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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: May 31, 2016

New Pumps, Foam Systems, Controls, Valves, and Nozzles Unveiled

By Alan M. Petrillo

A number of new pumps, foam systems, control units, valves and nozzles were among the products unveiled for firefighters and fire apparatus at FDIC International 2016.

W.S. Darley & Co. introduced three new engine mounted pumps: the 2-1/2AGE 37V-EFI, a medium-pressure, high-volume, gear-driven pump powered by a Briggs & Stratton 37-horsepower (hp) electronic fuel-injected gasoline engine; the 2-1/2AGE 40S, a medium-pressure, high-volume, gear-driven pump powered by a Subaru 40-hp V-twin air-cooled gasoline engine; and the HSE 250K 59HP, a single-stage centrifugal pump powered by a Kubota V2403M 59-hp turbo diesel engine.

Jason Darley, pump division accounts manager, says the company also introduced the Smart Control P, a new 4.3-inch digital control panel for portable and engine driven pumps that Darley says "will make the pumps more functional and high-tech," with start, stop, and throttle controls; digital water discharge pressure read out; engine rpm, temperature and hour meter; primer activation; and inlet and discharge pressure all in a waterproof design with dual control panels for operation in the cab or at the pump panel.

Waterous introduced its new Tellurus Digital Control System that Mark Severin, marketing and communications manager, says allows easy operation of the Waterous ONE STEP™ compressed air foam system (CAFS) with high ambient contrast ratio, enabling a firefighter easier readability in daytime sunlight and gloved operation in water-spray environments. Severin says that Waterous also will now offer its Aquis Foam Proportioner in 3- and 6-gpm models, which will have the additional feature of being able to produce Class B foam.

Hale Products unveiled four new products, including a SmartFOAM System, Shift Interlock Module, KP Pump series, and dual control panels. John Dinning IV calls the Class 1 SmartFOAM system "the first of its kind in the North American fire market" because of its intuitive user interface, advanced safety interlocks, fully configurable presets and data logging. The Shift Interlock Module integrates Class 1 electronics to Hale's G gearbox to increase firefighter safety, Dinning notes, ensuring shifts between road and pump mode can only occur with the apparatus is placed in neutral.

Hale's new KP Pump series  of mid and rear-mounted pumps includes a multipressure option, Dinning says, as well as being "the smallest and lightest offering on the market," while Hale's dual control panels for portable pumps allow the engine and throttle to be controlled from the pump or cab.

Task Force Tips introduced a number of new products, including a low-level floating strainer, low-profile ball intake valve, a series of fixed-gallonage Master Foam nozzles, and redesigns of its remote controlled nozzle actuators and monitor electronics enclosure.

Ziamatic Corp. showed several new products, including Quik-Mount saw blade holders and shelf brackets;

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Posted: May 31, 2016

Wrexham Firefighters Donate Historic Equipment to Museum

Lifesaving equipment which helped firefighters protect the people of Wrexham across nearly six decades will have a new lease of life as they are passed on to the town's museum. Wrexham County Borough Council's Museum service was donated a collection of firefighting equipment from the Bradley Road fire station, which was opened in 1957.

The items were donated by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service before last month’s move from the Bradley Road station to the new state of the art Ambulance and Fire Services Resource Centre(AFSRC) on Croesnewydd Road.

Some of the items donated include a tannoy that has been on-site since the 1950s and alerted officers in the event of emergencies, as well as breathing apparatus, helmets, technical items and call-out bells which have been used at the station from the 1970s to the present day.

Karen Murdoch and Virginia Bithell of Wrexham Museum were invited to the Bradley Road station before the move to collect the items for preservation.

The items donated will be stored in the Museum’s collections centre.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: “The donation from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is very welcome.

“The items of firefighting equipment donated will have served long and interesting careers with the fire and rescue service, and having them at the museum will go some way to revealing the social history of the town during the time in which they were used.”

This Saturday between 11am and 1pm the Fire Service will join the Museum for a forecourt event which will feature a display of two vintage fire engines.

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Posted: May 31, 2016

Augmented Reality Visor Lets Firefighters See Through The Smoke

When you're fighting fires, you want as many weapons as possible at your disposal. Now, augmented reality glasses are helping firefighters navigate extreme working conditions. Researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) a Swiss university, invented a visor that lets firefighters see through smoky dark conditions using a thermal camera.
It adds an additional layer of information to firefighters' field of vision, letting them spot a person trapped inside a house, or a potential danger that they wouldn't be able to see without the thermal camera. Many firefighting forces use a thermal camera already when fighting fires, but current models are bulky and handheld. This new version is hands-free. “At first it’s hard to know what you’re seeing, if it’s the real thing or not, but you get used to it surprisingly fast and can easily handle the two overlapping views," Jean-Marc Pittet, who trains firefighters in Switzerland, and who helped the researchers test their prototype, said in a press release.
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Posted: May 31, 2016

Firefighters Prepare for Fire Season With Helicopters

(TNS) - Demi Garcia is 21 and a new member of the state's elite helitack firefighting team, so new she was still awaiting her first real action Wednesday as she and team members participated in their last hands-on training in preparation for fire season.
“If there’s a fire today, I’m first out,” said the California native, who’s stationed in Ellensburg.

That call never came Wednesday, but Garcia and the other members of the helicopter-based quick-response team got some experience anyway. They were gathered at Cle Elum Municipal Airport, responding to a mock fire as news media watched.

They used a windswept meadow as base, loading baskets for cargo drops and water drops while getting valuable time with real equipment and real helicopters.

“Today is a great opportunity for our program to get some real hands-on training with the helicopters, with all the fuel trucks and with all the radios, so that we are as proficient as we can be when it comes to actually doing our task when the fires start to go off later this summer,” said helitack crew member Aaron Siebol of Ellensburg.
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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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