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The Finest Supporting the Bravest!

The purpose of the Fire Mechanics Section is to promote standardization of fire apparatus and equipment preventative maintenance, improve safety standards and practices, promote workshops, conferences, and seminars related to the purposes of this Section, and to promote cost savings through standardization of building and equipment purchasing and maintenance.

RECENT FIRE MECHANIC NEWS

Posted: Jul 1, 2019

Safely Working in and around Fire Apparatus

 
keeping it safe Robert Tutterow
 

More About Safely Working in and Around Apparatus

This is a continuation of last month’s column about making working in and around fire apparatus safer.

Robert Tutterow

Some of this content is based on a presentation at this year’s Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Apparatus Specifications and Maintenance Symposium titled, “Specifications and Practices for Working Safer Around Apparatus,” and presented by Doug Miller (Task Force Tips) and Roger Lackore (REV Group). This month will cover some of the positive changes emerging. The presentation centered around pending revisions to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard on Automotive Fire Apparatus. Regardless of whether or not they become requirements, the ideas being discussed should be considered for every apparatus specification.

SEATING

If the next revision goes through as proposed, then riding in fire apparatus will be more comfortable, and buckling seat/shoulder straps will be much easier. Based on the research of a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report, seat width will be increased. The minimum seat bottom width will be 20.8 inches with a minimum shoulder width of 27.6 inches. However, there is one caveat: Seats will be classified as primary or secondary seats. Secondary seats are for firefighters NOT wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). As the purchaser/specifier, you must tell the manufacturer which seats are primary and secondary. By default, all front seats are deemed primary. This means the maximum number of primary seats across in the rear of cab is three. This can be three across facing forward and three across facing rearward. This a significant improvement in enabling firefighters to access their seat/shoulder straps for buckling.

CLEAN CABS

Without going into detail (as that is almost a totally different subject matter), the inside of cabs is now being designed and equipped with the “Clean Cab Concept” in mind. This includes easier to clean seats, floors, heating/air-conditioning filters, self-contained breathing apparatus out of the cab, etc. In addition, special compartments for stowing contaminated PPE are being included, and special preliminary exposure reduction control equipment is becoming commonplace.

LIGHTING

With almost all warning lights now consisting of LEDs, new requirements are necessary. LED improvements have now made the lighting so bright that it can be blinding at night. Blinding lights put firefighters at additional risk, as motorists are not able to see anything but the lights—and they are not going to stop in most cases. The existing NFPA 1901 warning lights requirement is now 25 years old. It was developed around halogen lamps, and the number and intensity of the lights were primarily dictated by alternator capacity. Now, very intense LED lights have a very low electrical draw. The proposed new warning light standard has limitations on intensity at night. In addition, there is a requirement for slower flash patterns. This is a great example of where more and brighter is not Read more

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Posted: Jul 1, 2019

BME Builds Type 3 Wildland Apparatus for Colorado Department

 
special Delivery Alan M. Petrillo
 

Huge Fire District with Few Water Sources Leads Department to Spec a Type 3 Engine with Large Tank

The Platte Canyon (CO) Fire Protection District covers 271 square miles of area in Park and Jefferson Counties, much of it without a hydrant system, although sources of water are relatively available.

Joe Burgett, Platte Canyon’s chief, says the fire department covers the towns and areas of Bailey, Bailey Silverheels Health Center, Bellford Mountain Heights, Crow Hill, Glenisle, Grant, Harris Park, Highland Park, Kenosha Pass, Parkview, Roberts Tunnel, Santa Maria, Shawnee, Singleton, Surles Meadow, Webster Pass, and Will-O-Wisp for fire suppression, rescue, and advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical services (EMS).

“We have two fire stations in Bailey, a third station in Grant, and a fourth in Harris Park,” Burgett says. “While we have a tremendous amount of water in and around our district, it is not from tapped sources. The north fork of the South Platte river runs through our fire district, so we have 11 dry hydrants and we have only one housing subdivision in our district that has pressurized hydrants. For us to have a successful outcome on a fire, we usually have to deal with it with the water we show up with.”

The Platte Canyon (CO) Fire Protection District had Boise Mobile Equipment (BME) build this Type 3 wildland engine on a Freightliner M2-106 4x4 chassis and cab with seating for four firefighters.

1 The Platte Canyon (CO) Fire Protection District had Boise Mobile Equipment (BME) build this Type 3 wildland engine on a Freightliner M2-106 4x4 chassis and cab with seating for four firefighters. (Photos courtesy of Boise Mobile Equipment.)

The Type 3 BME built for Platte Canyon has a Darley 500-gpm JMP500 two-stage pump, a 750-gallon water tank, a 25-gallon foam tank, and a FoamPro 1601 foam system.

2 The Type 3 BME built for Platte Canyon has a Darley 500-gpm JMP500 two-stage pump, a 750-gallon water tank, a 25-gallon foam tank, and a FoamPro 1601 foam system.

The rig is powered by a Cummins 350-hp ISL9 engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission.

3 The rig is powered by a Cummins 350-hp ISL9 engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission.

RIG NEEDS

Burgett points

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Posted: Jul 1, 2019

Scene Light Placement on Fire Apparatus

 
fama forum SAM MASSA
 

Light Placement on Fire Apparatus

Every fire department has got one of them, or if they don’t, they know one of them: the person who knows every little model number and fact about every light fixture on the market.

Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

He can tell you how many flashes per second, how many lumens, and the year the fixture was released. But, can he articulate where the optimal placement is to prevent blinding firefighters on the next emergency scene?

A variety of Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies manufacture technologies designed to help firefighters work more effectively after dark. Often, firefighters and lighting manufacturers alike get sidetracked with things like the number of LEDS; number of lumens; or, when specifying apparatus, the placement of other firefighting appliances on their apparatus that could obstruct scene lights so the fundamentals of a rock-solid scene lighting package get overlooked.

By keeping the following four fundamental principles in mind, your apparatus specifying committee can build a truck that not only looks sweet but also gives you an edge when you are out at night saving lives and protecting property.

PRINCIPLE 1

The name of the game in working after dark is uniformity. The intensity is less important; the number of times the firefighter’s eyes have to transition from very bright light to very dim light is what causes strain on the operator. It is more important to have an even level of lighting around the vehicle and fire scene than it is to have one spot in particular extremely well lit. Consider installing a greater number of fixtures each with a lower intensity around the apparatus to create an even workspace. Many FAMA member companies can even draw your apparatus digitally before manufacturing to help you visualize how the beam patterns will perform.

Two simulated fire apparatus lighting packages, both 80,000 lumens. The left shows an even distribution of light, while the right shows areas of high intensity and low intensity.

1 Two simulated fire apparatus lighting packages, both 80,000 lumens. The left shows an even distribution of light, while the right shows areas of high intensity and low intensity. (Photos courtesy of the author.)

A light mounted overhead casts a shadow over the eye of the firefighter. Wearing personal protective equipment can help reduce the height needed to prevent glare, but the principles of illumination remain the same.
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Posted: Jul 1, 2019

Apparatus Ideas: Clintonville (WI) Heavy Rescue

 
Apparatus ideas BOB VACCARO
 

Clintonville (WI) Heavy Rescue

Back in 1887, the Clintonville (WI) Volunteer Fire Company #1 was created. It was a far cry from the paid-on-call department that presently protects the 13,000 residents of Clintonville and the three townships of Bear Creek, Larrabee, and Matterson.

BOB VACCARO

Clintonville Fire Department Chief Shane Krueger says, “The older city is a mixture of strip shopping centers, farm land, recreational land, industrial areas, two rivers, and a downtown area with a great deal of aged buildings. We also cover Routes 45 and 22 and have roughly 25,000 vehicles pass through the area during the day. To keep up with our growing response district, we try to replace our nine vehicles every 25 to 27 years, which breaks down to one piece of apparatus every three years. The project to replace our existing rescue took about three years to work on the specs and to get everyone’s input.”

The department was replacing a 16-foot Marion rescue and a smaller unit based on a Ford F-150 chassis. “Like most fire departments around the country, we were combining and doing more with less,” says Krueger. “We received bids from several manufacturers and chose Marion. They basically met all of our specs, and we have dealt with them on previous purchases and were comfortable dealing with them.”

Clintonville Fire Department

  • 32 paid-on-call members
  • Serves a population 8,000
  • 4.8 square miles
  • Part of mutual aid box alarm system (MABAS) 142

BIGGER RIG

The new vehicle was designed with a bigger rescue body that would not only hold all of the department’s present rescue tools but have room to expand. It also allows it to have a mobile cascade system for refilling self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) cylinders on scene; a light tower; and a 60-gallon water tank connected to an E.J. Metals ultra-high-pressure (UHP) system with a PTO-driven pump, mainly for covering MVAs. “Having this system on the rescue gives us the capability of having some firefighting tools should we have a car fire involved with an MVA without having to worry about responding with an additional engine should staffing be low,” adds Krueger. “We also moved all of the rescue tools we carried on our engines to the new rescue.”

The new rescue has specially designed coffin compartments that are two feet wide and six feet long that carry grain bin rescue tools. These custom-sized compartments carry rope and rigging equipment, gloves, goggles, and harnesses as well as other equipment. The front extended bumper carries extrication equipment including two hydraulic reels that power two cutters, rams, and spreaders.

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Fire Mechanics Section Board

Chair

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Chair

Elliot Courage
North Whatcom Fire & Rescue
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Vice Chair

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Vice Chair

Mike Smith 
Pierce County Fire District #5
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Secretary

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Secretary

Greg Bach
South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue
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Director #1

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #1

Doug Jones
South Kitsap Fire & Rescue
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Director #2

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #2

Paul Spencer 
Fire Fleet Maintenance LLC
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Director #3

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #3

Jim Morris
Mountain View Fire Department
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Director #4

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #4

Arnie Kuchta

Clark County Fire District 6

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Director #6

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #6

Brett Annear
Kitsap County Fire District 18
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Director #5

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Director #5

Jay Jacks
Camano Island Fire & Rescue
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Legislative Representative

Posted: Oct 21, 2015

Legislative Representative

TBD
TBD
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Immediate Past Chair

Posted: Oct 20, 2015

Immediate Past Chair

Brian Fortner
Graham Fire & Rescue

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