By Bill Adams

Every couple of years, the fire service trade journals address fire apparatus scene lighting, with numerous articles describing the latest and greatest devices available, who manufactures them, how they work, and why they are better than previous generations of lighting.

Regrettably, the technical descriptions used by some manufacturers and vendors can easily confuse the average firefighter riding in the crew cab and even befuddle those who write apparatus purchasing specifications. Lighting and apparatus manufacturers should realize that not every firefighter holds a degree in automotive electrical engineering. They should also recognize that many firefighters understand advertising is specifically designed to sell and not necessarily to educate. In the future, vendors may be required to explain in plain English the lighting systems they want fire departments to specify. Those aren't critical observations; they're facts of life.

Spec writers can face formidable challenges when writing purchasing specifications for scene lighting. They are attempting to describe something that has no formal definition and adheres to no known regulatory standard. The term scene lighting has different meanings to different people. Equally exasperating is that the current edition of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, doesn't appear to coherently address the topic either.

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Most fire departments know what they want for scene lighting but are hard pressed to describe it. For simplicity's sake, I refer to "scene lighting" in this article as lighting that illuminates the general area around a fire apparatus with no quantifiers for brightness, intensity, or distance.

Today the lighting industry eagerly promotes, and the fire service has overwhelming accepted, light emitting diode (LED) lighting. Although not every pumper on today's fireground requires an onboard 120-/240-volt generator, all should have adequate scene lighting. That's common sense. It appears 12-volt LED lamps powered by a pumper's low-voltage electrical system can fulfill the scene lighting needs of nongenerator-equipped pumpers. That has merit and warrants a closer look in layman's terms. This first part will do so-open-mindedly-with realistic observations devoid of advertising, promotions, and personal agendas.

The first chassis-powered scene lights were searchlights mounted just above the dashboard. They were essentially a dual swiveling headlight. This one is mounted next to a hand-cranked siren. (Photos 1-2 by Mahlon Irish.)

Accountability

Apparatus purchasing committee (APC) members tasked with specifying scene lighting for a new rig must determine the type, method of powering, size, quantities, and locations for a lighting package suitable for their needs. That can be an unenviable position-especially when they can't define their needs. The days of merely writing a spec with a manufacturer and model number for scene lights may be over. Blindly accepting and regurgitating technical specifications from a fa

You don't have to drive very far to see how vehicles today differ from the past. Aerodynamic bumpers, sloped windshields, and lighter weight materials have become commonplace-all in the name of fuel economy.

Chris Crowel

We appreciate these advancements when the time comes to fill the tank, mostly because these improvements have not impacted the mission of our commuter vehicle: to make it to and from our destination.

These designs didn't happen by chance. From the first Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars enacted in 1975, government regulation and customer needs drove manufacturers to innovate newer and more efficient technologies. Regulatory focus on fuel economy has now shifted toward larger vehicles, which include today's fire apparatus.

How do you regulate fuel consumption on heavier vehicles when some of the same features that affect fuel efficiency also impact the ability of the vehicle to complete its mission? This is where collaboration between government regulators [such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the California Air Resources Board (ARB)], industry associations [such as the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers' Association (FAMA) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs], and vehicle and component suppliers becomes critical to ensure vehicles meet both criteria-successful task completion and greater efficiency. One of FAMA's primary goals is to advance and protect the interests of the fire and emergency services industry through the use of effective open communication. FAMA member companies have worked collaboratively with the government on the Phase 1 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and Fuel Efficiency regulation and are at the forefront in discussions regarding upcoming proposed Phase 2 regulation.

Phase 1 Greenhouse Gas Regulation

Earlier EPA regulations focused on certain emissions of the engine such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). As clean diesel engine technology resulted in near zero emissions, focus shifted to improved GHG emissions and fuel economy. Reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂), the main GHG, is achieved through improved fuel economy.

Development of the EPA's Phase 1 GHG approach started in 2007, rules were finalized in 2011, and it took effect starting in 2014. It was intended to encourage more widespread adoption of existing technology without disrupting how trucks are used.

How do you approach a very complex, never-before-been-addressed issue of regulating fuel consumption from an incredibly diverse sector of vehicles? Through industry collaboration. The EPA arrived at a tailored approach that set separate standards for over-the-road tractors, vocational vehicles, and engines.

Tractors and vocational vehicles demonstrate compliance with the standards through a simulation tool developed by the EPA called the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model, or GEM. There are five inputs for combination tractors: aerodynamics, weight reduction, tires, idling, and speed limiters. For the purposes of over-the-road tractors, these technologies enabled greater fuel economy and, as a result, lower transportation costs for goods.

Vocational vehicles support a wide variety of missions. For everything from fire apparatus to garbage trucks, cranes, cement mixers, and buses, the vocation drives the design of the vehicle. For this vehicle category, where the engine has the most influence on fuel economy, chassis manufacturers need only to track one input: tire rolling resistance. Chassis manufacturers use GEM for reporting compliance. Wesley Chestnut, Technical Committee co-c

By Ricky Riley

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The Clearwater Fire Department (CFD) is an all-career department located just outside Tampa, Florida, in Pinellas County.

The department consists of 201 personnel who respond from eight stations covering 40 square miles of densely populated beach resort and city.

In 2007, after replacing the city’s three ladder trucks, the department initiated a long-needed review of its current engine company fleet. The plan, developed by the fire department administration, was to provide the city with a balanced and systematic replacement of eight front-line engines. In doing so, the department was careful to use National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, as a baseline for front-line service and reserve status. The decision process included considering budgetary constraints, the current fleet’s condition, and the expected service life of the new engines.

The department evaluated the fleet, including reserve units, and determined it needed a plan to introduce a new engine into the fleet once a year for eight years. This plan would minimize budget spikes and ensure a reliable, permanent replacement plan that could be supported by the city’s fleet maintenance operation. The city council and city manager introduced a capital improvement budget with funding for this plan.

The Clearwater (FL) Fire Department’s Engine 47 is built on a Pierce Velocity cab and chassis and features a Waterous 1,500-gpm single-stage pump, a 500-gallon tank, and all Whelen lighting. (Photos by author.)

The department now focused its efforts on designing a new standard, all-hazards engine, with the main focus being water delivery. The CFD put together a committee comprising drivers/operators and engine officers to provide input to improve the layout of Clearwater’s current engines and develop specifications to maximize this delivery platform. The committee members operate Clearwater’s engines every day and are best suited to understand the needs of the field personnel and help plan for future operational requirements.

The group visited the Pierce Manufacturing plant in Bradenton, Florida, to view a number of different chassis and body combinations. They also visited Clearwater’s local Pierce dealer, Ten-8 Fire, to drive and operate many local Florida units at its facility.

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Chassis and Body Selection

The chassis the committee chose was the Pierce Velocity. This style was selected because of its clear sight lines, cab room, and the many preengineered locations to place electronics and department-mandated equipment.

The body style took longer to iron out because the employee group and operations division needed to define the mission of the new Clearwater engines.

The department decided on 152-inch standard compartments, low hosebeds, 500-gallon water tanks, and 40-gallon foam cells. The committee’s focus was to ensure the engines would easily lay suppl