On September 20, the Sandy City Council voted to allocate a total of $11 million to take the next steps for three public buildings in Sandy, SandyJournal.com reported.

Four million dollars were set aside for the design process of those buildings—$1 million for the fire station, the report said. Seven million will go toward phase 2 construction of a new public works building.

Fire Station 31 was built in 1984 and serves as a station and administrative offices. The building sustained foundation damage during the March 2020 earthquake, according to a video walkthrough led by a fire official in June. The roof has leaks and all runoff from rain and snowmelt drains into the fire engine bay, which can make the floor slippery. Perhaps ironically, the bedrooms that have been added onto the station do not meet any kind of fire code, according to the fire official, the report said.

More information can be found on Sandy City’s website: www.sandy.utah.gov/2003/City-Building-Needs.

Keeping It Safe Robert Tutterow

Interschutz, a trade show for fire and emergency services, is held once every five years in Germany, usually in Hannover. The majority of the vendors are European based. Because of COVID, this year’s show was the first since 2015 and there were not as many exhibits as in previous years.

PPE in Europe is an interesting study, as it often is ahead of the U.S. market. For example, Europe was the first to use leather boots and mask-mounted SCBA regulators, establish cleaning protocols, and procure cleaning equipment. And, their helmets are far more functional and integrate with the rest of the PPE ensemble in ways not possible with U.S.-style helmets.

One of the first items that got my attention was a positive pressure respirator by Tiki. The company designed the unit for hospital workers, but it probably has application in the firefighting world. Imagine being dispatched to a COVID-related call and being able to don simple, lightweight respiratory protection without the weight and bulk of an SCBA. The electronic unit does not require a cylinder. It has a filtration system (inhale and exhale), has a 1- to 2.5-hour duration, and is reusable (photo 1).

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The cleaning equipment for PPE was by far the largest ever displayed at Interschutz. There were multiple variations of washer/extractors, drying equipment, and machines for cleaning PPE elements other than pants and coats (photo 2).

Many of the drying machine configurations would handle these elements. Of particular interest was a company, Decontex, which uses liquid CO₂ to clean PPE. Though very expensive, it appears to do a great job of cleaning and gear is dry when the 30-minute cleaning process is complete. Moreover, it is suitable for cleaning the entire ensemble of helmet, hood, coat, gloves, pants, and b

E-ONE—Carrollton (VA) Volunteer Fire Department HR100 aerial ladder quint. Cyclone cab and chassis; Cummins X12 500-hp engine; 100-foot aerial ladder; 12-foot jack spread; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; 300-gallon polypropylene water tank; HiViz LED lighting BG2 scene/warning LED lights; Whelen warning light package. Dealer: Sean Doney, Matheny Fire & Emergency, Hagerstown, MD.

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Lincoln Fire & Rescue on Thursday unveiled three new vehicles to replace aging equipment, KLKNTV.com reported.

LFR said the new fire engines and ambulance will increase firefighter safety and lower response times, the report said.

The new equipment was paid for with LFR’s federal COVID-19 relief money. Each engine cost about $611,000, and the ambulance cost $286,000, according to the report.

The new vehicles are being fitted with hoses, tools and communications devices before they are placed into service sometime in the next three to five weeks, the report said.