By Alan M. Petrillo

A variety of cameras and camera systems are being used on fire apparatus to help drivers negotiate crowded roads and navigate safely to a fire scene.

Cameras that provide 360-degree views of an apparatus, side-mounted cameras, front-mounts, and backup cameras have become popular tools to help prevent incidents either on the way to an emergency, on the scene itself, or returning to the station. Camera systems also are being used to document runs and fire scene operations to be saved in a department’s electronic files.

1 FRC makes the InView 360 camera system that provides an all-around view of a vehicle while in motion and while stationary. This InView monitor is showing a split screen, but the system software can stitch together the data from four cameras into a bird’s-eye view. (Photos 1-5 courtesy of FRC.)

Multicamera Systems

Mike Dupay, division vice president of marketing for Safe Fleet, which owns FRC, says FRC makes the InView 360 all-around video system for emergency apparatus drivers. “The system gives a bird’s-eye view from above the fire truck using four strategically placed cameras on the vehicle,” he says. “The video feed goes into the cab of the vehicle while specialized software calibrates the system to stitch the video together to create the bird’s-eye view - much like a drone hovering over the vehicle. The system allows the driver to see up to eight feet in diameter around the vehicle while it’s moving.”

Kevin Brady, Safe Fleet’s senior product manager for video, notes that the monitor also can display a split screen, showing left, right, forward, or backing views. “It allows a driver the ability to see a tight space that he might have to get into and also prevents him from backing into an obstruction,” Brady says. “As an option, InView 360 can record to a 500-gigabyte digital video recorder (DVR) hard drive that will record up to 29 days at about eight hours a day.”

2 This high-definition camera is used in the FRC InView 360 camera system.

Jim Fecile, national sales manager, public safety, Rosco Vision Systems, says his company makes a variety of cameras used on fire and emergency medical service (EMS) apparatus, from single-camera and monitor backup units to two-camera, three-camera, and four-camera 360-degree systems. “Our standalone backup camera connected to a five-inch or seven-inch monitor is triggered by the reverse signal,” Fecile says, “and sometimes EMS units will have a single camera in the patient box to give the driver a view of what’s happening back there. We also offer two- and three-camera systems where you have two side cameras for use when switching lanes or a combination of those with a backup camera.”

Fecile notes that four-camera systems are used to generate a 360-degree view of t

Christian P. Koop

The fluid many of us refer to as the life blood of the engine or motor continues to evolve rapidly to meet ever-changing engine manufacturer requirements.

Many of these changes have been necessary because of technological improvements; however, many of the formulation changes in oil were developed mainly because of the ever-tightening emission regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These were for cars and light trucks first and later medium and heavy trucks. I fondly remember that when I was a young mechanic apprentice (technician in today’s lingo) working in a garage that selecting the correct oil for the engine I was working on was very simple. Not so anymore, and if you don’t use the correct type for your emergency response vehicle (ERV) engine - whether gas or diesel - you could decrease fuel economy and, in worst-case scenarios, even cause serious damage. Failure to use the correct motor oil could not only lead to premature hard part damage but also compromise auxiliary systems like fuel, catalytic converters, and diesel particulate filters (DPFs). If damage occurs during the engine warranty period, the manufacturer could void the warranty.

Meeting Requirements

Although most engine manufacturers would like you to use the oil they market, you don’t have to as long as the oil you use meets the engine manufacturer’s specification requirements. This is where it can get complicated. Previously in the United States, we relied solely on the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating to determine the correct oil for an engine. There are other agencies that have come about because of increased demand for ensuring the correct oil is being used in modern engines. These are the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ISLAC) specification for domestic and Asian vehicles and the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) specification for European OEMs. Ironically, with the increasing number of rating agencies, the manufacturers still felt it necessary to develop their own motor oils.

Here is what typically happens: An engine manufacturer designd an engine to meet either an emissions or a performance standard. When it fails to meet that threshold with industry-standard lubricants, all bets are off, and if it takes a different oil to do so, so be it! A few may remember back in 2011 when General Motors (GM) came out with its own oil specification named dexos1 for gasoline engines and dexos2 for diesels. Dexos motor oil is a synthetic, and in the quest for improved fuel economy many manufacturers have been switching from conventional to synthetic because it has been proven to reduce friction and increase fuel economy. In the owner’s manuals, GM warned that failure to use oil that did not meet its specs would void the warranty if a failure was attributed to lubrication. More recently, Ford Motor Company rejected the latest diesel oil spec: CK-4 (API rating), which replaces the CJ-4 spec that had been in place since 2006. Ford has now formulated its own oil for use in its diesels, stating that the old spec was causing excessive abrasive wear.

More than Lubrication

Keep in mind that oil has a tough job to perform in a modern engine because it has to seal, cool, clean, and protect in addition to its basic lubrication requirements. Modern oil comprises many chemical additives to help it do its job in today’s engines. Some of the major areas for which motor oil provides protection follow:

• Abrasive Wear: This

Christian P. Koop

The fluid many of us refer to as the life blood of the engine or motor continues to evolve rapidly to meet ever-changing engine manufacturer requirements.

