By Wesley D. Chestnut

In recent years, motor vehicle manufacturer safety recalls have become ever more common.

However, even with the notifications vehicle owners receive, Internet information, and media attention, completion rates for safety recalls are still surprisingly low. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has promulgated regulations and developed tools for vehicle owners that are intended to help improve recall completion rates, there still remains a large percentage of vehicles that are never remedied. This could mean that there is still a significant number of vehicles being operated on our highways that present a risk to the public.

Recall Frequency Increasing

Safety-related recalls can occur for many reasons. These reasons may include problems associated with the introduction of new technologies, supplier mistakes, quality control problems, or any number of other unexpected causes.

While reasons may vary, the number of safety-related recalls for motor vehicles appears to be on the rise. In 2014, there were just more than 800 separate vehicle recalls involving more than 69 million vehicles. The 2015 number may approach 900 motor vehicle recalls-not including equipment-related safety recalls.

Recall Notifications

When a manufacturer decides a safety defect exists in the vehicles it produces, it must notify the NHTSA and its dealers as well as owners. As of February 2014, envelopes containing a notification of a safety related recall must have a label (photo 1).

The notification must contain certain information that includes a description of the safety-related defect, the safety risk, and what the remedy is. The notification must also identify that the remedy is available at no cost to the vehicle owner. In certain cases, you may receive a notice that indicates a remedy is not yet available but will be at a later date.

Remedy Responsibilities

Vehicle manufacturers are responsible for their vehicles and all original equipment installed on them. This means that even if the safety defect or noncompliance is in an item of equipment on the vehicle that the vehicle manufacturer did not manufacture, it is responsible for notifying owners and providing a remedy.

It is not uncommon in vehicle recalls involving defective or noncomplying original equipment, particularly those involving specialty or commercial vehicle applications, for the vehicle manufacturer and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to coordinate such that the OEM performs the repairs. This commonly occurs with engines, axles, and commercial chassis.

If You Receive a Recall Notice

When a safety-related recall notification is received, open it immediately and read it completely. Focus on the identified risk or what could happen if the safety defect is not remedied. The identified risk does not mean the condition will happen but that it could happen. The intent of the notification is to prevent the risk from happening. Depending on the nature of the safety-related defect, the notification may state the risk is fire, personal injury, equipment damage, or a crash. If a failure could result because of the safety-related defect, the notification may state that the failure could occur without warning.

Importance of Apparatus Recalls

While getting a safety-related defect remedied in your personal vehicle is very important, getting it remedied on a fire apparatus is critically important. A fire apparatus has multiple purposes that typically involve some type of emergency situation. A safety-related defect may prohibit the apparatus from

Chris Mc Loone

At January’s Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium, I sat in on a breakout session titled, “Pump and Plumbing Controls.”

Although the content of the session wasn’t all that new to me-or the other attendees-the discussion that ensued was very interesting and paints a picture of where we sit as a fire service.

Presenters explained different types of controls that exist for pumps and plumbing, including fully mechanical, mechanical/electric hybrid, and fully electronic. The session was not intended to espouse using any one of these methods. Basically the presentation was to let attendees know what was available, the pros and cons of each, and provide insight into where the industry was heading.

Predictably, the idea of electric vs. manual valves generated discussion. During conversations I’ve been in at my fire company, usually the discussion would revolve around serviceability. There is a comfort level in knowing that a pump operator can open the pump panel to take care of a manual valve’s linkage on the fireground if there is a problem. Electric valves, to some, still represent an unknown. And, like many things, when they were first introduced to the fire service, their reliability was easily called into question. What really struck me during the session was how there can be a real disconnect between the operations side of our business and the maintenance side-where the emergency vehicle technicians (EVTs) live.

Think about it: You’re a chief faced with replacing a medium-duty rescue truck and a pumper. You’re faced with delaying either the pumper or rescue replacement or combining both rigs into one rescue-pumper. To do that, this rescue-pumper will likely be larger than either your current rescue or pumper to have all the compartmentation necessary to store equipment. Additionally, the truck is going to be long-probably too long for your streets. But, here’s the great news. If you spec electric valves for all your intakes and discharges, you’ll be able to reduce the size of your pump panel by several inches. Although the new truck will still be longer than your current pumper, it won’t be as long as it would if it had all mechanical valves, and it will be maneuverable around your tight streets. For you, as the chief, it’s a win. You can go before your board of commissioners or city council and explain that you’ll be purchasing one truck instead of two, saving the municipality money and providing the same services that the pumper and medium rescue delivered.

