Firehouse Labs: Ziamatic Double Hard Sleeve Gantry System

Firehouse Labs conducted a third-party, independent field test and review of the Ziamatic Double Hard Sleeve Gantry, which was released in 2024.

Ziamatic Corp. has been in business for over 50 years, offering solutions for equipment mounting and tool securement, with the intention of making the job of a firefighter safer, easier and more efficient.

Firehouse Labs met with a representative of Ziamatic to test the installation of the gantry on a 1998 Freightliner/E-ONE pumper from the Hobbie Volunteer Fire Department, which is located in Wapwallopen, PA.

The basics

The Double Hard Sleeve Gantry is designed to hold either 10- or 12-foot sections of suction hose on aluminum trays, which are stacked in a vertical (top/bottom) configuration or a horizontal (side-by-side) configuration. The whole assembly for the 10-foot sections, laid out in vertical configuration, measures 140 inches long, 14¼ inches wide and 23¼ inches in height. The device easily can be added to the specifications to be included on a new apparatus build, but this one was a retrofit onto an existing apparatus that was completed by the Swab Wagon Company and that took only five days to complete. The gantry is fully manual, not requiring power or containing any motorized parts.

The review

Firehouse Labs thoroughly tested and documented the performance of the Double Hard Sleeve Gantry with assistance from Hobbie Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Mark Smith and his personnel.

The product is located on the officer’s side, on top of the compartments, running perpendicular to the hosebed, 8 feet off of the ground. Multiple evolutions, both timed and untimed, were conducted, all being done by a single person, showing its ease of use.

To deploy, orient yourself at the rear of the apparatus, where you will locate an L-shaped handle that attaches to the gantry and hangs down, with the bottom being at approximately waist height. You unlock the system at the handle, then pull up, positioning the handle at a 45-degree angle, and begin to walk backward. As you move with the handle, the gantry will first slide to the rear of the apparatus horizontally, then tilt upward to an approximate 45-degree angle, coming to a stop. From here, you release the hook and loop straps that hold the product in place and easily can access the sections of hard sleeve for deployment. The average time from unlocking the handle to having the hard sleeve off and ready to be deployed was a quick 14 seconds.

Testimony

Firehouse Labs was able to speak with Smith and some of his personnel to gather first-person
insight into what makes this product truly effective. Smith stated that his entire first-due area, as well as many mutual-aid areas, are 100 percent nonhydranted, so rural water supply operations, drafting from a static source, are a necessity. Before, it often took at least two or three people upward of 5–7 minutes to climb up to access the hard sleeve, stretch and maneuver unnaturally and get it down off of the apparatus.

Not only did this present a safety issue, but it also consumed time and personnel.

“We can now operate at a fill-site with limited personnel, which has increased our efficiency, able to get water to the attack apparatus faster than before. It’s a game changer for us,” Smith said.

He also said that it only takes about five minutes to train someone on how to use the product, which plays a pivotal role with mutual-
aid departments, as they easily can assist in the task of deployment. Jon Castner, who is senior marketing manager for Ziamatic, stated, “What the fire service needs, we want to build.”

The gantry is a testament to his statement, as the product is something that was an idea that came to fruition and now is on the front lines, making a difference at a department that faces the same challenges and obstacles that most do across the country.

Ziamatic has introduced a Side-by-Side Double Hard Sleeve Gantry that works in the same vein as the above, with the hard sleeves stored flat.