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Posted: Jul 1, 2018

Responder-to-Vehicle and Responder-to-Responder Technology

CORY HOHS
Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

When the call for emergency responders rings, the women and men who jump into action know there may be danger at the scene. But, the highest potential for danger actually occurs on the way to the call through collisions with motorists on the road. In fact, collisions are a leading cause of injury and death to emergency personnel.

The topics of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), Responder-to-Vehicle (R2V), and Responder-to-Responder (R2R) communication for emergency responders, continue to rise. To advance and protect the interests of the fire and emergency services community, we look to the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) to help facilitate healthy dialogue of such important and emerging safety topics. This article provides a general overview of R2V technology, why it’s important, and why solutions today simply aren’t doing enough.

It’s a common scenario: A fire crew is dispatched to an incident with sirens engaged and lights flashing—they’re counting on motorists to see them, hear them, and pull over. But, there are many impediments: The motorist does not see the flashing lights because he is distracted, or his nearly soundproof vehicle blocks out the siren noise, clogging the lane. Another motorist can’t tell where the truck is coming from so doesn’t react until it’s on his bumper. Or worse, a vehicle enters an intersection with the fire truck fast approaching, and a collision occurs. And, the same can happen between first responders rushing to the same scene.

The cost of such collisions is inherently obvious. It can cost cities upward of $1 million any time injuries are sustained—the ramifications transcend physical injury, insurance, and legal costs. Damage to vehicles as well as delays in the emergency crews reaching the original incident may worsen that situation.

Lights and Sirens

Everyone’s familiar with the sound of a blaring siren and flashing light, which we know means to pull over. But, driving behaviors today are making it more difficult to rely on that happening. The consumer driving experience has become highly refined and more luxurious, but it still ignores important factors. Auto manufacturers have introduced cars with near soundproof interiors and enhanced audio systems—so much so that drivers may not even hear the sirens at all—and in-dash infotainment systems plus mobile devices have drivers distracted with phone calls, texts, and content. By 2020, there will be more than 250 million connected vehicles on the road. Emergency crews cannot rely on motorists simply pulling over safely and quickly to let them through anymore.

Traffic Signal Preemption

Certain technologies are available to proactively give emergency vehicles the right-of-way by changing traffic signals or otherwise “preempting” traffic flow. While this can help prevent collisions at intersections, there are drawbacks. These systems require a direct line of sight to the emergency vehicle and will experience interference from the environment including weather, large passing trucks, and even tree branches. In addition, the cost of such solutions prohibits mass adoption, there is no outbound communication from that source, and the system works only within the city boundaries where the in

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Posted: Jul 1, 2018

Reducing Fire Apparatus Cap Contamination

CHRIS Mc LOONE
Chris Mc Loone

Way back in the day, at least it feels that way sometimes, the pumpers my fire company was using (the 1981 American LaFrances I’ve written about before) only had two “pack seats.”

When I joined the fire company, we had already stopped riding on the back step, but we still stood in front of the jump seats. Honestly, it was always a fun ride standing up. It was the closest I ever got to riding the back step. Sure, there were times it wasn’t so great. Standing 6 feet 4 inches meant I was taller than the roof of the cab, and on cold winter nights en route to a call tears would stream from my eyes from the cold air hitting them. And, of course, there was being blinded in the middle of the night by the rotating lights. Those were the days. And although I enjoyed those days, I would never suggest we go back to standing up anywhere on a rig while it’s en route to or from an incident.

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So, with only two pack seats but four firefighters, we stowed two self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) in one compartment over the rear wheel well on the driver’s side of the truck. In those days, on an automatic fire alarm call or the like, the motto was “rookie sits.” But, if it was a job, the rookie was getting his SCBA from the back of the truck. I hated it. You just want to be in the thick of it as quickly as possible—especially when you’re new. But, times change. The next rigs we bought had plenty of pack seats, and we had plenty of people ready to complete all the tasks at hand as soon as they stepped off the trucks.

I can remember those days. And, firefighters older than me remember the days when SCBA were stowed in cases in a compartment on the truck. To me, it’s a “back in the day” anecdote, but many do not receive the idea of moving the SCBA out of the cab well. But, it’s time to consider it.

Captain Beth Gallup, Puget Sound (WA) Regional Fire Authority, presented a Webcast last year on the “Healthy In/Healthy Out” program. There is a lot to this program, and for a department just looking to get healthier, it could seem daunting when you look at all the things departments could do. I asked Gallup about that, and her response was that you don’t have do everything, but departments should do something.

