Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Podcast

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A recent YouTube Short by Ricky Riley on Low Hosebeds got a lot of attention and more than a few comments on social media. In this episode of Talking Trucks, Ricky Riley and Chris Mc Loone address a number of the responses to this video and share insights on designing pumpers to accommodate lower hosebeds, including overall length, compartment style, and tank size/configuration considerations.

If you've had questions about NFPA 1970 and how it impacts about the PPE we wear, don't miss this Podcast with Wells Bullard (Bullard) and Bill Van Lent (Veridian) as they sit down with Chris Mc Loone about some of the changes to the standard and how they will affect our gear's construction.

Gabe Casucci, director of sales fire and EMS for SoundOff Signal, joins Chris Mc Loone to discuss the company's history, its silicone lighting product line, and how the company can help fire departments navigate lighting options during the specification process.

For more information, visit www.soundoffsignal.com.

Andy Soccodato and Bill Adkins join Chris Mc Loone to discuss how to design pumpers as water movers. From pump plumbing to intakes, Andy, Bill, and Chris cover what you need to think about on the rural side and the suburban/urban side.

In this episode, Nick Wilbur and Win Slauch welcome back Tom Shand to discuss specification boilerplate and what purchasing committees can do with it today vs. what they could do with it before, as well as well as setting up a successful bid to ensure multiple manufacturers participate and whether this is the path to take today.

For fleet managers and emergency apparatus mechanics, outfitting a mobile service unit is more than just picking out a truck. In this episode. Andy Biron and Chris Mc Loone discuss designing and equipping mobile service units for fire apparatus maintenance divisions and dealers.

Chris Crowell, Emergency Vehicles Lead, Cummins, and Jason Witmier, Director of Education and Technology, Safe Fleet, and FAMA Vice President, join Chris Mc Loone to discuss upcoming EPA changes taking effect in 2027 and how they will impact your rigs' designs.

More FAMA content can be found at www.fireapparatus.com/fama.

Jay Johnson, of Rosenbauer America, joins Chris Mc Loone to discuss Rosenbauer America's stock fire apparatus offerings and how they can offer a flexible approach tailored to the changing demands of the fire service. Learn about financial considerations, customization options, and more.

For more information on Rosenbauer America's stock fire apparatus program, visit www.rosenbaueramerica.com.

FEMSA President Peter Askey and Vice President Karen Emory joined Chris Mc Loone to discuss FEMSA’s role in the fire service, its diversity, and how it supports first responders. FEMSA is rooted in bettering the fire service and is committed to understanding customer challenges, improving supplier performance, and ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of fire service operations. 

Learn more about FEMSA at www.femsa.org.

In this episode, Chris Mc Loone discusses HME-Ahrens Fox's stock rig program with Jeff Rhein, director, sales, HME-Ahrens Fox and, Dale Trettel, chief apparatus officer, Dinges Fire. They cover an overview of HME's approach to stock trucks, the degree HME offers options or configuration changes on its rigs, how much input HME dealers have in the company's rig designs, and more.

Jason Witmier, Director of Education and Technology for Safe Fleet, joins Chris Mc Loone to cover FRC's ACE pump control, including its functionality and customization options, what EVTs can expect, and how to demo ACE.

In this episode, Chris Mc Loone and Chris Ferrara, founder of US Fire Apparatus, discuss the company's stock rig program and how these types of fire apparatus help meet the evolving needs of fire departments with rigs that they can get faster and at a lower cost.

Nick Wilbur, Win Slauch, and Alex Moody do a deep dive on heavy rescues including single vs. tandem axles, walk-in vs. nonwalk-in, equipment to carry, questions to ask to help shape the vehicle, and what to look at BEFORE purchasing this type of fire apparatus.

Technology touched every aspect of FDIC International 2025, and Kevin Sofen had a front row seat for it as part of the NextGen Fire Rescue Tech Summit and the Lucas Oil Experience's NextGen Fire Tech section. Sofen had several takeaways and insights on how technology is being evaluated and used in the fire service today, and just how openminded the fire service is to these innovations.

Thermal imagers (TIs) are for more than firefighting applications. On the fireground, they have allowed firefighters to perform various tasks more efficiently. But, the same can be said for the technical rescue scene, where TIs are used for a variety of technical rescue disciplines. Learn all about them in this episode of TIC Talk.

In this episode, Chris Mc Loone comments on FDIC International 2025 and how the rigs on display fit the broader context of the current fire apparatus purchasing environment. In addition, he questions whether we are designing rigs for today's younger operators given the host of technologies available to us, for example, electronic pump controls.

In this episode of the Apparatus Workshop, Nick Wilbur, Win Slauch, and guest Steve Crothers of TractorDrawnAerial.com do a deeper dive into specifying tiller trucks including maneuverability and wheelbase, compartment design and access, technology integration, and training.

Chris Mc Loone and Andy Soccodato discuss FDIC 2025, common threads that emerge at Andy's classes, heavy hookups for hydrants, the takeaway Andy wants all his students to have at the end of his classes, and more.