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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: Oct 5, 2022

SVI/Seagrave Builds Heavy Rescue for Earleigh Heights (MD)

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On April 18, 1918, a meeting was held at the home of Joseph Urban of Earleigh Heights, MD, for the purpose of establishing a volunteer fire department.
BOB VACCARO

A slate of officers was selected, and the Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company was formed with 14 members, no station, and no equipment, with a grand total of $2.50 in its treasury.

Fast forward 104 years, and the fire company has a much different appearance with a new, modern station on Ritchie Highway and a roster of 154 members, of which 75 are active with the company’s day-to-day operations.

The Earleigh Heights company has been a leader in change in the design of its modern-day apparatus and, like most fire departments, it has experienced a great deal of change over the years.

  The Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company, in Severna Park, MD, has a new heavy rescue built by SVI on a Seagrave Attack custom cab and chassis. (Photos courtesy of SVI.)

For most of the past three years, the members of the fire company have been working on a new squad vehicle, and they decided it was time for something different.

“The previous squad was 20 years old and was due to be replaced,” says David Crawford, Earleigh Heights fire chief and chairman of the truck committee. “Our

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Posted: Oct 5, 2022

Federal Grants Come Through for Trio of VFDs in Cullman (AL)

Benjamin Bullard

The Cullman Times, Ala.

(MCT)

Oct. 5—Beyond the two paid municipal departments in the cities of Hanceville and Cullman, first-response fire coverage for most of Cullman County comes from one of the 26 volunteer fire departments that operate with no subsidized backing from any connected local government entity.

Fire dues from residents within each department’s coverage area instead help fund each department’s operations annually. Ask any local volunteer fire chief, and they’ll tell you the money doesn’t stretch very far — especially when the cost of even basic turnout gear — to say nothing of response vehicles that cost hundred of thousands of dollars — can run more than $4,000 per set.

That’s why periodic grants are consistently part of the funding structure that helps keep each volunteer department equipped and ready to respond. The county’s rural departments depend on federal funds, typically sought with grant writing help from the Cullman County Economic Development Office, for the day-to-day basics that help volunteer fire fighters do their uncompensated jobs.

Three local department recently received grants through applications made through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program, a FEMA-backed program that for 20 years has aided first responders in obtaining “critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards,” according to AFG.

The five-figure grant amounts may not sound like much, but the funds make all the difference in keeping local departments from deploying members into potentially dangerous situations with aging, deteriorating gear. In the latest round of grant awards, West Point received $68,571; Garden City received $33,981, and Battleground was awarded $47,571.

What can you do with that kind of money? All local departments must specify how the funds will be used at the time they make their grant applications, and West Point’s award will help fund the purchase of new handheld radios, according to fire chief Tim Martin. At Battleground, the funds will go toward the purchase of an on-site compressed air filling station to recharge fire fighters’ SCBA air packs — a chore that’s lately required Battleground volunteers to haul their air packs to other county fire stations.

“We did have a small one, but it has just about gone,” explained Battleground fire chief Ryan Woods. “It’s kind of a used one, but this will let us get one for our department, because it wasn’t ideal to have to go to other departments to get our SCBA bottles filled.”

Tiffany Oldacre, a former county economic development grant administrator who helped secure the trio of recent grants, said the federal funds come through a chain of custody overseen by the office of U.S. House Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), and they’re crucial in keeping the county’s volunteer fire network supplied with equipment their tiny budgets otherwise simply couldn’t afford.

“Most of the departments in Cullman County are strictly volunteer, so they have to rely on fire dues — which is not a lot, in terms of the equipment that they need and the price they have to pay for it. Fire equipment can be very expensive, and of course it eventually wears out and has to be replaced. These grants help with funds that can be used right in the communities where these volunteers live and serve every day — and Cullman County’s volunteer fire departments are very much a part of their communities.”

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(c)2022 The Cullman Times (Cullman, Ala.)

Vi

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Posted: Oct 5, 2022

Photo Apparatus of the Day: October 5, 2022

Pierce—Westmont (IL) Fire Department pumper. Impel cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank. Dealer: John Kenna, MacQueen Emergency, Aurora, IL.

PREVIOUS PHOTO OF THE DAY >>

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Posted: Oct 5, 2022

‘They Told Me to Move It’: Boulder (CO) Man Steals Fire Truck During Call

Colorado Department of Corrections

Firefighters in Boulder sprinted down a street and rescued their own fire truck early Saturday morning, CBSNews.com reported.

The firefighters were on a medical call at 1 a.m. near the Fox Theater on University Hill. The group saw their truck, Engine 2502, down the block and gave chase, the report said. 

The group caught up to the truck at the Broadway Street and Pennsylvania stoplight, opened its door, activated the emergency brake, and pulled 28-year-old Kirill Kiefel from the driver’s seat, according to the report.

When police arrived, Kiefel told officers he was simply following firefighters’ instructions. “They told me to move it,” he said, according to the arrest affidavit in the case, the report said.

Firefighters disputed that version of events, and Kiefel was booked on a felony auto theft charge, the report said. 

Boulder Fire-Rescue received Engine 2502 less than two months ago, as reported by the Boulder Daily Camera. The truck is valued at $750,000.

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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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