Each April the Indianapolis Convention Center bursts at the seams with fire and emergency equipment. This year was true to form. Fire Department Instructors Conference organizers say their 2008 show brought in record attendance with nearly 28,500 visitors, about 1,500 more than 2007.

Fire-Dex made some noise at the show by having Paul Teutle Sr., of Orange County Chopper and the television show American Chopper fame, ride a custom motorcycle through the exhibition center to its booth. His entrance drew a sea of autograph seekers. The bike was raffled off to firefighters who tried on the company's FX Gear turnout gear and climbed through an inflatable obstacle course. Nearly 1,000 firefighters (and at least one editor) donned the gear and tore through the course.

The company touted its new line of gear as being lightweight and flexible; the obstacle course was set up to demonstrate its ease of movement. The pants are shaped in a forward firefighting position to improve range of motion. The coat has a seamless collar that is smaller and fits better with SCBA face masks, the company said.

Pierce Manufacturing also caused a stir at its floor space inside the Hoosier Dome by hiring artist Michael Israel to make two paintings. Both paintings were auctioned for $9,800; Pierce donated the money to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Israel created one of the paintings, “Hero,” at the Congressional Fire Services Institute's annual dinner a week earlier.

The second painting was of a Pierce fire truck to highlight the company's three additions to the Pierce Ultimate Configuration line. The company added a top-mount version that has the pump operator elevated off the street and has a smaller wheelbase. The company also rolled out a 75-foot aluminum ladder truck with 22% more storage space. The third addition is a custom Contender that has more interior cab space. The PUC line was introduced in 2007.

One of the more intriguing vehicles at the show hailed from Singapore. This all-terrain tracked vehicle resembles a Hummer on tank tracks that pulls a trailer. The unit can carry as many as 16 people and up to 5.5 tons of cargo. It can hit 45 mph on flat land, swim at 3 mph, climb over 3-foot-tall obstacles and climb a 60° slope. It can be configured with onboard air, a foam system, water tanks, a handline and a roof-mounted nozzle.

It is made by Singapore Technologies Kinetics and sold in the United States through Homeland Intelligence Technologies.

Spartan's ambulance company, Road Rescue, displayed what it calls a patient-centric ambulance. Road Rescue President Gary DeCrosse said they began the redesigned ambulance with the cot at the center. The medical equipment now is mounted on a longitudinal trough directly above the patient. The switch panel also has been mounted above the patient to allow EMTs to reach the patient and remain buckled in. The lights have been repositioned to focus on the patient and have a mode for selecting torso, legs or head lighting. Additional corner protection has been added to the cabinetry and grab bars have been place throughout the interior.

Spartan also displayed the Furion chassis it rolled out late last year. The Furion is built specifically for emergency vehicles, with a 96-inch galvanized-steel cab that sits over the engine. It has an improved electrical system and an under-dash heating and air-conditioning system.

One Spartan customer, Braun Ambulance, displayed a prototype ambulance bought by the Miami-Dade County (Fla.) Fire Rescue. The rig is both ambulance and rescue truck and features side-door access to the patient. It complies with the Star-of-Life federal specifications and is shorter for improved maneuverability and parking. The cab can hold a crew of six.

BullEx conducted demonstrations of its new scenario-based training trailer. The unit has two training scenarios: an electric motor fire in an industrial setting and an oven fire in a domestic setting. The trailer uses smoke, heat, digital fire and arc flashes to create an emergency for trainees to respond to. If the trainee does not take proper actions, the fire, heat and smoke intensify. To get it right in the industrial setting, the trainee must pull the fire alarm, kill the power to the motor and fight the fire with a laser-driven extinguisher. In the kitchen, the trainee must call 911, fight the fire with an extinguisher and cut the power to the oven before cabinets above catch fire. In both scenarios, the extinguishers have limited capacity — as would real extinguishers.

