BACKGROUND
SAM was developed in the heart of the American Midwest by a Missouri firefighter, and the area still boasts the greatest concentration of SAM System firetrucks in the nation. A wide and growing variety of topography and population density means the fireground flexibility offered by SAM is especially useful. On the outskirts of St. Louis, the Freeburg Fire Department serves a primarily suburban population of 8,000. The department strictly responds to fire and rescue calls – totaling about 225 calls per year. With a volunteer team of 27 firefighters, Freeburg and its surrounding towns rely heavily on mutual aid. Additionally, like most volunteer fire departments across the country, Freeburg is confronting a shortage of firefighters.
CHALLENGE
With the average age of their department steadily increasing, Chief Mueller was looking for a well-designed and easy-to-use engine that fits in with the daily lives of his volunteer team. His most seasoned volunteers will only touch the manual pumps a few times a month. This makes it difficult to keep all volunteers fully up to date with training on pump operations. Furthermore, the most experienced firefighters are at higher risk for retiring due to injury, so SAM is a helpful staffing partner for any department demographic.
In finding SAM, Chief Mueller discovered a solution that puts him at ease.
SOLUTION
In finding SAM, Chief Mueller discovered a solution that puts him at ease. Volunteers are interacting with smart phones and tablets every minute, making SAM much more intuitive than manual levers for the vast majority of most volunteers. The easy-to-use interface is only the start of SAM’s benefits to Freeburg FD. Mueller notes its drafting capability, speed of setup at the scene of the fire, and self-diagnostic capabilities.
RESULTS
When training new engineers on the SAM system, Mueller has encountered the same response: “That’s it? It is that easy?”
Without even looking at the pump, operators know what is going on as SAM calls out the pump operation steps it is taking. “With SAM, drafting is flat out magical. It does everything the best engineer would do without the average engineer even knowing.” Mueller recalls a rural call in a big subdivision. The house was on a huge lot with no water supply nearby. The team pulled the SAM pumper to the house, and the SAM tanker drafted off the lake and relayed to it. Relay pumping is a complicated process, and SAM’s automation eliminates the stress of coordinating the operations of two rigs.
With SAM, complex operations are “easier and quicker. It makes difficult things easily doable.”
With SAM, complex operations are “easier and quicker. It makes difficult things easily doable.”
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