Chris Mc Loone

July 2016 didn’t have many good news stories to report when it came to fire apparatus. There were the usual new delivery stories reporting on the trucks themselves along with the excitement that comes with them for both the public and fire department personnel.

But, there were a few stories that we should all be aware of so we can learn from their outcomes.

In Nevada, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) vehicle carrying three firefighters in their 20s rolled over and killed two of the passengers. Officials pointed toward possible tire failure in the accident. In Hoyt, Kansas, a fire apparatus crash claimed the life of a tanker/tender driver and injured another. A tire blowout is blamed for the accident. And near Shelton, Nebraska, a fire apparatus tire blew out, causing the apparatus to leave the road, hit a grain bin, and come to rest on a mound of dirt.

The common denominator here I want to talk about is not the tires blowing out. True, I’ve gone on rants before about preventable accidents, driving under control, and knowing your vehicles. That’s not where I’m going to go. And, I’m not going to go into preventive maintenance (PM), which would be an obvious approach to take. That wouldn’t be fair though. Not only are details on each fire department’s PM programs unavailable, but even the most comprehensive PM program available cannot account for the unexpected occurring. No, the common denominator I wish to discuss is that all three of these were instances of accidents occurring while apparatus were returning from incidents or travelling at nonemergency speed to an event—a parade, in the case of the Hoyt, Kansas, tragedy.

I call attention to these three because we often feel that driving at emergency speed with lights and sirens is the truly dangerous part of our responses. But, as these three incidents highlight, and which a former chief of mine used to drill into us constantly, returning from the fire—and often backing into the firehouse, probably the shortest part of the trip—can be the most dangerous part of the trip.

Never let your guard down. I know that, for many, this might be obvious, but we know that these types of tragedies show no age discrimination whatsoever. To be young is to be full of confidence. To be old is to be full of wisdom, but there is a confidence that comes from possessing that wisdom. Never be overconfident behind the wheel of a fire apparatus. Always be on the lookout for the unexpected and be ready to react to it. Tragedies occur; this we know. And sometimes you can do everything right but still end up with a negative outcome. In “Fire Apparatus Tire Blowouts, Case Studies and Causes, Part 1,” available at www.fireapparatus.com, author Chris Daly states, “While many may think that the catastrophic failure of a tire is a rare event, they are actually much more common than we might think. The fire apparatus operator must be trained and prepared to handle the sudden and violent loss of control associated with a tire blowout.” In the month of July alone, we heard of three of these catastrophic events. How many more did we not hear about?

The intent here is not to judge the apparatus operators or their departments. Rather, the purpose is to use these three incidents as talking points. Ask your operators if they feel confident that they could bring an apparatus to a safe stop if a tire blew out during or after a response. If there is any doubt whatsoever, plan a training

Chris Mc Loone

July 2016 didn’t have many good news stories to report when it came to fire apparatus. There were the usual new delivery stories reporting on the trucks themselves along with the excitement that comes with them for both the public and fire department personnel.

But, there were a few stories that we should all be aware of so we can learn from their outcomes.

In Nevada, a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) vehicle carrying three firefighters in their 20s rolled over and killed two of the passengers. Officials pointed toward possible tire failure in the accident. In Hoyt, Kansas, a fire apparatus crash claimed the life of a tanker/tender driver and injured another. A tire blowout is blamed for the accident. And near Shelton, Nebraska, a fire apparatus tire blew out, causing the apparatus to leave the road, hit a grain bin, and come to rest on a mound of dirt.

The common denominator here I want to talk about is not the tires blowing out. True, I’ve gone on rants before about preventable accidents, driving under control, and knowing your vehicles. That’s not where I’m going to go. And, I’m not going to go into preventive maintenance (PM), which would be an obvious approach to take. That wouldn’t be fair though. Not only are details on each fire department’s PM programs unavailable, but even the most comprehensive PM program available cannot account for the unexpected occurring. No, the common denominator I wish to discuss is that all three of these were instances of accidents occurring while apparatus were returning from incidents or travelling at nonemergency speed to an event—a parade, in the case of the Hoyt, Kansas, tragedy.

I call attention to these three because we often feel that driving at emergency speed with lights and sirens is the truly dangerous part of our responses. But, as these three incidents highlight, and which a former chief of mine used to drill into us constantly, returning from the fire—and often backing into the firehouse, probably the shortest part of the trip—can be the most dangerous part of the trip.

Never let your guard down. I know that, for many, this might be obvious, but we know that these types of tragedies show no age discrimination whatsoever. To be young is to be full of confidence. To be old is to be full of wisdom, but there is a confidence that comes from possessing that wisdom. Never be overconfident behind the wheel of a fire apparatus. Always be on the lookout for the unexpected and be ready to react to it. Tragedies occur; this we know. And sometimes you can do everything right but still end up with a negative outcome. In “Fire Apparatus Tire Blowouts, Case Studies and Causes, Part 1,” available at www.fireapparatus.com, author Chris Daly states, “While many may think that the catastrophic failure of a tire is a rare event, they are actually much more common than we might think. The fire apparatus operator must be trained and prepared to handle the sudden and violent loss of control associated with a tire blowout.” In the month of July alone, we heard of three of these catastrophic events. How many more did we not hear about?

