Apparatus Division

The Windsor Fire & Rescue Services Apparatus Division has been located on Kew Drive since 1982. This Division has six personnel consisting of a Director of Apparatus, Four Certified Master Emergency Vehicle Technicians, and an Apparatus/Training Clerk.

The Apparatus Division is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all vehicles within the Fire Department, as well as approximately 95% of the equipment carried on them.

These duties must be performed in strict compliance with numerous standards and regulations, including:

  • National Fire Protection Association
  • Underwriters Laboratories Canada
  • Canadian Standards Association
  • Standard Council of Canada
  • Ministry of Transportation
  • Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
  • Occupational Health & Safety Standards
  • Manufacturers’ Recommendations

Responsibilities of the Division include, but are not limited to:

  • Annual fire pump certification (as per NFPA 1911)
  • Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) annual certification
  • Ministry of Transportation vehicle safety certification
  • MTO commercial vehicle  inspections
  • Repair, maintenance and testing on 49 vehicles in its fleet
  • Annual ground ladder certification (as per NFPA1932)
  • New vehicle acceptance testing (NFPA)
  • Annual aerial inspection (as per NFPA 1911)
  • 5-year non-destructive testing of all aerial devices and aerial platforms (as per NFPA 1911)
  • Maintenance, repairs and (CSA) air sample testing (2 x year) of two Breathing Air compressors within the Fire Department, plus service, maintenance and repairs to the Tecumseh Fire breathing apparatus compressor
  • Assisting in the development of training manuals and procedures on new equipment
  • Administering the respiratory protection program, including fit testing of all personnel utilizing N95 and full face piece respirators, repair, maintenance and testing of all WFR breathing apparatus and high pressure breathing air cylinders
  • Repairs to Akron & TFT nozzles and appliances (as per NFPA 1962)
  • Welding and fabrication on the premises
  • Fire hose repair and testing (as per NFPA 1962)
  • Training personnel in the operation of fill stations and new equipment
  • Snow removal for the Apparatus Division and at emergency scenes
  • Providing technical support 24 hours a day while on call
  • Providing support at upgraded fires to monitor mechanical systems during inclement weather and lengthy incidents
  • Delivering fuel and inspecting apparatus at fires may need to be done while using a breathing apparatus as an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) environment is often the norm at a fire scene

The Apparatus Division has developed standard work orders for each of the various vehicles ranging from 2.5 hours per small fleet vehicle to 70-80 hours for an annual inspection on a large Aerial platform vehicle with fire pump.

In 1995, our Administration allowed the Division to offer its services to the surrounding municipal fire departments and we continue to do so to date.  We also are authorized to do warranty and repair work for some fire truck manufacturers and dealers allowing our units to be repaired quickly in Windsor and remain in service.

We provide 24 hour service to both the city and county and have worked with ULC to provide pump test facilities.  We also provide consultation services to the surrounding fire departments when purchasing new fire apparatus.  This Division has one of the few pump test facilities in the province, allowing us to provide year round fire pump testing to Windsor Fire & Rescue and surrounding municipalities.

The future plans to increase efficiencies in this Division include specialized computer programs to handle our different work orders, inventory control, and maintenance scheduling.

This is but a brief overview of the Apparatus Division. I hope that it has provided a better insight into what the Division does as an integral part of the Fire Department.