By Chris Mc Loone

In the world of technical rescue, there are myriad types of hardware rescuers rely on to simplify the task at hand in the safest way possible.

Often, the choice to go with one piece of hardware over another comes down to the personal preferences of technical rescue team members after a pretty thorough testing process. The only way to know if a piece of equipment is right for you or for the team in general is to get out and demo it.

But, it’s not always easy to do so. Trying out a new rigging system isn’t as easy as driving to your training center, tying into a hydrant, and trying out a new nozzle in the burn building. Not every department has the props necessary to simulate a high angle or confined space rescue scenario. For existing teams, as well as groups trying to get off the ground, the best way to spec the equipment is to use the equipment.

There is also the matter of training the trainer. Any technical rescue group needs to ensure that whoever is doing the instructing is intimately familiar with the equipment. So, an instructor isn’t only teaching about “ascenders” in a general sense but is teaching about a specific ascender completely. There are a number of companies producing hardware for firefighters to use for high angle or low angle rescue as well as self-evacuation. One such company is Petzl, and it also provides the means for Petzl equipment users to get the experience and training they need at its Petzl Technical Institute.

Petzl, the Company

Petzl’s roots go back to 1936, when Fernand Petzl and Pierre Chevalier met. Petzl had already been fabricating products for him and his friends to use for caving, then a discipline no one had perfected. Petzl was a mechanic by trade, and the devices he made helped him get into places previously inaccessible. Petzl and Chevalier perfected new techniques for progression by pioneering the use of nylon ropes instead of the fixed ladders that were in use at the time. “Petzl traces its roots to underground exploration,” says Jesse Williams, Petzl Technical Institute manager. “In 1956, founder Fernand Petzl set a world depth record of -3,681 feet in France’s Gouffre Berger cave complex. From the start, Petzl has strived to create products that allow people to access some of the world’s most inaccessible places.”

1 The Petzl Technical Institute is a 15,000-square-foot training center that features a 55-foot-tall climbing wall; 5,000 square feet of exposed vertical structure; a 36-foot-tall drop-test tower; and a three-story simulated apartment building for rescue, firefighter evacuation, and confined space training. (Photos courtesy of Petzl America.)

By 1968, Petzl was designing and producing rope clamps, descenders, and pulleys in his own workshop. In the 1970s, with his two sons, Petzl expanded to producing mountaineering products. In 1975, Petzl established a headquarters in Crolles, France, and by 1977, Petzl began producing harnesses. In 1991, Petzl opened a subsidiary in the United States and also introduced its first self-braking belay device. Petzl America is located in West Valley City, Utah, and the Petzl Technical Institute was opened in 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company’s t

By Chris Mc Loone

In the world of technical rescue, there are myriad types of hardware rescuers rely on to simplify the task at hand in the safest way possible.

Often, the choice to go with one piece of hardware over another comes down to the personal preferences of technical rescue team members after a pretty thorough testing process. The only way to know if a piece of equipment is right for you or for the team in general is to get out and demo it.

But, it’s not always easy to do so. Trying out a new rigging system isn’t as easy as driving to your training center, tying into a hydrant, and trying out a new nozzle in the burn building. Not every department has the props necessary to simulate a high angle or confined space rescue scenario. For existing teams, as well as groups trying to get off the ground, the best way to spec the equipment is to use the equipment.

There is also the matter of training the trainer. Any technical rescue group needs to ensure that whoever is doing the instructing is intimately familiar with the equipment. So, an instructor isn’t only teaching about “ascenders” in a general sense but is teaching about a specific ascender completely. There are a number of companies producing hardware for firefighters to use for high angle or low angle rescue as well as self-evacuation. One such company is Petzl, and it also provides the means for Petzl equipment users to get the experience and training they need at its Petzl Technical Institute.

