Portable radios often serve as lifelines that link firefighters with commanders either outside of a structure or at out-of-sight distances away from their location. Manufacturers have made great strides in portable radio design for the fireground, building in features that several years ago would have only been available on a wish list.


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By Alan M. Petrillo

Improvements in speaker microphones, background noise suppression, more robust housings, wider interoperability for better compatibility among radio types, longer battery life, better ergonomic design, special color schemes, and the addition of global positioning system (GPS) functionality have made portable radios much more effective tools for firefighters, their officers, and incident commanders.

Tactilely Unique

Dhiren Chauhan, fire and EMS marketing manager for Motorola Solutions Inc., says that Motorola's APX radio is its P25 flagship line designed solely for first responders and government officials. "The portable radios are designed to be used with a gloved hand and have a tactility that is different from other radios," Chauhan says. "The design allows for a better grip on the radio, which has a larger over-mold on the top housing that provides an extra layer of protection from bumps. The portable has a T-grip to make it non slip and rubber texture in certain areas also to provide a nonslip surface."

Chauhan notes that Motorola's APX portables use Gorilla glass in the display, which is a type of glass treated to withstand scratches and other abuse. "We also designed larger knobs on the APX, including a large emergency activation button three times the size of the typical emergency button," he points out. "If the radio is carried in a firefighter's turnout gear, all he has to do is touch his index finger to the top of the antenna, which leads directly to the emergency button, so there is no fumbling around for it."

The APX also includes an accelerometer and a "firefighter-down" feature that can transmit a firefighter-down warning to a commander or fire dispatch if a firefighter remains motionless for a certain period of time. Software is used to define the time motionless, Chauhan says, as well as the firefighter's attitude-vertical motionless, horizontal motionless, or both.

"We built the loudest and clearest microphone and speaker into the APX," Chauhan notes, "with a one-watt digital speaker that's twice as loud as others. We also use noise-canceling technology and adaptive beam forming in our two microphones, front and back. The microphone closest to the mouth picks up the voice and the other one acts as a noise-canceling microphone."

Motorola also has integrated GPS into its portable APX radio as well as encryption technology. "It's important to know where firefighters are on a fireground," Chauhan says. "We transmit the GPS location through our radio network and can triangulate to locate a firefighter who might be lost, such as in a wildland fire event. Encryption is included in all our portables, and it can be turned on or off by choice of the fire department."

Motorola's APX 7000 and 7000XE portables carry all of the features noted, Chauhan points out, while the 6000 and 6000XE models have a different 500-milliamp speaker and are not dual-band radios.

Short-Range Preferences

Bob Shropshire, public safety market specialist for Icom America, says his company's top P25 model is the 9011S that covers VHF, UHF, 700-, and 800-MHz f

Robert Tutterow

This and last month's columns were prompted by several "public inputs" (formerly public proposals) to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Fire Apparatus Technical Committee in September 2013. Interested parties submitted the public inputs to try to improve the cramped conditions.

Unfortunately, the committee rejected all of the public inputs. The reason for the rejections was the same for all: "It is not possible to build to those dimensions in the current configurations commonly used, especially in the officer's seating area." The use of the words "commonly used" is most interesting. The entire premise of the public inputs was to improve what is "commonly used."

During the second draft meeting (public comment) of the Technical Committee this past July, J. Gordon Routley, division chief, Montreal Fire Department, made an in-person plea to the committee to at least increase the minimum seat width from 22 to 28 inches. As a reminder, the substantiation for the public comment was based on detailed scientific evidence of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study titled, "Safe Seating and Seat Belts in Fire Apparatus: Anthropometric Aspect." Anthropometry deals with human body measurements. The study indicated that a minimum width of 28 inches is required to accommodate 95 percent of firefighters wearing personal protective equipment. The current 22-inch minimum accommodates just fewer than 50 percent of firefighters.

NFPA Technical Committee Decision

The committee's unanimous decision regarding increasing the width to 28 inches was to "hold for further study." What else is there to study? This is not a new issue. The committee learned of the situation more than eight years ago. And, the committee has probably never been presented with as much science-based evidence to accept a public input before. Historically, the committee has regularly used lack of scientific evidence as a reason to reject public input-and rightly so. And, it has accepted public input on anecdotal evidence-and rightly so-when it seemed entirely logical.

