Carl J. Haddon

The students in the New Vehicle Extrication class were losing their minds and pulling their hair out. I was about to make matters worse.

The firefighters were struggling to navigate the evolution and conquer the tough new metals and components found in 2015 model year European luxury vehicles given to them to train with. To add some real-world challenges to the mix, I walked through the individual training evolution pits like the Grim Reaper, telling each crew boss that the cutter or spreader of his heavy-duty extrication tools (hydraulic and battery over hydraulic) had just died, was broken, or couldn’t cut or spread the component they were working on and that they would have to resort to plan B. What I saw next was the inspiration for this article.

Some of the fire companies in attendance were working from their dedicated rescue trucks, while other fire companies worked out of compartments from engines and ladder trucks. When they were told to switch to plan B while already struggling with some of the toughest new vehicles on the road today, the look of deer in the headlights was nothing short of priceless.

Refamiliarization

The drill I put before them was not done for the purpose of simply terrorizing the troops but to make them use the best rescue tool they have-the one that sits on their shoulders. I wanted to make them think and to become refamiliarized with some of the other critical tools in their respective toolboxes.

Air-powered tools such as chisels and air shears, reciprocating saws, come-alongs, chains, straps, and other related devices were suddenly in the limelight. Some of the younger firefighters referred to these tried-and-true tools as “old school tools,” in so much as they have very much been overshadowed by today’s new heavy-duty hydraulic/electric “metal eating monster” extrication tools. But what happens when blades break, power units fail to start, or departments simply don’t have the forces needed to complete the task at hand?

One of the things I explained to the class is that just because hydraulics and such have taken over the lion’s share of the extrication work, it does not mean that all of the tools we used to use have become obsolete. I went on to remind them also that many, if not most, of these tools have been updated and upgraded by their respective manufacturers in an attempt to keep up with the automotive technology that they are needed to overcome.

Interesting Challenge

Another of the more interesting challenges experienced in my class’s plan B methods and tactics involved the use of reciprocating saws. Reciprocating saw blades have come a long, long way since we first started using them. These types of saws “evolved” to where most manufacturers now produce battery powered versions of saws that are available in various battery voltages. One of the unexpected things the students and I learned about reciprocating saws is that they are not all created equal and that the best of the best of today’s new aftermarket blades used for extrication work (on some of today’s vehicle metals) are actually “too good” for the saws they were used with. I know. This is the part in the article where you’re thinking, “What did he just say?”

What we found is that the new reciprocating saw blades we were using on these new cars actually caused a number of the battery powered reciprocating saws to cough up their blade mount assemblies. Additionally, we saw a number of other battery powered saw

By Bill Adams

This article continues my assessment of lower-level warning lights.

It is my opinion that mechanically moving lights are more mission-specific in coverage. This article also illustrates how one manufacturer addresses the subject.

Mission-Specific Warning Lights

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, recognizes two modes of warning light operation: calling for the right of way and blocking the right of way. Noticeable differences are no white (clear) lights in the blocking mode and no amber to the front or white to the rear when responding. Indiscernible are the differences in optical requirements between the two modes. Flash patterns and mechanical light “movements” usually remain the same, although some departments astutely shut down a significant number of warning lights when on scene.

Chicago-area rigs are known for having a single center-mounted Mars 888 light and alternating red and green flashers. The second set of flashing lights on the front bumper is less likely to be affected by headlight glare. (Photo courtesy of Toyne.)

Fast-paced rush hour traffic around the Washington, D.C., Beltway is different than stop-and-go traffic in a congested city or infrequent traffic in a small Midwestern farming community. I’m not disparaging NFPA 1901, but remember it is a minimum recommended standard. Additional mission-specific or area-specific lighting may be prudent in some scenarios. Purchasers should spec what they need and not what some regulatory agency says meets the basic requirements of every fire department in the western hemisphere. Numerous warning light commentaries have been made. Some are fair and impartial. Others appear prejudicial, justifying preconceived beliefs, such as favoring mechanically moving lights. Read between the lines.

This LED210 light photo shows an oscillating six-LED module on the right side and six stationary LEDs on the left side. Ken Menke III, president of PowerArc, says the use of LEDs has made it possible to create some very complex flash patterns. (Photo courtesy of PowerArc.)

Vendors have an obligation to educate purchasers that area-specific warning lights are available when calling for the right of way. Apparatus in remote, rural areas or on expressways may benefit from additional lighting directed at traffic located at far distances. In metropolitan and urban areas, more lights could be directed at traffic in close proximity. Congested areas with numerous intersections may warrant increased lighting at 45-degree angles. If they must be purchased as “extras,” so be it. They’re for the safety of the apparatus and the crew staffing it.

Perception

Perception is in the eyes of the beholder. Using school buses as an example, Pete Lauffenburger, from Akron’s Weldon lighting division, says, “Fede

By Bill Adams

This article continues my assessment of lower-level warning lights.

It is my opinion that mechanically moving lights are more mission-specific in coverage. This article also illustrates how one manufacturer addresses the subject.

Mission-Specific Warning Lights

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, recognizes two modes of warning light operation: calling for the right of way and blocking the right of way. Noticeable differences are no white (clear) lights in the blocking mode and no amber to the front or white to the rear when responding. Indiscernible are the differences in optical requirements between the two modes. Flash patterns and mechanical light “movements” usually remain the same, although some departments astutely shut down a significant number of warning lights when on scene.

Chicago-area rigs are known for having a single center-mounted Mars 888 light and alternating red and green flashers. The second set of flashing lights on the front bumper is less likely to be affected by headlight glare. (Photo courtesy of Toyne.)

