FIRST RESPONDER TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

ALCO: SAR teams watch man drown due to policy...

2011-06-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Rescuers watch suicidal man kill self in SF Bay

"Handcuffed by policy" as firefighters forbidden from trying to save 50-year-old in 54-degree water

SAN FRANCISCO - Fire crews and police could only watch after a man waded into San Francisco Bay, stood up to his neck and waited. They wanted to do something, but a policy brought about by budget cuts strictly forbade them from trying to save the 50-year-old, officials said.

The apparently suicidal man, identified in the San Jose Mercury News as Raymond Zack, was in the 54-degree water for around an hour.

One witness, Sharon Brunetti, told the Mercury News that Zack's stepmother asked her to call 911 and said he was threatening to kill himself.

He "gradually inched our farther and farther" from the shore, Brunetti told the paper.

"The next thing he was floating face down," she said.

A witness finally pulled his lifeless body from the water.

Interim Alameda Fire Chief Mike D'Orazi said Monday's incident is troubling. He has directed staff to write a new policy that would allow water rescues in the city of about 75,000 people across the bay from San Francisco.

The previous policy was implemented after budget cuts forced the department to discontinue water rescue training and stop maintaining wetsuits and other rescue gear, D'Orazi said Tuesday.

"The incident yesterday was deeply regrettable," he said. "But I can also see it from our firefighters' perspective. They're standing there wanting to do, SAR, Cold Water Rescue something, but they are handcuffed by policy at that point."

A witness, Perry Smith, told a television station the man was visible from the shore of Crown Memorial State Beach and was looking at people.

"We expected to see at some point that there would be a concern for him," another witness, Gary Barlow, told KGO-TV.

The Coast Guard was called to the scene, but the water was too shallow for a boat, Alameda police Lt. Sean Lynch said. Police officers didn't have the gear for the cold water and couldn't risk being pulled under.

"Certainly this was tragic, but police officers are tasked with ensuring public safety, including the safety of personnel who are sent to try to resolve these kinds of situations," Lynch said.

D'Orazi said crews may have decided it was too risky to attempt the rescue, even if they had not been shackled by the restrictions on water rescues.

In addition to the new policy, Alameda fire personnel will receive training in water rescues, and rescue equipment will be inspected to make sure it is not damaged, D'Orazi said.

There are no lifeguards at the beach, said Isa Polt-Jones, a spokeswoman with the East Bay Regional Park District. Signs at the park advise swimmers to enter the water at their own risk.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com Link

Limited edition 10th anniversary 9/11 tribute painting "Twin Towers"

2011-06-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Order 9/11 Tribute Painting & Support CA Fire Foundation
{EAV_BLOG_VER:ec40134ac98fdc23}

Get your limited edition 10th anniversary 9/11 tribute painting "Twin Towers" by retired Santa Clara City firefighter Frank Walsh.
In Walsh's painting, the firefighter and police officer are shown standing together, where the World Trade Center once stood.
"For the families of the 343 FDNY firefighters, 37 PAPD and 23 NYPD police officers, this was a most tragic day but for these men and women it was their finest hour," said Walsh. "To serve and protect is what they do and sometimes they make the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man. This was never more exemplified then on September 11, 2001."
To honor their sacrifice, Walsh painted each of their names in the smoke. The 343 on firefighter's helmet shield represents the number of firefighters lost.
All proceeds benefit the California Fire Foundation.
Canvas Giclee 20"x30": Time limited through September 11, 2011. Signed and numbered by artist. $343 each.
Lithograph: Limited to 1,000 editions or through September 11, 2011, whichever comes first. Signed and numbered by artist. $75 each
Poster: Unlimited. $25 each.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AN ORDER FORM.

Fire Equipment Video: SERV Gradall Strategic Emergency Response Vehicle

2011-05-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

Watch the Gradall Strategic Emergency Response Vehicle "SERV" in Action.

Improve Firefighter Safety.
Attack Fires More Effectively.

These are the real-life benefits of the revolutionary Strategic Emergency Response Vehicle models by Gradall.

SERV models by Gradall — the industry's premiere Strategic Emergency Response Vehicles — enable firefighters to reach out to break through roofs and walls, and then drown the sources of dangerous fires. SERV models integrate a strong, telescoping Gradall® boom with a fire cab and chassis to effectively fight fires in dangerous locations where firefighters often get hurt or killed, or where they can't possibly access.

Reach out with the famous Gradall boom

Eliminating the dangerous task of firefighters having to physically vent roofs or side walls, the massive Gradall SERV boom safely reaches right into the heart of man’s worst and oldest enemy… fire. Telescoping out to a length of over 47 feet, and without hindrance from overhead obstructions, the SERV boom can swing either left or right, and it can rotate 110 degrees in either direction to effectively position the 5th Man piercing nozzle for attack.

The Gradall boom is an integral component of the new Gradall SERV firefighting apparatus. Delivering the benefits of a half-century of hydraulic technology leadership, the Gradall SERV boom continues the tradition of all Gradall booms, known globally for their exceptional strength, durability and versatility in metal mill furnace maintenance and road and bridge demolition and construction.

Gradall SERV and 5th Man break tradition

The exciting new 5th Man piercing nozzle boom end attachment draws its muscle from rugged Gradall hydraulic boom forces and stability. From a safer position, firefighters can thrust a 5th Man stainless steel piercing head through windows, walls, roofs – even concrete structures. When mounted on a firefighting vehicle, this new venting solution eliminates the need for firefighters with axes to stand on burning rooftops. After piercing the structure, the 5th Man head has 52 aqua-jet nozzles that direct a massive broken stream curtain of water into the heart of the fire.

Wireless remote keeps firefighters out of harm’s way

Using a wireless remote control device, firefighters using with the Gradall SERV apparatus can strategically attack blazes from a distance of over 200 feet… in locations previously thought to be too dangerous or out of reach. After the Strong Arm Firefighting Vehicle is moved into position, a firefighter uses an easy-to-understand system of switches and joystick controls on the belt-held remote device.

With precision, the firefighter can telescope and tilt the Strong Arm boom into the correct position to demolish walls and ceilings, and then launch and direct the flow of water. For chemical tank fires, the Strong Arm boom can position the 5th Man directly over the fire to direct a massive release of foam.

Stabilizers… firm footing for vigorous firefighting

Rugged Gradall Strategic Emergency Response Vehicles models are equipped with a system of four stabilizers for strength and stability, creating a solid stance for vigorous firefighting. With the wireless remote control device, stabilizers telescope out and then down onto pavement or uneven terrain. Stabilizers can be positioned independently or all at the same time, providing short-jacking capability in close quarters.

More Information: SERV http://www.gradallserv.com/serv-tv.html
Source: Gradall Link
Facebook: Gradall Link

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: NY-NYFD- WTC TOWER IC - NEVER FORGET ... FDNY 343 THE LIST

2010-09-11T08:25:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: NY-NYFD- WTC TOWER IC - NEVER FORGET ... FDNY 343 THE LIST: "9/11, FDNY, Ground Zero, WTC

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

LODD: Washington Fire Chief Dies in Wildland Fire Incident Vehicle Accident

2010-06-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

DEATH: Fire chief's death under investigation

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

Investigators are continuing to look into the death of a rural Franklin County fire chief killed while fighting a brush fire Wednesday in Adams County.
Chief Chet Bauermeister, who led Franklin Fire District 4 in Basin City since late 2003, was operating a tracked ATV on a steep slope of Saddle Mountain when the ATV lost traction, said Adams Fire District 5 officials.
The rig flipped backward and rolled about 100 feet down the hill, officials said.
Bauermeister, 46, died at the scene.
Another firefighter from Fire District 4, Ryan F. Theroff, 29, was thrown from the rig and suffered minor injuries. He was treated at Othello Community Hospital and later released.
The 42-acre brush fire broke out around 2:45 p.m. in the area of Hart Road and Highway 24, south of Othello.
Firefighters with Adams Fire District 5 responded and found the brush burning on the south slope of Saddle Mountain near the Saddle Mountain Orchards, officials said.
Mutual aid was requested from Grant Fire District 8, Franklin Fire District 4, U.S. Fish & Wildlife and Hanford Fire.
The cause of the fire, which is now out, remains under investigation.
Washington state Department of Labor & Industries, as well as the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office traffic unit, are investigating the accident.

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS

2009-07-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: Cisco's Network Emergency Response Vehicle (NERV)

Cisco's Network Emergency Response Vehicle (NERV) emergency response vehicles can bring communications to first responders in disaster areas when traditional telephony and radio systems are unavailable or destroyed.

Cisco TACOPS NERV- Network Emergency Response Vehicle

Technorati Links • Email this • Digg This! • Share on Facebook • Subscribe to this feed • Save to del.icio.us • Email the author • Sphere: Related Content • Add to del.icio.us • outside.in: geotag this story • Discuss on Newsvine • Stumble It! • Add to Mixx! • View CC license

Posted by California Fire news at 7/12/2009 09:33:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Eye Safety for Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery

2009-07-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:

Eye Safety

Eye Safety for Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery

After the structural collapse of a large building, emergency responders and support personnel are often exposed to hazardous agents and conditions. These workers are at high risk of injury and illness at such a site. Described below are common eye hazards and injuries that can occur during these operations and recommendations for protective eye gear, first aid, and steps for preventing eye injuries. All safety eyewear should comply with the American National Standards Institute Occupational and Educational Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices Standard Z87.1

Common Eye Hazards

The most common eye hazards faced by emergency workers at
the structural collapse of a large building are the following:

Dust, concrete, and metal particles
Falling or shifting debris, building materials, and glass
Smoke and noxious or poisonous gases
Chemicals (acids, bases, fuels, solvents, lime, and wet or dry cement powder)
Cutting or welding light and electrical arcing
Thermal hazards and fires
Bloodborne pathogens (hepatitis or HIV) from blood, body fluids, and human remains

Common Injuries

Injuries commonly suffered by emergency response and recovery
workers at a structural collapse include the following:

Corneal abrasions and conjunctivitis (red eyes)
Concrete or metal particles or slivers embedded in the eye
Chemical splashes or burns
Welder’s flash
Eyeball laceration
Facial contusions and black eyes

Recommended Types of Eye Protection

Before selecting appropriate eye protection for emergency workers at a site, assess the conditions and hazards and follow these recommendations:

At a minimum, wear safety glasses with side protection.
Wear goggles when more protection is needed.
Consider using hybrid eye safety products with the comfort of glasses, the enclosure of goggles, and better breathability.
Add a faceshield over glasses or goggles for even greater protection.
Use a full-facepiece respirator for the best overall protection.
When cutting or welding, use a welding helmet, goggles, or welding respirator with the appropriate lens shade.
Make sure that cutter’s and welder’s helpers, other workers, and bystanders are protected from the light and sparks coming from torch cutting or welding.

Consider each of the following types of eyewear when selecting one for emergency workers at a structural collapse site:

1. Safety glasses, including hybrid safety glasses or goggles—minimum protection required

Wear safety glasses for general working conditions when there is some risk of exposure to dust, chips, and flying particles. Use safety glasses that have the following:

Side protection (such as side shields or wrap-around lenses)
Treatment to prevent fogging
A retainer to keep the glasses tight to the face or hanging from the neck when not in use

For added protection, use one of these types of glasses:

Hybrid glasses with foam or rubber around the lenses to protect against dust and flying particles (these protect workers better than conventional safety glasses with side
shields only).
Wrap-around hybrid safety glasses that convert to goggles with a soft plastic or rubber face seal for better peripheral vision than conventional goggles.

Take these precautions if you use safety glasses with prescription lenses:

Use polycarbonate or Trivex® lenses for prescription safety glasses. These lenses provide the best impact protection in prescription safety glasses.
Make sure that new safety glasses with polycarbonate lenses are hard coated to reduce scratching.
Make sure that you are using ANSI Z87.1-compliant safety eye protection.
Do not use prescription safety lenses with tempered glass or acrylic plastic lenses for protection from high impact unless they are covered by goggles or a face shield.
If you wear prescription safety glasses without goggles, use glasses with side shields.


Nonprescription safety glasses with wrap-around side protection.	Prescription safety glasses with side shields.

2. Goggles—better protection

Goggles are needed to protect workers from high impacts, dusty environments, chemical splashes, and torch cutting or welding light (see item 5 below for welding protection). Consider the following characteristics when selecting goggles:

Use goggles with indirect venting to protect workers from splashes or fine dust. Use goggles with direct venting for less fogging when working with large particles.
Use safety goggles designed with high air flow, minimum fogging, and maximum particle and splash protection (for example, ski-type goggles).
In dusty environments, wear tight-fitting goggles over normal streetwear glasses, contact lenses, or prescription safety glasses.
If you wear contact lenses, wear tight-fitting goggles or a full-facepiece respirator to avoid corneal abrasions in dusty areas.

Indirectly vented goggles.

3. Face shields—additional protection

Use face shields to protect workers from high-impact hazards that may be present during chipping and grinding operations. Use full-face protection to prevent contact with chemical or blood-borne hazards that may be sprayed or splashed onto the face. Also do the following when selecting and using face shields:

Use face shields that are tinted or metal-coated for heat and splatter protection.
Always wear safety glasses or goggles under a face shield, since the curve of the face shield directs particles or chemicals from the side into the eyes.

Clear face shields with crown protector (may be mounted on hard hat).

4. Full-facepiece respirators—best eye protection from
dust, chemicals, and smoke

When respiratory protection is required, use full-facepiece respirators for the best eye protection against dust, chemicals, and smoke.
Note that not all facepieces are Z87-compliant for impact protection.
Full-facepiece respirators do not seal properly over streetwear glasses or safety glasses. Therefore, if you wear glasses and must wear a respirator, use prescription inserts designed to be compatible with a respirator and approved for use with your specific respirator.
If a worker wears a half-mask respirator, select the proper eye protection and make sure that
— the half mask does not interfere with the proper positioning of the eye protection, and
— the eye protection does not affect the fit of the respirator.

5. Welding helmet, goggles, faceshields, and welding respirators

Exposure to cutting or welding light can cause severe burns to the eyes and surrounding tissue (welder’s flash). The lenses for protection from cutting or welding light must be marked with the shade number—1.5 through 14 (the darkest).

Protect cutter’s or welders’ eyes with a helmet, goggles, faceshield, or welding respirator equipped with lenses of the correct shade number.

Always wear safety glasses or goggles under a welding helmet or faceshield to protect workers from particles.
Also protect the eyes of the cutter’s or welder’s helper and bystanders with lenses designed to protect against cutting or welding light.
Use the darkest shade of lens possible:
Torch soldering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5–3
Torch brazing/cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–6
Gas welding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–8
Electric arc welding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10–14
Use ANSI Z136 eye protection for laser light hazards (not Z87).

First Aid for Eye Injuries

Specks in the Eye

Do not rub the eye.
Flush the eye with large amounts of water.
See a doctor if the speck does not wash out or if pain or redness continues.

Cuts, Punctures, and Foreign Objects in the Eye

Do not wash out the eye.
Do not try to remove a foreign object stuck in the eye.
Seek immediate medical attention.

Chemical Burns

Immediately flush the eye with water or any drinkable liquid. Open the eye as wide as possible. Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes. For caustic or basic solutions, continue
flushing while on the way to medical care.
If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately. Flushing may dislodge the lens.
Seek immediate medical attention.

Blows to the Eye

Apply a cold compress without pressure, or tape crushed ice in a plastic bag to the forehead and allow it to rest gently on the injured eye.
Seek immediate medical attention if pain continues, if vision is reduced, or if blood or discoloration appears in the eye.

Information Resources

Obtain additional information about the selection and use of eye protection from these sources:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
1–800–CDC–INFO

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
External Link: http://www.osha.gov
1–800–321–OSHA

Prevent Blindness America
External Link: http://www.preventblindness.org
1–800–331–2020

International Safety Equipment Association
External Link: http://www.safetyequipment.org
1–703–525–1695

American Society of Safety Engineers
External Link: http://www.asse.org
1–847–699–2929

Acknowledgments

First Aid advice provided courtesy of Prevent Blindness America.^®

Safety eye protection photos provided courtesy of Paul Vinger, Tufts Medical School.

Note: The examples shown are for illustration purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Page last updated: April 7, 2009
Page last reviewed: May 27, 2009
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Division of Safety Research

Source article: Eye Safety for Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery "NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:
Eye Safety- Link

Cal Fire-Butte County: California Office of Traffic Safety grant

2009-03-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Cal Fire-Butte County: California Office of Traffic Safety grant

Cal Fire grant will boost efficiency: $197,373 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, Butte County Fire Rescue will purchase a new Rescue Vehicle for Butte County Fire Volunteer Company 71 in Richvale and equip thirteen engines and two Rescue vehicles with new, state-of-the-art extrication gear.

The grant announced Friday will leave more than a dozen Cal Fire-Butte County fire stations better prepared to deal with rescues at vehicle crashes.

Rescue tools: slated for purchase are air bags used to safely lift and stabilize crashed vehicles, and the latest models of extrication tools, including the "jaws of life."

In addition to Richvale, stations in south Chico, Kelly Ridge, Butte Meadows, Stirling City, Cohasset, Forest Ranch, Paradise, Jarbo Gap, Feather Falls, Robinson Mills, Oroville and Nord, as well as the Paradise Fire Department, will share funding for new equipment.

Cal Fire Training Bureau Chief Darren Read said the money for Richvale's rescue truck is also coming from a cost-sharing fund benefiting county fire departments, as well as donations from the Richvale community.

The following engines/communities will be receiving the new equipment purchased with the grant funds:

Town of Paradise Fire Department
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 44 - South Chico
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 64 - Kelly Ridge
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 71 - Richvale
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 11 - Butte Meadows
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 12 - Sterling City
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 22 - Cohasset
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 23 - Forest Ranch
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 35 - Paradise
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 36 - Jarbo Gap
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 51 - Feather Falls
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 54 - Robinson Mill
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 63 - Oroville
CAL FIRE/BCFD Station 41 - Nord

The media and the public are invited to attend a demonstration of the new equipment during a Bus Extrication class on Sunday May 10, 2009 between the hours of 10AM and 2 PM. The training will be held at the Butte College Fire Training Grounds.

Source: CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: "Cal Fire-Butte County: California Office of Traffic Safety grant

Gas, Water, telescoping valve control tool

2009-01-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

California Fire News: New valve control tools

Fire hydrant 2" square telescoping valve tool

We want to introduce you to our new waterworks tools for the public safety professional, contractor or the homeowner.

We are a family run Central valley California business that has been around for over 15 years. We are introducing our new line of waterworks tools which include the 3 in 1 pro waterworks tool, the 3 in 1 mini pro waterworks tool and the 3 in 1 pro pent head (San Jose style) waterworks tool.

Opens Curb box, controls water meter valve,

Controls gas meter valves

A.C.E. 3 in 1 Pro Waterworks Tool (8)
3 in 1 Pro Waterworks Tool and Accessories and Extensions

Wheel handle valve control

These tools are constructed for durability and ease of use. They are designed to do many jobs with just one tool. Both the pro pent head and the pro are suitable for professional use by waterworks, utility companies, landscapers etc.

Buy Now special pricing for California Fire News: Ace Fabrication presents the Three in One Mini Pro - Gas, water valve control tool, manhole and Curb box cover hook, Convenient storage, telescoping tubular construction, all steel, American made

Click here to buy the 3 in 1 Mini -Pro valve control tool, Special Internet sale price.

A.C.E. 3 in 1 Mini Pro Disaster Relief Tool
Access and control Fuel Gas valves, water valves, sewer clean outs.: 3 in 1 Mini Pro - For everyday use around the home and ready for any emergency.

The mini pro is a smaller version designed for the professional but priced for home use.

Please check out our website and feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

SAR News: 21.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons

2009-01-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

SAR News: 21.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons will no longer be monitored by satellite after February 1

U.S.C.G. - Get the Fix...Switch to 406

121.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons will no longer be monitored by satellite after February 1, 2009

Where can I find more information regarding the the phaseout of 121.5 MHz beacons for satellite distress alerting?: Information regarding the phaseout is available from the NOAA SARSAT website: http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov
Who can I contact if I have questions regarding the switchover?: Individuals may contact LCDR Katherine Niles (katherine.m.niles@uscg.mil) in the Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue (CG-534)

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.uscg.mil/global/widget/switchover.html"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;View Message&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

More Information:

121.5 MHz Phase Out: The International Cospas-Sarsat Program will terminate satellite processing of distress signals from 121.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons on February 1, 2009. After this date, mariners, aviators and other persons will have to switch to emergency beacons operating at 406 MHz in order to be detected by satellites.

