Richard Marinucci

Each year the theme of the December issue is “Fire Service Forecast: What We See Ahead.”

It is a chance to pull out the crystal ball and make a guess as to what can be expected in the next 12 months. You can call it whatever you want-prognosticator, swami, seer, or whatever-but I prefer to look at it as sort of a “weatherman.” I can take my best guess, and no one really expects me to be accurate 100 percent of the time. There are many areas of the fire service to consider: service levels (i.e., staffing), apparatus, equipment, training, and firefighter safety.

Service Levels

From a service level perspective, staffing volunteer organizations will continue to be a challenge. This is for a variety of reasons, many of which have been documented by various organizations and individuals. Some departments will continue to maintain their volunteer staff at numbers necessary to provide good service, while a majority will continue to be challenged. On the career side, there should be an uptick as more departments continue to transition to combination or career departments because of volunteer organizations’ challenges. In other career departments, I expect to see increases in staffing in an effort to adequately staff for the required job responsibilities. Many departments lost personnel during the economic downturn and are still not back to where they need to be. Also, Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) grants continue, which help in this area.

Apparatus

Another outfall from the economic downturn was that many departments postponed apparatus purchases. As the economy improves, there should be efforts to replace aging apparatus and purchase additional vehicles for specific needs. The apparatus will have more technological advances-some mandated and some provided by the manufacturers. These should help to improve reliability and ease of use. This does not imply that there will be no need for training and routine maintenance. Departments will need to continue to train personnel on proper apparatus procedures. In some cases, departments will look to specialized vehicles in an effort to meet the needs of the community and various requests for service. Some organizations will look to alternatives to sending engine companies to medical emergencies with less expensive apparatus. This will still be a challenge that depends on the staffing model of the department.

Equipment

Regarding equipment, expect continued improvements in technology and additional tools that take advantage of these advancements. Some of these will be used to improve performance and simplification. Some tools will become lighter and stronger. Those using technology will have more capabilities. One area that should be better is gas monitors. As more information becomes available regarding the dangers of the products of combustion and their effects on firefighter health and wellness-especially related to cancer-there will be more monitoring equipment to help identify hazardous environments and provide information to let firefighters know when air quality is within safe working limits that don’t require special protective measures.

Technology will continue to provide more and more information to and about fire departments. There is almost an overload now, and there is no indication that there will ever be a push to limit what is made available. This information will continue to spread even outside the fire service, and the public will have more access. The bad news is that they will

By Alan M. Petrillo

With fire apparatus getting taller and longer, firefighters have turned to electricity and hydraulics to help them get equipment on and off their trucks.

Hydraulic and electric ladder racks are becoming commonplace on fire apparatus today, while powered hosebed covers make securing hose and getting equipment simpler, safer chores.

1 Ziamatic Corp. makes the hydraulic Ladder Access System, a two-arm ladder rack that’s powered by two electric-over-hydraulic encapsulated actuators.

Ladder Racks

Mike Adams, vice president of Ziamatic Corp., says Ziamatic makes three powered ladder rack styles under the Zico brand name, a standard two-arm ladder access system (LAS), a hydraulic LAS, and a single-arm ladder system. The standard unit uses a two-arm ladder rack mounted vertically on the side of the vehicle and is usually used with ¾ compartment storage, Adams says.

The hydraulic LAS uses electric over hydraulic encapsulated actuators, stores the ladders horizontally on top of the vehicle, and swings them down 48 inches for deployment, according to Adams. “Our center-mount single-arm ladder rack also stores ladders horizontally on top of the truck,” Adams points out, “and brings them down to a vertical position for firefighter use at about waist height. This type of system is often used on vehicles with high side compartments.”

2 Powered racks for hard sleeves are built by Ziamatic Corp., like this version holding five hard sleeves for ready use. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Ziamatic Corp.)

Trapper Meadors, sales engineer for Precision Fire Apparatus, says that Precision manufacturers its own style of electric-over-hydraulic ladder rack. “It’s a single-arm rack that, once it swings out and down toward the ground, pulls back in toward the truck so the ladders don’t stick out so far away from the body,” Meadors points out. “It allows firefighters to deploy the ladders when they are in tight spots.”

Steve Touchton, emergency specialty product manager for ROM Corporation, says that while ROM makes Ergo Rack hydraulic ladder racks for commercial use-but not for the fire service at this time-its racks could be adapted to a Ford F-550-size vehicle or a Ford Transit-type van. “The system uses a hydraulic lever to counteract the balance so we are able to lower a 24-foot extension ladder gently to the ground by hydraulics over air cylinders,” Touchton says. “Depending on the vehicle and the type of ladders, some systems can be angled to the ground to allow one person to handle the ladder.”

