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 667 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Dec 9, 2013 Letters to the Editor SEEKING CLARIFICATIONS I enjoyed reading "Modern Diesel Fuel" by Christian Koop (Apparatus: the Shops, October 2013) and benefited from the information. However there are a few areas that I believe are not accurate. The first point is that a direct link between diesel exhaust and cancer has not been established either medically or legally. The second point is that diesel particulate filters (DPFs) would not have become mandatory in 2007. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes emissions limits but does not require any specific technology to meet them. However, many engines at this time did adopt DPFs. The terminology is important. The third point is that high levels of sulfur in the fuel would also damage the catalysts that are now used in a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after treatment system. And related to point two, in some cases, engines now operate at a higher combustion temperature to minimize the production of particulates, so they would not now have or need a DPF. The greater amounts of NOx then produced are treated by the SCR system. The fourth point is that cetane values in Europe went up from 38 to 40 in 2000-not in the United States-and typically European diesel fuel has been at a higher cetane value, now somewhere in the high 40s. United States cetane values are in the low 40s, and the engines are designed around this value, as it is the fuel commonly available. It is unclear why the engine manufacturers would now want a value around 50. The fifth point is regarding the quality of diesel fuel and what evidence the author has that it varies greatly from location to location and why it is not as tightly regulated as gasoline, since the same entities would tend to regulate the two products. It seems that the article builds up to a justification for the 128-page document for further information on diesel fuel-and perhaps a product to sell. The link, however, does not work. If the readers supply their diesel-powered products with fresh fuel and ensure that it is clean-stress very clean-they should not run into any problems. John Fischer Engine Consultant Palatine, Illinois Christian Koop responds: Before I begin, I must state that this article was intended to give the reader unfamiliar with diesel fuel a brief history and general background to present day so those individuals would have a better understanding of this fuel type and the changes it has undergone. Point 1: All the information I have read over the years indicates that there is a link between cancer and diesel exhaust. The American Cancer Society states that there is a link between lung cancer and exposure to heavy diesel exhaust on its Web site. Laboratory testing has indicated that lab rats exposed to diesel exhaust have developed lung cancer. Additionally, there are several other agencies including the State of California that state there is a link between diesel exhaust and lung cancer. Yes, the modern diesel engines with the DPF and SCR technology emit very clean exhaust in comparison to older units; however, there are many preemission units still in service. Benzene, which I do not mention in the article, is a component of diesel and is a known carcinogen. I understand this may be a gray area, depending on your perspective. However, I try to err on the side of health and safety. That was my main concern when I mentioned cancer-to make the readers aware of this possibility. Point 2: Technically, Fischer is correct in that the EPA does not mandate the technology to be used. However, most manufacturers did address the new EPA limits by developing and using DPF technology. There was one manufacturer that did not, "bought emission credits" from the EPA, and held off installing the technology until later. By and large, the standards the EPA placed into effect beginning in 20 Read more 694 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious8334833583368337833883398340834183428343NextLast Theme picker Filter News Catagories Categories News (193) RSS Expand/Collapse Washington News (11764) RSS Expand/Collapse National News (11379) 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! 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