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 704 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 733 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Dec 9, 2013 In The News • OPEN INCORPORATED, makers of the SafetyPAD® suite of technology products for emergency medical services (EMS), continues to provide critical tools to assist D.C. Fire & EMS's Street Calls program. The program has been in place since 2008, and this year alone D.C. Fire & EMS has reduced the most chronic users of the 911 system calls by more than 48 percent. D.C. Fire & EMS's implementation of the Street Calls program was a response to an EMS task force recommendation to develop an outreach program for patients with chronic needs to reduce misuse of 911 EMS and transport delays. SafetyPAD's electronic patient care reporting (ePCR) provides D.C. Fire & EMS with real-time statistical analysis and tools to identify those individuals who use 911 EMS transport services the most. The department can then proactively make sure callers are connected with appropriate preventive care and other services, thus ensuring department resources are used most optimally in support of the public. • KME recently recognized its sales representative organizations (SROs) for outstanding sales and service performance. KME's Pinnacle Award recognizes organizations that have had significant growth over previous years. This year's winners included Safe Industries of Piedmont, South Carolina, and Bulldog Fire Apparatus of Woodville, Massachusetts, while Metz Fire & Rescue, of Guelph, Ontario, was the top award winner. KME's Summit Club recognizes SROs that have had the highest overall sales volumes over the past year. This year's winners included NAFECO of Decatur, Alabama, and Bulldog Fire Apparatus of Woodville, Massachusetts, with First Priority Emergency Vehicles of Manchester, New Jersey, taking top honors. KME's Vision Award is a special award that isn't based solely on sales or numbers. This award recognizes an organization that has made investments in its business at all levels-including training, service, personnel, branding, and sales-that have significantly affected market share in its region and overall ability to service its customers. The awards went to Cascade Fire & Safety from the western region, Mac's Fire & Safety from the midwest region, Safe Industries from the southeast region, and First Priority Emergency Vehicles from the eastern region. • GLOBE, DUPONT, AND THE NATIONAL VOLUNTEER FIRE COUNCIL (NVFC) have announced three more recipients in the 2013 Globe Gear Giveaway Program. The Axtell (NE) Volunteer Fire and Rescue and Jasper Volunteer Fire Department, Duffield, Virginia, will each receive four sets of gear. The Lilbourn (MO) Volunteer Fire Department will receive two sets. Axtell Volunteer Fire and Rescue, in rural Nebraska, has 19 active members who respond to about 100 calls per year as well as deliver mutual aid to nearby communities. All of the department's gear is greater than 20 years old and has been passed down to new fire department volunteers for many years. The Jasper Volunteer Fire Department in Duffield, Virginia, has also been struggling because of the economy. Protecting a population of more than 3,000, the 20 active firefighters have to make do with an inadequate number of sets of gear, all of which are more than 10 years old. The Lilbourn (MO) Volunteer Fire Department serves a population of 6,000 in New Madrid County, Missouri. The department's small annual operating budget only covers the cost of fuel and repairs to equipment. The 14 firefighters cover their own community as well as assist with tanker support for surrounding communities. Any new equipment must be purchased either through donations or from the firefighters' own pockets. • E-ONE was recently awarded a contract for 18 custom eMAX™ pumpers from the United States Air Force. The 18 new eMAX pumpers are top-mount configurations on Typhoon® chassis with long cabs. The pumpers will feature 1,250-gallon-per-minute pumping capability, 500-gallon water tanks, and Read more 731 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious8436843784388439844084418442844384448445NextLast Theme picker Filter News Catagories Categories News (193) RSS Expand/Collapse Washington News (11847) RSS Expand/Collapse National News (11518) 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 (18828) 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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