By Roger Lackore

The latest revision of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, contains a new requirement aimed at firefighter safety when working on the top of an apparatus.

Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies have been planning on how to best comply with the standard and are anticipating a transitional period while both the manufacturers and the apparatus purchasers work through the details of this new requirement. We hope that the guidance in this article helps in this transition.

Safety Is Top of the Line

Safety is always a top priority in fire operations. Although there are many inherent hazards at a fire scene, you can minimize the hazards of working on top of the apparatus by planning ahead and following safe practices. In most operations, you can eliminate the need for climbing on the apparatus by not storing equipment in areas that would require climbing to reach it.

For those times when you cannot avoid working on top of the apparatus, the NFPA standard has defined that the best approach is for apparatus manufacturers to designate areas where standing or walking may be allowed when absolutely required for operational needs. These designated areas will be outlined by a yellow or orange line around the perimeter of the surface, and that surface must meet the standard’s slip resistance requirements. This approach is similar to the lines on a factory floor that show where personnel should walk to stay away from potentially hazardous operations or equipment. The standard specifically excludes a designating line for steps or ladders, as those features’ intentions are apparent by design; requiring lines around every step would be excessive.

Who Determines Designated Areas?

Custom apparatus design is a cooperative function between the manufacturer and the fire department. The apparatus specification must consider the department operations, training, and standard operating procedures. Designation of standing and walking surfaces must therefore take into account the intended use and be determined at the time the apparatus is being configured. Department members should work with their manufacturer, review every horizontal surface on top of the apparatus, and identify every location where a firefighter would need to stand or walk to perform essential tasks during operations.

Service Access Excluded

It is important to note that designated standing and walking areas do not need to include areas where access will be limited to service or maintenance needs. These functions can be performed in controlled environments and with the use of ladders, nonslip mats, fall protection devices, and other means to ensure safety. Of course, the fire department may determine that, in its operations service, access areas also should be designated and can specify this as desired.

Surface Height Requirement

NFPA 1901 indicates that a line is required only at heights above 48 inches (four feet). This value was drawn from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements found in Code of Federal Regulations Title 29. Although these regulations contain many details that vary according to industry, a four-foot-high surface is generally where they begin requiring a 42-inch-tall railing in working facilities and the construction of work sites.

It is not practical to require 42-inch-high OSHA railings on most areas of fire apparatus for obvious reasons. NFPA 1901 requires that certain locations such as aerial baskets and turntable platforms have railings with very specific design constraints. These are areas where operators are requ

Chris Mc Loone

Right, I know, the headline is stating the obvious.

I guess in looking at the cover and thinking about some of the hoselays I’ve seen at FDIC International-for training purposes-and some recent photos I posted on www.fireapparatus.com from Steve Redick, it just reminded me that when we are looking to move large amounts of water over large distances, it’s not as simple as laying the line and hooking it up to the engine. Logistically, it’s a real challenge.

In these pages, we discuss the technology and equipment behind moving water-single- vs. two-stage pumps, various size pumps, relay valves, intake valves, pressure relief valves, remote control valves, manual valves, large-diameter hose (LDH), etc. Although we don’t get into tactics in these pages, it’s almost impossible to avoid talking about them when discussing moving water long distances.

For example, in my area, recent LDH drills aren’t including relay valves. Gone are the days of pumpers that would often break down in relays, necessitating that trucks be connected to relay valves so if a pumper went down, it could be disconnected so another pumper could tie in. These days, our fire apparatus have become so reliable, some local experts espouse eliminating the relay valves and putting the trucks themselves back inline. Is one way better than the other? It all depends on how you operate as a department. Keep everyone on the same page and, of course, it doesn’t matter. Just remember if you’re in a relay and you’re running a two-stage pump to switch from pressure to volume if you exceed more than half the capacity of your pump. As a side note, I’ve participated in LDH relay drills where I operated a truck in the middle of a relay and others where the truck has been on the hydrant. Our trucks have two-stage pumps. I have exceeded 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) once.

Personnel numbers affect everything we do on the fireground. Large municipal departments have the luxury of knowing who and how many are coming. Rural or suburban departments that are 100 percent volunteer don’t always know who, how many, or when help is going to arrive. Whether you are setting up an LDH relay or a tanker operation, shuttling water from a source to the scene, setting up to move large amounts of water takes time. Know where your water is-whether it’s a pond or lake or your biggest water main. I visited the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department (PFD) a few months ago, and I asked about its water supply. I think the question came up during a discussion about single- vs. two-stage pumps. In any event, the PFD has an excellent relationship with the water company, and it has maps of the water mains. It’s not so easy where I live. Generally, we know where the water is and what we will need to do to get it. But, it’s not an exact science and takes some work in the beginning of an operation. Most importantly, it takes time. Fewer personnel means it takes even more time.

We have a variety of flavors of “seasoned” engineers in my department. Some have a good feel for what they are doing whether or not they remember friction loss equations for LDH. They are good at what they do and are the best of the best in the township. We have others who can do the math for these things so quickly in their heads that I marvel how fast they figure things out. There are others who absolutely embrace the math and the science behind large flows, plotting graphs for flows based on different hydrants and water sources. There aren’t

Chris Mc Loone

Right, I know, the headline is stating the obvious.

