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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Combatting Fire Apparatus Corrosion

Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) members have been working to lessen the impact of corrosion on apparatus, and we are not alone! The costs and impacts of corrosion are felt in all vocations.

Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

A joint report issued by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and NACE (a leading authority on education and training on corrosion) estimates the cost of corrosion to be a staggering $276 billion issue, and upward of $29 billion of that is in the transportation segments. So, are we alone in the fire service? That answer is no! However, we are special as it relates to the use and expectation of long service life expectancy. We have a long road ahead us, and the risks are high if we don’t manage and work toward preventive measures as they relate to corrosion and its negative effects on our equipment.

BAD ASSUMPTION

I once assumed that serious corrosion was only a snow belt issue—I was wrong! I have the opportunity to talk to dealers and vendors from throughout the United States and Canada on a routine basis, and the consensus is clear: “We” have a problem. And, like all problems, there are short-term fixes and long-term cures. However, there is surely not only one answer to this complex problem. In the fire service, we put our apparatus in harm’s way under extreme rigors and expect a high level of performance over a long period of time. So, what can we do to ensure that we are not only preventing undesirable downtime but also limiting the effects of corrosion? Read on!

ROAD DEICERS: FRIENDS OR FOES?

Where is all this rust stemming from? Over the past decades, the quantity and frequency of deicing agent application has skyrocketed with new and improved compounds and methods of concentrate application—especially the liquid deicing compounds that have been formulated for extensive use on the nation’s roadways. These new super formulas are very effective at their intended purpose. However, they are taking a residual financial toll on the equipment.

NEW APPARATUS ACTIONS

As many apparatus and chassis manufacturers have done, we must adapt, change our ways, and react differently to this impeding force. As a vocation, we have seen a shift to alternative coatings and new materials, such as using composites for bodies and tanks. Further, increased efforts and educational awareness of the effects of the compounds and how to best combat them are in great need. Manufacturers are moving toward advanced coating processes as well as proven methodologies such as galvanizing. Engineering and assembly best practices are being deployed to isolate dissimilar metals. This practice works to stop electrolysis, a leading culprit in advancing corrosive damage.

When specifying a new chassis or apparatus, be sure to ask your product representatives about the manufacturers’ use of anticorrosive materials and assembly practices. Tour their facilities and ensure you are getting a product to meet the demands of your application.

IN-SERVICE SOLUTIONS

With existing equipment in service, is it too late to stop the corrosion? A mindset of “better late than never” applies. The earlier you start to combat the salts, chloride compounds, and initial corrosion buildup, the less you

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

CAFS Finding Homes on Small Fire Apparatus

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO


Some fire departments around the country are outfitting small engines (Type-6-size vehicles) and rescue trucks with compact compressed air foam system (CAFS) units to have a foam capability to make the vehicles more effective in certain types of fire incident responses.

The use of compact CAFS units even has extended to placing them on utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to allow departments to have a CAFS application in wildland scenarios and other out-of-the-way places.

Odin makes the Hornet CAFS unit that has a simultaneous flow of 80 gpm and 40 cfm at 100 psi.

1 Odin makes the Hornet CAFS unit that has a simultaneous flow of 80 gpm and 40 cfm at 100 psi. (Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of W.S. Darley & Company.)

This Montana quick-attack/wildland truck has an Odin Attack CAFS skid unit to feed its two booster reels.

2 This Montana quick-attack/wildland truck has an Odin Attack CAFS skid unit to feed its two booster reels.

W.S. DARLEY & COMPANY

Troy Carothers, AutoCAFS manager for W.S. Darley & Company, says that for more than a decade Darley’s Odin® Foam has been designing and building power takeoff (PTO) driven compressor packages to allow fire trucks to produce a quality compressed air foam. The system is designed for mini pumpers, rescue-pumpers, retrofits, tactical tenders, wildland interface units, and other vehicles, he points out. “Odin Foam has designed the module to be much smaller to allow for the large storage space requirements of today’s fire industry, cutting the unit’s size by 20 percent,” Carothers says.

