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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: Oct 10, 2016

St. George (UT) Invests $2 Million in Three Fire Apparatus

With an aging fleet of fire engines and the fire-coverage needs of the city continuing to expand, the St. George City Council approved the leasing of three new fire engines Thursday. It adds to the new equipment and facilities the St. George Fire Department will be gaining in the near future.
The new fire engines, also referred to as pumper trucks, are being obtained through a four-year lease with an option to buy. In total, the cost of the lease is just over $2 million, with each pumper truck running $647,864. Interest on the lease is listed at 4.9 percent.

The three fire engines will take between 10-11 months to build, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said. Once delivered, two of the new trucks will be put on front-line duty at fire stations in the areas of SunRiver and Dixie Downs.

The new pumper trucks will allow the Fire Department to retire trucks that have been in use since the 1970s, albeit they currently are on reserve.

An example of the fire engines being built to meet the city’s needs is that they will include additional storage space, Stoker said. The department tries to have as much equipment on one firetruck as possible when responding to an incident. That way they don’t end up pulling additional resources from elsewhere.

Equipment on fire trucks includes more than just that used to battling fires. Firefighters routinely respond to incidents involving medical emergencies, hazardous material spills and clean up and vehicle accidents that sometimes require special extrication equipment.

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Posted: Oct 10, 2016

Kids Explore Marquette (MI) Fire Apparatus, Learn Fire Safety

Sunday kicks off the beginning of Fire Prevention Week. The week targets school aged children and focuses on teaching kids the importance of fire safety. Saturday morning in Marquette, almost twenty firetrucks and several firemen were featured from different cities across the county.Kids could talk to the firefighters, try on the equipment, and even explore their trucks.
"Have an escape plan, draw a map of their house, and know each way to get out of their rooms and go over with their parents," said Marquette City Fire Department Engineer Dan Pruner. "If they have a babysitter, go over it with the babysitter, so everybody knows. It's a good thing to know because you don't want to figure that out in an emergency. It's good to have that ahead of time."
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Posted: Oct 10, 2016

Raccoons Stow Away in Boca Raton (FL) Fire Apparatus

Little kids love riding in fire engines, so why not raccoons? As last week's stormy weather that Hurricane Matthew sent our way was calming down, Boca Raton Fire Rescue firefighters found a mama raccoon and her two babies hiding in the hose bed on one of the big rigs.
The creatures were discovered Friday morning at Station Six, at 1901 Clint Moore Rd. near North Military Trail.

"It's possible they were taking refuge from the weather," agency spokesman Bob Lemons said. "It's a very active station. That's why they were quite surprised to find hitchhikers."

The crew put one of the baby raccoons in nearby bushes, the mama raccoon climbed down from the truck and went to it, and firefighters brought the second baby to the ground to reunite the furry family, Lemons said.

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Posted: Oct 10, 2016

Local Study on Firefighter Alerts Gains International Attention

BELOIT (WIFR) -- The stress of hearing alarms that alert firefighters is the same as taking part in an Olympic sport. That's the findings of a local study that's gaining international attention.

“I would feel my heart jump out of my chest," Deputy Fire Chief Joe Murray said as he explained the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night to an alarm, alerting firefighters of a fire.

“Just imagine someone startles you when you're in a dead sleep and you wake up and sometimes you get a little disoriented,” he explained.

Firefighters in Beloit no longer have that sudden jolt. Instead it's a gradual increase.

"Basically it’s the difference of gently waking someone or gently even getting them moving the apparatus during the daytime as to basically scaring them nearly to death," Dr. Jay MacNeal, MercyRockford EMS Medical Director, said.

The change comes after an alarming study by Mercyhealth doctors Jay MacNeal and Chris Wistrom. They found with the old blaring tones firefighters heart rates skyrocketed to the 150's and 160's. With the gradual increase heart rates dropped an average of 30 percent.

"The faster your heart beats the less relaxation you have and the less blood supply your blood is getting so the heart actually steals the blood supply from your body to some extent the faster the heart rate goes the harder that becomes," Dr. MacNeal said.

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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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