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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 6, 2025

3AM and T-Mobile Achieve Satellite-Enabled Fire Service Ops

T-Mobile and 3AM Innovations have joined forces to bring mission-critical decision support tools to first responders on the 5G network and T-Priority: a first-of-its-kind solution designed to keep first responders connected in the 5G era of public safety.

This collaboration brings together T-Mobile’s T-Priority solution for first responders and 3AM’s FLORIAN platform, a real-time responder tracking and incident command solution. Built to perform in any environment, FLORIAN helps keep first responders safe, visible, and connected at all times. “First responders operate in some of the most challenging, high-risk environments imaginable. Often without adequate equipment. 3AM Innovations exists to change that, to deliver the technology they deserve. Technology as fast and as reliable as they are,” says Ryan Litt, CEO and Co-founder, 3AM Innovations. “By joining forces with T-Mobile, we’re establishing a new benchmark for public safety technology. Putting comprehensive situational intelligence directly into the hands of those who need it most, when they need it most.”

Across the United States, more than half a million square miles remain “dead zones,” places where traditional coverage simply can’t reach. For the teams who put themselves in harm’s way to protect others, these gaps are more than an inconvenience. Delays in communication can mean the difference between life and death. Lost visibility of personnel can leave commanders guessing in moments when certainty is critical. And, compromised connectivity can strip responders of the tools they need most: awareness, coordination, and speed.

At its core, FLORIAN has always been about knowing where your people are. Real-time visibility translates into better decision making, stronger coordination, and safer outcomes. But until now, these capabilities have been tied to the reach of terrestrial networks. By extending coverage into the sky, satellite connectivity allows FLORIAN to overcome such limitations. With more than 650 satellites orbiting overhead, even the most remote, off-grid, and disaster-stricken locations are brought into the light. When visibility is restored, action can be immediate.

T-Mobile recently expanded T-Satellite with Starlink, bringing satellite data connectivity for popular apps to dozens more smartphones. Essential tools like app-based voice and video chat, mapping, weather and social media sharing, among others, are now part of the T-Satellite experience. T-Mobile is extending the power of its T-Satellite into business applications to deliver always-on connectivity across iOS and Android — automatically included with SuperMobile and T-Priority plans.

By bringing secure connectivity to environments where field teams have never before had access, T-Satellite is unlocking new business-first use cases and advancing mission-critical operations virtually everywhere. So, in the case of FLORIAN, personnel can connect even in the most remote or disaster-stricken areas.

The benefits are far-reaching. Wildland firefighters moving deep into canyons, linemen repairing storm-battered powerlines, or first responders stepping into wildfire zones, they can all now carry FLORIAN with the confidence that their connection won’t disappear when they need it most. For incident commanders, this means unbroken oversight of personnel locations, hazards, and environmental data. Even if a hurricane takes down towers or an earthquake severs infrastructure, direct-to-phone satellite connection ensures updates continue, messages still get through, and teams remain in touch.

While emergency response is the immediate focus, the implications extend far beyond. Connectivity is the backbone of safety across countless industries, from utilities and construction to oil and gas, maritime operations, and logistics. Wherever teams face risk in challenging environments, resilient communication is non-negotiable.

With

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Posted: Oct 6, 2025

Woman Struck, Killed by PA Ambulance

A woman was struck and killed by an ambulance that was responding to an emergency call late Thursday night in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, according to NBC 10.

Police said the crash happened just before midnight at the intersection of F Street and Allegheny Avenue.

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Crash Investigation Division is gathering video surveillance camera footage from cameras in the area to determine what caused the collision.

The post Woman Struck, Killed by PA Ambulance appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

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Posted: Oct 6, 2025

Quint Replaces Rescue-Pumper and Midmount Platform for Baugo (IN) FD

The Baugo (IN) Fire Department is a combination fire department with 15.8 square miles as its primary response area plus an additional 175 square miles that it covers under automatic mutual aid agreements. The department has 13 paid full-time firefighters and 20 volunteer firefighters operating out of one station for fire, rescue, and advanced life support emergency medical services (EMS) responses.

Baugo is running a pumper-tanker, a brush truck, two ambulances, and two fire-rescue boats. It had a 2013 rescue-pumper and a 2005 midmount aerial platform with no pump or water tank that it wanted to replace. “We decided to replace the platform and the rescue-pumper with an aerial ladder quint that would reduce the size of our fleet, keeping in mind the rising costs of purchasing apparatus and maintaining fleet vehicles,” observes Evan Baker, Baugo Fire’s fleet manager.

