By Roger Lackore

Any truck fleet manager will tell you that slips, trips, and falls are the most common causes of truck operator injuries.

When you consider that most truck operators are not encumbered with protective clothing, self-contained breathing apparatus, and a variety of equipment hanging from their belts, it stands to reason that as firefighters we need to be even more careful. Whether getting into or out of the cab or climbing onto or off of the exterior, we must discipline ourselves to take the right approach every time.

The Right Way to Climb

The over-arching rule of safety when climbing is called having "three points of contact." This rule means that you keep three of your four appendages (hands and feet) in contact with the apparatus at all times. Starting by facing the apparatus with both feet on the ground and both hands grasping a handrail or other secure structure, lift one foot at a time onto the first step, platform, or rung. Before grasping something higher, make sure both feet are firmly planted and you hold on with your other hand. Continue in this fashion, always making sure you have one hand and two feet, or two hands and one foot, in contact with the apparatus at all times. Climbing off is the same thing in reverse-make sure you face the apparatus as you descend.

This is a pretty simple concept, but it is important enough that it deserves some attention. Avoid the temptation to cut corners; professionals never do. If this technique is not second nature, take 10 minutes each day to practice climbing and descending using the three points of contact method until you are doing it every time without thinking. At first you may need to concentrate, but soon you will establish muscle memory and you can climb and descend safely every time.

The Right Place to Climb

Apparatus in compliance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, will have at least one spot on the apparatus exterior where you can climb using three points of contact. This may be at the back of the apparatus, near the pump panel, or elsewhere depending on your configuration. You might find areas where there are steps to help you reach controls or equipment higher up but where it is not possible to maintain three points of contact all the way to the top. If this is the case, don't continue to climb. Find the route on the apparatus that allows you three points of contact and climb there. If you can't find features to provide a safe climb, contact your fire department safety officer and have the apparatus modified or repaired.

Once you reach the top of most apparatus, it is unlikely that you will have railings to guard you from a fall. Railings are impractical on the top of fire apparatus for a host of obvious reasons including bridge clearance, tree-limb clearance, and interference with aerial ladders. This means that if you are on top of an apparatus, you must be responsible for your own safety. Crouch low and hold on to solid features on the apparatus. If you must stand up, do so only toward the center of the apparatus where you are at less risk of toppling off if you trip.

The Right Surface to Step On

Usually stepping, standing, or walking surfaces are obvious. They should have a slip-resistant feature and be free of any no-step labeling. But, just because a surface has a slip-resistant feature does not mean it is an approved place to step. Apparatus manufacturers purchase special aluminum diamondplate material that has a cross-hatch feature on the top of each diamond. This cross-hatching gives the surface the slip-resistance performance required by the NFPA. However, this same material may be used for protecting apparatus features from wear and tear as well. You may find it on vertical or sloped surfaces, or it may be on features otherwise not intended for stepping

By Alan M. Petrillo

Personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturers are making firefighter turnout gear lighter and stronger by using a variety of fabrics yet still are able to provide the level of safety necessary to protect the users from heat, flame, and other hazards.

Exterior Strength

Structural firefighting turnout gear typically consists of three layers: an outer shell, a thermal liner, and a moisture barrier. Michael Layton, product manager for body protection for Honeywell First Responder Products, says the turnout's outer shell, designed for strength and protection, is the area where improved fabrics can be used to trim weight yet provide added strength.

An outer shell that incorporates a filament yarn, such as PBI Max, which uses Kevlar®, or Vectran®, a fiber spun from liquid crystal polymer, will have a much higher strength than a spun yarn, Layton says. "When you incorporate those kinds of products into a spun yarn, it gives a higher strength to the fabric," he notes.

Lion uses a twill weave with different fiber combinations in its turnout gear to balance the need for lighter weight against flame, heat, and cut protection. (Photo courtesy of Lion.)

Layton says Honeywell recently launched a meta-aramid product called Bolt that incorporates another filament yarn into the fabric mix-a filament yarn on the outside of the material and spun Kevlar on the inside. "The filament is very slick and smooth so it sheds water and dirt," Layton says. "The other nice property is that because it's so slick, it doesn't resist movement in the armpits and crotch when the firefighter is swinging his arms, walking, or crawling."

