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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Is a Quint Fire Apparatus Crew an Engine or Ladder Company

On a busy summer afternoon, you’re dispatched to a single-family residential fire with multiple calls reporting fire coming out of the garage door.

In most cases, this is a “bread-and-butter” fire. Today is different, though. Today you’re the officer of the first-due “ladder”—a 105-foot straight stick quint with a 1,500 gallon-per-minute (gpm) fire pump and 300 gallons of tank water. During the response, you realize the closest engine is delayed because it is on a medical call.

Arriving on scene, you see a two-story single-family structure with an attached garage on the D side. The garage is well involved and threatening to extend into the house. As the first arriving fire officer, you must quickly evaluate your tactics—are you a ladder or are you an engine? Do you perform ladder work, or do you pull a handline and attack the fire? As many departments have decided to equip their ladder trucks with pumps and water, many officers are now faced with the tough decision of whether or not to pull a handline if that ladder arrives first. The decision is not clear-cut and requires careful consideration of the quickly evolving situation.

As progressive officers and firefighters, we are conditioned to go right to work and to put out the fire. We know the best chance for victim survival and preservation of property is to extinguish the fire. The solution may not be that simple, though (photo 1).

1 Ladder 10 arrived first on the scene of a residential fire while Engine 10 was tied up on a medical call. They elected to pull handlines because of time and distance of the next-in engine. (Photos by Rayford Smith.)

1 Ladder 10 arrived first on the scene of a residential fire while Engine 10 was tied up on a medical call. They elected to pull handlines because of time and distance of the next-in engine. (Photos by Rayford Smith.)

In National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, the design of a quint essentially allows us to package an aerial device and an engine into one apparatus. The combination of an aerial ladder, ground ladders, hose, and water can be a major advantage to departments facing limited staffing and budget. The debate here, though, is not about the effectiveness of quints in a fleet or the total quint concept; rather, it revolves around the decisions faced when arriving first on scene as a ladder that has a pump and water. In the context of this question, references to “ladders” in this article assume they have a pump and a small supply of water onboard. While pulling a handline and putting water on the fire might seem like the first choice, let’s consider the alternatives. There are many reasons a ladder arriving first on scene should look to avoid pulling handlines if engines are responding. We will review when and where a ladder should and shouldn’t pull attack handlines.

Ladders Play an Important Role

In most departments, there are clear and direct procedures and operations for ladders (not considering the fire pump and the tank) when they arrive at a fire. They usually include forcible entry, search and rescue, ground ladders, ventilation,

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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Is a Quint Fire Apparatus Crew an Engine or Ladder Company

On a busy summer afternoon, you’re dispatched to a single-family residential fire with multiple calls reporting fire coming out of the garage door.

In most cases, this is a “bread-and-butter” fire. Today is different, though. Today you’re the officer of the first-due “ladder”—a 105-foot straight stick quint with a 1,500 gallon-per-minute (gpm) fire pump and 300 gallons of tank water. During the response, you realize the closest engine is delayed because it is on a medical call.

Arriving on scene, you see a two-story single-family structure with an attached garage on the D side. The garage is well involved and threatening to extend into the house. As the first arriving fire officer, you must quickly evaluate your tactics—are you a ladder or are you an engine? Do you perform ladder work, or do you pull a handline and attack the fire? As many departments have decided to equip their ladder trucks with pumps and water, many officers are now faced with the tough decision of whether or not to pull a handline if that ladder arrives first. The decision is not clear-cut and requires careful consideration of the quickly evolving situation.

As progressive officers and firefighters, we are conditioned to go right to work and to put out the fire. We know the best chance for victim survival and preservation of property is to extinguish the fire. The solution may not be that simple, though (photo 1).

1 Ladder 10 arrived first on the scene of a residential fire while Engine 10 was tied up on a medical call. They elected to pull handlines because of time and distance of the next-in engine. (Photos by Rayford Smith.)

1 Ladder 10 arrived first on the scene of a residential fire while Engine 10 was tied up on a medical call. They elected to pull handlines because of time and distance of the next-in engine. (Photos by Rayford Smith.)

