By Alan M. Petrillo

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are finding their way into fire department equipment inventories, typically being used as reconnaissance and size-up assets at fire scenes, as well as to take advantage of thermal imagery to identify hot zones with a fire.

A number of fire departments around the country have either received or applied for a certificate of authorization (COA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate UAVs.

Drones also are being popularized in the civilian world and are showing up at fire scenes, operated by civilians often flouting FAA regulations concerning areas of operation and maximum altitude and sometimes interfering with firefighting operations, causing headaches for incident commanders (ICs) and wildland fire bosses. The FAA has promised regulations soon that would set limits on drone use, well beyond those currently in place in the United States.

UAVs for the Fire Service

While civilians have a huge number of UAV models and brands to choose from for hobby use, fire departments generally look at UAVs in terms of performance, robustness, payload capability, and speed of deployment, among other attributes.

Peter Darley, executive vice president and chief operating officer of W.S. Darley & Co., says the company brought the Stinger, its first UAV, to market in 2011 but now partners with Physical Sciences Inc. on the InstantEye Mark 2 Gen3 system. “Last year, at a plant explosion, the Louisville (KY) Fire Department used a Darley InstantEye to do three-dimensional mapping of the plant for a fire investigator’s report, taking photos and live video of the scene,” Darley says. “We also are seeing the unit being used in search and rescue, in flooding situations where it can identify people trapped on roofs or in occupied vehicles, and in hazardous materials situations like train derailments.”

1 A Louisville (KY) Fire Department firefighter prepares to launch a Darley InstantEye drone during a recent test of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. (Photo courtesy of W.S. Darley & Co.)

Mike Mocerino, robotics business development manager for W.S. Darley & Co., points out that there is a big difference between the drones used by hobbyists and what fire departments need. “There’s a huge difference because those developed for fire departments are professional systems that are ruggedized, use encrypted communications, and carry specialized payloads since they are built with the end users in mind,” Mocerino points out. “There’s also a sophistication to the flight controls you don’t find in hobbyist drones.”

Mocerino says the InstantEye Mark3 tips the scales at two pounds, including its video cameras and batteries. “Our system has three cameras on it, so you can go over a scene and have every vantage point covered,” he says. “You can add a 4x zoomable camera or a thermal imaging camera (TIC) if desired, which brings the unit up to its maximum of five cameras.”

He notes that W.S. Darley & Co. is adding other payload options to the InstantEye system. “We’re hoping to have digital video shortly instead of analog and are looking to the future where the system can be a node in a communications network for audio, video, and data from one point to another,” Mocerino s

By Alan M. Petrillo

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are finding their way into fire department equipment inventories, typically being used as reconnaissance and size-up assets at fire scenes, as well as to take advantage of thermal imagery to identify hot zones with a fire.

A number of fire departments around the country have either received or applied for a certificate of authorization (COA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate UAVs.

Drones also are being popularized in the civilian world and are showing up at fire scenes, operated by civilians often flouting FAA regulations concerning areas of operation and maximum altitude and sometimes interfering with firefighting operations, causing headaches for incident commanders (ICs) and wildland fire bosses. The FAA has promised regulations soon that would set limits on drone use, well beyond those currently in place in the United States.

UAVs for the Fire Service

While civilians have a huge number of UAV models and brands to choose from for hobby use, fire departments generally look at UAVs in terms of performance, robustness, payload capability, and speed of deployment, among other attributes.

Peter Darley, executive vice president and chief operating officer of W.S. Darley & Co., says the company brought the Stinger, its first UAV, to market in 2011 but now partners with Physical Sciences Inc. on the InstantEye Mark 2 Gen3 system. “Last year, at a plant explosion, the Louisville (KY) Fire Department used a Darley InstantEye to do three-dimensional mapping of the plant for a fire investigator’s report, taking photos and live video of the scene,” Darley says. “We also are seeing the unit being used in search and rescue, in flooding situations where it can identify people trapped on roofs or in occupied vehicles, and in hazardous materials situations like train derailments.”

1 A Louisville (KY) Fire Department firefighter prepares to launch a Darley InstantEye drone during a recent test of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system. (Photo courtesy of W.S. Darley & Co.)

Mike Mocerino, robotics business development manager for W.S. Darley & Co., points out that there is a big difference between the drones used by hobbyists and what fire departments need. “There’s a huge difference because those developed for fire departments are professional systems that are ruggedized, use encrypted communications, and carry specialized payloads since they are built with the end users in mind,” Mocerino points out. “There’s also a sophistication to the flight controls you don’t find in hobbyist drones.”

Mocerino says the InstantEye Mark3 tips the scales at two pounds, including its video cameras and batteries. “Our system has three cameras on it, so you can go over a scene and have every vantage point covered,” he says. “You can add a 4x zoomable camera or a thermal imaging camera (TIC) if desired, which brings the unit up to its maximum of five cameras.”

He notes that W.S. Darley & Co. is adding other payload options to the InstantEye system. “We’re hoping to have digital video shortly instead of analog and are looking to the future where the system can be a node in a communications network for audio, video, and data from one point to another,” Mocerino s

By Ray Van Gunten

Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies lead the industry in the use of roll-up doors for vehicle compartment access. The use of roll-up doors began more than 30 years ago when the roll-up door idea and product were brought over from England.

