Fire Equipment Digest
Pager Holder
The Sure-Grip pager holder from Wisconsin Professional Products has a lock-hold design to secure the pager from loss or damage by falling. It is made of cowhide and fits any belt size. The pager will not push loose or fall off even when forced, but will easily release when needed.
The pager stays snug against the holder, protecting belt and clothing from wear. It is available in black, white or natural leather.
Circle No. 4 on Reader Service Card
Engine
Caterpillar announces a new 380-hp 3406 truck engine rating for heavy-duty service. Rated at 2100 rpm, the 4-cycle turbo-charged-aftercooled engine has a displacement of 893 cubic inches. Peak torque is 1245 lb-ft with a 31 percent torque rise and wide 900-rpm operating range. It is approved for use in 49 states.
The 380-hp 3406 is available as optional power in most major United States truck manufacturers’ chassis and can be equipped with the Caterpillar BrakeSaver hydraulic retarder as well as other auxiliary braking devices.
Circle No. 19 on Reader Service Card
Large-Diameter Fire Hose
A 5-inch municipal hose has been announced by National Fire Hose Corporation. This double jacket hose is now available in both 4 and 5-inch sizes.
Used as supply, relay or attack hose, Triple Duty provides a 4 or 5-inch waterway all the way from the hydrant to the fire. It will not deteriorate from mildew and can be repacked wet.
Circle No 5 on Reader Service Card
Strobe Light
A line of strobe lights for emergency vehicles has been developed to provide up to 2 million candlepower. Produced by SOS Lightning Devices, the new strobe lights include high-profile dome lights, “halo” lights, plug-in Magna-Mount lights, and dual-face “lollipop” lights.
The high-profile dome lights provide 1 million or 2 million candlepower while drawing only 1.25 amps or 3.5 amps, respectively. Measuring 8½ inches at the base, they feature an unbreakable lens available in amber, red, blue or clear.
The “halo” light combines a halogen light source with a xenon strobe light source. In addition to the warning of the strobe flash, it illuminates and silhouettes the equipment on which it is mounted. This enables approaching traffic to perceive exactly what type of emergency vehicle is flashing its warning.
The Magna-Mount emergency flashing lights plug into cigarette lighters and hold fast on any metallic surface. Also included are dual-face “lollipop” lights for use as warning or turn-signal lights.
Circle No. 15 on Reader Service Card
Infrared Scanner
The Fire Finder, a flashlight-size portable infrared scanner developed by Dyn-Optics, Inc., lets fire fighters locate concealed hot spots with pinpoint accuracy.
The Fire Finder gives an audible signal when pointed at a heat source. Frequency of the alarm increases with heat intensity so that the hottest spot can be located by ear. The unit can detect hot spots as low as 200°F, 1 foot square, at a distance of 20 feet.
Three standard 9-volt transistor radio batteries give the unit up to 100 hours of continuous use. The scanner weighs about 1.4 pounds and is 11 inches long and 3 inches in diameter at the larger end.
Circle No. 7 on Reader Service Card
Smoke Detector
An entire house can now be monitored for fire and intrusion from one central receiver as a result of the introduction of the Lifesaver V, featuring the patented eight-zone brain by Fyrnetics Inc.
The unit sounds alarms and pinpoints the location of an emergency in any of eight zones.
Lifesaver V (Model No. 1720) comes with one door and one window intrusion alarm and a smoke detector linked to the AC-powered brain with battery backup. Accessories include a remote switch which triggers a horn, turns on lights and radio and TV.
Circle No. 10 on Reader Service Card
Floodlight
A portable floodlight built to withstand harsh environments is now available from Specialty Lighting, Inc. Model 2173 delivers 10,500 lumes with a 500-watt quartz-halogen lamp and provides direct medium flood illumination.
The lamp housing is die-cast aluminum that is sealed against moisture and other corrsoive materials. The glass lens is heat and impact resistant and is protected by a steel wire guard. The reflector is also made of aluminum. The tripod and yoke are cast aluminum and have knobs for horizontal and vertical adjusting. The tripod may be removed for fixed position mounting.
Circle No. 14 on Reader Service Card
Cot Warmer
The L. H. Manufacturing & Distributing Co. has introduced the Mark III direct current cot warmer.
The unit measures 24 by 60 inches, with the heated surface measuring 20 by 58 inches. It draws 6.7 amps for 80 watts of power at 12 volts and 90 watts at 13.5 volts (engine running) for quick warmup. It comes with a cigarette lighter adaptor plug. It can be wired directly to an on/off switch or as an option it is available with a Laerdal adaptor plug, which would allow it to use the same plug as the suction unit. A thermostat regulates the heat range.
It is designed to stay permanently on the cot. With a quick disconnect plug at the cot, it can be easily removed for washing if necessary. A clear plastic sheet is provided to keep it clean and dry. It is made of padded construction with a 100 percent cotton shell and polyester hatting.
Circle No. 13 on Reader Service Card
Smoke Detector
A ceiling-mounted photoelectric smoke detector designed especially for low-voltage, two-wire alarm systems has been announced by Rixson-Firemark, Inc.
The same pair of No. 18 wires supplies operating power to the detector and also transmits an alarm signal hack to the central control panel. Operating on 24-VDC, the detector uses solid state circuitry and an LED light source to keep standby current drain to less than 100 microamps.
The alarm circuit is activated when six consecutive light pulses verify the presence of smoke in the sensing chamber.
Circle No. 11 on Reader Service Card
Scanner
A scanning monitor radio with over 2000 programmed frequencies, plus 50 user-programmable channels, has been announced by Electra Company. When a single button is pushed, the Bearcat 300 Service Search will search the actively assigned frequencies for the service selected. The Service Search has 11 different services: fire, police, marine, ham, mobile phone, emergency, government, forestry, business, ground transportation, and aircraft channels.
The scanner also features the flexibility of a user-programmable memory. The frequencies for up to 50 channels can be stored or changed in this memory by simple keyboard entry. These frequencies can be in any mix from the seven VHF and UHF frequency bands covered by the radio. Lockout, scan delay, and automatic activation of accessories (such as an alarm) can also be individually entered for each of the 50 channels. The radio measures 12 ¼ inches wide by 3% inches high by 7 inches deep.
Circle No. 18 on Reader Service Card
Walkie-Talkie
RCA Mobile Communications Systems has expanded its TAC100 walkie line with the addition of a higher power UHF unit and a one-hour, eight-radio battery charger for TAC100 products.
With the newly added 5-watt UHF radio, the RCA TACTEC line now includes twoway equipment for high-band operation at 2 and 6 watts and for UHF operation at 1.2 and 5 watts. The hand-held unit features two and eight-channel capability, and plug-in modular construction.
In addition to the new eight-unit model, the RCA charger line now includes single-unit chargers with a three-hour rate for radios in use around the clock, a 14 to 16-hour trickle rate for portables used on a duty cycle of eight hours a day or less and a 12-radio trickle rate unit.
Circle No. 8 on Reader Service Card
