Carl J. Haddon

Fact: The numbers of catastrophic rescue tool failures are on the rise.

Fiction: The reasoning for this upswing in catastrophic rescue tool failures is (in part) because of the use of “Chinese/Russian steel” in the rescue tool manufacturing process. No joke - this was one of the reasons recently suggested for the reason behind an upswing in rescue tool failures.

Very recently I was contacted by a member of a “training company” that is very prolific and visible on social media. It seems this company has recently had “six catastrophic rescue tool failures with brand new hydraulic rescue cutters.” These failures apparently happened during routine extrication training programs, and nobody seemed to have any real idea what might have caused said failures. After reviewing much of what was written and offered regarding possible causes for these failures, I thought it likely time to separate fact from fiction regarding this issue. It is important to note that what I am about to offer is in no way brand-specific and is in no way intended to single out specific rescue tool manufacturers. The aforementioned tool failures likely did not happen because of anyone’s use of Chinese or Russian steel in the manufacturing process.

New Vehicle Technology

Fact: In controlled tests designed to intentionally break rescue cutter blades, we have found that resultant pieces fly through chronograph at an average of 2,700 feet per second. That is equal to the muzzle velocity of a popular caliber of high-powered hunting rifles.

Fiction: Neither your turnouts nor your bright green safety vests are going to protect you from a piece of broken rescue tool blade traveling toward you at 2,700 feet per second.

The issue of catastrophic rescue tool failures is not a new one. Tool failures have been on the rise since the advent of new vehicle technology (NVT) manufacturing. High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels have been in use since the early 2000s. Originally, these materials and the new vehicle manufacturing processes associated with them were found only in higher end luxury vehicles such as those built by Volvo and Mercedes Benz. Fast forward to 2017, and we now see that this technology has found its way throughout the automotive industry and is now commonplace from luxury to economy vehicles. All auto manufacturers have to meet the ever-changing safety standards to remain competitive here in the United States. Ah, but does the rescue tool manufacturing technology keep pace with the automakers’ technology?

The last time I publicly answered that question in print, I had some rescue tool manufacturers looking to have me keel hauled (you can Google it).

Training and NVT

Fact: We can’t understand how our rescue tools will stand up to the tough (not softball) new vehicle materials because most of us typically can’t get our hands on these tough new cars to train on to see just how well or not well our rescue tools will do.

Fiction: All rescue tools perform the same on new vehicles as they do on old vehicles.

Vehicles are not made the same way they used to be. Many of today’s new rescue tools are made the same (or similarly) as their predecessors. New valves and bigger internal orifices allow more fluid and offer increased working pressures in some cases, but a hydraulic ram is still a hydraulic ram. Lithium ion battery power packs (and cool new LED-lighted handles) may replace hoses and external pump un

Carl J. Haddon

Fact: The numbers of catastrophic rescue tool failures are on the rise.

Fiction: The reasoning for this upswing in catastrophic rescue tool failures is (in part) because of the use of “Chinese/Russian steel” in the rescue tool manufacturing process. No joke - this was one of the reasons recently suggested for the reason behind an upswing in rescue tool failures.

Very recently I was contacted by a member of a “training company” that is very prolific and visible on social media. It seems this company has recently had “six catastrophic rescue tool failures with brand new hydraulic rescue cutters.” These failures apparently happened during routine extrication training programs, and nobody seemed to have any real idea what might have caused said failures. After reviewing much of what was written and offered regarding possible causes for these failures, I thought it likely time to separate fact from fiction regarding this issue. It is important to note that what I am about to offer is in no way brand-specific and is in no way intended to single out specific rescue tool manufacturers. The aforementioned tool failures likely did not happen because of anyone’s use of Chinese or Russian steel in the manufacturing process.

New Vehicle Technology

Fact: In controlled tests designed to intentionally break rescue cutter blades, we have found that resultant pieces fly through chronograph at an average of 2,700 feet per second. That is equal to the muzzle velocity of a popular caliber of high-powered hunting rifles.

Fiction: Neither your turnouts nor your bright green safety vests are going to protect you from a piece of broken rescue tool blade traveling toward you at 2,700 feet per second.

