ROSENBAUER AMERICA's dealer, Aréo-Fire, was recently awarded a contract for 20 aerial apparatus by the Montréal (Québec, Canada) Fire Department. This contract will be for a period of five years at four aerials per year being delivered. The city based its choice on the results of an evaluation process where price, presentation, delivery capacity, and service after the sale were all considered at different levels. The apparatus will have the same general features, including a 100-foot aerial with water tower; will have no pumps; and will be mounted on a Rosenbauer Commander 4000 chassis. The fire department has used a variety of aerial apparatus for the past 10 years, including four Rosenbauer T-Rex articulating platforms.

HME's HXR™ (HME Extreme RAT) is the latest in rapid attack truck design offered by HME, Incorporated. It's 4x2 on-highway and 4x4 off-road capabilities allow for this adaptable and rugged fire truck to take command of a wide range of terrain and environments. Wide, low-profile, super-single tires and central tire inflation system provide optimal traction on soft ground, on sand, and over extreme obstacles.

HME's proprietary, modular mounting system isolates the water tank and tank frame from chassis stress and twist. The body mounting system keeps the stainless steel body independent of stresses transferred from the chassis and subframe. This engineering improves apparatus durability and life while optimizing truck stability and control in uneven and extreme terrain applications. Built on a custom HME SFO® (Short-Front-Overhang) chassis, HXR engineering excelled in lane-change testing with a filled water tank, keeping all four-tires planted on the road and in control at all times.

SMEAL FIRE APPARATUS CO. and GIMAEX INTERNATIONAL stepped out together at Interschutz 2015 with the display of the Smeal CORE™ Multi-Mission Pumper with OMNI™ Control System. The pumper was shown alongside the full Gimaex fire apparatus product offering. The companies announced a teaming arrangement in April, and this is the first trade show where the companies have exhibited together.

The CORE Multi-Mission Pumper features a full-size, drive-shaft-driven midship pump but also eliminates the space taken up by a traditional pump panel. This provides the maneuverability of a short wheelbase and maximum storage space. The CORE pumper also features Smeal's OMNI Control System. With this technology, Smeal has packaged proven electrically controlled valves in a compact control module. Not only does the OMNI control system control the pump and valves, but it can also control the monitor, scene lights, truck-mounted cameras, generator, air horn, and water and foam levels.

TEMPEST TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION recently unveiled its new delivery initiative, what it calls the 3/3 Program. Designed to provide guaranteed shipping and delivery times, Tempest's 3/3 program promises that nearly all stocked items are shipped within three days of order placement, and built-to-order items are shipped within three weeks.

Tempest and the International Firefighter Cancer Foundation (IFCF) also recently worked together to raise awareness on the cancer risks within the fire service with the giveaway of a custom airbrushed Power Blower™ by Tempest. Battalion Chiefs Ted Henry and Damon Barkley, from Kansas City, Missouri, were the recipients of the custom PPV fan-Tempest's 18-i

Alan M. Petrillo

Fairbanks is Alaska's second largest city and it serves as a rail, air, and water transportation hub in the northern part of the state.

Accordingly, when spec'ing out a new heavy rescue, the Fairbanks (AK) Fire Department wanted a vehicle that would carry an array of rescue equipment for vehicle extrication, water and ice rescue, industrial extrication, and confined space situations.

1 The most unusual feature of the Fairbanks (AK) Fire Department heavy rescue built by SVI Trucks is the Liberator 3200 crane that lifts a 14-foot rigid-hull inflatable boat from its storage spot on the rescue's roof. Also on top are coffin compartments and a Command Light 9,000-watt light tower. (Photos courtesy of SVI Trucks.)

Planning for Now and Beyond

Brian Davis, Fairbanks battalion chief, says the department did a needs assessment and determined what functions the heavy rescue would face in the future. "We determined what we need right now and also what we might need 20 to 25 years in the future," Davis says. "We wanted to anticipate what additional roles the vehicle might have. It might evolve into a rapid intervention team (RIT) vehicle, a ladder tender to reduce the wear on our platforms, or some other role."

