Chris Mc Loone

A fan of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Facebook page recently commented on a picture shared there. There were two pieces of apparatus in the image-a 2005 engine and a 1984 tanker (tender), both in service with the same department.

He commented that there are many departments in the United States that are operating with dated equipment and that many departments talk about how hard they have it when they actually have a new truck parked in the station full of equipment that the crew needs to do its job. He said, "Put yourself in a real station that struggles but works with what it has and strives to be the best it can be with what it has." Pretty strong words there. He later sent a picture that we featured containing three of his department's apparatus. The newest apparatus in the picture is a 1979 Ford pumper. All three apparatus are from the 1970s.

Recent years have seen the fire service endure some of the toughest times it has experienced. Terms like "multipurpose apparatus" are the result of these times. The economy tanked, municipalities scaled back their budgets, and consequently the number of new apparatus purchased went down. Departments merged two trucks into one-not an entirely new concept, but for many it became a new necessity. Staffing levels dropped. But for many, this was nothing new.

We're lucky enough to have Carl Haddon, our "To the Rescue" columnist, who sheds much-needed light on the issues that impact rural fire departments in his monthly "Rurally Speaking" Web article. The fact is that for many of us, the current "do more with less" mantra is relatively new. Fire departments have always struggled to secure the same funding as our police brethren, but for many of us with 20 or fewer years of service, adjusting to the current atmosphere has been a challenge. This is not so, however, for departments like Haddon's. They have endured much worse for much longer. He says, "We laugh in frustration when we hear phrases such as 'additional resources' because we know that additional resources are at least a couple of hours away-if they are available at all. I don't know about you, but throughout my tenure with a rural department, I have often felt as though we are an island that the rest of the world doesn't really understand." The realities that many municipalities have faced since 2008 are nothing compared to what rural fire departments have faced for far longer.

And now, the fire service trade show season is ramping up. As it does, there is always a buzz revolving around upcoming product introductions, whether they be apparatus- or equipment-related. I'll be at some of the national shows and some of the regional shows. I'll be there for both work and my fire company. I'll be keeping tabs on what's new on the apparatus and equipment fronts as our apparatus purchasing committee begins creating specifications for a new rescue truck. However, there are many who will not be able to get to any show, not even to kick tires. For these departments, the realities are that no matter what the innovation is, how great it is, or how it will increase efficiencies on the fireground, it is unattainable in most cases.

And, the worst part is that there isn't an easy answer. Economies of scale are what they are. Although the audience member seemed frustrated at the realities before him, there was also an undercurrent of pride. "Put yourself in a real station that struggles but works with what it has and strives to be the best it can be with what it has," he said. That pride is what I think pervades all aspects of the fire service.

There isn't a firefighter or fire officer around who does not take pride in his department or company. If you don't, then you need to move on. Every one of us aspires to do our best with what we have. It is true that most of us are asked to do

By Raul A. Angulo

Ever hear, "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight"? What does this have to do with firefighting? Well, what do we fight? Fi re. What are our weapons? Fire hose. We can choose 1¾- or 2½-inch hoselines. Some fire departments use two-inch hose, and that's a nice manageable in-between. But the weapon of choice is usually the 1¾-inch handline, primarily because it's easiest to handle. Let's face it-pulling a 2½-inch is labor-intensive. When I was in drill school in 1980, we hated the 2½-inch line evolutions. Back then we used 100-foot sections of double-jacketed cotton hose. When it was soaked, it was heavy! Not to mention that the 2½-inch nozzle was an all-chromed Wooster nozzle. Shoulder loading a wet section of 2½-inch line off the ground was brutal, which translates into heavy! And, that was uncharged. Today we use 100-foot sections of 100 percent polyester-woven synthetic hose with lightweight nozzles. Uncharged, the hose is considerably lighter, but charged it's still heavy and hard to advance.

Shown here is Clint Bowring's original sketch of the tool that would eventually bear his name. The large hose cradle (hook) only accommodated 2½-inch hose. Features included a door wedge, sprinkler wedge, figure eight, gas shutoff, spanner wrench, carabiner hole, and ring (handle). [Photos by Clint Bowring.]

