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Welcome

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: Feb 1, 2019

Interpreting TIC Images

Manfred Kihn

As firefighters, we train in all aspects of our job, but we face challenges because we use so many different types of equipment depending on what our duties are. We need to be proficient in using all of them. Why is this month’s topic important? We use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) to help us see where we are going, but what is it that we are really looking at? How are we interpreting the images we are seeing on the TIC?

Image interpretation is one of the most critical skills a firefighter needs to develop to successfully use a TIC. Firefighters need to be able to glance at the TIC display and understand the image being shown. This is a learned skill that comes with understanding the technology of thermal imaging coupled with practical experience in the field.

Let’s look at a scenario. You are responding to a structure fire call and your crew arrives on the scene to see smoke coming from the building. The crew begins pulling and charging attack lines, and you grab the TIC and do a quick 360Â° of the structure. The question is, are you interpreting what you are seeing on the TIC’s display correctly? Every structure will demonstrate at least four different but totally normal images on a TIC based on many factors including day vs. night and winter vs. summer conditions. A mobile home, for example, will look different than a masonry structure. A wood-frame-sided home will look different than a steel structure.

Windows will also impact the information your TIC tells you based on single-, double-, or triple-pane designs. Window treatments if covering the window can impact image information as well. Older and poorly designed windows and doors can exhibit thermal images that could easily mislead you as to the real heat value of the structure without a normal image baseline.

When our naked eye sees things, our brain computes it and we understand it, but when we see images through the display lens of a TIC, we now must try to understand what we are looking at. Some heat signatures or anomalies will be obvious, but other images we will not understand. If we detect something and can recognize and understand it, then we move on; but if we detect something, cannot recognize it, and cannot understand it, then we must investigate it.

1 Photos courtesy of Bullard.

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

Interpreting TIC Images

Manfred Kihn

As firefighters, we train in all aspects of our job, but we face challenges because we use so many different types of equipment depending on what our duties are. We need to be proficient in using all of them. Why is this month’s topic important? We use thermal imaging cameras (TICs) to help us see where we are going, but what is it that we are really looking at? How are we interpreting the images we are seeing on the TIC?

1 Photos courtesy of Bullard.

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Posted: Feb 1, 2019

Fire Truck Rollovers, Part 2

BY CHRIS DALY

In last month’s article, we discussed how to determine a vehicle’s rollover threshold. Once a vehicle’s rollover threshold is calculated, it is possible to determine at what point it will roll over.

The point at which the apparatus will roll over depends on how much lateral acceleration is placed on the vehicle. Lateral acceleration is the evil force that is constantly trying to “push” the apparatus off of the road or flip it over.

When a vehicle moves from side to side, it will experience “lateral acceleration,” commonly referred to as “g-force.” While lateral g-force sounds like a complicated term, it is actually quite simple. Not only is this concept very simple, it is a key point that every fire apparatus operator must come to understand if he plans to drive safely. Unfortunately, few emergency vehicle operation course (EVOC) programs discuss it.

The amount of g-force a vehicle will experience as it rounds a curve will depend on the speed of the vehicle and the radius of the curve (how sharp it is). If the vehicle’s speed increases, or the curve gets sharper, the lateral g-force acting on the vehicle will increase. If a vehicle experiences a lateral g-force that is greater than its rollover threshold, the vehicle will roll over. Lateral g-force is calculated using the following formula:

REAL-LIFE G-FORCE

By using the lateral g-force formula, it is possible to determine how much lateral g-force is acting on a vehicle as it rounds a curve. As an example, consider the curve in photo 1, which has a radius of 80 feet along the middle of the inside travel lane. The amount of lateral g-force experienced by a vehicle while rounding the inside travel lane is shown in Table 1.

Table 1 demonstrates how dangerous it is to round a sharp curve or corner in a fire apparatus. As most fire apparatus have an average rollover threshold over around 0.60 (give or take, no manufacturer will give me exact measurements), the average fire apparatus will roll over while rounding this curve at just 25 to 30 miles per hour (mph). Keep in mind that at 30 mph, the fire apparatus operator will be driving the vehicle at 100 percent of its ability. In reality, most drivers “give up” and panic when the lateral g-force exceeds 0.20.

he measured radius of the inside lane of this curve is approximately 80 feet. This would be considered a “sharp” curve to most drivers. When a curve has a smaller radius (is sharper), the lateral g-force increases significantly with an increase in speed.

1 The measured radius of the inside lane of this curve is approximately 80 feet. This would be considered a “sharp” curve to most drivers. When a curve has a smaller radius (is sharper), the lateral g-force increases significantly with an increase in speed. (Photos by author.)