July 2007

 

Fire Service Today

by C. Peter Jørgensen

 

This month I am starting my own online blog called Pete’s Fire Apparatus Blog.

Yes, you can talk back to me anytime or post your own comments and observations about fire apparatus and equipment. Here is the link: http://fireapparatusmagazine.blogspot.com/

The blog will be a wide-open forum and not limited just to commenting about thoughts in my column. It will give you a place to post your own views about any relevant topic as well as a place to suggest story coverage and topics you’d like to see in the magazine.

This effort is not intended to compete for the type of nightly brickbat tossing that appears on Firehouse.com. That highly-successful forum is entirely different.

We hope to keep blog topics and discussions focused on real issues about fire apparatus and emergency equipment. This column will appear on the blog’s opening page, but it is being posted just as a jumping-off point for commentary.

I plan to update the blog every time something of interest crosses my desk. That could be three times a day or three times a week. There will be no set schedule.

This is an experiment, but let’s see if we can create a dialogue with readers about emergency equipment that uncovers real issues and not just rants about pet peeves.

You will have to sign in with a valid e-mail address just once to register and get access to post your comments on the blog.

     

American LaFrance has moved into its new plant and office facility in Summerville, S.C., about three miles from the former location in Ladson, S.C.

The company expects it will take a couple of months to get everything working smoothly and has scheduled its open house and celebration for Oct. 19 and 20.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, the plant opening coincides with the company celebrating its 175th anniversary.

     

Ferrara Fire Apparatus recently delivered two of its Strong Arm units to China. Similar apparatus have been sold to Turkey, and the Chinese government has two more on order.

The Strong Arm consists of a Gradall Company telescoping boom mounted on a Ferrara Inferno chassis equipped with a 1500-gpm midship pump.

The unit is equipped with a rotating nozzle that works as a roof-cutting tool that doubles as a nozzle with 52 individual water jets.

Acceptance of the Strong Arm concept for fire fighting and rescue has been strongest overseas in countries where the building is likely lost before arrival of firefighters. The massive boom and nozzle easily cuts through most roofs and extinguishes the fire, but usually destroys the building in the process.

The objective is primarily to protect exposures and reduce the fire building to rubble so the land can be used for rebuilding. The Strong Arm works very well as a demolition tool, and its 1500-gpm nozzle delivering Class A foam is very effective in extinguishing fully-involved buildings.

     

Speaking of Ferrara, it was just a year ago that Chris Ferrara opened a factory service and refurbishment facility directly across the street from Ferrara’s main manufacturing plant in Holden, La.

Blaine Richard, who has been a jack-of-all-trades for many years at Ferrara, was named manager of the new venture and hasn’t looked back since. With 14 service bays filled every day with new work, Blaine has had his hands full.

Initially opening as a service and repair facility for Ferrara apparatus last summer, work soon started rolling in for all sorts of apparatus needing collision repairs, paint and refurbishment work and modifications.

The service and refurb center does all kinds of work on all types of apparatus. On a recent tour of the facility with Richard, there were several Ferrara vehicles in for routine maintenance, two Ferraras receiving collision repair, as well as trucks from other manufacturers getting major paint and refurb work.

The volume of first-year business surprised company founder and CEO Chris Ferrara. “We’ve really promoted this facility only through word-of-mouth,” he said, “but the response has been tremendous, and we’ve been fully booked several weeks out since we opened.”

Ferrara credits Richard with making the operation run smoothly and adding roughly 30 new jobs in the region. “When we first opened the service center, customers would routinely drop off their trucks with us, and no matter what size job, we felt we just had to get it done,” said Richard.

He added, “To take care of even small problems for the customer we now have a crew whose job is focused solely on minor repairs, such as replacing bulbs, doing preventative maintenance, and work that can be completed in a few hours.”

Ferrara built a customer waiting lounge so department drivers can wait and then take the truck home the same day, avoiding an overnight out-of-service situation.

A local fire truck collector brought in a 1947 antique apparatus in need of major paint, body and electrical work. (The truck was built before Chris Ferrara was born!)