By Troy Padgett,
Director, ARFF Products,
Oshkosh Corporation

Picture this: A brand new Air Force recruit finishes up his technical training, where he learns everything there is to know about repairing fire trucks. It wasn't until he arrived at his first duty assignment that he realized there was much more to this job than what he learned in school. After all, he grew up in a part of the country where there were no fire trucks. If your house caught on fire, someone grabbed the garden hose while everyone else did their best to haul out the furniture. His recent education taught him the basics but in no way prepared him for what was to follow. In week two of his entry into the real world of aircraft rescue fire fighting (ARFF) vehicle maintenance, he got the "honor" of being assigned as the standby mechanic responsible for any afterhours repair needs at the fire department. Of course, he gets a call on his very first night.

One of the ARFF trucks broke down on the taxiway and had to be moved right away. As he drove in to "save the day," he couldn't help but worry that he had no clue what may be causing the problem with the truck. Fortunately, the firefighter that met him out on the taxiway had been the driver of that particular vehicle for a very long time and knew a lot about his rig. He pointed right to an air valve on the engine and said, "There's your problem, sonny." He was absolutely right, and the repairs were made in short order.

Yes, this is my story, and that night I learned a valuable lesson about building relationships between maintenance teams and firefighters. There are many ways to tackle the maintenance needs on ARFF vehicles, but constant and open communication between the operators and mechanics is at the heart of all successful plans. As mechanics, we need to remind ourselves that our firefighter friends are using these trucks to save lives and property. This is not the lawn mower we are repairing. We have one of the most important jobs in the world-making sure the vehicles we are responsible for are always ready for the stressful duty they will face in an emergency.

Improving Relationships

So let's look at just a few suggestions that may help improve these relationships.

Be present. In a best case scenario, each airport fire department has assigned mechanics on site dedicated to supporting the firefighting fleet. This allows for immediate reaction to any truck deficiencies found during the daily operator checks. Reacting immediately prevents a growing list of issues, which may hinder firefighting operations.

Unfortunately, reality kicks in and tells us that most airports cannot have a full-time fire truck mechanic on staff. In these cases, they use maintenance personnel assigned to a larger organization that also are responsible for all other pieces of equipment at the airport. All is not lost though. If these maintenance groups assign staff members a primary responsibility of supporting the fire department, those team members can take advantage of available training to stay proficient in the ever-changing world of ARFF maintenance. If this is the strategic plan, someone from the assigned group should arrange for a daily check-in with the fire department. During this check-in, they can correct any minor issues or make arrangements to correct larger ones. Either way, you will be able to promote the effort of minimizing defect lists.

Be educated. Training comes in many forms. Many of the daily maintenance challenges are easy to solve with a basic understanding of electrical, hydraulic, air, and mechanical systems. A background in heavy truck maintenance goes a long way when thinking about ARFF service. However, there are a number of systems designed specifically for aircraft firefighting that you will need advanced education to support. The million-dollar question is, &

Chris Mc Loone

CM: How has the F-Shield been received and what led to its development?

CF: It was really a unique theory and process. We all thought, looking at the fire industry, that we really wanted to come up with something that could have a dynamic impact on the fire service throughout the country.

One thing we have seen year after year-that a lot of the frame rails are deteriorating and rusting. So, we reached out to fire departments across the country and found that that is really a growing problem. With some of the corrosive materials they use for salting roads and deicing roads, it's really playing havoc on a lot of the understructure of fire trucks, mainly in the northeast but really all across the country with some of the issues even in the south with salt conditions around Florida and the Gulf Coast areas.

We did some research and we found this product that we think is going to set the bar to solving the rust and corrosion of frame rails. As you know, fire departments have to keep fire trucks longer than any other time before with the tough economy. So, we came out with this idea and it seems to be taking off by storm. I think we set the bar and I think it's going to be a great savings and a mechanic's dream working on these trucks as the trucks get older.

CM: What is the biggest issue in the fire service today and what is Ferrara doing to address it?

CF: I think the biggest issue is the funding-whether it's firefighters getting laid off or funding to purchase equipment. I think we really have a tremendous problem across the world of helping fund fire departments so they can maintain their services. That's a big concern to me and I'm sure it's a big concern to a lot of fire departments. Every time we see our U.S. congressmen [or] our U.S. senators, we tell them day in and day out that they have got to help fund this fire service program. So any time we can reach out to any of our politicians or anyone that will listen to us, we spread the word that we have to have additional help in the fire service to help promote fire safety across the country and help support these fire departments.

