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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

New Jersey Fire Department Overcomes Site Issues, Contaminated Soil, and High Water Table to Build New Fire Headquarters Station


The South River (NJ) Fire Department is a volunteer department with 70 firefighters operating out of a single station located in a flood-prone area in the borough of South River. The fire department had been talking with the borough council and mayor about the need for a new firehouse for a number of years, but it took Hurricane Sandy in 2012 to get things moving much more quickly on the drive for a new station.

Mitchell Associates Architects built this 21,388-square-foot fire headquarters station for the South River (NJ) Fire Department.

1 Mitchell Associates Architects built this 21,388-square-foot fire headquarters station for the South River (NJ) Fire Department. (Photos courtesy of Mitchell Associates Architects.)

“Our existing firehouse was nearly 100 years old,” says Art Londensky, South River Fire Department’s fire marshal. “On one side of the old building, we had to put down metal road plates to prevent the floor from caving in because of the weight of the pumpers. On the other side of the station, you couldn’t walk around the ladder tower in the bay because it was so tight to the walls. With 70 personnel using the fire station, there were only two toilets and two sinks in the building, and there was no place for firefighters to decon, so they had to decon at home.”

When Hurricane Sandy hit, the fire station was in danger of being flooded. “The water was about a half a block away, so we were getting ready to evacuate the station,” Londensky says, “and when the South River crested, the water was almost to the front door of the firehouse. After that, the mayor and council agreed on the need for a new fire station headquarters.”

PLANNING

Londensky says the department formed a committee that included firefighters with various areas of expertise, such as plumbers, electricians, a laundry technician, and others, to research architectural firms that specialize in building fire stations. “We sent out requests for qualifications and got back 15 responses,” he says. “We narrowed them down to six, interviewed all six, and chose Mitchell Associates Architects.”

Bob Mitchell, principal in Mitchell Associates, says the fire department and borough council wanted to be sure that the new station would be built out of the flood-prone area of the borough. “The borough is 95 percent built out, with much of it located in the flood plain,” Mitchell points out. “Determining a new site became a complicated two-year process. They initially selected a site in a gracious residential area, and in spite of a design that nicely fit the residential neighborhood, citizen opposition to the site was overwhelming,” Mitchell says. That sent the station committee and borough council on the hunt for another suitable location. Londensky notes that the borough owns the fire station and all of the apparatus and equipment, while the department supplies the volunteer firefighters to staff the apparatus. “There weren’t a lot of places where we could put a 21,388-square-foot fire station,” he says, “but the borough eventually located a combined parcel of a former Knights of Columbus property and a gasoline station.”

After environmental and geotechnical analyses of the combi

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

The Case for a National Fire Apparatus Response Policy

Robert Tutterow

Most of you are familiar with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) Life Safety Initiatives. The 16 initiatives were originally developed almost 15 years ago during the first Life Safety Summit in Tampa, Florida.

Robert Tutterow

Initiative #11 states: “National standards for emergency response policies should be developed and championed.” This past May, the NFFF convened a working group in Columbus, Ohio, to start the process of identifying ways to develop a national response policy. The working group consisted of 26 subject matter experts from across the country. In the end, there was unanimous and enthusiastic support for the development of a policy.

The working group identified 17 recommendations to guide the development process. The process included a review of policies already in existence. The overarching objective of the working group was to create operational policies that minimize exposure “to hazardous conditions that can result in medical or traumatic tragedies to firefighters.”

There was total agreement that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) should be the agency to develop such a standardized policy. However, before awaiting the NFPA process to develop a standard, fire departments (if they have not already) should not delay in proceeding with developing their own policies that address the safety and health of their members. It is imperative that these policies be developed based on science-based research and be data driven.

There was also a strong voice advocating that an NFPA technical committee formed to develop the standard have representatives appointed from the wildland firefighting community. The most recent review of line-of-duty deaths related to response clearly shows a need for the wildland community to be involved.

The group was very cognizant of the wide range of response capabilities of fire departments across the nation. As such, they ask that a new NFPA standard be “scalable, affordable, and achievable.” It was stated in one of the recommendations that the standard be flexible enough that it could be “refined by local/regional working groups” to make implementation as effective as possible for the locale.

