Alan M. Petrillo

Plano (TX) Fire-Rescue is taking an old idea and putting a modern face on it, saving money, increasing efficiency, and prolonging fire apparatus life in the process.

The Concept

Chief Brian Crawford says the department is changing the way it delivers emergency medical services (EMS) by adding two rescue squads in the city's two busiest stations to take the EMS response load off two pumpers and two truck companies. The rescue squads are Chevrolet Suburbans outfitted with everything Plano Fire-Rescue's advanced life support (ALS) ambulances carry to save a life medically. The rescue squads also have a firefighting component, carrying self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and fire turnout gear.

"We launched the program in early October and it provides increased EMS response at a savings to the city but still has valuable fire resources available for calls," Crawford says. "The rescue squads will double the life expectancy of the pumpers, so we'll only have to purchase a pumper every ten years, saving a half million dollars for that one vehicle."

Plano Fire-Rescue has 350 firefighters operating out of 13 stations. It has a Rosenbauer pumper at each station with the exception of where a quint is stationed. The department also operates four Rosenbauer aerial ladders, an urban search and rescue (USAR) unit, and seven ALS ambulances.

"We looked at the vehicles we were using for our EMS calls and determined that fire apparatus was not designed to withstand the wear and tear of dozens of EMS calls daily," Crawford points out. "That wear and tear was taxing the fleet and the biggest cost was the miles being put on pumpers, up to 120,000 miles a year. We would need to replace that pumper in five years, even though the pump would have very few hours on it."

(1) Plano (TX) Fire-Rescue's newly enacted rescue squad program uses fully EMS-outfitted Chevrolet Suburbans to take the load off of two paramedic pumpers. (Photos courtesy of Bill Lindley Photography.)

Solution

Crawford says he knew of "a better mousetrap to solve this issue." He previously was chief of the Shreveport (LA) Fire Department, where he implemented the single paramedic rapid intervention team (SPRINT) concept. "Shreveport has a smaller population than Plano but is a larger department with 500 firefighters and about 38,000 calls a year, compared with 21,000 annually for Plano," Crawford notes. "In Shreveport, we ran three rescue squad-style units very successfully." Crawford took that SPRINT concept and "the rescue squad concept was born where we were able to maintain quality service and a Class 1 Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating here."

The city of Plano is considered part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is 20 miles north of Dallas and encompasses 72 square miles with a population of 270,000. It is home to Snapple, J.C. Penney, and 7-Up corporate headquarters and is populated with residential and commercial structures. Several major highways run through the city.

(2) The Plano rescue squad also carries self-contained breathing apparatus and fire turnout gear for its crew.

The Program

The rescue squads will be housed in Station 1 and Station 4, Crawford said, and he believes they will handle approxi

Alan M. Petrillo

Three Missouri fire departments-each needing to replace one or more pieces of apparatus-recently got together and formed a purchasing alliance that ended up saving each of them tens of thousands of dollars per unit when they purchased seven pumpers from a single manufacturer. The neighboring departments were able to craft the pumper specifications to allow for a base unit they all agreed on yet have the flexibility to choose from 49 options for equipment to include on their own pumpers.

The Springfield (MO) Fire Department purchased four identical pumpers from Rosenbauer, the Republic (MO) Fire Department bought two identical rigs, and the Nixa (MO) Fire Protection District purchased one pumper. The departments estimate they saved approximately $30,000 on each pumper through the joint purchase.

Crafting the Specs

Dave Pennington, assistant chief at the Springfield (MO) Fire Department, says the chief officers have known each other for several years but hadn't considered a joint purchase of apparatus until they were at an event together and realized each department was contemplating buying pumpers. "We discussed the possibility of getting together to purchase the pumpers and, once we agreed, took the idea to Springfield's purchasing director Jim Tillman, who had experience doing joint purchases when he worked in Florida," Pennington says. "He was very familiar with a large-scale event like this and got us the permission to proceed."

Pennington says the three departments set up a committee to write pumper specifications, "trying for a plain vanilla spec because we wanted as many bidders as possible." Seventeen apparatus manufacturers came to the joint prebid conference, and 11 manufacturers eventually submitted bids. The departments awarded the contract to Rosenbauer.

Steve Reedy, vice president and general manager of Rosenbauer's Minnesota division, says the bodies and chassis on all seven pumpers are the same-Spartan MetroStar chassis with four-person cabs. The pumps, water tanks, and body configurations on all the apparatus are the same too-Waterous CSU pumps, 750-gallon tanks, and 30-gallon foam cells with FoamPro systems.

"Springfield and Nixa chose to have 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pumps on their pumpers, while Republic went with a 2,000-gpm Waterous pump," Reedy says. "All the pumpers have foam on them, but Springfield chose to change to a Waterous 200 Platinum compressed air foam system (CAFS) for its units, as well as adding our Green Star auxiliary power unit (APU)."

