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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Didn’t See That One Coming

Chris Mc Loone
 
Chris Mc Loone

In July, I authored an editorial titled “Just Consider It.” In it, I discussed the “Clean Cab Concept” for fire apparatus where departments are working to reduce firefighters’ exposure to contaminants, including carcinogens.

The Clean Cab Concept is multifaceted, with an almost a la carte selection of features that departments are free to mix and match. If your department has decided that its firefighters should step off the truck ready to go, then obviously from an operational standpoint it does not make sense to remove self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) from the cab to a location in an exterior compartment. I didn’t hear anything from anyone about it. But, what I did hear about was Robert Tutterow’s “Keeping It Safe” column from that month: “What’s with the Black Finish?”

In his column, Tutterow discussed a recent trend for fire departments to use a matte black finish on their fire apparatus. He said, “What about safety? Black is the least visible color, unless you live at the north or south pole. Being conspicuous as emergency responders with conspicuous apparatus is a safety issue.” I read the column, edited it, sent it to layout, and braced myself for the hate mail. But, all we received were positive comments. I wasn’t disappointed, but I was surprised.

In August, an apparatus manufacturer announced that a department was set to take delivery of several new rescue-pumpers spec’d with the Clean Cab Concept in mind. Notably, the department took the SCBA out of the cab. It wasn’t new for the department, just the most recent time it did it. We shared the story on social media. This time I was surprised—and a little disappointed.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever suggested that everyone now must yank all the SCBA out of the cabs. How many of us have gotten off a truck with SCBA donned, hoseline stretched to the front door, and then knelt on the ground to take our helmets off to lay them in front of us while we put our face pieces on, turned on the cylinders, put the hoods over the face piece harnesses, put the helmets back on, and then connected the regulators? How many articles have we run in this magazine and posted online that have stated that different apparatus or equipment features are local decisions, followed by statements asserting that whatever your local decision is, train on it?

There is no doubt in my mind that any department that decides to take its SCBA out of the cab will, if it is worth its salt, ensure that its personnel won’t lose time getting out of the cab, getting the SCBA out of the compartment, and donning it.

Am I saying that I think all SCBA should be taken out of the cab? No. There are other alternatives to help accomplish exposure reduction. But, I was surprised at the number of people who went after moving the SCBA. There were other features, like

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Didn’t See That One Coming

Chris Mc Loone
 
Chris Mc Loone

In July, I authored an editorial titled “Just Consider It.” In it, I discussed the “Clean Cab Concept” for fire apparatus where departments are working to reduce firefighters’ exposure to contaminants, including carcinogens.

The Clean Cab Concept is multifaceted, with an almost a la carte selection of features that departments are free to mix and match. If your department has decided that its firefighters should step off the truck ready to go, then obviously from an operational standpoint it does not make sense to remove self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) from the cab to a location in an exterior compartment. I didn’t hear anything from anyone about it. But, what I did hear about was Robert Tutterow’s “Keeping It Safe” column from that month: “What’s with the Black Finish?”

In his column, Tutterow discussed a recent trend for fire departments to use a matte black finish on their fire apparatus. He said, “What about safety? Black is the least visible color, unless you live at the north or south pole. Being conspicuous as emergency responders with conspicuous apparatus is a safety issue.” I read the column, edited it, sent it to layout, and braced myself for the hate mail. But, all we received were positive comments. I wasn’t disappointed, but I was surprised.

In August, an apparatus manufacturer announced that a department was set to take delivery of several new rescue-pumpers spec’d with the Clean Cab Concept in mind. Notably, the department took the SCBA out of the cab. It wasn’t new for the department, just the most recent time it did it. We shared the story on social media. This time I was surprised—and a little disappointed.

No one, to my knowledge, has ever suggested that everyone now must yank all the SCBA out of the cabs. How many of us have gotten off a truck with SCBA donned, hoseline stretched to the front door, and then knelt on the ground to take our helmets off to lay them in front of us while we put our face pieces on, turned on the cylinders, put the hoods over the face piece harnesses, put the helmets back on, and then connected the regulators? How many articles have we run in this magazine and posted online that have stated that different apparatus or equipment features are local decisions, followed by statements asserting that whatever your local decision is, train on it?

