Glad to Be Part of the Fire Engineering Family

For those who don't know yet, Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is now part of the Fire Engineering family. I am pleased to introduce myself as Associate Editor Chris Mc Loone.

It has been an interesting ride so far learning the manufacturing side of the apparatus and equipment business. I've been a member of my fire company's truck and equipment committees for 10 years now, so I'm no stranger to the ins, outs, trials and tribulations of spec'ing out a new piece of apparatus, or testing and reviewing new equipment and technology.

What I didn't realize, as an end user, is the engineering that goes into the the equipment we use at every call. It is exciting to be with a magazine which finds itself at the forefront of covering these innovations.

For example, I attended my first FDSOA Apparatus Symposium in January. A veritable who's who for apparatus and equipment manufacturers, this event showcases the best of the best of our suppliers, and provides us with an excellent example of how dynamic things are in the Fire Service currently. For a taste of what attendees learned visit our video page for interviews with Paul Darley, president and CEO of W.S. Darley & Company and Jim Salmi, COO at Crimson Fire, Inc.

These are not easy times right now to be spec'ing new apparatus and purchasing equipment. Budget crunches and demands to do more with fewer firefighters have left us in a perpetual state of designing and redesigning our apparatus to last up to 20 years, and designing them for changes during that time we can't even imagine yet. Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment is your trucks, tools and equipment resource to keep up with everything.

Associate Editor Bryon Turcotte and I welcome your input and feedback for all our products--both print and online. We can be reached at chrism@pennwell.com and bryont@pennwell.com. We invite you to participate with other industry representatives at our Facebook page, and while you're at it, add us as a friend at the Fire Engineering Community.