Layton points out that Bolt is made specifically for turnout coats and pants and is available in all five of Honeywell's turnout lines: Morning Pride, Ultra Motion, Ranger, Vectra SL, and VE Gear. In addition, he notes that Honeywell is working on a new version of its UltraFlex thermal liner that provides a higher slickness factor for ease of mobility in the turnout gear and greater moisture absorption capability.

Patricia Freeman, technical services manager for Globe Manufacturing Co., says outer shells have always been the first line of defense for firefighters in turnout gear. "This is the layer that's subjected to direct heat sources and flame impingement," Freeman says. "Most outer shells in turnout gear primarily use Kevlar fibers as a blend-at least 60 percent Kevlar-and the rest either a PBI or PBO fiber."

Globe Manufacturing Co. uses a fabric blend for its turnout gear outer shells that consists of 60 percent Kevlar and the rest either a PBI or PBO fiber. (Photo courtesy of Globe Manufacturing Co.)

PBI is extremely flame-resistant and has very good thermal stability, she points out. "The Kevlar gives the outer shell a lot of strength and also contributes to the heat and flame resistance," she adds. "PBO also is extremely heat-resistant and very strong." PBI fibers are made by PBI Performance Products, and PBO fibers are made under the Millenia XT brand by TenCate, she says.

Interior Innovations

Freeman says that for moisture barriers, Globe has been able to reduce the

By Chris McLoone

I thought we were doing pretty well during 2013 regarding motor vehicle accidents involving fire apparatus.

I would never kid myself and assume that we would get through a year without any apparatus accidents. They are called accidents for a reason. But then right at the end of the year, there seemed to be a flurry of accidents. In one state, a state trooper and two firefighters were injured when a police cruiser struck the apparatus. I'm not ready just yet to discuss that the apparatus operator in this case is 74 years old. But, stay tuned because that discussion is coming.

In another state, an apparatus rollover injured two firefighters. In this case, the apparatus was reportedly run off the road and ended up on its roof. A week before that, an apparatus accident injured the civilian driver involved in the crash a day after a crash involving an apparatus and SUV injured four civilians, two critically.

Amid this troublesome spate of apparatus accidents came news that one fire department discovered after a crash involving two apparatus that most of its firefighters don't wear seat belts to or from emergency incidents. Additionally, it uncovered that many of the apparatus in this department's fleet had safety devices, like seat belt alarms, disabled. The story made its way to the newswires and was also covered by the local news. I think it's great that it received the attention it did.

Let's talk about seat belts first. To address the seat belt problem, the department mentioned above is now adding a reminder to all dispatches that members wear their seat belts en route to the call. This isn't a really new concept. I was listening to some online audio recently of a larger fire department. In years past when dispatchers there transmitted a box alarm, they would end the transmission with, "All operators use caution when responding." However, when I was listening recently, that phrase was replaced with reminders to use caution, wear seat belts, and so on. And, this really has me thinking: In this day and age, why should any department have to go to such lengths to ensure its personnel wear seat belts? We wear them in our cars. We tell our children to wear them. It is absolutely unacceptable that we don't assume ownership of our own safety to and from emergency incidents.

That's a little bit of a change of course for me-calling into question whether we own our safety. In previous columns, I've called on the officer riding the seat to ensure his crew is belted before departing the firehouse. But at this stage of the game, he should not have to. Twenty years ago when I started my first academy classes, I recall my instructor telling us that as hard as it might be to consider, we are number one, not the victim we are searching for. If things go south, we are to consider our safety first. The concept is hotly debated, but my reason for bringing it up here is that from a very early point, looking out for our own safety is drilled into us. Why are we not translating that into our response to and from the scene? Wear your seat belt. It's a real easy direction.

