Alan M. Petrillo

Fire apparatus cabs are getting safer for occupants with various protection systems being installed by manufacturers to protect firefighters-from beefed up cab structures to nearly-all-around air bag protection to custom-designed seat belt harnessing systems.

Egress Systems

Rosenbauer's director of dealer development, Mike Schoenberger, says his company builds safety and integrity into its custom Commander cabs, as well as into the Smart Cab crew module that can be mounted onto the back of a two-door commercial chassis.

The Smart Cab features a 96-inch width that allows four firefighters to be seated across the cab, Schoenberger says, as well as EZGress swing out steps. "EZGress has a large stepping surface in a three-step arrangement that makes it easy to get in and out of the cab," he says. "You don't have to back out, you walk out like on a staircase. When the firefighter puts weight on the step, it locks in place."

A choice of air-actuated or electric steps is standard on some Pierce custom cabs and options on others, according to Lilsa Barwick, director of product management for cab, chassis, and electrical products at Pierce Manufacturing. "The steps are tucked up and out of the elements when firefighters are in the cab," she says. "When deployed, they provide a more ergonomic stair step approach to getting in and out of the cab to help prevent knee or hip injuries."

(1) A split view of immediately before and at the moment of a crash impact of the cab front air bags deploying during a Spartan Chassis test of its Advanced Protection System, standard equipment on several of its chassis. (Photo courtesy of Spartan Chassis.)

Cab Protection Systems

Schoenberger says both the Smart Cab and the custom Commander cab passed the side impact and roof crush tests required by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus. "Our crew cabs have full-width floors for firefighter safety and comfort," he observes. "There is no step well in the crew cab.

The custom Commander cab, which is made out of 3/16-inch extruded aluminum, offers complete air bag protection for occupants, Schoenberger notes-a driver's steering wheel air bag, officer's knee air bag, and side air bags in the crew area for outer seat positions. "About 25 percent of our vehicles are equipped with air bags," he says. "It's a choice of the customer because the NFPA does not require them."

Inside the cab, Pierce has developed ergonomic seats with integrated side air bag protection, as well as dual seat belt retractors. "Over the years, we integrated air bags into the cab's side walls and now into the seats," Barwick observes. "And, our extra-long seat belts retract much quicker so they don't dangle and get hooked on things or get caught in doors."

(2) Pierce Manufacturing uses the IMMI ReadyReach seat belt system for its cabs-extra long seat belts that retract much quicker so they don't dangle, get hooked on equipment, or get caught in doors. (Photo courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.)

In the front of the cab, Pierce installs a driver's air bag

Bill Adams

The trendiest rig in the fire service today is the pumper-rescue. Its popularity has steadily increased during the past few decades with trade journals expounding on the subject for just as long. Some fire departments pride themselves when specifying one, thinking they've just reinvented the wheel. Fire apparatus manufacturers have embraced the concept with innovative designs and aggressive marketing and have done a respectable job doing so. It has almost become the industry standard for pumpers.

Amazingly, fire departments are rushing out to purchase, manufacturers are building, and apparatus pundits are eagerly reporting about fire trucks that have no formal definition, adhere to no specific regulatory standard, and embrace-as new-a concept introduced in the early 1950s. There are no industrywide accepted design criteria and no recognized standard specification. Nor is there any agreement on what to call it. Other than being compliant with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, for a pumper, there is no clear-cut job description for the "other half" of its name.

In actuality, a pumper-rescue, or whatever you choose to call it, is a concept. It's a theory-a philosophy of design easily adaptable to meet the individual needs of many. It seems to be working. The adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" may have merit.

(1, 2) Taken by unknown photographers in the early 1960s, these photos show Boston's Engine-Squads 14 and 53. In the mid 1950s, the Robinson Boiler Works rebuilt five 1948-era Mack hose wagons with "rescue/squad" style bodies, 750-gpm pumps, 400-gallon tanks, and overhead ladder racks. [Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of Bill Noonan, Boston Fire Department (ret.).]

History

Pumpers, or engines, have been around since day one and need no further explanation. It's generally accepted that the first rescue company was organized in New York, New York, in 1915. From the Fire Department Journal-a History of Boston Rescue Companies, by Firefighter William Noonan, Boston, Massachusetts, followed in 1917, eventually having three heavy rescues on its roster. Noonan says in his book, "In 1954, the fire commissioner decided that the city needed only one heavy rescue company and he would create five engine-squad companies spread around the city. Rescue Co. 1 was deactivated, and some of the rescue equipment was transferred to the wagon of Engine Co. 7. They would respond to rescue calls with their wagon only and fire calls with both rigs. At times they were called Squad 7 on the department radio."

Job-specific pumper-rescue bodies may have also originated in Boston. The Boston Fire Historical Society's Web site notes that Engine 14's 1948 Mack hose wagon was one of five rebuilt around 1955 with 750-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pumps, 400-gallon booster tanks, and a "Robinson rescue/squad" body. The Robinson Boiler Works, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, built pumpers and hose wagons for departments throughout New England. Running as Engine-Squad 14, it featured high side compartments on both sides, a narrow pump house, and a tilt-down overhead ladder rack-a close prototype for today's pumper-rescue designs. As a premonition of things to come, Boston's 1954 annual report reflected not only the creation of the five engine-squads running as single-piece companies, it showed the closing of four engine and four ladder companies and eliminating the hose wagon on nine additional two-piece engine companies. Hello, quints, quads, squads, rescue-pumpers, downsizing, and limited staffing. History is repeati

By Christian P. Koop

Ever wonder about the quality of the diesel fuel you are putting into your emergency response vehicle's (ERV) fuel tank? If not, you should be. The quality and ingredients used to formulate modern diesel fuel and how it is stored and transported can adversely affect a fuel delivery system's life, emissions, and even fuel economy. The main purpose of this article is to give a brief history of diesel fuel, some of its main components, their purpose, and some of the most important issues surrounding diesel fuel today. Additionally, I want to make those unfamiliar with diesel aware of what they can do to test the diesel fuel they are using in their ERVs and what they can do to improve it. It may not be up to the standards diesel engine manufacturers require for their engines.

