The new mobile command vehicles will replace Ventura County’s aging command posts and offer the most advanced communications and technology features.

APPLETON, Wis. (March 28, 2022) – Frontline Communications, a division of Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., and a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), announced today Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in California will take delivery of two C-45X-4 mobile command vehicles. Sold through Pierce and Frontline Communications’ dealer, South Coast Fire Equipment, the identical and highly customized vehicles will arrive in Ventura County with the first delivery scheduled for March 2022 and the second delivery projected to take place in the second quarter of 2022.

These specialized vehicles will provide critical support at wildfires, search and rescue operations, major crime scene investigations, large community events, crime prevention events, and more. Additionally, the vehicles will support mutual aid for all allied emergency responding agencies in the five municipalities in Ventura County which provide their own law enforcement services.

“The Frontline Communications and South Coast Fire Equipment teams were very receptive to our requests and made us an integral part of the design process,” said Sheriff Bill Ayub of Ventura County. “We had specific design features, and Frontline Communications made a concerted effort to incorporate all requests, including an oversized command area which is a first on this frame.”

Some of the most notable system design and integrated communications attributes of Ventura County’s new mobile command vehicles include:

• Large meeting space and multi-agency interoperability
• Touchscreen, screen-sharing technology, PA systems, and video tele-conferencing capabilities with onboard PCs and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) support 
• Modular space with interoperability radio dispatch stations for all common frequencies and walk-up laptop stations
• Multi-modem cellular technology with satellite data as a backup
• PTZ camera system, satellite and local TV, and a video switching matrix

Other attributes of Ventura County’s new C-45X-4 Mobile Command vehicles include:

• Freightliner M2-112 chassis with 330-inch wheelbase
• Detroit Diesel DD13 12.8 liter, 505 hp engine
• Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission with PTO provision
• 16,000 Ib. tapered leaf front suspension
• Airliner 40,000 lb. extra duty rear suspension
• 50-gallon right-hand aluminum fuel tank and 50-gallon left-hand aluminum fuel tank (100-gallon total)
• Fully welded roof seams for greater durability and leak resistance
• 25kW Tier 4 final generator with Dynagen programmable controller

Sheriff Ayub continued, “We’re anxious to replace our aging command posts with state-of-the-art vehicles and appreciate the support of our county executive office and the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for supporting our mission. Our community experiences both man-made and natural disasters and these vehicles will provide us with the ability to communicate with all agencies engaged in public safety operations. They also offer the much-needed space and equipment to properly manage our response for many years to come.”

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office provides patrol services for five municipalities within the County located in southern California, just north of Los Angeles. Made up of 758 dedicated full-time sworn staff and 514 full-time professional staff, the team received over 80,000 calls for service in the past year.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to grow our relationship with Ventura County to include customized vehicles which play a critical role in the emergency respo

The official groundbreaking ceremony for Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services’ Station 15 in the Mica Community was held on Thursday. The new station will be located at the intersection of Yellow Creek Road and Conns Creek road in northeastern Cherokee County.

Cherokee County Fire Chief Eddie Robinson thanked everyone for coming and for supporting this endeavor. Robinson asked Matt Pardon, architect for the project, to come to the podium. He was followed by Patsy Jordan, Cherokee County Board of Education Member for District 2 and a life-long resident of the community. Fire Chaplain, Johnny Weaver, gave the invocation at the event. Attendees also heard from Harry Johnston, Chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, and Steve West, Commissioner of District One, who serves the area where the new fire station is being constructed.

After the speeches, the official groundbreaking ceremony was held followed by light refreshments.

The new Station 15 will be a 12,342-square-foot station including a 1,585-square-foot community room. The station was designed by KRH Architect out of Dalton (GA) and will be constructed by Cooper & Company General Contractors out of Cumming (GA).

According to Division Chief, Dean Floyd, “The new station can accommodate up to six (6) firefighters per shift with room to expand for an additional two firefighters per shift if needed in the future. The station will have three bays, a large kitchen/dining area with an adjoining day room, and an exercise room that is also a safe room in the event of severe weather.

The new station is scheduled to open sometime in February of 2023.

Mercedes to launch the most advanced 2” attack line that delivers 210-300 GPM flows with 30% less weight – offering an alternative to the challenges of the 2.5” hose.

MARCH 28, 2022, MONTREAL QC, CANADA – Mercedes Textiles Ltd. has announced the launch of the newest innovation in fire hose – a 2” attack hose that delivers 2.5” flows with up to 30% less weight for superior maneuverability and handling: the KrakenEXO SUPER IITM.

