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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: Jun 1, 2019

FAMA Forum: Keeping Your Cool When Specifying Apparatus

Keeping Your Cool When Specifying Apparatus

As a kid, I suffered through several long vacation rides to Florida in the back of my father’s station wagon with all the windows rolled down.

Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

I was always jealous of the kids whose parents had the “fancy” cars with power windows and air-conditioning. Air-conditioning for fire trucks started when early fire truck cab designers began bolting in an evaporator unit borrowed from the construction industry and calling it good. Since then, both Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) members and our customers have become more sophisticated in our air-conditioning designs and expectations. That said, there are many nuances in air-conditioning system design that an apparatus purchasing committee can and should consider.

MAIN COMPONENTS

There are four main parts to any mobile air-conditioning system: the condenser, the pump, the evaporator, and the expansion valve. We will not review the science that makes it work, but suffice it to say each of these components must be sized properly and the connecting plumbing properly insulated. That is the job of the apparatus designer. The system will only perform as well as the weakest link, so more important than individual component capacity is that they all be well matched as a system.

SPECIFYING PERFORMANCE

As noted, specifying the size or capacity of individual components will not ensure the performance of the system. Even claims of system capacity [usually stated in British thermal units (Btus)] should be taken with a grain of salt. There is no accepted standard method of testing Btu ratings, and when they are tested, the values are usually obtained in laboratory conditions on individual components. The only system performance test applicable to large fire apparatus is SAE J2646 Cab Air-Conditioning Test Procedure—Heavy Trucks with and without Sleepers. This test looks at the time it takes to drop the average cab temperature a given number of degrees in a given time from a given starting temperature and given conditions. It is a good indication of system performance, but the pass/fail criteria may or may not meet your department’s expectation.

KEY COMFORT FACTORS

While average cab temperature is important, customer feedback and experience has proven that it is much more important for comfort that cool air can be directed on the occupants’ faces. Even if the cab is significantly cooler than the outside temperature, a hot and sweaty occupant will feel much better if he can get cool air blowing on his skin. This is equally important for front and rear occupants.

Temperature and air velocity out of the vents are also both important. Lots of vents may do a fine job of dropping the average temperature, but if there are too many, each vent may not have as much force to its flow. Gentle flow may be fine for the trip to the scene, but strong flow is crucial for faster cool-down of occupants attempting to recover at the scene or during the ride back to the station.

STARTING OUT COOL

The best performance out of a system comes when you can spin the compressor at higher speeds. This happens naturally while driving, but the compressor revolutions per minute dr

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Posted: Jun 1, 2019

Editor’s Opinion: Let's Get to Work

 

Editor’s Opinion Chris Mc Loone

 

Let’s Get to Work

FDIC International 2019 has come and gone. By all accounts, it was another successful show. Attendance was more than 35,000, and the aisles were clogged—literally.

Chris Mc Loone

It was a little tough getting from point A to point B on many occasions. As always, there was a lot to see, and it might just be that folks were taking a little more time to really take a hard look at whatever was grabbing their interest.

As has become customary, our June issue devotes a good deal of space to our FDIC International Wrap-Up where our Editorial Advisory Board members cover what struck them at the show based on their focus areas. Last month, I mentioned that the “Clean Cab Concept” probably would be a big part of the show, as well as other products developed to reduce our exposure to contaminants, and that prediction was accurate, although it did not take a rocket scientist to see that coming. These products will continue to roll out, and manufacturers will continue to devise solutions to the problems we uncover.

Our wrap-up issue also features new products introduced at the show, which you’ll find more information on in our product news section.

 

Now, with the frenzy leading up to the show behind us, it’s time to get back to business as usual. A top priority now should be revisiting our guidelines for operating on highways to ensure our firefighters can concentrate on their tasks at hand without worrying about getting mowed down. It seems Texas departments are being very proactive when it comes to repurposing rigs as blocking trucks. Dallas (TX) Fire Rescue has just rolled out a pilot program for taking retired rigs and repurposing them as blocker trucks, a similar program having been started in Irving, Texas, in 2017. The Dallas program started at the beginning of April.

Working highway incidents is getting a lot of much-deserved attention. The fire service is looking at many different ways to help keep responding firefighters safe and protect the millions of dollars’ worth of equipment staging on the roadway. Chevron striping, brighter lights, arrow sticks, smartphone app integration—you name it. We’ve tried it. In some places they work, in others they don’t. What’s the solution? It seems we are at the point where we’ve done practically everything we can, and it’s up to the drivers we share the roads with to start paying attention. And for that, it looks like it will come back to us to educate our customers about sharing the road. Add that to your Fire Prevention Week messaging, or your newsletters, and don’t forget your social media messaging. Many departments are already doing it, but there are many more that need to start.

A sobering moment at FDIC International 2019 came when it was time to present the widow of Lieutenant Bradford T. Clark of Hanover County (VA) Fire-EMS with the 2019 Ray Downey Courage & Valor Award. Clark was killed in the line of duty when he was operating at a highway incide

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Posted: Jun 1, 2019

Apparatus Ideas: Marcus Hook Industrial Complex Welcomes the T-Rex

Marcus Hook Industrial Complex Welcomes the T-Rex

The Sunoco Marcus Hook Refinery, in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, was one of the largest crude oil processing plants in the United States until 2013.

