By Chris Mc Loone

I had a chance to give a presentation recently to a group of apparatus operators (engineers) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The group meets every other month on a Wednesday evening at different fire stations across the county. The leader of the group asked if I would come and speak about what I see happening with fire apparatus.

It was harder than I thought distilling what I see happening with fire apparatus into 45 minutes to an hour. I pulled it off, but it wasn't easy. That the group is pretty lively helped out, and it was nice seeing a few familiar faces from fire companies local to me. Still, it was a bit daunting, but I made it through relatively unscathed.

The importance of this small association is immeasurable to me though. Montgomery County is a pretty diverse county when it comes to occupancies. The southeast end of the county is very suburban-almost urban in some areas-while the northwest end is still very rural. At the northwest end, you'll still find farms and wide open spaces as well as wildland concerns. So, the group moving to different areas affords members the opportunity to see what other departments are doing with their apparatus and equipment based on their locale. Although the southeast end won't get to see many grain elevator fires or silo rescues, all areas of the county will see work in the form of structure fires in dwellings and commercial occupancies of various ages and construction, vehicle rescues on both highways and local roads, and various types of technical rescues ranging from industrial rescues to trench and confined space. So, representatives from each end of the county would be hard pressed to say that one department or another doesn't offer something to take back home in terms of innovation.

About Learning

This is what it's all about though-learning from one another. What has always impressed me about the fire service is how we all borrow from each other, and yes, sometimes claim we thought of something before another department, but it's always in the name of efficiency, innovation, safety, and the greater good of the fire service as a whole.

So, this group has asked me to continue coming, not to speak all the time but to be a part of the association. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully as I see things at other fire companies, I'll be able to snap a picture and bring them back here. So many innovations are home-grown and very practical.

All of this of course begs the question, "What did you talk about?" I really did not deviate much from what I've written here, although it is hard to talk about what I see happening with fire apparatus without first touching on various outside influences, which have been the economy, in a big way; EPA regulations, which have been impacting us for the past few years and will continue to as the EPA works to reduce greenhouse emissions; and safety. All of these lead toward innovation-both at the department level in how it is designing its apparatus and at the manufacturer level as apparatus builders work on new offerings to address what some call the new norm in the fire industry.

Critical Groups

Grass roots organizations like the Montgomery County Engineers Association are critical to the fire service. Get a bunch of firefighters in one place, and you'll soon have impromptu kitchen table conversations about your most recent job, your newest rig, and a fair amount of Monday morning quarterbacking. But, what you're also going to find is a group of people working together to solve problems both at their own departments and countywide. These organizations are the ones that are closest to the men and women driving and operating these apparatus.

At the end of the night, we had some interesting conversations. One revolved around tankers (tenders) and whether or not it's a good idea to run them with lights and sirens and whe

Brian Brown

Although departments across the country are being forced to do more with less, fleet maintenance operations can only cut back so much before you start to see the effects on quality of service and customer relations. Thus, you should periodically perform an internal fleet audit/survey to appraise the current fleet maintenance operations business plan, because all departments have multitier relationships in the organization that affect all divisions in the department. The best way to approach those relationships as well as their fleet operations is with trust and mutual respect. Open and honest communications give the customers (both internal and external) a unique opportunity to understand the end users' needs. This allows fire departments to develop various fleet services and support programs that best suit their needs. In addition, providing feedback for the fleet staff creates a sense of ownership within the business plan through problem solving, quality support programs, and the highest possible vehicle availability at the lowest life cycle cost.

Economic Impacts

Material costs have risen dramatically while most municipalities, counties, and special district fire department revenues have drastically declined. Take my department's revenue, for instance. Ninety percent of our revenue is from single-family homes and the commercial property tax. The other 10 percent comes from vehicle ownership tax from one of the two counties we serve. Even the county clerk's offices have seen a drastic reduction in license plate renewals because people don't have the money to renew their vehicle license plates, which means there are also a lot of uninsured drivers.

Consider the surging cost of fuel. Most fleet operations I have spoken with looked at adding anywhere from a 30 to 60 percent increase for fuel cost for 2013. Now relate this to the increased cost of petroleum products-i.e., engine oil, transmission fluid, grease, tires, oil seals, spray lubricants, and so on. Fire department fleets have also been hit with increased manufacturer and factory costs because of an average three percent annual increase in the manufacturers' benefits for their employees, increased material costs, and more.

Life Cycle Analysis

A newer fleet has less maintenance and is more fuel-efficient to operate. The problem lies in the capital portion of the budget. Is there any money to purchase new apparatus? If so, which ones get replaced? That's the reason it's imperative for the individual over the fleet maintenance operation to produce life cycle cost analysis reports for each unit. The analysis would encapsulate several areas, including vehicle age, life-to-date maintenance and repair costs, current miles or hours, overall condition, and whether it still fits operationally (open or closed cab, adequate space for equipment to be carried, reliability on the fireground) in the district in which it responds. Also, include a survey with other "best-in-class" fleet organizations that have comparable fleets in your area.

Take into account factors unique to each fleet organization, such as annual usage levels, types of use, number of backup or reserve units available, weather, and operating terrain. Then calculate this information using a current fleet software system or another process used by American Public Works Association (APWA). A lifecycle cost analysis enables management to create a "score card" that will evaluate new equipment purchases and determine if it is more economical to retain equipment.

Once a fleet manager decides on a process or formula, he can use the information to create the department's minimum five-year replacement schedule, ultimately moving toward a 10-year replacement schedule that interfaces nicely in an annual budget report and strategic plan. Make sure to review the life cycle cost analysis and replacement schedule