The issue of catastrophic rescue tool failures is not a new one. Tool failures have been on the rise since the advent of new vehicle technology (NVT) manufacturing. High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels have been in use since the early 2000s. Originally, these materials and the new vehicle manufacturing processes associated with them were found only in higher end luxury vehicles such as those built by Volvo and Mercedes Benz. Fast forward to 2017, and we now see that this technology has found its way throughout the automotive industry and is now commonplace from luxury to economy vehicles. All auto manufacturers have to meet the ever-changing safety standards to remain competitive here in the United States. Ah, but does the rescue tool manufacturing technology keep pace with the automakers’ technology?

The last time I publicly answered that question in print, I had some rescue tool manufacturers looking to have me keel hauled (you can Google it).

Training and NVT

Fact: We can’t understand how our rescue tools will stand up to the tough (not softball) new vehicle materials because most of us typically can’t get our hands on these tough new cars to train on to see just how well or not well our rescue tools will do.

Fiction: All rescue tools perform the same on new vehicles as they do on old vehicles.

Vehicles are not made the same way they used to be. Many of today’s new rescue tools are made the same (or similarly) as their predecessors. New valves and bigger internal orifices allow more fluid and offer increased working pressures in some cases, but a hydraulic ram is still a hydraulic ram. Lithium ion battery power packs (and cool new LED-lighted handles) may replace hoses and external pump un

By Alan M. Petrillo

A variety of cameras and camera systems are being used on fire apparatus to help drivers negotiate crowded roads and navigate safely to a fire scene.

Cameras that provide 360-degree views of an apparatus, side-mounted cameras, front-mounts, and backup cameras have become popular tools to help prevent incidents either on the way to an emergency, on the scene itself, or returning to the station. Camera systems also are being used to document runs and fire scene operations to be saved in a department’s electronic files.

1 FRC makes the InView 360 camera system that provides an all-around view of a vehicle while in motion and while stationary. This InView monitor is showing a split screen, but the system software can stitch together the data from four cameras into a bird’s-eye view. (Photos 1-5 courtesy of FRC.)

Multicamera Systems

Mike Dupay, division vice president of marketing for Safe Fleet, which owns FRC, says FRC makes the InView 360 all-around video system for emergency apparatus drivers. “The system gives a bird’s-eye view from above the fire truck using four strategically placed cameras on the vehicle,” he says. “The video feed goes into the cab of the vehicle while specialized software calibrates the system to stitch the video together to create the bird’s-eye view - much like a drone hovering over the vehicle. The system allows the driver to see up to eight feet in diameter around the vehicle while it’s moving.”

Kevin Brady, Safe Fleet’s senior product manager for video, notes that the monitor also can display a split screen, showing left, right, forward, or backing views. “It allows a driver the ability to see a tight space that he might have to get into and also prevents him from backing into an obstruction,” Brady says. “As an option, InView 360 can record to a 500-gigabyte digital video recorder (DVR) hard drive that will record up to 29 days at about eight hours a day.”

2 This high-definition camera is used in the FRC InView 360 camera system.

Jim Fecile, national sales manager, public safety, Rosco Vision Systems, says his company makes a variety of cameras used on fire and emergency medical service (EMS) apparatus, from single-camera and monitor backup units to two-camera, three-camera, and four-camera 360-degree systems. “Our standalone backup camera connected to a five-inch or seven-inch monitor is triggered by the reverse signal,” Fecile says, “and sometimes EMS units will have a single camera in the patient box to give the driver a view of what’s happening back there. We also offer two- and three-camera systems where you have two side cameras for use when switching lanes or a combination of those with a backup camera.”

Fecile notes that four-camera systems are used to generate a 360-degree view of the vehicle that can be viewed when it is in motion and also stationary on a scene. “Th

By Alan M. Petrillo

A variety of cameras and camera systems are being used on fire apparatus to help drivers negotiate crowded roads and navigate safely to a fire scene.

Cameras that provide 360-degree views of an apparatus, side-mounted cameras, front-mounts, and backup cameras have become popular tools to help prevent incidents either on the way to an emergency, on the scene itself, or returning to the station. Camera systems also are being used to document runs and fire scene operations to be saved in a department’s electronic files.