Fast-paced rush hour traffic around the Washington, D.C., Beltway is different than stop-and-go traffic in a congested city or infrequent traffic in a small Midwestern farming community. I’m not disparaging NFPA 1901, but remember it is a minimum recommended standard. Additional mission-specific or area-specific lighting may be prudent in some scenarios. Purchasers should spec what they need and not what some regulatory agency says meets the basic requirements of every fire department in the western hemisphere. Numerous warning light commentaries have been made. Some are fair and impartial. Others appear prejudicial, justifying preconceived beliefs, such as favoring mechanically moving lights. Read between the lines.

This LED210 light photo shows an oscillating six-LED module on the right side and six stationary LEDs on the left side. Ken Menke III, president of PowerArc, says the use of LEDs has made it possible to create some very complex flash patterns. (Photo courtesy of PowerArc.)

Vendors have an obligation to educate purchasers that area-specific warning lights are available when calling for the right of way. Apparatus in remote, rural areas or on expressways may benefit from additional lighting directed at traffic located at far distances. In metropolitan and urban areas, more lights could be directed at traffic in close proximity. Congested areas with numerous intersections may warrant increased lighting at 45-degree angles. If they must be purchased as “extras,” so be it. They’re for the safety of the apparatus and the crew staffing it.

Perception

Perception is in the eyes of the beholder. Using school buses as an example, Pete Lauffenburger, from Akron’s Weldon lighting division, says, “Fede

The Mechanical Contractors Association of New York (MCA) announced that it has raised $34,000 for the New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, which provides crucial support for research, education, and prevention, as well as medical care, for burn victims. 

At its November membership meeting, MCA President Michael Russo, Board member Timothy Bowe and Steamfittting Industry Promotion Fund Chairman James Botto presented a check to the Foundation on behalf of MCA’s New York Fire Sprinkler Council, which was recently created to further spread awareness of the importance of fire suppression systems in saving lives and protecting property. “The work of the Foundation has significantly improved the lives of burn survivors and we are honored to support their efforts,” aid Bowe.

“When you find an organization like the Burn Center Foundation that does such incredible work and is so closely aligned with our industry’s mission, they become the obvious choice for our Association to give back to,” added Russo.

Fire sprinkler contractors have been raising funds for the Foundation since 2000, and total industry contributions have now reached more than $667,000. The MCA’s Steamfitting Industry Promotion Fund alone has contributed $147,500 over the past 16 years, in addition to annual donations by individual MCA members and suppliers.

The Burn Center Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the advancement of quality burn care, research, prevention, and education. The primary beneficiary of the Foundation is the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center’s William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, the largest and busiest center of burn care in the nation.

During the MCA meeting, New York Firefighters Burn Center Foundation Board members Firefighter Ralph Longo and Firefighter Andrew Marrotta gave a presentation about the outstanding work performed by both the Foundation and the staff of the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center. Following the presentation, nearly $5,000 additional funds were pledged by industry members in attendance. 

Foundation Executive Director Gwen Curran; Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery and Director of the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center Dr. James Gallagher, MD, FACS; Burn Center Patient Care Director Jamie Heffernan and Research Nurse Angela Rabbit were also on hand to accept the donation. 

Christian P. Koop

It is not uncommon to pick up a fleet magazine and find a picture on the cover of a fleet that recently turned “green.”

Well, we all know what turning green means: converting a traditional gasoline- or diesel-powered fleet to run on alternative fuels. This reminds me of a song by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Band and their song “The Cover of Rolling Stone.” Well, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Band did wind up on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, but the fun doesn’t end there for green fleets.

Alternative Fuel Types

There are four types of alternative fuels that fall into this category: compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), and hydrogen. These alternative fuels are technically referred to as “fuel gas” because they are true gases that will vaporize to the atmosphere if not stored under pressure. These are not to be confused with fuels such as diesel and gasoline (petrol), which are liquid at atmospheric pressures. While there are four gases, for the purposes of this article I will limit it to the most commonly used, which are typically the most practical for use in motor vehicles: CNG and LPG. While engine and chassis manufacturers have done an outstanding job mating their products with green fuels, now fleet departments are faced with a new challenge-not how to fix them but where to fix them.

Repair Facilities

Existing mechanical and collision repair facilities are built to federal, state, and local codes for gasoline and diesel engines-not alternative fuels. To make matters worse, not all alternative fuels have the same characteristics. Facility requirements for CNG and LPG vehicles differ significantly. Requirements are totally opposite for one another.

First, let’s take a look at CNG. Found below the ground, it has a vast pipeline system for transporting. Because it is not a dense gas, transporting above ground is not only hazardous but not cost-effective, which means that anyone who is running CNG vehicles has a fueling station located on a natural gas pipeline and has some form of compressor system to compress the vapors to high pressure and store them. Natural gas is pumped into storage tanks until it can be dispensed into vehicles. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane and is a byproduct of crude oil production or can be drawn up from oil wells. It also contains two members of the hydrocarbon family-ethane and propane-and other gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen compounds of sulphur, along with water vapors. An odorant that is sulphur-based (methyl mercaptan) that smells like rotten eggs is added to help detect leaks.

On vehicles, CNG is generally stored in tanks at high pressure between 3,000 to 3,600 psig (200 to 250 bar), but keep in mind that it remains a gas even under high pressures. And because it is lighter than air, when it leaks it floats upward and can dissipate with the surrounding air if it does not get trapped or confined by a structure. This is significant because any leaks will rise. Imagine a facility that is left overnight with a leaking tank and someone comes in and turns on the lights. Unless a repair facility has been built or modified for storing and repairing CNG vehicles, not only are you in grave danger but also you are in violation of local and federal codes.

LPG is sometimes simply referred to as propane and is a byproduct of natural gas production and petroleum refining. It is stored as a liquid at relatively low pressures-approximately 250