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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: Mar 30, 2016

California Firefighters Injured When Driver Suffers Medical Emergency, Crashes Fire Apparatus

Four firefighters were injured Wednesday morning when the driver of a fire engine lost control of the vehicle after suffering a medical emergency and crashed into several parked cars in Valley Glen. The firefighters were responding to another medical emergency call about 2 a.m.
Four firefighters were injured in a California fire truck crash, according to report.

According to KTLA, the crash occurred when the rig's driver suffered a medical emergency and lost control of the vehicle in the Los Angeles community of Valley Glen, crashing into several parked cars.

The firefighters were responding to another medical emergency call about 2 a.m. when the driver lost control near the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Woodman Way, said Capt. Lillian Carranza with the Los Angeles Fire Department.


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Posted: Mar 30, 2016

The Power of StreetWise Meets the Power of Emergency Reporting

StreetWise

StreetWise CADlink®, the nation’s first cloud-based MDT software, will be unveiling its new strategic partnership with Emergency Reporting ® records management software at the 2016 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis. StreetWise now integrates live with Emergency Reporting®, making life easier for fire crews and dramatically improving the accuracy of response time analysis.

  • Incident Data. StreetWise automatically creates a new incident report in Emergency Reporting® before the crews have even returned to the fire station. The incident location, nature, date and dispatch time auto-fill into the NFRIS report, ready for completion.
  • Unit Status Timestamps. Whenever a responder taps a status button in their StreetWise CADlink® response software on their Android, iPad, or Pierce® Command Zone™ device, the precise time is transferred directly into the appropriate unit status time in Emergency Reporting’s NFIRS incident report unit section. Now, units will be able to reliably record their status times without relying on busy dispatchers, expensive CAD exports, or crowded radio channels.
  • Incident Benchmarks. When an incident commander taps an incident benchmark button in StreetWise, such as “Situation Controlled” or “Patient Contact Made”, the information and precise timestamp is automatically entered into the narrative section of the Emergency Reporting® NFIRS report. Key incident benchmarks provide more precise incident reporting.
  • Tactical Actions. Waypoints placed during an incident in StreetWise CADlink® are frequently used to identify key tactical actions during an incident. Now, these waypoints and other key incident-specific actions are transferred directly into the narrative section of the Emergency Reporting® NFIRS report, capturing the precise time, action, and even latitude and longitude for more thorough and precise documentation of major incidents.

Even more integration is planned in the future, enhancing the product offerings of both companies and continuing to make the job easier for firefighters.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.streetwisecadlink.com or stop at FDIC Booth 8321 for a demo.

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Posted: Mar 30, 2016

Wildland Urban Interface Fire Apparatus Featured at WUI Conference

CLICK ABOVE FOR MORE WUI FIRE TRUCKS >>

By Alan M. Petrillo

Fire department chiefs, officers, and wildland fire managers all agree that wildland fires have been increasing in intensity, size, and frequency over the past few years—a development that has put greater emphasis on the apparatus and equipment, as well as the tactics, used in battling wildfires. The United States Forest Service estimates that by 2030, the country will have 53 million acres in the wildland urban interface (WUI) exposed to wildfires.

At the recent annual Wildland Urban Interface conference, sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada, an assortment of wildland apparatus was displayed for firefighters to handle, climb on, and learn detailed descriptions of.

HME Inc. displayed a CAL Fire Model 34D wildland Type 3 pumper for the Riverside City (CA) Fire Department that carries a 750-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank and a FoamPro 1600 foam system. In addition, HME showed a Type 6 pumper built on a Ford F-550 Super Duty chassis with a Water Axe BB4 50-gpm pump powered by an 18-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine, a 300-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, and a Scotty Foam system. Alongside the Type 6 was HME's HXR Rapid Attack Truck (RAT) that carries a Hale 1,500-gpm pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank, a Fire Research Corp. (FRC) foam system, and an 8-kW hydraulic generator.

Bob Becker, of HME, notes that with the increase in frequency of wildland fires, especially in the western United States, HME has seen a wide mix of Type 1, 3, and 6 wildland pumpers coming off the production line. "Departments are asking for all types of wildland apparatus, as well as the equipment to go on them," Becker points out.

Glen Baley of Boise Mobile Equipment (BME) says many of the western states' municipal fire departments are purchasing dedicated wildland fire units, from Type 3 through Type 6 models. BME showed a Type 3 wildland pumper it built for the Parma Rural (ID) Fire Department on a 175-inch wheelbase with a rear-mount 250-gpm pump, an 800-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, and a FoamPro 1600 foam system. The Type 3 carries 800 feet of 2½-inch hose, 400 feet of 1½-inch hose, ten 100-foot bundles of  1½-inch hose, two booster reels holding 100 feet of ¾-inch hose each, and an Elkhart Brass Co. Sidewinder bumper monitor.

Boise Mobile Equipment also displayed a Type 6 First Attack Wildland pumper that has

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Posted: Mar 30, 2016

Fire Truck Photo of the Day-Alexis Pumper-Tanker

Blackhawk Fire Protection District, Milan, IL, pumper-tanker. Spartan Metro Star cab and chassis; Cummins ISL9 450-hp engine; 2,500-gallon APR polypropylene tank.

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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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