By Christian P. Koop

As most fleet professionals know, the second costliest item, behind fuel, when it comes to running a fire or commercial vehicle fleet is the tires.

Proper tire management and tire selection are very important and basic tools that will save an organization untold dollars. However, in this article, I will focus on the safety aspect of inspecting tires and wheels on fire department rigs. Not only is the cost of tires a huge issue with today’s tighter budgets, but tire and wheel failure can also place your company or department at great legal risk-particularly if a tire blows out and the driver loses control and causes an accident where someone is injured or even killed as a result. Another scenario is where the wheel and tire come off because the lug nuts loosen or the wheel studs break, causing an accident. Either instance can expose your organization to legal actions in case of an accident or if the unit breaking down on an emergency call causes a delayed departmental response.

These types of failures should not happen if the technicians and operators follow proper procedures. This is such a critical safety concern that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has outlined specific deficiencies for tires and wheels under NFPA 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Automotive Fire Apparatus, that requires placing the apparatus out of service (OOS) if found. The criteria for tires and wheels will be covered in this article along with maintenance and inspection tips.

Accidents

Even though it seems a simple enough operation for a technician to properly install a wheel on a truck or on apparatus, wheels still come off and cause serious accidents. A few months ago, early one morning in Miami, Florida, an 18-wheeler lost the two right rear wheels on the trailer, which ended up hitting a jogger and causing serious injuries. Knowing how heavy these wheels are, it is amazing to me the jogger was not killed. It was an unlucky and unfortunate accident, particularly for the jogger, but also for the company that owns the truck. Think of the legal and financial ramifications facing this company now. I am sure many reading this have heard of similar incidents where wheels that came off a car or truck caused a catastrophic accident. Sadly, this accident and many others like it could have been prevented. An alert, properly trained driver should be able to spot the tell-tale signs that a wheel is loose and is going to come off.

Tire Inflation

Keeping tires properly inflated is an extremely important basic requirement. Failure to do so can lead to tire failure. Not only do underinflated tires waste fuel because of the higher rolling resistance, but also underinflation can cause damage to the tire because of higher temperatures created with excessive flexing of the sidewall and tread. This can lead to tread separation at highway speed, and the tire can even explode if a driver or technician unknowingly airs up a damaged tire that was operated at a low pressure. Many have been hurt over the years because tires exploded while they were being aired up. I personally have known two technicians who were injured as a result of tires exploding while they were raising the air pressure.

A good idea is to not stand directly in front of the tire that you are filling. Use a tire chuck that clamps onto the tire valve and has a built-in pressure gauge and valve you can hold several feet away and off to the side of the tire being adjusted. A tire safety video we show our technicians and tire repair staff to illustrate the explosive force of tires is very effective in getting their attention to understand the degree of danger. The video

By Christian P. Koop

As most fleet professionals know, the second costliest item, behind fuel, when it comes to running a fire or commercial vehicle fleet is the tires.

Proper tire management and tire selection are very important and basic tools that will save an organization untold dollars. However, in this article, I will focus on the safety aspect of inspecting tires and wheels on fire department rigs. Not only is the cost of tires a huge issue with today’s tighter budgets, but tire and wheel failure can also place your company or department at great legal risk-particularly if a tire blows out and the driver loses control and causes an accident where someone is injured or even killed as a result. Another scenario is where the wheel and tire come off because the lug nuts loosen or the wheel studs break, causing an accident. Either instance can expose your organization to legal actions in case of an accident or if the unit breaking down on an emergency call causes a delayed departmental response.

These types of failures should not happen if the technicians and operators follow proper procedures. This is such a critical safety concern that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has outlined specific deficiencies for tires and wheels under NFPA 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Automotive Fire Apparatus, that requires placing the apparatus out of service (OOS) if found. The criteria for tires and wheels will be covered in this article along with maintenance and inspection tips.

Accidents

Even though it seems a simple enough operation for a technician to properly install a wheel on a truck or on apparatus, wheels still come off and cause serious accidents. A few months ago, early one morning in Miami, Florida, an 18-wheeler lost the two right rear wheels on the trailer, which ended up hitting a jogger and causing serious injuries. Knowing how heavy these wheels are, it is amazing to me the jogger was not killed. It was an unlucky and unfortunate accident, particularly for the jogger, but also for the company that owns the truck. Think of the legal and financial ramifications facing this company now. I am sure many reading this have heard of similar incidents where wheels that came off a car or truck caused a catastrophic accident. Sadly, this accident and many others like it could have been prevented. An alert, properly trained driver should be able to spot the tell-tale signs that a wheel is loose and is going to come off.

Tire Inflation

Keeping tires properly inflated is an extremely important basic requirement. Failure to do so can lead to tire failure. Not only do underinflated tires waste fuel because of the higher rolling resistance, but also underinflation can cause damage to the tire because of higher temperatures created with excessive flexing of the sidewall and tread. This can lead to tread separation at highway speed, and the tire can even explode if a driver or technician unknowingly airs up a damaged tire that was operated at a low pressure. Many have been hurt over the years because tires exploded while they were being aired up. I personally have known two technicians who were injured as a result of tires exploding while they were raising the air pressure.

