Alan R. Earls

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is an international nonprofit organization established more than a century ago with, according to the organization, a focus on improving fire safety and combating other hazards by helping support the development of consensus-based codes and standards as well as through research, training, and education. According to the NFPA, it maintains some 300 codes and standards through the efforts of more than 200 committees encompassing about 6,000 individuals.

However, the breadth and quantity of NFPA's "products" sometimes obscure how the process works. Sometimes, it is unclear who votes on standards and how they are developed-or even what a consensus standard is. Ken Willett, head of public fire protection at NFPA, acknowledges that "a lot of users of our standards look at the finished documents and question how they ended up looking like that." Indeed, he says, it is not uncommon for people to read a revised standard and "feel sure" that they see the work or influence of a particular entity, such as a manufacturer or a firefighter's organization. Or, he notes, "They may feel that the process is somehow disconnected from the users of the standard."

Dispelling Misconceptions

Before coming to the NFPA, Willett worked in the fire service in the defense department at Westover AFB in Massachusetts. He went from there to the Wilbraham (MA) Fire Department, where he stayed for 26 years, eventually becoming chief. Then he spent six years in the Concord (MA) Fire Department before retiring in 2009.

Willett says he very much wants to dispel misconceptions about NFPA standards. "Having sat in on many technical committees and having had conversations with many committee members, all of whom are volunteers, the overarching observation I would make is that the NFPA standards development process is unique in, among other things, the fact that it is accredited by the American Standards Institute."

But that's not all. Although the NFPA is perhaps the best known practitioner, it is not alone in relying on a consensus process, which contrasts with, for example, a government agency deciding on its own about what standards to impose. By contrast, the consensus process engages a wide range of relevant views and works to hammer out the best and most pragmatic standards.

Open Process

Willett says the NFPA goes to great lengths to ensure openness, transparency, and balance in its work.

The openness is underscored, he notes, by the fact that participants do not have to be dues-paying NFPA members to be part of a technical committee. The NFPA also has a total of nine different member categories, helping to provide a wide breadth of input. Those categories include the following: Manufacturer, User, Installer/Maintainer, Labor, Applied Research/Testing Laboratory, Enforcing Authority, Insurance, Consumer, and Special Expert.

"It is an obvious benefit to everyone that the person sitting on the committee has knowledge of the standard and has applied it," says Willett. "We do have some people who may not have a lot of direct experience with a given standard, but they usually have an important or useful perspective," he explains.

Sometimes, admits Willett, users of standards will ask why a manufacturer is on a committee. He says that although manufacturer members represent their companies, their presence on the committee is very valuable because of the expertise they represent. For example, when the committee is focused on standards for fire apparatus or emergency equipment, a new idea may be great, but if it will cost too much to implement, it may not be practical. The representatives from the manufacturing organizations provide a "reality check" regarding what is possible technically and what is feasible at a g

By Robert Tutterow

Is there such a thing as painless cost cutting? Yes. And, it has to do with the operating costs of fire stations. Granted, the cost reductions may not be big savings over a short period of time, but over the lifespan of a fire station the costs are fairly significant. Consider the following "average" building initial and ongoing lifespan costs as determined by Thomas Dolan Planning and Management. The initial costs are broken down as follows: land costs are less than one percent; design is one percent; construction is 20 percent; and original furnishings are six percent. The ongoing costs are broken down as follows: replacement furnishings are four percent; operations and utilities are 16 percent; maintenance is 29 percent; and interest on construction loans is 24 percent. The ongoing costs for a fire station are higher than an average building if it is occupied 24/7. There are several ways to reduce ongoing costs and direct the funds toward items that have a direct and positive impact on service delivery and, most importantly, firefighter safety.

Turning Green

The fire service has always paid attention to building construction, and the green building movement is no exception. We often think that green only applies to new construction. However, there are several elements of green that can be applied to existing stations. At last year's annual F.I.E.R.O. Fire Station Symposium, Keith Pehl with Optima Engineering and Ken Newell with Stewart-Cooper-Newell Architects gave a presentation titled "Reducing Operating Costs and Maintaining Your Existing Station-Practical Sustainability." In their presentation, they reported that green buildings can reduce energy use from 24 to 50 percent, CO₂ emissions from 33 to 39 percent, water use by 40 percent, and solid waste by 70 percent. In addition to the economic benefits of green buildings to a department's community, green buildings show that the fire department is being socially responsible and good stewards of the environment.

The need to control fire station utility costs will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. For example, electricity costs have increased 22 percent in the past ten years and natural gas costs have increased 100 percent. Most utility companies estimate an average increase of four percent annually for the next 10 years. And, the Carbon Cap and Trade legislation is estimated to create an overnight increase of 20 percent on energy costs. Do the math. Are these costs that the fire service should continue to absorb without any attempt to manage them?

There are additional benefits for green buildings. They provide for a healthier environment for firefighters. There is a tremendous improvement in air quality. Green buildings do a better job of controlling temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and particulates. This leads to less likelihood for mold and mildew growth.

Sustainable Measures

What are other "sustainable" measures that fire departments can take to minimize the lifespan costs of their stations? If a new station is being planned, it is imperative that the design incorporate expansion plans. This includes additional apparatus bay space; additional dormitory space; additional office space; and maybe, most importantly, additional storage space.

