Lessons from the Shop Floor: What Every Officer Should Know About Their Apparatus
APPARATUS: THE SHOPS Understanding your rig, and your relationship with the shop, is as critical to readiness as training or tactics. Every fire officer knows that when the tones drop, the company’s success depends on the rig starting, moving, and working the way it’s...
FL City Approves Hiring Dedicated Fire Apparatus Mechanic
Coconut Creek (FL) leaders have decided to hire the city's own mechanic to repair and maintain fire apparatus, a move that will cost around $345,000, tapinto.net reported. As it is now, firefighters have to leave the city to have vehicles repaired. Having in-house...
Why a Good Technician Needs to be a Good Person, Part 3: Honesty
By Kevin Roberts Humans are a funny lot. We fall in love with a specious idea and don’t notice that our behavior contradicts the ideology. Why? Because humans are self-deceptive. Here are some examples: A determinist (someone who thinks that free will is a myth and...
Queen Creek (AZ) Celebrates Completion of Public Safety Support Facility
The Town of Queen Creek (AZ) held a ribbon cutting Jan. 21, 2026 to announce the opening of the Gail A. Barney Public Safety Support Facility, marking a significant milestone in the town’s continued commitment to public safety and emergency preparedness, the town said...
ARTICLES
Queen Creek (AZ) Celebrates Completion of Public Safety Support Facility
The facility provides an area for fire apparatus maintenance, space for important public safety skills training, and a future area for turnout gear cleaning.
Ford to Donate Darley-Equipped Broncos to Search and Rescue Teams
Ford is donating five Darley-equipped Bronco Badlands models to under-resourced search and rescue organizations. Applications are now open.
Tactical Rig Handles Variety of Fire/Rescue Responses
The Big Horn County (MT) Rural Fire District wanted a pumper that could handle structure fires, wildland fires, motor vehicle fires, and more.
Department Sticks with KME for Two New Severe Service Pumpers
The new rigs are designed for consistency with the department’s existing fleet, with no major changes to their equipment storage.
PRESS RELEASES
Darley Defense Launches New Online Defense Platform
Dedicated to serving the military community, this modernized online platform is built to best serve our customers and partners, delivering a unified user experience that streamlines navigation, accelerates content sourcing, and simplifies access to procurement information.
Terex and REV Group Complete Merger
Terex Corporation has completed its merger with REV Group, forming a leading specialty equipment manufacturer. The merger aims to create $75 million in synergies by 2028.
Darley Data Center Launched for First Responders
Darley is proud to announce the launch of the Darley Data Center, a powerful new customized platform that helps first responders visualize data, identify trends, and compare department performance.
Lee Wise Named President of W.S. Darley & Co.
W.S. Darley & Co. in Itasca, Illinois, appointed Lee Wise as President effective January 1, 2026, succeeding Paul C. Darley, who remains CEO and Chairman, ensuring leadership continuity.
APPARATUS GALLERY
VIDEOS
Inside Darley: January/February 2026
Darley starts the new year with a new five-year strategic plan called “3B30.” That’s a goal to be a $3 billion business by the year 2030.
Inside Darley: November/December 2025
In this edition, Paul Darley discusses the company’s growth with the U.S. Department of Defense. The company is also engaged in wildfire management, leadership development, and more.
Inside Darley: September/October 2025
Paul Darley discusses the success of the company’s internship program and offers tips for family businesses to continue family ownership generation after generation.
Inside Darley: July/August 2025
Paul Darley and more than 300 employees and their families enjoyed a weekend in the Wisconsin Dells to celebrate hitting a billion dollars in revenue. Deloitte presented Darley with the Best Managed Company award, one of 60 companies in the U.S. to received it.
Inside Darley: May/June 2025
Explore highlights from Darley’s May-June issue of Inside Darley, including record attendance at FDIC, new catalogs, and upcoming events like NDIA and the IL Fire Service Home Day.
Inside Darley: March/April 2025
This month, Paul Darley discusses FDIC 2025, Darley’s biggest fire trade show, which is just five weeks away. Darley also discusses company updates and new products. The TAGRS system for the U.S. Marine Corps is a game-changer for defense customers, he says.
LATEST
Lessons from the Shop Floor: What Every Officer Should Know About Their Apparatus
The relationship between operations and maintenance is one of the most important, and most overlooked, partnerships in the fire service. Here are a few lessons from the shop floor that every officer should know about their apparatus.
Darley Defense Launches New Online Defense Platform
Dedicated to serving the military community, this modernized online platform is built to best serve our customers and partners, delivering a unified user experience that streamlines navigation, accelerates content sourcing, and simplifies access to procurement information.
Terex and REV Group Complete Merger
Terex Corporation has completed its merger with REV Group, forming a leading specialty equipment manufacturer. The merger aims to create $75 million in synergies by 2028.
FL City Approves Hiring Dedicated Fire Apparatus Mechanic
Coconut Creek (FL) will hire a mechanic for fire apparatus maintenance, costing $345,000, to reduce downtime and expedite repairs, as approved unanimously by city leaders.
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RIGS
Ocala (FL) Fire Rescue Welcomes Groundbreaking Addition to Fleet
Vancouver (WA) FD Replaces Tractor Drawn Aerial With New KME Tiller
EV Tech Talk: What Happens When You Shift Out of Road Mode Into Pump Mode?
Equipment
Just Ask Engineering: What Makes a Part Reusable or Not?
When rebuilding a pump, deciding what to replace versus reuse is a common question. Fortunately, the process is straightforward: break the pump into individual components and evaluate each piece one at a time.
EV Tech Talk: What Happens When You Shift Out of Road Mode Into Pump Mode?
Fire department training divisions should include some input from the mechanical division. As a mechanic, I can’t teach someone the proper way to put out a fire. I’m not trained for that. In the same breath, firefighters aren’t expected to know how the equipment they use works mechanically. Although firefighters don’t need to understand how to fix the equipment, a general understanding of how something works affects how they use it.
Pump Packing vs. Mechanical Seal
In this article, we are going to discuss what packing and a mechanical seal are. But first we need to know what the purpose of these “seals” is in our pumping systems. To put it very simply, they keep the oil and water separated.
Five Top Preventive Maintenance Tips for Fire Pumps
The fire pump is arguably the most important piece of equipment on an engine, and pump manufacturers have specific guidelines for keeping fire pumps in the best working order. We spoke with two W.S. Darley & Company pump experts, Greg Field, vice president of pump manufacturing operations, and Shawn Kelly, training manager, about the subject and they gave us five preventive maintenance tips to keep your fire pump in top shape.
