Alan M. Petrillo

Firefighter safety in mounting and dismounting apparatus, as well as when pulling hose and accessing equipment, was a major concern for the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department when it chose a vendor for new pumpers.

Once the department performed its due diligence, it chose Spartan ER (then Spartan ERV) to build two pumpers that got it what it wanted in terms of safety and also performance.

1 Spartan ER delivered two pumpers to the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department that are built on Spartan Metro Star chassis and cab with a 175-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 31 feet 8 inches, and an overall height of 10 feet 5 inches. (Photos courtesy of Spartan ER unless otherwise noted.)

Matching Specs to the Real World

Battalion Chief Robert Corrigan says that one of the challenges for Philadelphia in fire apparatus design is that it often is different on paper than it is in real life. “Our office of fleet management writes the specs and starts out with what we got last time and then moves on from there,” Corrigan says. “When these two pumpers came in with flat roofs, after getting firefighter input, we decided we needed more headroom, so we went to 10-inch raised roof models for the next four pumpers on the contract.”

Corrigan notes that the department worked closely with Campbell Supply, which he called “one of the best vendors in the country,” to work through the various safety options that Philadelphia wanted to incorporate in the new pumpers. “We had seen an increase in mounting and dismounting injuries in the department,” he says, “so we aggressively pursued all the safety features available. We went with LED lighted exterior grab rails and a low hosebed to assist with pulling hose because all of our 1¾-inch hoselines deploy from the rear of the pumper so firefighters can do that from the ground instead of the back step. It’s a very popular feature and one that was our first safety request in the design.”

2 The Philadelphia pumpers built by Spartan ER each carry a Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm side-mount pump and a Pro Poly 500-gallon water tank.

Brian Connely, account manager for Spartan ER, says his company worked closely with Philadelphia and Campbell Supply to get the hosebed as low as practicable. “We went with an L-shaped water tank that allowed the hosebed to be much lower than is typical,” Connely says. “We sent a team of engineers and design people to listen to the challenges they had on previous builds and talk with them about what we could offer. We wanted to stay away from the pitfalls they had encountered in the past and give them the kind of pumpers they needed.”

Connel

Alan M. Petrillo

Firefighter safety in mounting and dismounting apparatus, as well as when pulling hose and accessing equipment, was a major concern for the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department when it chose a vendor for new pumpers.

Once the department performed its due diligence, it chose Spartan ER (then Spartan ERV) to build two pumpers that got it what it wanted in terms of safety and also performance.

1 Spartan ER delivered two pumpers to the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department that are built on Spartan Metro Star chassis and cab with a 175-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 31 feet 8 inches, and an overall height of 10 feet 5 inches. (Photos courtesy of Spartan ER unless otherwise noted.)

Matching Specs to the Real World

Battalion Chief Robert Corrigan says that one of the challenges for Philadelphia in fire apparatus design is that it often is different on paper than it is in real life. “Our office of fleet management writes the specs and starts out with what we got last time and then moves on from there,” Corrigan says. “When these two pumpers came in with flat roofs, after getting firefighter input, we decided we needed more headroom, so we went to 10-inch raised roof models for the next four pumpers on the contract.”

Corrigan notes that the department worked closely with Campbell Supply, which he called “one of the best vendors in the country,” to work through the various safety options that Philadelphia wanted to incorporate in the new pumpers. “We had seen an increase in mounting and dismounting injuries in the department,” he says, “so we aggressively pursued all the safety features available. We went with LED lighted exterior grab rails and a low hosebed to assist with pulling hose because all of our 1¾-inch hoselines deploy from the rear of the pumper so firefighters can do that from the ground instead of the back step. It’s a very popular feature and one that was our first safety request in the design.”

2 The Philadelphia pumpers built by Spartan ER each carry a Waterous CSU 1,500-gpm side-mount pump and a Pro Poly 500-gallon water tank.

