Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment

In this Talking Trucks episode, Chris McLoone and Ricky Riley walk through practical choices departments face when specifying aerial apparatus. They cover legacy hydraulic controls vs. electronic/multiplexed systems (and tip-mounted controls), prepiped waterways vs. removable/electric nozzles, jack styles and spread, tip-load tradeoffs, weight/axle impacts, and the training and staffing consequences that follow each choice. Ricky stresses on-site familiarization, asking manufacturers for weight and turning-radius data, and planning for the long service life of ladders.

Hi‑Viz Lighting CEO Sam Massa lays out a developing supply‑chain dispute with a large supplier (Amotiv) that could affect delivery of lighting used by North American fire apparatus manufacturers. 

For more information and updates, visit https://fightforamericaslight.com/.

For decades, helmets were evaluated primarily on protection. Today, departments should also evaluate balance, stability, cleanability, fit range, and operational performance.

For more information, visit www.bullard.com.

Discover what sets the Fouts Fire rescue line apart in today's fire apparatus market. In this episode, we discuss how Fouts Fire is helping departments get the rescue trucks they need faster without compromising quality, customization, or service. Learn about our approach to manufacturing, the features that matter most to first responders, and why more departments are choosing Fouts Fire for their next rescue.

For more information, visit www.foutsfire.com.

Electric vehicles can appear completely silent and inactive while still being capable of movement. For firefighters operating around a damaged EV, that uncertainty creates a significant safety challenge.

In this episode, Midtronics EV Safety expert Joshua Linton joins Brett Bigger of Noble IQ, a former firefighter, to discuss the unique challenges first responders face at EV incidents. They explore why verifying a vehicle's mobility status and safely immobilizing it are critical during rescue operations, and how the xIM-100 provides an added layer of protection by helping responders quickly confirm that an EV cannot move unexpectedly. If listeners would like to learn more about the product, visit:

https://evimmobilizer.midtronics.com/fire/

Midtronics website: https://www.midtronics.com/

Noble IQ website: https://www.noble.com/nobleiq

This episode of Moving Water covers the nuts and bolts of optimizing fill and dump site efficiency.

One takeaway: don’t wait for ideal conditions or perfect resources to get started. Begin with small, workable components—perhaps a single dump tank paired with one pumper—and add backup and redundancy progressively. This approach keeps your operation agile, prevents overwhelming personnel and apparatus, and ensures steady water flow early in the incident. Second: know the capabilities of your equipment and your mutual aid resources before the call. A hydrant delivering 250 gallons per minute is a vastly different asset than one flowing 1,000 GPM, and mismatched apparatus at fill sites can throttle flow and delay suppression efforts. Third, deploying two suction lines to draft simultaneously can dramatically increase flow rates while reducing pump RPM and extending apparatus life. From methodical system building to practical hardware choices and staffing strategies, this episode offers actionable knowledge extending beyond theory into real-world application.

This month's episode of The Apparatus Workshop covers apparatus inspections. Given the length of time fire apparatus remain in service today, documented inspections of the rigs are critical. Establishing robust policies backed by consistent documentation, demanding thorough final inspections and realistic pump and hose testing, and investing in specialized aerial device inspections are not merely procedural—they save lives and dollars. Departments willing to commit to these disciplined inspection regimens today will position themselves for safer and more effective operations in the years to come.

What sets the Fire Apparatus Design Symposium apart from other fire service conferences and trade shows is its focus on deep education and open dialogue with industry experts. Unlike typical trade shows that primarily emphasize product sales, the Fire Apparatus Design Symposium dives into technical and practical aspects of apparatus design, helping attendees navigate complexities like engine changes, suspension systems, and updated NFPA standards without vendor sales pitches.