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Posted: Apr 1, 2019

Compartmentation

Editor’s Note: There is more to compartmentation on a new rig than picking compartment sizes and picturing where equipment will go. Often, once you mount the equipment, you discover you don’t have as much space as you thought. Editorial Advisory Board members Bill Adams and Ricky Riley draw on their experiences specing rigs and offer their thoughts on using compartment space wisely.

 

Compartmentation

In designing your apparatus, there are many choices that must be made. These include many large components such as engine, transmission, pump type, and size, etc. Depending on your department’s operational needs, a few of these choices can affect the body size and type you will be getting on the rig. Even choices of low hosebeds, discharges, and intakes coming off the rear can influence body styles.

These body styles have the compartments attached to them, and they require your time and attention. This attention starts with the department’s determination of what equipment it needs to carry to accomplish its job in its community and response area. And then, how will it be carried and accessed during these incidents? During the specification process and the engineering conference is the time to determine what compartment style will be needed on the apparatus.

COMPARTMENT DESIGNS

In early designs of apparatus I was associated with, designing compartments was not an option or was frowned on by manufacturers. And, the cost associated with a special design was usually astronomical and hard to swallow for the tools or equipment that it was being made for. In recent years, the design of body compartments on apparatus in my part of the world has been increasingly custom based on the department’s needs for storing and removing equipment. The cost of some of these compartment designs has come down by the majority of the manufacturers. But, make no mistake—it still costs money to have these body compartments made nonstandard and then customized for the department’s equipment layout.

Some of the decisions on compartments will need to focus on the weight of what will be carried in them. Depending on the type of apparatus you are buying, such as a ladder truck or heavy rescue, these compartments may need to have the floors or the structure holding the compartments beefed up or reinforced. The weight of some of the equipment can cause it to bounce on the floors or shelves. This bouncing without the reinforcement could cause damage to the compartments.

Also consider how the components of the apparatus, such as water tanks, piping, frame rails, and other components, might intrude in your compartment area. A clean, square compartment is rare because of the way the bodies are mounted around these things and manufacturers making use of available space. At the engineering conference, ask questions about what is being mounted in each compartment that might impact the usable space of the compartment. This includes shelving track; supports for back wall stiffening; and items such as battery conditioners, plugs, and electrical panels. All these take up space in your compartment and can make getting your equipment in sometimes difficult, although computer drawings and accurate equipment dimensions can help ensure items wi

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Posted: Apr 1, 2019

How Well Do Fire Departments Use Their Compartment Space?

Editor’s Note: There is more to compartmentation on a new rig than picking compartment sizes and picturing where equipment will go. Often, once you mount the equipment, you discover you don’t have as much space as you thought. Editorial Advisory Board members Bill Adams and Ricky Riley draw on their experiences specing rigs and offer their thoughts on using compartment space wisely.

 

How Well Do Fire Departments Use Their Compartment Space?

By Bill Adams

A politically correct response to this question is that most fire departments do a good job in using compartment space while others do an outstanding job. It would be wrong. This is a “gotcha” trap question that most levelheaded apparatus manufacturers and vendors might not honestly answer because potential sales can be at stake. Consultants and for-hire specification writers will be equally cautious when responding. Future income may depend on their answers. Pundits, commentators, and observers have more leeway in expressing biased opinions—usually on the positive side. There can be pessimistic viewpoints. As an example, my perspective on laying out any apparatus has always been: If you have to climb onto your rig to reach a primary piece of equipment, you did a lousy job in designing it. That gets a lot of people upset.

I’ve never read an article where the writer states such-and-such fire department did a horrendous job in laying out its compartments. You’ll never read that an equipment layout is inefficient, that it’s a waste of space, that they put heavy equipment on top and light equipment on the bottom, and that they don’t have a clue about fire trucks. Like other media, the commentators in this magazine and on its Web site always do positive stories about apparatus with photographs showing compartment layouts. In particular, Mike Ciampo’s “Compartment Corner” series shows compartment layouts on many different types and manufacturers of in-service apparatus. He does not pass judgment, which allows readers to make their own determinations in how comparable layouts might work in their department. Vendors should demonstrate similar judiciousness when dealing with purchasing committees. Likewise, purchasers should be made aware of some pitfalls when writing specifications for compartmentation. Some personal observations on using compartment space follow.

