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Posted: May 1, 2019

Midwest Fire Pumper-Tanker Delivery

 
special Delivery | Alan M. Petrillo
 

The Parshall (ND) Rural Fire Protection District covers a lot of territory—about 400 square miles in parts of North Dakota’s McLean and Mountrail Counties, including the city of Parshall, but with most of its coverage area not served by pressurized water systems.

When the department decided to replace its oldest pumper, it chose to spec a pumper-tanker that could handle fire suppression as well as serve as a large source of water wherever needed.

Kurt Clemensen, Parshall Rural Fire Protection District chief, says the fire district is located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in Mountrail County and on the eastern border of the Parshall Oil Field. “Our district is very rural,” Clemensen observes, “and while the city of Parshall has a mix of commercial and residential structures and a hydrant system, and some rural water systems have a few hydrants, most of the area we cover does not, which means we have to haul water with us or get it out at the scene from static sources.”

Types of structures and facilities in the department’s coverage area include multiple petroleum storage tank farms; commercial and residential structures; industrial facilities for the oil industry; residential subdivisions along Lake Sakakawea on the Missouri River; multiple gasoline and oil pipelines; anhydrous ammonia filling stations; grain elevators; and a railroad running through the district that carries fertilizer, oil, chemical, and grain rail cars.

“Our single-station department covers all that with 17 volunteer firefighters,” Clemensen notes. Other apparatus in the department’s fleet, besides the new Midwest Fire pumper-tanker, include a 2011 Rosenbauer pumper with a 1,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump and a 1,000-gallon water tank; a 1992 tanker (tender) with a 350-gpm pump and a 4,500-gallon water tank; a Rosenbauer-Heiman Fire Ford F-450 initial response truck with a 250-gpm pump and a 400-gallon water tank; a Danko Ford F-450 quick-response truck with a 250-gpm pump and a 400-gallon water tank; two Danko Ford F-450 wildland units, each with a 250-gpm pump and a 400-gallon water tank; an M&T Fire Polaris Ranger utility terrain vehicle (UTV) with a high-pressure pump, an 80-gallon water tank, and a five-gallon foam tank; and a 2014 Ford-F550 rescue truck.

The Parshall (ND) Rural Fire Protection District had Midwest Fire build this pumper-tanker on a Freightliner M2 106 two-door chassis with a 106-inch BBC flat-roof aluminum cab and a copolymer polypropylene thermoplastic body and integral water tank. (Photos courtesy of Midwest Fire.)

1 The Parshall (ND) Rural Fire Protection District had Midwest Fire build this pumper-tanker on a Freightliner M2 106 two-door chassis with a 106-inch BBC flat-roof aluminum cab and a copolymer polypropylene thermoplastic body and integral water tank. (Photos courtesy of Midwest Fire.)

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Posted: May 1, 2019

Moving Water to Extinguish Fires

 
chief concerns | Richard Marinucci
 

 

Water has been used as an extinguishing agent ever since fire was discovered. There wasn’t much science to promote its use; people just figured out it worked.

Richard Marinucci

Of course, we now know why it is so effective and the choice for extinguishment in the majority of hostile fires. It is readily available, relatively inexpensive, and effective. Not to discount the importance of low cost and access, the fact that water is very effective when applied makes it the best option in most cases.

CAPABILITIES

The effectiveness is attributed to its properties. Water has the ability to cool environments, absorb heat when converting from liquid to gas, and expel oxygen and other gases because of its tremendous expansion as it enters the gas state of matter. Looking at it from a simplistic view considering the fire triangle, water helps in all aspects of extinguishment. Heat, fuel, and oxygen are needed to have combustion. Water helps reduce the heat below ignition temperatures because of its ability to absorb heat. It can contribute to the smothering of a fire from its rapid expansion that will produce about 1,600 times the volume when in a gaseous state vs. a liquid. So, for every gallon of water that converts to steam, there will be 1,600 “gallons” of gas. This will help to force out oxygen, which lowers the amount needed to sustain combustion. The expansion will also help replace flammable gases.

This simple explanation is intended to get you more in tune with the capabilities of water as an extinguishing agent and understand why it is so important to move the water from a source to the fire as quickly as possible and with as much as possible, depending on conditions and supply. The fire service has done a very good job of developing methods to move the water. Some have been through trial and error, some science, and some lessons learned from experience. Some of the properties of water have created challenges, such as its freezing point of 32°F. The more that is understood, the better chance of properly applying the water.

