The Princeton (NJ) First Aid & Rescue Squad wanted a custom ambulance that it could station at Princeton University during the school year and turned to PL Custom Emergency Vehicles to build the rig.

Frank Setnicky, director of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, says the Squad provides ambulance and rescue services to the 18 square miles of the borough of Princeton with a population of about 30,000 residents that doubles when Princeton University is in session. “We wanted a pretty straightforward ambulance without a lot of bells and whistles but with some customized design features,” Setnicky says. “This new rig was going to be stationed on the Princeton University campus during school classes.”

1 The Princeton (NJ) First Aid & Rescue Squad went to PL Custom Emergency Vehicles for a new custom ambulance on a 2017 Ford E-450 chassis with an all-aluminum modular body. (Photos courtesy of PL Custom Emergency Vehicles.)

Chad Newsome, national sales manager for P.L. Custom Body and Equipment Co., Inc., parent company of PL Custom Emergency Vehicles, says Princeton had taken the design of its then current ambulances and worked with him to develop the design it wanted on a new rig. “It went through a request for proposal (RFP) process and solicited information from several vendors,” Newsome points out. “Then Princeton whittled the proposals down to its most recent vehicle provider and us. We got the contract.”

Custom Configurations

Newsome notes that PL Custom installed a combination 12-volt/110-volt heating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system in the Princeton ambulance because the rig would be stored outside at Princeton University during the school year and would need to be plugged into shore power when on site. PL Custom installed dual shore lines on the ambulance, one each side—the first for standard charging and the other for charging the HVAC system.

2 The PL Custom ambulance for Princeton has all Whelen LED warning, scene, compartment, interior, and underbody lighting along with a Whelen Howler siren.

“The Princeton Squad also wanted a custom configuration on the body itself,” Newsome says. “Of the five exterior storage compartments, only one of them was a standard compartment. The driver’s side rear compartment was ¾ high with double doors, and the passenger side forward was a full-height compartment.”

Custom features also include pushbutt

By William R. Emery

Today, most fire department pumpers feature only pounds-per-square-inch (psi) gauges to monitor each discharge outlet.

Although using these psi gauges in conjunction with calculating friction loss within a particular hose layout has been common in the fire service for many years, it is time for the fire service to seriously consider integrating flow meters into each of its discharge outlets to create a safer, more efficient, and more effective fireground.

To look at the benefits of adding flow meters to our discharge outlets, let’s take a moment to review the principle characteristics of a workable nozzle and the difficulties in verifying if a nozzle is receiving proper pressure and flow rate using only psi gauges.

Optimal Nozzle Characteristics

Like many tools, a nozzle has an optimal point of performance. This optimal point typically reflects research and hands-on training performed by departments to find nozzle characteristics that work within their department. Some common nozzle characteristics that your department may focus on are as follows:

• Target flow rate.



• Reasonable nozzle reaction.



• Fire stream quality.



• Horizontal reach of the fire stream.

Fire departments will balance the positives and negatives of each nozzle characteristic and will generally publish, through a department policy or training program, the optimal point to operate a particular nozzle. For example, a department may choose to operate all 1¾-inch handlines with 15⁄16-inch smooth bore nozzles flowing 185 gallons per minute (gpm) at 50 psi, creating 69 pounds of force (lbf) of nozzle reaction and 59 feet of horizontal reach.

1 Commonly fire department pumpers have included psi gauges and push/pull “T” handles to monitor and control the flow to hoselines. (Photos by author.)

From this point, it is important to understand that the farther away a nozzle operates from the department-established optimal point, the less efficient and effective the nozzle becomes for the nozzle team to operate. Table 1 highlights some of the pitfalls associated with smooth bore nozzles operating above or below their optimal points. As shown, operating below the optimal point can endanger the nozzle team with a fire stream that does not have an adequate flow rate. Equally troubling is an overpressured nozzle that will have increased nozzle reaction, causing additional work, fatigue, and even possible safety concerns.

