It’s an exciting time whenever a small fire department takes delivery of a new piece of fire apparatus.
As the firefighters pull into the parking lot, they find it hard to take their eyes off of the gleaming, red monster, trimmed with chrome, diamond-plate and dressed with lights and Chevron stripes.
They try hard not to show their excitement, but we’ve been through it before. We know, because WE still get excited.
The new truck sits there on the apron in front of the fire station. More and more firefighters are going around the truck; looking/touching, opening the empty compartments, getting up and into the cab. Some will get up into the walkway to look at the pump panel. Still, others will simply stand back and imagine what the apparatus will do.
But I will be looking at it, not for what it will do. We all know what it will do. That’s why we bought it.
No; I will be looking at it for what it represents.
What it represents is cooperation, communication and forward-thinking. It represents the ideas brought to life by the engineers and manufacturers.
It represents many years of experience, through trial and error and a willingness to share thoughts that might give you the edge that you’ve been looking for.
I say “cooperation”, because some of us have been locked out of the process by over-bearing governing boards, who wouldn’t know a ball valve from a ball bearing, yet; would conspire with a manufacturer’s salesperson to build a truck that we “need”.
When your only input into the process controlled by a governing board is a choice of either air conditioning for the cab or an automatic transmission knowing logically that you need both; then, “cooperation” isn’t exactly what comes to mind. That was in 1988.
To get it right, you have to have the cooperation of the firefighters, engineer, manufacturer, the salesperson and trustees. There HAS to be a defined process through meetings to determine the “must have”, the “should haves” and the “nice to haves”.
As a trustee, you don’t say “no” to any of it. It’s only when you approach that price that could take you out of your 10-year rotation that you start digging in and digging down and in the end, the firefighters will acquiesce. And even then, the manufacturer may step up and offer a more cost effective solution that will allow that optional equipment to stay in. Now; that’s cooperation!
What I just described is also much of the communication. Before an agreement is signed, it is made very clear who will be the points of contact and who will have work order change authority. Coupled with mandatory, weekly updates and the finished product should come with no surprises.
With a 10-year rotation, you MUST be forward-thinking. You have to design a truck that will serve your community’s needs for the next ten years. From the size of the pump to the size of the storage compartments, the truck must flex for the growth of the community.
The last consideration is mutual aid. When you look around and you see an abundance of tankers, brush trucks and engines, you can also see the redundancy. What can you design and build that will service your community and bring a different tool to the mutual aid call?
Well, THAT is what we will have delivered to our fire station on Saturday, December 12th.
It will be an all-wheel drive, custom-built, Class A pumper with a caveat. From the standard pre-connects, storage and telescoping lights, it will also feature 1000 gpm pump that will “pump and go”, a foam system, 600 gallon water tank, top mount pump panel, roll out generator and a front bumper-mounted turret that will be operated from within the cab. It will also be equipped with a detachable, remote controlled winch that can be mounted on any one of the four sides of the vehicle.
This will be my third new truck.
And I’m already excited!
TCSS.
The article as submitted is published under The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© umbrella and is the intellectual property of Art Goodrich a.k.a. ChiefReason. It is protected by federal copyright laws and cannot be re-printed in any form without expressed permission from the author. You may read other works by the author at www.chiefreasonart.com.
Also on Chief Reason …
- Belt It Out: WEAR IT! – July 19, 2010
Nicely done Art – Both in designing and describing the new engine.
You’ve managed to successfully meet the needs of your local community while enhancing your response capabilities to your mutual aid partners.
You’ve accurately described that “so excited I have a pit in my stomach” feeling that “Run to the Curb” type firefighters get at the sight of a new apparatus delivery. And, in doing so, reinstilled that excitement in all of us.
Thanks.