Alan M. Petrillo

The fire department, which has 110 paid firefighters, has an aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station on the airport grounds staffed by two officers and two firefighters. On all aircraft alerts, the department rolls its two ARFF rigs and gets immediate backup from the department's other six stations in the form of two district captains, three pumpers, a rescue truck, and an advanced life support ambulance.

Government Involvement

One of Harlingen's ARFF trucks was aging and beginning to cost the department and the airport more money than it was worth to keep running. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has program managers who work with airports to identify when an ARFF truck should be replaced, says Thomas P. Carle, sales support manager for Oshkosh Airport Products. "They don't want an airport to be out of service because of the lack of an ARFF truck, and it's not always possible for an airport to have a backup ARFF vehicle," he says.

1 The Harlingen (TX) Fire Department purchased an Oshkosh Airport Products Striker 4x4 aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle, shown at left, which has become the lead vehicle in its ARFF fleet, along with two other ARFF units. (Photos courtesy of Harlingen Fire Department.)

Valley International was able to secure a federal grant through Airport Improvement Funds to purchase a new ARFF rig, says David Lompra, a Harlingen Fire Department captain and the officer in charge of the ARFF station at Valley International. "At the time, we had two 10-year-old ARFF trucks," he says. "We had refurbished both of them in the past and planned on replacing them in a staggered time period."

Valley International Airport is an Index B airport, Lompra points out. The FAA determines an airport's index by a combination of the length of the air carrier aircraft and the average daily departures. An Index A includes aircraft less than 90 feet long; Index B includes aircraft at least 90 feet but less than 126 feet long; Index C includes aircraft at least 126 feet but less than 159 feet long; Index D includes aircraft at least 159 feet, but less than 200 feet long; and Index E includes aircraft at least 200 feet long.

Lompra points out that the average aircraft arriving and leaving Valley International is either a Boeing 737 or an Airbus 320 carrying 140 to 175 people per aircraft. He says the airport can handle up to a 250-passenger aircraft.

The FAA further requires certain firefighting equipment and agent for each type. For an Index B airport like Valley International, the fire department must have either one vehicle carrying at least 500 pounds of sodium-based dry chemical, Halon 1211, or clean agent and 1,500 gallons of water and the commensurate quantity of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) for foam production; or two vehicles, one carrying the extinguishing agents as noted above and another vehicle

Paul Irwin

The hazards of fighting fires are well known, with the best possible efforts made to protect firefighters from heat, smoke, and falling debris. Personnel wouldn't think of getting on a fire truck without proper footwear, headgear, outerwear, and breathing apparatus. But, too many routinely expose their ears to high levels of sound.

For some, after a career risking life and limb in the line of duty, the residual impact of hearing loss caused by overexposure to loud sounds can last a lifetime. And for too many firefighters, overexposure to harmful levels of sound comes with the territory.

1 The HD-15 package includes two electronic earplugs, a durable neck cord, seven different pairs of eartips to accommodate many ear shapes and sizes, a cleaning tool, filters that make sound clearer and prevent earwax from damaging the components, a filter changing tool, batteries, and a protective case. (Photo courtesy of author.)

EtyMotic Research

Here's the good news. There's a new product on the market, developed by Chicago-based hearing health company Etymotic Research, which not only addresses the need to be protected from loud sounds but amplifies quiet sounds as well. This "wearable technology" is called the Etymotic HD-15. It fits securely in the ear and adjusts volume automatically, sensing the changes in sound levels.

"The HD-15 is designed to give firefighters, police, military, and corrections officers a unique advantage," says Etymotic's director of audiology, Dr. Gail Gudmundsen. "While wearing this product, users have natural hearing until sounds exceed safe levels. As soon as hearing is at risk, the devices automatically become hearing protectors. If a blast occurs, there is instantaneous protection. Natural hearing is restored when sound levels return to safe levels."

Etymotic Research received the Safe-in-Sound Award for Innovation in Hearing Loss Prevention given by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Hearing Conservation Association.

Safe Protection

HD-15 electronic earplugs use a new version of the Etymotic K-AMP® integrated circuit from the 1990s. The transducers are high-definition, balanced-armature drivers, and high-sensitivity microphones. Their bandwidth is 40 Hz to 16 kHz.