Coast Guard Message
Code of Federal Regulations
Press Release
Articles on Phase Out

Satellites will stop processing signals from 121.5 MHz
emergency beacons (EPIRBs and ELTs) on 01 Feb 2009.

Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking:
SARSAT

SARSAT overview graphic
Is your emergency beacon registered?
To enhance protection of life and property, it is mandatory that emergency beacons be registered with NOAA before installation and that information be kept up to date.
Click here for easy online beacon registration information.
Beacon Registration Website

EPIRB registration form ELT registration form PLB registration form

SARSAT Information:

Cospas-Sarsat brochure
SAR Satellites Help Save Lives article from CG Magazine, Dec 2007

Training Presentations:

SARSAT System Overview [view presentation]
How EPIRBs Work [view presentation]
Time to get a 406 MHz ELT for your aircraft [view presentation]
Testing magnets installed on EPIRB brackets [view presentation]

Properly Dispose of Old Beacons To Prevent False Alerts
Discarded radio beacon triggers false alarm... [read more]

A Survivor's Story
A testimonial from Rudy Snel on surviving the sinking of Sean Seamour II, thanks to an EPIRB [play audio]

Beacon Types
There are three types of beacons used to transmit distress signals:

EPIRB: Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon for maritime use

EPIRB Fact Sheet
Fishing vessel carriage requirements 46 CFR 25.26
121.5 MHz EPIRBs Prohibited 47 CFR 80.1051

ELT: Emergency Locator Transmitter for aviation use

Aircraft carriage requirements 14 CFR 91.207
Time to get a 406 MHz ELT

PLB: Personal Locator Beacon for land-based applications

Firefighters Now Exempt From Wearing High-Visibility Apparel

2009-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

Safety News: CPF wins firefighter high-visibility safety apparel

Firefighters Now Exempt From Wearing High-Visibility Apparel

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) today issued an Interim Final Rule to address safety concerns raised by the firefighting community regarding high-visibility safety apparel.

The Interim Final Rule:

• Revises the definition of "worker" to exclude firefighters when they are exposed to flame, fire, high heat or hazardous materials

• Exempts firefighters from the requirement to use high-visibility safety apparel, when the use of such apparel may increase the risk of injury to firefighter personnel

The rule is effective as of November 24, 2008. This amends the Worker Visibility rule (23CFR 634), which was designed to improve the safety of workers by providing increased visibility to approaching motorists and construction traffic.

"Firefighters across the country spoke out and were heard," said Lou Paulson, President of California Professional Firefighters. "The firefighter's job is dangerous enough without adding the risks that these high-visibility garments pose. Common sense has prevailed."

Click here to read this Interim Final Rule.

Source: http://www.cpf.org - Link
Firefighters-now-exempt-from-wearing-high-visibility-apparel

More:
1 - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
is recognized as the national standard for all traffic control devices
installed on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to public travel. It is available at - Link

2 - ANSI 107-1999 is the nationally recognized standard for
high-visibility garments developed in conjunction with the
International Safety Equipment Association. Copies may be obtained at:  - Link

Safety News: CPF wins firefighter high-visibility safety apparel exemption

Haz Mat News: Hydrogen Sulfide is a new method of suicide

2009-01-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

Trics of the Trade: New Hazmat Threat Comes to the US Hydrogen Sulfide is a new method of suicide

TONY TRICARICO
Firehouse.Com Contributor

A popular means of suicide, is there such a thing? Well apparently there is now.

In the first six months of 2008, the press reports that in Japan more than 500 people have killed themselves using hydrogen sulfide created by mixing chemicals commonly available over the counter in supermarkets and drug stores. Japan's government has long battled to contain the country's alarmingly high suicide rate. A total of 32,155 people killed themselves in 2006, giving the country the ninth highest rate in the world.

Suicides first passed the 30,000 mark in 1998, near the height of an economic slump that left many bankrupt, jobless and desperate. The Japanese government has earmarked 22.5 billion yen ($220 million) for anti-suicide programs to help those with depression and other mental conditions. Last year it set a goal of cutting the suicide rate by 20 percent in 10 years through steps such as reducing unemployment, boosting workplace counseling and filtering Web sites that promote this despicable act.

According to official statistics, about a million people die by suicide annually, more than those murdered or killed in war. According to 2005 data, suicides in the U.S. outnumber homicides by nearly two-to-one and ranks as the 11th leading cause of death in the country, ahead of liver disease and Parkinson's disease. According to a 2008 report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy, the rate of suicide in the United States is increasing for the first time in a decade. The increase in the overall suicide rate between 1999 and 2005 was due primarily to an increase in suicides among whites aged 40-64, with white middle-aged women experiencing the largest annual increase.

Worldwide suicide rates have increased by 60 percent in the past 50 years, mainly in the developing countries. Most suicides in the world occur in Asia, which is estimated to account for up to 60 percent of all suicides. According to the World Health Organization, China, India and Japan may account for 40 percent of all world suicides.

Many of these incidents have occurred in apartments, private houses and vehicles. Authorities, (you and I), are concerned that it could become "more popular" in the United States as the publicity about these incident spreads.

In fact, in August 2008 the Pasadena, CA, Fire Department responded to a suicide involving Hydrogen Sulfide. The victim, found dead in his car, had mixed a fungicide and a toilet bowl cleaner in a plastic tray creating a bright blue liquid and placed the tray in the back seat of his vehicle. The man that killed himself placed a note on the vehicle warning first responders of the hazard. A subsequent investigation revealed that this person may have been to multiple web sites of Japanese origin that provides information on how to use Hydrogen Sulfide as a tool to commit suicide.

Although this incident is a suicide, it demonstrates the potential for anyone to easily produce the chemical and use it as a weapon in a terrorist attack. The Pasadena incident led to the evacuation of several businesses in the immediate area and left bystanders stranded for as much as five hours while the first responders assessed the scene.

In another incident in Japan, 90 people in an apartment building were reportedly sickened when a teenage girl killed herself using a mixture of household chemicals that produced the Hydrogen Sulfide in the bathroom of her apartment.

Hydrogen Sulfide is also known by the following names; hydro sulfuric acid; sulfuretted hydrogen; sewer gas; sulfane; sulfur hydride; sour gas; sulfurated hydrogen; hydrosulfuric acid; stink damp; and rotten egg gas. Its chemical molecular formula is H2S. H2S is a colorless, toxic, flammable gas with a strong odor of rotten eggs or flatulence. Odor is not a reliable indicator as to the concentrations because the sense of smell becomes rapidly fatigued and can not be relied upon to warn of the continuous presence of the gas. H2S is a by product of the decay of organic material and accidental exposure has occurred in situations involving sewage, liquid manure, natural gas, and animal and vegetable matter storage and processing. It can also be found at certain industrial facilities, such as waste water treatment plants, petroleum refineries, pulp and paper manufacturers, and plants producing sulfur or sulfuric acid. Small amounts of hydrogen sulfide occur in crude petroleum but natural gas can contain up to 80 percent. It is shipped as a liquefied compressed gas, bearing the placard 2.3, and the UN 1053.

The gas can be detected at a level of two parts per billion. To put this into perspective, 1 mL of the gas distributed evenly in a 100-seat lecture hall is about 20 ppb. The IDLH for this gas is 100 ppm. Remember that in determining IDLHs, NIOSH figures the ability of a worker to escape without loss of life or irreversible health effects being considered along with severe eye or respiratory irritation and other deleterious effects (for example: disorientation or loss of coordination) that could prevent escape. Although in most cases, egress from a particular worksite could occur in much less than 30 minutes, as a safety margin, IDLHs were based on the effects that might occur as a consequence of a 30-minute exposure. However, the 30-minute period was NOT meant to imply that workers should stay in the work environment any longer than necessary following the failure of respiratory protection equipment; in fact, every effort should be made to exit immediately.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an immediately dangerous to life or health concentration in their hazardous waste operations and emergency response regulation as follows: An atmospheric concentration of any toxic, corrosive or asphyxiant substance that poses an immediate threat to life or would cause irreversible or delayed adverse health effects or would interfere with an individual's ability to escape from a dangerous atmosphere. [29 CFR 1910.120]

Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic and flammable gas. Being heavier than air, it tends to accumulate at the bottom of poorly ventilated spaces. Although very pungent at first, it quickly deadens the sense of smell, so potential victims may be unaware of its presence until it is too late.

Hydrogen sulfide is considered a broad-spectrum poison, meaning that it can poison several different systems in the body, although the nervous system is most affected. The toxicity of H2S is comparable with that of hydrogen cyanide. It forms a complex bond with iron in the mitochondrial cytochrome enzymes, thereby blocking oxygen from binding and stopping cellular respiration. It's kind of the opposite of Carbon Monoxide, when CO is inhaled; it combines with the oxygen forming carboxyhemoglobin. Since hydrogen sulfide occurs naturally in the environment and the stomach, enzymes exist in the body capable of detoxifying it by oxidation in to (harmless) sulfate.

Exposure to lower concentrations can result in eye irritation, a sore throat and cough, nausea, shortness of breath, and fluid in the lungs. These symptoms usually go away in a few weeks. Long-term, low-level exposure may result in fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, irritability, poor memory, and dizziness. Concentrations of 700-800 ppm tend to be fatal.

Toxicity levels are:

0.0047 ppm is the recognition threshold, the concentration at which 50 percent of humans can detect the characteristic odor of hydrogen sulfide, normally described as resembling "a rotten egg"
10-20 ppm is the borderline concentration for eye irritation
50-100 ppm leads to eye damage
At 150-250 ppm the olfactory nerve is paralyzed after a few inhalations, and the sense of smell disappears, often together with awareness of danger
320-530 ppm leads to pulmonary edema with the possibility of death
530-1000 ppm causes strong stimulation of the central nervous system and rapid breathing, leading to loss of breathing
800 ppm is the lethal concentration for 50percent of humans for five minutes exposure
Concentrations over 1000 ppm cause immediate collapse with loss of breathing, even after inhalation of a single breath.

Hydrogen sulfide has been used for well over a century as a method of qualitative analysis of metal ions. In fact, the Chemistry Building at the University of Illinois in 1915 had a built-in supply of hydrogen sulfide to the various labs, i.e., H2S "on tap"! The gas was stored in a 500-gallon tank! The density of hydrogen sulfide is 1.393 g/L at 25 oC and 1 atm. This is 18 percent greater than that of air.

Hydrogen sulfide dissolves in water to make a solution that is weakly acidic. So what do we do? Know your enemy. When responding to incidents, especially suicides, be aware of the possibility of hydrogen sulfide gas. You leave the rig and someone comes up to you stating that they feel dizzy or perhaps nausea, and they have a slight smell of rotten eggs, what do you suspect. As you get on the rig, you read the dispatch ticket and it states "unusual odor throughout bldg. Multiple persons sick", you got your first clue.

Remember we may need to evacuate, this is a highly flammable gas with properties that make it heavier than air. The vapors may travel along the ground finding a source of ignition and flash back. The gas may collect in a basement, sewage system or a ravine. And most importantly, our fire fighting gear offers only limited protection, it is not effective in a spill situation or where direct contact with the chemical will be made.

An interesting diagnostic clue of extreme poisoning by H2S is the discoloration of copper coins in the pockets of the victim.

Speak to the members at roll call and company drills. Discuss the properties of this gas and make everyone aware of the necessary changes in tactics to increase our survivability. Expect the unexpected. Stay focused. Transmit the proper codes to get the hazmat team on scene and have the proper meters available.

Have everyone in SCBA, and if it's a large operation, like, perhaps an apartment building, transmit additional alarms or call for mutual aide early, and don't forget the apparatus that supplies or refills the SCBA.

Should you have an encounter with a suspicious incident involving Hydrogen Sulfide notify the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. You can find them on their websites.

In closing I would like to leave you with a thougth to ponder, a buildup of hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere may have caused the massive extinction event on our planet 252 million years ago. This is just one more...Tric of the Trade.

Source: Firehouse.com article - Link

Emergency Alerts: ALERT FM

2008-12-02T23:47:00.000-08:00

From: FIRST RESPONDER TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT:

Hazard and Aert Information to cells phones via FM public radio

Emergency Alerts: ALERT FM Provides Solution to Nation’s First Responders, Schools and the general public via FM public radio .
WARN: Technical standards for the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) for Wireless Carriers approved by the FCC.

ALERT FM™ is a personal alert and messaging system that enables emergency management officials to create and send digital alerts and messages, including NOAA weather warnings, evacuation instructions, homeland security notices, Amber Alerts or school closings to first responders, school officials, businesses and citizens based on geographic or organizational groupings.

LAS VEGAS - NAB 08 - Global Security Systems (GSS)’s emergency alert system, ALERT FM, is poised to expand its critical emergency alert service to first responders, governments, institutions and to the public as a result of last week’s adopted ruling. The rules, set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), adopt technical standards pursuant to the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) Act passed by Congress in 2006 in response to severe communications failures from natural disasters, like Hurricane Katrina.

With standards now in place, ALERT FM can provide the nation’s wireless carriers the ability to transmit timely alerts and warnings to the public in the event of an emergency. ALERT FM is designed to broadcast emergency messages over the FM public radio network as well as the commercial radio stations to reach emergency management officials, local governments, schools and, most importantly, individuals in an affected community or even across the country during a crisis.

“We applaud FCC’s order from last week and its commitment to ensuring the transmission of crucial information to public safety personnel and citizens alike in the event of an emergency,” said Robert Adams, president and CEO of Global Security Systems. “Lives are saved when first responders have the necessary tools to quickly respond to a crisis and citizens are able to receive critical alerts.”

ALERT FM provides a switch-less solution to deliver alert messages in real time to cell phones equipped with a standard FM radio chip. By using the existing FM radio networks, which remain reliable even when most wireless networks are clogged in a national crisis, ALERT FM is a “best fit” for the nation’s public alert and warning system. ALERT FM can send a single message across multiple platforms to ensure that the American public has accurate information in real time.

In comments filed with the FCC, state and local broadcasters, as well as the National Association of Broadcasters, advocated utilizing the Radio Broadcast Data System for distributing emergency warnings to cell phones and other devices equipped with FM receiver chips.

“Cell phone subscribers are only an FM chip away from having the ability to receive real time hazard and alert information over a secure and protected network,” Adams added. “Implementing ALERT FM into the nation’s public alert and warning system will save lives.”

More Information: at by Global Security Systems - Link

Hazard and Alert Information to cells phones via FM public radio

2008-12-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

Emergency Alerts: ALERT FM Provides a emergency alert and messaging system solution to Nation’s First Responders, Schools and the general public via FM public radio .
WARN: Technical standards for the Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) for Wireless Carriers approved by the FCC.

ALERT FM™ is a personal alert and messaging system that enables emergency management officials to create and send digital alerts and messages, including NOAA weather warnings, evacuation instructions, homeland security notices, Amber Alerts or school closings to first responders, school officials, businesses and citizens based on geographic or organizational groupings.

More Information: at by Global Security Systems - Link
For more information, visit http://www.alertfm.com.
nationswireless%20carrier.pdf (25.08 kb)

News: New SCBA on the way! IAFF news release

2008-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Federal Contract Gives IAFF Lead in Developing Lighter Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus

Washington, DC – The Department of Homeland Security has awarded the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) a $2 million contract to develop a new pressure vessel that will make the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) worn by first responders substantially thinner and lighter.

Smaller, lighter SCBA will improve fire fighter safety.

“The IAFF is proud of its record as the leader in the development of projects that provide direct benefits to fire fighter health and safety. With all the recent technological developments and new materials we can work with, it’s time to fast-track the introduction of new, lighter, less stressful, but highly protective equipment,” IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said.

The cylinders that contain the pressure vessels in existing SCBA account for much of the weight and size of the units. The weight and profile of those cylinders has been associated with increased rates of injury and fatalities for emergency responders.

The IAFF is working with Vulcore Industrial in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to use technology, engineering and new materials to modify the pressure vessel in a way that will reduce the weight and make it smaller and more flexible.

In initial prototype designs, the new pressure vessel offers an approximate 60 percent weight reduction over conventional SCBA cylinders. Prototypes also have a substantially smaller profile, measuring two inches in depth. Pressure vessels on conventional SCBA cylinders measure seven inches in depth.

The design braids new, thin, tubular pressure vessels in the harness assembly, instead of the large cylinders used today sitting on top of the harness assembly, allowing for greater mobility in confined spaces. Unlike conventional cylinders which contain air pressures up to 5000 psi, the new vessels won’t fragment if they’re ruptured. A punctured pressure vessel would simply vent contained air.

Members of Fort Wayne, IN, Local 124 have tested the prototypes in simulated confined space entry.

The IAFF’s contract with DHS spans a 15-month period. The research and development is expected to result in a new, commercially available SCBA.

“The IAFF is confident that a new generation of lighter, low-profile SCBA will be available to the fire service when this important research concludes, and our members will be safer for it,” Schaitberger said.

----------------------------

Government approvals
The DHS contract to the IAFF spans a 15-month period to advance the new technology toward commercialization. This effort includes getting the necessary government approvals for the new pressure vessel, working with the SCBA industry to integrate the new pressure vessel as part of existing SCBA, fulfilling government and NFPA standards certification requirements, and carrying out field testing to prove the benefits of the new technology. The IAFF Project Team, which also includes International Personnel Protection, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is working with a Technical Advisory Committee, which is providing input for the integration, testing and introduction of the new pressure vessel technology. At the first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee, several factors were identified that will help with ensuring a smooth transition of the fire service to lower weight, thinner profile SCBA. For example, since only one system can be initially brought through various required approvals and certifications, the advisory group opted for a 45-minute service life rated system.

Amazing new SCBA represent a significant improvement in personal protective equipment.
Photo : Screenshot from ABC 9 video

Harold Schaitberger, general president of the IAFF, has prioritized this effort to ensure his membership has the latest technology to minimize firefighter and other first responder stress during emergencies. "The IAFF has a long history of promoting new development projects that provide direct benefits to fire fighter health and safety," he said. "We feel that the time is right to fast track the introduction of new technology that will allow firefighters to respond lighter with a higher degree of safety by using less stressful, but highly protective equipment. At the end of this project, the IAFF is confident that a new generation of lighter, thinner SCBA will be available to the fire service."

Within the next two years, the new SCBA technology is likely to change the way that the fire service and other first responders look at SCBA and the missions that require air-supplying systems. Not only will the firefighter ensemble look different, with sleeker, lighter SCBA, the improvements for stress reduction and confined space mobility will be dramatically improved. Most importantly, the new technology will represent a paradigm change in the industry the same way that positive-pressure SCBA afforded firefighters substantially higher levels of safety and health compared to previous respirator use.

A Technical Advisory Committee of IAFF members will provide input for the integration, testing and introduction of the new pressure vessel technology. At the first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee, several factors were identified that will help ensure a smooth transition of a new SCBA to the fire service. The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, DC, represents more than 292,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect 85 percent of the nation’s population. More information is available at www.iaff.org.

VIDEO: ABC 9 video

INFO: Personal Locator Beacon COSPAS-SARSAT System

2008-04-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)

The Personal Locator Beacon is one interesting gizmo as it targets those who tend to live life to the extreme, going about their duties with a variety of outdoor activities such as four-wheel driving, boating, camping, off-road motorcycling and even snowmobiling. Unfortunately, such activity is often accompanied by a wider range of risks, including breaking a random body part, getting bitten by an animal such as a snake, or being in a position where it is nigh impossible to get out of without some external help. This is where the Personal Locator Beacon comes in as it is capable of transmitting your current location (in GPS coordinates, of course) on internationally recognized distress frequencies monitored by companies such as NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (SARSAT). Should you be unable to be under the umbrella of a GPS signal, there is always the less advanced (but accurate) option relying on the Doppler for your current position.

I guess Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) would definitely be worth every penny - after all, how much value do you place on your own life? Everyone has been created to be wired with a survival instinct, so it doesn’t make much sense to not do your bit whenever engaged in such outdoor activities. PLB will cost anywhere from $499 to $699 each, but the best thing is there isn’t any annual or subscription fees to worry about. The following are some of the specifications for your perusal.