Omega Aquatics had a small demonstration area outside where it displayed its water-rescue gear. The company makes two versions of its aquatic fins: SCUBA and rescue. The rescue fins are shorter to give the diver more stiffness and torque during the initial acceleration and when exiting the water with a victim. The longer scuba fins offer more propulsion and are used for longer or deeper dives. Both models have a spring-loaded hinge that holds the flipper vertical on dry land and snap into a horizontal, or swimming, position in the water. The fins have sizing inserts to convert large to medium and extra large to large. This, the company says, means more rescuers can wear the same fins. The company also makes traction cleats that hook over the sole and heel for snow and ice rescue.

The company also demonstrated what it calls the Rapid Emergency Deployment System, which is a diving vest with breathing air and storage pockets. The vest uses CO₂ detonators to take it from a dive vest to a flotation vest.

Elkhart Brass came out with Flex Attack, a compressed-air-foam nozzle that switches from wet foam to dry foam and water without shutting down. A three-position switch and pressure balancing chamber on the head moves from a 15/16-, 1J- and 1K-inch smooth bore. It has a free-swivel inlet, aluminum bronze shutoff handle, Zytel ST801 polyamide center barrel, and Teflon-impregnated aluminum alloy body and pistol grip. The nozzle is rated at 184 gpm at a 50-psi water setting and has a maximum operating pressure of 200 psi.

Alternative Support Apparatus displayed its all-terrain rescue and EMS vehicles. The rigs are built on 6x6 Polaris Ranger chassis and have a fully enclosed patient compartment. The urban version can carry a standard full-size cot and has room for two patients. It has Zolatone-sprayed interior walls for easier cleaning, rear-mounted scene lights and two fire extinguishers. Some options include run-flat or all-trail tires, generators, 400-pound winch, telescoping awning, and an ALS package. The units also can be modified for wildland firefighting. In that configuration, it comes with a removable 5-gallon fuel tank, 150-gallon poly tank with integrated 12-gallon foam tank, 150 feet of lightweight hose and 100 feet of fire hose, and a foam eductor/mixer.

Gimaex rolled out its 100-foot aerial that has a self-leveling device in the ladder set. The ladder is set on the vehicle so that the length does not exceed 32 feet. It has both X- and A-style outrigger systems to allow the user to determine the best footprint. Its safety features include a system that provides real-time alerts and status reports of all the systems during operation, and a cab-and-body collision-detection system. There is an optional obstacle-detection and electromagnetic-detection systems available, as well as a camera for the rescue cage, repeat-motion function and remote-diagnostic system. The unit is built on a Spartan chassis and powered by a Cummins 500-hp engine. Its gross vehicle weight ranges between 23,000 and 31,000 pounds and comes with a One Seven CAFS.

MSA showed its FireHawk M7 SCBA system, which was certified last September by the Safety Equipment Institute as meeting National Fire Protection Association standards. The M7 SCBA was certified for NFPA 1981 and the personal alert safety system was certified for NFPA 1982. One of the more rigorous requirements was that the PASS electronics must emit 95-dB alarm in 500°F heat. When designing the M7, MSA says it consulted with hundreds of firefighters in the field.

MSA also gave its annual Fire Slayer of the Year award to Detroit firefighters Mike Risher and Brendean Milewski and Lt. Robert Distelrath for rescuing two small children from a burning house. As part of the award, MSA donated $5,000 to the International Association of Fire Fighter's burn foundation.

Rosenbauer brought its Revolution body on an International chassis, which editors and dealers saw at a preview demonstration at the company's South Dakota headquarters in March. The Revolution has more than 500 cubic feet of storage capacity in several configurations. The bodies are available in aluminum, stainless steel or composite material. The bodies, not including tire height, are 72 inches tall and range from 144 to 206 inches long. The bodies are built with a notch-and-tab system with interlocking pieces that improve the fit. The subframe is formed with heavy-duty 7-gauge steel, powder coated and attached with at least six mounting points.

For More Information

Circle the corresponding number on the reader service card following page 88, or visit www.freeproductinfo.net/fire

Company	Circle
Alternative Support Apparatus	551
Braun Ambulance	552
BullEx	553
Elkhart Brass	554
Fire-Dex	555
Gimaex	556
Homeland Intelligence Technologies	557
MSA	558
Omega Aquatics	559
Pierce Manufacturing	560
Road Rescue	561
Rosenbauer	562
Spartan	563