The Clean Cab Concept addresses many components of a rig. But, its major focus is to reduce the chances of contamination in the cab. Many parts of it are easier to implement on rigs under construction or just being spec’d than on existing fire apparatus. As with anything, when a department makes a choice about one area of a fire apparatus, for example wheelbase, a sacrifice usually occurs somewhere else on the rig. There is always a give and take. But even if you can’t take all the SCBA out of the cab, the simple act of not putting them back in after a fire and contaminating the cab goes a long way toward exposure reduction. Even allowing them to off gas outside the truck will go a long way if there is no way to transport them back to the station outside the cab. The

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Posted: Jul 1, 2018

Recent Apparatus Orders

Compiled by Ron Heal

Alabama

E-ONE—Montgomery Fire Department pumper. Quest custom cab and chassis; Cummins ISX12 450-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 880-gallon tank; 30-gallon foam cell; Akron 95-gpm foam eductor system; Voyager backup camera system. Sold by Dwight Calloway, Sunbelt Fire, Fairhope, AL. Delivery in March 2019.

E-ONE—Tuskegee Fire Department mini pumper. Ford F-550 4x4 cab and chassis; Ford 6.7-liter V8 diesel engine; Hale MG 800-gpm pump; UPF Poly 250-gallon tank. Sold by Dwight Calloway, Sunbelt Fire, Fairhope, AL. Delivery in November.

Arizona

Custom Cab & Body—Crown King Fire District Type 3 pumper. Freightliner M2 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 350-hp engine; Darley KSP 750-gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon tank; 20-gallon foam cell; FoamPro 1600 single-agent foam system; stainless steel body; aluminum diamond plate hosebed cover; Whelen Pioneer LED scene lighting. Sold by William Hutchins, Arizona Fire Apparatus, Chandler, AZ. Delivery in February 2019.

California

Rosenbauer—Watsonville Fire Department 100-foot four-section tillered aerial. Commander tractor cab and chassis; Cummins ISX 600-hp engine; Hale RSD 1,500-gpm pump; UPF Poly 200-gallon tank; 20-gallon foam cell; FoamPro 2002 single-agent foam system. Sold by John Burton. Burton’s Fire Inc., Modesto, CA. Delivery in March 2019.

Connecticut

Firovac—Oakdale Fire Department, Montville-Oakdale, pumper-tanker. International 7500 cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Darley PSP 1,250-gpm pump with hot water jacket; 2,000-gallon polished aluminum tank; Firovac power portable tank bracket with two 2,500-gallon portable tanks. Sold by John Valentini, New England Fire Equipment and Apparatus Corp., North Haven, CT. Delivery in November.

Florida

VT Hackney—Gulf County Beaches Fire Department, Port Saint Jo, heavy rescue. Kenworth T370 cab and chassis. Paccar PX9 380-hp engine; 18-foot Hackney nine-compartment walk-around rescue body with drop-pinch frame construction; rooftop full-length storage compartments and ladder storage; Federal Signal rearview color camera with night vision monitor. Sold by Royce Horton, Tactical Fire Vehicles, Winder, GA. Delivery in August.

Illinois

Pierce—Bedford Park Fire Department 107-foot Ascendant aerial ladder quint. Impel cab and chassis; Cummins L9 450-hp engine; Pierce 1,500-gpm single-stage pump; UPF Poly 500-gallon tank; Pierce Husky 12 Class A foam system; Harrison 10-kW generator. Sold by Vince Baudek, Global Emergency Products, Aurora

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Posted: Jul 1, 2018

Recent Fire Apparatus Deliveries, July 2018

delivery of the month

Featured Delivery of the Month: Ferrara—Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Fire Department HD-107 aerial ladder quint. Inferno cab and chassis; Cummins ISX15 600-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; 500-gallon polypropylene tank; four-section rear-mount 107-foot aerial ladder; Harrison 6-kW generator. Dealer: Tripp Crosby, C&C Fire Apparatus, Concord, NC.

Ferrara—Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Fire Department HD-107 aerial ladder quint. Inferno cab and chassis; Cummins ISX15 600-hp engine; Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm pump; 500-gallon polypropylene tank; four-section rear-mount 107-foot aerial ladder; Harrison 6-kW generator. Dealer: Tripp Crosby, C&C Fire Apparatus, Concord, NC.

Pierce—Arlington Heights (IL) Fire Department pumper. Velocity cab and chassis; Detroit DD13 470-hp engine; Waterous CSU 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon tank; two 30-gallon foam cells; Pierce Husky 12 Class A and B foam system; Harrison 6-kW generator. Dealer: Rick Berndt, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL.