Works in concert with the COSPAS-SARSAT System

Dedicated global satellite SAR system

Serious Life Saving Equipment

Designed to work when all else has failed

Approved to International Standards for life saving equipment

SAR agencies: NOAA, USCG, US Air Force and NASAR (National Association of Search & Rescue)

Emergency signals received by two satellite groups: GEOSAR (stationary/provides immediate alert) & LEOSAR (provides location/orbits every 100 minutes)

User Fee: NONE (tax payer supported system)

Three redundant methods of pinpointing location

Alert notification 50 seconds with GPS; one hour without GPS

Lithium batteries with 11-year shelf life

Antennas: 1 for GPS and 1 for distress message

Source: Gizmag
Tags: Personal Locator Beacons, PLBs, GPS, GEOSAR, SAR, NOAA, USCG, US Air Force, NASAR

Media: Rapid Intervention Team Staging and Task Force Operations

2008-03-28T00:46:00.000-07:00

Monthly Training Topic - Rapid Intervention Team Staging and Task Force Operations

First published January 2005 - Discovered today? rehashed here because it is still good...Great RIT Media From rapidintervention.com

Rapid Intervention Team Staging and Task Force Operations

By James K. Crawford
Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire

The importance of building an equipment bank close to the scene for firefighter rescue operations cannot be underestimated. Having this Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) equipment staging area close to the firefighter rescue operations will drastically reduce the amount of time required to move this specialized rescue equipment to a downed firefighter in the event of a mayday. This operation is similar to transferring companies closer to a working fire as the incident escalates.

As we all know, seconds count when a firefighter becomes lost or trapped in a burning building. Taking steps to reduce this time wherever we can will increase the chances of survival for the firefighter in trouble. Rapid Intervention Teams must be pro-active while on the fireground. Performing building and fire condition size ups on a periodic basis during the incident should be standard protocol for the RIT. A pro-active procedure such as setting up and maintaining a pool of firefighter rescue equipment near the incident, versus running for this equipment when a mayday is declared is good rapid intervention management. A series of staging levels is incorporated into the RIT standby to better manage the operations.

Level 1 Staging

A level 1 staging operation would be for "routine" room and contents fires that are held to one alarm, a smaller fire. This type fire is usually under control within 15 to 20 minutes requiring the use of one or two attack lines. Statistically, the most dangerous time on the fireground is within the first 20 minutes of arrival. With a quick dispatch of a RIT on the first alarm of reported structure fires, a firefighter rescue team would arrive well before this time frame expires.

During a level 1 staging operation the RIT would report to command and stage in front of the building, (trying to maintain a view of at least two sides of the fire building). The team should have with them; basic forcible entry tools, full PPE and SCBA, handlights, RIT bag (if used), a thermal imaging camera (if available), and an SCBA rescue pack. This level of staging will usually be short in nature time wise and would not require the action of setting up a formal staging area.

Level 2 Staging

A level 2 staging operation would be for one alarm fires that escalate into a two alarm or greater incident, a larger fire. Additionally, a fire that would advance to a second alarm before the arrival of the RIT would advance to a level 2 staging operation. This type of incident is inherently more dangerous to firefighters and would require a more pro-active standby.

The length of on scene time increases, structural integrity of the fire building weakens, firefighters work strenuously at initial on scene tasks reducing their stamina. Engine crews advance deeper into smoke filled structures locating the seat of the fire, truck crews are spending more time on the roof, and SCBA air supplies are often stretched to the low air alarm.

All of these situations and more make for a more perilous fireground with accidents and dangerous situations lurking in the shadows. It is within this type of incident that our firefighter rescue teams must be vigilant and ready to deploy at a moment's notice.

Having a formal equipment staging area during this type of incident will increase the RIT's ability to deploy on a mayday. This level of standby adds more specialized rescue equipment to the teams arsenal requiring the use of a salvage tarp placed on the ground to better control and maintain this equipment pool. This tarp will also notify suppression firefighters that this equipment is for use by the RIT only in the event of a mayday.

Equipment such as a chainsaw and circular saw with a metal cutting blade. Having these saws immediately available to the RIT will enable them to quickly perform an enlarged opening on a structure to remove firefighters or cut steel security bars from windows for immediate firefighter escape. This staging level would also require the team to secure a power source for providing electrical power to specialized rescue equipment such as sawzalls, electric chainsaws, or lighted search rope.

In addition, the team would make arrangements for a protective hoseline to be available to advance behind the team if they deploy into the structure on a mayday. I have observed some teams purchase bright orange tarps with reflective trim for use as the staging tarp. This simply is one more way to further identify that the tools and equipment on this tarp are designated for firefighter rescue operations only. The use of a tarp is not required but certainly helps to control the pool of equipment being placed in one area.

Level 3 Staging and Task Force Operations

The level 1 or 2 staging would advance to level 3 staging for any of the following reasons:

An actual "mayday" has been declared

A firefighter or company is reported missing and the RIT deploys

A PASS device has activated that cannot be identified or located and the RIT deploys.

The initial standby team would deploy into the structure and two additional Rapid Intervention Teams, or a Rapid Intervention Task Force, would be dispatched immediately. It is best if this task force is on scene before the mayday occurs.

A way of having this task force on scene early on is to have it dispatched on the implementation of a level 2 staging operation. It is a proven fact through training and case studies of actual firefighter rescues that a tremendous amount of manpower is needed to find, extricate, and remove a downed firefighter from a burning building.

Often as much as 10 to 12 firefighters may be needed to rescue just one downed firefighter. This extra manpower could be the difference between life and death of a trapped firefighter. If the downed firefighter has become trapped or pinned by an object or debris, the initial RIT will more than likely NOT complete the removal. Their air supplies and stamina will become depleted before the firefighter is rescued. Having the back up teams in place will drastically increase the chances of survival for the downed firefighter. It is more important to have this extra manpower on scene where they are needed the most versus having to respond to the scene wasting critical time.

When the two additional RIT's arrive on the scene, one team (RIT 2) will prepare to enter the structure and assist RIT 1 with the firefighter rescue. They may also be ready to assist from the exterior of the building by creating enlarged openings or setting up mechanical advantage lowering systems for removal from elevated locations.

The other additional team (RIT 3) will work to move specialized rescue and EMS equipment from the apparatus on scene to the forward RIT staging tarp. This will save valuable time in getting this equipment inside to the victim if the initial team finds the downed firefighter in an entrapment situation. RIT 3 will then standby and protect the remaining fireground and prepare to support RIT 1 and 2. You should now have a staff of at least 10 to 13 firefighters on scene to deal directly with the mayday. If needed, additional Rapid Intervention Task Forces can be dispatched to the scene to assist with the downed firefighter operations.

This RIT staging operation should be the basic minimum procedure used on any fireground. Certainly if you have a larger response plan in place continue with what is working for you. Having a larger Rapid Intervention response to any incident is a plus when it comes time to deploy on a mayday.

Most fire departments simply do not have these resources immediately available to them. This is not to say that a plan could not be devised and implemented with some pre-planning and joint cooperation with your mutual aid fire departments. For larger career departments, this RIT task force concept and staging level plan should not be an issue. For both the career and volunteer sectors, it's simply an attitude, whether positive or negative regarding your firefighter rescue operations.

The task force can be dispatched automatically on the finding of a working fire or an additional alarm being struck. This task force could include an additional engine, truck, and rescue company devoted to RIT to arrive on scene and assist the initial standby team with rapid intervention duties such as implementing the RIT staging levels.

However you decide to set up your RIT response, keep in mind that when a mayday occurs, it happens very quickly and will catch everyone off guard. If you do not have a solid rapid intervention plan in place right then and there, chances are you will not catch up to the rescue operation.

The emergency actions involving a mayday will most likely be over within 20 minutes of the distress call. If you have to call for the task force after the mayday is sounded, you will already be behind for this event. Personally, I would rather not be throwing Hail Mary passes during a firefighter rescue. But rather planned, precise, and logical decisions that will save the firefighters life.

Conclusion

Not every procedure, guideline, or plan will work for every fire department. Each individual organization must plan and develop a firefighter rescue program that is tailored to suit their needs, response area, and building construction. But remember, firefighter rescue is extremely labor intensive regardless of where you are located. Bottom line is this. Fire buildings kill firefighters. Mix that with a combination of untrained rescue teams, inadequate rescue equipment, poor or no rapid intervention procedures, and lack of a priority in RIT and you are surely setting yourself up to be hosting a firefighter funeral. The Rapid Intervention Task Force concept is a viable way of having or getting manpower to the scene quickly to increase the chances of survival for our people in trouble. Rapid Intervention staging levels are another way of putting the resources we need close to the area it is needed most. Lets all give each other the upper hand at survival if we become lost, trapped, or disoriented within a fire building and initiate new procedures or revise old ones. Remember, change can be good?

About The Author

James K. Crawford is a Lieutenant with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire assigned to Truck Company #8 in the East Liberty section of the city and a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com. He is a Fire Suppression Instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy and the Assistant Chief of Operations for the 171st Air Refueling Wing Fire Department, Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Jim is also a Search & Rescue Manager with the Pennsylvania USAR Strike Team One (PA-ST 1). He is a graduate of the Pittsburgh Fire Academy and the Air Force Fire Academy spending four years on active duty as a firefighter. He has over 25 years experience in the career and volunteer fire service. Jim teaches nationally on the subject of firefighter rescue and is the President of Rapid Intervention Training Associates and founder of RAPID INTERVENTION.COM.
Media Subject: Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) - Rapid Intervention Team Staging and Task Force Operations

Firefighting Foam contaminates water supply

2008-03-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Fire foam contaminates water supply

Fire trucks' water pressure overwhelmed the city's drinking supply lines and pushed fire-suppression foam into them as firefighters tried to extinguish a burning Strip District warehouse, Pittsburgh's director of public safety said Wednesday.

Two pumper trucks were connected to fire hydrants for a long time Tuesday afternoon, said Public Safety Director Mike Huss, and as the pressure built up in the truck lines, it overwhelmed the drinking water lines' force.

"It's highly unusual, and we're surprised that it did it," Huss said.

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority advised people Downtown and in the Strip District not to use water for a few hours into yesterday morning, until the foam could be flushed from the system.

Ingesting less than an ounce of the biodegradable foam wouldn't pose a health threat, but it can irritate skin and eyes, said Bob Hutton, a project coordinator for the authority. Callers began complaining about soapy-looking water Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters allowed the four-alarm fire, which started Tuesday morning in the former Otto Milk Co. complex at 25th and Smallman streets, to burn overnight because of difficulties extinguishing it in cork- and foam-insulated walls. The building continued smoldering yesterday.

Fire Chief Darryl Jones said he had not seen the foam problem in the 20 years he has fought fires.

"We are going to make some adjustments to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

The fire apparently started when a construction crew's cutting torch ignited insulation in the building, the construction crew manager said. The building's owner, Jack Benoff, was gutting the building and plans to convert it to condominiums.

Source: Full story and updates at: pittsburghlive.com

Fire Gel: Fire foam contaminates water supply

Public Safety Vests - ANSI 207 Vests

2008-02-20T03:48:00.000-08:00

First Responder Safety:

PUBLIC SAFETY VESTS OK SAYS FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION

Public Safety Vests (ANSI 207-2006) meet the requirements of Federal Regulation 23 CFR 634 according to a letter to the CVVFA Emergency Responder Safety Institute from Jeff Paniti Associate Administrator for Operations at the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), US Department of Transportation.

The decision clears the confusion highway responders faced in preparing to comply with the Rule that goes into effect on November 24, 2008. ANSI labeled garments Class II and Class III are referenced in the rule. In his letter Mr. Paniti stated " we reviewed the ANSI ISEA 207-2006 public safety vest standard very carefully and found this standard compatible with the ANSI/ISEA Class II requirements for night-time visibility."

As reported previously Federal Highway intends to add ANSI 207 Vests to the next revision of the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The comment period is now open for the revision and pubic safety groups are encouraged to submit comments on this and other issues.

The CVVFA ERSI advocated for the clarification and rallied support for the change with the Safety Health and Survival Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and with the National Traffic Incident Management Coalition among others.

"FHWA deserves praise for making the correct decision to include the Public Safety Vest." said Steve Austin CVVFA ERSI Project Manager. "Now that the confusion is cleared up we can direct all of our efforts to educating highway responders on how to comply with the federal rule so lives can be saved" he added.

Click to download related files
1. FHWA PS Vest Compliance -.pdf Full Text of FHA Letter

1. File Your Comments on the MUTCD

Government Resources for Firefighter PPE – Part 2

2008-01-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

NIOSH is probably best known among firefighters for its certification of all respirators used in the United States. Respirators are the only type of PPE that is certified by the federal government. However, NIOSH has a much larger role than just respirator certification in the area of PPE.

The organization is increasingly involved in several other programs supporting research and testing that is leading to better PPE for fire service applications. It even has a specific facility that focuses on PPE issues — the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) — which was established in 2001 at the Bruceton Research Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This article highlights NIOSH's role relative to PPE as a government resource to the fire service and describes some of the other federal programs that are directed towards improvement of firefighter health and safety.

As an extension of NIOSH's respirator certification program, the NPPTL, with support from what is now the Department of Homeland Security, developed specific criteria for SCBA that offer protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) terrorism agents.

NIOSH capitalized on the existing framework of requirements in NFPA 1981, the current standard for open-circuit self-contained breathing apparatus used by the emergency services, and established additional criteria against chemical warfare agents based on a comprehensive hazard and risk analysis. The CBRN approval criteria became an extra certification for fire service SCBA in 2002, but are now a mandatory part of the new NFPA 1981 standard that was released earlier this year.

NIOSH NPPTL then went on to develop additional criteria to cover CBRN approvals for other respirators such as air-purifying, escape, and powered air-purifying respirators. As with conventional respirators, NIOSH maintains the responsibility for the certification of these specialized respirators while NPPTL continues to broaden its creation of new criteria for respirator development, with many of these programs benefiting fire and emergency services.

Impartial support
NPPTL personnel directly participate on NFPA protective clothing and equipment standards development committees related to fire service PPE. This role helps to provide impartial support for standards development that is otherwise unavailable to the voluntary member-based committees.

In particular, NPPTL personnel have undertaken efforts to meet standards development needs as they are identified by the fire service and other organizations. For example, a recent NIOSH-sponsored project entailed an investigation of emergency medical first responder needs, and created and revised criteria for emergency medical PPE as part of the revision of NFPA 1999.

These revised criteria are helping the protective clothing industry and end users to overcome industry performance and acceptance issues, which were inhibiting the use of certified products. NIOSH NPPTL has also sponsored a program for research into test methods that better predict the incidence of firefighter burns in protective garments where no clothing damage takes place.

This research program for the development of a "stored thermal heat energy" test method will lead to new performance criteria that will help protective clothing manufacturers apply new materials and designs to minimize burns that occur under ordinary fireground conditions and ultimately result in the overall reduction of firefighter burn injuries.

In another example, NIOSH has been working to collect surveillance data on smoke and toxic chemical exposures during wildland firefighting. This information is expected to form the foundation of performance criteria for the long awaited and overdue standard on respiratory protective devices for wildland firefighters.

In some instances, NIOSH has had to undertake short-term research programs for responding to industry issues where concerns exist about equipment in the field. Recently, it was discovered the firefighter PASS devices had alarm components that diminished when exposed to certain high heat and moisture conditions. A program led by NIOSH with support from the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Building Fire Research Laboratory worked to identify the nature of the problem, investigate test methodology for replicating the field malperformance of PASS, and recommend criteria that would overcome device deficiencies.

These criteria became part of NFPA 1982 standard adopted earlier this year. In response to a different industry concern, NIOSH and NIST joined forces to examine heat resistance testing variability associated with different laboratories for evaluating glove liners. While this investigation is still in progress, initial findings show some discrepancies exist among laboratories performing certification testing and may impact the status of some certified products in the field. Both of these programs illustrate how government resources can provide relatively rapid assistance for impartially dealing with PPE issues as they arise in the absence of overall industry oversight organizations.

Fatality prevention program
In 1998, NIOSH instituted the Fire Fighter Fatality and Prevention Program (FFFIPP). The FFFIPP investigates firefighter line-of-duty deaths — and selected non-fatal injuries — with the goal of formulating recommendations for the prevention of future casualties. The investigators use the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) model.

Medical records, death certificates, and autopsy reports as well as interviews and evaluations of PPE, particularly SCBA, are integral to the process of investigating fatalities. Each report includes a summary of the incident and specific recommendations for preventing similar events. Reports omit department and individual identifiers, as the focus is not on determining fault or blame, but rather on understanding the causes of firefighter fatalities and then developing and disseminating recommendations for prevention of fatalities.

As a result of this program, deficiencies related to the use of PPE are sometimes identified and can lead to improvements in both PPE design and deployment.

Meanwhile, government resources are being applied to increase the protective qualities and usability of PPE for fire and emergency services. Government studies are frequently undertaken to encourage evaluation for the limitations of current PPE and the potential for improvements in first responder health and safety.

While many developments have taken place over the years, one of the earliest successful programs was Project FIRES (Firefighters Integrated Response Equipment System) as sponsored by the U. S. Fire Administration, with technology transfer support by NASA and led by the IAFF. Project FIRES established the template design and performance for today's modern bunker clothing.

Currently, with the USFA as part of the Department of Homeland Security, new generation firefighter protective ensembles are being developed in two separate efforts by the IAFF and Total Fire Group through Project HEROES, and by North Carolina State University and Globe Fire Fighters Suits in their CB Ready program to deal with emerging threats for chemical and biological terrorism.

These programs are managed by the Technical Support Working Group, a government organization that fast tracks R&D programs for rapid commercialization related to domestic preparedness applications. The resulting new protective ensembles are establishing new ways to increase firefighter protection and are encouraging design innovations in clothing technology. A recent adjunct to the IAFF's Project HEROES is a new pressure vessel development program that will revolutionize the PPE industry with lower weight, smaller profile SCBA.

The judicious focus of resources through organizations seeking to address issues, heighten awareness and provide solutions is one way that the federal government is helping to promote greater levels of firefighter and other first responder health and safety issues.

Source: (1)

Government Resources for Firefighter PPE – Part 1

2007-10-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

We often joke about the phrase, "Hi, I'm here from the government, and I am here to help you." Jokes surrounding the phrase focus on the differences between Joe Firefighter's expectations and the reality of the government support that is actually provided.

But all too often some aspects of truly worthwhile government programs are overlooked and it's easy to forget that there are some roles that only the government can fulfill in an unbiased and reasonable fashion. There is a range of federal government activity that supports fire service protective clothing and equipment programs.

Within the arena of government-supported PPE programs, the first area that many firefighters will identify are the grant programs, whereby individual departments are able to apply for funds to acquire equipment and supplies, which often includes protective clothing and equipment. The basis for some of these programs is to outfit jurisdictions throughout the country for domestic preparedness purposes.

As the most well known grant program for the fire service, grants from the FIRE Act or Assistance to Firefighters Grant program currently remain secure with increased funding over the past several years. The FIRE Act grant program has provided many fire and rescue agencies with critically needed equipment.

Naturally, the national fire service organizations remain in active leadership roles for the peer review for the FIRE Act Grant applications. In order to succeed in getting grant monies, fire departments must conduct a needs assessment to determine what category of the FIRE Act Grant program best benefits their community. The government offers several grant seminars that are described on ww.usfa.fema.gov, and there are several other fire news resources out there such as FireGrantsHelp.com.

The purchase of PPE through grant programs over the past several years has been limited to products that meet relevant standards. Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD-8), enacted in 2003, requires that all PPE meet specific standards if federal funds are used for its purchase. This directive is positioned for strengthening the preparedness of the United States first responder community for contending with domestic terrorism threats.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has further adopted specific standards for emergency response personal protective equipment that include:

Structural and proximity firefighting protective ensembles (NFPA 1971)
Self-contained breathing apparatus meeting chemical/biological protection requirements (NFPA 1981)
Technical rescue protective ensembles (NFPA 1951)
Hazardous materials vapor-protective ensembles (NFPA 1991)
Hazardous materials liquid splash protective ensembles (NFPA 1992)
First responder chemical/biological protective ensembles (NFPA 1994)
Emergency medical protective clothing (NFPA 1999)

In order to better define first responder equipment needs, government organizations established and continue to support the InterAgency Board (IAB) for Equipment Standardization and Inter-Operability.

The IAB is a user-working group supported by voluntary participation from various local, state, federal government and private organizations. Its mission is to establish and coordinate local, state and federal standardization, inter-operability and responder safety to prepare for, respond to, mitigate and recover from any incident by identifying requirements for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or Explosives (CBRNE) incident response equipment.

Its scope is expanding to cover all hazards associated with first response such as floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

The IAB specifically supports the local, state, and federal responders’ efforts in homeland security by:

Serving in an advisory capacity to all federal agenciesacilitating integration among local, state and federal response communities to promote proper selection and use of the best available equipment and procedures to optimize safety, interoperability and efficiency
Developing, maintaining and updating a Standardized Equipment List (SEL), which provides the responder a reference to the type of equipment required to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover from a CBRNE incident
Advocating for, assisting in, and promoting the development and implementation of performance criteria, standards and test protocols for SEL-listed CBRNE incident response equipment
Encouraging the coordination of local and state response communities with established military and federal acquisition programs for procurement of SEL-listed CBRNE incident response equipment
Identifying and prioritizing CBRNE incident response equipment requirements
Encouraging manufacturers, governmental, military and private agencies to sponsor priority research and development projects to satisfy local, state, and federal CBRNE incident response equipment requirements

In addition to state and local first responder organization representatives, the IAB's membership includes participants from the several federal agencies that have responsibilities in homeland security, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security itself.

