Congratualtions, Jason.

Writing for Bartles & James?

Thanks for the add...hope all is well with you.

Do you have much to do with the Haz-Mat classes at OSU-FST? I think Tahlequah FD is trying to set up some.
Chief Kimble

We use the Marine Corps heat index chart.
We do basic rehab for green and yellow flag conditions.
We restrict some activities to cooler parts of the day to avoid red flag conditions, and we only do short work periods for training.
For black flag, we only run calls, don't do any outside work at the station, and don't do anyoutside training unless it's critical.

I'll see if I can get a copy of the policy.
The chart and related information is at: http://safetycenter.navy.mil/ashore/articles/recreation/heatindexmarine.htm and http://www.iiimef.usmc.mil/wx/HeatIndex.htm

The second truck company isn't going to happen and time soon.

The new engines are the result of a well-designed plan by Chief Lucas, Deputy Chief Boring, and a pretty good apparatus committee.

The refurbs are being traded in - we still have old Engine 7 and Engine 8, but they're permenantly out of service.

This is what our new Crimson Fire/Spartan MetroStar engine look like. They are all identical except for the unit ID plates.

Engines 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8, and two spares, Engines 9 and 10 are currently in service. Engines 1 and 5 are still in the Ferrara quints.
Truck 6 is currently in the LTI/Sutphen spare, as the LTI/ALF is down for repairs.

The new engines have 1,500 GPM pumps, a twin-agent Class A/Class B onboard FoamPro proportioning system, 500 GPM booster tanks, and fully enclosed tool and ladder storage. The compartment layouts are standardized as well.

Current hose loads are:

Front bumper/trash line - 100 ft. 1.75 inch hose with a fog tip in a horseshoe load. 100 additional feet dead-loaded in the bottom of the compartment. This compartment has a treadplate cover.

Two 1.75-inch crosslays with fog tips, over the pump.

1,000 GPM capacity deck pipe, top mounted. The deck pipe is offset to the driver's side to accomodate the vertical exhaust stack on the officer's side.

Two 2.5-inch preconnects in the rear bed. They are currently 400 feet. One has a fog tip, the other has a gated wye. There is additional 2.5 inch hose dead-loaded under the preconnects. There is also a short bed of 2.5 inch on the right rear over the internal ladder rack. These sections are for FDC and sprinkler feeds, etc.

The supply load is still 5-inch LDH. We carry 1050 feet, in the bed and a 25-foot pony in a compartment. We're considering moving the 50-foot section to a compartment.

The pumps have automatic controls, rear-mount LDH intakes, and some other nice features like a flow meter for the handlines and color coded valves and hose on the preconnects.

New Engine 3

New Engine 4 and Medic 4

Jason,

Yeah, among other things, I was asked to become the Water Rescue Editor for Technical Rescue Magazine. It's published in England, and the U.S. version is mostly online, but that sort of thing is the wave of the future, at least for the simpler stuff. I was pretty honored that they asked, because the first (and only other) Water Rescue Editor they had was my friend and mentor, Jim Segerstrom, the founder of the Rescue 3 Swiftwater Rescue Technician program. Jim died two years ago, and TRM's Editor-in-Chief waited two years before offering the position to someone else. I'm really busy, and considered turning it down, but it actually doesn't take much time and two of the other editors also asked me to contribute, so there I am.

I also was a contributor to the new Jones and Bartlett (yeah, I know, IFSTA competitor, but they asked) Swiftwater and Flood Rescue FOG, and wrote the water rescue chapter for the forthcoming Jones and Bartlett Technical Rescue text.

Jason, welcome to the Nation. I am glad you dropped in to join the group. Dont be shy just jump in anywhere and get your feet wet. There is lots to do, read and be involved with. Your participation and involvement is important to us all. Takes a bit to kinda figure it all out but you will be glad you did. Have fun and look around.


Chief William Sharp
Southern Oregon Coast

Jason,

I'd recommend the TARS (Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads) swiftwater rescue program. It's taught in southeast Tennessee.
The class schedule isn't up yet, but you can check it at the Rescue College link on the TNARS.org site.

I teach in that program, as do instructors from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and elsewhere in South Carolina.

It's the least expensive of any swiftwater program in the U.S.

The Level I and Level II classes have been taught since 1994. We plan to pilot a Level III class for canyons, Class V rapids, and technical over-water rigging this fall.

Costs are $110 per student, per class, compared to around $250 per student for SRSG, $450 to $500 for Rescue 3 International, and $400 and up for some of the other state classes. The Tennessee classes allows students the opportunity to camp at the riverside, which a) simulates semi-wilderness deployments, b) helps you plan your own logistics support, and c) saves money that would otherwise be spent on lodging.

You can stay at a hotel 20 mnutes away if you want, but the instructors all camp by the river.