Alan M. Petrillo

Makers of fire apparatus and equipment are reporting more deals with various branches of United States military services, as well as other nongovernmental agencies-Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and others.

Very often, equipment is developed for the military, which then trickles down for use in municipal and industrial applications. And, the reverse also is true-the military purchases tried-and-true municipal firefighting apparatus and equipment because they meet its particular needs.

(1) The Cobra EXM, along with other monitors in the Elkhart Brass EXM line, was developed as a result of work done with United States military services. (Photo courtesy of Elkhart Brass.)

Water Appliances

Rick Singer, vice president of North American sales for Akron Brass Company, says his company's dual-flow handline nozzle started its life as a design for the United States Navy, as did a portable monitor design that could be used for shipboard fires. Akron Brass works with all five branches of the United States military, as well as with the National Guard. "The original concept for the Mercury portable monitor was for the Navy," Singer points out, "where Navy personnel could deploy and leave an unmanned device to fight fires on a ship. Likewise, our dual-flow nozzle started as a military design for the Navy. It was later expanded, refined, and provided to the municipal fire market as the SaberJet nozzle."

The Akron SaberJet can put out a solid stream, fog pattern, or both at the same time, Singer notes. "In some cases, the products we provide to the military have been highly specialized to meet stringent and unique military requirements," Singer says. "There's often a need for design robustness that can withstand a saltwater environment or to take excessive shock or vibration."

Another firefighting solution embraced by the military that is finding its way into municipal departments is ultra-high-pressure (UHP) applications, Singer adds. "UHP designs are moving from United States Air Force applications, where a lot of UHP testing and work have been done, and into the municipal fire world and the wildland fire industry," he says.

On the other hand, Singer says, "We've seen solutions started on the civilian side that get taken up by the military, with remote control monitor solutions that have for a long time been embraced in industrial firefighting now being applied by various military branches."

Rod Carringer, chief marketing officer for Task Force Tips (TFT), says TFT also works with all United States military branches because fire suppression is part of their mission at nearly every level. "We've done a lot of work with the Navy, especially on submarines," Carringer says. "They ask us for certain design and performance standards, and often they are not too far from what we offer commercially to municipal and industrial customers."

Carringer says a lot of the TFT military business is in manual handheld nozzles, monitors, and foam-making equipment that is very similar to the kinds of equipment used by municipal fire departments. "A lot of military firefighting deals with base activities, so it is pretty much the same equipment and apparatus as you'd find in your local fire department," he says. "However, there are some specific hazards on bases that have to be dealt with, and those sometimes requ

By Spencer Dell,
Senior Marketing Communications Specialist,
Cummins Inc.

During the past ten years, the fire industry has seen the many changes in emissions regulations relative to on-highway diesel engines. New emissions regulations have brought on new engine technology including electronic fuel systems, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), as well as aftertreatment technology including diesel particulate filters (DPFs) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR), which can be found on most of today's engines. These changes in regulations and the resulting new technology developments have raised some questions on how the exhaust aftertreatment systems will impact fire and emergency vehicle operation. This article will focus on the evolution of the aftertreatment technology used by engine manufacturers in the industry and address how these systems impact the operator.

Origins

The year 2007 brought the introduction of the DPF for most in the industry. Engine manufacturers used the DPF to help clean up the particulate matter-one of the emissions pollutants regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and more commonly referred to as soot. By using the DPF in place of the traditional muffler, the engine could operate more efficiently, allowing the aftertreatment system to handle the exhaust emissions control and lowering particulate matter. With the introduction of the DPF came a term known as "regeneration." Regeneration is the process of removing the excess soot (particulate matter) from the DPF by raising exhaust temperature. It often is performed passively while the engine is operating at a certain temperature, although some instances require the operator to manually perform a parked regeneration to clean the system. Standard in all fire and emergency vehicles with a DPF is a series of dash lamps helping to inform the driver when regeneration is required. As the DPF begins to fill with soot, these lamps will illuminate, notifying the operator that a regeneration needs to be performed. One key point to note is that in 2007, Cummins chose not to initiate a "derate," or performance penalty, for fire and emergency vehicles as the DPF filled with soot.

