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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: Dec 2, 2015

In The News

MIDWEST FIRE EQUIPMENT & REPAIR COMPANY (Midwest Fire) has successfully completed requirements for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, Cooperative Purchasing Program, HGACBuy. The HGACBuy designation covers the majority of products offered by Midwest Fire. HGACBuy removes the burden of the bid process required by most agencies for purchasing new apparatus. Prices are set, and bids are submitted by companies in advance of purchases, allowing companies to obtain the required number of bids to make a purchase. HGACBuy is used throughout the United States.


ALLIED SPECIALTY VEHICLES (ASV) has announced the roll out of a new corporate name, REV GROUP INC., more directly aligning the company with its continuing commitment to building and delivering many specialty vehicle brands. The company serves a diverse group of market segments under the corporate brand, manufacturing 23 unique brands of fire apparatus, ambulances, buses, mobility vehicles, recreation vehicles, terminal trucks, and sweepers. In connection with the new name and logo, the company has also introduced a new “Vehicles for Life” tagline. Within the fire and emergency division, the company produces a complete line of fire apparatus and ambulance vehicles under brands including E-ONE, AEV, Horton, Road Rescue, Leader, Wheeled Coach, McCoy Miller, and Marque.


PAUL CONWAY FIRE has named James Conway as director of global commerce. In this new role, Conway will manage all facets of communications regarding reliable information and updates on the industry’s latest products and services. He will ensure that these resources will continue to be offered in a user-friendly environment both online at Fire.paulconwayshields.com and in-store.


PBI PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS recently announced that Catalina Ciobanu has been appointed as its new marketing leader, the Americas. Ciobanu brings with her 10 years of experience in the fire service industry. Prior to joining PBI, Ciobanu held a marketing role at Honeywell First Responder Products, where she led the development and execution of branding and marketing communication strategies and also managed the graphic design and tradeshows and events team. In her new role, Ciobanu will be responsible for developing the marketing, branding, and communications strategies for PBI. She will oversee the development of advertising campaigns, sales tools, and collateral material as well as manage conferences, tradeshows, seminars, and special VIP events. Ciobanu will also be involved in business development activities and sales efforts.


PIERCE MANUFACTURING INC. has placed a Pierce® Arrow XT™ fire apparatus outfitted with the Oshkosh-exclusive Snozzle® High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET) on duty with the Malaga Volunteer Fire Department in Eddy County, New Mexico. The apparatus features a 500-hp engine, a four-door cab, seating for four firefighters, TAK-4® independent front suspension, tandem rear axles, and Command Zone™ advanced electronics. The vehicle also sports a Pierce Snozzle HRET with a 50-foot reach, a Husky™ 12 single-agent foam system, a 1,250-gallon polypropylene water tank, a 200-gallon foam cell, 1,000 feet of five-inch hose, and 500 feet of 2½-inch hose.


HME AHRENS-FOX has announced that the Buffalo-Liberty Township (IN) Volunteer Fire Department has taken delivery of a 2015 HME

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Posted: Dec 2, 2015

First U.S. 125-foot Rosenbauer Quint Goes to Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue

Alan M. Petrillo

The first U.S.-made 125-foot aerial ladder quint built by Rosenbauer has been delivered to Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue to protect a city of 170,000 in an area covering 96 square miles.

Mark Bukovich, the Sioux Falls battalion chief who oversees the department’s apparatus fleet, says the city is still growing, and the department also has the added responsibility for fire protection in Wayne Township, which is another 54 square miles. “We have a lot of commercial, residential, industrial, and heavy industrial in our protection area,” Bukovich says. “We’ve seen an increase in town home and apartment complexes over the past five years where the challenge is they are three or four stories tall with lots of landscaping around them and some long setbacks. Sometimes it’s hard to get close enough for our aerial ladders.”

The 125-foot aerial ladder quint that Rosenbauer built for Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue is built on a Commander cab and chassis with seating for six and is powered by a Cummins 600-horsepower ISX 15-liter diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. (Photos courtesy of Rosenbauer.)
The 125-foot aerial ladder quint that Rosenbauer built for Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue is built on a Commander cab and chassis with seating for six and is powered by a Cummins 600-horsepower ISX 15-liter diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. (Photos courtesy of Rosenbauer.)

Bukovich says the truck committee looked at setbacks in new and existing developments and reviewed situations where the department had to reposition apparatus to get into the right spot. Fortunately, the department had budgeted for an extra size ladder, he notes. “Having a longer ladder capability with more fudge room for error when positioning meant that a 125-foot ladder was for us,” he says.

The Department

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue has 11 stations that operate 12 fire companies per day-seven engines and rescue-engines and five quints. Its aerial ladders, besides the Rosenbauer 125-footer, include a Pierce 100-foot aerial platform, a Smeal 75-foot aerial quint, and three Spartan ER 75-foot aerial quints.

 The Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue quint carries a 125-foot four-section, hot-dipped and painted, galvanized steel aerial ladder that has a 500-pound tip load wet or dry.
The Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue quint carries a 125-foot four-section, hot-dipped and painted, galvanized steel aerial ladder that has a 500-pound tip load wet or dry.

Because it runs quints as engines, Sioux Falls Fire Rescue doesn’t colocate them with engines or rescue-engines, Bukovich observes. “The quints go first out as an engine in their coverage areas,” he says. “If necessary, a second quint goes out as a truck company. We worked closely with the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to make sure our quints and ladders are placed in the best locations to get the highest ISO rating for the city.”

Bukovich says the department wrote up “fairly generic specs” that were sent out to vendors, who then came to Sioux Falls for prebid meetings where they offered suggestions or requested exemptions before submitting bids. “We had several manufacturers at prebid meetings,” he points out, “but Rosenbauer was the only one in the running at the end.”

