Scuttlebutt 11/22

Pierce’s Volterra Receives Innovation Award

Pierce Manufacturing’s Pierce Volterra electric pumper won the annual “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin” award. Pierce was among 16 finalists in the competition, which is sponsored by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) and Johnson Financial Group.

“Throughout the competition, a strong sense of pride and dedication to innovation was evident with every match-up,” Lisa Barwick, who is vice president of marketing, Fire & Emergency Segment, for Oshkosh Corp., which is the parent company of Pierce

Since the Volterra’s introduction in 2021, pumper was delivered to the Gilbert, AZ, Fire and Rescue Department, the Madison, WI, Fire Department, and Portland, OR, Fire and Rescue. All of the locations represent vastly different climates, which allows Pierce to collect vehicle performance data for the vehicle in various environmental conditions.

piercemfg.com.

Fire Dex, Gear Wash Aid Ian-Assigned Task Forces

Fire-Dex and Gear Wash are extending aid to customers that were affected by Hurricane Ian and to the continuous recovery effort that’s ongoing throughout Florida. Including critical PPE equipment and discounted cleaning and repair services, the two companies are working with task force rescue units.

Fire departments in Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties have been affected by Hurricane Ian. Task force units from the departments are engaged in local search and rescue operations and will remain deployed until recovery is over.

Waterlogged gloves and boots are a common problem for emergency responders during disaster relief efforts, Fire-Dex and Gear Wash say, and personnel often don’t have time to wait for gear to dry. Fire-Dex donated 50 pairs of rubber boots, 100 pairs of Dex-Pro Gloves and 25 pairs of Dex-Rescue extrication gloves.

Area fire departments can go online to request discounted service from Gear Wash, which specializes in cleaning and repair of PPE.

To learn more, go to firedex.com or gearwash.com.

Sutphen to Offer 17 EVT Courses in 2023

The schedule for 2023 Sutphen product-specific service classes and Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) courses was announced.

The first training sessions, “EVT F1: Maintenance, Inspection and Testing Fire Apparatus” and “EVT F3: Fire Pump & Accessories,” will be held Jan. 16–20. Nine other training sessions will be held between February and December. “Pumper Operations & Maintenance” and Aerial Operations & Maintenance” will be offered multiple times.

Along with these courses, the Sutphen Service and Technical Division proctors the EVT Certification Commission’s national exams, which enables technicians to become board-certified EVTs.

For more information, visit sutphen.com/training.

Survey Delves into Technology for First Responders

The desire for more internet-connected devices, a continued emphasis on network reliability/resiliency during emergency response operations, and far more demand for 5G are among the findings from a new Verizon Frontline Public Safety Communications Survey. The survey asked nearly 2,000 first responders at fire and police departments, EMS organizations, public safety answering points and emergency call centers about their public safety communications technology usage now and in the future.

The findings showed a strong dependence on smartphones, growing interest in new devices, such as drones and the benefits of 5G, and a continuing demand for network reliability and features, including interoperability when responding to an emergency.

Respondents to the survey indicated that first responders overwhelmingly believe that smartphones and tablets will remain essential daily communication tools: 92 percent of those who took the survey said that they use a smartphone and 47 percent reporting tablet usage every day. Land mobile radios (LMRs) are used daily by 89 of the respondents, but, according to Verizon Frontline the survey shows that LMR usage is predicted to fall to 79 percent in five years.

Verizon Frontline says a newer generation of technology, including internet-connected vehicles, drones and augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) applications, such as those that enable the replication of dangerous training scenarios in an AR/VR environment, are expected to grow in popularity. Respondents said they expect the use of internet-connected vehicles, such as fire apparatus and ambulances, to grow in daily use.

When asked about features that they want added to their communications technology, nearly 60 percent expressed a desire for stronger connections in the field. Other responses include the ability to share location information with team members in the field (42 percent) and faster upload and download speeds (39 percent).

Seventy-seven percent of respondents said that 5G is a priority. When asked about the benefits of 5G for public safety, those who took the survey put reliability at the top (42 percent), which was followed by speed (34 percent).

For more information, tinyurl.com/verizontechsurvey.