Fire Department Chainsaw

[kenskip1]

Fire Department Chainsaw
Here is the scene. Being a volunteer fire department hear in Texas we have on many occasions to have grass fires.Many ranchers have dozed op many trees for livestock grazing ext.Last early Thursday we had a 600 acre blaze. The fire was finally put out at about 6am.
Now being a volunteer organization our funds are limited.As for saws, we have two. One is a Craftsman with a 16 b/c and the other is a Poulan (Yellow) Well we used the red Craftsman the following day on a clean up tour.This thing has no power hard to start ext. (I have since today and richened it up. I hope that this helps.
I will make a vote on getting a new and powerful saw at our next business meeting.
I have been reading about the Husky 345,450. Not sure about the Stihl lineup.
During our use we normally cut limbs from an inch all the way up to about 8-10 inch so I think an 16 B/C would work fine.
These guys are hard on a saw. I had to laugh at some of them.Any way I need some input on this subject. Ken

 

[smokinj]

stihl 260 pro husky 346xp and the dolmar 5100 all pro saws all 50cc and run a 16 in. bar with stihl rs chain between 400.00 to 500.00 and you can count on them when needed.

 

[deck2]

Ken

What saw dealers are in your area, You will need to get parts and may need service for your equipment(he may also have a "loaner saw" for these occasions), especially if your guys are really hard on equipment. Find a dealer in your area. Our local Fire Dept. has a guy that is a very active member and is also a local Stihl dealer, he is also the guy that my saw came from.

IMHO-Emergency equipment is just that--and you can't depend on a $100 Walmart/Sears special when it comes to your/public safety.

 

[Justin M]

We use Stihl 026's at work. They work well for our limited use, so I would look at the 260.

 

[Gooserider]

As a VFD, I would try running around to the various saw dealers and see if any are willing to give you something on a "special deal" - possibly "slightly used" in exchange for some sort of publicity as a "sponsor". I've heard that at least some VFD's have had good luck fundraising and / or obtaining equipment by soliciting sponsorship donations - possibly make up some sort of door sticker or sign "Mytown VFD Supporter 2009" or something like that... If you have any sort of fundraising event, put them in the program as a sponsor, etc...

Remember if you pitch it right, and give a good supporter show, the "free advertising" can be well worth the wholesale cost of a saw, and its often tax deductible as well...

Gooserider

 

[joshlaugh]

Don't forget about state bid prices. In Ohio anyway, any government agency(like where I work) doesn't pay full price or tax on big ticket items. For me, that includes the tractors, patrol trucks, and equipment I buy. I use several Stihls at work and didn't pay anywhere near full price for them(more like 70%) I would ask your local dealers about that. I was able to purchase better equipment for less money that way.

 

[firefighterjake]

Deck and Goose gave some good advice . . . check with your local dealer . . . chances are they will either give you a good deal on a trade-in or even a new saw and more important if something goes wrong they will stand behind their saw and support you, knowing your need for good, reliable equipment. If the saw does go down for any reason, I will just about guarantee you that the local dealer will put your need for a working saw before all other repair orders . . . maybe even going as far as Deck said as to give you a loaner saw.

The size of the department should not matter . . . what should matter is quality equipment. My volunteer FD is not flush with cash either, but having a reliable chainsaw for forestry operations, cutting holes in ponds for drafting in the winter and cutting ventilation holes is paramount . . . there is nothing worse than getting to a scene and having equipment that will not start, will not run well or for long or is not up to the task -- having inadequate equipment can endanger others, endanger your firefighters and at the very "best" make your fire department look unprofessional -- trust me on this one -- I've been around long enough that I've seen and heard what happens when a FD has equipment that doesn't run or doesn't run well -- before long your FD is known by locals and other FDs as being a FD that is not up to the task.

In our case we checked with our local dealer recently when we needed a new saw. Since the guy is a Husky dealer we ended up with a decent sized saw at a price that was at or near his cost . . . the payback for this dealer is that a) the FD always keeps him first and foremost in mind when we need to buy or service any small engines and b) the volunteers remember him when they're looking to buy a saw, ATV, garden tractor, sled, etc.

 

[fire_N_ice]

Also For the people "hard on the saw" I would strongly suggest whatever saw you go with, that a rep comes out and shows yous how to use the saw properly. IMO there is nothing worse then a Emergency team person being hurt because of lack of knowledge of the tools they use.

 

[Gooserider]

I figure its a question of playing it right... Point out to the dealer (and other potential big ticket item donors) that you can generate good publicity for him beyond just the department members - most small towns have some sort of local papers that are generally hungry for news - good for photo-ops and press releases about "MyTown VFD expresses appreciation to Joe's Saw Shoppe" for his donation of a saw and service agreement to the department - if played right, this can get the saw dealer more paper coverage than he could get for the wholesale cost of a saw... Follow up with some sort of plaque or other such item that he can display in his shop to remind customers about what a nice public-spirited kind of guy he is... (Put a date on the plaque so he will want to donate more next year to get another one...)

Gooserider