| Cliff Haynes, Fireman’s Supply Company and Tracy Addley, Orangeville City Fire Chief show off the new equipment. |
Garth Childs, Emery County Fire District Chief has recently, about a year ago, purchased new equipment from Cliff Haynes of Fireman’s Supply, Nampa, Idaho, to make fighting fire safer and more efficient in Emery County.
One of those pieces of equipment is a transportable high pressure, air compressor unit that can refill fire fighters air tanks at a fire. These air tanks are strapped to the backs of fire fighters when they go into smoke filled structures. Tracy Addley said , “The fact that these air tanks can be refilled near the location of a fire gives the fire fighters an advantage of having an unlimited air supply.” At a fire air tanks can be refilled in about 15 seconds. This eliminates running out of air on a structure fire. The other advantage of having this high pressure air compressor is that partially used air tanks can be refilled before being taken back to the fire house.
The air compressor is contained in an enclosed trailer with red and yellow flames depicted along the side like racing stripes. It also pulled by a one and a half ton truck decorated in the same way.
The air compressor can also be used to fill scuba tanks or other high pressure air tanks.
This air compressor is used for training Emery County Fire Fighters in fighting structure fires. The equipment now has been used for about 40 hours on fires and training.
Another piece of equipment the Emery County Fire District purchased is the Snuffer mounted in the back of a truck and holds a 300 gallon tank of water, a chemical mixer and a reel of hose. The Snuffer mixes a chemical foam with the water and this 300 gallons of water and foam equals 10,000 gallons of water, when fighting a fire.
The Snuffer produces a spray of foam that smothers the fire quickly by blocking the fires access to oxygen. The foam coats the walls of a structure with a layer of tiny bubbles smothering the fire, thus reducing smoke and water damage.
Using the Snuffer Foam reduces the amount of water required to put out a structure fire.
It is believed by some fire fighters that the use of the Snuffer to produce this foam, when fighting a structure fire, will make water damage almost a thing of the past.