Brian Connely, account manager for Spartan ER, says his company worked closely with Philadelphia and Campbell Supply to get the hosebed as low as practicable. “We went with an L-shaped water tank that allowed the hosebed to be much lower than is typical,” Connely says. “We sent a team of engineers and design people to listen to the challenges they had on previous builds and talk with them about what we could offer. We wanted to stay away from the pitfalls they had encountered in the past and give them the kind of pumpers they needed.”

Connel

By Carl Nix

When was the last time you responded to a hazmat call? Even if your department does not have a trained hazmat team, I’m guessing you have responded to one or more calls that have involved hazardous materials such as an overturned vehicle or tanker truck, a chemical emergency, or a meth lab fire.

Arriving on the scene of any one of these calls often forces firefighters to make decisions based on what they don’t see. Bring in a thermal imaging camera (TIC) and firefighters can now see what was previously invisible to the naked eye. Having this ability allows the firefighting crew to make better and safer decisions on the scene.

A TIC can be an invaluable tool for the hazmat firefighter. Having the ability to see the content level of an enclosed container at a safe distance is critical to the safety of the firefighting crew. Tracing a spill on the roadway in a rain storm is an environmental necessity. Seeing the gases of a container at a safe distance is critical to the safe outcome of a hazmat mission. More and more fire departments are being trained to answer hazmat calls, and the use of thermal imaging is another tool in their arsenal.

While a TIC cannot remove the hazardous materials at an incident, it can help firefighters locate and isolate the materials. Let’s look at how a TIC can help a firefighting crew at a hazmat incident.

Identifying a Land Spill

We have all responded to a scene where a vehicle was overturned and wondered if there were any materials leaking from that vehicle. Using a TIC in this situation allows the firefighter to detect the differences in temperature or emissivity (level of reflectivity) between the vehicle, its contents, and the ground surface around the incident. If the spilled material is a different temperature than the surface on which it is spilled and the material stays on the surface, it should be visible on the TIC.

If the product has already drained from its container prior to fire department arrival, a TIC can be used to identify the location of the contents that have leaked onto the surface. Be aware that there are factors that may influence how well a TIC will work in this situation, including the amount of product leaking or spilled, properties of the material, denseness of the vegetation where the spill has occurred, and the relative temperature difference between the spilled material and the surrounding environment.

Identifying a Water Spill

Using a TIC to identify a hazmat floating on a body of water can help firefighters identify where the material is entering the water supply and how much of the water supply has been contaminated. The differences in emissivity or temperature of the contaminant will allow the firefighter to see a visible difference on the TIC screen. It is important to note that only materials that weigh less than water can be identified using the TIC. A TIC cannot see through water.

1 A thermal imaging camera is a critical tool in a firefighter’s arsenal when responding to a hazmat incident. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Identifying Product Levels in a Container

Materials in contact with the surface of a container can conduct heat through the walls of the container at a slower rate than the dead air space above the product. Unless the product was heated prior to being pl

By Carl Nix

When was the last time you responded to a hazmat call? Even if your department does not have a trained hazmat team, I’m guessing you have responded to one or more calls that have involved hazardous materials such as an overturned vehicle or tanker truck, a chemical emergency, or a meth lab fire.

Arriving on the scene of any one of these calls often forces firefighters to make decisions based on what they don’t see. Bring in a thermal imaging camera (TIC) and firefighters can now see what was previously invisible to the naked eye. Having this ability allows the firefighting crew to make better and safer decisions on the scene.

A TIC can be an invaluable tool for the hazmat firefighter. Having the ability to see the content level of an enclosed container at a safe distance is critical to the safety of the firefighting crew. Tracing a spill on the roadway in a rain storm is an environmental necessity. Seeing the gases of a container at a safe distance is critical to the safe outcome of a hazmat mission. More and more fire departments are being trained to answer hazmat calls, and the use of thermal imaging is another tool in their arsenal.

While a TIC cannot remove the hazardous materials at an incident, it can help firefighters locate and isolate the materials. Let’s look at how a TIC can help a firefighting crew at a hazmat incident.

