Fire Chief

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Auto, Engine Collide on Icy Road 

An automobile slid into an oncoming fire engine on an icy highway in Missouri, causing the engine to go off the road and overturn....

Four Injured When Engine Rolls 

Four firefighters in Texas were injured on their way to a house fire when their engine left the road and rolled....

Understanding Vehicle Performance 

By Chris Cavette, Senior Editor

Manufacturers use many terms to describe the performance of vehicles — horsepower, torque, gradeability, turning radius, side-slope stability and others. Here is a brief guide to help users understand what some of these terms really mean in everyday operation....

Support Beams 

By Chris Cavette

With a little planning, many departments can customize basic air and light units for specialized incident needs....

Ready, Aim, Fire 

By Rick Markley

A German inventor turns surplus military equipment into a novel way to battle wildfires....

IAFC Issues Vehicle Safety Reminder 

The International Association of Fire Chiefs urges fire departments to review their vehicle operations policies and safety procedures in response to the increasing number of critical vehicle crashes involving fire and EMS response vehicles in the past several weeks....

Federal Signal Changes CEOs 

Robert D. Welding has resigned as president and CEO of Federal Signal and will retire on Jan. 1, 2008. James E. Goodwin was appointed interim president and CEO, while the company conducts a search for a replacement....

Rosenbauer America Begins $1 Million Expansion 

Rosenbauer America broke ground last month to expand its Lyons, S.D. fire apparatus manufacturing facility by 24,000 square feet. The project will cost $1 million and scheduled for completion by March 2008....

Recent Apparatus Deliveries for December 

Whenever a department writes the specifications for a new apparatus, part of the process should be to look at the apparatus being delivered to other departments around the country. What are they specifying? Why did they select a particular chassis or component? How do they feel about their choices now that the apparatus are in service?...

Improperly Designed Winterfronts Can Cause Fan Failures 

Did you know that improperly designed winterfronts can cause fan failures? Some vehicle and engine manufacturers don’t allow the use of winterfronts, and other require specific designs....

Apparatus Makers to Offer Service Training 

Several companies have announced their service training schedules for 2008. The classes cover everything from aerials to pumps and are designed to provide fire mechanics and emergency vehicle technicians with valuable instruction on inspection, maintenance, repair and troubleshooting....

Waterous Upgrades Foam System 

The Waterous Advantus foam system was mentioned in an article in the November 2007 issue of FIRE CHIEF magazine. Recently, Waterous has made an upgrade to that system to further improve the accuracy....

Cummins Announces 2010 Engine Details 

Cummins announced that it will continue to use a variation of its current exhaust-gas recirculation system for 2010 heavy-duty engines to meet the tougher exhaust emissions standards, but will need to add a selective catalytic reduction system on its medium-duty engines....

Havis-Shields Offers Brow Lights for E-ONE Quest Cabs 

Customers who specify apparatus built on the new E-ONE Quest custom chassis can select specially designed Havis-Shields Magnafire high-intensity brow lights that fit the front or sides of the cab....

Red Diamond Closes its Doors 

Red Diamond Fire Trucks, a division of Oilmen’s Truck Tanks, has ceased operations and will no longer build water tankers/tenders for the fire service. The company indicated that it would continue to support the Red Diamond line of equipment and all warranties associated with it....

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