Davis points out that water rescue and vehicle rescue are the two most common types of rescues to which the Fairbanks Fire Department responds. "That drove the design of the vehicle," he says. "We like the Spartan chassis, so we did a sole-source requirement for a Spartan chassis and then put out our open bid specs. We sent the bids out widely; got three responses; and, after review, gave the contract to SVI Trucks through True North Emergency Equipment."

Challenging Design

Bob Sorensen, vice president of sales for SVI Trucks, says that building the Fairbanks heavy rescue was the type of challenge that his company likes to face. "It's not every day that we are building a truck with a small crane on it, but we have done it a number of times before," Sorensen says. "Besides that challenge, there was a lot of equipment that had to be placed on the vehicle."

2 The heavy rescue also carries a FrostFighter 250,000-Btu diesel-fired fresh air heater that the department uses to keep vehicle accident victims warm in winter during a rescue.

Davis notes that the Fairbanks Fire Department had issues with pulling a boat trailer with its previous rescue. "It was difficult, and sometimes impossible, to back up in tight spots, so we wanted to carry our 14-foot rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) on the rescue itself."

Sorensen points out that SVI came up with the idea of carrying the RHIB on the roof of the heavy rescue, in between coffin compartments on each side. SVI had built a rescue for a Colorado fire department where an RHIB was stored on the rescue's roof, but that department found it took four firefighters to pull the boat off the roof. "With Fairbanks, we put a Liberator 3200 series crane on the roof and, using a wireless remote, a single person can lift the boat and set it down on the ground or in the water," Sorensen

By Alan M. Petrillo

Getting firefighters off the tops of vehicles was a main reason for introducing remote control monitors, but since they first made their appearance on the tops of pumpers and at the tips of aerials, advances in electronics, networking, and new design concepts have turned them into much desired and used pieces of equipment on fire trucks.

Durability and Networking

Eric Combs, vice president of OEM business for Elkhart Brass Company, says Elkhart Brass has two primary focus areas when it comes to remote control monitors. "The first revolves around the robustness, reliability, and durability of the monitor," Combs points out. "Some early-technology electric-mechanical monitors had reliability issues that caused a concern for fire departments when shifting from manual monitors. But through technological advancements, we developed a more robust and rugged product through use of a potting material, basically a liquid plastic, that hardens and encases circuit boards and makes it impossible for water to get in and also helps prevent vibration from cracking the boards."

1 The Task Force Tips Monsoon remote control monitor is rated at 2,000 gpm but can be run in the 2,250-gpm range. (Photo courtesy of Task Force Tips.)

Elkhart Brass's other primary focus area concerns integrating the monitor with a truck's CANBUS J-1939 system, Combs notes. "In the past you had to open up the unit and get to the circuit board to change settings," he says. "Now we do it through communications where we can change the stow position, flow rate, oscillation, or anything else and even download diagnostics. You never need to touch the circuit board anymore."

Elkhart Brass makes the EXM line of remote control monitors, all of which use the same controller program and the design feature of potting the circuit board, Combs says. The Sidewinder EXM is a bumper turret monitor ranging from 15 to 750 gallons per minute (gpm), the Cobra EXM runs from 500 to 1,500 gpm, the Scorpion EXM from 1,250 to 2,500 gpm, the newly launched SkyStream EXM at 3,000 gpm, and the Sidewinder EXM UHP ultra-high pressure monitor up to 300 gpm at 1,500 pounds per square inch (psi).

Jeff Benson, global product manager for Akron Brass Company, says the company has been making remote control monitors for more than 15 years and, in the past few years, made changes in their control architecture. "We now use the Universal 2 logic box, which has the advantage of ease of installation for OEMs," Benson says. "It greatly reduced the necessary wiring and introduced networking features that operate through the truck's CANBUS J-1939 communication capabilities."

2 The Tornado, Task Force Tips's remote control monitor, is commonly used in a bumper turret configuration on wildland and brush trucks. (Photo courtesy of Task Force Tips.)

In remote control versions, Akron Brass makes the 3462 forestry monitor that ranges from 30 to 300 gpm, the 3418 Apollo electric that runs up to 1,250 gpm, and the StreamMaster II in 1,500- and 2,000-gpm versions. "They all use the Onboard control system," Benson points out, "and all have J-1939 connectivity." The forestry monitor typically is used on a bumper turret, he adds, while the Apollo usually is