By Robert Tutterow

This is the third in a series of columns about apparatus bays. Previously topics included floors and bay doors.

This month’s column will focus on other issues and considerations related to bays - especially the items stored, or kept, in bays that probably should not be there.

Because bays are the largest inside space of a station, they become home for lots of things. Rarely does a station have enough storage space, and the bay area becomes the accumulator of all things that that won’t go elsewhere. Granted, many stations were built decades ago when the station inventory contained considerably less than today. Many older metro fire department stations were built during the horse-drawn apparatus days or when apparatus were about half as wide and half as tall as they are today. In those situations, departments are limited in how they handle storage.

Ice Machines, Turnout Gear, and Breathing Air Compressors

There are items often stored on apparatus bays that should be stored elsewhere. Critical to firefighter health are ice machines, turnout gear, and breathing air.

Even with diesel exhaust capture systems coupled with other ventilation systems, there are carcinogens and other gases emitted into the bay from equipment. For this reason, ice makers should never be stored in the bay. There have been cases where an ice machine fails because of power outages or mechanical reasons, and all the ice melts. Because of the contaminated bay area, oil slicks have been found on the water from the melted ice. That’s not good. Space has to be made available elsewhere in the station for ice machines. If your station has an ice machine in the bay, look for accumulated soot on the machine, especially where it might not get regular cleaning.

Turnout gear has historically been stored along the walls of apparatus bays. It was a natural place, convenient to the apparatus, and out of the living and sleeping areas. However, we now know of three very valid reasons to store turnout gear off the bay floor:

1. UV degradation.
2. Exposure to contaminants in the bay from contaminated equipment off gassing and residual diesel exhaust not collected from removal systems.
3. Proper ventilation.

Turnout gear should be stored in a separate dedicated room located just off the bay. The room should remain dark except when occupied by a firefighter to prevent UV degradation from sunlight and artificial light. Motion-sensor lights are an ideal application for this environment. And, the room should have its own dedicated ventilation system to remove off gases and aid in keeping PPE dry.

Breathing air compressors should not be on apparatus bay floors for the same reasons listed above. Their filtration systems should not have to filter contaminants that can be avoided altogether.

New Stations and Station Expansion

Many readers might wonder what they can do about this unless they are building a new station. By all means, these factors should be considered in the design of a new station. However, as service demands grow and firefighter health and safety concerns are better understood, all departments should have a plan to expand their stations if enough land is available. When talking expansion to older stations, consider adding fitness rooms and decontamination rooms.

Other Safety and Health Tidbits

There are other small and affordable items to consider that relate to apparatus bays. Think about the doors leading to and from the bay. Is there at least a small window so people walking in opposite direct

By Robert Tutterow

This is the third in a series of columns about apparatus bays. Previously topics included floors and bay doors.

This month’s column will focus on other issues and considerations related to bays - especially the items stored, or kept, in bays that probably should not be there.

Because bays are the largest inside space of a station, they become home for lots of things. Rarely does a station have enough storage space, and the bay area becomes the accumulator of all things that that won’t go elsewhere. Granted, many stations were built decades ago when the station inventory contained considerably less than today. Many older metro fire department stations were built during the horse-drawn apparatus days or when apparatus were about half as wide and half as tall as they are today. In those situations, departments are limited in how they handle storage.

Ice Machines, Turnout Gear, and Breathing Air Compressors

There are items often stored on apparatus bays that should be stored elsewhere. Critical to firefighter health are ice machines, turnout gear, and breathing air.

Even with diesel exhaust capture systems coupled with other ventilation systems, there are carcinogens and other gases emitted into the bay from equipment. For this reason, ice makers should never be stored in the bay. There have been cases where an ice machine fails because of power outages or mechanical reasons, and all the ice melts. Because of the contaminated bay area, oil slicks have been found on the water from the melted ice. That’s not good. Space has to be made available elsewhere in the station for ice machines. If your station has an ice machine in the bay, look for accumulated soot on the machine, especially where it might not get regular cleaning.

Turnout gear has historically been stored along the walls of apparatus bays. It was a natural place, convenient to the apparatus, and out of the living and sleeping areas. However, we now know of three very valid reasons to store turnout gear off the bay floor:

1. UV degradation.
2. Exposure to contaminants in the bay from contaminated equipment off gassing and residual diesel exhaust not collected from removal systems.
3. Proper ventilation.

Turnout gear should be stored in a separate dedicated room located just off the bay. The room should remain dark except when occupied by a firefighter to prevent UV degradation from sunlight and artificial light. Motion-sensor lights are an ideal application for this environment. And, the room should have its own dedicated ventilation system to remove off gases and aid in keeping PPE dry.

Breathing air compressors should not be on apparatus bay floors for the same reasons listed above. Their filtration systems should not have to filter contaminants that can be avoided altogether.

New Stations and Station Expansion

Many readers might wonder what they can do about this unless they are building a new station. By all means, these factors should be considered in the design of a new station. However, as service demands grow and firefighter health and safety concerns are better understood, all departments should have a plan to expand their stations if enough land is available. When talking expansion to older stations, consider adding fitness rooms and decontamination rooms.

Other Safety and Health Tidbits

There are other small and affordable items to consider that relate to apparatus bays. Think about the doors leading to and from the bay. Is there at least a small window so people walking in opposite direct

By Robert Tutterow

This is the third in a series of columns about apparatus bays. Previously topics included floors and bay doors.