Pierce—Arlington Heights (IL) Fire Department pumper. Velocity cab and chassis; Detroit DD13 470-hp engine; Waterous CSU 2,000-gpm pump; UPF Poly 750-gallon tank; two 30-gallon foam cells; Pierce Husky 12 Class A and B foam system; Harrison 6-kW generator. Dealer: Rick Berndt, Global Emergency Products, Aurora, IL.

HME—Olivehurst (CA) Public Utility District Ahrens-Fox model 18B pumper. HME 1871 SFO cab and chassis; Cummins 6.7-liter 240-hp engine; Hale Qflo 1,250-gpm pump; UPF Poly 850-gallon tank; Hale FoamLogix 2.1 Class A foam system; full transverse heavy-duty compartment. Dealer: Casey Scott, Derotic Emergency Equipment, El Dorado Hills, CA.

HME—Olivehurst (CA) Public Utility District Ahrens-Fox model 18B pumper. HME 1871 SFO cab and chassis; Cummins 6.7-liter 240-hp engine; Hale Qflo 1,250-gpm pump; UPF Poly 850-gallon tank; Hale FoamLogix 2.1 Class A foam system; full transverse heavy-duty compartment. Dealer: Casey Scott, Derotic Emergency Equipment, El Dorado Hills, CA.

Rosenbauer—Wentzville (MO) Fire Protection District 100-foot midmount platform quint. Commander 4000 cab and chassis; Cummins ISL 600-hp engine; Waterous S100 single-stage 1,750-gpm pump; Pro Poly 300-gallon polypropylene tank; 30-gallon foam cell; built-in foam eductor for Class B foam; front-b
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Posted: Jul 1, 2018

Wildland Urban Interface Fire Apparatus Becoming More Prevalent


Wildland urban interface (WUI) apparatus typically are a mix of wildland and Type 1 engines, usually with a short overall length, good angles of approach and departure, and a chassis that can handle both highways and rough terrain. These vehicles are becoming a staple of fire department fleets where the urban interface meets wildland terrain and are being built in a number of configurations.

Merging Types 1 and 3

Ken Lenz, vice president of engineering for HME Inc., says his company has introduced the Ahrens-Fox WUI engine, a merger of Type 1 and Type 3 pumpers built on a 4x4 short front overhang (SFO) chassis and medium four-door cab. The vehicle has a rugged off-road bumper and a skid plate that covers the radiator, tubing, and air lines as well as a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump with HME’s Distributed Water System™, a 500-gallon water tank, and a 150-gpm diesel-driven pump for pump-and-roll.

Lenz points out the Ahrens-Fox WUI has a 22-degree angle of approach, a 26-degree angle of departure, one-inch hose reels on the left and right sides, two 1½-inch crosslays, two 2½-inch rear discharges, a 2½-inch discharge on the left side, two 1½-inch discharges and under-spray nozzles at the front, a rear 2½-inch tank fill, and a six-inch steamer and 2½-inch intake on the left side. Ladders and hard suction are stored in the rear of the vehicle where an attached ladder provides access to coffin compartments on top of the rig.

John Schultz, director of pumper and custom chassis products for Pierce Manufacturing, says Pierce recently built a WUI PUC pumper for the Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department with a 1,500-gpm pump, 750 gallons of water, a foam system, a Darley 2.5AGE auxiliary pump for pump-and-roll capability, and a front-mounted bumper turret. “It’s a multipurpose vehicle with a short wheelbase to make it more maneuverable,” Schultz observes, “with extra storage capacity and seating for five firefighters.”

Doug Feldman, western regional manager for Rosenbauer, says the trend today is to merge the Type 1 and Type 3 concepts together into a WUI-capable engine. “We take the high angle of approach and departure and four-wheel drive common to a Type 3 along with its short wheelbase and marry it with a Type 1 pump of 1,500 gpm, 750 gallons of water, and a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) complement of ground ladders to get the WUI vehicle,” Feldman says. “Rosenbauer uses a body mounting called metacones on these vehicles that allows the body to flex, which is very helpful when traversing rougher terrain.”

Ken Howenstine, sales engineer for Burton’s Fire Inc., says Rosenbauer’s normal high-pressure pump, which comes in 1,250- and 1,500-gpm versions, “works very well in the wildland environment where water conservation and the dispersion of the water droplets is very important.”

1 HME Inc. introduced the Ahrens-Fox WUI engine, a merger of Type 1 and Type 3 pumpers, carrying a 1,500-gpm pump with a Distributed Water System™, a 500-gallon water tank, and a 150-gpm diesel-driven pump for pump-and-roll. (Photo courtesy of HME Inc.)

1 HME Inc. introduced the Ahrens-Fox WUI engine, a merger of Type 1 and Type 3 pumpers, carrying a 1,500-gpm pump with a Distributed Water System™, a 500-gallon water tank, and a 150

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