By Alan M. Petrillo

Depending on what part of the country your fire department is located, you probably have a preference for a certain type of body material for your fire apparatus. It might be aluminum, stainless steel, or copolymer.

But, one thing is certain - the choice of body materials will have a major effect on the vehicle’s life, performance, and durability.

1 Pro Poly of America Inc. built the body of this light-duty rescue that Fouts Bros. built for North Pekin (IL) Fire Rescue.

Copolymer Bodies

Andrew Lingel, president of United Plastic Fabricating (UPF), says the bodies UPF makes for the fire service commonly are used on tankers, pumper-tankers, mini pumpers, Type 1 pumpers, and rescue trucks. “We started designing our first formal PolyBodies® in 1994 as a utility body, while before that we were making body components like compartments and trays,” Lingel says. “This past December, we celebrated our 30th anniversary since UPF started building Poly water tanks, and 2016 was a year when we built the most PolyBody units for the fire industry that we’ve ever done.”

Michael Ashley, UPF’s vice president of engineering, says UPF’s PolyBodies are a copolymer of polypropylene and polyethylene. “We use hot gas fusion welding to weld the plates together and also use extrusion guns using air and/or nitrogen to preheat the parent material. The rod heats up and gets molten into the joint, welding the panels together,” Ashley points out. “We also use a hot knife and pressure to fuse panels together where appropriate.”

2 Fouts Bros. built this mini pumper on a PolyBilt body made by Pro Poly of America Inc. for Oconee County (SC) Fire Rescue. (Photos 1-2 courtesy of Pro Poly of America Inc.)

Lingel notes that the biggest benefits of a copolymer fire truck body “are that they will never rust or corrode; have very good impact resistance so they avoid dents, dings, and minor repairs; and hold their beautiful finish a lot longer.”

Ashley adds that PolyBodies are about the same weight as a typical aluminum fire truck body. “However, there’s a weight savings over steel, stainless steel, and fiberglass composite bodies,” he says.

Tim Dean, president of Pro Poly of America Inc., says his company created the PolyBilt® limited liability corporation with W.S. Darley & Co. in 2000. “We have been in business 25 years, and our bread and butter has been water tanks,” Dean observes, “but 15 years ago we put our heads together with Darley and decided to make the entire back end of a fire truck out of copolymer. Our Polyprene™ is a special blend of monomers, a polyethylene and polypropylene blend, that form the copolymer.”