Back at the shop, though, it’s a different story. The great thing about electric valves is they can be placed anywhere but not always in the most accessible of locations. The EVTs back at the shop are now cursing the chief who thought he had done such a great job because it’s going to take them more time to access the valves to make any necessary repairs, whereas on the old pumper they opened up the pump panel and everything was right there and easily accessible.

Serviceability is key to any rig these days, and the smarter these fire trucks get the more technical service becomes. The realities of today’s fire service and our responses are clear, and how departments address these realities in terms of fire apparatus differs from municipality to municipality. The presenters at this breakout session were clear that the industry is moving in the direction of more electronics. It’s just the way it is. To provide what departments demand in t

Chris Mc Loone

At January’s Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium, I sat in on a breakout session titled, “Pump and Plumbing Controls.”

Although the content of the session wasn’t all that new to me-or the other attendees-the discussion that ensued was very interesting and paints a picture of where we sit as a fire service.

Presenters explained different types of controls that exist for pumps and plumbing, including fully mechanical, mechanical/electric hybrid, and fully electronic. The session was not intended to espouse using any one of these methods. Basically the presentation was to let attendees know what was available, the pros and cons of each, and provide insight into where the industry was heading.

Predictably, the idea of electric vs. manual valves generated discussion. During conversations I’ve been in at my fire company, usually the discussion would revolve around serviceability. There is a comfort level in knowing that a pump operator can open the pump panel to take care of a manual valve’s linkage on the fireground if there is a problem. Electric valves, to some, still represent an unknown. And, like many things, when they were first introduced to the fire service, their reliability was easily called into question. What really struck me during the session was how there can be a real disconnect between the operations side of our business and the maintenance side-where the emergency vehicle technicians (EVTs) live.

Think about it: You’re a chief faced with replacing a medium-duty rescue truck and a pumper. You’re faced with delaying either the pumper or rescue replacement or combining both rigs into one rescue-pumper. To do that, this rescue-pumper will likely be larger than either your current rescue or pumper to have all the compartmentation necessary to store equipment. Additionally, the truck is going to be long-probably too long for your streets. But, here’s the great news. If you spec electric valves for all your intakes and discharges, you’ll be able to reduce the size of your pump panel by several inches. Although the new truck will still be longer than your current pumper, it won’t be as long as it would if it had all mechanical valves, and it will be maneuverable around your tight streets. For you, as the chief, it’s a win. You can go before your board of commissioners or city council and explain that you’ll be purchasing one truck instead of two, saving the municipality money and providing the same services that the pumper and medium rescue delivered.

Back at the shop, though, it’s a different story. The great thing about electric valves is they can be placed anywhere but not always in the most accessible of locations. The EVTs back at the shop are now cursing the chief who thought he had done such a great job because it’s going to take them more time to access the valves to make any necessary repairs, whereas on the old pumper they opened up the pump panel and everything was right there and easily accessible.

Serviceability is key to any rig these days, and the smarter these fire trucks get the more technical service becomes. The realities of today’s fire service and our responses are clear, and how departments address these realities in terms of fire apparatus differs from municipality to municipality. The presenters at this breakout session were clear that the industry is moving in the direction of more electronics. It’s just the way it is. To provide what departments demand in t

Chris Mc Loone

At January’s Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium, I sat in on a breakout session titled, “Pump and Plumbing Controls.”

Although the content of the session wasn’t all that new to me-or the other attendees-the discussion that ensued was very interesting and paints a picture of where we sit as a fire service.

Presenters explained different types of controls that exist for pumps and plumbing, including fully mechanical, mechanical/electric hybrid, and fully electronic. The session was not intended to espouse using any one of these methods. Basically the presentation was to let attendees know what was available, the pros and cons of each, and provide insight into where the industry was heading.