There is no doubt in my mind that any department that decides to take its SCBA out of the cab will, if it is worth its salt, ensure that its personnel won’t lose time getting out of the cab, getting the SCBA out of the compartment, and donning it.

Am I saying that I think all SCBA should be taken out of the cab? No. There are other alternatives to help accomplish exposure reduction. But, I was surprised at the number of people who went after moving the SCBA. There were other features, like

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Fire Apparatus and Equipment Technology

A number of different types of emerging technologies are affecting the fire service in general and its apparatus and equipment specifically.

These initiatives include the Captium™ Vehicle Platform, AXIS™ Smart Truck Technology, CZConnect, HAAS Alert, connected vehicles, automated fire pumps, augmented reality equipment, and personnel data collection through self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), among others.

IDEX FIRE & SAFETY CAPTIUM

IDEX Fire & Safety introduced Captium earlier this year, which it calls “the first-ever connected vehicle platform built specifically to meet the unique needs of fire and emergency medical services (EMS).” Jeffrey Zook, IDEX marketing manager for connected solutions, says that IDEX heard from apparatus users that they wanted to be able to access all the electronics being used on a truck on a single platform to increase their apparatus uptime. “We developed a new piece of hardware to be the backbone of the system, essentially the central brain for all the different vehicle networks, like the pumps, valves, pressure governor, engine, and multiplex network, which all plug into the brain,” Zook says.

At the same time, IDEX worked with Microsoft to build cloud access for all the data captured by Captium. “Not only did it have to be captured and stored, it also had to be available in an accessible fashion,” Zook points out. “The third part of the system is presenting the information to users, which is the dashboard at Captiumconnect.com. Users log into their accounts, which they can access by a laptop, tablet, or mobile device.”

Zook says that Captium is meant to be a passive experience. “You don’t have to look at the truck data daily,” he says. “If the truck has no diagnostic alerts, you don’t need to check. However, if you press a button on the truck and something doesn’t turn on, Captium will identify the issue and alert you to what is going on.”

He points out that Captium is a turnkey cellular-based product that is furnished with a cellular capability built in for a certain period of time. “The modem uses a SIM card prepositioned for AT&T cellular in the United States and Rogers Wireless in Canada,” Zook says. “And, Captium is an open architecture system that will function with other manufacturers’ software. For example, REV Group’s AXIS™ is building on the Captium platform. We want Captium to be the integration point for fire departments.”

The Captium™ connected vehicle platform by IDEX Fire & Safety accesses all the electronics being used on an apparatus into a single platform. (Photo courtesy of IDEX Fire & Safety.)

1 The Captium™ connected vehicle platform by IDEX Fire & Safety accesses all the electronics being used on an apparatus into a single platform. (Photo courtesy of IDEX Fire & Safety.)

REV GROUP AXIS

AXIS Smart Truck Technology is a secure, intelligent truck system engineered specifically for E-ONE, Ferrara Fire Apparatus, and KME emergency response vehicles, according to Joe Hedges, E-ONE’s product manager for chassis and aerials. AXIS connects to the components used on emergency vehicles to provide streamlined operations, increased uptime, and improved vehicle health, he says. “This technology monitors the status of the chassis and also the multiplexing systems and relevant water flow components on th

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Fire Apparatus and Equipment Technology

A number of different types of emerging technologies are affecting the fire service in general and its apparatus and equipment specifically.

These initiatives include the Captium™ Vehicle Platform, AXIS™ Smart Truck Technology, CZConnect, HAAS Alert, connected vehicles, automated fire pumps, augmented reality equipment, and personnel data collection through self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), among others.

