ALAN BRUNACINI has retired as the chief of the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department, where he has served since 1958, and as chief since 1978. Formerly, he was chairman of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) board of directors and headed the NFPA’s Fire Service Occupational Safety and Health Committee, which developed NFPA 1500, Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program, adopted in 1987. Brunacini is chairman of the NFPA’s Career Deployment Committee and author of Fire Command and Essentials of Fire Department Customer Service, Timeless Tactical Truths, The Anatomy of Leadership, and numerous fire service journal articles.
A popular presenter at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), for the past 30 years, Chief Brunacini has had an impact on many aspects of today’s fire service. During the past seven years, he annually participated in “Brennan and Bruno ‘Unplugged’ ” with the late Tom Brennan, chief (ret.) of the Waterbury (CT) Fire Department and former editor of Fire Engineering. In that forum, the two discussed and debated a variety of issues confronting the fire service; it was consistently the highest attended FDIC presentation.
During his tenure, Chief Brunacini brought the Phoenix Fire Department to position of fire service excellence and superior customer service. In his retirement, he will continue advising the city of Phoenix and training the fire service at large. Brunacini will contribute a regular column for Fire Engineering magazine entitled “The Rules of Engagement.”
SCOTT BARTHELMASS was named public information officer for the Missouri-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team (MO-1 DMAT). MO-1 DMAT is part of the National Disaster Medical System and provides medical services at disasters, disaster exercises, and special events. Barthelmass has acted as a media contact for the Eureka Fire Protection District, Overland Police Department, St. Louis County Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team, and the Missouri Region C Incident Support Team.
COMPANY/ASSOCIATION NEWS
AMERICAN MESSAGING (formerly Ameritech Mobile Services, Inc.) has acquired the paging operations of Verizon Wireless, becoming the second largest paging company in the United States. The combined company provides an extensive nationwide paging network with coverage in 98 of the top 100 major metropolitan areas and in all 50 states. Previously, American Messaging acquired the paging operations of AT&T (formerly SBC Communications).
WATEROUS COMPANY has changed the name of its Arizona-based compressed air foam delivery systems (CAFS) division from Pneumax, Inc. to WATEROUS-ARIZONA OPERATIONS. Located in Peoria, Arizona, Pneumax, Inc., a Waterous subsidiary since its acquisition in 2001, has operated under the Pneumax name until recently. Waterous-Arizona Operations, a manufacturer of CAFS, released the Advantus Foam System, a conductivity-controlled foam management system in April.
The Durst Organization, one of New York’s oldest and largest real estate companies, has installed a new state-of-the-art first responder communication system at its flagship building at 4 Times Square, home to Condé Nast Publications. The new responder system centers around TAIT RADIO COMMUNICATIONS P25 TB9100 base station/repeaters, specifically tailored to work with the demands of the high-tech system; it will become part of standard operating procedures at all Durst buildings in Manhattan this summer. The installation addresses the inadequate radio coverage in Durst’s high-rise buildings after radios without repeaters failed in the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11. Designed with the help of fire department operations, EMS command, and The North American Group (a Tait solution provider), the repeaters are designed to be compatible with all portable and mobile radio units.
Designed with the functionality required by public service and public safety organizations, the P25 TB9100 can be configured as a repeater or base station in a conventional, simulcast, or trunked P25 network. Tait base stations can operate as a stand-alone or community repeaters. Multiple repeaters can be linked in an IP-based network. Remote diagnostics and programming capability minimizes maintenance and downtime. The repeaters are also designed to withstand the most extreme temperature conditions.
Tait repeaters have been installed at critical points throughout the building, including the subbasements and uppermost floors, to enhance radio coverage for all first responders. With the TB9100, first responders inside the building can now effectively communicate with personnel throughout the buildings on tactical FDNY frequencies. In addition, VoIP into these tactical frequencies enables FDNY to communicate from remote locations over a secure Internet environment into even the subbasements of all Durst facilities. Back-up Tait TB9100 repeaters are also remotely located on other Durst properties to further ensure coverage if is there is a failure in any facility.
RESCUE 1 has delivered the last of 13 urban search and rescue vehicles to the New Jersey State Task Force 1 (NJ-TF-1). The units will be used by nine North Jersey fire departments, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), and NJ TF-1 in Lakehurst. UMDNJ has received three Mass Care USAR units. Each feature a Spartan Advantage chassis; a 22-foot, four-inch walkaround heavy rescue body; a 330-hp Cummins ISC engine and Allison 3000 transmission; a 35-kw Onan PTO generator; and Robinson roll-up doors for the exterior USAR equipment compartments.
ZOLL MEDICAL CORPORATION announced that the Essex Ambulance Service NHS Trust (Essex Ambulance) of the United Kingdom has purchased more than £1 million (approximately $1.8 million U.S.) of ZOLL resuscitation equipment. The order includes 20 ZOLL AutoPulse® noninvasive cardiac support pumps, the largest single U.K. AutoPulse order. In addition, Essex Ambulance purchased 90 ZOLL E Series and 90 ZOLL AED Pro® defibrillators.
PIERCE MANUFACTURING INC. was awarded contract by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) for the production of four Oshkosh® Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) platform-based Water Tender (HEWATT) vehicles, to be delivered in December 2006 and January 2007. The trucks are designed to provide structural and airfield crash-rescue support alongside the Pierce® Tactical Fire Fighting Truck (TFFT). The units are engineered to operate over varied terrain and under extreme conditions. The HEWATT water tender will support the TFFT and providing supplementary fire suppression capabilities. The HEWATT water tenders are each equipped with a 2,500-gallon integrated water tank, a Detroit Diesel 455-hp electronic engine, two-person seating, 8 × 8 axle configuration, Oshkosh two-speed transfer case, Allison five-speed automatic transmission, bolt-together wheels, and a corrosion protection upgrade package.