The Truck

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Posted: Dec 2, 2015

First U.S. 125-foot Rosenbauer Quint Goes to Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue

Alan M. Petrillo

The first U.S.-made 125-foot aerial ladder quint built by Rosenbauer has been delivered to Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue to protect a city of 170,000 in an area covering 96 square miles.

Mark Bukovich, the Sioux Falls battalion chief who oversees the department’s apparatus fleet, says the city is still growing, and the department also has the added responsibility for fire protection in Wayne Township, which is another 54 square miles. “We have a lot of commercial, residential, industrial, and heavy industrial in our protection area,” Bukovich says. “We’ve seen an increase in town home and apartment complexes over the past five years where the challenge is they are three or four stories tall with lots of landscaping around them and some long setbacks. Sometimes it’s hard to get close enough for our aerial ladders.”

The 125-foot aerial ladder quint that Rosenbauer built for Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue is built on a Commander cab and chassis with seating for six and is powered by a Cummins 600-horsepower ISX 15-liter diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. (Photos courtesy of Rosenbauer.)
The 125-foot aerial ladder quint that Rosenbauer built for Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue is built on a Commander cab and chassis with seating for six and is powered by a Cummins 600-horsepower ISX 15-liter diesel engine and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. (Photos courtesy of Rosenbauer.)

Bukovich says the truck committee looked at setbacks in new and existing developments and reviewed situations where the department had to reposition apparatus to get into the right spot. Fortunately, the department had budgeted for an extra size ladder, he notes. “Having a longer ladder capability with more fudge room for error when positioning meant that a 125-foot ladder was for us,” he says.

The Department

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue has 11 stations that operate 12 fire companies per day-seven engines and rescue-engines and five quints. Its aerial ladders, besides the Rosenbauer 125-footer, include a Pierce 100-foot aerial platform, a Smeal 75-foot aerial quint, and three Spartan ER 75-foot aerial quints.

 The Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue quint carries a 125-foot four-section, hot-dipped and painted, galvanized steel aerial ladder that has a 500-pound tip load wet or dry.
The Sioux Falls (SD) Fire Rescue quint carries a 125-foot four-section, hot-dipped and painted, galvanized steel aerial ladder that has a 500-pound tip load wet or dry.

Because it runs quints as engines, Sioux Falls Fire Rescue doesn’t colocate them with engines or rescue-engines, Bukovich observes. “The quints go first out as an engine in their coverage areas,” he says. “If necessary, a second quint goes out as a truck company. We worked closely with the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to make sure our quints and ladders are placed in the best locations to get the highest ISO rating for the city.”

Bukovich says the department wrote up “fairly generic specs” that were sent out to vendors, who then came to Sioux Falls for prebid meetings where they offered suggestions or requested exemptions before submitting bids. “We had several manufacturers at prebid meetings,” he points out, “but Rosenbauer was the only one in the running at the end.”

The Truck

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Posted: Dec 2, 2015

Safety Officers and Apparatus: an Evolving Relationship

The Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) will hold its 28th Annual Apparatus Symposium January 18-20, 2016, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The link between apparatus and firefighter safety continues to grow as the importance of safety in apparatus design and maintenance becomes more apparent. This year’s event takes another step forward in a couple of ways. The FDSOA will be holding its Annual Safety Forum immediately following the Apparatus Symposium January 20-22, even sharing a keynote address by Gordon Graham, noted speaker and risk manager. In addition, the FDSOA is partnering for the first time with the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) Safety, Health, and Survival section (SHS) for the Safety Forum.

The Safety Connection

So many advances and changes in apparatus are directly related to firefighter safety. The list includes seat belts, rollover protection, air bags, securing loose equipment in cabs, hearing protection, braking systems, and diesel exhaust removal systems. The risks to firefighters relative to apparatus are being addressed and are certainly a part of the responsibilities of fire department safety officers. These people continue to seek collaborative and cooperative relationships to improve firefighter safety. This includes the need to work more with manufacturers, fleet supervisors, and mechanics.

The Apparatus Symposium offers a unique opportunity to hear more specific information about all aspects of vehicle acquisition and maintenance-more so than the typical expo. Vehicles are not on display, but vendors and manufacturers will have detailed information available. Attendees will hear the latest during workshops and then be able to follow up for more specific information from the presenters. Vendors and manufacturers will also have displays, and this is a great opportunity to expand your network and renew old friendships. The size and intimacy provide adequate time to delve into details that will improve knowledge and offer safety and savings tips.

While there is clearly a benefit to the attendees to learn more about their job responsibilities regarding apparatus acquisition and maintenance, the manufacturers and vendors also get to learn about the needs of departments and organizations. While not necessarily a formal focus group, those in attendance are accessible and more than willing to offer their opinions on anything regarding vehicles. Besides the usual attendees, manufacturers and vendors will also have the chance to talk to safety officers who will be around because of the merging of the two conferences. These safety officers are getting more sophisticated regarding their job responsibilities, so they are acutely aware of the importance of safe and reliable apparatus.

New Partnership

The partnership with the IAFC SHS section adds yet another layer of personnel with a passionate interest in firefighter safety. The members of this section are chiefs and chief officers who understand the need to continually improve firefighter safety. They know the importance of the safety officer in the overall well-being of the organization and offer great support for these efforts. The officers and safety personnel know the relationship between safe apparatus and the goal of providing as safe a work environment as possible. As safety continues to get more recognition as a vital component of every fire department, the influence of those committed to safety continues to grow.

Whether you are interested in safety, apparatus, or both, this conference offers a great opportunity to provide additional tools in your toolbox to improve your job performance and knowledge. Manufacturers, vendors, fleet managers, mechanics, safety officers, and chief officers interested

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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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