Engineered to address the tactical challenges of the 2.5” attack line, the KrakenEXO SUPER IITM offers a more manageable size and weight, while still achieving 210-300 GPM with increased flexibility, high kink resistance, and low friction loss – all combined with Mercedes Textiles’ proven strength and durability.

“At Mercedes Textiles, we design innovative products that answer the challenges of the modern fire service, pushing the boundaries of performance”, said Bob Richardson, President of Mercedes Textiles. “We look to firefighters to tell us what they need so that we can engineer products that evolve alongside progressive firefighting tactics. We developed the KrakenEXO SUPER IITM specifically to address current realities of the fireground.”

Realities that Captain Franklin “Linn” Baxa experiences daily with Buckhannon Fire Department in West Virginia. “We are a low-manpower fire department. We only recently went to three people per shift, backfilled by volunteers. Everything we do is with minimal manpower. In order to achieve the GPM we wanted – a lot of water – followed by a manageable nozzle reaction for a single firefighter, we went with the KrakenEXO SUPER IITM,” explains Cpt Baxa. “There is a big difference between this 2” and our previous 2.5” hose. The KrakenEXO SUPER IITM gives you more water in a fire hose that suits our departments staffing levels. We’re pumping our 200’ at 110PSI; it knocked nozzle reaction down to 96lbs. So much easier to work with!”

Compared to a standard 2.5” hose, KrakenEXO SUPER IITM is up to 40lbs lighter per 50’ and up to 160lbs less over 200’, which makes a substantial difference when placing the line into operation. With a 2.125” internal diameter, it is also more ergonomic – easier to grip, hold on to, and maneuever. It is especially applicable for operations where larger flows are required, but low manpower is a reality.

“Limited staffing is a common challenge in the fire service, across all of North America. Combined with the reality of bigger, faster-burning fires that require bigger GPMs, we see the 2.5” line deployed often, adding further challenges related to weight, maneuverability, and speed,” explains Jamie Emblem, Mercedes’ Northeast Regional Sales. “At Mercedes Textiles, we’re always looking to provide new, more efficient and effective ways to get water on the fire. That’s exactly what the KrakenEXO SUPER IITM does – lets the frontline ‘fight the fire, not the hose’.”

The KrakenEXO SUPER IITM officially launches at FDIC on April 28th at the Mercedes Textiles Ltd. booth (4950/51). National Fire Radio hosts will be onsite for a product reveal and live sessions, including interviews with industry experts like Lt. Ray McCormack (FDNY retired).

Preview the KrakenEXO SUPER IITM in action at www.mercedestextiles.com/SUPER2. Stay tuned for more at launch.

Have you ever wanted to cruise around town in a fire truck? Or roll up to Thanksgiving dinner with 750 gallons of water in the tank, just in case? Or make an entrance that will not be soon forgotten? So did Henry Cesari—and because of his curiosity, you can actually do it.

While perusing eBay, multiple auctions for used fire trucks under $20,000 came up. Cesari’s interest was piqued, and he got to wondering about the legality of driving a fire apparatus and did some research. He put together on his website some helpful tips on the endeavor.

“Restoring and driving one of these big rigs would be so cool,” he writes. “But legally driving a used fire truck on the street can be complicated: you have to meet local guidelines to pass inspection, and you might even need to change the type of driver’s license you have.”

Related Articles:
Man Turns Decommissioned Fire Apparatus into Mobile Bar
Man Turns Broken Power Wheels into Functioning Fire Truck Toy for Daughter
Fire Trucks & Pizza: A Revere (MA) Firefighter’s Love Story
Bear Creek (FL) Resident’s Decommissioned Fire Truck Saves the Day
My Little Fire Truck

He adds that many government vehicles are regulated—but not fire trucks. However, operating a fire truck on public streets may require:

-Deactivating or removing lights and sirens,
-Removing any safety equipment that protrudes into oncoming traffic,
-Removing the fire department name/town.

Cesari adds that most full-size fire trucks (anything with a gross vehicle weight above 24,000 pounds; any vehicle with air brakes) require a commercial driver’s license.

“Fire trucks are very much commercial vehicles,” he writes. “And cutting through city intersections in one of these requires special training and skill. It’s not surprising that many large fire trucks require a commercial driver’s license to operate.”

Also, you’ll most likely need a larger garage.