Predictably, the idea of electric vs. manual valves generated discussion. During conversations I’ve been in at my fire company, usually the discussion would revolve around serviceability. There is a comfort level in knowing that a pump operator can open the pump panel to take care of a manual valve’s linkage on the fireground if there is a problem. Electric valves, to some, still represent an unknown. And, like many things, when they were first introduced to the fire service, their reliability was easily called into question. What really struck me during the session was how there can be a real disconnect between the operations side of our business and the maintenance side-where the emergency vehicle technicians (EVTs) live.

Think about it: You’re a chief faced with replacing a medium-duty rescue truck and a pumper. You’re faced with delaying either the pumper or rescue replacement or combining both rigs into one rescue-pumper. To do that, this rescue-pumper will likely be larger than either your current rescue or pumper to have all the compartmentation necessary to store equipment. Additionally, the truck is going to be long-probably too long for your streets. But, here’s the great news. If you spec electric valves for all your intakes and discharges, you’ll be able to reduce the size of your pump panel by several inches. Although the new truck will still be longer than your current pumper, it won’t be as long as it would if it had all mechanical valves, and it will be maneuverable around your tight streets. For you, as the chief, it’s a win. You can go before your board of commissioners or city council and explain that you’ll be purchasing one truck instead of two, saving the municipality money and providing the same services that the pumper and medium rescue delivered.

Back at the shop, though, it’s a different story. The great thing about electric valves is they can be placed anywhere but not always in the most accessible of locations. The EVTs back at the shop are now cursing the chief who thought he had done such a great job because it’s going to take them more time to access the valves to make any necessary repairs, whereas on the old pumper they opened up the pump panel and everything was right there and easily accessible.

Serviceability is key to any rig these days, and the smarter these fire trucks get the more technical service becomes. The realities of today’s fire service and our responses are clear, and how departments address these realities in terms of fire apparatus differs from municipality to municipality. The presenters at this breakout session were clear that the industry is moving in the direction of more electronics. It’s just the way it is. To provide what departments demand in t

By Bill Adams

Apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) want their proprietary manufacturing specifications (specs) promulgated by prospective purchasers.

Buyer and seller proponents claim a level of quality is being established. That can be a valid claim. Opponents who advocate competitive bidding complain of favoritism and denounce the practice. That claim also has merit. OEMs protesting because another OEM’s spec was published are probably whining because they were beat before they got to the bid opening-a harsh but true statement. Once the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) publishes an OEM’s proprietary specification as its legal purchasing document, it owns it. It is the AHJ’s to justify and to defend if challenged. The merits of publishing proprietary specifications are not in question. The subject of this article is when those specs include an OEM’s compartment floor rating-an ill-defined, confusing, and misunderstood topic.

My intent was to illustrate how OEMs establish a compartment floor rating for a typical full-height body compartment approximately 40 inches wide by 60 inches high by 24 inches deep (40 × 60 × 24) located ahead of a pumper’s rear wheels. Some OEMs declined to comment. Others gave ambiguous responses. Others were extremely detailed. I researched manufacturers’ Web sites, literature, brochures, and technical specifications.

1 Riveted to the web on the frame rail of this antique Mack pumper are rigid stamped steel outriggers. Similar supports today are mostly removable aluminum or steel structural angle iron, channel, or tubular configurations. Each manufacturer has its own unique method of fabricating compartment support systems. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

OEMs do not speak the same language when addressing the subject. What some call (compartment) floor ratings others call weight capacities, load capacities, weight ratings, and storage ratings. All are measured in pounds. I collectively refer to all as weight ratings.

Whether OEMs specify them to establish a level of quality, to hold specific equipment, or to beat their competition is immaterial. OEMs can say, claim, or infer anything they want in their literature and suggested specifications. They’re seldom asked to substantiate advertising, especially by prospective purchasers who favor their products. In a regulated bidding environment, if a purchaser adopts an OEM’s weight rating, accurately defining it is very important. Purchaser is synonymous with the fire department, AHJ, apparatus purchasing committee (APC), or whoever signs the check.

Accountability

When purchasers specify compartment weight ratings-which they have the right to do-the burden is on bidders to comply or take exception. In political subdivisions, purchasers have a legal responsibility to impartially evaluate bidders’ claims of compliance. That may not be an easy task. Differences between a 1,000-gallon and a 750-gallon booster tank and between a 300-hp and a 500-hp motor are obvious and quantifiable. Differences in weight ratings are not.

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