This month’s column will focus on other issues and considerations related to bays - especially the items stored, or kept, in bays that probably should not be there.

Because bays are the largest inside space of a station, they become home for lots of things. Rarely does a station have enough storage space, and the bay area becomes the accumulator of all things that that won’t go elsewhere. Granted, many stations were built decades ago when the station inventory contained considerably less than today. Many older metro fire department stations were built during the horse-drawn apparatus days or when apparatus were about half as wide and half as tall as they are today. In those situations, departments are limited in how they handle storage.

Ice Machines, Turnout Gear, and Breathing Air Compressors

There are items often stored on apparatus bays that should be stored elsewhere. Critical to firefighter health are ice machines, turnout gear, and breathing air.

Even with diesel exhaust capture systems coupled with other ventilation systems, there are carcinogens and other gases emitted into the bay from equipment. For this reason, ice makers should never be stored in the bay. There have been cases where an ice machine fails because of power outages or mechanical reasons, and all the ice melts. Because of the contaminated bay area, oil slicks have been found on the water from the melted ice. That’s not good. Space has to be made available elsewhere in the station for ice machines. If your station has an ice machine in the bay, look for accumulated soot on the machine, especially where it might not get regular cleaning.

Turnout gear has historically been stored along the walls of apparatus bays. It was a natural place, convenient to the apparatus, and out of the living and sleeping areas. However, we now know of three very valid reasons to store turnout gear off the bay floor:

1. UV degradation.
2. Exposure to contaminants in the bay from contaminated equipment off gassing and residual diesel exhaust not collected from removal systems.
3. Proper ventilation.

Turnout gear should be stored in a separate dedicated room located just off the bay. The room should remain dark except when occupied by a firefighter to prevent UV degradation from sunlight and artificial light. Motion-sensor lights are an ideal application for this environment. And, the room should have its own dedicated ventilation system to remove off gases and aid in keeping PPE dry.

Breathing air compressors should not be on apparatus bay floors for the same reasons listed above. Their filtration systems should not have to filter contaminants that can be avoided altogether.

New Stations and Station Expansion

Many readers might wonder what they can do about this unless they are building a new station. By all means, these factors should be considered in the design of a new station. However, as service demands grow and firefighter health and safety concerns are better understood, all departments should have a plan to expand their stations if enough land is available. When talking expansion to older stations, consider adding fitness rooms and decontamination rooms.

Other Safety and Health Tidbits

There are other small and affordable items to consider that relate to apparatus bays. Think about the doors leading to and from the bay. Is there at least a small window so people walking in opposite direct

By Alan M. Petrillo

Ccompressed air foam systems (CAFS) are not the right choice for every fire department, but for those departments using them, they become major elements in their standard operating procedures (SOPs) for extinguishing fires.

1 W.S. Darley & Co. makes the LDMBC AutoCAFS system with up to a 1,750-gpm pump and 220-cfm air compressor.

Troy Carothers, AutoCAFS product manger for W.S. Darley & Co., says Darley has been building CAFS since 1993, while its Odin Foam division has been building them for wildland firefighting since the early 1980s. “The LDMBC with up to a 1,750-gpm pump and 220-cubic-feet-per-minute (cfm) air compressor is our flagship CAFS model,” Carothers says. “If a department needs a bigger pump, we make the EMBC, which will handle 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm) in volume and provide 600-pounds-per-square-inch (psi) capacity in pressure.”

2 W.S. Darley & Co.’s Odin Foam division makes the Mongoose CAFS model in both diesel- (shown) and gasoline-powered versions.

A popular CAFS model that Darley makes for quick-attack vehicles is its midship PSMC pump, a split-shaft pump commonly mounted on a Ford chassis and capable of up to 1,500 gpm. “It’s rather compact, features a 120-cfm compressor, up to four CAFS discharges, and comes rated in 1,000-, 1,250-, and 1,500-gpm versions,” Carothers says.

Jerry Halpin, vice president of sales and marketing for CET Fire Pumps, says that CET’s CAFS models were originally designed to augment urban interface, wildland and forestry firefighting, as well as suburban structural firefighting on quick-attack units. “Where CAFS seems to be heading now is in the 40-cfm and 60-cfm units,” Halpin points out. “Our 40-cfm CAFS is a one-line unit, while the 60-cfm will handle two handlines. We also make models that are mounted on Type 1 pumpers and aerials going up to 2,000-gpm.”

3 The EMBC CAFS model made by W.S. Darley & Co. will handle 2,000 gpm in volume and provide 600 psi in pressure. (Photos 1-3 courtesy of W.S. Darley & Co.)

The CET 40- and 60-cfm models are CET’s most popular, Halpin says, and are predominantly gasoline-driven, using Honda, Kohler, Vanguard, and Briggs & Stratton engines. For departments choosing a diesel-powered CAFS, CET makes the 40-cfm and 60-cfm versions powered by a Kubota diesel.

Alan Smith, foam and CAFS product manager for IDEX Fire Suppression Group (maker of Hale, Godiva, and Class 1 brands), says he has seen an increase in CAFS sales during this past year, likely because Hale/Class 1 came out with a new controller that makes CAFS much easier for the operator. “CAFS has been traditionally a fairly complex system to operate, but our SmartCAFS takes the complexity out of the system,” Smith says. “You don’t have