BACKGROUND
The fire service calling often runs in families. Embracing the industry-disrupting SAM System helps strengthen intergenerational bonds by speeding time to train rookies and helping retain experienced firefighters by preventing overuse injuries. At a time when recruiting new firefighters is harder than ever and many Generation X firefighters plan to retire in the next 5 years, SAM can be your staffing partner. With his father as the Chief, 17 years as Lieutenant Chief, and 4 years as the training officer, serving the Mascoutah Fire Department is in Greg Zinck’s blood. 100 square miles, two major highways, and an interstate make up the fabric of his territory. The 40 volunteer firefighters that make up the MFD respond to about 300 calls from a population of 11,500 individuals. With a department that is bucking the national trend by getting younger, Zinck is tasked with bridging the gap between the old and new guard and escorting this new cohort into the next generation of firefighting.
CHALLENGE
Lieutenant Chief Zinck puts it simply: “These new guys were raised differently. I was raised with a wrench in my hand.” While “these new guys” were raised with a screen in their hand. In addition to bridging the generational gap, Zinck was searching for a solution that would make operating in the roadway and on the interstate safer. It was of utmost importance that the two sides of the truck be identical so that firefighters could stay out of the roadway completely. After learning about SAM when it first hit the market, it finally came time for Mascoutah to order a new fire truck in 2020.
Zinck reports that the ability to pump from either side to avoid standing in traffic, “is a huge safety advantage thanks to SAM.”
SOLUTION
By adopting SAM, Lieutenant Chief Zinck was solving many of the current and expected issues of the department. SAM has increased engagement with the younger firefighters, kept engineers out of the roadway when responding to roadside fires, and “…frees up the driver to do way more than he used to.” Further, when responding to a car fire, Zinck reports that the ability to pump from either side to avoid standing in traffic, “is a huge safety advantage thanks to SAM.”
RESULTS
As it often does, SAM surprised Zinck with two specific capabilities: the ease of drafting and its self-diagnostic tests. As a small, volunteer-led department, it provides a peace of mind that the valves are being checked each week since there is no paid staff member assigned to that task. With the SAM System, Zinck and the Mascoutah Fire Department are ushering in a new age of firefighters, decreasing injuries at fire scenes, and providing a solution to a looming issue: fewer firefighters in the department.
“SAM frees up the driver to do more”
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