In National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, the design of a quint essentially allows us to package an aerial device and an engine into one apparatus. The combination of an aerial ladder, ground ladders, hose, and water can be a major advantage to departments facing limited staffing and budget. The debate here, though, is not about the effectiveness of quints in a fleet or the total quint concept; rather, it revolves around the decisions faced when arriving first on scene as a ladder that has a pump and water. In the context of this question, references to “ladders” in this article assume they have a pump and a small supply of water onboard. While pulling a handline and putting water on the fire might seem like the first choice, let’s consider the alternatives. There are many reasons a ladder arriving first on scene should look to avoid pulling handlines if engines are responding. We will review when and where a ladder should and shouldn’t pull attack handlines.

Ladders Play an Important Role

In most departments, there are clear and direct procedures and operations for ladders (not considering the fire pump and the tank) when they arrive at a fire. They usually include forcible entry, search and rescue, ground ladders, ventilation,

Read more
Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Hydraulic Extrication Tools and New Vehicle Technology: Where Do We Stand?

to the rescue carl j. haddon

Six or seven years ago, I stood in front of a classroom full of students at FDIC International and spoke about the future of automobiles and how it would affect vehicle rescue practices.

This included such things as vehicles whose computer systems took control of the car in the event of an imminent accident, cars that parked themselves, and autonomous or driverless vehicles. My attendees looked at me like I had three heads and chuckled. So, how do you like me now?

This all started for me in 2007 when a colleague made a statement about how the new Volvo XC90 was made of materials that were so tough none of the rescue tools from that time could conquer it. Although he was correct to an extent, another firefighter and I set out on a mission to prove my colleague wrong, which we did. That was 10 years ago. The 2017 model year version of that same vehicle now contains five times the amount of ultra-high-strength steel as the 2007 release did!

Up to the Task

If you were to ask me if today’s hydraulic rescue tools are five times better or stronger than the new ones we were using in 2007, I’d have to answer no. That said, many manufacturers have made improvements in blade, arm, cutting and spreading force, and mechanical advantage designs. Others have simply added new color schemes, lights, and other nonessential wiz bang creature features. There certainly has been vast improvement in the battery-powered tool lines, as battery technology has improved from when the first manufacturers tried introducing battery-powered tools in the 1980s.

1 At a recent training event, two 2017 crash-tested Volvo XC90 hybrid vehicles. One of these test cars had sustained a frontal offset (corner) 40-mph test, while the other had been subjected to a 45-mph side-impact test. (Photos by author.)

1 At a recent training event, two 2017 crash-tested Volvo XC90 hybrid vehicles. One of these test cars had sustained a frontal offset (corner) 40-mph test, while the other had been subjected to a 45-mph side-impact test. (Photos by author.)

Can the new rescue tools conquer the strength and hardness of the metals used to make that 2007 Volvo XC90 that I refer to above? My personal experience tells me that some of them can and some of them can’t. I will tell you that in the late fall of last year, I taught the full lecture and hands-on version of my FDIC International New Vehicle Extrication class in Wisconsin with two brand new, crash-tested 2017 Volvo XC90 Hybrids—the retail value of these two cars was in excess of $160,000. One of these test cars had sustained a frontal offset (corner) 40-mph test, while the other had been subjected to a 45-mph side-impact test. I share this information simply to offer that these were two of the toughest vehicles on the market, and they had virtually every option available on them. They had also been severely punished during the crash testing, which gave our students real-life scenarios on monster-tough

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Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Hydraulic Extrication Tools and New Vehicle Technology: Where Do We Stand?

to the rescue carl j. haddon

Six or seven years ago, I stood in front of a classroom full of students at FDIC International and spoke about the future of automobiles and how it would affect vehicle rescue practices.

This included such things as vehicles whose computer systems took control of the car in the event of an imminent accident, cars that parked themselves, and autonomous or driverless vehicles. My attendees looked at me like I had three heads and chuckled. So, how do you like me now?

This all started for me in 2007 when a colleague made a statement about how the new Volvo XC90 was made of materials that were so tough none of the rescue tools from that time could conquer it. Although he was correct to an extent, another firefighter and I set out on a mission to prove my colleague wrong, which we did. That was 10 years ago. The 2017 model year version of that same vehicle now contains five times the amount of ultra-high-strength steel as the 2007 release did!