SOURCE

Moving water from a source to the fire involves hoses, a pump, appliances, and people. For areas with good water supply systems, the source is rarely a stumbling block. But in cold weather climates, maintenance of hydrants becomes important. The maintenance may also affect operation: If routine maintenance is not done, it can lead to “frozen” hydrants—those that don’t open because of corrosion, rust, or some other reason. Connecting to the water source should be an automatic operation. Of course, in some communities some of the hydrants are not standardized.

I once worked in a community where a few hydrants had different threads and some had different size outlets; in a few private systems, there was never any certainty. Suffice it to say, a sound and basic knowledge of the system is very important.

PEOPLE

Regardless of the source, hose, or equipment, people are needed to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. From the pump operator to the pipe man, there need to be knowledge,

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Posted: May 1, 2019

Moving Water to Extinguish Fires

 
chief concerns | Richard Marinucci
 

 

Water has been used as an extinguishing agent ever since fire was discovered. There wasn’t much science to promote its use; people just figured out it worked.

Richard Marinucci

Of course, we now know why it is so effective and the choice for extinguishment in the majority of hostile fires. It is readily available, relatively inexpensive, and effective. Not to discount the importance of low cost and access, the fact that water is very effective when applied makes it the best option in most cases.

CAPABILITIES

The effectiveness is attributed to its properties. Water has the ability to cool environments, absorb heat when converting from liquid to gas, and expel oxygen and other gases because of its tremendous expansion as it enters the gas state of matter. Looking at it from a simplistic view considering the fire triangle, water helps in all aspects of extinguishment. Heat, fuel, and oxygen are needed to have combustion. Water helps reduce the heat below ignition temperatures because of its ability to absorb heat. It can contribute to the smothering of a fire from its rapid expansion that will produce about 1,600 times the volume when in a gaseous state vs. a liquid. So, for every gallon of water that converts to steam, there will be 1,600 “gallons” of gas. This will help to force out oxygen, which lowers the amount needed to sustain combustion. The expansion will also help replace flammable gases.

This simple explanation is intended to get you more in tune with the capabilities of water as an extinguishing agent and understand why it is so important to move the water from a source to the fire as quickly as possible and with as much as possible, depending on conditions and supply. The fire service has done a very good job of developing methods to move the water. Some have been through trial and error, some science, and some lessons learned from experience. Some of the properties of water have created challenges, such as its freezing point of 32°F. The more that is understood, the better chance of properly applying the water.

SOURCE

Moving water from a source to the fire involves hoses, a pump, appliances, and people. For areas with good water supply systems, the source is rarely a stumbling block. But in cold weather climates, maintenance of hydrants becomes important. The maintenance may also affect operation: If routine maintenance is not done, it can lead to “frozen” hydrants—those that don’t open because of corrosion, rust, or some other reason. Connecting to the water source should be an automatic operation. Of course, in some communities some of the hydrants are not standardized.

I once worked in a community where a few hydrants had different threads and some had different size outlets; in a few private systems, there was never any certainty. Suffice it to say, a sound and basic knowledge of the system is very important.

PEOPLE

Regardless of the source, hose, or equipment, people are needed to maximize efficiency and effectiveness. From the pump operator to the pipe man, there need to be knowledge,

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TargetSolutions and IAFC VCOS Now Accepting Nominations for 2019 Training Officer Recognition Award
TargetSolutions and IAFC VCOS Now Accepting Nominations for 2019 Training Officer Recognition Award
Posted: May 1, 2019

TargetSolutions and IAFC VCOS Now Accepting Nominations for 2019 Training Officer Recognition Award

TargetSolutions and IAFC

TargetSolutions, the leading provider of computer-based training and operational management applications for public safety agencies, announced that it would team up once again with the IAFC’s Volunteer and Combination Officers Section for the annual VCOS Training Officer Recognition Award.

This is the sixth consecutive year the VCOS and TargetSolutions have joined forces to acknowledge an exceptional training officer with this prestigious award. By recognizing a training officer for their innovation in training and effectiveness in their department, TargetSolutions and the VCOS are also furthering their own primary missions of improving the safety and effectiveness of fire service members when called into action.

