Unlock a Car Door with a Shoe String

Information that may be handy some day.

http://lifehacker.com/5885429/unlock-your-car-from-the-outside-with-a-shoelace

Check Engine Light - Personal Vehicles

If your check engine light comes on in a fire department vehicle, please contact Ground Support (Maintenance). Here is some interesting information for your personal vehicles.

http://lifehacker.com/5878754/the-five-most-common-check-engine-problems-and-what-you-should-do-about-them

Twenty-five Documents You Need Before You Die

While not a fire service logistics items, it is important to be prepared in your personal life as well.

http://lifehacker.com/5883371/gather-these-twenty+five-documents-you-need-before-you-die

Mich. department testing 'quick-response' fire trucks amid budget cuts

Pickup trucks with extended cabs and boxes on back can be operated by only 2 firefighters to maintain service with fewer staff
By FireRescue1 Staff

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Officials have approved a Mich. fire department's plan to test three quick-response units amid looming budget cuts.

The pickup trucks with extended cabs and boxes on the back can be operated by only two firefighters, and Fire Chief Laura Knapp of the Grand Rapids Fire Department hopes they will help generate $21 million in savings and maintain service in the event of staff reductions, according to the Grand Rapids Press.

The city wants the department to reduce fire spending by 10 percent in the next three years.

"We need to better align our resources with these single-unit calls to ensure our performance is maintained," Chief Knapp told the Grand Rapids Press. "Right now we don't have a lot of flexibility in our deployment. The [quick-response vehicle] is the answer for our current rigid operational system."

"These vehicles are more nimble," Third Ward Commissioner James B. White said. "They will handle all three kinds of calls" — fire response, medical assistance and vehicle-accident response.

"We have some inherent questions about the technology, but it's something that the chief would like to have for her transformation process," said William E. Smith, president of the firefighters' union.

http://www.firerescue1.com/apparatus/articles/1237052-Mich-department-testing-quick-response-fire-trucks-amid-budget-cuts/

Purchasing pumps: Single-stage or two-stage?

There are several questions you need to answer before making your selection
By FireRescue1 Staff

There has always been a big controversy about what type of pump to choose when you are writing specs for a new piece of apparatus.
If price is a concern when buying your new pumper, then the choice and size of the pump is another area you need to investigate. First of all, do you need a 200gpm single-stage or two-stage pump? Will a 1500 gpm or 1250 pump suffice?
The questions you need to ask yourself go on. What do you need to accomplish? Do you need to pump a lot of volume or pressure? Or, in the case of a two-stage pump, both? Deciding on what type of firefighting operation you normally encounter and if you also have other engines in your district that you use as strictly supply pumpers is another concern.
A single-stage pump has one dual suction impeller that takes water in both sides and provides water discharge to all discharge gates.

A two-stage pump has two impellers operating side by side, which gives, depending what part of the country you're from, the pump operator, MPO or engineer a choice by the use of a transfer valve.
This transfer valve has a volume or pressure position. Obviously a two stage pump can reach higher pressure than a single stage pump. This might be advantageous in operating at a high rise building or for extremely long stretches, for example.
The newer single stage pumps coupled with today's higher horsepower diesel engines are significantly more efficient and provide better performance than pumps from 20 to 30 years past.
Again it comes down to having the right tool for the right job. You and your apparatus committee ultimately have to decide what is the right choice for your department and the type of operation that you are trying to perform.
If you go on the websites of Hale, Waterous and Darley, you can get some useful info on the various types of pumps and their operation and efficiencies.
Another consideration when designing your new pumper is whether you are planning on installing a foam system based on Class A or B Foam, or a complete CAFS.
CAFS will add a considerable cost to the apparatus. If you are planning this option, make sure that your members understand everything about CAFS and how to use it at a fire scene or you might be wasting your time and money having a system installed if you don't plan on using the system on a fairly regular basis.
In any case, proper planning is the key to any apparatus purchase. Install what you feel your department really needs and investigate a great deal before you settle on your options.


http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/apparatus-accessories/firefighting-pumps/articles/1238718-Purchasing-pumps-Single-stage-or-two-stage/
About the author
The Apparatus Bay is a column section devoted to the fire truck industry, vehicle safety and the latest technology and vehicles. Articles are written by experts from across the industry. If there's a topic you'd like to see covered, or you are interested in writing for The Apparatus Bay, email editor@firerescue1.com.

Aerial Ladder Collapse

This aerial ladder collapse occurred on January 8, 2012 in Aliquippa, PA. The information is preliminary however it was reported that this is a 100' ladder on a 1976 vehicle that had been inspected in 2011. While I will not speculate on the cause it does make you wonder about using apparatus and equipment that is over thirty years old. What is the comparision ot our equipment? We have 14 ladder trucks/quints/towers. We have an average age of 9.4 years with the oldest being twenty-one years old.

Our aerial ladders are inspected each year in accordance with NFPA 1914 Standard for Testing of Fire Department Aerial Ladder Devices. In addition to the standard inspection, we conduct two enhanced non-destructive tests each year.

For more information see the websites below:

-USFA TECHNICAL REPORT: Aerial Ladder Collapse Incidents (April 1996) may be of interest to FD's using aerial devices: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-081.pdf.


-NIOSH REPORT re: Waterway Use: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/SafetyAdvisory06242008.html

-NIOSH REPORT re: Falls (2 LODD events from aerial devices) http://tinyurl.com/7l3rjbc

-FIRE ENGINEERING: Safe/Effective Aerial Ops:http://tinyurl.com/6jhwzro

-AERIAL LADDER OPERATIONS (EVR) : http://www.emergencyvehicleresponse.com/news/index/layoutfile/article

-MFRI/FIREHOUSE AERIAL OPS ON THE FIREGROUND: http://tinyurl.com/7gsd56p

-DRILLS (including some aerial ladder related drills)http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/weeklydrills.php