By Bill Adams A fact is a verifiable truth; fiction is not. A politically correct way of dodging the truth is to call a statement a fallacy. A fallacy can be defined as a misconception, a myth, sometimes a mistake, even a fairytale and “perhaps it’s something you...
Grab Handle Negligence?
By Bill Adams In the early 1980s, a New England firefighter fell off a rig and eventually died from his injuries. His family successfully sued the fire apparatus manufacturer that built the apparatus. It was a custom pumper with an open canopy cab that featured a...
Tallman (NY) 2020 Pierce Ascendant 100-Foot Heavy Duty Aerial Tower
By Mike Ciampo The Tallman Volunteer Fire Department is located in Rockland County, NY, a suburb of New York City. The fire district is situated in the Town of Ramapo and the firehouse is located on Route 59 in Tallman, a hamlet of Ramapo. The department serves the...
Darley Delivering Four High-Water Custom CAFS Pumpers to Sheldon (TX) Fire & Rescue
By Alan M. Petrillo W.S. Darley & Co. has built four custom pumpers designed to ford high water conditions for Sheldon (TX) Fire & Rescue, a fire district in Harris County to the east of Houston. Roland Balderas, Sheldon’s assistant chief administrator, says...
Transverse Hose Storage
Transverse hose storage for handlines has been around since the late 1940s. Commonly called crosslays and mattydales, they’re usually located immediately above or recessed into the top of a midship-mounted pump enclosure. Some are found on front bumper extensions and on the rear step–also known as the tailboard or more politically correct as the rear work platform. They all feature the principle of deploying the hose from either side of the rig. All are loaded from the top. It is irrelevant if the hose is preconnected. What is important is ensuring the intended hose fits, it is stored at a workable height, and can be deployed as intended. Adequate purchasing specifications will ensure so.
Sutphen Enters the Tractor Drawn Aerial Market
DUBLIN, OHIO – Sutphen Corporation, the largest family-owned fire apparatus manufacturer in the nation, announces the launch of the Sutphen tractor drawn aerial. Adding to Sutphen’s expansive family of aerials, the 131-year-old, family-owned business...
Darley Builds CAFS Quick-Attack Truck for East Avon, NY
By Alan M. Petrillo East Avon (NY) Fire Department always was a believer in equipping its apparatus with foam systems, especially for industrial applications and for motor vehicle fires, but hesitated to get into compressed air foam systems (CAFS) until a new board of...
NFPA 1901 & FAMA Signs: Sensible or Nonsensical? Part 1
By Bill Adams The tones dropped and everyone headed for the rig. The chauffer fired up the motor as the lieutenant impatiently waited for the crew to load up. One jumped in behind the officer’s seat while two others stood outside intently staring at the opened...
Roll-Up Doors
Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment publishes a monthly list showing photos of about two dozen new apparatus deliveries. In the last three months, 66% of the deliveries featured roll-up compartment doors, 23% had hinged doors, and 11% had a combination of both.
Sutphen Delivers SPH 100 Aerial Platform Quint
Sutphen built this SPH 100 aerial platform quint for the LaVale (MD) Fire Department. The rig is powered by a Cummins 500-hp X12 engine and an Allison Gen 5 4000 EVS automatic transmission.
Detroit (MI) Fire Department Switches to Darley Pumps
The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) has officially reached Darley Demander status, setting the pace for Departments making the switch to Darley pumps.
Ask a Darley Engineer: New Pump Validation
How does Darley go about validating a new pump product it is thinking of offering for sale?