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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: Nov 18, 2022

Montclair (CA) Approves $840,000 for New Fire Engine

Montclair Fire Department will replace an aging fire engine from 2001 that no longer meets vehicle emission standards, according to the city, presenting a danger to personnel and the environment, DailyBulletin.com reported.

On November 7, the city council approved spending nearly $840,000 to replace one of the city’s aging fire engines with a newer model officials say will meet emissions standards and better serve the growing city, the report said.

A city official said it will take 12 to 18 months for the new engine to be put into service, according to the report. The engine has to be ordered and built by the manufacturer before it can be shipped to the city.

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Posted: Nov 18, 2022

Palm Beach Shores (FL) Takes Delivery of Spartan Emergency Response S-180 Pumper

BRANDON, SD – Nov. 18, 2022 – Spartan Emergency Response, a subsidiary of REV Group, Inc., and leading manufacturer of fire apparatus, announces the Palm Beach Shores Fire Department has taken delivery of a Spartan Emergency Response S-180 Pumper. It marks the first delivery from new Spartan Emergency Response dealer REV Technical Center in Florida.

Key features of the Spartan Custom Pumper include:

  • Spartan Metro Star® 67.5” Cab with 10” Raised Roof
  • S-180 Aluminum Pumper Body
  • Cummins® L9 450 HP Engine
  • Allison 3000 EVS Transmission™
  • Air Purification System in Cab
  • Severe Duty Interior
  • Occupant Advance Protection System
  • Hale DSD 1500 GPM Pump
  • FRC In-Control 400 Pressure Governor
  • UPF 750 Gallon Water Tank
  • 21” Front Bumper Extension
  • 6” Front Suction
  • PAC-Trac Wall Mounted Tool Boards
  • SCBA Combo Storage
  • Whelen® Warning and Scene Light Package
  • Federal Q2B Siren
  • Rear View Camera System

This pumper will serve an area with single and multi-family residential structures, high-rise buildings, commercial properties and several marinas in Palm Beach Shores. It will be used by the department for fire suppression, EMS response, technical rescue, auto extrication and water rescue.

“Safety and efficiency were paramount in the decision to purchase this pumper,” said Palm Beach Shores Fire Chief Trevor Steedman. “The engineering features were well thought out and construction was top quality. We are looking forward to this Spartan pumper providing reliable service for many years to come.”

“Chief Steedman and his dedicated volunteer firefighters serve a community in a uniquely traditional method in the heart of a Florida coastal beach environment. With our REV RTC® partner, we are grateful to provide a Spartan ER S-180 pumper to the department for reliable service through the next generation of residents and visitors,” said Chris Wade, Spartan Director of Sales.

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About Spartan Emergency Response

Spartan Emergency Response, comprised of REV Group subsidiaries Spartan Fire, LLC, Smeal SFA, LLC, Smeal LTC, LLC and Smeal Holding, LLC, is a North American leader in the emergency response market and offers brands including Spartan Authorized Parts, Spartan Factory Service Centers, Spartan Fire Chassis, Smeal, and Ladder Tower. Spartan Emergency Response vehicles are well known for safety, quality, durability, aftermarket product support, and first-to-market innovation. The company operates facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

About REV Group, Inc.

REV Group companies are leading designers and manufacturers of specialty vehicles and related aftermarket parts and services, which serve a diversified customer base, primarily in the United States, through three segments: Fire & Emergency, Commercial, and Recreation. They provide customized vehicle solutions for applications, including essential needs for public services (ambulances, fire apparatus, school buses, and transit buses), commercial infrastructure (terminal trucks and industrial sweepers), and consumer leisure (recreational vehicles). REV Group’s diverse portfolio is made up of well-established principal vehicle brands, including many of the most recognizable names within their industry. Several of REV Group’s brands pioneered their specialty vehicle product categories and date back more than 50 years. REV Group trades on the NYSE under the symbol REVG. Investors-REVG

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Posted: Nov 18, 2022

Off-Road EMS Units Get More Use in Hard-to-Reach Places

By Alan M. Petrillo

Reaching patients in out-of-the-way places, like in parks, on hiking and walking trails, in recreational areas, or even in wilder spots, can be problematic when a department only has a traditional ambulance or response vehicle available.