• 332
• 0
• Article rating: No rating

3 The Claycomo (MO) Fire Department went with a ROM hard shell cover for the hosebed on its Pumper 21. (Photo courtesy of ROM Corporation.)

1 Ziamatic Corp. makes the hydraulic Ladder Access System, a two-arm ladder rack that’s powered by two electric-over-hydraulic encapsulated actuators.

Ladder Racks

Mike Adams, vice president of Ziamatic Corp., says Ziamatic makes three powered ladder rack styles under the Zico brand name, a standard two-arm ladder access system (LAS), a hydraulic LAS, and a single-arm ladder system. The standard unit uses a two-arm ladder rack mounted vertically on the side of the vehicle and is usually used with ¾ compartment storage, Adams says.

The hydraulic LAS uses electric over hydraulic encapsulated actuators, stores the ladders horizontally on top of the vehicle, and swings them down 48 inches for deployment, according to Adams. “Our center-mount single-arm ladder rack also stores ladders horizontally on top of the truck,” Adams points out, “and brings them down to a vertical position for firefighter use at about waist height. This type of system is often used on vehicles with high side compartments.”

2 Powered racks for hard sleeves are built by Ziamatic Corp., like this version holding five hard sleeves for ready use. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Ziamatic Corp.)

Trapper Meadors, sales engineer for Precision Fire Apparatus, says that Precision manufacturers its own style of electric-over-hydraulic ladder rack. “It’s a single-arm rack that, once it swings out and down toward the ground, pulls back in toward the truck so the ladders don’t stick out so far away from the body,” Meadors points out. “It allows firefighters to deploy the ladders when they are in tight spots.”

Steve Touchton, emergency specialty product manager for ROM Corporation, says that while ROM makes Ergo Rack hydraulic ladder racks for commercial use-but not for the fire service at this time-its racks could be adapted to a Ford F-550-size vehicle or a Ford Transit-type van. “The system uses a hydraulic lever to counteract the balance so we are able to lower a 24-foot extension ladder gently to the ground by hydraulics over air cylinders,” Touchton says. “Depending on the vehicle and the type of ladders, some systems can be angled to the ground to allow one person to handle the ladder.”

• 404
• 0
• Article rating: No rating

3 The Claycomo (MO) Fire Department went with a ROM hard shell cover for the hosebed on its Pumper 21. (Photo courtesy of ROM Corporation.)

1 Ziamatic Corp. makes the hydraulic Ladder Access System, a two-arm ladder rack that’s powered by two electric-over-hydraulic encapsulated actuators.

Ladder Racks

Mike Adams, vice president of Ziamatic Corp., says Ziamatic makes three powered ladder rack styles under the Zico brand name, a standard two-arm ladder access system (LAS), a hydraulic LAS, and a single-arm ladder system. The standard unit uses a two-arm ladder rack mounted vertically on the side of the vehicle and is usually used with ¾ compartment storage, Adams says.

The hydraulic LAS uses electric over hydraulic encapsulated actuators, stores the ladders horizontally on top of the vehicle, and swings them down 48 inches for deployment, according to Adams. “Our center-mount single-arm ladder rack also stores ladders horizontally on top of the truck,” Adams points out, “and brings them down to a vertical position for firefighter use at about waist height. This type of system is often used on vehicles with high side compartments.”

2 Powered racks for hard sleeves are built by Ziamatic Corp., like this version holding five hard sleeves for ready use. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Ziamatic Corp.)

Trapper Meadors, sales engineer for Precision Fire Apparatus, says that Precision manufacturers its own style of electric-over-hydraulic ladder rack. “It’s a single-arm rack that, once it swings out and down toward the ground, pulls back in toward the truck so the ladders don’t stick out so far away from the body,” Meadors points out. “It allows firefighters to deploy the ladders when they are in tight spots.”

Steve Touchton, emergency specialty product manager for ROM Corporation, says that while ROM makes Ergo Rack hydraulic ladder racks for commercial use-but not for the fire service at this time-its racks could be adapted to a Ford F-550-size vehicle or a Ford Transit-type van. “The system uses a hydraulic lever to counteract the balance so we are able to lower a 24-foot extension ladder gently to the ground by hydraulics over air cylinders,” Touchton says. “Depending on the vehicle and the type of ladders, some systems can be angled to the ground to allow one person to handle the ladder.”

• 203
• 0
• Article rating: No rating

Theme picker

3 The Claycomo (MO) Fire Department went with a ROM hard shell cover for the hosebed on its Pumper 21. (Photo courtesy of ROM Corporation.)