From the crew
Notes from the field
What we see on apparatus across Alabama and the Southeast, written for the chiefs, officers and facility managers who have to plan the work. Testing, repair, hydrants, upfitting and extinguishers, in plain language.
· 6 min read
Fire Extinguisher Service for Monroeville-Area Businesses: The NFPA 10 Clock
The building passes, the tags are current, and nobody thinks about it again for a year. That is the whole product. Here is the clock behind it and what a service visit covers.
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· 4 min read
Fire Hydrant Repair in Alabama: Close the Deficiency List
A reported problem needs an owner and a documented outcome. Here is how to move hydrant deficiencies from the inspection report into a clear repair follow-up.
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· 6 min read
Scene Lighting, Upfitting, and Vinyl Graphics: What to Decide Before the Apparatus Comes In
The apparatus gets seen before it gets heard. A lighting, upfitting or graphics job goes faster and comes out right when the department has made a handful of decisions first. Here they are.
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· 5 min read
Apparatus Out of Service: How to Send a Repair Request That Gets You Back Faster
Every day an engine sits is a day your district runs thin. The repair starts with the phone call, and the phone call goes better with the right six things in hand.
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· 6 min read
Hydrant GPS Mapping, Flow Testing, and Painting: A Hydrant Program Your Rating Can Use
Your crew pulls up to a hydrant and it opens, it flows, and it gives them what the map said. Here is how mapping, flow testing, maintenance and painting build that map, and why the water supply side of your rating depends on it.
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· 7 min read
Annual Fire Pump Testing: What the Numbers on Your Certificate Mean
The pump moves the water the plate says it moves, or it does not. The annual test is how a chief knows which. Here is what each step measures and what the report is telling you.
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· 7 min read
October 1 Is Coming: How Alabama Departments Plan a Year of Testing
New fiscal year, new budget, and a chief who wants the year's testing handled before the money gets spent elsewhere. Here is how the three kinds of departments we serve actually pay for it, and a plan that fits each.
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· 6 min read
Ground Ladder Testing: What the Test Proves and Why We Do It With Your Hose
A firefighter puts full weight on that ladder and it holds. The annual service test is how you know that before the fireground does. Here is what we check and why.
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· 8 min read
Annual Fire Hose Testing: What Happens When We Come to Your Station
Every length on the apparatus gets pressurized, inspected and put back the way your crews train with it. Here is the whole visit, start to finish, and how to get ready for it.
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Have a question about your own apparatus or equipment?
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