Many of these changes have been necessary because of technological improvements; however, many of the formulation changes in oil were developed mainly because of the ever-tightening emission regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These were for cars and light trucks first and later medium and heavy trucks. I fondly remember that when I was a young mechanic apprentice (technician in today’s lingo) working in a garage that selecting the correct oil for the engine I was working on was very simple. Not so anymore, and if you don’t use the correct type for your emergency response vehicle (ERV) engine - whether gas or diesel - you could decrease fuel economy and, in worst-case scenarios, even cause serious damage. Failure to use the correct motor oil could not only lead to premature hard part damage but also compromise auxiliary systems like fuel, catalytic converters, and diesel particulate filters (DPFs). If damage occurs during the engine warranty period, the manufacturer could void the warranty.

Meeting Requirements

Although most engine manufacturers would like you to use the oil they market, you don’t have to as long as the oil you use meets the engine manufacturer’s specification requirements. This is where it can get complicated. Previously in the United States, we relied solely on the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating to determine the correct oil for an engine. There are other agencies that have come about because of increased demand for ensuring the correct oil is being used in modern engines. These are the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ISLAC) specification for domestic and Asian vehicles and the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) specification for European OEMs. Ironically, with the increasing number of rating agencies, the manufacturers still felt it necessary to develop their own motor oils.

Here is what typically happens: An engine manufacturer designd an engine to meet either an emissions or a performance standard. When it fails to meet that threshold with industry-standard lubricants, all bets are off, and if it takes a different oil to do so, so be it! A few may remember back in 2011 when General Motors (GM) came out with its own oil specification named dexos1 for gasoline engines and dexos2 for diesels. Dexos motor oil is a synthetic, and in the quest for improved fuel economy many manufacturers have been switching from conventional to synthetic because it has been proven to reduce friction and increase fuel economy. In the owner’s manuals, GM warned that failure to use oil that did not meet its specs would void the warranty if a failure was attributed to lubrication. More recently, Ford Motor Company rejected the latest diesel oil spec: CK-4 (API rating), which replaces the CJ-4 spec that had been in place since 2006. Ford has now formulated its own oil for use in its diesels, stating that the old spec was causing excessive abrasive wear.

More than Lubrication

Keep in mind that oil has a tough job to perform in a modern engine because it has to seal, cool, clean, and protect in addition to its basic lubrication requirements. Modern oil comprises many chemical additives to help it do its job in today’s engines. Some of the major areas for which motor oil provides protection follow:

• Abrasive Wear: This

Christian P. Koop

The fluid many of us refer to as the life blood of the engine or motor continues to evolve rapidly to meet ever-changing engine manufacturer requirements.

Many of these changes have been necessary because of technological improvements; however, many of the formulation changes in oil were developed mainly because of the ever-tightening emission regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These were for cars and light trucks first and later medium and heavy trucks. I fondly remember that when I was a young mechanic apprentice (technician in today’s lingo) working in a garage that selecting the correct oil for the engine I was working on was very simple. Not so anymore, and if you don’t use the correct type for your emergency response vehicle (ERV) engine - whether gas or diesel - you could decrease fuel economy and, in worst-case scenarios, even cause serious damage. Failure to use the correct motor oil could not only lead to premature hard part damage but also compromise auxiliary systems like fuel, catalytic converters, and diesel particulate filters (DPFs). If damage occurs during the engine warranty period, the manufacturer could void the warranty.

Meeting Requirements

Although most engine manufacturers would like you to use the oil they market, you don’t have to as long as the oil you use meets the engine manufacturer’s specification requirements. This is where it can get complicated. Previously in the United States, we relied solely on the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating to determine the correct oil for an engine. There are other agencies that have come about because of increased demand for ensuring the correct oil is being used in modern engines. These are the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ISLAC) specification for domestic and Asian vehicles and the European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) specification for European OEMs. Ironically, with the increasing number of rating agencies, the manufacturers still felt it necessary to develop their own motor oils.

Here is what typically happens: An engine manufacturer designd an engine to meet either an emissions or a performance standard. When it fails to meet that threshold with industry-standard lubricants, all bets are off, and if it takes a different oil to do so, so be it! A few may remember back in 2011 when General Motors (GM) came out with its own oil specification named dexos1 for gasoline engines and dexos2 for diesels. Dexos motor oil is a synthetic, and in the quest for improved fuel economy many manufacturers have been switching from conventional to synthetic because it has been proven to reduce friction and increase fuel economy. In the owner’s manuals, GM warned that failure to use oil that did not meet its specs would void the warranty if a failure was attributed to lubrication. More recently, Ford Motor Company rejected the latest diesel oil spec: CK-4 (API rating), which replaces the CJ-4 spec that had been in place since 2006. Ford has now formulated its own oil for use in its diesels, stating that the old spec was causing excessive abrasive wear.

More than Lubrication

Keep in mind that oil has a tough job to perform in a modern engine because it has to seal, cool, clean, and protect in addition to its basic lubrication requirements. Modern oil comprises many chemical additives to help it do its job in today’s engines. Some of the major areas for which motor oil provides protection follow:

• Abrasive Wear: This