Pennington points out that Springfield "is finding that our CAFS pumpers are tremendously effective. There's less water consumption, less water damage, and the guys are getting quicker knockdowns."

(1) Three Missouri fire departments purchased seven pumpers on a single contract but were able to choose from 49 equipment options to the base chassis and cab configurations. Chiefs and committee members responsible for making the purchase happen pose in front of the seven pumpers in Springfield, Missouri. [Photo courtesy of the Springfield (MO) Fire Department.]

Challenging Order

Pete Leizer, account manager for MaxFire Firefighting Apparatus, which sold the pumpers to the three departments, says that multiple purchase orders are not ordinary and can be challenging in terms of keeping everything straight for all those involved. "But, we and Rosenbauer's people sat down and listened to thei

Alan M. Petrillo

What does 2014 hold for fire apparatus purchasers and manufacturers? Opinions are mixed among fire apparatus makers, but there is general agreement that fire departments are being more selective in the types of vehicles they are specifying as well as pickier about the enhancements they are putting on their rigs.

Spartan ERV has seen a growth in pent-up demand as more money becomes available in budgets, according to Rich Holzman, Spartan ERV's national account sales manager. "There's a trend toward buying a custom chassis vehicle compared to a commercial chassis," Holzman says. "It's about two to one, custom to commercial."

Mitch Willoughby, national sales and marketing director for HME Inc., says that apparatus purchases "boil down to the customer's needs, which are shaped by the current economy, technology, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards."

(1) Rosenbauer is developing a computerized pump panel with a three-dimensional screen and expects to have a wireless option for it in the near future. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer.)

All-Hazard Apparatus

"Fire departments are making their vehicles do more than they did ten years ago," says Chad Trinkner, Pierce Manufacturing's director of product management for aerials, pumpers, and fire suppression. "They didn't plan then on having medical and extrication equipment on them but now are maximizing the capabilities of the vehicle for the mission of the department."

In the past, Trinkner points out, each truck usually had a mission-pumper, aerial, rescue, tanker-that was a part of the overall mission of the fire department. "These days, the fire department's mission drives the specifications of the vehicle and what's being purchased," he notes. "Hosebeds are getting lower, pumpers are being combined with rescues and emergency medical services (EMS) response units, and tankers are carrying more hose."

Willoughby thinks the trend of multiuse vehicles will continue for a while, but he sees room for producing specialized vehicles at economical cost. "We introduced the Silverfox, a loaded custom pumper that's cost-effective," he says, "as well as redesigned our MiniEVO to handle a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump. There are some departments that have a need to get a smaller vehicle down tight streets."

Jeff Morris, president of Alexis Fire Equipment Company, thinks there's a split among the types of departments buying apparatus. "We keep seeing the haves and have nots," he says. "There are departments with all kinds of money in their budgets and fire departments with nothing." So, Morris predicts the industry will see an increase of both base model vehicles as well as more elaborate ones.

(2) Smeal Fire Apparatus developed AerialLogic AL-11, a graphical display for its aerials that gives information on all aerial ladder and engine functions. (Photo courtesy of Smeal Fire Apparatus.)

"We're building more pumpers with extrication equipment built into them," Morris says, "where departments are trying to make a single piece of apparatus go farther and longer. We're also seeing departments forego a piece of equipment, such as an aerial, if a neighboring department has one that they can cal

Bill Adams

Most training manuals define laying a supply or feeder line from the hydrant to the fire as making a forward lay. Regionally, it's called dropping a line, a flying stretch, laying in, dropping cotton, bringing water, or hitting a plug. Don't confuse the term hitting a plug with making a plug when a pumper reverse lays fire to hydrant and ties in. Regardless of region or nomenclature, years ago, laying in was a relatively simple and fast but inherently dangerous evolution. It was a performance that just reading about would cause today's safety officers to cavitate. Actually observing it could send them into vapor lock.

(1) The door was removed from the center tailboard compartment on this 1985 pumper when the supply line was switched to LDH. Although it is very easy to deploy, some sort of retaining strap may be advisable. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

When the rig approached the scene, the officer would stand up (no roof) and point at the hydrant man riding on the back step (no crew cab or jump seats)-note that the term hydrant man refers to the firefighter who makes a hydrant, regardless of gender. That was the signal to drop a line (no intercom). On rigs with split beds, if the officer held up two fingers, it meant to lay duals [before large-diameter hose (LDH)].

Common practice was to hang onto a grab rail with one hand and grab the gates and lines with the other. When the rig slowed down and pulled toward the side of the road, you waited until you felt the driver disengage the clutch (no automatics) then glanced down the side of the rig to estimate how much hose was required to reach the hydrant. Letting go of the grab rail, the hydrant man balanced himself on the rear step (no safety belt), grabbed the appropriate folds of hose, and bailed off-usually before the rig came to a complete stop and hopefully without breaking anything, hence the term "flying stretch." Most of the time it worked. If not, you hoped injuries weren't too serious.

