By Alan M. Petrillo
Sometimes less is more, and that adage even applies to fire apparatus. Madeira and Indian Hill (OH) Joint Fire District, which serves an affluent suburban area near Cincinnati, needed a medical rescue vehicle that could function as a first response EMS (emergency medical services) unit and double as a light rescue for the two jurisdictions served by the joint district.
The district contracts with the city of Madeira and also the city and village of Indian Hill, says the district’s chief, Steve Oughterson. “Madeira is a suburban area of a couple of square miles of about 8,000 population, mostly suburban with a small commercial area, while Indian Hill is mostly residential with a 4,000 population that has some churches, schools, parks, and governmental entities,” Oughterson says.
Madeira and Indian Hill (OH) Joint Fire District had CET Fire Pumps Manufacturing build this custom rescue truck with a polypropylene body. (Photos courtesy of Madeira and Indian Hill Joint Fire District.)Oughterson notes the district runs a quint and medic unit (Advanced Life Support ambulance) out of a station in Madeira, and an engine and medic unit out of a station in Indian Hill, staffed by a combination department that has paid firefighter-paramedics and part-time paid medics with 10 on duty daily. “When a medical call came in we would chase the ambulance with a pickup and two firefighter-paramedics or an engine/quint for manpower,” Oughterson says. “The paramedics that would run in the pickup truck never had enough equipment with them, so we replaced that vehicle with the new light rescue truck.”
Jerry Halpin, vice president of sales and marketing for CET Fire Pumps Manufacturing, says that Madeira and Indian Hill came to CET for the rig because of the vehicle’s polypropylene body. “They were looking for a small vehicle that was lightweight with a body that would not rust or break down,” Halpin points out. “The district decided on our walk-around rescue truck built on a Ford F-450 chassis with an extended cab and a polypropylene body that’s 96 inches wide, 110 inches long, and 60 inches high. Wheelbase on the rescue is 168 inches, overall length is 21 feet 3-1/2-inches, and overall height is 7 feet and 5-1/4-inches.”
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Posted: Dec 24, 2021
The Sugarcreek (OH) Fire Department is donating its 1988 E-1001 pumper as well as some used equipment to a department in the Dominican Republic.
Department officials found out about the FD Relief Mission of Western PA, which accepts apparatus and equipment to send to departments in need. Department members agreed that that was a better use than scrapping it.
On the heels of village council’s blessing, in November members of the Mission came to Sugarcreek and drove the truck back to its headquarters in Pittsburgh (PA). It’s the Mission’s first apparatus donated from OH in its five-year history.
The Mission packed a 26-foot shipping container with fire equipment—e.g., turnout gear, Life packs, stretchers, boots, bunkers, hoses, apparatus, rescue tools, and SCBA—to send. Medical supplies were not permitted, though.
Mission officials then drove the apparatus to Elizabeth (NJ) and loaded it onto a ship. They say everything should arrive in San Jose los Llanos on Christmas Day or slightly later.
Once there, finishing touches will be applied and local crews will be trained on it.
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