GLOBE, DUPONT PROTECTION TECHNOLOGIES (DUPONT), AND THE NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) announced two more recipients in the 2014 Globe Gear Giveaway: the Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department, Mount Airy, North Carolina, and the Winfield Township Volunteer Fire Company, Cabot, Pennsylvania. These departments will each receive four sets of new Globe turnout gear. The Bannertown Volunteer Fire Department has 39 volunteer firefighters who respond to an average of 550 calls per year. The Winfield Township Volunteer Fire Company is a small all-volunteer department, which has faced recruitment and retention challenges over the past five years. The decrease in membership has made fundraising efforts even more difficult while the department works to meet the needs of the community with fewer volunteers.

F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Design Tip

All fire stations should have a sustained backup emergency power supply that can power the entire station or at least the essential parts of it. The public needs to know that the fire department is open for business while the rest of the community may not be. Consider the fuel to be used carefully as well as its availability during a catastrophic event. Also consider the station's topographic elevation and the possibility that it might be subject to flooding. It may be necessary to mount the power generator above the station's first floor level. Make a list of essential "must-power" circuits and provide it to your building architect.

Don Collins, Captain, Clemson University (SC) Fire Department

SMEAL FIRE APPARATUS CO. has received an order for 10 custom pumpers from the Detroit (MI) Fire Department. The order is scheduled for delivery in summer 2015. This is the department's first order of Smeal fire apparatus. The new pumpers will each feature a 1,500-gpm single-stage pump; front suction; and a body constructed of 304 stainless steel for strength, corrosion resistance, and durability. The body is designed with a rear beavertail, roll-up compartment doors, and a full 18-inch rear deck for use while packing hose. In addition, these pumpers will feature Smeal's exclusive underbody support structure, electrical system, and chassis safety system. Each pumper will be built on a Spartan® Metro Star® cab and chassis with a five-inch raised roof, 178-inch wheelbase, six-person seating, extreme-duty interior finish, and EMS cabinet. They each will be powered by a 400-hp Cummins ISL9 engine with an Allison GEN V 3000 EVS transmission.

Smeal also announced that Hoosier Fire Equipment, Inc., is its authorized sales and service dealer for Smeal and Ladder Tower Co. brand fire apparatus and aerials for Indiana.

ZICO has launched a redesigned Web site at www.ziamatic.com. With its crisp and clean new interface, the Web site provides easier, more intuitive navigation; better search functionality; additional hi-res product images and embedded product videos; as well as improved social media synergy and customer service support options.

SCOTT SAFETY recently announced the successful completion of SCBA replacement for the Vancouver (British Columbia) Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS). Scott Safety secured National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1981, Standard on Open-Circuit Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for Emergency Service (2013 ed.), approval for the Air-Pak X3 SCBA on Friday, March 21, 2014. In five days, VFRS received brand new, 2013-compliant SCBAs on-site. In conjunction with the new product shipment, functional testing and extensive user and technician training were provided to ensure all equipment was in working order, seamlessly placed into service, and properly utilized by VFRS personnel.

Editor's note: In "Subletting Apparatus Bodywork, Part 1" (October 2014), Do

Alan M. Petrillo

Specifically, Lacon-Sparland's truck committee wanted a minimum 500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) midmount pump, a larger water tank, plenty of compartment space to allow for additional equipment storage in the future, and a closer cab-to-water-tank fit. And, the district wanted it all on a Caterpillar (CAT) chassis.

"Our Ford tanker was 24 years old and had a steel tank, so it was good timing for us to replace it," says Brian Snyder, Lacon-Sparland's chief. "For this vehicle, we didn't go out to bid but instead sat down with Stan Froelich, the salesman at Alexis, to see what they could do for us."

Snyder points out that Jeff Morris, the president of Alexis, sat in on spec meetings and helped make things happen for the fire district. "We wanted a tank that was closer to the cab so there was no gap between the two," Snyder notes. "So, Alexis worked with the tank manufacturer and customized the tank so it fit the way we wanted. We also wanted to try to build it on a Caterpillar chassis."

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Chassis

Froelich says the Lacon-Sparland tanker is one of the first fire trucks in the country to be built on a CAT chassis. "The fire district spec'd out the chassis, and we gave them the wheelbase and weight distribution engineering, which they took to Altorfer Inc., the authorized CAT dealer in Peoria, to have the chassis built."

The resulting vehicle is mounted on a CAT CT660S two-door tandem chassis with a 66,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and a 219-inch wheelbase; an overall length of 31 feet, five inches; and an overall height of 10 feet, four inches. The tanker is powered by a CT14 410-horsepower diesel engine and CAT CX31 automatic transmission. It carries a 3,500-gallon elliptical polypropylene water tank with a stainless steel wrap.

Snyder points out that his truck committee compared the CAT chassis and 13-liter diesel engine to a Peterbilt chassis with a comparable engine and ultimately decided to go with the CAT product. "We have a locking differential and locking rear end on the driveline that allow us to get across less stable ground-rocky areas, gravel, dirt, and snow," Snyder says. "We are able to lock all the rear wheels together on the tandem axle."

The tanker also carries a 4,000-gallon portable tank bladder on the right side of the tanker, accessed using a Zico electric rack. "We're very happy with the way everything is laid out on the vehicle, especially how there is plenty of storage that we can grow into," Snyder notes.

Froelich says the Alexis tanker has a customized Whelen red split lens LED warning light package all around on the vehicle. "There's also a 2½-inch preconnected hose tray above the dump valve at the rear, as well as a dead-hoselay tray below the dump valve. The back end also has a color backup camera and