One of the perhaps most obvious recommendations was that policies should be based on the risk element of the nature of a call. This is an issue that has been debated for years—what justifies the use of lights and sirens vs. responding routinely without delay. This recommendation addresses speed, intersection control, and seat belt policies.

Associated with this recommendation is the number of units that respond to a call. I come from a fire department that would send four engines, two ladders, a heavy rescue, and a battalion chief to an alarm activation. These were frequent calls in the downtown high-rise area. Sadly, it was a call from a very high-level corporate executive to the mayor wanting to know why there were so many fire trucks on the street and never a fire that prompted a reduced number of units dispatched on a call. After approximately 20 years of the reduced number of units responding, there has been absolutely no decline in service delivery. In fact, it can be strong

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

The Case for a National Fire Apparatus Response Policy

Robert Tutterow

Most of you are familiar with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) Life Safety Initiatives. The 16 initiatives were originally developed almost 15 years ago during the first Life Safety Summit in Tampa, Florida.

Robert Tutterow

Initiative #11 states: “National standards for emergency response policies should be developed and championed.” This past May, the NFFF convened a working group in Columbus, Ohio, to start the process of identifying ways to develop a national response policy. The working group consisted of 26 subject matter experts from across the country. In the end, there was unanimous and enthusiastic support for the development of a policy.

The working group identified 17 recommendations to guide the development process. The process included a review of policies already in existence. The overarching objective of the working group was to create operational policies that minimize exposure “to hazardous conditions that can result in medical or traumatic tragedies to firefighters.”

There was total agreement that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) should be the agency to develop such a standardized policy. However, before awaiting the NFPA process to develop a standard, fire departments (if they have not already) should not delay in proceeding with developing their own policies that address the safety and health of their members. It is imperative that these policies be developed based on science-based research and be data driven.

There was also a strong voice advocating that an NFPA technical committee formed to develop the standard have representatives appointed from the wildland firefighting community. The most recent review of line-of-duty deaths related to response clearly shows a need for the wildland community to be involved.

The group was very cognizant of the wide range of response capabilities of fire departments across the nation. As such, they ask that a new NFPA standard be “scalable, affordable, and achievable.” It was stated in one of the recommendations that the standard be flexible enough that it could be “refined by local/regional working groups” to make implementation as effective as possible for the locale.

One of the perhaps most obvious recommendations was that policies should be based on the risk element of the nature of a call. This is an issue that has been debated for years—what justifies the use of lights and sirens vs. responding routinely without delay. This recommendation addresses speed, intersection control, and seat belt policies.

Associated with this recommendation is the number of units that respond to a call. I come from a fire department that would send four engines, two ladders, a heavy rescue, and a battalion chief to an alarm activation. These were frequent calls in the downtown high-rise area. Sadly, it was a call from a very high-level corporate executive to the mayor wanting to know why there were so many fire trucks on the street and never a fire that prompted a reduced number of units dispatched on a call. After approximately 20 years of the reduced number of units responding, there has been absolutely no decline in service delivery. In fact, it can be strong

Read more
Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Pump Selection for Fire Apparatus


In the September 2018 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, I introduced the idea of pump theory driving the pumper design. I believe that pump theory should guide the decisions in the prebuild and spec process as well as having an operator who understands it as part of the committee. I hope to enable you to look at your environment for fire protection resources and ensure you are building the apparatus that best fit those needs.

THE FIRE PUMP

First, the fire pump. There are numerous factors that go into the decision for which pump to put in the apparatus. Many manufacturers have an option for a compact style pump that uses a limited amount of space. These pump choices are an addition to an extensive list of pumps available from various pump manufacturers. Hopefully, this article will give your committee insight into which one fits your needs best, but that, again, means taking a look at pump theory.

The centrifugal pump can move large quantities of water at low pressure or low quantities at high pressure. A 2,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump will move lots of water if paired with a 450- or 500-horsepower engine. This would be a great choice if you need one engine to supply an aerial platform with dual monitors. The weakest link in this system would be the ability to supply the engine with water. This requires a strong hydrant or a very efficient tender operation. Another issue with using one engine to work this hard is fuel consumption. This engine will be able to complete the task, but without a fuel truck available for long-duration greater alarms, using two engines to share the work will prolong the need for fuel.

