Alan M. Petrillo

It's not unusual these days to see a rescue vehicle carrying water and a pump, often called a rescue-pumper or a wet rescue. But frequently, such rescues have begun to be outfitted with compressed air foam systems (CAFS). It's part of a developing trend that is seeing wider use of CAFS not only on rescue-pumpers but on traditional pumpers, urban interface vehicles, and wildland units.

Dan White, national sales manager for Spartan ERV's Classic series, says that although most of the growth in CAFS use has been on wildland style units, it also is growing on the structural side of the fire apparatus industry. "CAFS is becoming more and more popular," White says. "We're seeing CAFS on about 40 percent of our wildland units, when three years ago that figure was about 25 percent. CAFS is becoming a required tool instead of something that's simply a 'want to have.' "

(1) Darley's family of CAFS products includes the EMBC, a two- stage 2,000-gpm pump with a 220-cfm air compressor. (Photo courtesy of Darley.)

Spartan ERV has built traditional pumpers, rescue-pumpers, and even tankers with CAFS units, White maintains, and has a version of CAFS for its traditional rescues. "We built a compressor with a 100-gallon per minute (gpm) PTO-driven pump that can run one handline off of a 100-gallon water tank and a five-gallon foam tank. It doesn't take up a lot of room on the truck body and if the rescue is first on the scene of a vehicle fire, for instance, it can do a quick knockdown on the fire if necessary."

White points out that the typical Rapid CAFS unit that Spartan ERV builds is set up to handle any discharge that is plumbed as foam-capable. "Our standard 140-cubic feet per minute (cfm) compressor can generally handle two 1¾-inch discharges," he notes. "We also make 200-cfm and 250-cfm CAFS units. You essentially can add one 1¾-inch line for each step up in a typical setup."

The Rapid CAFS unit was developed, White says, to make the system easy to use. "We wanted it to be as simple as possible and not complicated at all," he says. "Once you're pumping water through a handline on the truck, it truly is a one-touch system."

Effects on Design

Chad Trinkner, director of product development for aerials, pumpers, and fire suppression at Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says that between 20 and 25 percent of the various types of pumpers Pierce makes-traditional, rescue, and industrial-have a CAFS unit on them. "There's a pretty good mix of the kinds of CAFS units going onto the vehicles," Trinkner points out. "It's about 50-50 of PTO to hydraulically driven units."

(2) Hale Products has introduced its Smart CAFS with a 210-cfm compressor on its midship DSD, shown here, and Q-MAX pumps. (Photo courtesy of Hale Products.)

Pierce first started installing Hercules CAFS units on pumpers in 1999, Trinkner notes, with a 200-cfm PTO-driven unit located in the pump house. In 2002, Pierce developed a 140-cfm hydraulically driven CAFS unit located in the pumper's dunnage area over the pump house, and in 2011 it came out with a 165-cfm PTO-driven unit located in the pump house. Locating a CAFS unit in the pump house, Trinkner points out, has one drawback. "A P

Alan M. Petrillo

Safety starts at the top-the top of the firefighter's head, that is. The firefighter's helmet has long protected him from heat, falling objects, and other hazards. Today, manufacturers of structural firefighting helmets are putting added protection into their products in an effort to give firefighters the best safeguard against hazards while providing the most comfortable fit possible.

Tradition vs. Modern

Matt DeLorenzo, MSA's product line manager for Cairns helmets, says that firefighters tend to be very traditional but have embraced different forms of helmets over the years. "The two main styles of fire helmets in North America are the traditional look and the modern style, which has a more rounded shape," DeLorenzo says. "The modern style started to overtake the traditional in usage in the 1990s, and at that time Cairns was selling 60 percent modern helmets to 40 percent traditional. But after September 11, 2001, there was a big switch back to the traditional style helmet so that now Cairns is selling 65 percent traditional helmets to 35 percent modern."

(1) MSA makes the Cairns Defender visor for its line of helmets, shown here on a traditional style helmet. The Defender visor retracts up inside the helmet shell, protecting it from damage when stowed and putting it closer to the eye for greater protection when deployed. (Photo courtesy of MSA.)

Eye Protection

MSA acquired Cairns in 2000 and in succeeding years launched a number of new helmets and innovations, including the Defender visor for traditional helmets, DeLorenzo points out. "We took the idea from European style helmets," he says. "The Defender visor retracts up inside the helmet shell where it stays cleaner; is less likely to become damaged; and, when deployed, puts its protection closer to the eye." The Defender is available on all fiberglass models of Cairns traditional and modern helmets.

Thomas Stachler, product manager for helmets at Honeywell First Responder Products, says his company's new EV1 structural helmet features a self-deploying spring-loaded lens and eye protection that's internal to the helmet's shell. "The eye protection sits in between the helmet's suspension ring system and its shell," Stachler says. "It is deployed by pushing up on it where a drag wheel lowers it so it doesn't bang down onto the nose. It also has a safety latch on the right side to lock the shield in the up position, which keeps it from accidentally opening up or for when it's in storage."

The EV1 also has a leather brow pad and three hook-and-loop tabs to allow easy adjustment of the headband height. "There's an optional goggle strap attachment for single- or two-strap goggles to be locked in," Stachler notes. "If you remove the helmet, the goggles stay with it. The straps are in line above the ears so they are pulling parallel and back toward the face instead of being attached to the helmet's brim where there's a pull on the bottom of the goggles."

(2) Honeywell First Responder Products makes the EV1 structural firefighting helmet that has a self-deploying spring-loaded lens and eye protection internal to the helmet's shell. (Photo courtesy of Honeywell First Responder Products.)

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