The committee also rejected a compromise suggestion to increase the seating width to 28 inches for just the back seats of the cab. One of the reasons was that it would eliminate 10-person cabs. How many emergency responses are made each year with 10 firefighters on board? Maybe it happens occasionally if a volunteer or combination department is having a training session at the station when it receives a call.

The discussion in the meeting room was puzzling to say the least. The truth, as stated on more than one occasion, is that there are custom apparatus on the market today that meet the proposed 28-inch minimum seat width standard. Granted, there are very few. Yet with every mention of this fact, the room collectively ignored the statement. It was like one of those political television talk shows when one side "nails the other side." The other side ignores the "nailing" and quickly diverts the discussion. More disturbing were the position and comments from the fire service representatives on the committee. Except for one comment, they were in "lock step" with the position against the proposed 28-inch minimum.

Defending Manufacturers

In defense of fire apparatus manufacturers, they are not in an easy position. Environmental Protection Agency

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By Alan M. Petrillo

Yet today, TDAs continue to be used by many departments for a variety of reasons, including maneuverability, storage capacity, ground ladder carrying ability, and faster setup time at a fire scene.

Advantages

Tim Smits, senior sales manager of fleet management for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says a TDA is one of the most versatile pieces of aerial apparatus in a fire department's arsenal of vehicles. "A TDA has excellent maneuverability, and with an experienced crew, there's virtually no place you can't take the TDA because of its fifth wheel articulation and the ability to steer the rear of the apparatus around obstacles," he says.

Often, the area covered by a TDA's ladder is greater than a department could achieve with a straight-frame rear-mount ladder. "Brevard County (FL) has a 100-foot Pierce TDA that they took out on a training scenario at a hotel property that had an enclosed garage in front of the structure," Smits says. "There was only a two-car-width area in front where you couldn't position a rear-mount, so they maneuvered their TDA in so they could cover the whole front of the structure. They parked the TDA in the center and were able to hit every floor and balcony, and when they tried it with the rear-mount backed in as close as it could get, they only could hit one quarter of the structure."

Dave Perkins, aerial specialist for E-ONE, points out that besides maneuverability, carrying larger complements of ground ladders and having more compartmentation are big advantages of a TDA compared with a straight-frame aerial ladder. "Maneuverability seems to be the biggest benefit of a TDA over even a single-axle straight-frame ladder," Perkins says, "but another thing we're seeing propel fire departments toward TDAs is they are more concerned about carrying more ground ladders. In addition, there's more cubic feet of compartmentation, so departments are able to use the TDA as a specialized truck company and have its hazmat or water rescue components on the vehicle."

Pete Hoherchak, aerial products manager for KME, agrees with Smits's and Perkins's assessments. "With a TDA, the purpose of steering from the rear is maneuverability where the vehicle is able to get around in tight city streets," Hoherchak says. "Where the tractor goes, the tiller can follow."

Compartmentation is another critical benefit of a TDA, he adds. "A typical rear-mount ladder has a minimum allowance of 2,500 pounds of equipment," Hoherchak notes. "On a TDA, it's the same minimum requirement by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), but most departments are able to put between 5,000 and 8,000 pounds of equipment on the vehicle because of the space available and the fact that the TDA can handle it."

On the ground ladder issue, Hoherchak says a typical straight-frame aerial ladder will carry 115 feet of ground ladders, while a TDA will easily carry more than 200 feet of ground ladders.

Disadvantages

Chuck Glagola, aerial sales manager for Smeal Fire Apparatus, notes that TDA disadvantages includ

Christian P. Koop

They all serve the same basic purpose: to assist the foundation brakes in stopping heavy ERVs and commercial over-the-road rigs. However, there are several different makes and types on the market, and how they are mounted and operate all differ. Impact to the rest of the vehicles' systems and reliability also differs as well as how much retardation output they can produce. In this article, I will briefly cover the history behind some of the different types of retarders we have used in my department and some of my experiences dealing with repairs and maintenance.

Because retarders provide added stopping power, they will also reduce the possibility of brake fade, which I am sure all will agree is huge when it comes to safety. Reducing or eliminating brake fade is the main reason they were invented. Keep in mind that they do a lot more than this because they not only improve or reduce stopping distances but also extend brake life. Extending brake life means cost savings and less time at the shop. Fewer changeouts (crews transferring their gear from a frontline ERV to a spare) is a good thing for the overall operation, the crews, and the communities they serve. These are two extremely important subjects, particularly in today's highly litigious environment not to mention tighter budgets. To reiterate and make sure I get my point across, retarders not only improve the safe operation of any ERV equipped with these devices, they will also reduce brake maintenance and replacement costs over the life of the ERV while reducing equipment downtime simultaneously.