Nearly 70 percent of the fire and emergency vehicles produced today use this technology. The main advantages roll-up doors have over swing-out doors include eliminating potential for damage when leaving a station with a high side door open; easier compartment access; safer environment for both the operator and the vehicle; easier and quicker maintenance and repair; and, in most cases, lower overall costs for the vehicle manufacturers. This article will look at these advantages along with new safety and security features that were not available when roll-up doors were first introduced.

Compartment Access

It is much easier to access a vehicle compartment that has a roll-up door when you are at a fire or accident scene and space is limited. Once the compartment is open, it can be left open with no fear of another vehicle pulling beside and clipping the door. Compartment design also allows equipment to be removed more easily because there is no large lip on the bottom or the sides of the compartments. Granted, you have to allow for the head room required by the door coil but, in most cases, this is less than the wasted space on the bottom and sides required by swing-out doors.

Operator and Vehicle Safety

Roll-up doors allow operators to stay closer to the vehicle when accessing compartments. One does not have to step back to open it, whereas a swing-out door can push the operator into the path of another vehicle or force the operator back if the wind catches the door. If a swing-out door is left open, there is a chance that it could be clipped off by another vehicle or, in some cases, actually cause damage itself.

Maintenance and Repair

While roll-up doors are not maintenance-free, their maintenance is fairly simple and should be accomplished as follows.

• Wash the exterior of the door. Do not pressure wash the doors because it tends to push the dirt back past the seals and into the curl or ball and socket between each slat. Dirt pushed back into this area can cause the seals to deteriorate faster and the joint to bind. When washing the doors, use water pressure similar to that of your garden hose at home and spray on an angle instead of straight on. This will prevent the water from penetrating the slat seals and clean the dirt from between slats.
• In dusty and salty environments, keep the track areas clear and lubricated. To remove dirt and grime from the track area, use a rag and something that can break down grease, grime, and other road dirt. Use brake cleaner when the tracks are really bad. After the tracks are clean, use a silicon-based lubricant and spray into the tracks. Never use grease or any other lubricant that is going to collect dirt when the vehicle is operational.
• On a lesser frequency, remove and clean the tracks while at the same time cleaning the dirt and grime from the end clips at the end of each slat of the door. To take the tracks off, remove the fasteners. If lights are attached to the tracks, be careful not to damage the wires to the lights. Once you remove the side tracks, pull the door down to the bottom of the opening; be careful not to pull the door down too far and cause it to jump off the rollers and hang from only the counterbalance. If this does happen, the door will have to be fed back over the wheels when cleaned and ready to reinstall the tracks

By Ray Van Gunten

Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies lead the industry in the use of roll-up doors for vehicle compartment access. The use of roll-up doors began more than 30 years ago when the roll-up door idea and product were brought over from England.

Nearly 70 percent of the fire and emergency vehicles produced today use this technology. The main advantages roll-up doors have over swing-out doors include eliminating potential for damage when leaving a station with a high side door open; easier compartment access; safer environment for both the operator and the vehicle; easier and quicker maintenance and repair; and, in most cases, lower overall costs for the vehicle manufacturers. This article will look at these advantages along with new safety and security features that were not available when roll-up doors were first introduced.

Compartment Access

It is much easier to access a vehicle compartment that has a roll-up door when you are at a fire or accident scene and space is limited. Once the compartment is open, it can be left open with no fear of another vehicle pulling beside and clipping the door. Compartment design also allows equipment to be removed more easily because there is no large lip on the bottom or the sides of the compartments. Granted, you have to allow for the head room required by the door coil but, in most cases, this is less than the wasted space on the bottom and sides required by swing-out doors.

Operator and Vehicle Safety

Roll-up doors allow operators to stay closer to the vehicle when accessing compartments. One does not have to step back to open it, whereas a swing-out door can push the operator into the path of another vehicle or force the operator back if the wind catches the door. If a swing-out door is left open, there is a chance that it could be clipped off by another vehicle or, in some cases, actually cause damage itself.

Maintenance and Repair

While roll-up doors are not maintenance-free, their maintenance is fairly simple and should be accomplished as follows.

• Wash the exterior of the door. Do not pressure wash the doors because it tends to push the dirt back past the seals and into the curl or ball and socket between each slat. Dirt pushed back into this area can cause the seals to deteriorate faster and the joint to bind. When washing the doors, use water pressure similar to that of your garden hose at home and spray on an angle instead of straight on. This will prevent the water from penetrating the slat seals and clean the dirt from between slats.
• In dusty and salty environments, keep the track areas clear and lubricated. To remove dirt and grime from the track area, use a rag and something that can break down grease, grime, and other road dirt. Use brake cleaner when the tracks are really bad. After the tracks are clean, use a silicon-based lubricant and spray into the tracks. Never use grease or any other lubricant that is going to collect dirt when the vehicle is operational.
• On a lesser frequency, remove and clean the tracks while at the same time cleaning the dirt and grime from the end clips at the end of each slat of the door. To take the tracks off, remove the fasteners. If lights are attached to the tracks, be careful not to damage the wires to the lights. Once you remove the side tracks, pull the door down to the bottom of the opening; be careful not to pull the door down too far and cause it to jump off the rollers and hang from only the counterbalance. If this does happen, the door will have to be fed back over the wheels when cleaned and ready to reinstall the tracks