At the 2010 Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis this week, two manufacturers will introduce emergency apparatus with technology designed to help keep the atmosphere clean and save fuel.
HME Ahrens-Fox will introduce the nation's first compressed natural gas (CNG) powered emergency response vehicle, and Rosenbauer America will introduce its Green Star idle reduction technology, designed to reduce diesel emissions by shutting off the engines of apparatus at idle.
This past year, 2009, was a rather slow one for apparatus makers with some reporting new sales off by as much as 40 percent over previous years – perhaps a reflection of the sour economy and the reduction of tax revenue.
Other segments of the fire service industry seem as if they were not as seriously affected as the apparatus market.
It's pretty well known that people in the emergency services like stuff -- especially new stuff. And, it looks like there's some cool new stuff in the pipeline for gadget folks.
What would you think about a handheld device that can help make triage decisions from 40 feet with the scan of a laser that can measure respirations and pulse? Or, how about a firefighter-locator that can help pinpoint responders in three-dimensions?
First-responders in Palm Beach County lost all radio communication Thursday night.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, West Palm Beach Police Department and other local agencies were all without communication.
Dispatchers use radio frequencies to send first-responders to emergencies.
The system broke down just before 9 p.m. and was completely silent for more than 45 minutes.
The fire service has a once in a lifetime opportunity to seek an additional 30 MHz of spectrum on which a next generation wireless broadband network could be built, but we must act quickly if to influence federal policymakers.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The products are expected to protect the general working population in escape scenarios from chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear exposures.
Communications are the single most important tool to effectively maintain command and control and there are many PRIMARY systems in the United States that are seriously deficient.