Material selection is a primary consideration in long-term sustainability. Base material selection on durability and low maintenance. Do not forget exterior materials. For parking and drive areas, there are light duty materials and heavy duty materials. Areas for fire apparatus and other heavy vehicles must use heavy duty materials-i.e., properly installed reinforced concrete or pavers. Driveway and parking areas for light vehicles can use light duty materials such as asphalt. Departments should take measures to restrict access to the light duty surface

By Chris Mc Loone

I've been giving personal protective gear (PPE)-specifically turnout gear-a lot of thought recently. I'm not sure why. It could have been the live burn evolutions we completed recently and reminding the crew to wash its gear as soon as possible. It might have been recently sharing what life was like at the fire company when I joined vs. what it's like for the new members today regarding PPE.

Times Change

Back then, you had new gear if it was tan and old gear if it was black. As the newbie, I started off with black gear. It didn't fit right. I stand at about six feet, three inches, but I'm a pretty lanky fellow, and I was swimming in that first turnout coat. The bunker pants were OK. They didn't fit perfectly, but they were long enough to go over my second-hand boots that thankfully were size 13. This particular set of gear came with what most newbies today wouldn't recognize at all-a Jones Snap key. My helmet was also a hand-me-down. It came from a firefighter who wasn't very active and appeared to be a little offended that the lieutenant in charge of gear at the time handed it off to me. It was old enough that it did not have a crank on it in the back to adjust the size-also a sign that you were being issued older equipment. My gloves initially came with the gear and were used, but that was quickly rectified. Only a few of us had Nomex® hoods at the time. 1993 was the year, but times have changed.

These days rookies get a pretty new set of gear, many times not even at its half life. They get older gear first and are usually upgraded to new gear purchased for them within the first couple of years. Today when they start Firefighter 1, an instructor will inspect their gear to ensure it includes everything the fire academy calls for. If the student's gear isn't up to snuff, he will have to ensure it is by the next class session. Today this includes having a Nomex® hood-not a requirement in 1993 when I went through my first Firefighter 1 program. Helmet ear flaps were enough.

Besides reminiscing about 20 years ago, however, I have been giving a lot of thought to PPE care and construction.

Knowing Your Tools

Many of us could talk about a particular tool or apparatus forever-especially if we are part of the team to pick it out. Those of us on purchasing committees have the luxury of being intimately familiar most times about whatever we've picked out, and we're very good about passing that knowledge to our firefighters so they can be as proficient as possible in using these tools. But, how many of us know as much about our PPE as we should?

PPE is as important a tool as anything we use for fire attack or other incidents. It is imperative that we know as much about it as we can. Most of us can state what manufacturer of turnout gear we don when the alarm bell rings. But, how many of us can say with any degree of certainty who produces the vapor barrier or what company provides the fabric? I certainly hope the purchasing committee that chose the gear can tell you.

Take the time when your gear comes in to sit down and read the documentation that comes with it. Learn about the standards it complies with. Learn about how it is tested for compliance. And, read about PPE in general to stay abreast of what is happening. You might be surprised to know just how much science goes into that coat you put on. Ever wonder why it is lighter than the first jacket your department issued you?

PPE Care

Finally, I've been thinking about PPE care. Any number of fire service leaders will tell you that keeping your gear clean will go a long way toward the health and safety of your firefighters. It seems pretty obvious. Go to a fire, clean your gear. But, how about all the calls you don't go to? What about all the times that gear that's near the exhaust pipe of the apparatus is exposed to the diesel exhaust? PPE ca

Alan M. Petrillo

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1962, Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles and Fire Hose Appliances (2013 ed.), makes a number of changes that affect how fire departments use some of the basic tools and equipment available to them in extinguishing fires.

The purpose of NFPA 1962, says Jim Glatts of FireOne and a member of the NFPA committee on fire hose that pulled together the revised standard, "is to provide a reasonable level of safety for users of fire hose and a reasonable degree of assurance that the hose, coupling assemblies, appliances, and nozzles will perform as designed."

Glatts points out that updating the standard was important when one considers the many changes in technology and materials that have been incorporated into hoselines, nozzles, appliances, and couplings over the years.

(1) Fire departments now must system test together all of the elements that go into a firefighting attack line. (Photos courtesy of FireOne.)

Change Rundown

The major changes made in the 2013 standard, Glatts says, include the following:

• Hose manufactured prior to July 1987 shall be removed from service.

• Nozzles shall be service tested at least as frequently as the hose to which it is attached.

• Attack fire hose shall be service tested to a minimum of 300 pounds per square inch (psi).

• Supply fire hose shall be service tested to a minimum of 200 psi.

• System tests shall be conducted at least annually on each preconnected line or any attack line used for interior firefighting operations on a fire apparatus, together with the nozzle or hose-connected appliance it supplies.

• All nonthreaded hose connections shall be provided with locks to ensure against unintentional disconnection.

• Fire hose users and the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) shall establish a replacement schedule for their fire hose. The replacement schedule shall take into consideration the use, age, and testing results of the hose.

Jason Goodale, a company officer with Loveland (CO) Fire and Rescue Authority and NFPA Committee on Fire Hose member, says that although the revised standard covers a lot of ground, he doesn't think it will cause much difficulty in most fire departments. "There was some discussion before the standard was revised about having a shelf life for hose similar to that for personal protective equipment (PPE) of 10 years," Goodale says. "The committee found that it would be difficult for many fire departments to work under such a requirement for hose. It could be financially destructive to many of them having to replace a great deal of hose all at once."

(2) Supply lines still must be tested annually to 200 psi, which is unchanged from the previous NFPA 1962 edition.

Changing Materials

Glatts points out that hose materials and manufacturing standards have changed over the years, and those elements mean that hose is of higher quality and can take higher pressures. "The earlier version of the standard required attack hose to be tested to 250 psi and supply line to 200 psi," he says. "The new standard increases the pressure to 300 psi for attack line and leaves supply line the same. However, if a five-inch supply line becomes the sole source of an attack line