E-ONE Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Fire departments and dealers gathered last month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of E-ONE Fire Trucks, which began in a garage and has grown to a sprawling, multibuilding campus, to produce hundreds of apparatus annually.
Then-Emergency One, Inc. founder Bob Wormser built a modular, extruded aluminum fire truck body in 1974. By 1978, he opened an 82,000-sq.-ft. factory in Ocala, FL. In 1981, the company introduced the first extruded aluminum aerial ladder featuring E-ONE’s integral torque box chassis.
Some of the company’s early advances in fire apparatus include the Hush model, which moved the rig’s motor to the back of the body, the Hurricane and Typhoon models and compact Titan ARFF rigs that can be transported by military aircraft.
Earlier this year, the company placed its first all-electric apparatus, the Vector series, in service in Mesa, AZ.
In 2010, REV group acquired E-ONE. The same year, a new plant in Hamburg, NY, began to build custom stainless-steel apparatus. The rigs are sold through a network of 35 dealers across the United States.
E-ONE will add a 50th anniversary badge to all apparatus that are delivered this year.
Chris McClung, who is vice president of sales for REV Fire Group, said E-ONE’s launch was a game changer for the fire industry at that time and has continued to be so in the past 50 years.
2024 Safety Stand Down
The subject for Safety Stand Down 2024 (June 16–22, 2024) is “Fire Training: Back to Basics,” which will highlight the necessity of training by emphasizing correct methods and tactics while focusing on the fundamentals.
The week will be broken into five daily focus areas: building the foundation of a training program, assessing the needs of the community and department, safety during training, physical and mental health considerations, and the 10 commandments of firefighter training.
Safety Stand Down is a collaborative effort between IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the Fire Department Safety Officers Association, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the NFPA.
For more information and resources, go to safetystanddown.org.
Easier to Report Struck-By Incidents
The Roadway Incident Safety for Emergency Responders Quick Start Resource helps emergency responders to contribute data to ReportStruckBy.com, in an effort to develop targeted training and public education programs that are aimed at addressing the fundamental causes of collisions and near-misses at traffic incident sites. The database was created by the Emergency Responder Safety Institute, with funding from the Federal Highway Administration.
Fire and EMS organizations can help by sharing any events, current and previous, in which a vehicle struck or almost struck an emergency responder or an emergency response apparatus on a roadway.
To report a struck-by incident, visit tinyurl.com/struck-by.
Line-of-Duty Deaths
8 U.S. firefighters died in the line of duty. Two died after a medical emergency following training, one died from injuries sustained in an explosion, one was shot and killed during a domestic disturbance response, one died from a heart attack while on duty, one died at a structure fire, one died of natural causes and one died from a motor vehicle accident. This issue of Firehouse is dedicated to these firefighters.
FIREFIGHTER TREVOR BROWN, 45, of the Sterling, VA, Volunteer Fire Company (SVFC), died on Feb. 16. When members of the SVFC responded to a call that reported an odor of gas outside of a residence, they requested a hazmat response team. A short time later, an underground, 500-gallon propane tank exploded. Multiple maydays were called from firefighters who were inside of the residence. Crews rescued multiple members who were trapped. Brown died from the injuries that he sustained in the explosion.
FIREFIGHTER/PARAMEDIC ADAM FINSETH, 40, of the Burnsville, MN, Fire Department, died on Feb. 18. Finseth was on scene of a call that related to a domestic disturbance when he was shot and killed. Two police officers also were shot and killed. The suspect shot and killed himself.
BATTALION CHIEF JOHN GARROW, 60, died on Feb. 19. On Feb. 18, Garrow was on duty when he suffered a medical emergency. He was immediately transported to the hospital, where he suffered cardiac arrest and was put on ventilation. He died the next day from complications that he suffered from a heart attack.
ASST. CHIEF TOMMY LEE, 82, of the Kill Devil Hills, NC, Fire Department, died on Feb. 19. Lee participated in departmental physical fitness training and went home. He was found unresponsive on his garage floor at about 4 p.m. 9-1-1 immediately was called, and EMS responded, but efforts to revive Lee were unsuccessful.
SAFETY OFFICER LOUIS DUNSTON, 79, of the Youngsville, NC, Fire Department, died on Feb. 20. On Feb. 19, Dunston participated in departmental training. The next evening, he experienced a cardiac event at his home. 9-1-1 was called, and EMS responded, but they were unable to revive him.
CHIEF ZEB SMITH, 40, of the Fritch, TX, Volunteer Fire Department, died on March 5. Zeb was the first to arrive at a residential fire. He entered the home to check for occupants but didn’t exit. Fellow members found him unresponsive and immediately began medical treatment. He was transported to the hospital, where he died. The cause of death wasn’t determined as of press time.
FIREFIGHTER/EMT DRAKE ADAMS, 34, of Elliott County, KY, EMS, died on March 12. According to reports, Adams died of natural causes after completing his shift.
CAPT. ROY “FRANK” WHITT, 72, of the Route 504 Volunteer Fire Department in Olive Hill, KY, died on March 12. Whitt was en route to provide an escort for fallen firefighter Drake Adams when he lost control of his apparatus and went off of the road. The vehicle hit a guardrail and traveled down an embankment. Whitt was declared dead at the scene.
