crown and my curiosity. I met Dave Breiner, an apparatus operator and firefighter/paramedic with the East Hartford (CT) Fire Department, and he was enthusiastically talking about his new product that looked like a gigantic red clothespin. It was clamped to a section of 1¾-inch hose. When Dave pulled the giant red clothespin away from the hose, it would snap shut and an alarm would sound. Well, I had never seen one of those things before, so I decided to join the crowd to see what all the commotion was about.

He asked me, “Have you ever been driving down the road with the rig and have all the hose accidentally deploy, dumping the entire hose bed on the road before anyone noticed?” I immediately started to laugh, as did he. I thought to myself, “How did he know?” It’s happened to me, too. He continued, “It actually happens a lot but no one is willing to admit it. It’s one of those embarrassing questions like, ‘Have you ever been caught sitting on the toilet when the bell hit?’ Sooner or later, it’s going to happen.”

The giant red clothespin is called Hose Alert, and it was invented by Dave after he dumped the entire large diameter hose (LDH) bed of Engine 1 on to Silver Lane. They were backing the engine into the station when this kid came riding up on his bicycle, “Hey fireman!....” Dave yelled at the crew, “Hey guys! Get back on the rig! We gotta go!” After turning the corner, he could see 1,000 feet of five-inch LDH laying all the way down Silver Lane! Since it was also 10°F, they reluctantly called the truck to help load hose…and he paid for that. He said to his buddy, “You know, if there was a buzzer to let me know the hose came off the rig, I would have stopped!” He started thinking that there had to be a way to alert the driver when hose is accidentally deployed, much like a buzzer sounds in the cab when a compartment door becomes ajar or flies open. In fact, many apparatuses also have a warning light in the cab in addition to an audible alarm so when a compartment door is opened, the driver can immediately stop the rig.

Hose Alert debuted at the FDIC International 2016. It is a simple concept to alert the driver when any hose is detached or deployed from the engine, either intentionally or unintentionally. The red clothespin is actually a spring-loaded, hose-gripping unit that clamps on to the top flake in the hosebed or hose slot. The Hose Alert clamp is tethered and anchored to the apparatus with a thin, nonobtrusive steel cable, which doesn’t interfere or gets caught when pulling off hose. When the hose is deployed or removed for any reason, the gripping unit is pulled away from the hose and the contact sensors connect, which sends an electronic signal to the dash unit control screen inside the cab. The alarm immediately sounds notifying the driver that a hose load has accidentally been deployed. The driver can stop in a timely and safe manner before hundreds of feet of hose is laid out in the street.

A Change of Mi

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Posted: Apr 23, 2017

TenCate Protective Fabrics Announces Innovation in Stationwear Selection and Purchasing

 

Atlanta, GA—TenCate Protective Fabrics is debuting a new Website that will make choosing the right firefighter stationwear a simple task just in time for FDIC International 2017. Stationwear.com will allow each consumer to select a variety of options based on what is most important to them—comfort, casual/formal appearance, durability, performance, and style of clothing. 

All garments showcased on the site are inherently flame-resistant. The flame resistance can’t be washed out or worn away because it is built into the fabric. 

“At TenCate, we have always put the safety of firefighters first, and that means protecting them from the skin out,” said Luke Blakey, TenCate’s Senior Director of Sales and Marketing. “This new Website gives them easy access to protection without having to sacrifice comfort or style.”

The Stationwear Selector Tool, a feature of the new site, will lead fire chiefs or station decision-makers through a series of questions to assist in locating the choices that best fit their needs out of the more than 100 different garment options available. Designs from CrewBoss, Workrite FR and DFND are featured.

Firefighters have peace of mind knowing that they are protected by well-known fire resistant fabrics such as Tecasafe STATIONWEAR and TechT4 base layer. COOLDERM Technology is engineered into the fabric and offers active moisture wicking and an evaporative cooling effect, all important for the active lives firefighters lead.

“Firefighters don’t have to worry that their ‘casual blues’ will fade over time,” continued Blakey. “Many products offered through Stationwear.com feature color fast TRUECOLOR Technology allowing the garments to retain a like-new appearance wash after wash.”

Stationwear.com will be live on April 27, 2017. To learn more, visit the Website or stop by the TenCate Protective Fabrics booth #2023 at FDIC.

TenCate Protective Fabrics creates and manufactures inherently flame-resistant textiles for firefighters, utility linemen and electricians, oil and gas workers, military and security; just about anyone who needs protection from fire and thermal events.

In a sometimes-dangerous world, people have trusted these made in America fabrics for more than 90 years. This is why TenCate produces more inherently flame-resistant fabric than anyone else in the world and why more workers who wear PPE, trust TenCate to protect them so they can get to the things that matter most.

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Posted: Apr 22, 2017

FDIC International 2017: Saturday Preshow Photos

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Posted: Apr 21, 2017

Bronto Skylift to Display 291-Foot-Tall Aerial Platform at FDIC International 2017

Bronto Skylift

Bronto Skylift, the worldwide leader in high level articulated aerial platforms for firefighting, will be displaying a 291 foot tall, articulated aerial platform at FDIC International 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana April 27 – April 29, 2017.

The Bronto Skylift 291 foot High Level Articulated (HLA) aerial platform has a 291 foot NFPA height, up to 84 feet of side reach, and water flow up to 1000 gpm at full height.  This sturdy but surprisingly compact unit is maneuverable on ordinary streets and provides unmatched access with outstanding stability and a solid feel.

The Bronto can bet set up and reach full height in minutes using the automatic leveling system and Bronto Skylift’s unmatched aerial control system. The Bronto 291 HLA Utilizes two telescopic booms with 158 degrees of articulation between them to reach up and over obstacles, even extending 80 feet horizontally across the top of a 16 story building.  With a maximum platform capacity of 1100 pounds, you don’t have to sacrifice capacity for height and access.  For even more flexibility, the platform can be rotated 50 degrees on each side of the boom to achieve optimal positioning for rescues.

Fire Fighters often buy the Bronto  Skylift F90 HLA because of the height but they find it to be a daily tool because of its reach, not just up, but horizontally and even below grade.

Bronto Skylift has delivered well over 100 aerial platforms with the height of 291 feet or above and more than 7000 articulated aerials of all heights to customers for  firefighting and non-firefighting use worldwide. More than 300 have been delivered to customers in North America.

Come see the 291 foot Bronto Skylift at FDIC in booth 14050 in the South Street display area outside Lucas Oil Stadium.

To find them, just look towards Lucas Oil stadium for the tallest aerial at the FDIC show.

In North America, Bronto Skylift offers aerial platforms in heights from 100 feet to 364 feet.

Bronto Skylift is a division of Morita Holdings Corporation.

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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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