The primary output of the IAB is the Standardized Equipment List, known as the SEL. The SEL provides a list of the essential equipment items needed by local, state and federal organizations for domestic preparedness. In addition to identifying the types of the items to be used, the SEL establishes the minimum requirements for many of those items by setting requirements for conformance to specific standards.

The SEL addresses the equipment needs of firefighters, emergency medical service personnel, police and specialized response personnel. Many of the firefighter and first responder grant programs are now requiring or will shortly require use of the SEL as the source of information for submitting grant applications. As a consequence, organizations must make their requests for response equipment based on items that meet the requirements of the SEL.

The SEL is organized into the four areas representing the organization of the IAB. All listed personal protective equipment items are linked with existing standards in the 2005 edition of the SEL. This means that clothing and equipment must meet the appropriate standard in order to meet SEL requirements. In turn, only equipment that meets SEL requirements can be submitted as part of many grant applications. To aid the process of selecting personal protective equipment, the IAB has developed a matrix that shows the various types of CBRNE hazards and indicates how compliant ensembles — clothing and equipment — protect against those hazards.

Limited protection
While this matrix was originally development to recognize protective ensembles for CBRN hazards, it is important to note that some types of protective ensembles provide limited protection in WMD events. For example, structural firefighting protective clothing, in its current configuration for meeting NFPA 1971 requirements, provides no CBRNE protection, but may be useful in parts of the response following a CBRNE event. Similar caveats exist for ensembles and clothing compliant to NFPA 1951 (Urban Search and Rescue) and NFPA 1999 (Emergency Medical Operations).

The Department of Homeland Security further supports a comprehensive database for first responder equipment known as the Responder Knowledge Base (RKD). This database features the largest listing of personal protective equipment for the fire and other emergency services, with the database further incorporating listing of other first responder equipment.

Protective clothing and equipment items are described in detail, with particular information provided in specific fields of information for product characteristics and properties that allow comparison of products. Clothing and equipment that have been certified to various national consensus standards are emphasized over non-certified products. The database further provides information on relevant standards, grant programs and industry references.

The RKD also permits questions to be posed to industry experts and allows firefighters to get feedback on particular products, which have been reviewed by other end users. It also provides mission critical hints and other useful information that aids in the selection of personal protective equipment. Lastly, the RKB serves as a means for reporting problems with specific products and assists in notifying the certification organization and manufacturers of issues that may relate to product quality or performance.

The federal government is working to truly help the first responder industry, including the fire service. The above information only serves as a few examples of the types of tools that the government is undertaking to improve the health and safety of firefighters.

In the next article, additional government resources will be explored that include the effort of the NIOSH National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory and other organizations that support research directly focused on fire service health and safety improvements.

(1)

NFPA standard for PASS alarms -- Upgraded went into effect on September 1st.

2007-09-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Firegeezer.com:

NFPA at the PASS

Yesterday we had a brief discussion about NFPA Technical Committees and then later on there was, coincidentally, an article that mentioned a LODD that was aggravated by a faulty or poorly-designed PASS alarm.

It has been brought to my attention that the NFPA standard for PASS alarms has just been upgraded substantially and went into effect on September 1st. Any alarms sold after that date cannot be labeled as “NFPA Compliant” unless they meet this new standard. The relevant document is NFPA 1982 - Standard on Personal Alert Safety Systems, 2007 edition, and is maintained by the Electronic Safety Equipment Committee.

In a nutshell, this revised standard includes four demanding tests on the devices that are really quite stringent:

A water immersion requirement where the device is exposed to 350º for 15 minutes and then immersed in water for 15 minutes. After six cycles it must still function properly and be completely dry inside.
New high-temperature requirement calls for it to be subjected to 500º heat for five minutes without any melting or destruction and maintain all functions including the 95 dBA alarm sound level.
It is tumbled in a rotating drum for three hours and then tested to see if it remained fully functional.
A new “muffling” test where a subject wearing full gear lays in five prescribed positions and the alarm signal must still be emitted at the required 95 dBA sound level.

It should be noted that the three leading SCBA manufacturers, Scott, MSA and Survivair have all indicated that they will be producing PASS alarms that meet these new standards.

You can look at this new standard HERE. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “View the 2007 edition of this document.” You’ll still have another couple of clicks to go through after that, but it’s easier than coming up with the $33 to buy one.

OSHA: Proposes $68,600 in Penalties Against Furniture Delivery Company

2007-08-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

OSHA Proposes $68,600 in Penalties Against Furniture Delivery Company

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $68,600 in fines against Southeast Independent Delivery Services for two violations of federal workplace safety standards.

OSHA opened an investigation in February 2007 following the death of a fleet mechanic who was pinned between two trucks while performing maintenance on one of the vehicles at the company's worksite in Suwanee, Ga.

"This was a preventable tragedy. Management had been aware of the need to take action since 2004 and had sufficient time to implement the necessary safety procedures but failed to do so," said Gei-Thae Breezley, director of the agency's Atlanta East Area Office.

OSHA issued one willful violation with a proposed penalty of $63,000 for alleged failure to implement and train employees on a lockout/tagout program to be used when performing vehicle maintenance. Lockout/tagout practices and procedures are intended to safeguard employees from the unexpected energization or startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities.

OSHA also issued one serious violation with a proposed penalty of $5,600 for the company's failure to assure that employees used wheel chocks or applied the parking brake when working on vehicles.

Prior to this incident, the agency had issued safety violation citations to the company following a December 2006 vehicle collision in the yard which seriously injured one employee.

The company has 15 working days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The Suwanee worksite was inspected by staff from OSHA's Atlanta East Area Office, 2183 Northlake Parkway, Building 7, Suite 110, Tucker, Ga.; telephone (770) 493-6644.

Labels: OSHA Fines

California Fire News

2007-07-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

California Fire News:

Commentary -The best of Breed - Cal Fire News Top Twelve

Simply the best of breed the Top Twelve in Wildland Information resources for June

Breaking news, new equipment, fun reading, info, and of course a hot chick :

The best / Hottest Firefighter blog on the net! - The adventures of Copter Chick -She currently fly's for one company that operates the channel 4 helicopter for KNBC here in Los Angeles as well as several USFS/CDF contracts for firefighting. A beutiful chick helicopter pilot fighting fires for the USFS and CDF during the summer and flying news in Los Angeles during the winter for KNBC, Los Angeles does it get any hotter than that?, And then she shares her experience's this one you have to bookmark!
http://copterchick.blogspot.com/

The best new Firefighter blog - Firefighter Blog - Firefighter Stories, Fire News, Commentary & General Firefighting Content, Firefighting News and commentary from a old saw, written in a been there done it perspective
Firefighter Blog - http://firefighterblog.blogspot.com/

The best Fire fighter wives blog - wildland firefighter wives blog -Title says's it all Take those dirty boots off before you even think about coming in here...
http://www.wildlandfirefighterwives.blogspot.com/

The best new name in Fire photo's -Lucas911
This kid is bright and when he is not on the fireline with a hose look for him there with a lens.
http://lucas911.com/

The best in Bay Area Web Cams - Bay Area Web Cams - Simply Bay Area outdoor Web Cams! - When SCU is busy check out the Mount Hamilton view
http://www.rntl.net/cams.htm

The best Fire Information in Los Angeles County - LAFD BLOG - Brought to you by volunteer blog members of the Los Angeles Fire Department who else would have the scoop!
http://lafd.blogspot.com/

The best new wildland equipment - Chocks.com the best place for Wildland Fire rated Wheel Chocks - No more wood and rope, No more heavy rubber!, These Chocks are just Sweet! Lighter weight Extruded aluminum, Solid gripper bottom, welded handle, %15 grade single 30% grade doubled up, If your specifying Rig equipment from type 3 brush Truck to a type 1 water Tender
this is the link...
http://www.chocks.com

The best Active Fire Information in the country - Inciweb is in full swing this year and getting better everyday, For the official wildland fire scoop go to InciWeb.
http://www.inciweb.org

The best Commercial News source for Southern California Wildland Fire news - Press Enterprise
http://www.pe.com/

The best Commercial News source for Northern California Wildland Fire news-mercury news.com
http://www.mercurynews.com

The best new Wildland Fire Forum - wildlandfirefighter.org -Tennessee Wildland Fire fighters forum might go national?
http://www.wildlandfirefighter.org/index.phpWe

site dedicated to the hard working seasonal

GOLD MEDAL - The best wildland Fire forum- Wildlandfire.com Check out They said if you want the real scoop, and then the HotList for fire line reports at The king of Wildland Fire Forums if you want the real scoop you have to go here first.
http://www.wildlandfire.com

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Sweet Chocks from Chocks.com

2007-06-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Editor - We received some real sweet Chocks from Chocks.com today, These are lightweight but built like a Abram's tank and rated at 30% grade with both used. Solid Bottom meets the Forest Sevice requirements these Chocks are just too Sweet!

The brackets supplied seem ok but will need some re-work for off road Tactical Water Tender use so that the Chocks are properly secured from theft and off road use.

Got to get em' mounted and then we will update after they get the workout, That I am sure they will get this Fire season out here in the West.

HWC6-WHY Medium Yellow Aluminum Chock
Extruded with Welded Handle

Extruded with Welded Handle, HWC6-WHY Medium Yellow Aluminum Chock
Extruded with Welded Handle

Order HWC6-WHY Medium Yellow Aluminum Chock
Extruded with Welded Handle

Product Number: 1120315600

Drawing/Specifications Extruded with Welded Handle CAD Drawing">

Material:	Aluminum
Size:	6"H x 6"W x 10"L
Weight:	4.75 lbs.
Item No.:	1120315600
PDF:	Catalog

Description

HWC6-WHY is a medium extruded aluminum chock that is well suited for medium tire use.
The HWC6-WHY features a yellow powder coated finish. A welded aluminum handle on the back for ease of use. A serrated tire contact area for advanced tire traction and a solid bottom to resist soil compression. This wheel chock will not harm blacktop and is non-sparking. Commonly used on bucket trucks and off-road vehicles.

Safety Data

Tire Size:	Medium Tires
% Grade Rating:	11%
Test to Failure:	Meets SAE standards
Best Use:	General. Large-Tired Vehicles with Potential Off-Road Use. Great for tires 19.5R or less.
Features:	Extruded Aluminum Construction. Welded Handle.Powder coated yellow finish. Solid Bottom Resists Soil Compression.

Storefront fire a foamy test for Chicago firefighters' newest gear

2007-06-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

Storefront fire a foamy test for Chicago firefighters' newest gear: "

Storefront fire a foamy test for Chicago firefighters' newest gear

By Alexa Aguilar
Chicago Tribune
Copyright 2007 Chicago Tribune
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News

PHOTO BY TIM OLK, FIRE DEPARTMENT PHOTO UNIT

CHICAGO — A woman was hospitalized with minor injuries Monday after a fire swept through three storefront businesses in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood.

The blaze began about 2:15 p.m. in the basement of La Baguette Bakery, and then spread to a neighboring shoe store and a Colombian restaurant in the 7000 block of North Clark Street, fire officials said. The businesses share a common basement, a fire official said.

Employees at several businesses across the street said they heard a "boom," and then saw employees at the bakery, shoe store and restaurant running out of the building, as huge clouds of smoke billowed from the adjacent businesses.

About 150 firefighters, paramedics and support personnel were eventually on scene, after a mayday alarm came through when a firefighter couldn't be found inside, Chicago Fire Cmdr. Will Knight said.

The firefighter lost contact for a few minutes, which triggers an immediate signal, Knight said. He was found uninjured, Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco said.

Once on the scene, firefighters pulled out a new high-expansion foam unit. The machine helps to smother the fire in hard-to-reach places, such as the bakery's basement, Orozco said.

As smoke poured out of the bakery's broken windows, firefighters hooked up a large, plastic tunnel to a firetruck and then connected the tunnel to the inside of the bakery. The foam, which resembled bubble bath, shot into the space, filling the building to its ceiling and pouring out into the street.

Eventually, the white foam covered the street and the firefighters.

The fire's cause is under investigation, Orozco said."

Water injected turbine for fire suppression by Willimczik

2007-05-27T21:02:00.001-07:00

OIL RIG FIRE SUPPRESSION

wildland urban interface operations

2007-05-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Thirteen experienced WUI specialists from federal and state fire agencies and Firewise programs were recently interviewed regarding their notable successes and effective practices in wildland urban interface operations and practices.
Special thanks are extended to these interagency community members for sharing their important lessons and practices with the wildland fire community.

Part 1 pdf
Part 2 pdf

From Wildlandfire.com They Said

The Lessons Learned Center recently interviewed thirteen experienced WUI
specialists from federal and state fire agencies and Firewise programs
regarding their notable successes and effective practices in wildland urban
interface operations and practices, for a two part edition of Scratchline.
You will find links to both part 1 and part 2 below.

Thank-You and Take Care,

Brenna (For Paula Nasiatka, Center Manager)

www.wildfirelessons.net/documents/Scratchline_Issue19.pdf (large 1532 K pdf file)
www.wildfirelessons.net/documents/Scratchline_Issue20.pdf

If paramedics err, what happens to them? - Los Angeles Times

2007-05-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

If paramedics err, what happens to them? - Los Angeles Times:

If paramedics err, what happens to them?

In California, there's no guarantee that they or emergency medical technicians will be reported, investigated or disciplined.

By Rich Connell and Robert J. Lopez, Times Staff Writers
May 6,2007

A Mustang broadsided Kathy Schroeder's Hyundai sports coupe in a Palmdale intersection, knocking her unconscious. She woke up wedged against the console, covered with an oily film.

"I just remember my eyes and face burning," she said, "like bacon sizzling."

She recalled telling the Los Angeles County Fire Department rescuers at the scene but said they didn't flush her eyes. After being rolled into a private ambulance, she told the attendants too. They didn't flush her eyes, either, explaining that it would get their floor wet, she said.

By the time the hospital did the flushing, the damage was done. Battery acid and other chemicals had burned her corneas, according to her subsequent lawsuit against her rescuers. Even now, after five eye surgeries in five years, life on a good day is a blurry video. Unable to resume her job as an advocate for the disabled, Schroeder, now 47, received a $400,000 settlement from the ambulance company.

The people who regulate medical rescuers in Los Angeles County, however, heard nothing about this incident.

County policy requires fire and ambulance officials to report potentially serious medical lapses by paramedics and emergency medical technicians to regulators. But those officials saw no problem with Schroeder's care. Even after the 2004 settlement, neither rescue provider came forward.

It was not the only such case to escape regulatory scrutiny in recent years. A Times investigation found that oversight of paramedics and EMTs in California is haphazard at best, with nothing to ensure that potentially problematic cases are reported and investigated, or that errant rescuers are held to account.

Countless lives have been spared and injuries relieved by the state's medical rescuers, often the frontline caregivers in a crisis. To many people, they are heroes. Their competence, often, is assumed.

But when things go wrong, The Times found, California is not set up to consistently weed out poor performers or dangerous patterns — raising the risk of harm to unsuspecting patients.

With little clout, regulators essentially rely on rescue providers to report on themselves, making it nearly impossible to get a realistic picture of where the system is breaking down or how it is performing overall.

The bureaucracy is fragmented. In contrast to other populous states — such as Texas, Massachusetts and New York — California has no overarching agency to oversee the state's 15,000 paramedics and 70,000 EMTs.

Paramedics are licensed by and ultimately accountable to the state Emergency Medical Services Authority, which has limited enforcement powers. EMTs, who receive less training and whose duties are more limited, answer to any one of dozens of regional authorities.

"There's a lack of accountability," said Dr. David Persse, a former Los Angeles County regulator who left to become the Houston Fire Department's medical director, partly because the centralized oversight system in Texas was stronger. He cited that state's ability — lacking in California — to levy steep fines to bring rescue providers into line. "You got to have some teeth," he said.

The Times reviewed all regulatory actions taken against paramedics and EMTs in California from 2000 to 2006. It examined incident logs, patient complaints and assorted legal claims; it interviewed regulators, rescuers and patients. Among the findings:

There is no coherent system for reporting problems or processing complaints that could lead to discipline.

Los Angeles County regulators, for instance, specifically require fire and ambulance officials to report suspected cases of gross negligence or substance abuse by paramedics and EMTs, but Sacramento and Orange counties have no similar policy.

Even when a policy exists, as in L.A. County, "the interpretation of what fits in there may be different from person to person," said Carol Meyer, director of the county's Emergency Medical Services Agency from 2003 until last week.

Without legal authority to penalize anyone for failing to report problems, state officials admit they are stymied. New state laws are needed "to address some of the shortfalls in reporting requirements, so we can get a better picture of what's happening out there in the field," said Dr. Cesar A. Aristeiguieta, director of the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.

For the public, there is no single, obvious place to go to register a complaint. Even when someone files a legal action, as in Schroeder's case, regulators are not necessarily alerted to malpractice awards or settlements.

The numbers and types of disciplinary actions across regions are strikingly inconsistent.

WHEEL CHOCKS - buy wheel chocks for a wildland water tender

2007-05-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ok simple little task...
Acquire NFPA1906 compliant wheel chocks for a wildland fire tactical water tender.

What brands are wild land fire compliant? How do you know the specs?.
What is SAE J348? What is NFPA 1906?.
Solid bottom? 10% grade, 15% grade or 30% grade which is it? .
What is readily accessible? Can I find a definition?.

So I start with NFPA 1906 Standard for wildland apparatus 2006 edition. Advertised as

Ensure that wildland fire apparatus are up to the task!

NFPA 1906 defines the requirements for a new automotive wildland fire apparatus, including apparatus equipped with a slip-on fire fighting module, designed primarily to support wildland fire suppression operations.

Finding the actual text online in the NFPA HANDBOOK dealing with wildland appuratus is difficult by design apparently. The NFPA sells the text in softback and PDF online but I do not need the whole thing just one section, just one sentence! They allow you to review it here. And eureka I found the actual text in the NFPA HANDBOOK !

So this is the actual text in the 2006 NFPA Handbook 1906 12.2.1 minor equipment.

(1)*Two solid bottom wheel chocks, mounted in readily accessible locations, each designed to hold the apparatus when loaded to its GVWR, on a 10% percent grade with the transmission in neutral and the parking brake released.

I was unable to find out what the Astrix denotes... that is worrisome.
Cuts and snips from the internet:
Google search results for key words SAE J348 nfpa 1906 combined: Web Results 1 - 8 of 8 for SAE J348 nfpa 1906. (0.27 seconds)

Only eight results not much out there! And the third one really confuses things! It is a meeting minutes for a Fed R1 equipment committee.

Wheel Chocks: Spec/standards SAE J348 is flawed. Chocks.com has guideline on number of chocks required for various degrees of grade. Must comply with NFPA.

Basic requirements are that chock must be planed, solid (not officially out yet), with handle. Height depends on tire size – should be level with rim.

Rich Grady will follow up

Ok thats a bit confusing must be solid? but it is dated 12-02 so hopefully we can just ignore that anyhow moving on ...
so we will go to CHOCKS.COM and what do we find out?

Nice clean website but the search engine seems broken no returns on keyword nfpa 1906?

Ok so I look around and I find this quote on Chocks.com in the FAQ:

"Question: What is SAE J348 and what is its use.
Answer: SAE J348 is a standard set by the Society of Automotive Engineers that predicts the potential of any one wheel chock given a worst case scenario.

What the hell does that mean? that's it? At least give me a citation for that statement...

we will hopefully return to these questions

So we continue surfing chock.com

I like these chocks at chocks.com price is right they look sturdy and professional but are they compliant?

Model HGS molded aluminum

Drawing/Specifications Standard CAD Drawing">

Material:	Aluminum
Size:	7.75"H x 8.25"W x 12"L
Weight:	5.2 lbs.
Item No.:	12102
PDF:	Catalog

Description

HGS is a heavy duty molded aluminum wheel chock with a heel-to-toe length that allows for a steeper line of force between axle and rear teeth, and therefore, a enhanced coefficient of friction. Hand-grab opening allows for fast placement and retrieval. Flanged base allows a full range of bracket options.

Commonly used on Loading docks, utility, and fire trucks.