The quint has a 1,500-gpm PUC pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 25-gallon foam tank, and a Husky 3 foam proportioning system.

Baker says that after consideration of all of the department’s options, Baugo decided to go to Pierce Manufacturing for a 107-foot Ascendant rear-mount aerial ladder quint that would replace the two vehicles, and continue to provide the rescue, fire suppression, EMS, and aerial capabilities of the two previous rigs.

Dave Polkow, apparatus salesman for MacQueen Emergency Group, says Baugo Fire is a new customer for MacQueen and Pierce Manufacturing. “They had an older Pierce midmount in their fleet which they had bought used,” Polkow notes, “so this is their first new ladder truck purchase, and they were planning on running the quint as a first-due vehicle.” He says the rig is on a single rear axle and features an aluminum body; TAK-4 independent front suspension; a cab designed to carry four firefighters, three of them in Pierce PSV self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats; and two EMS cabinets and two personal protective equipment storage cabinets.

The pump panel is enclosed behind a roll-up door. All the other compartments have hinged doors.

Polkow points out that the quint has a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 engine, an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission, and has a wheelbase of 242 inches, an overall length of 39 feet 7½-inches, and an overall height of 11 feet 11 inches.

The Ascendant has a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) PUC pump, a

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Posted: Oct 5, 2025

Tanker Joins Rocky Mount (VA) Fire Department Fleet

JASON DUNOVANT
The Roanoke Times, Va.
(TNS)

ROCKY MOUNT — The Rocky Mount Fire Department’s two newest fire trucks will hit the roads starting next week battling blazes and responding to emergency calls.

A Pierce Enforcer pumper/tanker arrived at the firehouse last month. It’s the second of two new fire trucks for the department. A Pierce Enforcer mid-mount tower truck arrived in July.

The Rocky Mount Fire Department’s new Pierce Enforcer pumper/tanker

The Rocky Mount Fire Department’s new Pierce Enforcer pumper/tanker joins a new Pierce Enforcer mid-mount tower truck purchased by the town earlier this year. The total cost of the two vehicles is $3.5 million.

Firefighters have spent the past few weeks training and equipping the vehicles with plans to have them ready for service as early as Monday. Their debut is just a few days away after years of waiting for the vehicles to be constructed and delivered.

The department’s new ladder truck allows volunteers to reach taller buildings for rescues and fighting fires from above. The ladder extends to 100 feet — 15 feet longer than the previous ladder truck — and has dual nozzles to provide fire suppression from above.

The new tanker truck delivered last month can hold up to 3,000 gallons of water and can pump out up to 2,000 gallons a minute. It also holds a significant amount of storage for a variety of extrication tools often needed in car crashes.

Rocky Mount Fire Department Chief Justin Woodrow said the new tanker truck is equipped to handle anything they respond to. Volunteers will have everything they need at their disposal.

“This truck gives us tools to answer any call that we could be called for. There is equipment on this truck to take care of it, requiring only manpower, not multiple apparatus,” Woodrow said.

Rocky Mount Fire Department Chief Justin Woodrow

Rocky Mount Fire Department Chief Justin Woodrow shows some of the tools stored on the department’s new tanker truck set to go into service next week.

The new tanker truck will replace two older, 1,000-gallon fire engines owned by the department that were due for replacement. Woodrow said the new truck can hold more water and provide more equipment than the previous two trucks.

The new tanker truck cost the town $1.1 million. Woodrow said that if they would have ordered two fire engines to replace the two that were due for replacement, it would have cost Rocky Mount about $850,000 each.

The new tanker truck only needs a small crew to respond to emergencies, Woodrow added. That can help at times when the volunteer department has limited people available.

“In the volunteer world during the day when we are slower on turnout, we now have one truck that can do everything and requires less manpower,” Woodrow said.

Similar to the ladder truck delivered earlier this year, the new tanker truck will also have a wide array of safety features to protect volunteers responding to calls. Woodrow expressed his appreciation for the Rocky Mount Town Council and their willingness to provide additional funding for the new fire trucks to assure they are as safe as possible.

The new tanker truck includes anti-roll features, front and side airbags, plus multiple features that allow the vehicle to stop quickly.

Woodrow said he puts an emphasi

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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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