By Raul A. Angulo

The August 21, 2004, headline of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette read, “Girl dies after being struck by hose from fire truck. Authorities baffled by bizarre accident.”

It was a Thursday summer afternoon on August 19, 2004, when the engine of the Coraopolis (PA) Volunteer Fire Department was pulling the hill on Chess St. The members were responding to a reported basement fire on the 400 block of Mount Vernon Ave. As they were approaching the intersection, about 30 feet of 1¾-inch hose came out of the Mattydale slot. The nozzle caught the edge of a car tire and deployed the rest of the load, taking out a birdbath and two hibiscus plants before the tension pulled the nozzle loose, causing it to swing around like a giant whip. The six-pound nozzle struck two 10-year-old girls on the right side of their heads. One was killed as a result of a brain stem injury and the other was seriously injured and disfigured. The noise of the diesel engine climbing the hill, the siren, and the fact that the crew members had already donned their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) face pieces prevented them from hearing or noticing what had happened. Two years later, a jury awarded the families $5 million.

It happened again on October 18, 2014. A 58-year-old male was riding his bicycle when a Toledo, Ohio, fire apparatus on an emergency response lost 150 feet of 1¾-inch hose, and the nozzle struck the cyclist, killing him. The force behind the hose was so strong, it yanked the rear wheel off the bicycle.

1 Numerous Hose Alert clamps can accommodate every hose load and every hosebed on the fire apparatus. Each clamp is tethered to the apparatus with a thin steel cable. Each clamp has a glow-in-the dark strip for easy visibility at night. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

In 2002, Tualatin Valley (OR) Fire and Rescue accidentally dropped hose off one of its apparatus, which was thought to be the cause of a motor vehicle accident that killed a 41-year-old man from St. Helens. On October 22, 2013, a Troy, Michigan, fire truck accidentally dumped a hose load on the freeway that damaged 12 vehicles that ran over the deployed hose. On December 24, 2013, a fire truck accidentally deployed hose, damaging several vehicles in the northbound lanes of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. In February 2014, a Vancouver (WA) fire apparatus dumped 800 feet of large-diameter hose (LDH) on the Glen Jackson Bridge, causing a two-car accident.

It is hard to keep up with all the national emergency and nonemergency fire service news, and I must tell you, these stories got past me. I was shocked to hear about them - not so much about the accidental hose deployments; I’m sure most firefighters are aware that this happens. It’s not as rare as you think - we’re bound to experience it or hear about it within our department once or twice throughout our careers. It’s usually a professional embarrassment for the driver and the crew, so unless there’s an incident, everyone inside the “cone of silence” is sworn to secrecy. No crew wants to be the butt of the joke or departmentwide ribbing for laying out the entire LDH inventory on the highway. However, with cell phones everywhere, it probably is impossible to cover this event up without some civilian recording it and posting it on social media. What shocked me were the civilian

By Roger Lackore

The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) has a goal to advance and protect the interests of the fire and emergency services community. While not everyone in the fire service will agree on what those best interests are, we can all agree that good decision making begins and ends with good data.

For that reason, FAMA is excited to highlight the publication of data from a recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study on firefighter anthropometric measurements.

What is Anthropometry?

Anthropometry is a fancy word for the study of human body measurements. This seems like it should be straightforward and simple. We all get measured for height at each doctor’s visit. Gather the height measurements from a group of people, and you can quickly determine the average height of the people in your group. But, very rarely does a single dimension give the complete picture. For example, while two people may be the same height while standing, they will not have the same head height when sitting in a chair. This is because we all have different shapes: long legs and short torso, short legs and long torso, average legs and torso but long neck, etc. If you are trying to ensure that your equipment fits your personnel, a single data point is rarely sufficient.

This is where anthropometry steps in. There are specific anthropometric measurements for just about every aspect of the human form. These measurements can be obtained through physical methods using rulers, T-squares, and the like. Or, they can be obtained by computer body scanning. The NIOSH team used both methods, and the result is a list of 71 discrete measurements for male firefighters and the same number for female firefighters. The usefulness of this data is increased by using statistical methods that allow us to determine the likelihood that a group of firefighters will fit a particular value.