“It is an honor for the VCOS and TargetSolutions to recognize the dedication and accomplishments of Emergency Services Organization Training Officers again this year by awarding the Training Officer Award,” said VCOS Board Member Norvin Collins. “This award allows peers to select a Training Officer that embodies the spirit of all great trainers through their work locally, regionally, and/or nationally. 

“The work trainers do, ensures each of our members returns home safe after an incident and are able to perform to the best of their abilities. TargetSolutions has been a great partner in this effort to both train our members as well as recognize the work of the Training Officer these past years.”

Nominees should be chiefs, training officers, or others well-acquainted with training and they must be an IAFC member or come from a department where the department or the chief is an active IAFC member.

Applications for the award are being accepted now through June 30. To make a nomination, please check online at www.targetsolutions.com/vcos-award-2019.

About the Award

The award, which is now open for nominations, is designed to acknowledge exemplary conduct by a training officer for their creativity and effectiveness when delivering training. Nominees should be chiefs, training officers, or others well-acquainted with training. Additionally, they must be an IAFC member or come from a department where the department or the chief is an active IAFC member.

The winner will receive a trip to the upcoming Fire-Rescue International, scheduled August 7-10 in Atlanta. Complimentary round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations will be provided to the winner.

Previously Recognized Training Officers

Since TargetSolutions began sponsoring the award in 2014, the following training officers have been recognized for their dedication to training and excellence:

  • Chip Everett of Oshtemo Township (MI) Fire Department, 2014
  • Chief Brad Pinsky of Manlius (NY) Fire Department, 2015
  • Deputy Chief Steve Malone of the Manhattan (IL) Fire Protection District, 2016
  • Chief of Training Michael Accardo III of the St. Tammany (LA) Fire District 9, 2017
  • Chief Josh Blum of Loveland-Symmes (OH) Fire Department, 2018

About TargetSolutions

TargetSolutions, a Vector Solutions brand, delivers award-winning, real-time training and operations management solutions to the fire services, emergency medical services, risk pools, cities and municipalities, law enforcement and public works industries. The company provides engaging, ac

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Posted: May 1, 2019

Fire Apparatus Warning Light Intensity

 
fama forum | ROGER LACKORE
 

 

We at the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) stay intimately involved in the National Fire Protection (NFPA) standards process to make sure that new trends in NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, and NFPA 1906, Standard for Automotive Wildland Fire Apparatus, are both positive and practical.

Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

One of the current discussions involves complaints from many quarters that the warning lights on fire apparatus are too intense during nighttime hours. The NFPA committee has taken up this topic, and FAMA member companies are stepping up.

THE PROBLEM

The current NFPA 1901 and NFPA 1906 requirements for apparatus warning lights were developed in an era prior to the advent of LED lighting. At that time, there was an inherent limit to the amount of light that a truck could put out. That limit was the size of the 12-volt alternator you could fit on a diesel truck engine. The standard was therefore only concerned with making sure the lights were bright enough, not whether they were ever too bright.

Today’s LED technology, however, has changed the discussion. The race to brighter and brighter LED lighting has flipped the industry on its head. A typical apparatus with LED lighting rolling off the line today will emit lighting levels easily 10 times the minimum level specified in NFPA standards.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

During the day, warning light levels can never be too great because they are competing with the sun. Daylight constricts the observer’s pupil and very bright warning lights do not seem so bright compared with the surrounding environment. At night, however, the pupil dilates to let in as much of the sparse light as possible. When suddenly submitted to the intense light levels given off by modern LED warning lights, the result can be very distracting, even blinding, to people in the vicinity.

There are even those who argue that bright flashing lights at a roadside scene may be detracting rather than adding to scene safety. Drivers distracted by the intense light levels may be less likely to see the details of people working around the area. First responders may also be distracted by the lighting levels as they work on the scene.

FLASH PATTERNS

Lighting intensity is not the only concern. Flash patterns and speeds are also being scrutinized. There is subjective evidence to suggest that fast, frenetic, and random flash patterns are not the most optimum strategy, at least for nighttime warning and perhaps never while in the blocking mode. At a recent nighttime demonstration, I observed this firsthand. When exposed to an intense, fast, and random flash pattern, I felt tense and nervous. When the pattern was changed to a slower, dimmer, and predictable flash pattern, I felt my body and mind relax dramatically.

During code 3 operation, we want drivers to be alerted to emergency apparatus presence. The apparatus are coming quickl

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