2010 Regulations

In 2010, new regulations brought the emissions levels, most notably oxides of nitrogen (NOx), down to near-zero levels as particulate matter levels were already at this level in 2007. Many engine manufacturers chose to use SCR, which uses diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to help attain these new emission levels. DEF is an additional fluid stored on the vehicle in a specifically labeled tank that the driver needs to refill when needed, much like engine coolant and windshield wiper fluid.

Keeping an adequate DEF level ensures that the engine will operate appropriately and as designed. Just like in 2007 with the introduction of the DPF, drivers are notified of a low DEF level through a series of lamps on a vehicle's dash. Based on typical DEF usage in an emergency vehicle application, operators can expect to fill up their DEF tank roughly 10 times per year or about once every 5.5 weeks depending on the vehicle's use. Maintaining an adequate DEF level is a simple procedure, and Cummins recommends simply topping off the fluid when filling up the diesel fuel tank.

If the DEF level reaches a critically low point on Cummins EPA 2010 engines, a performance penalty (also known as a derate) is initiated to incentivize the driver to refill the DEF tank. This derate, mandated by the EPA in 2010, is a reduction in engine power (torque) applied only when the DEF level is critically low. Cummins implemented a modification in July 2011, based on a change issued from the EPA, to alter the derate specifically for fire and emergency vehicle applications regarding critically low DEF levels. This change resulted from the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers' Association (

Bill Adams

Tunnel vision, the loss of peripheral sight, is a constricted tunnel-like ability to see. Medically, it can be caused by glaucoma. In the fire service, complacency causes it-better defined as an extremely narrow point of view. It's common in old-timers, past-their-prime white coats, and occasionally those who write apparatus purchasing specifications (specs). Affecting vendors as well as firefighters, it's a predetermined prejudiced outlook on any change from the status quo. Severe cases provoke that embarrassing, denigrating, but sometimes factual statement of "200 years of tradition unimpeded by progress." Look no further than a pumper's hosebed and, in particular, at rear preconnect storage.

Stowage-wise, little has changed since preconnected collapsible hose replaced booster lines for initial attack-crosslays and speedlays being exceptions. The recent trend to eliminate traditional pump houses with alternative pump locations has seen a renewed awareness and usage of rear preconnects, probably from necessity rather than choice. Advantages and detriments of crosslays, speedlays, reel storage, and front bumper lays are left for another day.

(1) This Spartan-ERV has three removable aluminum hose storage trays. Two hose storage areas are located above the trays and two to the right of the trays. Stainless steel rollers facilitate removal and reloading. (Photo courtesy of Alan Smith, a Spartan-ERV dealer.)

No preference is shown for the quantities, sizes, and lengths of rear preconnects or for the methods of loading and deploying them. Whether they are packed flat or on edge; one tier wide or two tiers wide; or in a reverse horseshoe, pull-and-dump, or shoulder load configuration is a local matter. Do what's best for your department. This article looks at various locations to store rear preconnects and the importance of specifying them in a clear and understandable manner.

The Bidding Process

Not all fire departments are mandated to follow governmental bidding protocols. Some political subdivisions give fire departments extraordinary leeway in writing purchasing specifications and recommending bid awards. However, in most scenarios, the fire department writes the technical specification and the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) finalizes the legalities and makes the legal purchase. If the fire department does a lousy job writing the spec, it stands the chance of getting a lousy rig. The same applies to hose storage for preconnects.

An AHJ, especially one not firematically oriented or fire department friendly, can award a bid to a vendor just meeting the written word of the specification. That AHJ may have no concern or little care for what the fire department expected, really wanted, or thought it specified. In political subdivisions, the AHJ is legally obligated to ensure competitive bidding statutes are followed. Be careful. Today's public bidding environment has changed. Vendors are aggressive. Vote-conscious politicians, bureaucrats apprehensive about personal job security, fiscally conservative watchdog groups, and economically strapped taxpayers may not care what the fire department likes, dislikes, or thought it wrote. Specification verbiage, or lack of it, weighs heavily in awarding a contract. Write carefully.

Comprehensive Specifications

It's important to write understandable and definitive purchasing specifications when describing any hosebed. It's imperative when addressing nontraditional storage. Not doing so can cause turmoil when evaluating proposals and may create ill feelings between the fire de