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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: Sep 6, 2013

In The News

FIREMAN'S FUND INSURANCE COMPANY awarded a $61,000 grant to the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), helping the Fireman's Fund reach $30 million in grants nationwide. The Fireman's Fund grant program has donated more than $655,000 to the FDNY since the program began in 2004. The FDNY will use the grant to purchase lifesaving equipment and training and education materials. A Queens (NY) station that was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy will receive $25,000 from the grant, which it will use to purchase a forcible entry simulator, training props, and fitness equipment. The FDNY High School will receive $15,500 from the grant, while FDNY Station 50 and FDNY Fire Zone will receive the remaining $20,500 to purchase emergency medical services equipment.

MIAMI DEPARTMENT OF FIRE RESCUE purchased the Guardian Safety and Survival Training System Simulator to train personnel in its 14 fire stations. The system replicates scenarios involving confined spaces, sewer lines, railcar leakages, window repelling or rescues, and leaking gas cylinders. The system is mobile, so it can be transported among stations and also to technical rescue stations, hazmat teams, search and rescue operations, and other special units. It is easily customizable and allows for continuous monitoring of training sessions through the system's video cameras and command center.

HALL-MARK FIRE APPARATUS, INC. delivered an E-ONE Typhoon Pumper to Alachua County (FL) Fire Rescue (ACFR). ACFR covers more than 600 square miles, including the city of Alachua; the towns of Waldo, Archer, and Hawthorne; and all other areas in Alachua County. The Typhoon Pumper features an E-ONE Typhoon four-door cab, seating for six, a four-door cab, Navistar 350-hp engine, Whelen LED emergency lighting, ROM roll-up doors, Allison 3000 EVS transmission, Waterous 1,250-gpm two-stage pump, officer's side ladder tunnel, and UPF 780-gallon Poly water tank.

NAVISTAR launched its heavy-duty International WorkStar vocational truck, equipped with a 13-liter engine with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. The International WorkStar truck is designed for heavy loads and includes two variations: the 7600 set-back axle and the 7600 set-forward axle. Both models have a 113-inch bumper to back-of-cab, huck-bolted frame, crossmember system, panoramic windshield, and Diamond Logic® electrical system. Available features include a high-visibility hood, various axle configurations, and engine options.

PL CUSTOM EMERGENCY VEHICLES of Manasquan, New Jersey, and DPC Emergency Equipment of Marydel, Delaware, announced a multiyear contract to supply ambulances to the Baltimore County (MD) Fire Department EMS. PL Custom will provide medium duty Titan ambulances on Freightliner extended cab M2 chassis. Each vehicle includes PL Custom's "Medic in Mind" layout that allows attendants to remain safely seated during patient care while they access equipment, supplies, and function switches. The vehicles' customized features include PL Custom's centrally-ducted climate control system, a V-MUX multiplex electrical system, a left-side squad bench, and a Stryker PowerLIFT cot system.

PIERCE MANUFACTURING opened its doors to the Appleton, Wisconsin, community on July 13, 2013, for its first ever open house in the company's 100-year history. According to Jim Johnson, president of Pierce Manufacturing, the company was embracing the community that has embraced Pierce for 100 years.

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Posted: Sep 6, 2013

Special Delivery: Hackney Rescue Replaces Refurbed Unit in Washington, North Carolina

Alan M. Petrillo

The city of Washington, North Carolina, had a 1982 beverage-style truck that had been refurbished into a medium rescue a number of years ago, but the vehicle was showing its age and needed replacement. Fortunately, the city was able to secure a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to replace the unit and set about performing a needs assessment to determine the amount and kinds of equipment it should carry and developing specifications for the rig.

Robbie Rose, chief of Washington (NC) Fire-Rescue-EMS, says he and his truck committee of five, led by Captain R.M. Flowers, along with the city's purchasing agent had a number of rescue truck manufacturers make presentations to them about their vehicles and what might be done for the department. But in the end, Rose says the contract for the medium rescue it wanted to purchase went to VT Hackney, the company that not only refurbished the former beverage truck but also has its production facilities a mile down the road from the department's main station. "Hackney was the low bidder on the rescue truck and they started building it in August of last year," he says. "We took delivery on December 13, 2012."

Washington (NC) Fire-Rescue-EMS

(1) The medium rescue that Hackney built for Washington (NC) Fire-Rescue-
EMS is on a Kenworth T370 chassis with two-person cab and an all-
aluminum body with compartments protected by roll-up doors. (Photos
courtesy of Hackney.)

 

Copious Amounts of Space

Jonathan Hardin, a lieutenant who served on the truck committee, says the most compelling element of the Hackney rescue truck is the amount of space it offers. "Hackney uses a drop-pinch frame that allows for a lot more space in the body area," he says. "And, they also added more features on their rescue when compared to the other bidders."

Rose points out that the rescue's serviceability was another main concern for the department. "We made it a part of our bid package that we wanted a service center within a one-hour drive of our area," Rose says. "Hackney certainly fulfilled that requirement, and the truck is very user-friendly with easy accessibility to all the equipment. That drop-pinch frame design drops the truck low enough so we can reach everything in the compartments."

Eddie L. Smith, director of Hackney's emergency vehicles group, says, "Our claim to fame is our drop-pinch frame that increases storage capacity on a vehicle. In this case, we were able to get 25 percent more storage space on the truck than if we had used a standard frame."

The Hackney-built medium rescue

(2) The Hackney-built medium rescue has a cribbing compartment at the left rear
of the truck, protected by restraint doors inside of a roll-up door to prevent
damage caused by cribbing shifting during a tight turn.

 

Smith says that the compartment space on the Washington Fire rescue is 42 inches deep, compared with the average 24- or 25-inch-deep compartments on a typical rescue using a standard frame. "Also, with our frame, we were able to make this a much longer vehicle and still keep it on a single axle," he adds.