Up to the Task

If you were to ask me if today’s hydraulic rescue tools are five times better or stronger than the new ones we were using in 2007, I’d have to answer no. That said, many manufacturers have made improvements in blade, arm, cutting and spreading force, and mechanical advantage designs. Others have simply added new color schemes, lights, and other nonessential wiz bang creature features. There certainly has been vast improvement in the battery-powered tool lines, as battery technology has improved from when the first manufacturers tried introducing battery-powered tools in the 1980s.

1 At a recent training event, two 2017 crash-tested Volvo XC90 hybrid vehicles. One of these test cars had sustained a frontal offset (corner) 40-mph test, while the other had been subjected to a 45-mph side-impact test. (Photos by author.)

1 At a recent training event, two 2017 crash-tested Volvo XC90 hybrid vehicles. One of these test cars had sustained a frontal offset (corner) 40-mph test, while the other had been subjected to a 45-mph side-impact test. (Photos by author.)

Can the new rescue tools conquer the strength and hardness of the metals used to make that 2007 Volvo XC90 that I refer to above? My personal experience tells me that some of them can and some of them can’t. I will tell you that in the late fall of last year, I taught the full lecture and hands-on version of my FDIC International New Vehicle Extrication class in Wisconsin with two brand new, crash-tested 2017 Volvo XC90 Hybrids—the retail value of these two cars was in excess of $160,000. One of these test cars had sustained a frontal offset (corner) 40-mph test, while the other had been subjected to a 45-mph side-impact test. I share this information simply to offer that these were two of the toughest vehicles on the market, and they had virtually every option available on them. They had also been severely punished during the crash testing, which gave our students real-life scenarios on monster-tough

Read more
Posted: Apr 1, 2018

Two-Inch Hose and Fire Apparatus Considerations

I don’t advocate using or not using two-inch hose for handlines.

I’ve never handled two-inch on a fireground or during a training scenario and rely on others’ expertise who are more versed in the subject as well as published pieces by people such as “water movement guru” Paul Schapiro (http://bit.ly/2F537TR). I asked Bill Graves, regional sales manager for All American Hose, to weigh in with commentary from a hose manufacturer’s perspective.

1 This Hamlin, New York, engine has two 200-foot 1¾-inch crosslays (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch crosslay (blue). This rig also has two 150-foot 1¾-inch preconnects on top of the driver’s side compartment connected to a gated wye on the pump panel. (Photos 1 and 2 by Allan Smith.)

1 This Hamlin, New York, engine has two 200-foot 1¾-inch crosslays (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch crosslay (blue). This rig also has two 150-foot 1¾-inch preconnects on top of the driver’s side compartment connected to a gated wye on the pump panel. (Photos 1 and 2 by Allan Smith.)

Except for a few dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists, the fire service has accepted the fact that 1¾-inch hose has replaced 1½-inch as the standard handline for initial attack. Today, using two-inch hose for initial attack is slowly gaining popularity. According to Graves, the attack hose market for 1½-inch hose accounts for 10 percent of sales, 1¾-inch has 75 percent of the sales, and two-inch has the remaining 15 percent. Generic reasons given for changing over to two-inch are lower weight, more maneuverability, less friction loss, and increased flow. If explicit firematic goals and objectives for purchasing two-inch are not clearly defined, the generalized reasons for purchasing can become false narratives.

 2 A newer engine from Hamlin has speedays with two 200-foot 1¾-inch preconnects (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch preconnect (blue). All of Hamlin’s rigs have rear preconnects including 300-foot two-inch lines and preconnected portable ground monitors.

2 A newer engine from Hamlin has speedays with two 200-foot 1¾-inch preconnects (red and yellow) and a 200-foot two-inch preconnect (blue). All of Hamlin’s rigs have rear preconnects including 300-foot two-inch lines and preconnected portable ground monitors.

It is admirable when innovations and technology make firefighters’ lives easy and safer. Occasionally new concepts, designs, or changes in the fire service create skepticism and occasional ridicule. In the 1950s, firefighters ridiculed putting doors on apparatus cabs, and then they complained about going to fully enclosed four-door cabs. For years, some questioned whose idea it was to mandate using self-contained breathing apparatus. And, then it was foolish to use large-diameter hose. Adopting two-inch hose for handlines can invite similar comments from the uninformed, the uneducated, and unfortunately the ignorant.

Preplann

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