This month, we asked Advisory Board Members Bill Adams and Ricky Riley: “Should National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, mandate the amount and type of ancillary equipment fire apparatus should carry?”
Bill Adams
My answer is NO. NFPA 1901, Chapter 1 Administration, sentence 1.1* states: “Scope. This standard defines the requirements for new automotive fire apparatus and trailers designed to be used under emergency conditions to transport personnel and equipment and to support the suppression of fires and mitigation of other hazardous situations.”
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines scope as an intention and a range of operation. Sans the descriptive and moderating adjectives, I interpret NFPA 1901 defining its scope solely as the requirements for a vehicle (or trailer) to transport personnel and equipment. That’s it. It says nothing about ancillary equipment that must or should be carried. It is my opinion that requirements beyond describing the actual vehicle to move people and/or equipment exceed the boundaries of NFPA 1901’s own definition and the intent of the document.
There is no disparaging the objective of any NFPA standard in providing safe environments for firefighters when performing their duties. NFPA 1901 has self-described that environment as the vehicle “to get them there.” What they’ve brought with them and what they do after they get there are not 1901’s responsibility. Over the years, it appears 1901 has self-adopted criteria that is beyond its scope—including ancillary equipment—without any appreciable pushback from the fire service.
Liability
NFPA 1901 is a nationwide voluntary consensus standard that is not legally binding unless formally adopted by a political subdivision. There are statements within it that, if not followed, might put the fire department or its authority having jurisdiction in legal jeopardy.
Could fire departments be liable if “something bad happens” that can be attributed to not carrying a piece of ancillary equipment that NFPA 1901 mandates, suggests, recommends, or says a purchaser “ought to” consider carrying? Ask your attorney if contributory negligence is applicable.
American Fire Service
The NFPA’s Web site1 points out that 82% (24,220) of the 29,537 fire departments in the United States in 2019 were volunteer. Career departments maintain their own individualities, albeit within the constraints of political overseers. Volunteers’ autonomy can be and usually is much more liberal.
A standardized fire truck may not be suitable to fit the needs of every career and volunteer department in the country. It’s equally so for a single list of even minimum ancillary equipment NFPA 1901 wants each rig to carry. I venture many departments would like to say, “Let NFPA 1901 describe a rig to get us there safely, and we’ll decide what to bring and how to use it.”
America’s fire service is not nationalized, meaning the federal government does not own, control, or pay for it. It is federalized, meaning control rests with the local jurisdictions that own and pay for it. The local jurisdictions should decide what to purchase.
Important: Some apparatus and ancillary equipment may be voluntarily subject to the requirements of regionalized entities including governmental agencies and local organizations. An example: “If you want to participate in our mutual-aid group, here are the rules you must comply with, which include minimum apparatus and ancillary equipment requirements.” That is 100% justifiable.
Civil Defense
In the 1950s, both the American