History

Before discussing diesel fuel, I need to give credit to the inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel. Diesel was a German refrigeration engineer born in Paris, France, in 1858. He received a patent for his invention in 1892. Interestingly, his first fuel of choice for his compression ignition engine was coal dust. However, he had problems injecting the coal dust into the cylinder. After an explosion destroyed his first engine, he began testing the use of vegetable oils as another fuel source. Eventually, he was able to successfully use peanut oil; however, he continued to experiment with other possible fuel sources. Finally, he found what eventually would be known as diesel fuel, a stable byproduct of the petroleum (crude oil) refinement or distillation process. Other fuels derived from petroleum through this process include bunker oil (fuel for large ships), gasoline (petrol), jet fuel (kerosene, paraffin), mineral spirits, and heating oil (very similar to diesel).

Diesel fuel is also referred to as fuel oil and has a wide boiling point range between 320°F and 690°F. Keep in mind that petroleum contains a large number of hydrocarbons and other components that are used to manufacture many commercial products-not just fuels. Diesel died in 1913 at the relatively young age of 55. However, by this time, his engine had been granted many patents. When his main patent expired in 1907, other companies such as Mercedes Benz and Peugeot began developing their own engines. By 1936, Mercedes showed the first nonexperimental diesel-engine-powered passenger car at the Berlin Fair.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) actually began regulating emission standards for on-highway and transit compression ignition engines in 1974. Over the years, it gradually tightened the standards on hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM) or soot, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. However, it was not until 1985 that a restriction on NOx was issued, and it began limiting PM for the first time in 1988. This is why the heavy duty diesel engine manufacturers began producing electronic controls for their fuel injection systems in the mid 1980s. More precise control over timing and fuel injection means better combustion, which equates to less PM and cleaner air. This cleaned up the diesel engine emissions considerably, but stricter (EPA) regulations to lower PM and to reduce NOx emissions even further were on the horizon.

In 1993, the EPA issued a new standard for diesel fuel, reducing the sulfur content to 500 parts per million (ppm), named low-sulfur diesel (LSD). In 1997, the EPA issued a new standard for the 2004 model year with major changes to reduce NOx and PM even further for model years 2007 and 2010. These changes would require reformulating diesel fuel to reduce the sulfur content even further. Beginning in 2006, it dropped the sulfur content even lower to 15 ppm and called it ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD).

Sulfur in diesel is linked to acid rain, causes health problems, and can also lead to acid formation inside the engine. There

By Steve Rowland,
OEM Sales Manager,
Ferno-Washington, Inc.

It is safe to say the latest generation of first responders grew up with family cars equipped with "state-of-the-art" safety features like seat belts with reminder "chimes," air bags, automatic headlights, vehicle event recorders, and intelligent "multiplexed" electrical systems. It is also safe to assume that these systems were developed and are continually refined by a well-established passenger automotive safety ecosystem driven by regulating authorities. From this, one would think a fair conclusion is that the same has existed in ambulance design for all those years as well. That is often not the case. Fortunately, a transformation is solidly underway.

Much has been written, spoken, blogged, tweeted, and otherwise communicated about the recent involvement of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in the realm of developing NFPA 1917, Standard for Automotive Ambulances. The intent of this article is not to take one side or the other regarding questions concerning authority, expertise, or any other division point. No matter which camp you are in, it is undeniable that the exciting, beneficial results this national discussion has provided to the industry-in whatever final form they take-will make ambulances safer for both the patient and the emergency care provider.

Medic Ergonomics

"Seat belts save lives." We know this mantra. We have watched the news reporter interview the emergency medical service (EMS) spokesperson, with a mangled vehicle in the background, remark, " ... and we would like to take this time to remind everyone to wear their seat belts, because the driver of this car was able to walk away." But the data about care providers in the backs of ambulances show we don't often practice what we preach.

"I can't do my job buckled in," states a medic. "It's only a short ride to the hospital." "But, we are going in nonemergency." Excuses abound. What about a solution?

Several years ago, Las Vegas (NV) Fire and Rescue (LVF&R) undertook a focused project to make its ambulances safer for the paramedics, as well as improve patient medical outcome. Perhaps one of its greatest advancements was a concerted effort to cut the weathered ties to tradition and reexamine how ambulance interior design needed changing to solve the problem.

"If the paramedics said they could not stay buckled in their seat during the patient transport, we analyzed why," says Tim Orenic, EMS coordinator for LVF&R. "If the seat was in the wrong place, we moved it. If the medicines or medical devices were out of reach, we brought them in closer. If different emergencies called for different treatment positions, we added additional belted seating spaces. But if a medic should not sit in a particular location, we removed the possibility of sitting there." Since the commissioning of these "new-generation" ambulances, it has been the standard operating procedure of the LVF&R to be buckled at all times in the rear of an ambulance. Compliance is not an option, but it is not a problem either. "The medics know they need to buckle up, and they do," says Orenic. "It's a habit now, and it works."

Patient Restraint Systems

In the modern era of American EMS patient transportation, stretchers have largely remained unchanged, along with the way patients are secured onto stretcher and how the stretchers are secured in ambulances. Some may think the industry has not kept up with the available science. But until recently, the science wasn't where it needed to be.

"For the last several years, an extensive, collaborative effort has been underway between federal agencies, industry groups, manufacturers, and other interested parties to utilize a sc