Archive for June 5th, 2012

New engine for Schaumburg

Martin Nowak spotted Schaumburg Engine 53 featured on the Pierce Flickr site

Schaumburg Fire Department 2012 Pierce Engine 53

Schaumburg Engine 53. Pierce composite

 

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Chicago Inspector General unhappy with rehiring

The Chicago Tribune has a follow-up article relating to yesterday’s order to rehire four CFD firefighters that were fired.

Chicago’s internal watchdog on Monday defended his recommendation to fire dozens of firefighters who padded mileage reports and called an arbitrator’s ruling to soften penalties in the case “patent nonsense.”

Last year, Inspector General Joseph Ferguson recommended firing 54 firefighters in the Fire Prevention Bureau that his office determined had falsified their mileage reimbursements to the tune of $100,000 in 2009. Then-fire Commissioner Robert Hoff decided instead to issue lengthy unpaid suspensions to most firefighters but fired four of them.

The arbitrator, Edwin Benn, reversed the firings last week, ruling that the four instead should be suspended without pay for 40 days. He also ruled that most of the other firefighters have their 30- to 60-day suspensions reduced to 20 to 40 days.

Benn found that while firefighters and supervisors violated city rules, they engaged in conduct that had been “almost a work rule,” condoned within the department for decades.

“The idea that stealing, fraudulent falsification of official records — and lying — is acceptable because everyone else is doing it is patent nonsense. Any child knows better,” Ferguson wrote in response. “These firefighters did not engage in conduct that unknowingly brought them in technical violation of some obscure and misunderstood city rule. Rather, they admitted to routinely and systematically lying in order to steal money from the city — and, ultimately, from Chicago taxpayers.”

The complete article is HERE.

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Thoughts on CFD apparatus needs – a commentary (update)

More from Bill Post:

(In response to a comment from Martin)

I too like the idea of utilizing Pierce products and technology. Here is one of the reasons. As some of you may know, Pierce has recently acquired the marketing and servicing rights to the Bronto Skylift platforms. In other words, they are now Bronto’s North American representative. Currently Bronto/Pierce is marketing only three types or heights of platforms which are 100-foot, 114-foot and 134-foot Skylifts. However, the Bronto Corporation, which is based in Finland, actually manufactures aerial platforms that go from 55 to 367 feet. Their shorter models which go from 55 to 91 feet seem to be close to ideal. The Bronto actually is a type of Snorkel as it is an articulating boom with telescopic features (or vice versa). Their shorter model platforms, actually in practice have been mounted on squad-type trucks in the overseas fire service market. So, it can be done, and all that Pierce would need to do is have one of smaller Bronto platforms shipped to them. Then, they mount one on a Pierce chassis. Of course the platform would have to meet American standards, but in the long run, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial. Bronto photo

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial. Bronto photo

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial. Bronto photo

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial

Bronto Skylift 17M (55-foot) aerial. Bronto photo

Memphis Fire Department Pierce Snorkel

Here is a photo of Memphis Rescue 3 that Bill Post mentioned. It is a 55' refurbished Snorkel mounted on a '07 Pierce Dash chassis/body. Larry Shapiro photo

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