A good idea is to not stand directly in front of the tire that you are filling. Use a tire chuck that clamps onto the tire valve and has a built-in pressure gauge and valve you can hold several feet away and off to the side of the tire being adjusted. A tire safety video we show our technicians and tire repair staff to illustrate the explosive force of tires is very effective in getting their attention to understand the degree of danger. The video

By Christian P. Koop

As most fleet professionals know, the second costliest item, behind fuel, when it comes to running a fire or commercial vehicle fleet is the tires.

Proper tire management and tire selection are very important and basic tools that will save an organization untold dollars. However, in this article, I will focus on the safety aspect of inspecting tires and wheels on fire department rigs. Not only is the cost of tires a huge issue with today’s tighter budgets, but tire and wheel failure can also place your company or department at great legal risk-particularly if a tire blows out and the driver loses control and causes an accident where someone is injured or even killed as a result. Another scenario is where the wheel and tire come off because the lug nuts loosen or the wheel studs break, causing an accident. Either instance can expose your organization to legal actions in case of an accident or if the unit breaking down on an emergency call causes a delayed departmental response.

These types of failures should not happen if the technicians and operators follow proper procedures. This is such a critical safety concern that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has outlined specific deficiencies for tires and wheels under NFPA 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Automotive Fire Apparatus, that requires placing the apparatus out of service (OOS) if found. The criteria for tires and wheels will be covered in this article along with maintenance and inspection tips.

Accidents

Even though it seems a simple enough operation for a technician to properly install a wheel on a truck or on apparatus, wheels still come off and cause serious accidents. A few months ago, early one morning in Miami, Florida, an 18-wheeler lost the two right rear wheels on the trailer, which ended up hitting a jogger and causing serious injuries. Knowing how heavy these wheels are, it is amazing to me the jogger was not killed. It was an unlucky and unfortunate accident, particularly for the jogger, but also for the company that owns the truck. Think of the legal and financial ramifications facing this company now. I am sure many reading this have heard of similar incidents where wheels that came off a car or truck caused a catastrophic accident. Sadly, this accident and many others like it could have been prevented. An alert, properly trained driver should be able to spot the tell-tale signs that a wheel is loose and is going to come off.

Tire Inflation

Keeping tires properly inflated is an extremely important basic requirement. Failure to do so can lead to tire failure. Not only do underinflated tires waste fuel because of the higher rolling resistance, but also underinflation can cause damage to the tire because of higher temperatures created with excessive flexing of the sidewall and tread. This can lead to tread separation at highway speed, and the tire can even explode if a driver or technician unknowingly airs up a damaged tire that was operated at a low pressure. Many have been hurt over the years because tires exploded while they were being aired up. I personally have known two technicians who were injured as a result of tires exploding while they were raising the air pressure.

A good idea is to not stand directly in front of the tire that you are filling. Use a tire chuck that clamps onto the tire valve and has a built-in pressure gauge and valve you can hold several feet away and off to the side of the tire being adjusted. A tire safety video we show our technicians and tire repair staff to illustrate the explosive force of tires is very effective in getting their attention to understand the degree of danger. The video

By Alan M. Petrillo

Most fire departments around the country respond to vehicle crash calls where occupants often need to be extricated using hydraulic rescue tools.

While human-powered tools are available on rescues, trucks, and pumpers, it’s most often the hosed hydraulic and battery-operated tools that are used to perform the extraction. In response to vehicles made with higher strength materials, and with an aim toward making rescue tools more ergonomic and easier to use, hydraulic tool manufacturers have come up with new and improved designs to aid firefighters.

1 The Hurst Jaws of Life Generation 2 eDRAULIC SP310E2 spreader, left, and S700E2 cutter use improved battery technology that gets 40 percent more amp hours than previously from the same size battery. (Photo courtesy of Hurst Jaws of Life.)

Power, Speed, and Weight

Chris Jaques, president of IDEX Rescue, says that most of the innovation for Hurst Jaws of Life hydraulic rescue tools has been driven by the need for power and speed. “Cars have challenged the tools of 20 years ago, so we have to stay ahead of them, which means the power to cut and spread the latest in high-strength steels,” Jaques says. “In terms of speed, it’s how fast the tool runs but also with our eDRAULIC battery-operated hydraulic tools how fast they can be deployed.”

The preference for hosed or battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools is dependent on the fire department, Jacques says. “Some very traditional departments are very happy with hose-bound tools, while others prefer to use battery-operated tools. However, the trend is toward the battery-operated tools.”

2 The S700E2 cutter made by Hurst Jaws of Life weighs 48.1 pounds, is 36.2 inches long, and is 11.7 inches wide. (Photo courtesy of Hurst Jaws of Life.)

The most popular grouping of hydraulic tools is a cutter, spreader, and ram, Jacques points out, although if budget is an issue, a department might choose a combi tool to get started and then add other tools as budgeting permits.

Hurst is launching two new spreader tools, Jaques says, the SP333, a 24-inch spreader, and the SP555, a 28-inch model. These complement the company’s eDRAULIC line of the SP310E2 spreader; the S700E2 and S311E2 cutters; the SC357E2 and SC250E2 combi tools; and the newly released StrongArm™, a tool designed with interchangeable tips for tactical rescue, breaching, or rapid intervention.

Fran Dunigan, marketing manager for Holmatro Inc., says his company’s biggest innovations recently have been in its spreaders, “where we have drastically cut the weight of our entire line of spreaders, developing a new 5000 series.” Dunigan points out that Holmatro is reducing the weight of its cutter line too, “with a more efficient application of power, greater ergonomics, and less weight.”

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