INVENTORY

Regardless of the type of apparatus, any compartment will appear to be well organized and well thought out when the door is opened and all the equipment is stowed in an orderly and structured layout, every cubic inch of space is put to good use, and there is no wasted space. What may be overlooked is there is no room for future expansion if everything just fits.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, advocates planning for the future when specifying compartmentation. The intention is praiseworthy but realistically, with the increased use of multifunction apparatus such as pumper-rescues and quints, departments are lucky to get all the equipment carried on its two r

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Posted: Apr 1, 2019

FAMA Forum

Securing Your Hose Can Be More Involved Than You Think

Has your department ever laid large-diameter hose down the freeway at 65 miles per hour (mph)? Have you ever dumped a crosslay onto the sidewalk while taking a corner? Well it happens, and it should be prevented!

Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

I can tell you firsthand that it happens when you least expect it. My department, a small rural volunteer department in central Ohio, once laid 1,000 feet of four-inch hose right down the middle of a busy county road at 55 mph, all because we decided to leave our hosebed cover off to allow any remaining moisture in the hose to dry from hose testing the week before. In my case, it ended with a disgruntled crew of firefighters rolling and reloading 1,000 feet of four-inch hose and a department understanding the importance of hose restraints, but it could have ended much differently.

ORIGINS

Hose restraints have been around for many years, but until 2006 they were just optional equipment. Today they are required by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, and Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies have developed many devices and methods to meet the standard. There are numerous available options, from tread plate and aluminum roll-up hosebed covers to heavy vinyl tarps and webbed straps. The options, like fire apparatus colors, can seem endless and even daunting at times, but sometimes considering the simple things like hose restraints when specing your next apparatus can make a world of difference when placing it in service.

HOSE RESTRAINT CONSIDERATIONS

The following simple considerations may prove useful on your future apparatus purchases.

  • What type of hose and hose compartment are you trying to envelope? The initial thoughts most tend to have when discussing hose restraints include a hosebed cover or preconnected crosslay webbing. However, in most situations, there are several other hose storage areas that must be considered. An example includes the bumper line storage or hosewell on the officer side running board below the pump intake. In all cases, the hose should be secured and completely enveloped on all four sides to ensure it will adequately remain in place while the apparatus is in motion. Preplan all the areas where a hose restraint will be located.
  • How is the hose going to be stored in that location and how much? Is it a flat lay, rolled donuts, or a horseshoe lay? This is a key piece that is frequently overlooked but should be considered so you can ensure adequate design of the storage space as well as the quick, efficient deployment of the hose while keeping restraint devices clear of personnel, nozzles, and couplings. A great example of this is crosslay covers permanently fastened at the bottom of the crosslay so it falls out of the way of the firefighter as the restraint is released, allowing easy access to the hose and nozzle for and during deployment. This also reduces the chance for the nozzle or hose load to become entangled in the hose restraint.
  • What type of closure device will your restraints use to secure it to the apparatus—snaps, hook-and-loop, buckles, locks? Are these easily accessible from ground level, or will som
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Posted: Apr 1, 2019

Editor's Opinion: My FDIC International Wish List

 

Editor’s Opinion Chris Mc Loone

 
 

My FDIC International Wish List

April has finally arrived and with it the beginning of the trade show season with FDIC International 2019.

Chris Mc Loone

North America’s largest conference and exhibition is an almost perfect marriage between fire service products and training and learning. The flow of the week moves from hands-on training to classroom learning to the exhibits, where the learning continues. Having used many of the products on the show floor during the hands-on training sessions, FDIC International attendees get the chance to learn more about each product on the exhibit floor. It really doesn’t get any better than that.