Identifying a Land Spill

We have all responded to a scene where a vehicle was overturned and wondered if there were any materials leaking from that vehicle. Using a TIC in this situation allows the firefighter to detect the differences in temperature or emissivity (level of reflectivity) between the vehicle, its contents, and the ground surface around the incident. If the spilled material is a different temperature than the surface on which it is spilled and the material stays on the surface, it should be visible on the TIC.

If the product has already drained from its container prior to fire department arrival, a TIC can be used to identify the location of the contents that have leaked onto the surface. Be aware that there are factors that may influence how well a TIC will work in this situation, including the amount of product leaking or spilled, properties of the material, denseness of the vegetation where the spill has occurred, and the relative temperature difference between the spilled material and the surrounding environment.

Identifying a Water Spill

Using a TIC to identify a hazmat floating on a body of water can help firefighters identify where the material is entering the water supply and how much of the water supply has been contaminated. The differences in emissivity or temperature of the contaminant will allow the firefighter to see a visible difference on the TIC screen. It is important to note that only materials that weigh less than water can be identified using the TIC. A TIC cannot see through water.

1 A thermal imaging camera is a critical tool in a firefighter’s arsenal when responding to a hazmat incident. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Identifying Product Levels in a Container

Materials in contact with the surface of a container can conduct heat through the walls of the container at a slower rate than the dead air space above the product. Unless the product was heated prior to being pl

By Carl Nix

When was the last time you responded to a hazmat call? Even if your department does not have a trained hazmat team, I’m guessing you have responded to one or more calls that have involved hazardous materials such as an overturned vehicle or tanker truck, a chemical emergency, or a meth lab fire.

Arriving on the scene of any one of these calls often forces firefighters to make decisions based on what they don’t see. Bring in a thermal imaging camera (TIC) and firefighters can now see what was previously invisible to the naked eye. Having this ability allows the firefighting crew to make better and safer decisions on the scene.

A TIC can be an invaluable tool for the hazmat firefighter. Having the ability to see the content level of an enclosed container at a safe distance is critical to the safety of the firefighting crew. Tracing a spill on the roadway in a rain storm is an environmental necessity. Seeing the gases of a container at a safe distance is critical to the safe outcome of a hazmat mission. More and more fire departments are being trained to answer hazmat calls, and the use of thermal imaging is another tool in their arsenal.

While a TIC cannot remove the hazardous materials at an incident, it can help firefighters locate and isolate the materials. Let’s look at how a TIC can help a firefighting crew at a hazmat incident.

Identifying a Land Spill

We have all responded to a scene where a vehicle was overturned and wondered if there were any materials leaking from that vehicle. Using a TIC in this situation allows the firefighter to detect the differences in temperature or emissivity (level of reflectivity) between the vehicle, its contents, and the ground surface around the incident. If the spilled material is a different temperature than the surface on which it is spilled and the material stays on the surface, it should be visible on the TIC.

If the product has already drained from its container prior to fire department arrival, a TIC can be used to identify the location of the contents that have leaked onto the surface. Be aware that there are factors that may influence how well a TIC will work in this situation, including the amount of product leaking or spilled, properties of the material, denseness of the vegetation where the spill has occurred, and the relative temperature difference between the spilled material and the surrounding environment.

Identifying a Water Spill

Using a TIC to identify a hazmat floating on a body of water can help firefighters identify where the material is entering the water supply and how much of the water supply has been contaminated. The differences in emissivity or temperature of the contaminant will allow the firefighter to see a visible difference on the TIC screen. It is important to note that only materials that weigh less than water can be identified using the TIC. A TIC cannot see through water.

1 A thermal imaging camera is a critical tool in a firefighter’s arsenal when responding to a hazmat incident. (Photo courtesy of Bullard.)

Identifying Product Levels in a Container

Materials in contact with the surface of a container can conduct heat through the walls of the container at a slower rate than the dead air space above the product. Unless the product was heated prior to being pl