● STERLING ROPE has been awarded a contract with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) to provide all firefighters citywide with FireTech 32, a personal escape rope for use in “bailout” situations. This rope was designed specifically to FDNY specifications and in response to the circumstances that occurred earlier in the year at a tragic fire in the Bronx where several firefighters died.
After the tragic fire, FDNY other city officials reviewed the feasibility of providing strong, lightweight ropes to every firefighter. Personal ropes had been issued in the past, but were taken out of use in 2000 because of issues including weight, bulkiness, low heat resistance, and maintenance. Sterling’s rope engineers worked closely with FDNY trainers and research and development as well as the fiber manufacturer to develop a rope product to meet the specific demands of New York firefighters. FireTech-32 was subjected to an exhaustive design and testing process that involved more than 5,000 tests, including rope “drop tests” and actual “bail-outs” out of windows at the department’s training center at Randall’s Island.
Fire Tech 32 is made with Technora® yarn by Teijin Twaron, a 100-percent para-aramid fiber suitable for repeated heat exposures. The kernmantle construction offers consistent performance and long-term durability. The rope is 7.7mm in diameter and has a minimum breaking strength of 5,647 pounds, an elongation of 1.25 percent, and weighs 46 grams per meter, or about 1.5 pounds per each rope. This rope is certified to NFPA 1983 (2001 ed.) by Underwriters Laboratories.
● The State of Michigan took delivery of the first three of 17 heavy rescue trucks manufactured by Michigan-based apparatus builder SPENCER MANUFACTURING and cab and chassis builder, SPARTAN CHASSIS. The vehicles will be part of the Regional Response Team Network (RRTN). One truck will serve with the Michigan State Police, and the other 16 will be placed with local emergency response agencies throughout the state. The RRTN provides quick response capability to WMD/terrorism incidents and coordinates resources and expertise at local, state, and federal levels across a range of disciplines.
The Spencer trucks are walk-around rescue units with 18-foot heavy-duty extruded aluminum bodies; each has more than 675 cubic feet of storage space in transverse and coffin-style compartments and a custom command center in the cab. The trucks have a Spartan Advantage 20-inch raised-roof, six-crewmember cabs, and Cummins ISL 370 horsepower engines with Allison 3000 EVS transmissions.
● AMERICAN LAFRANCE signed multiyear contracts with the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, for the delivery of more than 100 vehicles in the next five years. The company signed a renewable contract with Los Angeles to provide LTI tractor-drawn aerial fire trucks for the next five years, beginning with an immediate order of 14 vehicles, and the opportunity to add a significant number throughout the life of the contract. This purchase updates the entire front-line aerial fleet at the department with American LaFrance vehicles.
Phoenix is in the middle of a five-year contract with American LaFrance for Eagle mid-engine pumpers specifically designed to meet the city’s requirements. Approximately 50 pumpers have already been delivered and placed in service. In addition, the company is providing Phoenix and other cities in Arizona with haz-mat rescue vehicles as well as mid-mount aerial towers.
San Francisco recently received two American LaFrance Eagle Rescue vehicles and signed a renewable contract for American LaFrance pumpers. The city has ordered 10 units, and the company anticipates duplicating this order multiple times in the next two years.
American LaFrance has recently received several other California contracts with Ventura and Orange counties and the cities of San Bernardino and Ontario. Other contracts involve Portland, Oregon; Everett, Washington; and Sparks, Nevada.
● The NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) FOUNDATION’s Cost Savings Calculator is a new analytical tool that helps volunteer and combination fire departments demonstrate the true value of their services to the community. The user-friendly and easy-to-use tool was developed by the National Volunteer Fire Council Foundation with the Public Safety & Environmental Protection Institute at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Cost Savings Calculator is in two sections. Section 1 consists of information for the fire department to fill in, such as area and population protected, number of residences, current operating expenses, active volunteers, assets (stations, fire apparatus, equipment, etc.), and starting salary plus benefits based on career personnel in the vicinity. Section 2 data are then automatically calculated using the information provided in Section 1.
The NVFC has also developed a PowerPoint® presentation template that can be customized by inserting individual department data to create a polished presentation showing the department’s value to the community. The Cost Savings Calculator and the presentation template are available to all fire departments for free download at the NVFC’s Web site. For more information, call (888) ASK-NVFC, or (202) 887-5700, or visit www.nvfc.org.
NAMES IN THE NEWS
● RICHARD PRATT SYLVIA, former editor of Fire Engineering, passed away at the age of 91. Dick Sylvia began as a volunteer firefighter with the Noroton Fire Department in Darien, Connecticut. He held many ranks in the department, including chief for eight years. He was also a member of the Connecticut Commission on Fire Prevention and Control.
In terms of journalistic credentials, when he graduated from Dartmouth College he started with the New Bedford Morning Mercury in Massachusetts, then moved on to the Bridgeport Post in Connecticut, then to the New York Sun, and finally to the New York World-Telegram as head of the night copy desk. He received a master’s degree in government from New York University along the way.
In August 1966, Sylvia was appointed associate editor of Fire Engineering. His column, the Volunteers Corner, was one of the best-read pieces of fire service literature of its time-quoted widely, reprinted frequently, and used regularly by Fire Engineering readers. It ran 221 consecutive months, beginning in 1964. The editor at the time, Jim Casey, called Sylvia a walking encyclopedia on fire service matters.
In January 1981, Sylvia was named editor of Fire Engineering. The magazine won two prestigious Jesse Neal editorial awards for the business media with his participation. He retired in December 1982 at age 69.
Sylvia authored two books for Fire Engineering: Modern Suburban Firefighting (1983) and A Study Guide to Fire Service Hydraulics: Questions and Answers (Second Edition, 1971).
