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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: Aug 8, 2016

Cops: Teen in RV Hits Gwinnett (GA) Fire Apparatus

A Gwinnett County teenager had to be apprehended via K9 Sunday after driving an RV into a fire truck, police said.
Gwinnett police spokesman Cpl. Collin Flynn said the 17-year-old Lilburn resident -- who did not have a driver's license -- was driving the RV on Five Forks-Trickum Road when he "struck the rear of a passenger car in front of him."

"After that collision, [he] traveled into the next lane of travel and struck a Gwinnett County fire truck," Flynn wrote in a news release.

The teen drove away but was followed by a witness. Police officers soon found the RV too, and the teenager tried to run away.

"Officers set up a perimeter and [the suspect] was apprehended with the assistance of a K9 unit," Flynn said.

Photos taken by the police department showed significant damage to both the RV and fire truck, but no injuries were reported in that collision. The driver of the first vehicle hit by the RV was taken to Eastside Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, Flynn said.

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Posted: Aug 8, 2016

Russellville (AR) Central Fire Station Underway

With a projected finish date of late 2017 and a cost of $6.5 million funded through city sales tax, construction of the new Russellville Central Fire Station is underway. Fire Marshal Richard Setian said all of the bids came in under budget. Van Horn Construction is the primary contractor.
He said the new station is being structurally built to meet federal standards.

"From a response standpoint the building will meet FEMA standards, which means it will be better protected if a big storm came through as well as the firefighters," Setian said. "It will be bigger and equipped with the latest technology making it more efficient for day-to-day operations and response."

He said with the design, they will also have the ability to expand at some point.

The new station will be 24,849 square feet, span one half of a city block, and three stories tall with the exception of the training tower which is designed to be four stories.

The drill tower or training tower is a new addition to the Russellville Fire Department, Setian said.

"The tower will give the firefighters the ability to train with fire protection," he said. "It will offer a stairwell (for practice climbing), repelling and a standpipe sprinkler system."

Another addition for the fire department will be a wellness and fitness room.

The first floor will include all necessary apparatuses for the fire department.

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Posted: Aug 8, 2016

Petoskey (MI) City Manager: New Fire Apparatus May be Year or More Away

While they now have the funding mechanism, city officials say replacing an aging aerial fire truck will be a more involved process than simply picking a new model off a showroom floor. On Tuesday, city voters approved a new property-tax levy targeted for fire equipment replacements.
"We're extremely grateful to the community for the overwhelming support they've shown on this mill levy," said city manager Rob Straebel. "We will do our best to spend the tax dollars wisely and get the new equipment in service as early as possible."

The new tax levy is projected to generate about $1.7 million over its five-year duration, and city officials plan to use those funds to purchase two fire trucks. Of these, they're placing the first priority on a replacement for the public safety department's 32-year-old, 100-foot ladder truck -- which has had a sketchy reliability history in recent years based on electrical and hydraulic issues, and for which a comparable new replacement is expected to cost $1 million or more.

Before deciding which truck to purchase, Straebel said public safety staff have some due diligence steps to complete. For example, they're looking into what specifications should be sought in a replacement aerial truck, and also keeping their eyes open for used trucks which could offer a cost savings. But with few previously owned aerial units on the market that don't show significant wear or age, Straebel said it's unclear whether that would be an option.

If the city decides to order a new aerial unit, Straebel said it likely would take a year or so for a manufacturer to build and deliver. All in all, he said city officials hope to have a replacement ladder truck in service sometime in 2017 or early 2018.

To expedite the replacement process, Straebel said the city potentially could pool early proceeds from the new tax levy with a short-term loan from the city's electric utility fund, which would be repaid once additional tax dollars flow in.

Once the purchase of a new aerial unit is firmed up, city officials would then look toward replacing one of their pumper trucks. Like the aerial, the pumper targeted for replacement is also 32 years old, and can be challenging to maintain because of limited replacement parts availability. It also has been showing signs of corrosion.

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Posted: Aug 8, 2016

Ambulance Involved in Allegan County (MI) Crash

Police say a head-on crash involving a drunk driver and an ambulance shut down part of Blue Star Highway in Allegan County early Sunday morning. The crash happened just before 4:30 a.m. near the corner of Blue Star Highway and 141st Avenue south of Holland.
The ambulance was not transporting any patients at the time of the crash. Its occupants were Kevin Jongekryg, a 23-year veteran of AMR, and Tim Hoffman, an 11-year veteran, an AMR spokesman said.

The driver of a pickup truck was pinned in his vehicle when first responders arrived on scene. The driver of the ambulance, Jongekryg, also was trapped inside the vehicle and needed rescue.

Hoffman, who was in the back of the ambulance, was severely injured. Authorities say he was not wearing a seatbelt.

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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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