They're also failsafe in the sense that for sudden, loud spikes in level, the devices are limited above 118 dB. Peak sound pressure levels above 118 dB are reduced to safe levels by the output limitation of the circuit. Because these bursts are so short-on the order of a few milliseconds-the clipped transients are safe. The sound reduction is instantaneous, so hearing is protected from intense transients. A gun blast of 140 dB, for example, cannot be reproduced. It sounds like a normal gunshot but is drastically reduced in level. The nearly instantaneous recovery time of the circuit also means no fidelity loss.

The product includes two electronic earplugs, a durable neck cord, seven different pairs of eartips to accommodate many ear shapes and sizes, a cleaning tool, filters that make sound clearer and prevent earwax from damaging t

Michael Petroff

The annual Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium truly embodies that definition. One attendee describes the symposium as the best fire service gathering because of the mix of people involved in planning, presenting, and attending. Participants are both presenters and audience, discussing apparatus design, maintenance, regulatory standards, and new innovations. The annual event is the only conference dedicated to providing a better understanding of fire apparatus by bringing together end users, leading industry figures, and apparatus and equipment manufacturers. The 2015 event marks the symposium's 27th anniversary. Although the basic format of the program remains, a new era begins with the addition of Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine as its official publication.

An old radio station said its news broadcast presented the facts by describing who, what, where, when, why, and how. A description of the FDSOA Apparatus Symposium, following that format, goes something like the following.

Who?

Attendees include fire chiefs, safety officers, apparatus purchasing team members, EMS personnel, and vehicle maintenance technicians. Presenters include that same group plus apparatus manufacturers, accessories and tool suppliers (from bumper to bumper), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) specialists, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health investigators.

What?

The Symposium is a unique chance to learn, ask questions, and network. It provides an opportunity to stay current with the latest developments in apparatus and ambulance safety and to be the first to hear about pending changes and proposed standards. This knowledge will help guide you in making decisions regarding one of your department's most expensive assets-its vehicle fleet.

In cooperation with the National Association of Emergency Vehicle Technicians, emergency vehicle technicians can take various certification tests.

Attendees can view new innovation exhibits, meet with manufacturers and discuss their products, and ask questions about maintenance or installation of their product.

In 2015, the keynote address will be presented by Gordon Graham, an internationally known speaker on risk management. Additional sessions will include avoiding pitfalls in specification development, the political side of apparatus acquisition, commonly overlooked maintenance items, vehicle accident loss expense, accident avoidance systems, NFPA updates, and ultra high pressure water and foam systems.

Where? When?

The 2015 Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium will take place at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort, 1850 Hotel Plaza Boulevard, Orlando, Florida, on January 18 to 20.

Why?

The best testimonial for why to attend comes from comments made by past participants. Comments include the following:

• "The greatest value for me is the networking opportunity, and that only works when the significant players, or maybe survivors, are around the table.
• "This has to be a significant event for the big players in the industry to have face time with the nuts-and-bolts guys who are involved in buying and using their products. They can wine and dine chiefs at other events, but this should be the place to talk to the guys who write the specs."
• "The opportunity should be priceless. This is where I come to get real technical information."

How?

How does the symposium come to fruition? The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers' Association's Technical Committee

By Alan M. Petrillo

Many fire departments around the country use fireboats-from big cities along the East and West coasts to those on the Great Lakes, rivers, and inland lakes.

The kinds of boats those departments use depend on a number of considerations. Among them are the mission required of the boats (fire suppression, search, rescue, or a combination of those tasks), the types of structures along the shore that need to be dealt with, the size and kinds of bodies of water they'll operate on, and the amount of equipment they need onboard. But in many instances, heavy firepower from pumps and monitors are one of the chief considerations.

On the Lake and River

The Chicago (IL) Fire Department operates three fireboats: the first-due Christopher Wheatley; the Victor L. Schlaeger, kept in reserve; and a 32-foot Fast Boat that is in service from April to November along Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, the prime working areas. The Christopher Wheatley, designated as Engine 2, is named for a Chicago firefighter killed in the line of duty.

1 The Chicago (IL) Fire Department has three fireboats, with the Christopher Wheatley (shown here) being the newest. The fireboat is 90 feet long, has a 24-foot beam, and is rated to pump at 14,000 gpm through four Stang monitors. (Photo courtesy of Gordon J. Nord Jr.)