BOB VACCARO

The plant was purchased by Energy Transfer Partners, a Dallas-based pipeline company, which converted the plant for the storage of butane, propane, and ethane. Fracking in Pennsylvania brings the product by pipeline to the facility where it is stored in refrigerated tanks and then transferred to tanker ships docked at the plant and transported domestically and internationally.

After doing a global fire protection study, William Kelly, the senior manager of emergency services at the plant, says, “A decision was made to acquire an aerial device. Our tanks are 165 to 170 feet in height, and the main working parts for the operation of the tanks are on top. Our employees have to operate at this height to make repairs. We had to find a way to remove them in case of an emergency without climbing or using ropes.”

Marcus Hook Refinery’s articulating platform is built on a Rosenbauer Commander chassis with twin front axles for better maneuverability. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer America.)

1 Marcus Hook Refinery’s articulating platform is built on a Rosenbauer Commander chassis with twin front axles for better maneuverability. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer America.)

During the planning to repurpose the Marcus Hook facility from an active refinery into a hub, an analysis was conducted to identify potential fire suppression requirements. Multiple fixed and mobile components were identified, including a specialized fire/rescue response capability. Specifically, this need was for an apparatus that could not only provide mobile fire pumping capacity but also perform water delivery from an elevated platform along with assisting in any rescue from structures including the refrigerated storage tanks.

The primary function of the aerial platform is equally shared between rescue of injured or ill persons from the top of the tanks or other elevated structures within the process area and the application of water to fires in elevated areas that may be outside of the reach of the plant’s fire brigade’s primary apparatus. In addition to these important functions, the unit needs to be in service within minutes and with minimal staffing. “Since we didn’t have to go out to bid because of our unique requirements, Rosenbauer built the highest platform in the U.S. for our demands,” says Kelly. “Thus, we acquired the Rosenbauer T-Rex articulating platform. The Rosenbauer chassis and cab are American products manufactured in Minnesota, while the aerial device is a German design. Some of the platform installation was completed in Italy, but all of the complex design and installation were under the supervision of trained Rosenbauer technicians.”

Rosenbauer T-Rex Specs

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    Posted: Jun 1, 2019

    To the Rescue: Vehicle Rescue Meets Hazmat with a Twist

    Vehicle Rescue Meets Hazmat with a Twist

    It seems to me that hardly a day goes by that we don’t see or hear something about electric vehicles and some of the challenges they present to us in the field.

    Carl j. Haddon

    It is important to note that although the challenges involved with electric and hybrid vehicle fires and extrications are very real, they are not (yet) as common as those found in fossil-fuel-powered vehicles involved in wrecks. This is simply because of the fact that there are still fewer electric and hybrid vehicles on the road (at least in the United States) than gas-, diesel-, and propane-powered vehicles.

    Much has also been written and discussed about the firefighting challenges and issues surrounding lithium ion battery fires we are encountering with electric vehicles. If you are not aware of this topic and these issues, it really is time to do some research on the subject, as the American fire service is years behind many other parts of the world when it comes to challenges faced with electric vehicle and lithium ion battery fires.

    Most of these new electric vehicles also pose new and exciting extrication challenges because these cars are made using the latest metal alloys and the newest construction techniques and platforms that dramatically change the way we need to look at approaching extrication and making space.

    LITHIUM ION SCIENCE

    Some of the latest science surrounding combustion of these new vehicle components has also created (and exacerbated) hazmat conditions and concerns. For example, we find that burning lithium-ion vehicle batteries require an average of 3,000 gallons of water for initial knockdown. Science shows that the runoff water from these firefights contains very high levels of carcinogens and environmentally harmful pollutants (flouride, chloride, and hydrochloric acid). Where does this 3,000-gallon runoff go when we’re finished fighting the initial fire? Are we next going to need to dam vehicle fire scenes because of these hazmat considerations? Is your department equipped, staffed, and trained for such changes during “routine car fire” responses?

    One of the most recent firefighter health concerns regarding compromised lithium-ion batteries involves the toxicity of the smoke that they emit prior to, during, and after ignition. The “United States National Library of Medicine: Report on Toxicity of Lithium Ion Battery Fires” states, “The electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery is flammable and generally contains lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) or other Li-salts containing fluorine. In the event of overheating, the electrolyte will evaporate and eventually be vented out from the battery cells. The gases may or may not be ignited immediately. Lithium ion batteries release a number of toxic substances as well as, e.g., CO (an asphyxiant gas) and CO2 (induces anoxia) during heating and fire. At elevated temperature, the fluorine content of the electrolyte and, to some extent, other parts of the battery such as the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) binder in the electrodes, may form gases such as hydrogen fluoride (HF), phosphorus pentafluoride (PF5) and phosphoryl fluoride (POF3).”

    Suffice it to say, these are NO

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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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    Posted: Oct 21, 2015

    Secretary

    Greg Bach
    South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue
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    Posted: Oct 21, 2015

    Director #1

    Doug Jones
    South Kitsap Fire & Rescue
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    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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    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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    Posted: Oct 21, 2015

    Legislative Representative

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    Immediate Past Chair

    Posted: Oct 20, 2015

    Immediate Past Chair

    Brian Fortner
    Graham Fire & Rescue

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