Washington Fire Chiefs > Sections

HomeExpand
- WFCExpoExpand
MembersExpand
- Fire Service DirectoryExpand
  - Associate MembersExpand
  - County Fire Chiefs AssociationExpand
- NPPGOV Member ProgramExpand
- IAFC ForumExpand
About UsExpand
- WFC BoardExpand
- MembershipExpand
  - Department MembershipExpand
  - Affiliate MembershipExpand
  - Bugle MembershipExpand
- Contact UsExpand
NewsExpand
CalendarExpand
ResourcesExpand
- Legislative ResourcesExpand
- Job AnnouncementsExpand
- Classified AdsExpand
- EVIP InformationExpand
- WFC BookstoreExpand
- LODD ResourcesExpand
- Memorial WallExpand
- Safety CalendarExpand
- LinksExpand
- Volunteer ResourcesExpand
- Timeloss ResourcesExpand
- RFA Implementation GuideExpand
- COVID-19 ResourcesExpand
- WFC MagazineExpand
DocumentsExpand
- Association DocumentsExpand
  - Bylaws & PoliciesExpand
  - FormsExpand
  - Position PapersExpand
  - Minutes & Board BooksExpand
- Chief DocumentsExpand
  - State Chiefs RatesExpand
  - GEMT DocumentsExpand
  - NFIRS Annual ReportsExpand
  - Model PoliciesExpand
  - Training DocumentsExpand
- Legislative DocumentsExpand
- Event PresentationsExpand
- EMS Section DocumentsExpand
- Fire Administrative Support Section DocumentsExpand
- Fire Mechanics Section DocumentsExpand
- Fire Training Safety and Officers Section DocumentsExpand
- Public Fire Educators Section DocumentsExpand
SectionsExpand
- Emergency Medical ServicesExpand
- Fire Administrative SupportExpand
  - DocumentsExpand
  - Discussion Forum & RFI'sExpand
  - Member DirectoryExpand
  - MerchandiseExpand
  - Photo GalleryExpand
- Fire MechanicsExpand
  - Photo GalleryExpand
  - Training & TestingExpand
  - EVT Discussion ForumExpand
  - ScholarshipExpand
  - Award NominationExpand
- Fire Training Safety and OfficersExpand
  - Firefighter ProgramExpand
  - ScholarshipExpand
  - Photo GalleryExpand
- Public Fire EducatorsExpand
- HazMat CommitteeExpand
County Fire ChiefsExpand
- King County Fire Chiefs AssociationExpand
- Pierce County Fire Chiefs AssociationExpand
- Snohomish County Fire Chiefs AssociationExpand
- Thurston County Fire Chiefs AssociationExpand
FRWCExpand
WSAFMExpand

Welcome

The Finest Supporting the Bravest!

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

Ballot Measure To Raise Funds For Fire Stations Advances

Posted: Apr 12, 2016

Ballot Measure To Raise Funds For Fire Stations Advances

A proposed ballot measure to raise bond funds for fire station construction in San Diego was forwarded to the City Council Monday by the Rules Committee, though questions remain about details of the plan.

If passed by voters in the November general election, two bonds totaling $205 million would fund construction of nearly 20 fire stations designed to fill geographical gaps where response times are longer than the standard of 7 minutes, 30 seconds.

Because the bond would raise property taxes, two-thirds voter approval would be necessary for passage.

According to Councilwoman Marti Emerald, who has been meeting with community groups around San Diego in recent months to drum up support for the proposal, the average homeowner would pay $5 for every $100,000 in assessed value. That's around $25 a year, she said, calling it "a real value for greater public safety going forward here in San Diego."

A consultant found in 2010 that San Diego was in need of 19 new fire stations, of which 10 were considered critical.

The city has since opened a station in Mission Valley, started construction for another in Little Italy, and has obtained developer funding for three more — in Black Mountain Ranch, the South Bay and University City.

Semi and Ambulance collide on I-75

By Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas A traffic collision between an ambulance and a tractor-trailer is typing up traffic on Interstate 75 at mile marker 65, near Ochopee. The Florida Highway Patrol and other agencies were responding as of 2:04 p.m. FHP is reporting a roadblock in the right lane.

The ambulance operator was driving a Collier County EMS ambulance west on I-75 in the left lane when the ambulance drifted left onto the median rumble strips, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. The report states Hanning oversteered to the right and lost control of the ambulance, which overturned and struck the tractor-trailer.

The impact caused the tractor-trailer to jackknife into the right shoulder. The crash was not alcohol-related, according to reports.

Two of the four passengers in the ambulance were taken to the Physician’s Regional Medical Center on Collier Boulevard to be treated for minor injuries.

Fall River, New Bedford Departments Suit Up for Firefighter Demonstration

FALL RIVER - Thick smoke made the room so dark that you couldn't see the person next to you kneeling just feet away on the cement floor, until flames spread across the ceiling. Avoiding panic as heat from the flames increased was no easy task - even knowing that they were only coming from half a bale of hay, in a highly controlled environment.

Deputy Fire Chief Roger St. Martin, of the Fall River Fire Department, said there were legal limits on how much you could burn at an instructional event such as Sunday’s, which Fall River and New Bedford firefighters dubbed “Fire Ops 101.”City councilors, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, Fall River Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II, and members of the media suited up in full fire gear for the event, which gave participants a firsthand taste of firefighter duty.The event came amid ongoing challenges for fire department funding in both cities, and as budget talks ramp up for fiscal 2017.New Bedford firefighter Billy Cabral, president of the local firefighters’ union and information officer for Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, helped organize Sunday’s event. He said Fall River’s department did something similar last year, but it was the first such event for New Bedford officials.One takeaway was clear: Firefighting is demanding, tiring work, and about a lot more than fighting fires. Climbing 35-foot ladders, chopping through roof shingles, power-sawing through the windshield of a Dodge Durango, trying to shear off that Durango’s doors with heavy tools known as the “jaws of life,” and more, all are hard tasks — and exponentially harder in full, heavy fire gear.And that was all on a clear, cool April day, without frightened, injured passengers inside the Durango, or flames billowing out of windows near the ladder, or children trapped and screaming.

Why I Teach: Joe Knitter

In this series, Fire Engineering Senior Editor Mary Jane Dittmar looks at the things that motivated and inspired instructors to present on their topics at FDIC International 2016. Segments will be posted on a regular basis up to and through the conference, April 18-23.

Joe Knitter

Joe Knitter

Chief

South Milwaukee (WI) Fire Department

Fighting Fires in Fast-Food Restaurants

Thursday, April 21, 3:30 p.m.-5:15 p.m.

The impetus for this class was the line-of-duty deaths of Houston Firefighters Lewis Mayo III and Kimberly Smith in the McDonald's Restaurant arson fire on Valentine’s Day of 2000. After reading incident reports and watching the American Heat video produced about this fire, I was left with far too many questions about the “why” behind their deaths.

Those questions led to my researching areas such as the causes of fast-food restaurant fires; the techniques and products used in the construction of these free-standing, lightweight buildings; and the operational considerations necessary when responding to fires in these structures. My research led me to develop this program that provides “cues and clues” for every rank of line personnel and raises their awareness about these occupancies.

A fire chief who had attended this program a year ago stated that as soon as he heard a dispatch alert to a fire in a fast-food restaurant, this program “popped into his head” and everything discussed in class came back to him as he responded to the scene. He read the building, predicted the location of the fire and its travel, and ensured that his personnel survived the fire.

Other attendees reported, “We never look at one of those occupancies in the same way after attending your program. My response: “Mission accomplished.”