He notes that Odin’s CAFS units for smaller vehicles consist of an engine-driven pump, a foam proportioner, and a high-volume rotary-screw compressor. Its Mongoose 46-23 CAFS, powered by either a 31-horsepower (hp) gasoline or diesel engine, puts out a simultaneous flow of 46 gallons per minute (gpm) and 23 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at 125 pounds per square inch (psi), while its Hornet CAFS unit delivers a simultaneous flow of 80 gpm and 40 cfm at 100 psi. Odin’s Kubota-driven Mustang 100-50 and its Derringer 100-50 units give a simultaneous flow of 100 gpm and 50 cfm at 125 psi, Carothers says, and the Odin Weapon 200-100 has a simultaneous flow of 200 gpm and 100 cfm at 125 psi, as does the Cobra 200-100.

“Most Odin products are designed to be 48 inches wide to fit into the bed of a pickup truck like a Ford F-450 or F-550 along with a 200- or 300-gallon polypropylene water tank,” Carothers points out. “The one difference is the Cobra unit that uses the same components as the Weapon but is designed as a cross-mount to fit across the chassis at the cab’s back window, muc

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

CAFS Finding Homes on Small Fire Apparatus

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO


Some fire departments around the country are outfitting small engines (Type-6-size vehicles) and rescue trucks with compact compressed air foam system (CAFS) units to have a foam capability to make the vehicles more effective in certain types of fire incident responses.

The use of compact CAFS units even has extended to placing them on utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to allow departments to have a CAFS application in wildland scenarios and other out-of-the-way places.

Odin makes the Hornet CAFS unit that has a simultaneous flow of 80 gpm and 40 cfm at 100 psi.

1 Odin makes the Hornet CAFS unit that has a simultaneous flow of 80 gpm and 40 cfm at 100 psi. (Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of W.S. Darley & Company.)

This Montana quick-attack/wildland truck has an Odin Attack CAFS skid unit to feed its two booster reels.

2 This Montana quick-attack/wildland truck has an Odin Attack CAFS skid unit to feed its two booster reels.

W.S. DARLEY & COMPANY

Troy Carothers, AutoCAFS manager for W.S. Darley & Company, says that for more than a decade Darley’s Odin® Foam has been designing and building power takeoff (PTO) driven compressor packages to allow fire trucks to produce a quality compressed air foam. The system is designed for mini pumpers, rescue-pumpers, retrofits, tactical tenders, wildland interface units, and other vehicles, he points out. “Odin Foam has designed the module to be much smaller to allow for the large storage space requirements of today’s fire industry, cutting the unit’s size by 20 percent,” Carothers says.

He notes that Odin’s CAFS units for smaller vehicles consist of an engine-driven pump, a foam proportioner, and a high-volume rotary-screw compressor. Its Mongoose 46-23 CAFS, powered by either a 31-horsepower (hp) gasoline or diesel engine, puts out a simultaneous flow of 46 gallons per minute (gpm) and 23 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at 125 pounds per square inch (psi), while its Hornet CAFS unit delivers a simultaneous flow of 80 gpm and 40 cfm at 100 psi. Odin’s Kubota-driven Mustang 100-50 and its Derringer 100-50 units give a simultaneous flow of 100 gpm and 50 cfm at 125 psi, Carothers says, and the Odin Weapon 200-100 has a simultaneous flow of 200 gpm and 100 cfm at 125 psi, as does the Cobra 200-100.

“Most Odin products are designed to be 48 inches wide to fit into the bed of a pickup truck like a Ford F-450 or F-550 along with a 200- or 300-gallon polypropylene water tank,” Carothers points out. “The one difference is the Cobra unit that uses the same components as the Weapon but is designed as a cross-mount to fit across the chassis at the cab’s back window, muc

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Looking Ahead Means Looking Back

Quite frankly, 2018 has been a blur. Things are moving so rapidly sometimes that I’m lucky if I can remember what I did yesterday let alone back in the beginning of the year.

Chris Mc Loone

I guess some of the things that stand out were some of the larger apparatus and equipment deliveries this year, which means fire departments nationwide remain in a buying mode. That some of the deliveries were for extrication equipment or self-contained breathing apparatus was important as well. We often focus on the fire apparatus orders, but there are some departments making big investments at once on the equipment side.