Petzl, the Company

Petzl’s roots go back to 1936, when Fernand Petzl and Pierre Chevalier met. Petzl had already been fabricating products for him and his friends to use for caving, then a discipline no one had perfected. Petzl was a mechanic by trade, and the devices he made helped him get into places previously inaccessible. Petzl and Chevalier perfected new techniques for progression by pioneering the use of nylon ropes instead of the fixed ladders that were in use at the time. “Petzl traces its roots to underground exploration,” says Jesse Williams, Petzl Technical Institute manager. “In 1956, founder Fernand Petzl set a world depth record of -3,681 feet in France’s Gouffre Berger cave complex. From the start, Petzl has strived to create products that allow people to access some of the world’s most inaccessible places.”

1 The Petzl Technical Institute is a 15,000-square-foot training center that features a 55-foot-tall climbing wall; 5,000 square feet of exposed vertical structure; a 36-foot-tall drop-test tower; and a three-story simulated apartment building for rescue, firefighter evacuation, and confined space training. (Photos courtesy of Petzl America.)

By 1968, Petzl was designing and producing rope clamps, descenders, and pulleys in his own workshop. In the 1970s, with his two sons, Petzl expanded to producing mountaineering products. In 1975, Petzl established a headquarters in Crolles, France, and by 1977, Petzl began producing harnesses. In 1991, Petzl opened a subsidiary in the United States and also introduced its first self-braking belay device. Petzl America is located in West Valley City, Utah, and the Petzl Technical Institute was opened in 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company’s t

By Chris Mc Loone

In the world of technical rescue, there are myriad types of hardware rescuers rely on to simplify the task at hand in the safest way possible.

Often, the choice to go with one piece of hardware over another comes down to the personal preferences of technical rescue team members after a pretty thorough testing process. The only way to know if a piece of equipment is right for you or for the team in general is to get out and demo it.

But, it’s not always easy to do so. Trying out a new rigging system isn’t as easy as driving to your training center, tying into a hydrant, and trying out a new nozzle in the burn building. Not every department has the props necessary to simulate a high angle or confined space rescue scenario. For existing teams, as well as groups trying to get off the ground, the best way to spec the equipment is to use the equipment.

There is also the matter of training the trainer. Any technical rescue group needs to ensure that whoever is doing the instructing is intimately familiar with the equipment. So, an instructor isn’t only teaching about “ascenders” in a general sense but is teaching about a specific ascender completely. There are a number of companies producing hardware for firefighters to use for high angle or low angle rescue as well as self-evacuation. One such company is Petzl, and it also provides the means for Petzl equipment users to get the experience and training they need at its Petzl Technical Institute.

Petzl, the Company

Petzl’s roots go back to 1936, when Fernand Petzl and Pierre Chevalier met. Petzl had already been fabricating products for him and his friends to use for caving, then a discipline no one had perfected. Petzl was a mechanic by trade, and the devices he made helped him get into places previously inaccessible. Petzl and Chevalier perfected new techniques for progression by pioneering the use of nylon ropes instead of the fixed ladders that were in use at the time. “Petzl traces its roots to underground exploration,” says Jesse Williams, Petzl Technical Institute manager. “In 1956, founder Fernand Petzl set a world depth record of -3,681 feet in France’s Gouffre Berger cave complex. From the start, Petzl has strived to create products that allow people to access some of the world’s most inaccessible places.”

1 The Petzl Technical Institute is a 15,000-square-foot training center that features a 55-foot-tall climbing wall; 5,000 square feet of exposed vertical structure; a 36-foot-tall drop-test tower; and a three-story simulated apartment building for rescue, firefighter evacuation, and confined space training. (Photos courtesy of Petzl America.)

By 1968, Petzl was designing and producing rope clamps, descenders, and pulleys in his own workshop. In the 1970s, with his two sons, Petzl expanded to producing mountaineering products. In 1975, Petzl established a headquarters in Crolles, France, and by 1977, Petzl began producing harnesses. In 1991, Petzl opened a subsidiary in the United States and also introduced its first self-braking belay device. Petzl America is located in West Valley City, Utah, and the Petzl Technical Institute was opened in 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company’s t

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