The Christopher Wheatley is 90 feet long with a 24-foot beam; draws seven feet, six inches; and has an overhead clearance of 16 feet-enough to get under most of the bridges in Chicago. The fireboat's power comes from four Caterpillar diesel engines-two 1,500-horsepower (hp) diesels for maneuvering the boat and two 1,000-hp engines for pumping. The fireboat can cruise at 13 knots, or 13.7 miles per hour (mph), and is rated to pump at 14,000 gallons per minute (gpm).

The Chicago Fire Department had the boat set up with four Stang monitors. Three are at the bow, with the centerline monitor rated at 6,000 gpm and the two side monitors at 3,000 gpm each. At the stern, the boat carries a 3,000-gpm Stang monitor mounted on a hydraulic platform that can be raised to 30 feet.

The Christopher Wheatley carries a 1,000-gallon foam tank and has nine discharges, for handlines, along each side of its deckhouse and four discharges at the bow. In addition, the fireboat carries 150 life jackets for rescue purposes, has an allotment of self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and an emergency medical services (EMS) compartment, carries self-contained underwater breathing apparatus gear for divers, and has a decontamination shower room.

Michael W. Fox, Chicago assistant deputy fire commissioner, says the Christopher Wheatley replaced the Victor L. Schlaeger, which is kept as a reserve fire boat. "The Victor L. Schlaeger is 94 feet long and was built in 1949, so our new fireboat was the first new big boat the department has purchased since then," he said.

Chicago's Fast Boat is 32 feet long, Fox points out, and carries a 5,000-gpm pump and a single monitor. "It has a landing craft type front door, which makes it easier and safer to deploy and retrieve divers," Fox observes. "We also have an older 18-foot river boat, two 12-foot Jon boats, 10 Zodiac inflatable boats, as well as two Jet Skis, which are all used for water rescue or flood rescue."

Speed and Water Flow

Arguably, the big dog in the world of fireboats is the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), which has two large fireboats: the Three Forty Three and Firefighter II.

The Three Forty Three is a 140-fo

Robert Tutterow

The stated goal of the project was "to provide a data-collection summary of current practice and policies for fire service PPE care and maintenance." The collected data came from completed online surveys from the fire service, including line firefighters, administrative staff, and those who served dual roles; independent service providers; and manufacturers. The survey covered PPE elements, including, coats, pants, helmet, hood, gloves, and boots. By design, these are the elements that NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, covers.

The core focus of the survey was to answer the simple question: How are fire departments and firefighters maintaining their PPE? In all, there were almost 90 questions contained in the survey that were directed to the core question. Other related questions included the following:

1. How often are firefighters and fire departments cleaning their gear?
2. What is the average time in storage of the gear?
3. Are firefighters and fire departments using gear that was manufactured more than 10 years ago?
4. What happens to the gear once it is "retired"?

Troubling Findings

There were 1,148 responses from the fire service with 49.4 percent of them stating they were line firefighters or officers, 19.6 percent stating they were staff, and 31.0 percent stating they were both. From the responses, a startling 25.2 percent admitted their department did not have any policies, standard operating procedures, or standard operating guidelines for the care and maintenance of their PPE. The result is even more disturbing when, for unknown reasons, 140 (12 percent) did not answer the question. It is a relatively safe assumption that the majority of those who skipped the question do not have a policy in place. Regarding if their policies were based on NFPA 1851, less than half (48.8 percent) responded yes, 22.3 percent responded no, and 28.9 percent didn't know. Just over half the fire service respondents said that compliance with their policies on PPE care and maintenance was mandatory, 32.5 percent said it wasn't, and 14.6 percent did not know.

Puzzling

Considering that PPE care and maintenance has been an issue in the fire service for the past 25 years, these numbers are truly puzzling. Are more than half of firefighters and fire departments cleaning and caring for their PPE without policies? Or, are over half of them doing nothing? What are the barriers-tradition, costs, ignorance? The more we learn about firefighter cancer, the more important cleaning PPE becomes. Dirty gear does not provide the protective properties of clean gear. And, as we continue to wear dirty gear, we increase the probability of cross-contamination of carcinogens to our fire station, our personal vehicle, our residence, and ultimately to our family and friends.

The fire service is continuing to learn more about dirty PPE. Improved methods of cleaning, drying, and storage have emerged, and a means of minimizing the exposure is evolving. For example, researchers tell us that one of the most vulnerable spots for carcinogens to enter the body is around the head. Based on this premise, I just learned that the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department immediately replaces dirty firefighter hoods while fire