Apparatus Purchasing: Apathy in Procurement and Specs, Part 1

By Bill Adams

“It’s not like the good ole days” is a statement often made by former as well as older and experienced members of both the fire service and the fire apparatus industry.

It is debatable whether the statement expresses appreciation and fondness of times past or is disparaging of the current state of affairs. The earlier is admirable; the latter is discouraging. The statement is worth examining, especially in the realm of writing specifications and purchasing fire apparatus. This narration is a personal observation of the industry and fire service and is not influenced by or beholden to purchasers, manufacturers, vendors, and advertisers.

Some apparatus purchasing committee (APC) members do not exhibit the same degree of enthusiasm when serving on a committee as did their predecessors. Perhaps they are less educated; don’t have the time; or just aren’t interested in the process of writing, understanding, and evaluating fire apparatus specifications. Being educated is being well informed and knowledgeable of both the product and the process of purchasing fire apparatus. Apathy is displaying a lack of concern or interest, which is a disappointing trait. It is an injustice to the taxpayers who are funding a new purchase. More importantly, it is a disservice to the firefighters who must staff the apparatus.

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There ought to be logical reasoning behind the lack of eagerness in belonging to an APC and an unwillingness to become learned in the technical nuts and bolts of fire apparatus construction. Demonstrating apathy is not unique to either the career or volunteer side. No such accusation is inferred. Reasons might best be found if a fire department does an objective analysis of how its APC is chosen and how specifications are formulated. Such a self-evaluation could also help in determining the effectiveness of an APC’s performance. Merely backing a new rig into the barn that is painted the proper color and has the name spelled correctly is not an indication that the APC has done an exemplary job—or even an adequate one. That determination often takes some “in-service” time.

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION

Commentators do not have the right to proclaim there must be a specific number of people who should comprise an APC. Likewise, APC members’ areas of expertise, levels of experience, and years on the job should not be stipulated—recommended maybe, but not stipulated; there are too many variables. It is best to provide examples of APC organization criteria for readers to evaluate.

The makeup of APCs in career departments is often determined by the size of the organization. Those with large fleets of apparatus may have designated personnel whose primary, and possibly only, responsibility is apparatus procurement. Some are very good at it. It’s their job—they’re paid to do it. Large career departments have been known to rotate personnel throughout an organization to gain experience in administrative functions as well as operational firefighting. Such rotation may be mandatory and, in some instances, a requirement for advancement. Career entities are not immune from having an assigned APC member who may be more interested in becoming an incident commander or is content to drive a pumper rather than purchase one.

APC membership in volunteer departments is not usually as regulated and well defined as on the career side. Very small entities might only purchase a new rig every decade; consequently, members may lack purchasing experience. In some departments, the fire chief appoints the APC. In others, the head of the civil (administrative) side, such as the president, will appoint one. Bear in mind, purchasing procedures in volunteer departments most often follow written bylaws. If procurement policies were written a hundred years ago, it might be time to revisit them before buying a new rig.

QUALIFICATIONS

In some volunteer organizations, the loudest and most vocal members are often selected to serve on the APC. Being boisterous and outspoken is not necessarily a resume enhancer. The most aggressive and experienced interior firefighter in the company may not have a clue, nor care, what happens under the hood. At the same time, not every member on the civil side may be an active firefighter. It’s commonplace for older members who are no longer active to contribute to an organization by serving in administrative roles.

One of the most important, but often neglected, aspects of apparatus procurement is the participation of active line firefighters. The amount of allowable input by line firefighters can vary from organization to organization. It is unfathomable that the people who operate and ride on the apparatus, and who must access and reload the equipment carried, may not have much say in laying out the rig. Those who do not have the ability to express their recommendations in a written specification format should not be deprived of the opportunity to verbally articulate the same to those who do. Experience has an immeasurable value.

AUTHORITY HAVING JURISDICTION

National Fire Protection Association 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, uses 25 words to define the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). Its Appendix A uses another 133 words to further explain what the first 25 said.

In this article, the AHJ is the entity responsible for specifying, ordering, and paying for a fire truck. Except for independent (self-funding) volunteer fire departments, political subdivisions such as cities, towns, and fire districts do the actual purchasing. They usually task the fire department to write the technical specifications for a new rig. In turn, the department establishes an APC, which does all the work. Most AHJs oversee the process solely to ensure conformance with legal bidding requirements and fiscal responsibility.

A common exception is fire districts where its elected officials, usually called the Board of Fire Commissioners, may still be, or once were, firefighters. They have a tendency to keep intimately involved, some to the point of serving on an APC. It is not unheard of for a board in its entirety to act as the APC. That could be analogous to the fox guarding the henhouse. It is immaterial who physically writes the purchasing specification. The AHJ “owns” the document. It is responsible for the actual purchase as well as any resulting liability as a result of doing so.

BILL ADAMS is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board, a former fire apparatus salesman, and a past chief of the East Rochester (NY) Fire Department. He has 50 years of experience in the volunteer fire service.