I guess in looking at the cover and thinking about some of the hoselays I’ve seen at FDIC International-for training purposes-and some recent photos I posted on www.fireapparatus.com from Steve Redick, it just reminded me that when we are looking to move large amounts of water over large distances, it’s not as simple as laying the line and hooking it up to the engine. Logistically, it’s a real challenge.

In these pages, we discuss the technology and equipment behind moving water-single- vs. two-stage pumps, various size pumps, relay valves, intake valves, pressure relief valves, remote control valves, manual valves, large-diameter hose (LDH), etc. Although we don’t get into tactics in these pages, it’s almost impossible to avoid talking about them when discussing moving water long distances.

For example, in my area, recent LDH drills aren’t including relay valves. Gone are the days of pumpers that would often break down in relays, necessitating that trucks be connected to relay valves so if a pumper went down, it could be disconnected so another pumper could tie in. These days, our fire apparatus have become so reliable, some local experts espouse eliminating the relay valves and putting the trucks themselves back inline. Is one way better than the other? It all depends on how you operate as a department. Keep everyone on the same page and, of course, it doesn’t matter. Just remember if you’re in a relay and you’re running a two-stage pump to switch from pressure to volume if you exceed more than half the capacity of your pump. As a side note, I’ve participated in LDH relay drills where I operated a truck in the middle of a relay and others where the truck has been on the hydrant. Our trucks have two-stage pumps. I have exceeded 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) once.

Personnel numbers affect everything we do on the fireground. Large municipal departments have the luxury of knowing who and how many are coming. Rural or suburban departments that are 100 percent volunteer don’t always know who, how many, or when help is going to arrive. Whether you are setting up an LDH relay or a tanker operation, shuttling water from a source to the scene, setting up to move large amounts of water takes time. Know where your water is-whether it’s a pond or lake or your biggest water main. I visited the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department (PFD) a few months ago, and I asked about its water supply. I think the question came up during a discussion about single- vs. two-stage pumps. In any event, the PFD has an excellent relationship with the water company, and it has maps of the water mains. It’s not so easy where I live. Generally, we know where the water is and what we will need to do to get it. But, it’s not an exact science and takes some work in the beginning of an operation. Most importantly, it takes time. Fewer personnel means it takes even more time.

We have a variety of flavors of “seasoned” engineers in my department. Some have a good feel for what they are doing whether or not they remember friction loss equations for LDH. They are good at what they do and are the best of the best in the township. We have others who can do the math for these things so quickly in their heads that I marvel how fast they figure things out. There are others who absolutely embrace the math and the science behind large flows, plotting graphs for flows based on different hydrants and water sources. There aren’t

Chris Mc Loone

Right, I know, the headline is stating the obvious.

I guess in looking at the cover and thinking about some of the hoselays I’ve seen at FDIC International-for training purposes-and some recent photos I posted on www.fireapparatus.com from Steve Redick, it just reminded me that when we are looking to move large amounts of water over large distances, it’s not as simple as laying the line and hooking it up to the engine. Logistically, it’s a real challenge.

In these pages, we discuss the technology and equipment behind moving water-single- vs. two-stage pumps, various size pumps, relay valves, intake valves, pressure relief valves, remote control valves, manual valves, large-diameter hose (LDH), etc. Although we don’t get into tactics in these pages, it’s almost impossible to avoid talking about them when discussing moving water long distances.

For example, in my area, recent LDH drills aren’t including relay valves. Gone are the days of pumpers that would often break down in relays, necessitating that trucks be connected to relay valves so if a pumper went down, it could be disconnected so another pumper could tie in. These days, our fire apparatus have become so reliable, some local experts espouse eliminating the relay valves and putting the trucks themselves back inline. Is one way better than the other? It all depends on how you operate as a department. Keep everyone on the same page and, of course, it doesn’t matter. Just remember if you’re in a relay and you’re running a two-stage pump to switch from pressure to volume if you exceed more than half the capacity of your pump. As a side note, I’ve participated in LDH relay drills where I operated a truck in the middle of a relay and others where the truck has been on the hydrant. Our trucks have two-stage pumps. I have exceeded 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm) once.

Personnel numbers affect everything we do on the fireground. Large municipal departments have the luxury of knowing who and how many are coming. Rural or suburban departments that are 100 percent volunteer don’t always know who, how many, or when help is going to arrive. Whether you are setting up an LDH relay or a tanker operation, shuttling water from a source to the scene, setting up to move large amounts of water takes time. Know where your water is-whether it’s a pond or lake or your biggest water main. I visited the Philadelphia (PA) Fire Department (PFD) a few months ago, and I asked about its water supply. I think the question came up during a discussion about single- vs. two-stage pumps. In any event, the PFD has an excellent relationship with the water company, and it has maps of the water mains. It’s not so easy where I live. Generally, we know where the water is and what we will need to do to get it. But, it’s not an exact science and takes some work in the beginning of an operation. Most importantly, it takes time. Fewer personnel means it takes even more time.

We have a variety of flavors of “seasoned” engineers in my department. Some have a good feel for what they are doing whether or not they remember friction loss equations for LDH. They are good at what they do and are the best of the best in the township. We have others who can do the math for these things so quickly in their heads that I marvel how fast they figure things out. There are others who absolutely embrace the math and the science behind large flows, plotting graphs for flows based on different hydrants and water sources. There aren’t