The Washington Fire rescue has a wheelbase of 239¼ inches, an overall length of 34 feet 3¾ inches, and an overall height of 10 feet, six inches.

Multiresponse Unit

Smith notes that Washin

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Posted: Sep 6, 2013

Apparatus/Equipment News

Firecom Slotted-Dome Headset provides 24 decibels of noise reduction on both its wired and wireless headsets. The product has built-in speakers in both domes that are designed for use in noisy and extreme environments. The slotted-dome design features one dome with full noise reduction and communication capabilities, while the other has no speaker. The dome without a speaker has slots cut into it so first responders can hear what's occurring around them. The product provides firefighters with hearing protection and situational awareness. It is part of Firecom's 50-Series headsets that offer hands-free, full-duplex communication for crews with up to 40 members.
-www.firecom.com, 800-527-0555

Harrison Hydraulic Solutions 2013 Harrison Performance Vehicle is designed to showcase Harrison's exclusive Integrated Hydraulic Technology (IHT) ability to power various components on an emergency service apparatus using the chassis's power take off (PTO) and a hydraulic power system. The truck is based on the Ford F series 4x4 platform using the Ford 6.7-liter Powerstroke™ Diesel and the Ford 6R140 automatic transmission with Live Drive™ PTO. The PTO supplies an 80-cc hydraulic pump that provides power to a manifold delivery system. Powered by the system are a Harrison MDS 10-kW generator and a Command Light™ 120k lumen LED light tower, a TNT PTO Twin rescue tool with two 100-foot reels equipped with a spreader and cutter, and a Darley model 1.5 AG water pump that can deliver 100 gpm at 150 psi for pump-and-roll or stationary operation.
-www.hhgiht.com, 800-723-3334

Larson Electronics EP LCD-48-2L fluorescent paint spray booth cart light is a fully functioning mobile light source. It features a new cart design for improved mobility, and its double side-rail construction and lamp cover grill protect the light fixture. It produces 10,000 lumens of light and has copper-free aluminum construction, four wheels, and a fold-down handle. This fixture is approved for most locations where gases and vapors are present and is built to resist the effects of corrosive marine conditions and wet environments. It is designed to run on universal voltages ranging from 120 to 277 VAC.
-www.larsonelectronics.com, 800-369-6671

Grace Industries TPASS® Telemetry Safety Kit features MAN-DOWN, ACCOUNTABILITY, EVACUATION, and EMERGENCY DISTRESS RF signaling. This new offering provides simple and affordable firefighter safety and accountability for smaller fire departments. For less than $20,000, the Kit contains 15 TPASS® Motion Sensing RF PASS Alarms (alkaline or rechargeable), two SuperCELL® Incident Command Monitors, and the new Portable Incident Alarm. The TPASS® Telemetry Safety Kit is expandable and supports an unlimited number of additional devices.
-www.graceindustries.com, 724-962-9231

Chinook Medical Gear LEMK-MCCI mass casualty critical intervention kit provides medical supplies needed to save lives in mass casu

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Posted: Sep 6, 2013

Chevrons Revisited

By Robert Tutterow

During a conversation at the 2013 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), the subject of chevrons on the rear of fire apparatus came up. It remains a controversial and often misunderstood subject in the fire service. Through observations at FDIC, periodicals, news reports, and personal observations during my travels, I have noticed there are several units that are not compliant with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, especially as it relates to the colors. Somehow, there are departments that have managed to choose their own colors to match the overall paint scheme of the apparatus. Are the manufacturers doing this? If so, are they receiving a written liability waiver from the fire department? Or, is the manufacturer allowing the fire department to add chevrons after delivery?

Color Not an Option

NFPA 1901 standard started requiring chevron striping for all apparatus contracted on or after January 1, 2009. There is no requirement to retrofit apparatus contracted before that date. In addition, ambulances have the same requirement for all units contracted on or after January 1 of this year according to NFPA 1917, Standard for Automotive Ambulances.

The standard does not allow fire departments to choose their own colors. That seems to be the part of the requirement that causes the most controversy and misunderstanding. It was a subject that received a lot of discussion within the NFPA technical committee when the requirement was originally proposed. Letting fire departments choose their own color would have been an easy decision. However, the technical committee was also aware that a lot of work was being done to make emergency responders safer while working highway incidents. I have written before in this column, and still believe, that the "roadway" is the most dangerous environment in which today's fire service now works.

The technical committee discussion led to overall incident traffic management. It became familiar with a document called the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices" (MUTCD) that defines the standards used by road managers nationwide to install and maintain traffic control devices on all public streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public traffic. The MUTCD is published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 655, Subpart F. Part 6 of the MUTCD is an entire section on "Temporary Traffic Control." As the committee reviewed this section of the MUTCD it became apparent that the chevron striping was a form of supplemental highway signage.

Therefore, it seemed the proper language should specify the colors rather than leave it up to the buyer. For example, what if highway signage (especially warning signs) was left up to each individual jurisdiction? It is a good thing there is a standard shape and color for a stop sign and that a traffic signal has three colors-red, yellow, and green-with red at the top and green at the bottom. Imagine traveling around this country if every fire district chose the size, shape, and colors for its stop signs. Think about the last road trip you took. How many fire districts did you cross? As I write this column, I have just completed a two-hour road trip and I know I traveled through 25 to 30 different fire response districts.

I was amused when I read about a fire chief who said he wanted his chevrons to match the color of his apparatus (not red) because the people in his community were familiar with that color of apparatus. OK-I suppose that the only people that travel the roads of his community live in the community. With this background, the committee took a standardized safety position and specified that the chevrons shall be red and yellow.

Reasoning

Red and yellow were selected because they were the

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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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