(2) This 1990 rear-engine pumper uses a bolt-on hydrant box at the rear of the apparatus to simplify dropping a line. Pick up the hydrant bag, throw the butt end with the attached hydrant valve over your shoulder, and head for the plug. (3) A box semirecessed into the rear panel was provided on this 1999 rear-mount pumper. After several trips over bumpy roads, the hydrant bag was eventually secured with a carabiner.

Today, dropping cotton takes longer and isn't necessarily as safe as one may think. Getting to the scene is one thing. Newer apparatus have enclosed cabs, seat belts, front and side air bags, and numerous mandated electronic safety and stability features. Manufacturers must adhere to a plethora of stringent regulatory safety standards, rules, and regulations that, for the most part, are standard for all apparatus. It is unquestionably safer riding inside a fire truck today than it was riding the rear step-as it should be.

It's another story after the rig arrives on location. How efficiently, expeditiously, and safely firefighters, including the hydrant man, accomplish their mission is a direct result of the competence or failure of the apparatus purchasing committee (APC) in designing and specifying a new rig. It's harsh but true that an APC's inattention to the procedure of laying in may inadvertently make the task unnecessarily time-consuming and possibly compromise the very s

Al Vangura Jr.

Since I introduced a new rescue tool to cut glass to the first responder community about a year ago, one of the top questions that invariably I have been asked regardless of the country I am in is, "What about the glass dust?" Many take the strong position that glass dust will cause silicosis and lung cancer and that a respirator mask must be donned anytime glass is cut during extrication procedures. With extensive background as a forensic bioengineer and biomechanical engineer, I decided to investigate this issue in more detail to determine the validity of the claims against glass dust. What my research uncovered will likely be hard for many to wrap their heads around considering years of training to the contrary. This article is intended to explain the results of that research effort in sufficient detail to convince many who will be skeptical. In the end, the rescue and extrication community, including fire, emergency medical service (EMS), and police, must come to terms with the fact that glass dust is not dangerous and way too much time has been wasted for a hazard that does not pose an unreasonable risk.

(1) Tempered glass is subjected to rapid, controlled cooling during manufacturing to produce high, compressively stressed surface layers, which increases its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering creates balanced internal stresses, which cause the glass to crumble into small granular chunks when shattered instead of splintering into long, jagged shard. (Photos from Shutterstock unless otherwise noted.)

Background

Let's start with the basics. Glass is a hard, brittle substance, typically transparent or translucent, made by mixing and heating sand or silica with soda, lime, and other ingredients. The molten mixture is rapidly cooled using controlled processes to make windows, drinking containers, vases, and other products.

Glass classified as safety glass has been toughened to provide increased resistance to impact or shattering into large, dangerous shards, which can injure nearby persons. Safety glass comes in two basic types: tempered and laminated.

Tempered glass is subjected to rapid, controlled cooling during manufacturing to produce high, compressively stressed surface layers, which increases its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering creates balanced internal stresses, which cause the glass to crumble into small granular chunks when shattered instead of splintering into long, jagged shards. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury.

Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that is assembled using two or more glass sheets bonded together with an interlayer to form a clear, see-through barrier with enhanced impact and shatter resistance. Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) plastic is commonly used as the interlayer, which further enhances the glass by increasing sound insulation, minimizing vandalism, permitting tinting, and blocking nearly 99 percent of ultraviolet radiation. With sufficient impact force, the glass layers will shatter into the characteristic "spider web" cracking pattern, creating granular glass fragments. The PVB interlayer functions to hold the glass fragments together, minimizing the risk of flying glass impacting people.

(2) Laminated glass is a type of safety glass that is assembled using two or more glass sheets bonded together with an interlayer to form a clear, see-through barrier with enhanced impact and shatter resista Read more 609 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious8225822682278228822982308231823282338234NextLast Theme picker Filter News Catagories Categories News (193) RSS Expand/Collapse Washington News (11520) RSS Expand/Collapse National News (11076) RSS Expand/Collapse WFC News (109) RSS Expand/Collapse Legislative Announcements (7) RSS Expand/Collapse Flag Lowerings (15) RSS Expand/Collapse Memorial Information (24) RSS Expand/Collapse Sections (6) RSS Expand/Collapse Emergency Medical Services (1) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Administrative Support (17) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Mechanics (18541) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Training Safety & Officers (25) RSS Expand/Collapse Public Fire Educators (4) RSS Expand/Collapse HazMat Committee (0) RSS Expand/Collapse Filter to see National, Washington or WFC News, or filter to the Section News you are looking for! Search News Articles Search Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2024 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM