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
- 387
- Article rating: No rating