Many departments solve the problem by outfitting off-road EMS rigs on four- and six-wheel utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

Jason Black, president of MTECH’s QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus, says QTAC recently introduced a new off-road EMS platform, the EMS-RG. “This is our rescue gurney platform that has attachments to hold a standard stretcher and a fixed L-track with adjustable mounts for a heel stop and tying down bags,” Black says. “It’s slightly longer than our EMS-R rescue platform that can carry a stokes basket and has an attendant seat with a seat belt and a storage box, which means it requires a UTV set up for utility rather than sport. The bed capacity and size are important too because you want a 1,000-pound capacity for carrying a patient.”

QTAC also makes three rescue/fire platforms, which can be mounted on UTVs: the 85EMS with a fixed stokes platform, a WATERAX Versax 6 high-pressure pump, 85 gallons of water, and a hose reel; the 85EMS-C, with the same fire suppression equipment but with a collapsible stokes platform; and the 70EMS-L, a lightweight model with a fixed stokes platform and carrying 70 gallons of water. Black notes that QTAC’s rescue platforms have been placed on UTVs and ATVs made by Can-Am, Polaris, Honda, Gravely, Mahindra, Kubota, and Bobcat.

Kimball Johnson, president of Kimtek Corp., says Kimtek makes the MEDLITE® line of EMS/rescue skids and the FIRELITE® line of fire/EMS/rescue skids. “Our most popular model is the MTD-103 MEDLITE Transport Deluxe,” Johnson points out. “It’s made of all aluminum tubing with a diamond plate chassis, has a two-position Guide-Lock seat and seat belt, accommodates a long board or stokes basket, and has a 9-cubic-foot storage area with a slide-out tray.” Johnson adds that the MTD-103 can be mounted on most large UTV side-by-side chassis.

 QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus, a product of MTECH, Inc., introduced a new off-road EMS platform, the EMS-RG, a rescue gurney unit that has attachments to hold a standard stretcher. (Photo 1 courtesy of QTAC Fire.)

&

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Posted: Nov 18, 2022

Report: San Jose (CA) Fire Engine Went on Strip Club Tour on Night of Infamous Video

Austin Turner

Bay Area News Group

(MCT)

Fresh details surrounding last month’s release of a video featuring a scantily-clad woman stepping out of a San Jose Fire Department engine and into a strip club were revealed Tuesday that could add a twist to an ongoing investigation, according to media reports.

The video, posted last month but later deleted, shows a San Jose Fire engine with lights flashing and a marking that says “E4” stopped after dark in front of the Pink Poodle club on South Bascom Avenue. After a few seconds, a door opens and a woman in a bikini emerges, turning and shutting the door before walking toward the club’s entrance.

According to the new report from NBC Bay Area, that wasn’t the only adult entertainment establishment Engine 4 visited on the evening of Oct. 5. GPS data obtained by the news outlet showed that after the engine departed the Pink Poodle — where there had been no call for service, according to dispatch records — at 9:10 p.m., The engine then traveled approximately two miles to AJ’s Bar, a bikini bar on Lincoln Avenue, where it remained parked from 9:14 until 9:18.

Video of Woman in Bikini Exiting CA Fire Truck Prompts Investigation

SJFD spokespeople told a Bay Area News Group reporter on Wednesday that the department would not comment on an ongoing investigation.

Text messages obtained by NBC Bay Area also revealed internal department conversations surrounding Mayor Sam Liccardo’s scathing “heads must roll” statement after the video surfaced.

According to the outlet, a SJFD spokesperson texted fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr. that they told someone close to the mayor’s office that Liccardo’s statement could be “picked up as headlines that would reflect more negatively on the dept than necessary.”

Liccardo’s statement, which was not publicly altered or rescinded after its release, read:

“If the investigation concludes that this video is as bad as it looks, then heads must roll. We cannot have a life-critical emergency rescue apparatus relegated to a frat party bus, nor tolerate any conduct that so demeans the heroic work of the rest of our SJFD team.”

Bay Area News Group submitted record requests for internal information from both SJFD and the mayor’s office, but officials had not responded at the time of publication.

©2022 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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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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