1 FRC makes the InView 360 camera system that provides an all-around view of a vehicle while in motion and while stationary. This InView monitor is showing a split screen, but the system software can stitch together the data from four cameras into a bird’s-eye view. (Photos 1-5 courtesy of FRC.)

Multicamera Systems

Mike Dupay, division vice president of marketing for Safe Fleet, which owns FRC, says FRC makes the InView 360 all-around video system for emergency apparatus drivers. “The system gives a bird’s-eye view from above the fire truck using four strategically placed cameras on the vehicle,” he says. “The video feed goes into the cab of the vehicle while specialized software calibrates the system to stitch the video together to create the bird’s-eye view - much like a drone hovering over the vehicle. The system allows the driver to see up to eight feet in diameter around the vehicle while it’s moving.”

Kevin Brady, Safe Fleet’s senior product manager for video, notes that the monitor also can display a split screen, showing left, right, forward, or backing views. “It allows a driver the ability to see a tight space that he might have to get into and also prevents him from backing into an obstruction,” Brady says. “As an option, InView 360 can record to a 500-gigabyte digital video recorder (DVR) hard drive that will record up to 29 days at about eight hours a day.”

2 This high-definition camera is used in the FRC InView 360 camera system.

Jim Fecile, national sales manager, public safety, Rosco Vision Systems, says his company makes a variety of cameras used on fire and emergency medical service (EMS) apparatus, from single-camera and monitor backup units to two-camera, three-camera, and four-camera 360-degree systems. “Our standalone backup camera connected to a five-inch or seven-inch monitor is triggered by the reverse signal,” Fecile says, “and sometimes EMS units will have a single camera in the patient box to give the driver a view of what’s happening back there. We also offer two- and three-camera systems where you have two side cameras for use when switching lanes or a combination of those with a backup camera.”

Fecile notes that four-camera systems are used to generate a 360-degree view of the vehicle that can be viewed when it is in motion and also stationary on a scene. “Th

By Alan M. Petrillo

A variety of cameras and camera systems are being used on fire apparatus to help drivers negotiate crowded roads and navigate safely to a fire scene.

Cameras that provide 360-degree views of an apparatus, side-mounted cameras, front-mounts, and backup cameras have become popular tools to help prevent incidents either on the way to an emergency, on the scene itself, or returning to the station. Camera systems also are being used to document runs and fire scene operations to be saved in a department’s electronic files.

1 FRC makes the InView 360 camera system that provides an all-around view of a vehicle while in motion and while stationary. This InView monitor is showing a split screen, but the system software can stitch together the data from four cameras into a bird’s-eye view. (Photos 1-5 courtesy of FRC.)

Multicamera Systems

Mike Dupay, division vice president of marketing for Safe Fleet, which owns FRC, says FRC makes the InView 360 all-around video system for emergency apparatus drivers. “The system gives a bird’s-eye view from above the fire truck using four strategically placed cameras on the vehicle,” he says. “The video feed goes into the cab of the vehicle while specialized software calibrates the system to stitch the video together to create the bird’s-eye view - much like a drone hovering over the vehicle. The system allows the driver to see up to eight feet in diameter around the vehicle while it’s moving.”

Kevin Brady, Safe Fleet’s senior product manager for video, notes that the monitor also can display a split screen, showing left, right, forward, or backing views. “It allows a driver the ability to see a tight space that he might have to get into and also prevents him from backing into an obstruction,” Brady says. “As an option, InView 360 can record to a 500-gigabyte digital video recorder (DVR) hard drive that will record up to 29 days at about eight hours a day.”

2 This high-definition camera is used in the FRC InView 360 camera system.

Jim Fecile, national sales manager, public safety, Rosco Vision Systems, says his company makes a variety of cameras used on fire and emergency medical service (EMS) apparatus, from single-camera and monitor backup units to two-camera, three-camera, and four-camera 360-degree systems. “Our standalone backup camera connected to a five-inch or seven-inch monitor is triggered by the reverse signal,” Fecile says, “and sometimes EMS units will have a single camera in the patient box to give the driver a view of what’s happening back there. We also offer two- and three-camera systems where you have two side cameras for use when switching lanes or a combination of those with a backup camera.”

Fecile notes that four-camera systems are used to generate a 360-degree view of t