I went back and looked at my editorial from December 2017, and I wrote about the concerted effort the fire service was making toward cancer awareness and prevention. We were just starting to really hear about the “Clean Cab Concept” and other initiatives like deconning right away upon leaving a fire building or bagging personal protective equipment before leaving the fireground so it can be sent out immediately for laundering. This year, we began to hear about deliveries—both equipment and fire apparatus—that were specifically designed to help reduce exposure to contaminants. In a way, last year was theoretical and this year is actual. We’re seeing the deliveries and proof of concept.

One topic that was hard to avoid during 2018 was that of aluminum and steel tariffs. There will be more on that in our 2019 outlook article (see the cover story), and certainly the hope is that any impact as these tariffs are imposed will be minimal and that plans for expenditures on things like fire apparatus will be able to proceed.

I always look at FDIC International as a way to see how things are in the marketplace, and this year’s show proved that the market is in a good place. We saw a number of companies that merged in 2017 making their debut as new entities in 2018, and they made their debut with a bang. I think there were more fire trucks this year than in any of the previous 12 FDIC Internationals I’ve been to—which is a great thing. Manufacturers are building a lot of trucks and are eager to show them off.

This year, for a lot of reasons, has been one of looking back for me—not only to 2017 but even farther. 2018 marked my 25th year as a firefighter. My sons are beginning to ask me about what’s involved in joining the fire company, which makes me look back to when I joined. It’s a safer fire service today. All the debates about firefighting tactics aside, when you look at what was a 15-year-old fire truck in 1993 and what is a 15-year-old fire truck today, the difference is night and day. Radio communication was different; we didn’t have any thermal imaging cameras; checking to make sure the pump wasn’t overheating meant putting an ungloved hand on the steamer connection’s pipe; and diesel exhaust in the firehouse was just part of the game.

Yes, should they choose to join, my kids will definitely be entering a safer fire service from an equipment perspective. They will be thrown into debates over combination fog nozzles vs. smooth bore, s

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Posted: Dec 1, 2018

Looking Ahead Means Looking Back

Quite frankly, 2018 has been a blur. Things are moving so rapidly sometimes that I’m lucky if I can remember what I did yesterday let alone back in the beginning of the year.

Chris Mc Loone

I guess some of the things that stand out were some of the larger apparatus and equipment deliveries this year, which means fire departments nationwide remain in a buying mode. That some of the deliveries were for extrication equipment or self-contained breathing apparatus was important as well. We often focus on the fire apparatus orders, but there are some departments making big investments at once on the equipment side.

I went back and looked at my editorial from December 2017, and I wrote about the concerted effort the fire service was making toward cancer awareness and prevention. We were just starting to really hear about the “Clean Cab Concept” and other initiatives like deconning right away upon leaving a fire building or bagging personal protective equipment before leaving the fireground so it can be sent out immediately for laundering. This year, we began to hear about deliveries—both equipment and fire apparatus—that were specifically designed to help reduce exposure to contaminants. In a way, last year was theoretical and this year is actual. We’re seeing the deliveries and proof of concept.

One topic that was hard to avoid during 2018 was that of aluminum and steel tariffs. There will be more on that in our 2019 outlook article (see the cover story), and certainly the hope is that any impact as these tariffs are imposed will be minimal and that plans for expenditures on things like fire apparatus will be able to proceed.

I always look at FDIC International as a way to see how things are in the marketplace, and this year’s show proved that the market is in a good place. We saw a number of companies that merged in 2017 making their debut as new entities in 2018, and they made their debut with a bang. I think there were more fire trucks this year than in any of the previous 12 FDIC Internationals I’ve been to—which is a great thing. Manufacturers are building a lot of trucks and are eager to show them off.

This year, for a lot of reasons, has been one of looking back for me—not only to 2017 but even farther. 2018 marked my 25th year as a firefighter. My sons are beginning to ask me about what’s involved in joining the fire company, which makes me look back to when I joined. It’s a safer fire service today. All the debates about firefighting tactics aside, when you look at what was a 15-year-old fire truck in 1993 and what is a 15-year-old fire truck today, the difference is night and day. Radio communication was different; we didn’t have any thermal imaging cameras; checking to make sure the pump wasn’t overheating meant putting an ungloved hand on the steamer connection’s pipe; and diesel exhaust in the firehouse was just part of the game.

Yes, should they choose to join, my kids will definitely be entering a safer fire service from an equipment perspective. They will be thrown into debates over combination fog nozzles vs. smooth bore, s

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