Now, as far as tampering with safety devices, we are passed the point of worrying about who did it and why. I'm sure it has happened in other places. But, consider the ramifications of tampering with such safety devices. When your truck is delivered, it is compliant with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 1901), Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus. NFPA 1901 compliance involves many, many features designed to keep you safe during an emergency response-and even operating at nonemergency speed. In what world does it make sense to tamper with these safety devices, rendering the apparatus noncompliant? It absolutely boggles my mind that anyone would consider this a good idea.

Departments, assume a zero tolerance policy for not wearing seat belts. And anyone who tampers with a s

By Bill Adams

The apparatus purchasing committee (APC) represents the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), which in this article is any political subdivision subject to a competitive bidding protocol. It's also referred to as the purchaser or the fire department. "Vendor" is synonymous with dealer, salesperson, manufacturer, or whoever sells fire trucks.

When writing fire apparatus purchasing specifications (specs), fire departments can initiate a bizarre chain of events that defies logic. Included are peculiar trends and strange changes in human behavior. Some are foreseeable while others are not. Everyone knows it happens; most don't know why. Few admit it. Some don't care. And, nobody wants to address legality and ethical correctness.

Welcome to the hidden world of spec writing where abnormal behavior can occur daily but is seldom acknowledged. Some in the fire service believe if the subject is ignored, it will quietly go away. Others erroneously believe APCs are immune from reality and reality's ramifications. They may be sadly mistaken. The public bidding arena is becoming more competitive. The future may find purchasers held more accountable for their actions than they have been in the past. Times are changing-be prepared.

Getting Help

Many suburban volunteer and small career fire departments purchase fire apparatus on an infrequent basis. Consequently, some need help with their specs and select a preferred vendor "to work with." That is a polite way of saying that the vendor is going to "help" the APC write its purchasing specifications. Quite often, the vendor physically writes the entire document. It's a common practice of questionable legality that fire departments would rather not discuss. Nonpreferred vendors may grouse about the practice, but most reluctantly accept it. They've been on both sides of the fence.

After choosing a vendor, the APC makes a decision to write, or have written for it, an open or a proprietary spec or some combination thereof. In my opinion, most fire departments write specs tailored around a specific manufacturer. It's commonplace and, again, most purchasers disavow knowledge of the practice. A trend of denial is becoming apparent. I am not criticizing purchasers who know whose rig they are going to buy and write proprietary specifications to ensure it. Judgment is not passed on using the public bidding process to legally justify a predetermined decision. Regardless of being right, wrong, or indifferent, those are local and personal decisions. However, there is a word of caution. Although purchasers may claim ignorance of their questionable spec-writing techniques, they should realize the rest of the world knows exactly what they are doing-and why. Vanity has no place in writing apparatus purchasing specifications. Fire departments adhering to a competitive public bidding protocol usually begrudge those that don't. They wish they too could just buy what they want minus the red tape. Ironically, most deny being envious-it's not professional. The denial trend continues.

Buyers, when asking a vendor to help write an open specification, exercise caution. Most vendors have been around the block more than once, and not every one of them qualifies for sainthood. They can influence specifications with astute usage of wording that promotes their products. Remember, their job is to sell, and most offer proprietary verbiage, albeit in disguise. Get over it. As a former dealer, I did it in the past, dealers do it today, and dealers will likely do it in the future. Most will not comment on the practice. The trend persists. Read vendor-prepared specifications very carefully. After an AHJ publishes a spec, it becomes a legal document with all parties playing in a highly regulated legal environment with real rules and real consequences.

Vendors can purposefully, as well as unintentionall

Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) worked together to introduce bipartisan legislation (H.R. 3685/S. 1798) to exempt fire departments from a requirement to offer health insurance to their volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel. 

The Protect Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act will amend the definition of an employee€ under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to create a clear exemption for nominally compensated volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel.

The PPACA (P.L. 111-148) was passed in 2010 and contained many reforms to the American healthcare system. One of these reforms requires certain large employers to offer health insurance to their full-time employees. In September 2013, the IAFC sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to express concern that the IRS classification of volunteer firefighters as employees could potentially require certain fire departments to offer their volunteers health insurance under the PPACA...