Safety Data

Tire Size:	Large "Standard" Tires
% Grade Rating:	16%
Best Use:	Loading Docks. Utility, Fire, and Aerial
Features:	Unbreakable Molded Aluminum Construction. High Adhesion and High Capacity.

I have learned the first thing I am looking for is a solid bottom which is required in NFPA 1906 for wildland fire fighting.
And this catalog description does not answer this question.
So I call them at chocks.com and get real person Doug on the line who tells me they are compliant and solid bottom chock known as a SBC and supplied a photo

but suggested this chock the model HWC-7H

Model HWC-7H extruded aluminum

Drawing/Specifications

Material:	Aluminum
Size:	8"H x 7"W x 11.8"L
Weight:	8 lbs.
Item No.:	11101155
PDF:	Catalog

Description

HWC7H A heavy duty extruded aluminum chock that is well suited for medium to large tire use. This wheel chock has a light weight, serrated tire contact area for advanced tire traction and a solid bottom to resist soil compression. This wheel chock will not harm blacktop and is non-sparking.

The HWC7H features a welded aluminum handle for easy placement and retrieval

Commonly used on Wildland trucks and utility vehicles.

Safety Data

Tire Size:	Large Tires
% Grade Rating:	17%
Test to Failure:	Meets SAE standards (paired)
Best Use:	General. Large-Tired Vehicles with Potential Off-Road Use.
Features:	Extruded Aluminum Construction. Solid Bottom Aluminum Grab Handle. Resists Soil Compression.

Ok these are great looking, well designed, but we need to make sure they are compliant how?

Doug says they are!

They sure look great!

they are eight inches tall which should be good for my truck since the bottom of wheel rim to ground measures exactly eight inches.

to be continued..

Day 2...

Searching for information I find that the The City of Elko Nevada Fire Department specs these HWC7H wheel chocks... Sweet!
Specifications are for an Interface fire apparatus.

Next

Ok so I find this wheel chock discussion dated September 2004 on wildland fire.com

9/16 Wheel chocks:

NFPA Standard 1906 for Wildland Fire Apparatus
2 wheel chocks with solid bottoms
Each wheel chock must hold a fully loaded vehicle on a 15% slope
2 wheel chocks must hold a fully loaded vehicle on a 30% slope
Wheel chocks must have a height as high as the bottom of the rims on the
truck that it will be used with
Wheel chocks must have a solid bottom to prevent sinking in soft soil
Wheel chock must have a face beveled at a 30-50 degree angle
Wheel chock must be 2/3 as wide as the tire
Wheel chock base must be 1.4 times the height or greater
Wheel chock must have a heel behind the top tire contact point of the chock
as long as 1/2 the height of the wheel chock

The source of this information was the NRCG equipment inspectors workshop,
hope that helps.

MT Smokey

I wish Smokey had left some links to citations for this list I have no idea where this list officially came from we will ignore it for now

Day 3

Off to a yearly hired equipment refresher course more information sent to me will post next week...

This is my list as I learn more subject to change:

Requirements for Wildland Fire apparatus wheel chocks
Two Chocks must be mounted and readily accessible.

Chocks must be solid bottom.

Chocks designed to hold the apparatus when loaded to its GVWR, on a 10% percent grade with the transmission in neutral and the parking brake released.

Note: Last year I was told by a Fed hired equipment / water tender inspector that they had to be metal so far no joy finding a reference to that requirement?

This will be a list of Wheel chock rules, do's and dont's:

NFPA standards require wheel chocks to be mounted on fire apparatus before being placed into service. Two Chocks must be mounted and readily accessible per NFPA 1901 (Section 7-2), 1902 (Section 7-2), 1903 (Section 6-1) and 1906 (Section ?-?)

Wheel chocks should be placed in front of and behind the drive axle on the driver’s side of the vehicle or, in the case of a tandem axle, between the axles.

NFPA 1906, Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus, was published in 1995 to provide a standard for apparatus that are designed and deployed to combat fires in wildland. The document covered apparatus with pumps ranging in size from 20 gpm to 250 gpm (76 L/min to 950 L/min) and water tanks with a capacity of 125 gal (473 L) or more.

Requirements were also provided for the first time for foam proportioning systems using Class A foam as a fire suppressant agent and for Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS). The apparatus covered in the standard included built-to-specification apparatus and fire-fighting packages designed to be slipped onto a vehicle chassis.

The 2001 edition updates the 1995 edition. The requirements for low-voltage electrical systems, including the emergency warning systems, have been moved to a separate chapter and brought in line with the requirements in NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus. The pump chapter was reorganized to provide requirements for four types of pumps with the range of pump sizes changed to include pumps from 10 gpm (38 L/min) to 500 gpm (1900 L/min). The allowable minimum size on water tanks was lowered to 50 gal (190 L), and the chapter on line voltage systems was removed. The document was updated where appropriate to make the requirements consistent with those in NFPA 1901.

RFP's - Firehouse Forums - Firefighting Discussion

2007-03-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

From Firehouse.com forums thought this was a great RFP list...

RFP's - Firehouse Forums - Firefighting Discussion:

Here are 4 rfp's we sent out for 11 new vehicles. They led to complete spec submissions by apparatus vendors and led to an order for 5.7 million.

Boosters

Cab and Chassis

*chassis with 42,000 lbs 6 x 6 chassis option

*13,000 mile cross country MTBF test

*Seating for 4

*XXXX model vehicle fixed radio and antenna with three David Clark radio headsets with intercom and radio push to talk buttons and one XXXXX model portable radios one with a dual ear David Clark headset for the engineer, dual chargers for spare battery and radio

*Reflective vehicle number plaques in drop in mounts on four sides

*Reflective department name on four sides

*Brush guards over cab face and skid plates where needed

*Central winch that operates front or rear.

*Single point fluid and maintenance area

*400+ mile range on a load of fuel

*All the time four wheel drive with central tire inflation with push button control

*Ability to ford 60 inches of water, climb a 60% grade, 21 inch ground clearance, climb a 24 inch wall, handle a 30% side hill,

*Cat Diesel engine 300 hp with 850 lbs torque with exhaust brake

*Rear vision camera with monitor and with back talk system

*Custom apparatus manuals

*200 amp alternator

*10KW AMPS XL units generator with 90% capacity at idle, in cab switches, soft start ptos no exception, with fulltime pto’s, one 2000 watt Fire Research Focus flood light front, rear, left and right.

*Anti lock brakes

*7 speed automatic transmission with push button control

*Spare tire

*Kussmaul pump plus 1200 with auto eject

*Air conditioning

*One Grace vehicle transmitter

*3 Responder lights with chargers,

*Night vision blue lighting in cab

*Brackets in cab for three breathing apparatus

*Cab controls to include pump start, deck gun charge, outlet gauge, all CAF controls, discharges, mini MC water and foam level gauge, generator and flood light controls

*Letter and stripe to FD requirements

*Night vision blue lighting in cab
Fire Body

*Aluminum fire body loaded on double frame flat bed at 4% angle to the rear

* 1200 gallon water tank with integral 50 gallon Class A tank, hose beds and dunnage area

*Dual side dumps and power chute extensions at rear of vehicle with remote controls in cab

* 500 gpm/200 cu ft CAF system plumbed to Elkhart gun and 2 ½” discharge. Note: pump module shall be a second piece from tank module connected together with Class1 hose to allow both to move independently.

*Provide oil less primer

*Provide thermal relief valve and alarm

*3 inch tank to pump and 2 1/2” tank filler

*System to default to CAFs

*Foam Pro 1600 system foam on when pump is on

*Solenoid style CAFS controls with 2 inch or 2 ½” Akron valve slaved to air discharges to control wet, dry or air off via single front and rear air switch. No air valves, cubic foot meters, etc

*200 foot 1 ¾” preconnect complete with 200 feet of High Combat hose

*500 foot bed of 1” hose complete with hose

*One 2 ½” ungated discharge mounted as low as possible near the attack line beds to supply supplied Akron water thief to supply both attack beds with the 2 ½” port reduced to 1 ½” for a supplied 1 ½” by 1” gated wye to supply the 1 inch bed

*Two 2 ½” suctions one with a 20 foot 3 inch squirrel tail suction preconnect with low lift foot valve strainer

*Full width dunnage area with lid with dual fold down ladders for access

*Elkhart Sidewinder on cab roof with CAF tip controlled from cab with joy stick tether on cord long enough with velcro mounts for driver and officer use, with spot light mounted on gun

*Two 1” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tips and triple stacked tips

*One 1 ½” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip and triple stacked tips

*25 feet 1 ¾” hose in donut rack and strap stored preconnected to 2 ½” suction connection with a 2 ½” male to 1 ½” female adapter and a 1 ½” male to 2 ½” long handle swivel adapter

*50 feet of 2 ½” hose in donut roll holder and strap with 2 ½” Akron hydrant valve

*One 5/8 inch Fire Hooks Unlimited fiber glass bolt cutter

*Dual Akron fitzsall and hydrant wrench mount

*Four roof mounted 6 inch diameter four color strobe lights to indicate water level.

*Roof mounted remote control thermal imager/color TV with quadruple head up flat panel displays and quintuple recorders with auto on via parking brake and dual 6 switch option for viewing handheld imagers, vehicle TV and imager and backup camera.

*Minimal warning light and siren package, wig wag head lights,

*Four Scotty 1 gallon garden hose Barricade gel packs

*Two 5 gallon pails of Barricade gel

*Two pointed shovels and two rubbish hooks with fiber glass handles

*Mount all listed loose equipment

*Reflective vehicle number plaques in drop in mounts on four sides

All Kochek laser etched hose fittings and sequentially numbered and hose fitting colors shall be white, purple, and gray.

*One foam can wrench

*One spare 20 foot 3 inch hard suction tube

*All strainers and suction couplings color coded as well

Warrantee

*The vendor will guarantee the lease rate at time of the order with lease to start at time of delivery. with lease to start at time of delivery.

*All apparatus to meet NFPA except where noted.

*Paint 10 years, body structure and cab 10 years, life time tank stainless body 15 years, stainless plumbing 10 years engine drive train 5 years, foam system, lifetime frame, 2 years, nozzles 5 years, hose 10 years, and pumps 5 years. Trips 4 per truck for 3 members. Provide 15% contingency money.

Tender Hose Wagons

Cab and Chassis

*4 door chassis with 7 SCBA seat backs

*500 hp ISM engine with exhaust brake ands automatic transmission

*Air conditioning, describe exact air conditioning system proposed

*Remote control west coast mirrors with fisheyes

*10 inch front look down mirror

*In cab overhead panel to control (side dumps and chutes, Fire Research all in one combo governor instruments and pressure gauge unit, mini MC water and two foam level gauges, Akron deck gun control and remote tether mounted with velcro, Akron electric valve for gun, spot light switch for gun, Fire Pro foam control head to default in foam when pump is engaged, pump and generator engagement switch, front, rear, officer and drivers floodlight switch),

*Only two switches to control, siren and emergency lights,

*No head light switch,

*Ground illumination via parking brake, 12 lights

*No gauges except speedometer and fuel gauge,

*Bell and Alarm, repeater for Grace and vehicle transponder,

*Truck horn and red light system warnings connected to all visual and audible alarms on the vehicle,

*Bullard handheld imager vehicle charger with spare battery charger

*6 batteries Delco model 1150

*Kussmaul pump plus 1200 system with auto eject

*Car type starter switch

*Headlight off on parking brake

*LED lights everywhere possible,

*7 Responder lights with chargers,

*XXXX model vehicle fixed radio and antenna and two XXXXX model portable radios one with a dual ear david clark headset for the engineer, dual chargers for spare battery and radio

*Water level on/off switch,

*One quarter inch armored wheel wells front and rear and compartment undersides to protect agains blown tires

*AM FM stereo with cassette player and four speakers,

*Triple frame rail,

*290 amp alternator,

*Night vision blue lighting in cab

*One Grace vehicle transmitter

Pump

*2000 gpm Waterous Eclipse with 500 gpm hot shift pto pump for pump and roll, with shared discharge manifold.

*Pressure relief valve

*Front and rear 3 inch discharge to feed with an Akron water thief on both discharges,

*Remote control Akron deck gun with 4 inch water supply with Collins FX-12 spot light mounted on gun and automatic fog tip plus tether remote on pump panel

*Officer side 5” LDH discharge with 5 inch by 2 ½” adapter and attached water thief,

*Garden hose wye and spigot

*6” side suctions with Akron piston intake valve attached to each one,

*5” storz squirrel tail side suction on each side, with wafer valves, Elkhart 5” chicksan swivels, attached to fifteen feet of 5” suction hose on one side and 3” suction hose on the other with storz coupling with Kochek foot valve low lift strainers with jets color coded to match the rigs color scheme, pull drains on each suction connection, triple primer control handles on each side to allow drafting from main pump, squirrel tail or side suction. Suction hose to be wrapped around the pump panel.

*No check valve from 4” tank to pump and 3 inch tank fill,

*All stainless steel piping,

*Auto drains as needed,

*Electric tank filler, tank to pump control on each pump panel

*Thermal relief valves with light and alarm

*Oil less primer

Fire Body

*100 inch wide body, maximum compartments available on apparatus by manufacturer.

*26 inch deep compartments Katy style with Zico overhead rack on both sides, standard doors everywhere except two front compartments that include the pump panel rollup doors and full height compartments in front of ground ladder and drop tank racks

*Raise rear body 6 inches behind rear wheels

*Ground ladders 35’ and 14’ and 10’ folding on Zico drop down rack, good Purlon halyard rope,

*Stainless or aluminum side dumps and power extensions 12 inch with cover flaps and with remote electric extension and valves controls in cab located between the wheel wells

*Saulsbury custom manuals

*An extra 20 foot length of 3 and 5” on Zico rack on each side,

*200 foot 3” bomb line in round bottom donut holder on officer side panel complete with TFT mini monitor with 150 to 500 gpm TFT fog tip,

*One 200 foot 1 inch preconnected line in donut roll holder with round bottom on officer’s side pump panel.

*Two 200 foot 1 ¾” labeled 2” precons on bumper round bottom,

*Two 300 foot 1 ¾” labeled 2” preconnects in donut roll holders round bottom located recessed into the rear of the apparatus with room between them for a Meyers Quick drop.

*2500 feet 5 inch split bed with diamond plate hose bed cover with assists and locks to hold open

*3500 total liquid tank,

*101 gallon Class A tank complete with Ansul foam,

*99 gallon Class B tank complete with XXX foam.

*Mount all loose equipment to department desires using pullout drop down trays, pullout shelves and tool boards

*Rear vision camera and monitor mounted on A post in cab, with back talk system

*25Kw AMPs fulltime PTO generator with soft start with 90% capacity at idle in cab switches, two forward 2000 watt Fire Research Focus, two 2000 watt Tele Lite each side and two 2000 watt Fire Research Focus rear.

*1 cord light with 750 watt lights with Tele Lite base and Havis Shield head with on/off switch on the light head and 110 outlet on the front bumper attached to a manual rewind cord reel stored in dunnage area with 200 feet of cord run to the front bumper with the cord fed under the unit in tube to the bumper, reels to be attached to the generator

*2 cord lights with 750 watt lights Tele Lite base and Havis Shield head with on/off on head and outlet stored on the pump panel connected to manual rewind cord reels with 200 feet of cord in stored in the dunnage area with feed to the pump panel, reels to be attached to the generator, 3 prong 15 amp connectors on all electrical.

*Dunnage area storage for two 200 foot 110 volt reels connected to supply a pair of 1000 watt side of cab mounted tripods lights with outlet on light heads and on/off switch on head

*AMPs generator and cord reels in dunnage area. Two 200 foot hydraulic reels in dunnage area connected to a 220 volt dual hydraulic pump tubed under the rig to the front bumper to supply the extrication tool with air operated on/off for each diverter valve.

*Two sets 4 water level lights 7 x 11” LED Wheelens in four colors,

*Pool ladder to access the hose bed located at the rear of the truck,

*Rear Houston style Scotchlite,

*Wheel wells both side shall contain 12 SCBA bottles no holders,

*4 SCBA mounted in over wheel compartment,

*No rear compartments

*Special Scotchlite graphics package

*Reflective vehicle number plaques in drop in mounts on four sides

*Reflective department name on four sides

*New Scotchlite striping single peace no layered type allowed on stripe

Loose equipment

*One Carlin valve 5” storz by 5” storz,

*Six 1 ½” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip dual pressure and triple stacked tips

*One 1” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip dual pressure and triple stacked tips

*Two 1 ½” MX tips,

*Two 1” MX tips,

*6 foot Superior Flamefighter piercing nozzle with shutoff and two 3 foot extension pipe

*14 spare 30 minute Scott Kevlar bottles

*7 Scott 50 air packs with 30 minute Kevlar bottles and integrated PASS

*6 salvage covers to match colors (to all be blue, green and orange, one color per vehicle)

*One Hebert 5” hose clamp

*One 2 ½” screw type hydrant gate valve

*One burst hose jacket leather 2 ½” Darley

*Two misting Super Vac smoke ejectors with wheels and pull handle

*One Akron hose roller

*Two Partner 650 saws with Fire Hooks Unlimited strap, Chopper blade and Da Ax Blade, and spare fuel can for each saw. One spare each blade.

*One foam can wrench

*Cordless DeWalt drill with Iowa S hook lock puller, Garage hook, Key tool set and 3/8 inch Titanium drill bit.

*One each Iowa American Rattlesnake ends polished stainless heads 6, 8, and 12 foot

*One 8 lb Force axe and pick head axe with polished stainless heads

*One 5/8 inch Fire Hooks Unlimited fiber glass bolt cutter

*One Iowa American halligan with strap loop, marry strap and Iowa

*American over the shoulder strap

*One 2 ½ gallon water extinguisher with Iowa American strap

*Ansul K20E cartridge dry chemical extinguisher

All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched County RFPD #1

*Four 1 1/2 inch NST female to 1 inch NST male adapters
fittings list

*Two 2 ½” female NST to 1 ½” NST male

*Two 2 ½” male to 1 ½” NST female LH swivel

*Two 1 ½” NST make plugs with chains

*Twelve garden hose male by 1” female adapters

*Two 5” storz to 2 ½” LH NST swivel adapters

*Five inch storz by 4 inch storz adapter

*25 gallons spare Class A Ansul foam

*Two Christi hydrant adapters to 5 inch storz

*Two 4 ½”??? hydrant adapters to 5 inch storz

*Two 2 ½” NST Male to 5” Storz fittings

*Two 2 ½” NST female to 5” Storz fittings

*Eleven 100 foot sections of 5” Lime Green and 11 sections of Orange 5 inch hose 100’ with three stencils each section to read at the middle and 25 foot marks plus one each yellow 25’ and 50’ sections of 5 inch hose. All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all the 5” hose in the department.

*All strainers and suction couplings color coded as well

*Four each 5 inch storz draft gaskets, 5” storz hose gaskets, gasket for fitting, 3 inch storz draft gaskets, 2 ½”, 1 ½” and 1” hose gaskets.

*600 feet of 1 “ hose with 1” NST couplings All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*High Combat 1 ¾” labeled 2” with reflective stripe 200’ yellow, 200’ green, 300’ blue, 300’ orange. All fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*High Combat hose 200’ green 2 ½” hose, all fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*25 feet of 2 ½” hose

*Color coded everything plus stick on reflective labels with white letter and vehicle color background labels “ phone number,

*Four Scotty 1 gallon garden hose Barricade gel packs

*Two 5 gallon pails of Barricade gel

*One Craftsman tool box with $400 worth of tools,

*10 lbs Iowa American sledge hammer

*Two long ratchet style hydrant wrenches,

*Mount Akron fitzall and hydrant wrenches on all four sides,

*One 5000 gallon drop tank no-frame style with dual 5” storz fittings and caps.

Warrantee

*The vendor will guarantee the lease rate at time of the order with lease to start at time of delivery..

*All apparatus to meet NFPA except where noted.

*Paint 10 years, body structure and cab 10 years, life time tank stainless body 15 years, stainless plumbing 10 years engine drive train 5 years, foam system, lifetime frame, 2 years, nozzles 5 years, hose 10 years, and pumps 5 years. Trips 4 per truck for 3 members. Provide 15% contingency money.

Tanker Pumpers/Rescues

Cab and Chassis

*E-One Cyclone 8 man command cab with 7 SCBA seats, one air pack mounted between officer and rear seat for driver, 1 seat missing for rehab area. Loose one side window on each side to mount water level lights

*One full width aluminum 80” x 16” by 16” ambulance style storage in place of forward elevated windows and ambulance style sliding glass door, adjustable shelving and compartment above forward facing SCBA seats, 12 gallons of drinking water container with exterior fill and interior and exterior spigot, cup holder, 5 syrup soda dispenser gun type with syrup and carbon dioxide bottle coupled to drinking water, microwave oven, coffee maker, tea maker, refrigerator with ice maker, 110 shore line with automatic change over to AMPs generator, fill rehab area with $500 set aside no charge option to fire district This option was provided at No Charge.