Changing Fire Loads

Fire departments were already figuring out what National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tests later confirmed: that synthetic modern fuel loads vs. the legacy fuel loads in residential homes were producing faster growing and bigger fires. Flashover times in room fires with legacy fuels are approximately 29 minutes after ignition. Modern fuels are producing room fire flashovers in approximately four minutes. We needed more water and additional handlines to extinguish routine house fires. The transition from 1½- to 1¾-inch fire hose as the new standard attack hose also ushered in new 1½-inch nozzles capable of flowing 200 to 225 gallons per minute (gpm)-a substantial increase from the standard 100-gpm nozzles. More gpm using a 1¾-inch hose meant you could put out more fire than the 1½-inch line could, yet the 1¾-inch line handled much like a 1½-inch hoseline. One firefighter could handle it. That industry adjustment put us ahead of the curve and gave us the advantage again.

This is the first Bowring prototype. Holes and slots were made to reduce the weight of the tool. The large hose cradle handled the 2½-inch hose. The small cradle was simply a spanner wrench.

The next fire problem that started creeping in all over the country was big box superstores. Simply put, our society created bigger spaces to pack modern fuel fire loads. The modern fuel fire loads were also increasing in high-rise buildings. Computer and telecommunication terminals with all the cable and support accessories are really plastic storage facilities disguised as business offices.

Our response to commercial fires was a bit miscalculated. The 1¾-inch interior attack line was working so well, we continued to fight commercial fires the same way we were fighting residential fires. You can put out a lot of fire with 200 gpm but not as much as with 300 gpm. The numbers are derived from fire flow requirement formulas. Th

By Robert Tutterow

In a previous column, I shared a quote from Glen Usdin, a former magazine publisher, that states, "The fire service is a low-tech market that has zero potential for growth, and the amount of new products and services being introduced each year is very small. We keep our expensive stuff for a long time and don't really embrace much new technology." I found this comment to be humbling as it was something I have never considered or heard mentioned.

The quote continued to weigh on my mind, and I started reflecting on fire service product innovations. When I step back to my first experiences in the fire service as a kid in the late 1950s, I can easily see changes everywhere. For example, when my dad became a charter member of a local rural volunteer fire department, there were no pagers and no 911 system. To report a fire, you had to call the local funeral home. It also ran the ambulance service and was available all day. The funeral home would call Mrs. Nina Powell, who lived across the road from the fire station. Fortunately, she was almost always at home and hopefully not on the phone. Yes, there was a backup contact. Mrs. Powell would go to the fire station and activate the alarm mounted on the roof. She would remain outside the station and tell the responding firefighters the location of the fire. This kept firefighters from having to get out of their vehicles. After a few minutes, she would write the information on the chalkboard for any late-arriving firefighters and return home.

The department's engine was a 1958 Howe pumper on a six-cylinder Chevrolet chassis with a four-speed manual transmission and two-speed rear end. The tanker (water tender) was a tractor-drawn military surplus vehicle. The tractor was a 1939 Federal with "armstrong" power steering, and the tanker trailer had a 2,000-gallon capacity. The tractor was as long as the trailer, and this quickly separated the skilled drivers from the not-so-skilled when it came to backing. There were no two-way radios and no incident command system. Yet, all of this was still a huge improvement over the horse-drawn, hand-pumped, and steam-driven engines of yesteryear. Clearly, the fire service has come a long way.

Emphasis on Safety

However, it's only been in the past 25 to 30 years that there has been an emphasis on fire apparatus and equipment as it relates to firefighter safety. Almost all the innovations have come from other industries like the military and, to some degree, the space program. Many of the changes have been driven by laws, standards, and litigation-or the fear of litigation. The fire service simply has little horsepower when it comes to driving technological advances. Historically, most of what we do is low-tech, though this is beginning to change.

For apparatus, the biggest change has been in cab design-going from open cabs to fully enclosed cabs. This became a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirement in 1991. The change was prompted by a lawsuit against an apparatus manufacturer, the Peter Pirsch Company. A Brookline, Massachusetts, firefighter-Joseph Tynan-died from head injuries sustained when he fell from the apparatus during a response. A key point to the prosecution's case was the grab bar that wrapped around the back of the canopy cab. The defense was not able to determine the purpose of the grab bar other than a place to hold onto while standing during a response. The Pirsch Company was found liable for the accident and was successfully sued for $5 million. Soon thereafter, it went out of business.

Visible warning devices for apparatus have also improved with the emergence of LED lights. Electronics are now the norm in engines and transmissions. Yet, these improvements come from other industries. There have been improvements to the seating and restraint systems in fire apparatus as well as improvements in step and grab

By Alan M. Petrillo

There's been a quiet revolution in lighting on all types of fire apparatus, and light emitting diodes-better known as LEDs-are leading the charge.