The intent here is not to judge the apparatus operators or their departments. Rather, the purpose is to use these three incidents as talking points. Ask your operators if they feel confident that they could bring an apparatus to a safe stop if a tire blew out during or after a response. If there is any doubt whatsoever, plan a training

By Ricky Riley

In the First State of Delaware, there are only three counties.

The northernmost is New Castle County, which encompasses an estimated 494 square miles and is bordered by the Delaware River, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The county is home to more than 500,000 residents and is served by 21 volunteer fire departments and the only all-career department in the state—the Wilmington (DE) Fire Department. Each fire department is its own individual entity and corporation. The units are all dispatched by the New Castle County 911 Center, and they all operate on shared and common radio channels. It is a very busy county, answering well over 100,000 calls for fire and emergency medical service. With the number of people who live in the county and those who transit through it on major interstates, the potential for a major incident is a daily threat.

1 Engine 13 has a rear hosebed height of 64 inches. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

New Castle County has been well known for many years for its unique rigs that vary in size, type, and color. Each corporation has its own operational needs, tank requirements, hose loads, and aerial necessities based on its response area. As the county has grown over the past decade and the population has increased, the needs and response requirements have slowly started to mesh together for all the departments. This increase in density and population and the ever-growing call volume has resulted in an interesting thing happening with apparatus purchases.

In the past couple of years, a number of departments’ apparatus reached the end of their life expectancy. This started a round of purchasing for engine companies across the county. I like to keep an eye on New Castle County and have listened to many of its working incidents via the Internet. I’m also fortunate to have a number of friends in New Castle County departments. In communicating with them, I’ve noticed an interesting trend for apparatus purchases in the county. These engine purchase patterns involve many similar units with the same operational options. In my terms, they were buying engines to do engine work.

2 A short 181.50-inch wheelbase makes this unit much more maneuverable in its response area.

In the past, some departments were buying crew carriers that might have some hose and some water on them or a multipurpose unit with no clear identity. Buying a standard engine with a lot of seats, high hosebeds, crosslays out of reach, tons of compartment space, and attention focused on riding in comfort rather than operations has come to an end in the region. Thoughtful planning and rigs designed to lay supply lines, run attack lines, and support the operation of getting water on the fire are in full force in New Castle County.

This change was reinforced by a number of the departments working collaboratively on a number of areas such as joint training classes, offering multicompany drills on acquired structures, and a productive chiefs council. The foundation was set for an understanding of operational fireground strategies and how companies were to operate on automatic aid structure assignments

By Ricky Riley

In the First State of Delaware, there are only three counties.

The northernmost is New Castle County, which encompasses an estimated 494 square miles and is bordered by the Delaware River, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The county is home to more than 500,000 residents and is served by 21 volunteer fire departments and the only all-career department in the state—the Wilmington (DE) Fire Department. Each fire department is its own individual entity and corporation. The units are all dispatched by the New Castle County 911 Center, and they all operate on shared and common radio channels. It is a very busy county, answering well over 100,000 calls for fire and emergency medical service. With the number of people who live in the county and those who transit through it on major interstates, the potential for a major incident is a daily threat.

1 Engine 13 has a rear hosebed height of 64 inches. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

New Castle County has been well known for many years for its unique rigs that vary in size, type, and color. Each corporation has its own operational needs, tank requirements, hose loads, and aerial necessities based on its response area. As the county has grown over the past decade and the population has increased, the needs and response requirements have slowly started to mesh together for all the departments. This increase in density and population and the ever-growing call volume has resulted in an interesting thing happening with apparatus purchases.

In the past couple of years, a number of departments’ apparatus reached the end of their life expectancy. This started a round of purchasing for engine companies across the county. I like to keep an eye on New Castle County and have listened to many of its working incidents via the Internet. I’m also fortunate to have a number of friends in New Castle County departments. In communicating with them, I’ve noticed an interesting trend for apparatus purchases in the county. These engine purchase patterns involve many similar units with the same operational options. In my terms, they were buying engines to do engine work.

2 A short 181.50-inch wheelbase makes this unit much more maneuverable in its response area.

In the past, some departments were buying crew carriers that might have some hose and some water on them or a multipurpose unit with no clear identity. Buying a standard engine with a lot of seats, high hosebeds, crosslays out of reach, tons of compartment space, and attention focused on riding in comfort rather than operations has come to an end in the region. Thoughtful planning and rigs designed to lay supply lines, run attack lines, and support the operation of getting water on the fire are in full force in New Castle County.

This change was reinforced by a number of the departments working collaboratively on a number of areas such as joint training classes, offering multicompany drills on acquired structures, and a productive chiefs council. The foundation was set for an understanding of operational fireground strategies and how companies were to operate on automatic aid structure assignments