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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: Apr 5, 2016

Party Time for Old Dennis Fire Engines

A couple of "gutsy'' fire engines were the guests of honour at a Dunedin celebration on Saturday. Dunedin Fire Brigade Restoration Society chairman Barry Gibson said 90 people celebrated the 100th birthday of the two Dennis fire engines at Dunedin City Fire Station.

Dunedin Fire Brigade Restoration Society chairman Barry Gibson said 90 people celebrated the 100th birthday of the two Dennis fire engines at Dunedin City Fire Station.

The British manufactured engines were given fleet Nos5 and 6 after arriving at Port Chalmers in 1916.‘‘They were just the bees' knees,'' Mr Gibson said.

The engines were bought after the Dunedin Fire Brigade's horses were phased out in 1913.
In 1917, a third Dennis engine, No7, was bought. It was scrapped for parts in the 1920s.
The scrapped engine was remembered on Saturday with its own cake, with ‘‘rest in peace'' icing and a moment's silence.


Also remembered was an early firefighter, Foreman Baxter, who was killed in 1918 when No7 failed to take a corner and rolled over in Stuart St.

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Posted: Apr 5, 2016

Clackamas Fire Hilltop Station Adds Medic Crew and New Rig

The Oregon City News was invited to ride along, so we ran to the new approximately $200,000 patient-transport vehicle, which is slightly wider than the standard ambulance to accommodate firefighting equipment.

After we heard over 911 radio that a 44-year-old man was having breathing problems, paramedic/firefighter Neil Clasen said, “These are the scariest sorts of calls that we get, because we never know whether the patient is going to be dead and require us to try to resuscitate by the time we get there.”

Clasen’s partner on Clackamas Fire’s Paramedic 16 crew, Jeff Anderson, blared the sirens for traffic to make way as Anderson sped the truck down the hill along Molalla Avenue. American Medical Response ambulance crews (who say they typically station themselves at the Oregon City Shopping Center) were tied up on another call.

Due to the high need seen in the area, Clackamas Fire recently put a second medic unit into service modeled after a medic unit stationed at the Oak Grove fire station. Clackamas Fire crews usually are the first on scene to respond to 911 medical calls because of their strategically placed stations thoughout the district. Although fire crews have always been trained in first-responder medical care, they previously hadn’t been able to transport patients to the hospital.

“By sending us medic crews out on medical calls, it keeps the fire trucks available for fires and car wrecks, and AMR ambulances are already busy a lot of the time,” Anderson said.

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Posted: Apr 5, 2016

Shady Grove Volunteer Fire Department Gets New Fire Truck

The Shady Grove Volunteer Fire Department has purchased a new fire engine.

The $255,000 truck is a 3,000 gallon pumper tanker.

It was paid for by an “Assistance to Firefighters” grant from FEMA.

The truck will replace an aging 1964 fire engine and will also keep the fire rates from going up.

The new fire engine was purchased from Deep South Fire Trucks in Seminary.

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Posted: Apr 5, 2016

Milwaukee Fire Department Launches Program with 'Alternate Response Vehicles'

The Milwaukee Fire Department on Tuesday will launch a pilot program that aims to save money and wear and tear on big pieces of equipment. Instead of sending big rigs to medical calls, crews will instead use two "alternate response vehicles." The SUVs will carry four firefighters and are loaded with the medical equipment they'd need on a call.

"We'll send out the alternate response vehicle when there -- when and only when -- there is another fire truck that's stationed nearby in quarters, in case there would be a fire emergency when this vehicle's out," explained Chief Mark Rohlfing.

Two stations are launching the pilot program: Station 39 at 8025 W. Bradley Road and Station 14 at 6074 S. 13th St.

"One of the reasons that we chose these two stations is that relative to other stations -- particularly stations in the central city -- you don't get as many fire calls here," Mayor Tom Barrett explained. 

In addition to hopefully extending the life of firefighting equipment, Rohlfing said the SUVs get better gas mileage than the large fire trucks.

Alderman Terry L. Witkowski, who represents the city's 13th district, said medical calls account for 85 percent of the calls the fire department receives.

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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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