3 Maintainer Custom Bodie Read more 217 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Mar 7, 2017 Apparatus Purchasing: Custom Cabs Part 2, the Safety Standards By Bill Adams Apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) that build their own custom cabs and chassis claim their products meet and often exceed the safety standards referenced in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus (2016 ed.), and in particular the requirements of Section 14.3, Driving Compartment. It is important to note that the OEMs’ assertions of compliance are to criteria established by entities outside of the fire service that are addressing the crashworthiness of cabs in the commercial trucking industry. They were adopted by NFPA 1901 in 2009. What are these standards? Who created them? Do they affect the specification writing process? NFPA 1901 NFPA 1901 (2016 ed.) references more than 80 publications from 18 organizations. Sentence 2.1 states, “The documents or portions thereof listed in this chapter are referenced within this standard and shall be considered part of the requirements of this document.” They are not subject to negotiation, debate, or choice by purchasers and manufacturers when specifying NFPA 1901-compliant apparatus. Most purchasers pay little attention to referenced publications, accepting them as part of the system. Publications with a “J” designation are published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), a professional group founded in 1905. From its Web site, “SAE standards are internationally recognized for their role in helping ensure the safety, quality, and effectiveness of products and services across the mobility engineering industry.” Two SAE J standards, along with a related United Nations (U.N.) document, are referenced in NFPA 1901 sentence 14.3.2: “Cabs on apparatus with a GVWR greater than 26,000 lb (11,800 kg) shall meet the requirements of one of the following sets of standards: SAE J2420, COE Frontal Strength Evaluation - Dynamic Loading Heavy Trucks; SAE J2422, Cab Roof Strength Evaluation - Quasi-Static Loading Heavy Trucks; and ECE Regulation number 29, Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Vehicles with Regard to the Protection of the Occupants of the Cab of a Commercial Vehicle.” Keep in mind that the J2422, J2420, and ECE 29 criteria are not job-specific to the American fire service and its custom fire apparatus cabs. Most political subdivisions and federal and state governmental entities consider fire apparatus commercial vehicles that must comply with applicable rules and regulations. Formal exemptions are few. 1 A custom cab being subjected to a “dynamic preload that simulates the side loading on the upper cab” as a vehicle rolls past 90 degrees. This is the first part of a two-part test to determine the crashworthiness and survivability of occupants in a 180-degree rollover. Contrary to the belief of some firefighters and purchasers, NFPA standards are not secretly developed in a smoke-filled back room of a Boston office building by owners of fire truck factories seeking to increase profits. There’s an established method for the public to make comments, changes, and additions to any NFPA standard, and there’s a description of the professional affiliation of each technical committee member. They’re included in each standard. The NFPA standards process, a topic for later discussion, is not being debated. J2422, J2420, and ECE 29 are addressed because they directly af Read more 298 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Mar 7, 2017 Apparatus Purchasing: Custom Cabs Part 2, the Safety Standards By Bill Adams Apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) that build their own custom cabs and chassis claim their products meet and often exceed the safety standards referenced in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus (2016 ed.), and in particular the requirements of Section 14.3, Driving Compartment. It is important to note that the OEMs’ assertions of compliance are to criteria established by entities outside of the fire service that are addressing the crashworthiness of cabs in the commercial trucking industry. They were adopted by NFPA 1901 in 2009. What are these standards? Who created them? Do they affect the specification writing process? NFPA 1901 NFPA 1901 (2016 ed.) references more than 80 publications from 18 organizations. Sentence 2.1 states, “The documents or portions thereof listed in this chapter are referenced within this standard and shall be considered part of the requirements of this document.” They are not subject to negotiation, debate, or choice by purchasers and manufacturers when specifying NFPA 1901-compliant apparatus. Most purchasers pay little attention to referenced publications, accepting them as part of the system. Publications with a “J” designation are published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), a professional group founded in 1905. From its Web site, “SAE standards are internationally recognized for their role in helping ensure the safety, quality, and effectiveness of products and services across the mobility engineering industry.” Two SAE J standards, along with a related United Nations (U.N.) document, are referenced in NFPA 1901 sentence 14.3.2: “Cabs on apparatus with a GVWR greater than 26,000 lb (11,800 kg) shall meet the requirements of one of the following sets of standards: SAE J2420, COE Frontal Strength Evaluation - Dynamic Loading Heavy Trucks; SAE J2422, Cab Roof Strength Evaluation - Quasi-Static Loading Heavy Trucks; and ECE Regulation number 29, Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Vehicles with Regard to the Protection of the Occupants of the Cab of a Commercial Vehicle.” Keep in mind that the J2422, J2420, and ECE 29 criteria are not job-specific to the American fire service and its custom fire apparatus cabs. Most political subdivisions and federal and state governmental entities consider fire apparatus commercial vehicles that must comply with applicable rules and regulations. Formal exemptions are few. 1 A custom cab being subjected to a “dynamic preload that simulates the side loading on the upper cab” as a vehicle rolls past 90 degrees. This is the first part of a two-part test to determine the crashworthiness and survivability of occupants in a 180-degree rollover. Contrary to the belief of some firefighters and purchasers, NFPA standards are not secretly developed in a smoke-filled back room of a Boston office building by owners of fire truck factories seeking to increase profits. There’s an established method for the public to make comments, changes, and additions to any NFPA standard, and there’s a description of the professional affiliation of each technical committee member. They’re included in each standard. The NFPA standards process, a topic for later discussion, is not being debated. J2422, J2420, and ECE 29 are addressed because they directly af Read more 298 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Mar 7, 2017 Apparatus Purchasing: Custom Cabs Part 2, the Safety Standards By Bill Adams Apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) that build their own custom cabs and chassis claim their products meet and often exceed the safety standards referenced in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus (2016 ed.), and in particular the requirements of Section 14.3, Driving Compartment. It is important to note that the OEMs’ assertions of compliance are to criteria established by entities outside of the fire service that are addressing the crashworthiness of cabs in the commercial trucking industry. They were adopted by NFPA 1901 in 2009. What are these standards? Who created them? Do they affect the specification writing process? NFPA 1901 NFPA 1901 (2016 ed.) references more than 80 publications from 18 organizations. Sentence 2.1 states, “The documents or portions thereof listed in this chapter are referenced within this standard and shall be considered part of the requirements of this document.” They are not subject to negotiation, debate, or choice by purchasers and manufacturers when specifying NFPA 1901-compliant apparatus. Most purchasers pay little attention to referenced publications, accepting them as part of the system. Publications with a “J” designation are published by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), a professional group founded in 1905. From its Web site, “SAE standards are internationally recognized for their role in helping ensure the safety, quality, and effectiveness of products and services across the mobility engineering industry.” Two SAE J standards, along with a related United Nations (U.N.) document, are referenced in NFPA 1901 sentence 14.3.2: “Cabs on apparatus with a GVWR greater than 26,000 lb (11,800 kg) shall meet the requirements of one of the following sets of standards: SAE J2420, COE Frontal Strength Evaluation - Dynamic Loading Heavy Trucks; SAE J2422, Cab Roof Strength Evaluation - Quasi-Static Loading Heavy Trucks; and ECE Regulation number 29, Uniform Provisions Concerning the Approval of Vehicles with Regard to the Protection of the Occupants of the Cab of a Commercial Vehicle.” Keep in mind that the J2422, J2420, and ECE 29 criteria are not job-specific to the American fire service and its custom fire apparatus cabs. Most political subdivisions and federal and state governmental entities consider fire apparatus commercial vehicles that must comply with applicable rules and regulations. Formal exemptions are few. 1 A custom cab being subjected to a “dynamic preload that simulates the side loading on the upper cab” as a vehicle rolls past 90 degrees. This is the first part of a two-part test to determine the crashworthiness and survivability of occupants in a 180-degree rollover. Contrary to the belief of some firefighters and purchasers, NFPA standards are not secretly developed in a smoke-filled back room of a Boston office building by owners of fire truck factories seeking to increase profits. There’s an established method for the public to make comments, changes, and additions to any NFPA standard, and there’s a description of the professional affiliation of each technical committee member. They’re included in each standard. The NFPA standards process, a topic for later discussion, is not being debated. 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