History of Anthropometry in the Fire Service

FAMA stepped up in 2006 when the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) challenged the industry to make seat belts that fit the firefighters using them. We partnered with fire departments to collect data on firefighter size and weight, which led to the publication of the FAMA “Firefighter Anthropometric Data White Paper” the following year. These data were used by apparatus manufacturers as well as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) apparatus committee to set new standards for seat belt length. While this data collection was less rigorous than the protocol used by scientific agencies, the information was more timely and accurate enough for the purpose at hand.

At the same time, the IAFC and FAMA began lobbying NIOSH to conduct a more comprehensive study of firefighters. NIOSH is a government agency funded by Congress to perform basic research in support of efforts to improve U.S. worker safety and health. NIOSH does not set standards or regulations, but the research it conducts may be used by regulatory and standard creation organizations.

NIOSH eventually obtained funding for the firefighter study and, in 2015, the first look at part of the data was published as an article in Applied Ergonomics titled “Seat and Seat Belt Accommodation in Fire Apparatus: Anthropometric Aspects.” The data in its complete form could not be published until they were thoroughly vetted and peer-reviewed by the scientific community. That process, however, has now been completed and the entire set of data is available to the public.

Manufacturer Uses for Anthropometric Data

Apparatus manufacturers can use anthropometric data to configure cab seating and place driver controls. Equipment and clothing manufacture

By Roger Lackore

The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) has a goal to advance and protect the interests of the fire and emergency services community. While not everyone in the fire service will agree on what those best interests are, we can all agree that good decision making begins and ends with good data.

For that reason, FAMA is excited to highlight the publication of data from a recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study on firefighter anthropometric measurements.

What is Anthropometry?

Anthropometry is a fancy word for the study of human body measurements. This seems like it should be straightforward and simple. We all get measured for height at each doctor’s visit. Gather the height measurements from a group of people, and you can quickly determine the average height of the people in your group. But, very rarely does a single dimension give the complete picture. For example, while two people may be the same height while standing, they will not have the same head height when sitting in a chair. This is because we all have different shapes: long legs and short torso, short legs and long torso, average legs and torso but long neck, etc. If you are trying to ensure that your equipment fits your personnel, a single data point is rarely sufficient.

This is where anthropometry steps in. There are specific anthropometric measurements for just about every aspect of the human form. These measurements can be obtained through physical methods using rulers, T-squares, and the like. Or, they can be obtained by computer body scanning. The NIOSH team used both methods, and the result is a list of 71 discrete measurements for male firefighters and the same number for female firefighters. The usefulness of this data is increased by using statistical methods that allow us to determine the likelihood that a group of firefighters will fit a particular value.

History of Anthropometry in the Fire Service

FAMA stepped up in 2006 when the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) challenged the industry to make seat belts that fit the firefighters using them. We partnered with fire departments to collect data on firefighter size and weight, which led to the publication of the FAMA “Firefighter Anthropometric Data White Paper” the following year. These data were used by apparatus manufacturers as well as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) apparatus committee to set new standards for seat belt length. While this data collection was less rigorous than the protocol used by scientific agencies, the information was more timely and accurate enough for the purpose at hand.

At the same time, the IAFC and FAMA began lobbying NIOSH to conduct a more comprehensive study of firefighters. NIOSH is a government agency funded by Congress to perform basic research in support of efforts to improve U.S. worker safety and health. NIOSH does not set standards or regulations, but the research it conducts may be used by regulatory and standard creation organizations.

NIOSH eventually obtained funding for the firefighter study and, in 2015, the first look at part of the data was published as an article in Applied Ergonomics titled “Seat and Seat Belt Accommodation in Fire Apparatus: Anthropometric Aspects.” The data in its complete form could not be published until they were thoroughly vetted and peer-reviewed by the scientific community. That process, however, has now been completed and the entire set of data is available to the public.

Manufacturer Uses for Anthropometric Data

Apparatus manufacturers can use anthropometric data to configure cab seating and place driver controls. Equipment and clothing manufacture

By Roger Lackore

The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) has a goal to advance and protect the interests of the fire and emergency services community. While not everyone in the fire service will agree on what those best interests are, we can all agree that good decision making begins and ends with good data.

For that reason, FAMA is excited to highlight the publication of data from a recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study on firefighter anthropometric measurements.

What is Anthropometry?

Anthropometry is a fancy word for the study of human body measurements. This seems like it should be straightforward and simple. We all get measured for height at each doctor’s visit. Gather the height measurements from a group of people, and you can quickly determine the average height of the people in your group. But, very rarely does a single dimension give the complete picture. For example, while two people may be the same height while standing, they will not have the same head height when sitting in a chair. This is because we all have different shapes: long legs and short torso, short legs and long torso, average legs and torso but long neck, etc. If you are trying to ensure that your equipment fits your personnel, a single data point is rarely sufficient.