* The vehicle chassis will be manufactured by the body builder.

*500 hp ISM engine with exhaust brake ands automatic transmission

*10 inch front look down mirror

*Air conditioning, describe exact air conditioning system proposed

*Car type starter switch

*In cab overhead panel to control (side dumps and chutes, Fire Research all in one combo governor instruments and pressure gauge unit, mini MC water and two foam level gauges, Akron deck gun control and remote tether mounted with velcro, Akron electric valve for gun, Elkhart deck gun controls and remote tethers mounted with velcro, spot light switch for guns, Fire Pro foam control head to default in foam when pump is engaged, pump and generator engagement switch, front, rear, officer and drivers floodlight switch), compressor switch and wet/dry switches

*Only two switches to control, siren and emergency lights,

*No head light switch,

*Ground illumination via parking brake, 12 lights

*No gauges except speedometer and fuel gauge,

*Bell and Alarm, repeater for Grace and vehicle transponder,

*Truck horn and red light system warnings connected to all visual and audible alarms on the vehicle

*6 batteries Delco model 1150

*Kussmaul pump plus 1200 with auto eject

*Headlight off on parking brake

*LED lights everywhere possible,

*7 Responder lights with chargers,

*Roof top thermal imager with dual head up displays with switching to allow either display to view the roof top imager or one handheld imager and one roof top imager or any two Bullard imagers with up to four channel worth of choices.

*XXXX model vehicle fixed radio and antenna and two XXXXX model portable radios one with a dual ear David Clark headset for the engineer, dual chargers for spare battery and radio

*Water level on/off switch,

*One quarter inch armored wheel wells front and rear and compartment undersides to protect against blown tires

*AM FM stereo with cassette player and four speakers,

*Triple frame rail,

*290 amp alternator,

*Parts book style swiveling map book holder

*One mounted Grace GEMs system with 17 transmitters, repeater, vehicle unit transmitter, 5 extra antennas, colored straps to match the unit and one command receiver, one spare battery, one portable repeater.

*Night vision blue lighting in cab

*Rear vision camera and monitor mounted on A post in cab, with back talk system

Pump

*2000 gpm Waterous Eclipse with 500 gpm hot shift pto pump for pump and roll, with shared discharge manifold.

*CAFS default on solenoid style CAFS controls with 3” Akron valve slaved to air discharges to control wet, dry or air off via single front and rear air switch. CAFs to deck gun, and front and rear 3 inch supply line. No air valves, cubic foot meters, etc

*Front and rear 3 inch discharge to feed with an Akron water thief on both discharges,

*Officer side 5” LDH discharge with 5 inch by 2 ½” adapter and attached water thief,

*Side access 4” tank to pump without check valve, and 3” tank filler valve

*Garden hose wye and spigot

*Pressure relief valve

*6” side suctions with Akron piston intake valve attached to each one,

*5” storz squirrel tail side suction on each side, with wafer valves, Elkhart 5” chicksan swivels, attached to fifteen feet of 5” suction hose on one side and 3” suction hose on the other with storz coupling with Kochek foot valve low lift strainers with jets color coded to match the rigs color scheme, pull drains on each suction connection, triple primer control handles on each side to allow drafting from main pump, squirrel tail or side suction. Suction hose to be wrapped around the pump panel.

*No check valve from 4 inch tank to pump and 3 inch tank fill,

*Two Elkhart Sidewinder monitors, one located on each corner of the front bumper with CAFs tips and Collins FX-12 spot lights mounted on each gun

*All stainless steel piping,

*Auto drains as needed,

*Electric tank filler, tank to pump control on each pump panel

*Thermal relief valves with light and alarm

*Oil less primer

Fire Body

*100 inch wide body, maximum compartments available on apparatus by manufacturer.

*26 inch deep compartments Katy style with Zico overhead rack on both sides, standard doors everywhere except two front compartments that include the pump panel rollup doors and full height compartments in front of ground ladder and drop tank racks

*Raise rear body 6 inches behind rear wheels

*2500 gallons poly tank total wet tank,

*101 gallon Class A tank complete with Ansul foam,

*99 gallon Class B tank complete with XXX foam.

*2500 feet of 5 inch hose split bed with diamond plate hose bed cover with assists and locks to hold open,

*Ground ladders, 35’ 3 fly and 24 foot on one rack and a 24’ and 14’, 10’ and 14 A frame on another Zico drop down rack, Purlon halyard rope,

*Stainless or aluminum side dumps and power extensions 12 inch with cover flaps and with remote electric extension and valves controls in cab located between the wheel wells

*Saulsbury custom manuals

*An extra 20 foot length of 3 and 5” high side compartment

*200 foot 3” bomb line in round bottom donut holder on officer side panel complete with TFT mini monitor with 150 to 500 gpm TFT fog tip,

*One 200 foot 1 inch preconnected line in donut roll holder with round bottom on officer’s side pump panel.

*Two 200 foot 1 ¾” labeled 2” precons on bumper round bottom,

*Two 300 foot 1 ¾” labeled 2” preconnects in donut roll holders round bottom located recessed into the rear of the apparatus with room between them for a Meyers Quick drop.

*1 remote Akron deck gun with 2” CAFs supply and 4 inch water supply with Collins FX-12 spot light mounted gun and an automatic fog tip plus tether remote on pump panel

*Dual AMPS XL units, one 25KW and one 20KW shared shaft pto generators with 90% capacity at idle in cab switches, soft start ptos no exception, with fulltime PTO’s, two forward 2000 watt Fire Research Focus, two 2000 watt Tele Lite each side and two 2000 watt Fire Research Focus rear, Wil Burt 12,000 watt night scan mast.

*Dunnage storage for seven 200 foot 110 volt reels connected to supply a pair of 1000 watt side of cab mounted tripods lights with outlet on light heads and on/off switch on head and a pair of DeWalt sawzalls with Lennox blade and two 200 foot air reels connected a Maxi Force air bag regulator with two 20 ton air bags with on/offs and chains to carry them.

*1 cord light with 750 watt lights with Tele Lite base and Havis Shield head with on/off switch on the light head and 110 outlet on the front bumper attached to a manual rewind cord reel stored in dunnage area with 200 feet of cord run to the front bumper with the cord fed under the unit in tube to the bumper, reels to be attached to the generator

*2 cord lights with 750 watt lights Tele Lite base and Havis Shield head with on/off on head and outlet stored on the pump panel connected to manual rewind cord reels with 200 feet of cord in stored in the dunnage area with feed to the pump panel, reels to be attached to the generator, 3 prong 15 amp connectors on all electrical.

*Two 200 foot hydraulic reels in dunnage area connected to a 220 volt dual hydraulic pump tubed under the rig to the front bumper to supply the extrication tool with air operated on/off for each diverter valve.

*Mount all loose equipment to department desires using pullout drop down trays, pullout shelves and tool boards

*Two sets 4 water level lights 7 x 11” LED Wheelens in four colors,

*Rear Wheelen LEDs in cast bezel everywhere,

*Pool ladder to access the hose bed located at the rear of the truck,

*Rear Houston style Scotchlite,

*Wheel wells both side shall contain 12 SCBA bottles no holders,

*No rear compartments

*Reflective vehicle number plaques in drop in mounts on four sides

*Reflective department name on four sides

*New Scotchlite striping single peace no layered type allowed on stripe

*Bumper mounted Genesis spreader and cutter,

*3 or 4 bottle cascade and Sierra booster in dunnage area with two bottle fill station in compartment

*Bullard handheld imager with 4 channel transmitter 3 colors, with in vehicle charger and spare battery

*Provide wheeled cart complete with a full set of Genesis rams, a Genesis multi-tool, chains and tips, a gas powered simul-pump and two 32 foot hoses with drop down ramp to remove cart,

*Provide wheeled cart complete with a Iowa American pedal cutter, wedgie and rabbit tool plus a 4 ton portapower set with mini ram, fire blanket, chain comealong and connector chain set, air bottle impact wrench and sockets, and windshield tool

*Provide wheeled cart complete with plastic cribbing, wedges and step chocks 100 pieces on cart with drop down ramp,

*Two Maxi Force 20 ton air bags with shutoffs and carry chains

*Provide wheeled cart complete with salvage covers, stapler, roll of plastic and two smoke ejectors

*Receiver hitch style 12 volt winch with power plug in and hitches on the front and rear of the vehicle

Loose equipment

*One Carlin valve 5” storz by 5” storz,

*One 5 storz by 5 storz Humat valve

*Six 1 ½” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip dual pressure and triple stacked tips

*One 1” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip dual pressure and triple stacked tips

*Two 1 ½” MX tips,

*Two 1” MX tips,

*One 5/8 inch Fire Hooks Unlimited fiber glass bolt cutter

*6 foot Superior Flamefighter piercing nozzle with shutoff and two 3 foot extension pipe

*14 spare 30 minute Scott Kevlar bottles

*7 Scott 50 air packs with 30 minute Kevlar bottles and integrated PASS

*6 salvage covers to match colors (to all be blue, green and orange, one color per vehicle)

*One Hebert 5” hose clamp

*One 2 ½” screw type hydrant gate valve

*One burst hose jacket leather 2 ½” Darley

*Two misting Super Vac smoke ejectors with wheels and pull handle

*One Akron hose roller

*Two Partner 650 saws with Fire Hooks Unlimited strap, Chopper blade and Da Ax Blade, and spare fuel can for each saw. One spare each blade.

*Cordless DeWalt drill with Iowa S hook lock puller, Garage hook, Key tool set and 3/8 inch Titanium drill bit.

*One each Iowa American Rattlesnake ends polished stainless heads 6, 8, and 12 foot

*One 8 lb Force axe and pick head axe with polished stainless heads

*One Iowa American halligan with strap loop, marry strap and Iowa

*American over the shoulder strap

*One 2 ½ gallon water extinguisher with Iowa American strap

*Ansul K20E cartridge dry chemical extinguisher

All fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched County RFPD #1

*Four 1 1/2 inch NST female to 1 inch NST male adapters

*Two 2 ½” female NST to 1 ½” NST male

*Two 2 ½” male to 1 ½” NST female LH swivel

*Two 1 ½” NST make plugs with chains

*Five inch storz by 4 inch storz adapter

*Two 5” storz to 2 ½” LH NST swivel adapters

*25 gallons spare Class A Ansul foam

*Two Christi hydrant adapters to 5 inch storz

*Two 4 ½”??? hydrant adapters to 5 inch storz

*Two 2 ½” NST Male to 5” Storz fittings

*Two 2 ½” NST female to 5” Storz fittings

*Eleven 100 foot sections of 5” Lime Green and 11 sections of Orange 5 inch hose 100’ with three stencils each section to read at the middle and 25 foot marks plus one each yellow 25’ and 50’ sections of 5 inch hose. All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all the 5” hose in the department.

*All strainers and suction couplings color coded as well

*Four each 5 inch storz draft gaskets, 5” storz hose gaskets, gasket for fitting, 3 inch storz draft gaskets, 2 ½”, 1 ½” and 1” hose gaskets.

*600 feet of 1 “ hose with 1” NST couplings All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*High Combat 1 ¾” labeled 2” with reflective stripe 200’ yellow, 200’ green, 300’ blue, 300’ orange. All fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*High Combat at 200’ green 2 ½” hose, all fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*25 feet of 2 ½” hose

*Color coded everything plus stick on reflective labels with white letter and vehicle color background labels “ phone number,

*Two water throws and 60 feet of floating rope in a bag

*One Craftsman tool box with $400 worth of tools,

*Four Scotty 1 gallon garden hose Barricade gel packs

*Two 5 gallon pails of Barricade gel

*One foam can wrench

*Two long ratchet style hydrant wrenches,

*One Tracker system for 45 members and three locator devices,

*Two each long panel cutter and straight blade air chisel blades

*One package 6 and 12 inch .050 demolition blades

*10 lbs Iowa American sledge hammer

*Mount Akron fitzall and hydrant wrenches on all four sides,

*Provide 45 Cottrell storz hydrant adapters color coded to flow and main size, labeled with cable and reflective trim.

*One 5000 gallon drop tank no-frame style with dual 5” storz fittings and caps.

Warrantee

*The vendor will guarantee the lease rate at time of the order with lease to start at time of delivery..

*All apparatus to meet NFPA except where noted.

*Paint 10 years, body structure and cab 10 years, life time tank stainless body 15 years, stainless plumbing 10 years engine drive train 5 years, foam system, lifetime frame, 2 years, nozzles 5 years, hose 10 years, and pumps 5 years. Trips 4 per truck for 3 members Two hundred fifty dollar a day delivery penalty for late delivery. Delivery not to exceed 1 year. Provide 15% contingency money.

Command Rig

Ford Excursion
4x4
Diesel
Tow package
Wilburt light mast maximum lamps and wattage
Under hood generator to supply mast
Rear seat to face rear
1/3 rear seat removed to provide driver side air pack rack and turnout storage compartment
5 portable radios with chargers and 5 chargers for spare batteries
Shoreline to charge vehicle batteries
Front winch
Arrow stick rear
Cigar plugs and 110 outlets everywhere
T-pass for vehicle, repeater, portable repeater, and command box
Mount all equipment to FD desires.
Three TV’s with splitters to view 1, 2, 4 or 8 images simultaneously
Binoculars with tripod
Killer striping and warning lights
6 Grace light wands in rack
1 Bullard MX with tripod and in rig charger
Three TV cameras with broadcast ability and tripods
Gateway solo maxed out with DVD and all options, docking station, fax, copier/scanner
Water jug
Small refrigerator
Multiple radios and heads, front, middle and rear of unit
Single ear David Clarks for portables and fixed radios
Velcro tags for portables
Mount imager and TV antennas on roof
Three cell phones one each front rear and middle mounts
Blue interior lighting
Roof top IR camera and joy stick with TV built in with three head up displays and switchers for 6 units
One box lite
One Survivor light
One AIM gas detector
Alpine vehicle navigation system
Trimble vehicle GPS
Touch screen computer between driver and passenger seat
Black lite plastic work boards
Drawers and storage middle and rear
Six video recorders
Sony video camera
Nikon 35 mm camera, 28 to 300 lens, flash, camera fanny pack
Dual alternators
Upgrade battery packs
Solar chargers
Unit number on roof.
Globe command vests
Command software allowance for programming
Tribal GPS programer and antenna

CAFS Tower Ladder Hose and Air wagons

Cab and Chassis

*E-One Cyclone 8 man command cab with 7 SCBA seats, one air pack mounted between officer and rear seat for driver, 1 seat missing for rehab area. Loose one side window on each side to mount water level lights

*One full width aluminum 80” x 16” by 16” ambulance style storage in place of forward elevated windows and ambulance style sliding glass door, adjustable shelving and compartment above forward facing SCBA seats, 12 gallons of drinking water container with exterior fill and interior and exterior spigot, cup holder, 5 syrup soda dispenser gun type with syrup and carbon dioxide bottle coupled to drinking water, microwave oven, coffee maker, tea maker, refrigerator with ice maker, 110 shore line with automatic change over to AMPs generator, fill rehab area with $500 set aside no charge option to fire district This option was provided at No Charge.

* The vehicle chassis will be manufactured by the body builder.

*500 hp ISM engine with exhaust brake ands automatic transmission

*10 inch front look down mirror

*Air conditioning, describe exact air conditioning system proposed

*Car type starter switch

*In cab overhead panel to control (side dumps and chutes, Fire Research all in one combo governor instruments and pressure gauge unit, mini MC water and two foam level gauges, Akron deck gun control and remote tether mounted with velcro, Akron electric valve for gun, Elkhart deck gun controls and remote tethers mounted with velcro, spot light switch for guns, Fire Pro foam control head to default in foam when pump is engaged, pump and generator engagement switch, front, rear, officer and drivers floodlight switch), compressor switch and wet/dry switches

*Only two switches to control, siren and emergency lights,

*No head light switch,

*Ground illumination via parking brake, 12 lights

*No gauges except speedometer and fuel gauge,

*Bell and Alarm, repeater for Grace and vehicle transponder,

*Truck horn and red light system warnings connected to all visual and audible alarms on the vehicle

*6 batteries Delco model 1150

*Kussmaul pump plus 1200 with auto eject

*Headlight off on parking brake

*LED lights everywhere possible,

*7 Responder lights with chargers,

*Roof top thermal imager with dual head up displays with switching to allow either display to view the roof top imager or one handheld imager and one roof top imager or any two Bullard imagers with up to four channel worth of choices.

*XXXX model vehicle fixed radio and antenna and two XXXXX model portable radios one with a dual ear David Clark headset for the engineer, dual chargers for spare battery and radio

*Water level on/off switch,

*One quarter inch armored wheel wells front and rear and compartment undersides to protect against blown tires

*AM FM stereo with cassette player and four speakers,

*Triple frame rail,

*290 amp alternator,

*Parts book style swiveling map book holder

*One mounted Grace GEMs system with 17 transmitters, repeater, vehicle unit transmitter, 5 extra antennas, colored straps to match the unit and one command receiver, one spare battery, one portable repeater.

*Night vision blue lighting in cab

*Rear vision camera and monitor mounted on A post in cab, with back talk system

Tower

95’ E-One tower with dual remote 1500 gpm guns in basket, 3500 watts of basket flood lighting, wireless IR and TV camera with dual display boxes.

Full NFPA ground ladder compliment.

Pump

*3500 gpm Hale pump with 500 gpm hot shift pto pump for pump and roll, with shared discharge manifold.

*CAFS default on solenoid style CAFS controls with 3” Akron valve slaved to air discharges to control wet, dry or air off via single front and rear air switch. 4 CAFs deck guns midships, aerial and front and rear 3 inch supply line. No air valves, cubic foot meters, etc

*Front and rear 3 inch discharge to feed with an Akron water thief on both discharges,

*Officer side 5” LDH discharge with 5 inch by 2 ½” adapter and attached water thief,

*Side access 4” tank to pump without check valve, and 3” tank filler valve

*Garden hose wye and spigot

*Pressure relief valve

*6” side suctions with Akron piston intake valve attached to each one,

*5” storz squirrel tail side suction on each side, with wafer valves, Elkhart 5” chicksan swivels, attached to fifteen feet of 5” suction hose on one side and 3” suction hose on the other with storz coupling with Kochek foot valve low lift strainers with jets color coded to match the rigs color scheme, pull drains on each suction connection, triple primer control handles on each side to allow drafting from main pump, squirrel tail or side suction. Suction hose to be wrapped around the pump panel.

*No check valve from 4 inch tank to pump and 3 inch tank fill,

*Two Elkhart Sidewinder monitors, one located on each corner of the front bumper with CAFs tips and Collins FX-12 spot lights mounted on each gun

*All stainless steel piping,

*Auto drains as needed,

*Electric tank filler, tank to pump control on each pump panel

*Thermal relief valves with light and alarm

*Oil less primer

Fire Body

*100 inch wide body, maximum compartments available on apparatus by manufacturer.

*26 inch deep compartments Katy style with Zico overhead rack on both sides, standard doors everywhere except two front compartments that include the pump panel rollup doors and full height compartments in front of ground ladder and drop tank racks

*Raise rear body 6 inches behind rear wheels

*300 gallons poly tank total wet tank,

*101 gallon Class B tank complete with XXX foam.

*2500 feet of 5 inch hose split bed with diamond plate hose bed cover with assists and locks to hold open,

*Saulsbury custom manuals

*An extra 20 foot length of 3 and 5” high side compartment

*200 foot 3” bomb line in round bottom donut holder on officer side panel complete with TFT mini monitor with 150 to 500 gpm TFT fog tip,

*One 200 foot 1 inch preconnected line in donut roll holder with round bottom on officer’s side pump panel.

*Two 200 foot 1 ¾” labeled 2” precons on bumper round bottom,

*Two 300 foot 1 ¾” labeled 2” preconnects in donut roll holders round bottom located recessed into the rear of the apparatus with room between them for a Meyers Quick drop.

*1 remote Akron deck gun with 2” CAFs supply and 4 inch water supply with Collins FX-12 spot light mounted gun and an automatic fog tip plus tether remote on pump panel

*Dual AMPS XL units, one 25KW and one 20KW shared shaft pto generators with 90% capacity at idle in cab switches, soft start ptos no exception, with fulltime PTO’s, two forward 2000 watt Fire Research Focus, two 2000 watt Tele Lite each side and two 2000 watt Fire Research Focus rear, Wil Burt 12,000 watt night scan mast.

