Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Podcast

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.

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FAMA representatives sit down with Chris Mc Loone to discuss the current state of fire apparatus purchasing, including a brief history of how we've gotten to where we are, lead time updates, solutions from apparatus manufacturers, and more.

Brought to you by our friends at The Fire Store.

Chris Mc Loone and Ricky Riley discuss how the PGFD was able to reduce the OAL of two of its newest tillers as well as front bumper considerations.

Brought to you by our friends at The Fire Store.

Chris Mc Loone provides some pointers for navigating FDIC International, the potential emergence of stock rigs, and some tips for timing the planning for your next rig.

Brought to you by our fiends at The Fire Store.

Apparatus Workshop hosts Nick Wilbur and Win Slauch discuss best practices for budgeting in today's apparatus purchasing environment. This podcast episode sheds light on best practices, safety requirements, budgeting challenges, and the often-overlooked long-term costs associated with fire truck procurement. Brought to you by our friends at The Fire Store.

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