Every year as we get close to the “big event,” I spend a lot of time making appointments, scheduling video shoots, and planning the week. Over the years, the week has become a precise, well-oiled machine. Yet, every year I find myself going into the week with a wish list of sorts. Here are a few FDIC International 2019 Wish List items for attendees—and me.

 
  1. Ample time. As Editorial Advisory Board Member Rich Marinucci often says, FDIC International is a tough show to cover without careful planning. Attendees can’t spend time with every exhibitor, but hopefully all attendees have enough time with the vendors they get to see to flesh out a new product as completely as possible. Ample time also applies to hands-on training and classroom sessions. Hopefully, all attendees have enough time to get the answers they need about a training evolution or topic.
  2. See the entire event. It’s hard to spend the entire week at FDIC International, but to really get the full experience and understand how it is all connected, it’s best to be a part of the entire event. I hope as many as possible get to see it from start to finish.
  3. Products for crash avoidance. A pet peeve of mine for some time has been the number of rigs being hit while parked. As I’ve noted before, we ride to and from the fireground in the most sophisticated and safe vehicles we have ever had. My hope is that the industry has put its thinking cap on and has come up with a few new products for us to use to work toward reducing these crashes. But, I also hope that attendees take time to really look at them vs. walking by, saying out loud that something would make a good feature on a new rig, and then walking away without stopping to ask about it.
  4. Fire trucks and more fire trucks. I can’t help it. I love looking at fire trucks, and climbing up on one always brings me back to when I was a kid climbing on one for the first time. Every year, it’s almost like there aren’t enough, and then every year it seems like there are more than the year before. I love it
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Manufacturers Continue to Refine and Improve Aerial Designs
Manufacturers Continue to Refine and Improve Aerial Designs
Posted: Apr 1, 2019

Manufacturers Continue to Refine and Improve Aerial Designs

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Manufacturers Continue to Refine and Improve Aerial Designs

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO


Fire apparatus makers have introduced a number of new and redesigned models of aerial ladders and platforms with the aim of improving the ease of use and safety of their rigs as well as wringing out a little extra working length on the aerials.

ROSENBAUER

Rosenbauer has introduced a new aerial model to its aerial vehicle lines, the new King Cobra. Dave Reichman, Rosenbauer’s national sales manager, says the King Cobra is part of the Cobra platform line and is a 100-foot model that changes the fly section, the last eight feet of the aerial, to an articulated fly. “The articulated fly on the King Cobra is similar to that used on our telescopic box boom design on the T-Rex,” Reichman says.

1 Rosenbauer has introduced the 101-foot King Cobra aerial ladder platform that has the last eight feet of the aerial set up as an articulated fly section. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer.)

1 Rosenbauer has introduced the 101-foot King Cobra aerial ladder platform that has the last eight feet of the aerial set up as an articulated fly section. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer.)

There are several benefits to using an articulated aerial, Reichman points out. “There are a lot more commercial and retail buildings with big parapets, and the articulated fly allows firefighters to get over them easily,” Reichman says. “The articulated fly also can be used for below-grade water rescues. In addition, articulation allows the operator to set the platform on the ground at any place around the truck, even the front, and allows for working in tight alleys and streets for both rescue and fire suppression activities.”

Reichman notes that Rosenbauer did not redesign its aerial or torque box structures for the new rig. “It uses the same tried-and-true Rosenbauer ladder,” he says. “We didn’t lighten the aerial or change the torque box structure but rather shifted the weight of where the pump and other equipment are located.”

PIERCE MANUFACTURING

Tim Smits, senior sales manager for aerial products at Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says Pierce’s newest ladders are the Ascendant® series aerial models, which put a 107-foot aerial on a single-rear-axle chassis. “The Ascendant series offers lighter weight coupled with higher performance as well as a lower cost of ownership,” Smits says. “There also are the benefits of getting better performance out of the drivetrain and engine and better stopping distances.”

2 Pierce Manufacturing makes the 100-foot Ascendant™ midmount platform on a tandem rear ax </div> <a class=Read more
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