First-Rate in the Second City
Apparatus highlights from Fire-Rescue International in Chicago
By Bob Vaccaro

The Windy City was the host of this year’s Fire-Rescue International (FRI) conference. Fire service leaders from across the country gathered for professional development and networking opportunities, while a bustling exhibit hall showcased much of the new technology sweeping the fire service. Here are just a few highlights of the apparatus on display. For product highlights, see the November 2010 issue of FireRescue magazine.

All of the major apparatus manufacturers were in attendance at FRI, as well as some of the smaller ones. One notable appearance was American LaFrance, showing that despite financial troubles over the past few years, the manufacturer is still in contention. ALF displayed an Eagle Engine for Kern County, Calif., and a Liberty 65' Telesqurt demo. Although Darley displayed its various pump modules and foam systems, there was a notable absence of apparatus at its booth. You didn’t have to go far to learn why: At the entrance to the convention center was a vast display of MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) equipment that Darley has delivered in the past year, including five mobile ventilation units, a high-performance mobile compressor and cascade truck and two mission support vehicles.

Rosenbauer, HME, Smeal, Crash Rescue and several smaller manufacturers also had units on display.

Crimson
Crimson displayed two units for the Chicago Fire Department: a high-pressure pumper capable of flowing water up 50 flights, with foam, and a 103' rear-mount ladder, one of 30 being built for the department. Built on a Spartan MFD 10" raised-roof chassis, the pumper features a stainless-steel body, a 500-gallon poly water tank, a 1,500-gpm pump and an LED lighting package. Designed to achieve an overall height of less than 11 feet, the ladder is built on a Spartan Gladiator LFD Lo Pro chassis with a 500-lb. tip load, and extruded aluminum body and an LED lighting package.

Also on display: an engine for the Naperville, Ill., featuring a 1,500-gpm pump and 750-gallon poly tank, built on a Spartan Gladiator ELFD 10" raised-roof chassis with a stainless-steel body.

Crimson also showed its new Transformer pumper, featuring an integrated pump and manifold located just forward of the rear wheels.

E-One
E-One unveiled its CR 137' rear-mount ladder that will be available on a Cyclone II or Quest chassis. The ladder has a 1,000-gpm pre-piped waterway that provides for a 100' master stream with a clear tip for rescue operations. You can order a Hale or Waterous pump in sizes from 1,250- to 2,000-gpm. The rig also features a 300- or 500-gallon tank, and Class A, CAFS or ATP foam. There are several extruded aluminum body configurations available as well several suspension options.

For the second year in a row, E-One gave away a new Tradition ES pumper built on an International 4400 four-door chassis. This year’s winner was the Owens Cross Roads Volunteer Fire Department from Alabama. The company also showed a new stainless-steel pumper demo, built at its newly purchased Hamburg, N.Y., facility.

Ferrara
Ferrara displayed a heavy-rescue built for the LSU Fire and Emergency Training Institute in Baton Rouge, La., with an unusual purple-and-yellow paint scheme to support the LSU Tigers football team. Also on display was a MVP (Multi Vocational Pumper) demo, an MVP pumper, an Inferno HD 100' rear-mount for Algonquin, Ill., and a 100' Inferno mid-mount platform quint.

KME
KME unveiled its new Legacy Aerial Cat quint at the show. The unit features a 79' ladder and is mounted on a KME Predator Panther single-axle chassis with a 425-hp engine. The unit is available with a 500-lb. or 750-lb. tip load while flowing 1,500 gpm. The vehicle has a short wheelbase and a 14' outrigger stance with downriggers at the rear of the cab. Safety features include a knurled stainless-steel bolt- on ladder egress with ladder tip skid guards and wider and higher ladder sections for easy climbing. Luminescent rung covers provide better night vision.

The company also introduced the 2010 KME Predator chassis with a full range of sizes and options, including multi-plex or hard-wired electrical systems and engine options that range from 300- to 600-hp, with both SCR and advanced EGR designs.

LDV
LDV showed In Command, a turnkey command vehicle touted as a basic, low-cost unit that can be built in as little as 90 days. It didn’t seem like a low-end unit at all; it was loaded with just about every type of technology that an incident commander would need, and numerous options are available. LDV put a lot into this vehicle to make it more than adequate for command use.

Pierce
Pierce displayed 10 vehicles at the show—just about every model it offers in different configurations. Highlights included a Velocity engine for Iola, Kan.; a Velocity non-walk-in rescue for River Vale, N.J.; a Quantum PUC for Dix Hills, N.Y.; an Impel PUC for St. Johns, S.C.; a Velocity 75' quint for the U.S. Navy Great Lakes Training Center; a Velocity PUC 100' aerial platform quint for South Holland, Ill.; a Contender PUC for Deer Creek Fire Protection District in Edmond, Okla.; an Arrow XT HDL 100' aerial demo; and a freightliner pumper with a 1,250-gpm pump with pump-in-motion capability.

Sutphen
Sutphen displayed a huge industrial platform with 112 feet of vertical reach, a 3,000-gpm Hale pump, an 800-gallon foam tank, a 10-kW Onan generator and a National Foam Servo Command 300-gpm foam system. The unit was for the Exxon/Mobile Refinery in Joliet, Ill. Also on display was an SPH 100' mid-mount aerial ladder and several demo vehicles.

Lots to See
Although travel budgets are facing unprecedented restrictions at many departments, there’s no substitute for the experience of walking around the exhibit hall, talking with the vendors and looking at products that can help your personnel operate more safely and effectively. If you get a chance, visit FRI next year in Atlanta, Aug. 23–27.

Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire-service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (N.Y.) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, the New York Fire Patrol and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. Vaccaro is a life member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

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