This is where anthropometry steps in. There are specific anthropometric measurements for just about every aspect of the human form. These measurements can be obtained through physical methods using rulers, T-squares, and the like. Or, they can be obtained by computer body scanning. The NIOSH team used both methods, and the result is a list of 71 discrete measurements for male firefighters and the same number for female firefighters. The usefulness of this data is increased by using statistical methods that allow us to determine the likelihood that a group of firefighters will fit a particular value.

History of Anthropometry in the Fire Service

FAMA stepped up in 2006 when the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) challenged the industry to make seat belts that fit the firefighters using them. We partnered with fire departments to collect data on firefighter size and weight, which led to the publication of the FAMA “Firefighter Anthropometric Data White Paper” the following year. These data were used by apparatus manufacturers as well as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) apparatus committee to set new standards for seat belt length. While this data collection was less rigorous than the protocol used by scientific agencies, the information was more timely and accurate enough for the purpose at hand.

At the same time, the IAFC and FAMA began lobbying NIOSH to conduct a more comprehensive study of firefighters. NIOSH is a government agency funded by Congress to perform basic research in support of efforts to improve U.S. worker safety and health. NIOSH does not set standards or regulations, but the research it conducts may be used by regulatory and standard creation organizations.

NIOSH eventually obtained funding for the firefighter study and, in 2015, the first look at part of the data was published as an article in Applied Ergonomics titled “Seat and Seat Belt Accommodation in Fire Apparatus: Anthropometric Aspects.” The data in its complete form could not be published until they were thoroughly vetted and peer-reviewed by the scientific community. That process, however, has now been completed and the entire set of data is available to the public.

Manufacturer Uses for Anthropometric Data

Apparatus manufacturers can use anthropometric data to configure cab seating and place driver controls. Equipment and clothing manufacture

By Alan M. Petrillo

Depending on what part of the country your fire department is located, you probably have a preference for a certain type of body material for your fire apparatus. It might be aluminum, stainless steel, or copolymer.

But, one thing is certain - the choice of body materials will have a major effect on the vehicle’s life, performance, and durability.

1 Pro Poly of America Inc. built the body of this light-duty rescue that Fouts Bros. built for North Pekin (IL) Fire Rescue.

Copolymer Bodies

Andrew Lingel, president of United Plastic Fabricating (UPF), says the bodies UPF makes for the fire service commonly are used on tankers, pumper-tankers, mini pumpers, Type 1 pumpers, and rescue trucks. “We started designing our first formal PolyBodies® in 1994 as a utility body, while before that we were making body components like compartments and trays,” Lingel says. “This past December, we celebrated our 30th anniversary since UPF started building Poly water tanks, and 2016 was a year when we built the most PolyBody units for the fire industry that we’ve ever done.”

Michael Ashley, UPF’s vice president of engineering, says UPF’s PolyBodies are a copolymer of polypropylene and polyethylene. “We use hot gas fusion welding to weld the plates together and also use extrusion guns using air and/or nitrogen to preheat the parent material. The rod heats up and gets molten into the joint, welding the panels together,” Ashley points out. “We also use a hot knife and pressure to fuse panels together where appropriate.”

2 Fouts Bros. built this mini pumper on a PolyBilt body made by Pro Poly of America Inc. for Oconee County (SC) Fire Rescue. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Pro Poly of America Inc.)

Lingel notes that the biggest benefits of a copolymer fire truck body “are that they will never rust or corrode; have very good impact resistance so they avoid dents, dings, and minor repairs; and hold their beautiful finish a lot longer.”

Ashley adds that PolyBodies are about the same weight as a typical aluminum fire truck body. “However, there’s a weight savings over steel, stainless steel, and fiberglass composite bodies,” he says.

Tim Dean, president of Pro Poly of America Inc., says his company created the PolyBilt® limited liability corporation with W.S. Darley & Co. in 2000. “We have been in business 25 years, and our bread and butter has been water tanks,” Dean observes, “but 15 years ago we put our heads together with Darley and decided to make the entire back end of a fire truck out of copolymer. Our Polyprene™ is a special blend of monomers, a polyethylene and polypropylene blend, that form the copolymer.”

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