Most aerials only have a single waterway, and one engine with a 1,500-gpm pump can supply that tower easily. But, there may be a dealer demo platform that is marked down to your price range that is too good of a deal to pass up. Or quite possibly, your department already has one, but supply is an issue. Ensuring that the engine you are purchasing will handle the workload of the aerial is important.

The other instance where it is relevant to have a larger pump and engine combination is for high-rise firefighting. Most new-construction high-rise buildings have fire pumps or boosters that will aid in supplying adequate pressure to higher floors. There are still many standpipes that are dry, which can tax a single supply engine. High-rise tactics incorporate the use of smooth bore nozzles for reach and low-pressure operation, but they can come at the cost of gpm. Multiple lines on multiple floors can overwhelm a single 1,500-gpm pump, especially when having to overcome gravitational loss. A larger pump in this situation will make easier work of pumping to higher floors. One can argue that a second 1,500-gpm pump in tandem pump mode will aid the first in meeting the pressure and volume requirements, which is correct. However, the second attack engine not only is needed to assist the first but also should be considered the backup engine if the other engine in the system has a mechanical or electrical system failure. Either engine should be capable of sustaining the operation, if possible, to provide the highest degree of redundant safety for firefighters working in an extremely hazardous situation. Thus, evaluate the worst-case scenario in a structure your department protects and ensure you can meet the required flows at the pressures desired.

DRAFTING

I realize that high-rise

Read more
Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Pump Selection for Fire Apparatus


In the September 2018 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment, I introduced the idea of pump theory driving the pumper design. I believe that pump theory should guide the decisions in the prebuild and spec process as well as having an operator who understands it as part of the committee. I hope to enable you to look at your environment for fire protection resources and ensure you are building the apparatus that best fit those needs.

THE FIRE PUMP

First, the fire pump. There are numerous factors that go into the decision for which pump to put in the apparatus. Many manufacturers have an option for a compact style pump that uses a limited amount of space. These pump choices are an addition to an extensive list of pumps available from various pump manufacturers. Hopefully, this article will give your committee insight into which one fits your needs best, but that, again, means taking a look at pump theory.

The centrifugal pump can move large quantities of water at low pressure or low quantities at high pressure. A 2,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump will move lots of water if paired with a 450- or 500-horsepower engine. This would be a great choice if you need one engine to supply an aerial platform with dual monitors. The weakest link in this system would be the ability to supply the engine with water. This requires a strong hydrant or a very efficient tender operation. Another issue with using one engine to work this hard is fuel consumption. This engine will be able to complete the task, but without a fuel truck available for long-duration greater alarms, using two engines to share the work will prolong the need for fuel.

Most aerials only have a single waterway, and one engine with a 1,500-gpm pump can supply that tower easily. But, there may be a dealer demo platform that is marked down to your price range that is too good of a deal to pass up. Or quite possibly, your department already has one, but supply is an issue. Ensuring that the engine you are purchasing will handle the workload of the aerial is important.

The other instance where it is relevant to have a larger pump and engine combination is for high-rise firefighting. Most new-construction high-rise buildings have fire pumps or boosters that will aid in supplying adequate pressure to higher floors. There are still many standpipes that are dry, which can tax a single supply engine. High-rise tactics incorporate the use of smooth bore nozzles for reach and low-pressure operation, but they can come at the cost of gpm. Multiple lines on multiple floors can overwhelm a single 1,500-gpm pump, especially when having to overcome gravitational loss. A larger pump in this situation will make easier work of pumping to higher floors. One can argue that a second 1,500-gpm pump in tandem pump mode will aid the first in meeting the pressure and volume requirements, which is correct. However, the second attack engine not only is needed to assist the first but also should be considered the backup engine if the other engine in the system has a mechanical or electrical system failure. Either engine should be capable of sustaining the operation, if possible, to provide the highest degree of redundant safety for firefighters working in an extremely hazardous situation. Thus, evaluate the worst-case scenario in a structure your department protects and ensure you can meet the required flows at the pressures desired.

DRAFTING

I realize that high-rise

Read more
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