There are several different types and makes of retarders on the market today, and they differ in operation; efficiency; cost; installation; and, most importantly, to me as far as the fire service goes, how much they can really slow the vehicle down in brake horsepower (BHP) at low-speed operation or intercity service and how quickly they achieve maximum retardation. They run the gamut-ranging from hydraulic transmission output retarders to electromagnetic driveline retarders and engine retarders.

Electromagnetic Induction Retarder

The first type I will cover is the electromagnetic induction retarder from Telma, which is probably the oldest, having been around for almost 70 years. It was developed by an engineer in Europe who saw the need to add a means of assisting brakes to reduce total brake failure because of brake fade. Heavy trucks would lose their brakes in mountainous regions of Europe, resulting in many lost lives and destruction of equipment and goods. These retarders can be mounted in the driveline hanging from the chassis rails or in a "focal mount," which bolts directly to the differential input housing. This retarder is totally frictionless, and the energy absorbed by these retarders is released directly to the air surrounding them.

In a nutshell, there are a set of fixed nonrotating electrical coils with two metal stators on either side that rotate with the driveline. As the electrical field generated in the coils is induced into the stator, it serves as a driveline brake and will slow and eventually almost bring the vehicle to a full stop. They generally are programmed to turn off or deactivate at a predetermined speed so they do not remain on when the vehicle is stopped. The units we had in se

A fire department's firefighters and officers are usually the best resources in deciding what course of action to take when it comes to a piece of apparatus that is on the edge of its useful life.

By Alan M. Petrillo

If the apparatus is getting old and needs repair, they have to decide what to do-refurbish the vehicle or buy a replacement. The decision isn't always as straightforward as it might appear. The types of departments that consider refurbishing vehicles vary, Jeff Wegner, vice president of sales for Smeal Fire Apparatus, points out, from large municipal departments refurbishing aerials and pumpers to smaller departments that might not be able to afford a new vehicle and choose to refurbish an existing one to get another 15 to 20 years out of it.

Wegner says that in 2009, when the economy took a nose dive and manufacturers suffered a 40 percent decrease in new truck sales, refurbishments became popular again. "We saw a lot of departments doing refurbishments then," he notes, "and that trend continued for several years. But, new truck sales are starting to come around, and there aren't as many refurbishments as in past years."

Donley Frederickson, national sales manager for Rosenbauer, believes that apparatus refurbishment work has slowed down, a sign he says means "fire departments are watching their finances pretty closely. But when there's too much work to be done on a vehicle, our dealers usually recommend that the fire department buy a new vehicle instead of going the refurbishment route."

Financial Considerations

Don Daemmrich, refurbishment center sales manager for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., believes that a great deal of refurbishment comes about because of finances. "I think a lot of the refurbishment that is done to fire vehicles is due to budgetary considerations in the fire department or municipality," Daemmrich says. "And often, a department that has a custom piece of apparatus it likes might want to update it with the latest safety technology."

Daemmrich says that larger city departments typically are the ones bringing in apparatus for refurbishment. "The bigger cities run a lot more calls, and road conditions might be more difficult, so their apparatus might need to be refurbished more quickly than a department that doesn't have such a high call volume," he notes. Daemmrich's rule of thumb on the value of refurbishment is, "If you can keep the refurbishment at 50 percent of the cost of a new vehicle, it's a good investment."

Chris Lashley, plant manager of the factory service center at E-ONE, agrees with Daemmrich's cost estimate. "If we see a customer exceeding a cost that shows it's not in its best interest, we advise that customer to consider buying a new vehicle," Lashley says. "We usually will consider going to 50 to 60 percent of replacement cost. Beyond that, it's better to replace." He says aerials and aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles are typically the best candidates for refurbishing.

Mark Albright, general manager at 4 Guys Fire Trucks, agrees that the decision on whether or not to refurbish a vehicle is a tough call for fire departments. "How much money do they have to spend?" he asks. "A refurbish job can run well over $100,000 or more, but weighed against the cost of a new truck at $400,000, it might be more attractive. It depends on what the department can afford."

The cost of a new vehicle also drives some departments to refurbish an existing