*1 cord light with 750 watt lights with Tele Lite base and Havis Shield head with on/off switch on the light head and 110 outlet on the front bumper attached to a manual rewind cord reel stored in dunnage area with 200 feet of cord run to the front bumper with the cord fed under the unit in tube to the bumper, reels to be attached to the generator

*2 cord lights with 750 watt lights Tele Lite base and Havis Shield head with on/off on head and outlet stored on the pump panel connected to manual rewind cord reels with 200 feet of cord in stored in the dunnage area with feed to the pump panel, reels to be attached to the generator, 3 prong 15 amp connectors on all electrical.

*Two 200 foot hydraulic reels in dunnage area connected to a 220 volt dual hydraulic pump tubed under the rig to the front bumper to supply the extrication tool with air operated on/off for each diverter valve.

*Mount all loose equipment to department desires using pullout drop down trays, pullout shelves and tool boards

*Two sets 4 water level lights 7 x 11” LED Wheelens in four colors,

*Rear Wheelen LEDs in cast bezel everywhere,

*Pool ladder to access the hose bed located at the rear of the truck,

*Rear Houston style Scotchlite,

*Wheel wells both side shall contain 12 SCBA bottles no holders,

*No rear compartments

*Reflective vehicle number plaques in drop in mounts on four sides

*Reflective department name on four sides

*New Scotchlite striping single peace no layered type allowed on stripe

*Bumper mounted Genesis spreader and cutter,

*6 bottle cascade and dual Sierra booster on turntable with dual two bottle fill station in compartment

*Three Bullard handheld imager with 4 channel transmitter 3 colors, with in vehicle charger and spare battery

Loose equipment

*Two Carlin valve 5” storz by 5” storz,

*One 5 storz by 5 storz Humat valve

*Six 1 ½” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip dual pressure and triple stacked tips

*One 1” Iowa Fallon tip pistol grip nozzles with TFT break apart mid force tip dual pressure and triple stacked tips

*Two 1 ½” MX tips,

*Two 1” MX tips,

*One 5/8 inch Fire Hooks Unlimited fiber glass bolt cutter

*6 foot Superior Flamefighter piercing nozzle with shutoff and two 3 foot extension pipe

*14 spare 30 minute Scott Kevlar bottles

*7 Scott 50 air packs with 30 minute Kevlar bottles and integrated PASS

*6 salvage covers to match colors (to all be blue, green and orange, one color per vehicle)

*One Hebert 5” hose clamp

*One 2 ½” screw type hydrant gate valve

*One burst hose jacket leather 2 ½” Darley

*Two misting Super Vac smoke ejectors with wheels and pull handle

*One Akron hose roller

*Two Partner 650 saws with Fire Hooks Unlimited strap, Chopper blade and Da Ax Blade, and spare fuel can for each saw. One spare each blade.

*Cordless DeWalt drill with Iowa S hook lock puller, Garage hook, Key tool set and 3/8 inch Titanium drill bit.

*One each Iowa American Rattlesnake ends polished stainless heads 6, 8, and 12 foot

*One 8 lb Force axe and pick head axe with polished stainless heads

*One Iowa American halligan with strap loop, marry strap and Iowa

*American over the shoulder strap

*One 2 ½ gallon water extinguisher with Iowa American strap

*Ansul K20E cartridge dry chemical extinguisher

All fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched County RFPD #1

*Four 1 1/2 inch NST female to 1 inch NST male adapters

*Two 2 ½” female NST to 1 ½” NST male

*Two 2 ½” male to 1 ½” NST female LH swivel

*Two 1 ½” NST make plugs with chains

*Five inch storz by 4 inch storz adapter

*Two 5” storz to 2 ½” LH NST swivel adapters

*25 gallons spare Class A Ansul foam

*Two Christi hydrant adapters to 5 inch storz

*Two 4 ½”??? hydrant adapters to 5 inch storz

*Two 2 ½” NST Male to 5” Storz fittings

*Two 2 ½” NST female to 5” Storz fittings

*Eleven 100 foot sections of 5” Lime Green and 11 sections of Orange 5 inch hose 100’ with three stencils each section to read at the middle and 25 foot marks plus one each yellow 25’ and 50’ sections of 5 inch hose. All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all the 5” hose in the department.

*All strainers and suction couplings color coded as well

*Four each 5 inch storz draft gaskets, 5” storz hose gaskets, gasket for fitting, 3 inch storz draft gaskets, 2 ½”, 1 ½” and 1” hose gaskets.

*600 feet of 1 “ hose with 1” NST couplings All fittings to be colored(Blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*High Combat 1 ¾” labeled 2” with reflective stripe 200’ yellow, 200’ green, 300’ blue, 300’ orange. All fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*High Combat at 200’ green 2 ½” hose, all fittings to be colored(blue for one rig, red for another, green, orange, black and yellow Kochek laser etched and sequentially numbered 1 though all

*25 feet of 2 ½” hose

*Color coded everything plus stick on reflective labels with white letter and vehicle color background labels “ phone number,

*Two water throws and 60 feet of floating rope in a bag

*One Craftsman tool box with $400 worth of tools,

*Four Scotty 1 gallon garden hose Barricade gel packs

*Two 5 gallon pails of Barricade gel

*One foam can wrench

*Two long ratchet style hydrant wrenches,

*One Tracker system for 45 members and three locator devices,

*Two each long panel cutter and straight blade air chisel blades

*One package 6 and 12 inch .050 demolition blades

*10 lbs Iowa American sledge hammer

*Mount Akron fitzall and hydrant wrenches on all four sides,

Warrantee

*The vendor will guarantee the lease rate at time of the order with lease to start at time of delivery..

*All apparatus to meet NFPA except where noted.

*Paint 10 years, body structure and cab 10 years, life time tank stainless body 15 years, stainless plumbing 10 years engine drive train 5 years, foam system, lifetime frame, 2 years, nozzles 5 years, hose 10 years, and pumps 5 years. Trips 4 per truck for 3 members Two hundred fifty dollar a day delivery penalty for late delivery. Delivery not to exceed 1 year. Provide 15% contingency money.

RFP's - Firehouse Forums - Firefighting Discussion

2007-03-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

RFP's - Firehouse Forums - Firefighting Discussion:

From Firehouse.com forums thought this was a great RFP list that anyone could dream up...

'Here are 4 rfp's we sent out for 11 new vehicles. They led to complete spec submissions by apparatus vendors and led to an order for 5.7 million".

Zico Quic-Bar Forcible Entry Tool - First Responder Products - Homeland Security, DHS, SEL/AEL, Emergency Rescue, Law Enforcement, Fire Rescue, Milita

2007-03-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

Zico Quic-Bar Forcible Entry Tool - First Responder Products - Homeland Security, DHS, SEL/AEL, Emergency Rescue, Law Enforcement, Fire Rescue, Military, Homeland Security News:

"Zico Quic-Bar Forcible Entry Tool
$223.00
Zico Quic-Bar Forcible Entry Tool
Click to enlarge

Chrome-plated steel entry tools are available in three styles
Three-Piece Quic-Bar

Swedge-fit into ends and pinned through for maximum strength and dependability; with octagon handle.

·Ends are forged in high-alloy aircraft steel and tapered to a fine point to facilitate entry

·Hex bar is stress-proof steel

Available Options: 30", 36", 42"

Editor - This tactical Entry Halligan Tool looks like a nice tool to have around. And maybe firstresponderproducts.com will send me one to have err... I mean test since they enjoy the free advert/link...hint hint

Quick overview of Homeland Security Advisory System

2007-03-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

Department of Homeland Security Advisory System

Homeland Security Advisory System Overview

The Homeland Security Advisory System shall be binding on the executive branch and suggested, although voluntary, to other levels of government and the private sector. There are five Threat Conditions, each identified by a description and corresponding color. From lowest to highest, the levels and colors are:

Low = Green; Guarded = Blue; Elevated = Yellow; High = Orange; Severe = Red.

The higher the Homeland Security Threat Condition, the greater the risk of a terrorist attack. Risk includes both the probability of an attack occurring and its potential gravity. Threat Conditions shall be assigned by the Attorney General in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. Except in exigent circumstances, the Attorney General shall seek the views of the appropriate Homeland Security Principals or their subordinates, and other parties as appropriate, on the Threat Condition to be assigned.

Threat Conditions may be assigned for the entire Nation, or they may be set for a particular geographic area or industrial sector. Assigned Threat Conditions shall be reviewed at regular intervals to determine whether adjustments are warranted. For facilities, personnel, and operations inside the territorial United States, all Federal departments, agencies, and offices other than military facilities shall conform their existing threat advisory systems to this system and henceforth administer their systems consistent with the determination of the Attorney General with regard to the homeland security Threat Condition in effect.

The assignment of a Threat Condition by the Det. of Homeland Security shall prompt the implementation of an appropriate set of Protective Measures. Protective Measures are the specific steps an organization shall take to reduce its vulnerability or increase its ability to respond during a period of heightened alert. The authority to craft and implement Protective Measures rests with the Federal departments and agencies. It is recognized that departments and agencies may have several preplanned sets of responses to a particular Threat Condition to facilitate a rapid, appropriate, and tailored response. Department and agency heads are respon-sible for developing their own Protective Measures and other antiterrorism or self-protection and continuity plans, and resourcing, rehearsing, documenting, and maintaining these plans.

Likewise, they retain the authority to respond, as necessary, to risks, threats, incidents, or events at facilities within the specific jurisdiction of their department or agency, and, as authorized by law, to direct agencies and industries to implement their own Protective Measures. They shall continue to be responsible for taking all appropriate proactive steps to reduce the vulnerability of their personnel and facilities to terrorist attack. Federal department and agency heads shall submit an annual written report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, describing the steps they have taken to develop and implement appropriate Protective Measures for each Threat Condition. Governors, mayors, and the leaders of other organizations are encouraged to conduct a similar review of their organizations= Protective Measures.

The decision whether to publicly announce homeland security Threat Conditions shall be made on a case-by- case basis by the Attorney General in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. Every effort shall be made to share as much information regarding the threat as possible, consistent with the safety of the Nation. The Attorney General shall ensure, consistent with the safety of the Nation, that State and local government officials and law enforcement authorities are provided the most relevant and timely information.

The Attorney General shall be responsible for identifying any other information developed in the threat assessment process that would be useful to State and local officials and others and conveying it to them as permitted consistent with the constraints of classification. The Attorney General shall establish a process and a system for conveying relevant information to Federal, State, and local government official Homeland Security, law enforcement authorities, and the private sector expeditiously.

The Director of Central Intelligence and the Attorney General shall ensure that a continuous and timely flow of integrated threat assessments and reports is provided to the President, the Vice President, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Whenever possible and practicable, these integrated threat assessments and reports shall be reviewed and commented upon by the wider interagency community.

A decision on which homeland security Threat Condition to assign shall integrate a variety of considerations. This integration will rely on qualitative assessment, not quantitative calculation. Higher Threat Conditions indicate greater risk of a terrorist act, with risk including both probability and gravity. Despite best efforts, there can be no guarantee that, at any given Threat Condition, a terrorist attack will not occur. An initial and important factor is the quality of the threat information itself. The evaluation of this threat information shall include, but not be limited to, the following factors:

To what degree is the threat information credible? To what degree is the threat information corroborated? To what degree is the threat specific and/or imminent? How grave are the potential consequences of the threat?

Homeland Security Threat Conditions and Associated Protective Measures

The world has changed since September 11, 2001. We remain a Nation at risk to terrorist attacks and will remain at risk for the foreseeable future. At all Homeland Security Threat Conditions, we must remain vigilant, prepared, and ready to deter terrorist attacks. The following Threat Conditions each represent an increasing risk of terrorist attacks. Beneath each Threat Condition are some suggested Protective Measures, recognizing that the heads of Federal departments and agencies are responsible for developing and implementing appropriate agency-specific Protective Measures:

Homeland Security Advisory System - Low Condition (Green) This condition is declared when there is a low risk of terrorist attacks. Federal departments and agencies should consider the following general measures in addition to the agency-specific Protective Measures they develop and implement:

Refining and exercising as appropriate preplanned Protective Measures; Ensuring personnel receive proper training on the Homeland Security Advisory System and specific preplanned department or agency Protective Measures; and Institutionalizing a process to assure that all facilities and regulated sectors are regularly assessed for vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks, and all reasonable measures are taken to mitigate these vulnerabilities.

Homeland Security Advisory System - Guarded Condition(Blue) This condition is declared when there is a general risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the Protective Measures taken in the previous Threat Condition, Federal departments and agencies should consider the following general measures in addition to the agency-specific Protective Measures that they will develop and implement:

Checking communications with designated emergency response or command locations;

Reviewing and updating emergency response procedures; and

Providing the public with any information that would strengthen its ability to act appropriately.

Homeland Security Advisory System - Elevated Condition (Yellow) An Elevated Condition is declared when there is a significant risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the Protective Measures taken in the previous Homeland Security Threat Conditions, Federal departments and agencies should consider the following general measures in addition to the Protective Measures that they will develop and implement:

Increasing surveillance of critical locations;

Coordinating emergency plans as appropriate with nearby jurisdictions;

Assessing whether the precise characteristics of the threat require the further refinement of preplanned Protective Measures; and

Implementing, as appropriate, contingency and emergency response plans.

Homeland Security Advisory System - High Condition (Orange) A High Condition is declared when there is a high risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the Protective Measures taken in the previous Threat Conditions, Federal departments and agencies should consider the following general measures in addition to the agency-specific Protective Measures that they will develop and implement:

Coordinating necessary security efforts with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies or any National Guard or other appropriate armed forces organizations; Taking additional precautions at public events and possibly considering alternative venues or even cancellation;

Preparing to execute contingency procedures, such as moving to an alternate site or dispersing their workforce; and

Restricting threatened facility access to essential personnel only.

Homeland Security Advisory System - Severe Condition (Red) A Severe Condition reflects a severe risk of terrorist attacks. Under most circumstances, the Protective Measures for a Severe Condition are not intended to be sustained for substantial periods of time. In addition to the Protective Measures in the previous Threat Conditions, Federal departments and agencies also should consider the following general measures in addition to the agency-specific Protective Measures that they will develop and implement:

Increasing or redirecting personnel to address critical emergency needs; Assigning emergency response personnel and pre-positioning and mobilizing specially trained teams or resources;

Monitoring, redirecting, or constraining transportation systems; and Closing public and government facilities.

The United States Government will continue on a daily basis to monitor and analyze threat information and share that information, together with appropriate protective measures, with state, local and private sector authorities as well as the general public as part of the ongoing national effort to prevent terrorist attacks and protect the country.

Recommended Activities

All Americans should continue to be vigilant, take notice of their surroundings, and report suspicions items or activities to local authorities immediately. Everybody should establish an emergency preparedness kit as well as a communications plan for themselves and their family, and stay informed about what to do during an emergency situation.

All Citizens should contact there local office of Emergency Management or Emergency Information Center for current information in their area.

About the Homeland Security Advisory System

The Homeland Security Advisory System is designed to target our protective measures when specific information to a specific sector or geographic region is received. It combines threat information with vulnerability assessments and provides communications to public safety officials and the public.

Homeland Security Threat Advisories contain actionable information about an incident involving, or a threat targeting, critical national networks or infrastructures or key assets. They could, for example, relay newly developed procedures that, when implemented, would significantly improve security or protection. They could also suggest a change in readiness posture, protective actions, or response. This category includes products formerly named alerts, advisories, and sector notifications. Advisories are targeted to Federal, state, and local governments, private sector organizations, and international partners.

Homeland Security Information Bulletins communicate information of interest to the nation�s critical infrastructures that do not meet the timeliness, specificity, or significance thresholds of warning messages. Such information may include statistical reports, periodic summaries, incident response or reporting guidelines, common vulnerabilities and patches, and configuration standards or tools. It also may include preliminary requests for information. Bulletins are targeted to Federal, state, and local governments, private sector organizations, and international partners.

Color-coded Threat Level System is used to communicate with public safety officials and the public at-large through a threat-based, color-coded system so that protective measures can be implemented to reduce the likelihood or impact of an attack. Raising the threat condition has economic, physical, and psychological effects on the nation; so, the Homeland Security Advisory System can place specific geographic regions or industry sectors on a higher alert status than other regions or industries, based on specific threat information.

Structure fire - high-rise building tools

2007-01-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

Outfitting Firefighters

Meet Tom Carroll (left) and Ed Fales. Tom is a lieutenant and Ed is a firefighter and paramedic with Engine Company 1 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

You will see how Tom and Ed would suit up in response to a fire in a high-rise building and what assorted tools they would carry. By the time they are fully equipped, each of them will be carrying a staggering load of state-of-the-art gear weighing between 80 and 100 pounds and costing almost $4,500 per man.

		Two-way radio Wherever a firefighter is, communication is essential. Firefighters wear two-way radios at all times, which they use to talk to each other and their dispatcher.
		Leather boots and rubber boots Leather boots (worn by Tom) are the traditional footwear of the firefighter. They are significantly lighter than rubber boots and offer more ankle support, reducing leg fatigue, which can be important when climbing stairs in a high-rise fire situation. Rubber boots (worn by Ed) have strong pull loops at the top of the boot, allowing firefighters to quickly pull them on. They have a heavy felt lining for comfort and protection, steel toes, and slip-resistant soles. When firefighters are at their station they keep the shank of their boots inside the cuff of their turnout pants and position them next to the fire trucks so they can don their boots and pants in one swift motion when responding to a call.
		Turnout pants Turnout pants, also called bunker pants, are made of many different layers of fire-resistant synthetic materials, such as Nomex, Dermoflex, neoprene, and Kevlar, which protect firefighters from extreme heat. A firefighter's turnout pants are held up by suspenders, which make them easy to get into and comfortable to wear.
		Hood Similar to a ski mask, the so-called "anti-flash" hood protects the firefighter's neck and head from extreme heat and flames with a single layer of fire-resistant Nomex material. The hood can also be used as a crude air filter in smoky environments.
		Helmet Following tradition, a firefighter's helmet is made out of leather, lined with a hard protective shell. The helmet is stitched to create vertical ribs across its top, which protect the head from blows to the side. A long bill on the back of the helmet keeps water and debris from dropping into the firefighter's coat. Inside the helmet are built-in flaps to protect the ears. Many helmets have flip-up face shields attached to the brim, which provide face and eye protection without inhibiting vision. On the front of a firefighter's helmet a shield denotes the wearer's rank and engine company number.
		Turnout coat Firefighters' heavy turnout coats, which weigh over 20 pounds, are made of a combination of fire-resistant synthetic materials, such as Nomex, Dermoflex, neoprene, and Kevlar. The coats are emblazoned with fluorescent stripes, reflectors, and the firefighter's last name, which make the wearer easy to see and identify. Turnout coats, also called bunker coats, have ample pocket space for storing small tools.
		SCBA tank and SCBA mask The self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, delivers clean, cool air to firefighters in atmospheres of hot, noxious gases and smoke. Weighing more than 30 pounds, the SCBA (seen here in yellow) adds significantly to a firefighter's load. The SCBA is similar to the SCUBA gear used by divers, but instead of delivering air on demand as with underwater breathing devices, the SCBA offers a constantly flowing stream of air (a so-called "open circuit") through the firefighter's face mask so he or she does not have to inhale to initiate airflow. Depending on the nature of the fire, a firefighter will carry a tank that holds between 30 minutes and one hour of air.
		PASS motion alarm All firefighters wear PASS ("Personal Alert Safety System") motion alarms, which are activated automatically when there is airflow from the SCBA. The PASS alarm sounds when its bearer does not move for at least 30 seconds, letting others know he may be unconscious or trapped and signaling his location. The alarm's high-pitched squeal gets increasingly louder until it is manually turned off. Some new model PASS devices also monitor ambient air temperature.
		Flashlight Firefighters carry flashlights or wear them on their helmets. Their flashlights are specially made so that they will not spark and ignite flammable gases.
		Gloves Firefighting gloves are made from pigskin. They are durable and shrink-resistant if they become wet.
		Rabbit tool The Rabbit tool, aka the Hurst hydraulic spreader, enables firefighters to quickly cut through or pull apart twisted wreckage and pry open doors. The Rabbit tool is similar to the Jaws of Life but is significantly lighter and therefore more portable. It also does not require a connection to a fire truck to operate, making it more likely to be used in a high-rise scenario.
		Rake Also known as the pike pole or plaster hook, the rake is a long-handled forcible entry tool useful for reaching up high or to other inaccessible locations in a building.
		Irons Firefighters fit their axe and Halligen tool together when they carry them and call both tools "irons." The axe (seen in red and yellow) is used to break through locked doors and scatter combustible material. The Halligen tool (seen in silver) is useful for prying doors and windows open to gain entrance to or ventilate buildings.
		Fire extinguisher In a high-rise fire, a firefighter would carry a fire extinguisher for putting out relatively small spot fires inside the building.
		Hose Hoses come in a variety of diameters, which are chosen according to the specific size and nature of the fire. In a high-rise situation, firefighters would carry a two-and-a-half-inch hose, like the one Ed is carrying, made of Kevlar with a rubber inner core. Most likely, a high-rise would have water spigots for hook-up at various locations within the building. The standard length of a hose is 50 feet.
		Thermal-imaging camera The most hi-tech tool in a firefighter's toolkit, the handheld thermal-imaging camera (a Bullard model is seen here) allows firefighters to locate a trapped person in a poor-visibility situation or detect a smouldering fire behind a wall. In the latter case, a building may sustain less structural damage, because the camera allows firefighters to pinpoint areas in need of targeted water or wall removal. The camera works by imaging the levels of heat in a room, from very dark (coolest) to very light (hottest). A firefighter searching for a victim in a fire would look for dark areas; when searching for a hot spot behind a wall, he would look for light areas.
		Safety Line Firefighters carry a Kevlar safety line, usually 200 feet in length, for use in finding their way out of a smoke-filled space. The line can be used between two or more firefighters in a building or between a firefighter and a victim.