LEDs have many advantages over other types of lighting devices: They draw less current, burn cooler, and last inordinately longer.

Although LED lighting fixtures are more costly up front than other types of lighting, they still are being chosen more frequently to light up fire apparatus, from scene lighting to light towers to warning lights, and interior lighting for compartment illumination.

Whelen Engineering makes a wide variety of LED lighting for fire apparatus, including its Pioneer line, such as these standard and surface mounted models. (Photo courtesy of Whelen Engineering.)

Widespread Acceptance

Andy Olson, vice president of fire, rescue, and EMS for Whelen Engineering Co., says his firm "has experienced a huge acceptance of LED lighting on fire apparatus. It is pretty much accepted across the board so that it has become the norm, a standard in the industry."

Olson says that if there's a type of lighting needed on a vehicle, Whelen makes it. "Emergency warning lights, brake and tail lights, backup lights, flood lights, and scene lights-we make them all," he says. "Ninety percent or more of our products now are LEDs, which we make in a whole range of products, from standard units to top-of-the-line offerings. Halogen-based products have virtually disappeared."

The Rota-Beam introduced by Whelen Engineering is a solid state LED that mimics a rotating beacon. (Photo courtesy of Whelen Engineering.)

Olson notes that last year Whelen introduced the Rota-Beam, a solid state LED that mimics a rotating beacon. The benefits, he points out, are the longevity and brightness of LED lighting and that there are no gears or motors in the light.

Toh Meng, president of FRC, a division of ROM Corp., says his company has seen his LED products used by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and dealers for about 80 percent of the vehicles they are building or selling. "Whether it is for scene, interior, compartment, or warning lighting, people love LED technology," Meng says. "They like the color of the light. It's whiter and closer to sunlight than other types of illumination; the quality of the light is better; the LEDs have a much longer life, lasting between 50,000 and 100,000 hours; and they are more reliable and trouble-free, making their cost of ownership less."

Dave Cotsmire, Will-Burt's marketing manager, points out that for the past few years, LEDs have been the majority of the lights Will-Burt has installed on its towers. "LEDs are the buzzword in the fire industry when it comes to lighting," Cotsmire says. "They use less power, don't need an onboard generator, and can plug straight into a 12-volt system. The demand is out there and is growing year by year."

Los Angeles County (CA) firefighters load hose in a pickup truck lit Read more 723 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Mar 4, 2014 Letters to the Editor Reconsider Your Photos I have a comment regarding the photo by Michael J. Coppola that appears on the cover of the January 2014 issue of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment. I would ask that you and your staff pay closer attention to detail before using a picture like this as a moniker for some apparatus manufacturer. I have always found many of the articles in your publication both educational and useful. I am using this photo as a training session at our department on what not to do at a structure fire! Both Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and, I am sure, state or department rules are violated over, and over, and over. The photo depicts active fire in the center of the picture. There is one firefighter shown on the second-story roof to the left without helmet or gloves on. Really? He appears to be yelling some type of communication to the guy on the ladder. What, they have never heard of radios? The next firefighter is seen on the ground ladder without a helmet, gloves, or structure coat. He must be the hero firefighter since he doesn't believe he has to wear his mandatory OSHA-required gear on the fireground. So when he falls off the ladder or it slides out from underneath him, what do you tell the widow when he dies? And finally, the superhero on the aerial with his designer shades and his bottle of water looks like a nice pose for some friend-no gear whatsoever! They call this professional firefighting? These actions are why every single month the fire service is burying firefighters or reporting another "close call." I understand this fireground scene had absolutely nothing to do with your magazine or your staff. But please, show some professional responsibility and do not publish photos that are so completely offensive to the men and women of the fire service who do it right every day. This truly is an insult. If you do not have a professional staff level fire officer to review photos such as this prior to publication, I would gladly submit my name. Dennis D. Fouchia Chief Lenox Township (MI) Fire Department Associate Editor Chris Mc Loone responds: Whenever a nonstaged photo is considered for a cover, there is a possibility that those in the image could be captured in a less than flattering light. With that in mind, the photos we choose focus on the apparatus operating at the scene of a fire. However, the advantage of using such images means that personnel are depicted in real-world environments. We encourage all readers to take cover photos and use them for teaching purposes. Read more 704 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious8260826182628263826482658266826782688269NextLast Theme picker Filter News Catagories Categories News (193) RSS Expand/Collapse Washington News (11627) RSS Expand/Collapse National News (11217) 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