IDEX FIRE & SAFETY CAPTIUM

IDEX Fire & Safety introduced Captium earlier this year, which it calls “the first-ever connected vehicle platform built specifically to meet the unique needs of fire and emergency medical services (EMS).” Jeffrey Zook, IDEX marketing manager for connected solutions, says that IDEX heard from apparatus users that they wanted to be able to access all the electronics being used on a truck on a single platform to increase their apparatus uptime. “We developed a new piece of hardware to be the backbone of the system, essentially the central brain for all the different vehicle networks, like the pumps, valves, pressure governor, engine, and multiplex network, which all plug into the brain,” Zook says.

At the same time, IDEX worked with Microsoft to build cloud access for all the data captured by Captium. “Not only did it have to be captured and stored, it also had to be available in an accessible fashion,” Zook points out. “The third part of the system is presenting the information to users, which is the dashboard at Captiumconnect.com. Users log into their accounts, which they can access by a laptop, tablet, or mobile device.”

Zook says that Captium is meant to be a passive experience. “You don’t have to look at the truck data daily,” he says. “If the truck has no diagnostic alerts, you don’t need to check. However, if you press a button on the truck and something doesn’t turn on, Captium will identify the issue and alert you to what is going on.”

He points out that Captium is a turnkey cellular-based product that is furnished with a cellular capability built in for a certain period of time. “The modem uses a SIM card prepositioned for AT&T cellular in the United States and Rogers Wireless in Canada,” Zook says. “And, Captium is an open architecture system that will function with other manufacturers’ software. For example, REV Group’s AXIS™ is building on the Captium platform. We want Captium to be the integration point for fire departments.”

The Captium™ connected vehicle platform by IDEX Fire & Safety accesses all the electronics being used on an apparatus into a single platform. (Photo courtesy of IDEX Fire & Safety.)

1 The Captium™ connected vehicle platform by IDEX Fire & Safety accesses all the electronics being used on an apparatus into a single platform. (Photo courtesy of IDEX Fire & Safety.)

REV GROUP AXIS

AXIS Smart Truck Technology is a secure, intelligent truck system engineered specifically for E-ONE, Ferrara Fire Apparatus, and KME emergency response vehicles, according to Joe Hedges, E-ONE’s product manager for chassis and aerials. AXIS connects to the components used on emergency vehicles to provide streamlined operations, increased uptime, and improved vehicle health, he says. “This technology monitors the status of the chassis and also the multiplexing systems and relevant water flow components on th

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Posted: Oct 1, 2018

Medic-CE's Resiliency Training Helps Combat Increasing Mental Health Risks Among EMS Providers

Medic CE

First responders face challenging and often traumatic experiences on a near daily basis as they serve our communities. Over time, these experiences often lead to an increased risk of mental and behavioral health issues. To help, Medic-CE, a leading provider of accredited online continuing education for emergency medical services (EMS) and fire professionals, is pleased to announce the launch of Resiliency training that teaches first responders how to work through the trauma they experience in the field.

“Our new Resiliency training will give first responders tangible skills and techniques they can use to really process and recover from the trauma they are seeing every day,” said Judson Smith, Medic-CE vice president. “With more and more research showing the risks our first responders face, we are excited to offer this new training as a way to help.”

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), 30 percent of first responders develop behavioral health conditions including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to just 20 percent among the general population. Several studies have also found that suicide rates for first responders are significantly higher than average.

Medic-CE’s new Resiliency training is the result of a collaborative effort by Medic-CE, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS), and Dr. Phil Callahan. The course curriculum is focused on five key coping skills that first responders can use in their personal and professional lives to deal with the stressors they experience on a regular basis. The Resiliency training will be offered as part of Medic-CE’s self-paced (F3) continuing education training.

To learn more about Medic-CE and to get started with Resiliency, go to Medic-CE.com and sign up today.

About Medic-CE
Medic-CE, a Career Step company, provides accredited online continuing education for EMS and firefighting professionals. Founded in 2006, the company currently serves over 125,000 fire and EMS professionals and 250 fire/EMS/ambulance agencies. More than 250 hours of continuing education are available through the company’s powerful learning management system. Medic-CE also offers Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) Solution and the option for agencies to add their own in-house continuing education and instructor-led courses. More information is available at Medic-CE.com or 1-877-458-9498. 

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