To bring in specific values to highlight the previous point, Table 2 shows

By William R. Emery

Today, most fire department pumpers feature only pounds-per-square-inch (psi) gauges to monitor each discharge outlet.

Although using these psi gauges in conjunction with calculating friction loss within a particular hose layout has been common in the fire service for many years, it is time for the fire service to seriously consider integrating flow meters into each of its discharge outlets to create a safer, more efficient, and more effective fireground.

To look at the benefits of adding flow meters to our discharge outlets, let’s take a moment to review the principle characteristics of a workable nozzle and the difficulties in verifying if a nozzle is receiving proper pressure and flow rate using only psi gauges.

Optimal Nozzle Characteristics

Like many tools, a nozzle has an optimal point of performance. This optimal point typically reflects research and hands-on training performed by departments to find nozzle characteristics that work within their department. Some common nozzle characteristics that your department may focus on are as follows:

• Target flow rate.



• Reasonable nozzle reaction.



• Fire stream quality.



• Horizontal reach of the fire stream.

Fire departments will balance the positives and negatives of each nozzle characteristic and will generally publish, through a department policy or training program, the optimal point to operate a particular nozzle. For example, a department may choose to operate all 1¾-inch handlines with 15⁄16-inch smooth bore nozzles flowing 185 gallons per minute (gpm) at 50 psi, creating 69 pounds of force (lbf) of nozzle reaction and 59 feet of horizontal reach.

1 Commonly fire department pumpers have included psi gauges and push/pull “T” handles to monitor and control the flow to hoselines. (Photos by author.)

From this point, it is important to understand that the farther away a nozzle operates from the department-established optimal point, the less efficient and effective the nozzle becomes for the nozzle team to operate. Table 1 highlights some of the pitfalls associated with smooth bore nozzles operating above or below their optimal points. As shown, operating below the optimal point can endanger the nozzle team with a fire stream that does not have an adequate flow rate. Equally troubling is an overpressured nozzle that will have increased nozzle reaction, causing additional work, fatigue, and even possible safety concerns.

To bring in specific values to highlight the previous point, Table 2 shows

By William R. Emery

Today, most fire department pumpers feature only pounds-per-square-inch (psi) gauges to monitor each discharge outlet.

Although using these psi gauges in conjunction with calculating friction loss within a particular hose layout has been common in the fire service for many years, it is time for the fire service to seriously consider integrating flow meters into each of its discharge outlets to create a safer, more efficient, and more effective fireground.

To look at the benefits of adding flow meters to our discharge outlets, let’s take a moment to review the principle characteristics of a workable nozzle and the difficulties in verifying if a nozzle is receiving proper pressure and flow rate using only psi gauges.

Optimal Nozzle Characteristics

Like many tools, a nozzle has an optimal point of performance. This optimal point typically reflects research and hands-on training performed by departments to find nozzle characteristics that work within their department. Some common nozzle characteristics that your department may focus on are as follows:

• Target flow rate.



• Reasonable nozzle reaction.



• Fire stream quality.



• Horizontal reach of the fire stream.

Fire departments will balance the positives and negatives of each nozzle characteristic and will generally publish, through a department policy or training program, the optimal point to operate a particular nozzle. For example, a department may choose to operate all 1¾-inch handlines with 15⁄16-inch smooth bore nozzles flowing 185 gallons per minute (gpm) at 50 psi, creating 69 pounds of force (lbf) of nozzle reaction and 59 feet of horizontal reach.

1 Commonly fire department pumpers have included psi gauges and push/pull “T” handles to monitor and control the flow to hoselines. (Photos by author.)

From this point, it is important to understand that the farther away a nozzle operates from the department-established optimal point, the less efficient and effective the nozzle becomes for the nozzle team to operate. Table 1 highlights some of the pitfalls associated with smooth bore nozzles operating above or below their optimal points. As shown, operating below the optimal point can endanger the nozzle team with a fire stream that does not have an adequate flow rate. Equally troubling is an overpressured nozzle that will have increased nozzle reaction, causing additional work, fatigue, and even possible safety concerns.

To bring in specific values to highlight the previous point, Table 2 shows