Compartmentation

In designing your apparatus, there are many choices that must be made. These include many large components such as engine, transmission, pump type, and size, etc. Depending on your department’s operational needs, a few of these choices can affect the body size and type you will be getting on the rig. Even choices of low hosebeds, discharges, and intakes coming off the rear can influence body styles.

These body styles have the compartments attached to them, and they require your time and attention. This attention starts with the department’s determination of what equipment it needs to carry to accomplish its job in its community and response area. And then, how will it be carried and accessed during these incidents? During the specification process and the engineering conference is the time to determine what compartment style will be needed on the apparatus.

COMPARTMENT DESIGNS

In early designs of apparatus I was associated with, designing compartments was not an option or was frowned on by manufacturers. And, the cost associated with a special design was usually astronomical and hard to swallow for the tools or equipment that it was being made for. In recent years, the design of body compartments on apparatus in my part of the world has been increasingly custom based on the department’s needs for storing and removing equipment. The cost of some of these compartment designs has come down by the majority of the manufacturers. But, make no mistake—it still costs money to have these body compartments made nonstandard and then customized for the department’s equipment layout.

Some of the decisions on compartments will need to focus on the weight of what will be carried in them. Depending on the type of apparatus you are buying, such as a ladder truck or heavy rescue, these compartments may need to have the floors or the structure holding the compartments beefed up or reinforced. The weight of some of the equipment can cause it to bounce on the floors or shelves. This bouncing without the reinforcement could cause damage to the compartments.

Also consider how the components of the apparatus, such as water tanks, piping, frame rails, and other components, might intrude in your compartment area. A clean, square compartment is rare because of the way the bodies are mounted around these things and manufacturers making use of available space. At the engineering conference, ask questions about what is being mounted in each compartment that might impact the usable space of the compartment. This includes shelving track; supports for back wall stiffening; and items such as battery conditioners, plugs, and electrical panels. All these take up space in your compartment and can make getting your equipment in sometimes difficult, although computer drawings and accurate equipment dimensions can help ensure items wi

How Well Do Fire Departments Use Their Compartment Space?

By Bill Adams

A politically correct response to this question is that most fire departments do a good job in using compartment space while others do an outstanding job. It would be wrong. This is a “gotcha” trap question that most levelheaded apparatus manufacturers and vendors might not honestly answer because potential sales can be at stake. Consultants and for-hire specification writers will be equally cautious when responding. Future income may depend on their answers. Pundits, commentators, and observers have more leeway in expressing biased opinions—usually on the positive side. There can be pessimistic viewpoints. As an example, my perspective on laying out any apparatus has always been: If you have to climb onto your rig to reach a primary piece of equipment, you did a lousy job in designing it. That gets a lot of people upset.

I’ve never read an article where the writer states such-and-such fire department did a horrendous job in laying out its compartments. You’ll never read that an equipment layout is inefficient, that it’s a waste of space, that they put heavy equipment on top and light equipment on the bottom, and that they don’t have a clue about fire trucks. Like other media, the commentators in this magazine and on its Web site always do positive stories about apparatus with photographs showing compartment layouts. In particular, Mike Ciampo’s “Compartment Corner” series shows compartment layouts on many different types and manufacturers of in-service apparatus. He does not pass judgment, which allows readers to make their own determinations in how comparable layouts might work in their department. Vendors should demonstrate similar judiciousness when dealing with purchasing committees. Likewise, purchasers should be made aware of some pitfalls when writing specifications for compartmentation. Some personal observations on using compartment space follow.

INVENTORY

Regardless of the type of apparatus, any compartment will appear to be well organized and well thought out when the door is opened and all the equipment is stowed in an orderly and structured layout, every cubic inch of space is put to good use, and there is no wasted space. What may be overlooked is there is no room for future expansion if everything just fits.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, advocates planning for the future when specifying compartmentation. The intention is praiseworthy but realistically, with the increased use of multifunction apparatus such as pumper-rescues and quints, departments are lucky to get all the equipment carried on its two r

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