Apparatus and Equipment
The Division is responsible for maintaining day-to-day reliability by inspection, record-keeping, training, setting procedures, and co-coordinating replacement of the apparatus & equipment, which is used to help mitigate any situation, that our emergency personnel may be faced with, including Basic Trauma Life Support and Defibrillation services.

Contact Information
Dayle Coghlin, Chief Mechanic
270 Strasburg Road
Kitchener, ON N2E 3M6 
Phone: 519-741-2580
Fax: 519-741-2931

Emergency Vehicle Technicians (EVT's) are formally trained and certified to inspect, diagnose, maintain, repair, and test emergency response apparatus, including chassis, engines, transmissions and drive components specifically developed for the Fire Service. EVT Education, Training and Development is inclusive of those specialized components such as aerial devices, high-pressure breathing air systems, fire-pumps, electrical generation and lighting systems, as well as, other fire vehicle specific mechanical systems. Further, EVT's are assigned to various additional maintenance and repair tasks including Breathing Apparatus, Fire Hose, Nozzles, Valves, Appliances, various Hand Tools, Equipment Mounting Systems, etcetera. This Division is also responsible for the acquisition, storage, inventory, and issuance of repair parts in support of maintenance operations.

Further, the Division develops and provides maintenance training for equipment / operators in particular as it relates to new equipment. In addition the Division assists with Fire Investigations in particular vehicular involved incidents.

The Department manages a fleet of Fire Apparatus comprised of 8 Triple Combination Rescue Pumpers, 3 Fire Pump Equipped Aerial Devices including Ladder, Platform, and Water Tower Units, Mobile Water Supply Tanker / Pumper, Hazmat and 2 Special Operations / Rescue Units, as well as, Platoon Chief / Incident Command Vehicles. Fire apparatus replacement frequency is managed by a capital replacement strategy necessitated by an increasing high level of vehicle activity. Fire Apparatus life expectancy is categorized as front-line and reserve service, average service for a pumper is 9 years front-line with 4 years reserve service prior to retirement.

Rescue/Pumpers, 5,000 LPM, based on four-door raised roof cabs specifically designed for the Fire Service and custom type bodies provide our primary vehicle response carrying most of the typical fire equipment, hydraulic rescue extraction equipment, EMS equipment, basic ventilation equipment, SCBA, bunker clothing for each crew member and response to calls such as structure fires, medical emergencies, as well as, special rescues etcetera.

Specialized vehicle application includes 9 Fire Prevention / Inspection Cars and Vans, Fire Investigation Van, Public Education House Trailer, Fire Safety Education and Demonstration Van, Live Fire / Extinguisher Training Trailer, Training Van, Alarm Monitoring Vehicles, Mobile Service Vehicle, 4 x 4 Snowplow and several Administrative Staff Vehicles.

In order to provide the apparatus and equipment technical support required both on an ongoing basis, as well as, incident scene support we have developed it from a mobile approach. This vehicle (van) is equipped with various tools and equipment, as well as, a compliment of repair parts and capable of dealing with concerns properly and promptly.

Recent Specialized Equipment Additions, Upgrades and Improvements include:

	Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus - Maintaining, repairing and testing our Interspiro "S" Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus including integral PASS (Personal Alerting Safety System) Alarms. Research in the SCBA area includes; achieving facemask fit which is being reviewed considering the various design constraints, design criteria, common concerns, causes of facefit failure, options of seal redesign, options for sealing tube, test parameters and various heat tests. Facefit is tested utilizing a controlled negative pressure to directly measure respirator leakage through a range of predetermined use protocols. Further, testing that will verify proper SCBA performance, as well as, simplify keeping good records include incorporating computer controlled testing technology.
	Breathing Air System - Breathing Air System including compressor, storage, refilling and supply of certified breathing air. System upgrade includes the replacement of air quality monitoring equipment to ensure required breathing air quality.
	Oxygen Transfilling System - The department developed and maintains a Regional oxygen transfilling system to provide oxygen supply to the Waterloo Region Fire Service, including a fragmentation facility designed to contain fragments, as well as, vent the potential pressure energy (oxygen) to the outside, not creating an oxygen rich environment. Oxygen cylinders are isolated inside the fragmentation facility during any refill procedures.
	Oxygen Therapy Equipment - Oxygen therapy equipment has been upgraded replacing the cylinder supply regulators providing adjustable therapy flow rate settings of 0 - 25 lpm with consistent output pressure and flow over the entire cylinder contents. In addition new high-performance regulators provide outlets to operate additional oxygen powered devices, as well as, connections for the future use of other agencies or automatic ventilators.
	Holmatro Rescue Equipment - Based on the study, evaluation, our understanding and report of current vehicle never-ending safety design improvements and their extraction rescue requirements, our hydraulic rescue equipment was replaced. Hydraulic Rescue equipment is strategically located within the community based on one primary and two secondary tool deployment locations. Tool compliments include spreaders, cutters, rams, as well as, vehicle stabilization equipment. In addition, an initial compliment of pneumatic & hydraulic shoring actuators complete with accessories were deployed designed to assist with the quick and easy shoring of buildings, vehicles and trenches, creating life saving "working space" and a safe continuation of rescue operations.