The Lake Ozark Fire Protection District in Missouri is joining fire departments across the US and Canada by including SAM on its latest truck order.
They are part of ‘Generation SAM’ by having an excellent strategic vision with a strong focus on the citizens they serve. By including SAM’s state-of-the-art technology on their newest apparatus, they are leaders in a new and better way to fight fires.
About SAM
SAM system replaces the pressure governor and takes care of opening and closing valves based on operator settings SAM is an integrated total water control system that manages the fire truck’s pump, tank, intakes, and discharges. It is essentially like having an extra crew on hand. The SAM system replaces the pressure governor and takes care of opening and closing valves based on operator settings. Instead of a complex fire truck pump panel, all pump controls operate from a 10″ touch-screen display.
Jason Cerrano, a former firefighter and the inventor of SAM, sat down with some members of the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District’s truck committee to talk about their decision to include SAM on their new truck.
First impression of SAM
When asked about his first impression of SAM, Chief Mark Amsinger stated that he was initially 100% against it. Chief Amsinger’s many questions about the SAM system led him to the Pattonville Fire District in Missouri for a close look at their SAM-equipped truck and did a little more research. That research ended up changing his mind.
Jason asked Aron Gish, Firefighter EMT, how he first heard about SAM? Aron replied that some of the other firefighters had brought it to his attention. He tried to keep an open mind about the whole thing when he traveled to Pattonville to see SAM in action. He was very impressed as to the ease of operation and the capabilities of the entire system and what it would allow them to do.
Educational Experience
As for Chief Amsinger, he didn’t completely understand SAM. His concerns centered on what would happen if something breaks down in the system; how do you get around that issue compared to a manual system truck? His concerns were alleviated when he saw for himself that every valve in the system has a manual override that can open and close the valves if ever needed.
Seeing the SAM demo truck was an educational experience. Chief Ansinger stated, “Demos in the fire service are important because you physically put your hands on SAM to see that it is doing exactly what it is supposed to be versus just watching someone else do it. Seeing the actual product, training on it, and understanding the true works of the equipment made a difference.”
“If you’re one of those who may say no to SAM without ever looking at it,” Chief Amsinger says, “you cannot make that decision until you look at a demo or see one of the units in service somewhere.”
Impression of SAM
David was also impressed that by the video of the SAM system pulling a draft out of the porta tank Firefighter Medic David Martin had advice for people who don’t take the time even to evaluate SAM. “I researched it on the internet, and it looked very, very nice. But it was the explanation of the SAM system of how it consists primarily of technology that has been around for more than ten years…SAM brought different pieces together to communicate with each other and make those decisions. Really getting your hands on it and seeing what it can do is a necessity.”
David was also impressed that by the video of the SAM system pulling a draft out of the porta tank. It was pretty impressive to watch that the operator was pretty much hands-off.”
Aron explained that “the biggest thing is to keep an open mind. You can’t always discredit new technology. Look at the evolution of what fire apparatus has been from horse-drawn buggies to up to what we have today. There is always a learning curve with any new product that comes out. You have to monitor it and be open-minded.”
Chief Amsinger added that with new trucks being built, “the technology is there. It’s not completely different and off the wall. You’re just taking these components and tying them together to make it more efficient, to make it safer for the scene and the guys on the scene.”
Feedback
Aron credits the overall safety factor as a whole, “It’s not just one safety thing, it’s going to help with ease of operation and give them capabilities that they didn’t have prior.”
When posed with the question of, “What is the one thing that made you think, ‘this is why we need this,’ Chief Amsinger said he liked having the ability to have controls on either side of the truck. “So no matter where you go, what type of call, the engineer can be with the set-up, be on the same side. On the scene, the engineer can be on the inside and protected with the ability to run the truck from either side.”
Jason Cerrano is a former firefighter and the inventor of SAM. Jason is now a strategic account manager at IDEX Fire & Safety.