Firetruck Gear

2007-01-07T23:04:00.001-08:00

Equipment on a Firetruck video - A lot of shit on a Firetruck Huh?

Piercing Nozzles - How often do you need them?

2007-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

AUGUSTUS Fire Tool^® introduces its new Series 2000 "Bayonet Style" Piercing Applicators Designed to Safely combat Compartmentalized Fires Using the Indirect Method of Attack.

The Series 2000 "Bayonet" Piercing Applicators are designed with a striking plate on their back end allowing them to be driven with a sledgehammer, maul or ax. They also come equipped with a 6.5 ft. 1-1/2" flat hose "WHIP" which has a 1-1/2" NST swivel for connection to a controlling nozzle/bale for ease and flexibility of operation.

These high quality tools were designed with the primary objective of SAFETY for FIRE SERVICES PERSONNEL. They are precision machined to .003"from corrosion and rust resistant heavy-duty (Schedule 160) aluminum tubing and 416 stainless steel. The hardened, novel stainless steel piercing tip is easily removed for cleaning, sharpening, or if it ever requires replacement. All AUGUSTUS Fire Tool^® products are manufactured in the USA.

These tools' novel design will:

PROVIDE	Firefighters with a Safe, Quick and Efficient means of knocking down and extinguishing fires in confined and hard to reach spaces such as: Balloon Walls, Storage Facilities, Frame Construction Voids, Attics, Trailer and Mobile Homes, Hay & Cotton Bales, Stacks of: Waste Paper, Cardboard, Wood Chips, & Peat, Crawl Spaces, Basements, etc.
PENETRATE	exterior surfaces such as: sheet metals, plywood, sheet rock, cinder blocks, etc.
ELIMINATE	the need to attempt immediate time consuming, sometimes risky, forcible entry operations while fire burns uncontrolled in a compartmentalized area
REDUCE	Firefighter's direct exposure to flames, smoke, hazards and harmful gases
DISCHARGE	extinguishing agents directly into enclosed areas within seconds
COMPATIBLE	with Foam and other Wetting Agent applications
CONNECT	to Attack Line Shutoffs by use of a 6.5 ft. 1-1/2" flat hose "WHIP" (supplied with each applicator) with a 1-1/2" NST swivel
DELIVER	between 120 and 150 GPM at realistic and safe PDP's of 125 to 160 PSI in an effective 40-foot diameter umbrella shaped spray/fogging pattern with minimal nozzle reaction using the novel AUGUSTUS Fire Tool^® Piercing Tip design
MAXIMIZE	the effectiveness and MINIMIZE the amount of extinguishing agent required

Stock Code	Introductory Retail Prices
AGT 2003 Three (3) Foot "Bayonet" Piercing Applicator with 6.5 ft. "WHIP"	$565.00

Fire Blanket--Rapid Response EMS PyroBlanket

2007-01-04T21:06:00.000-08:00

Now You Can Fight Fire...
With Fabric.
PyroBlanket

Anywhere fire threatens to destroy property, lives, or dreams - PyroBlanket™ has you covered. In the kitchen or in harm's way, the foe that is fire has met its match. Now, at last, a patented high tech fabric that will not burn...that blocks extreme heat and flame...and that provides potential burn victims a new chance for safe rescue or escape.

Next-generation fire blanket keeps body heat in, searing heat out! The Rapid Response fire blanket is designed for professional rescue teams and first responders. Soft and lightweight enough for a baby to sleep under, tough enough to snuff out a flame. Perfect for police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and life flight helicopters.

$104.99 - 144.99

Editors note: Maybe a little pricey to toss in the truck then again not!
When you need it priceless!

Full Product Info
Features and Specifications:

* The PyroBlanket is essential equipment for crash, extrication, fire and other incidents
* PyroBlankets provide true flame resistance, heat-blocking burn protection and superior tear resistance based on N.F.P.A. test methods used in certifying firemen's turnout gear
* Wrapped around a trapped victim's head and torso, PyroBlankets offer a totally new level of protection against open flame, shattered glass particles, sharp metal edges, and even incidental extrication tool contact
* In a fire emergency, the PyroBlanket provides thermal and shock/trauma protection by keeping victim's body heat in and searing heat out
* Made from a special patented blend of high-performance fibers
* Thoroughly tested to N.F.P.A. standards
* Lab testing and field use have proven that the PyroBlanket can be counted on to protect victims facing open flame or high-heat environments
* Soft and light, yet durable and tear-resistant
* Grommeted for use as a stretcher in emergency situations
* Bloodborne pathogen-resistant
* Machine washable
* Reusable
* Shake off or vaccuum away glass or debris – they won't snag on PyroBlanket's unique surface
* Fabric blend will not emit toxic fumes when exposed to flames
* Extinguishes flames by depriving them of oxygen
* Allows hot vapors to escape through the breathable fabric
* Fire may discolor the fabric, but the PyroBlanket will not burn
* Blanket measures 75"L x 57"W
* Weight: 2 lbs.
* Available with or without storage bag

View the videos that tell its incredible story.

It's truly a product whose time has come.

PyroBlanket™-Waubridge Specialty Fabrics product.

Nice Spanner wrench with holder.

2007-01-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

Spanner and Wrench Holder

$84.99

Item# K453

Spanner and Wrench Holder, includes (1) Style Hydrant Wrench and (2) Spanner Wrenches with Holder.

Kocheck Spanner and Wrench Holder w/ 1 Style Hydrant Wrench and 2 Spanner Wrenches w/ Holder

Looks to be a very nice set!

ROBOPAKS - Power when you need it

2006-12-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Tired of running out of power at critical times? Frustrated with constantly purchasing different types of batteries that quickly fail and need replaced? Would you like a single battery system that will run all your DC tools, lights and equipment with more reliability and longer run times?

Lightweight and easy to transport, Robopaks® are heavy-duty all weather systems that provide stable and reliable DC power – WITH EXTREME RUN TIMES. With advanced battery technology, providing multiple voltage capabilities, a single Robopaks® can power an infinite number of different brand and voltage tools, lights and equipment. Robopaks® also solve charging problems associated with other types of batteries. Charge friendly, Robopaks® do not have memory problems, allowing recharge at any point of discharge and they can be left on charge when not in use. Additional features include cost saving refurbish battery replacement programs.

XL 9210
Cat. No. 3482

Able to power hundreds of DC powered tools, lights and equipment with voltage requirements of 6-to-28v (Milwaukee, DeWalt, Hilti, Bosch, Makita, Greenlee, Huskie etc.), this very popular Robopak is encased in a heavy-duty all weather high impact plastic casing and includes durable "O" rings with a shoulder strap. The 6-7/8" base supports a quick-connect side mount lighting system for the "SuperBrite" light (allowing you to run your tool and light separately or at the same time). Charge friendly, the XL 9210 can be recharged at any point of discharge without memory problems and can be left on charge when not in use. Additional features include a cost savings refurbish / battery replacement program and AC or DC charging.

Increase the run times of your tools 6 - 10 times!

Amp Hr @ 24-28v---------12
Amp Hr @ 18v--------------12
Amp Hr @ 14.4 & 12v---24
Amp Hr @ 6v-----------------48

10-5/8"L x 9-11/16"W x 6-7/8"D
Weight: 22 lbs.
Build your own kit with a charger and tool adapter or see our many cost saving combo kits.

Price: $399.00

Designed for RAPID INTERVENTION, EXTRICATION, CONFINED SPACE, SHORING, STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE and numerous other needs, Robopaks®, Robotools® and Robolights® will provide long lasting portable power that will save you money and - FINISH THE JOB!

Largest California wildfires at a glance

2006-12-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

Photo by Bob O'Connor Del Puerto Canyon Fire
Five largest wildfires in modern California history:

Cedar Fire, San Diego County, October 2003, 273,247 acres, 427
square miles.
Matilija Fire, Ventura County, September 1932, 220,000 acres,
343 square miles.
Marble Cone Fire, Monterey County, July 1977, 177,866 acres, 278
square miles.
Laguna Fire, San Diego County, September 1970, 175,425 acres,
274 square miles.
Day Fire, Ventura County, September 2006, 162,702 acres, 254
square miles.
---
Source: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The CDF does not list fires prior to 1932 because records are
unreliable.

GeoMac - Real time wildfire information and maps

2006-12-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Get real-time forest and wildfire information from GeoMAC, part of the US National Interagency Fire Center.

The Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination Group or GeoMAC, is an internet-based mapping application originally designed for fire managers to access online maps of current fire locations and perimeters in the conterminous 48 States and Alaska. Using a standard web browser, fire personnel can view this information to pinpoint the affected areas. With the growing concern of western wildland fires in the summer of 2000, this application has also become available to the public.

Via the interactive map, you can see which fires are closest to you, identify fires, even view past fire history. This is especially timely during prime forest fire season here in the Northern hemisphere.

Scientists are predicting a continuing cycle of severe forest fire seasons for the foreseeable future, The year 2002 saw three huge fires that stretched firefighting resources to the breaking point: Biscuit burned 500,000 acres in southwestern Oregon, Rodeo-Chedeski burned 462,000 acres in Arizona, and the Hayman fire burned 136,000 acres in Colorado.

In 2006, 89,000 fires burned across 9.5 million acres. The U.S. Forest Service spent $1.5 billion fighting those fires - about $100 million over budget.

Study Links Wildfires to Ocean Temperatures

2006-12-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

By JEFF BARNARD
Associated Press Writer

Using fire scars on nearly 5,000 tree stumps dating back 450 years, scientists have found that extended periods of major wildfires in the West occurred when the North Atlantic Ocean was going through periodic warming.

With the North Atlantic at the start of a recurring warming period that typically lasts 20 to 60 years, the West could be in for an extended period of multiple fires on the scale of those seen in 2002 and 2006, said Thomas W. Swetnam. He's the director of the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research at the University of Arizona and a co-author of the study published in the Dec. 26 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"This study and others have demonstrated that there is an underlying climatic influence on fuels and then on the weather conditions that promote fires," said Dan Cayan, climate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who did not take part in the study.

Ron Neilson, a U.S. Forest Service scientist who has developed models that predict wildfire danger based on climate models, agreed with the study's conclusions, and noted all the oceans are affected by global warming. And that in turn could exacerbate the wildfire cycle.

Scientists have long seen a relationship between weather in the United States and El Nino, a warming of water in the South Pacific.

When El Nino is strong, the Northwest typically has drought and severe fire seasons, and the Southwest has rain. When the cycle reverses, known as La Nina, the South Pacific cools, the Northwest has more rain, and the Southwest has drought and fires.

Less well understood are two other climate drivers, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, known as the PDO, centered in the North Pacific, which typically changes every 10 to 20 years, and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or AMO, which is marked by warming and cooling periods of 20 to 60 years in the North Atlantic.

El Nino-La Nina is thought to be the most influential cycle, but the Atlantic and Pacific oscillations can magnify or diminish those effects when strong phases of the three cycles come together, Swetnam said.

"Over the last 400-plus years in our fire history study, when the AMO was positive (producing warm temperatures in the North Atlantic), then you would get big fires breaking out synchronously across the West," Swetnam said. "That's what we saw in 2002 and 2006."

The year 2002 saw three huge fires that stretched firefighting resources to the breaking point: Biscuit burned 500,000 acres in southwestern Oregon, Rodeo-Chedeski burned 462,000 acres in Arizona, and the Hayman fire burned 136,000 acres in Colorado.

In 2006, 89,000 fires burned across 9.5 million acres. The U.S. Forest Service spent $1.5 billion fighting those fires - about $100 million over budget.

Another factor in the larger fires, said Swetnam, is that after a century of fighting wildfires, fuel is building up in the nation's forests.

The study gathered data from 241 logging sites around the West, compiling the dates of 33,795 fire scars on 4,700 stumps to develop a history of fires in the West dating to 1550.

The fire history was compared to a reconstruction of the Atlantic Decadal Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and El Nino.

The most severe fire seasons fell between 1660 and 1710, when the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation was at its warmest, the study found. The least severe fire seasons happened from 1787 to 1849, when North Atlantic temperatures were at their coolest.

The study comes after another published this year in the journal Science found that a sudden and dramatic increase in western wildfires in the late 1980s was related to a pattern of earlier springs and warmer summers. Swetnam and Cayan both took part in that study.

Greg McCabe, a climatologist for the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, said his research has been showing a connection between North Atlantic Ocean temperatures and the drought that is gripping much of the West, which creates conditions for major fires.

"I think what Tom has written is really good," McCabe said. "More and more people are starting to see there is something there. We do know the tropical Pacific (home to the ocean warming condition known as El Nino) is a key player in global climate. But on longer time scales it looks like the Atlantic also has some influence."

Got to love the Technical/Tactical rescue rigs

2006-12-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

Nice article on new rescue rig for the The Kingman Fire Department

This article is reprinted from: kingmandailyminer.com

KINGMAN - The Kingman Fire Department has added a new $198,000 rescue truck to its life-saving fleet this month.

The truck, the first of its kind in the area, was designed and built from the ground up to provide a single vehicle that would hold all the department's more than $33,000 in specific rescue equipment.

"The concept isn't unique to the fire industry," Kingman Fire Battalion Chief Patrick Moore said. "Kingman just got to the size for it."

The funds for the truck were budgeted by the KFD. It took a year to design and build the vehicle.

"It was kind of interesting doing the design because we've never done anything like this before," Kingman Fire Capt. Roger Dixon said. "We pretty much went into the process wide open."

The fire department now has five fire engines, one ladder truck, two brush engines, one hazardous materials engine, one water tender, one utility vehicle and the rescue truck. The department is planning to add another standard response fire engine next year around December with budgeted funds.

In 1997, the KFD started a technical rescue program.

It was responsible for rope, swift water, confined spaces, trench and building rescues, as well as vehicle extraction.

With the launch of the program, the department started budgeting and obtaining the equipment and training necessary to accomplish technical rescues. The equipment was spread out at each station.

The fire department had a standard-size truck with some equipment before. The new truck lacks a hose, pump and water tank, which allows it to have larger compartments to carry equipment such as basket stretchers that are too large to fit on a regular fire engine.

"It gives us just so many more abilities to have positive outcomes," Moore said. "We're definitely excited to have it."

The truck has a five-person cab with each seat having a breathable air tank hook up. It also has its own air supply on board, which can be used to refill firefighters' air tanks.

The KFD has placed extraction equipment, commonly known as the Jaws of Life, on every truck and the new rescue truck has the Jaws of Life - only bigger. The electric power equipment on the truck can be turned on by a flip of a switch, as opposed to the gas-powered equipment on the other trucks that have to be cranked to start.

The truck also has a 25-kilowatt built-in generators, with is at least five times larger than the generators on the standard fire trucks. Floodlights, outlets and cord reels insure the KFD will be prepared to respond to calls in pitch-black locations.

Dixon is currently a part of the technical rescue program and explained they receive less calls than normal fire trucks.

"It's not like there's a high volume," Dixon said. "But, it's usually of significant impact."

Dixon estimates the truck will conservatively get 20 years of use due to the lack of frequent calls.

Right now the truck located at Station No. 3 is not staffed due to the low volume of calls. When a special call comes in for the rescue, a driver from the station will take it out to the scene while a trained cross staff of off-duty firefighters will be called in to meet the truck at the scene.

Tags: "Kingman Fire Department", "rescue truck", "technical rescue program", rope, "swift water", "confined spaces", trench, "building rescues", "vehicle extraction"

FIRST RESPONDER TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

ALCO: SAR teams watch man drown due to policy...

Limited edition 10th anniversary 9/11 tribute painting "Twin Towers"

Order 9/11 Tribute Painting & Support CA Fire Foundation{EAV_BLOG_VER:ec40134ac98fdc23}

Fire Equipment Video: SERV Gradall Strategic Emergency Response Vehicle

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS: NY-NYFD- WTC TOWER IC - NEVER FORGET ... FDNY 343 THE LIST

LODD: Washington Fire Chief Dies in Wildland Fire Incident Vehicle Accident

DEATH: Fire chief's death under investigation

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS

Eye Safety for Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery

NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:

Eye Safety

Eye Safety for Emergency Response and Disaster Recovery

Common Eye Hazards

Common Injuries

Recommended Types of Eye Protection

First Aid for Eye Injuries

Information Resources

Acknowledgments

Cal Fire-Butte County: California Office of Traffic Safety grant

Gas, Water, telescoping valve control tool

California Fire News: New valve control tools

A.C.E. 3 in 1 Pro Waterworks Tool (8)3 in 1 Pro Waterworks Tool and Accessories and Extensions

A.C.E. 3 in 1 Mini Pro Disaster Relief Tool

SAR News: 21.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons

SAR News: 21.5 and 243 MHz emergency beacons will no longer be monitored by satellite after February 1

Firefighters Now Exempt From Wearing High-Visibility Apparel

Safety News: CPF wins firefighter high-visibility safety apparel

Haz Mat News: Hydrogen Sulfide is a new method of suicide

Emergency Alerts: ALERT FM

Hazard and Aert Information to cells phones via FM public radio

Hazard and Alert Information to cells phones via FM public radio

News: New SCBA on the way! IAFF news release

INFO: Personal Locator Beacon COSPAS-SARSAT System

Media: Rapid Intervention Team Staging and Task Force Operations

Firefighting Foam contaminates water supply

Public Safety Vests - ANSI 207 Vests

Government Resources for Firefighter PPE – Part 2

Government Resources for Firefighter PPE – Part 1

NFPA standard for PASS alarms -- Upgraded went into effect on September 1st.

OSHA: Proposes $68,600 in Penalties Against Furniture Delivery Company

OSHA Proposes $68,600 in Penalties Against Furniture Delivery Company

California Fire News

Commentary -The best of Breed - Cal Fire News Top Twelve

Sweet Chocks from Chocks.com

Storefront fire a foamy test for Chicago firefighters' newest gear

Storefront fire a foamy test for Chicago firefighters' newest gear

Water injected turbine for fire suppression by Willimczik

wildland urban interface operations

If paramedics err, what happens to them? - Los Angeles Times

If paramedics err, what happens to them?

WHEEL CHOCKS - buy wheel chocks for a wildland water tender

RFP's - Firehouse Forums - Firefighting Discussion

RFP's - Firehouse Forums - Firefighting Discussion

Zico Quic-Bar Forcible Entry Tool - First Responder Products - Homeland Security, DHS, SEL/AEL, Emergency Rescue, Law Enforcement, Fire Rescue, Milita

Quick overview of Homeland Security Advisory System

Department of Homeland Security Advisory System

Structure fire - high-rise building tools

Outfitting Firefighters

Firetruck Gear

Piercing Nozzles - How often do you need them?

Fire Blanket--Rapid Response EMS PyroBlanket

Nice Spanner wrench with holder.

Spanner and Wrench Holder

Item# K453

ROBOPAKS - Power when you need it

Largest California wildfires at a glance

GeoMac - Real time wildfire information and maps

Study Links Wildfires to Ocean Temperatures

Got to love the Technical/Tactical rescue rigs

Order 9/11 Tribute Painting & Support CA Fire Foundation
{EAV_BLOG_VER:ec40134ac98fdc23}

A.C.E. 3 in 1 Pro Waterworks Tool (8)
3 in 1 Pro Waterworks Tool and Accessories and Extensions