One of 2015's projects for the Mottville Co. Fire Department included replacing aging and non-compliant Bail-Out systems for interior firefighters. All interior qualified firefighters are required to have a personal escape bail-out system within their complement of personal equipment.

Thanks to Welch-Allyn, they were able to outfit over 20 members with all new escape systems.

Another project that has been in the works for two years was the replacement of one of their aging pieces of apparatus, originally built in early 1997. In January 2014, the Mottville Board of Fire Commissioners approved the replacement of the oldest frontline piece.

The truck committee that was formed of seven individuals spent countless hours with vendors in the preliminary stages of building the new truck on paper. In late 2014, a vendor from Ohio, Sutphen Corporation, was awarded the bid to build Mottville a customer built engine, a concept that had never been seen before in our firehouse.

The cab and chassis were built in Ohio and then shipped to the East Coast factory in Monticello, where the pump and body were completed. The company took delivery on Nov. 30 after a long inspection at the factory.

This unit is custom built from bumper to bumper, carrying 1,500 gallons of water, a crew of six firefighters, a 1,500 gallon-per-minute pump, numerous saws, fans, hand tools and a full complement of AMKUS Hydraulic rescue tools, vehicle stabilization equipment and more.

For more information and photos, view auburnpub.com

Thorogood, the job-specific footwear brand manufactured by the Weinbrenner Shoe Company, has re-designed their popular NFPA 1977-certified wildland firefighting boot for greater comfort, safety, and durability. In keeping with the foot stresses and conditions experienced in wildland work environments, the Fire Devil is designed around a true logging boot for improved fit and performance, but without the weight and comfort issues sometimes associated with wildland footwear.

Other improvements include lock-stitching with Kevlar® heat- and abrasion-resistant filament thread, bar-tacked seams in stress areas, and a 30-percent increase in leather thickness. Available in both 9” and a 10” lace-to toe models, the Fire Devil continues the Thorogood tradition of providing American-made occupational footwear built to the highest standards of comfort, quality, safety, and performance.

The Fire Devil features a Vibram® Fire & Ice outsole for outstanding grip in constantly changing conditions. A removable, moisture-wicking footbed and improved, foot-hugging ergonomic fit help keep hard-working feet comfortable at all times.

“It comes down to having a job-focused expertise,” said Jeff Burns, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for the Thorogood brand. “We build occupational footwear as if we ourselves, or our families or friends, will be wearing them for our livelihoods. Firefighters’ lives are on the line. We want them to be able to do their difficult work without having to think about their feet.”

More: www.thorogoodshoes.com  

Big Prairie Township Fire Department, White Cloud, MI, pumper-tanker. Freightliner 108 cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 450-hp engine.