CM: What is the most important product Ferrara makes?

CF: That's a tough question. We build so many different products. We're so diverse in building rescues to aerials to specialty units, but what really sets us apart is that we are still a custom builder today. Customers love what we do where we can sit down with a customer and say, "What best fits your needs?" If you want a special compartment size, a special length of body, a special length of chassis, we can do it. It really makes a big difference in my mind that the customer really wants what he wants and why he wants it. And, we want to give it to him and fulfill his needs. So, the most important product is all the products we manufacture. Because whether it's a rescue or an aerial, it's a heavy duty product. We really set the bar of building the heaviest product out there. As Peter [JØrgensen] would say, we have more extrusions in our body. I was nicknamed Mr. Heavy Duty by him many years ago, and we have stuck to that tradition.

CM: What's next for Ferrara?

CF: We are constantly looking for new ideas and new ways to make the product better and last longer. We're known to come up with different innovations and we really like to show our customers how the trucks are built from the inside out. So, you'll see at some of the major trade shows that we actually bring an unfinished body on one side and a painted body on the other side so we can show customers how our product is built from the inside out. The number one goal as we move forward is finding ways to enhance the product to last a lot longer given the restraints of the economy today. But not only that, also making the product safer for the fire departments. Our n

By Robert Tutterow

In last month's column, I shared the story of a sales representative for a thermal imaging camera (TIC) manufacturer complaining about National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1801, Standard on Thermal Imagers for the Fire Service (2013 ed.). He was lamenting that the standard had caused a huge price increase-a statement later refuted by fire service members of the NFPA 1801 technical committee. They were quick to say that the price increases he mentioned were very inflated and the changes in the thermal imager standard were fire service-driven.

It is appropriate that we take a look at some of the changes that were driven by the fire service-not the manufacturers. There are three broad categories of change: usability and interoperability, image quality, and durability.

Usability and Interoperability

The unit must have a green power button and have a way to attach to the firefighter. It must have a basic mode that allows for a firefighter to quickly use any manufacturer's TIC without additional training, limiting the display to a digital temperature readout, temperature bar, and heat-indicating color with a reference color scale. Any additional features are to be found in a plus mode. Activating the plus mode requires a special action separate from the power switch. The reasoning behind the special action to engage the plus mode is to prevent firefighters from inadvertently accessing features for which they have not been trained.

Image Quality

There are a minimum field of vision and minimum requirements for thermal sensitivity, and the unit must have an effective temperature range. It must also pass a very important image recognition test. The requirements for image quality were based on a study conducted through the NFPA's Fire Protection Research Foundation under the guidance of a fire service-driven technical panel, which did not include any manufacturers. Five manufacturers were project sponsors.

Durability

The unit must pass intrinsic safety requirements. It must pass multiple drop tests as well as pass heat-resistance tests and flame tests. There is a 24-hour durability test that subjects the unit to temperature extremes, water tightness, and a tumbling. Once the 24-hour test is complete, the unit must still pass the image recognition test.

Standard Evolution

This is a great example of how NFPA standards evolve. There are several thermal imagers on the market. They are used by the military, law enforcement, building inspectors, and other nonfire agencies. Why should the fire service accept an inferior product that is not designed for its intended use? Do we get our ground ladders from the local hardware store? The fire service insisted that thermal imagers meet a standard of design and performance for the fire service environment. The requirements are not manufacturer-driven.

Buyer Caveats

Buyers should be aware of the wording used by some manufacturers to sell their products. For example, the following are suspect statements:

• NFPA Approved. The NFPA does not approve any product.

• NFPA Certified. The NFPA does not certify products.

• Meets NFPA requirements.

• Designed to meet NFPA requirements.

Always look for the independent third party testing label that states the product is compliant with the applicable NFPA standard. Also, buyers should be aware of the current edition of the NFPA standard that applies to the product they are intending to buy and purchase a product that is compliant with the latest edition.

Informed buyers will have a familiarity with the applicable NFPA standard. NFPA standards can now be accessed at no charge online through RealRead. Standards cannot be printed or downloaded. Informed buyers should also be aware of the NFPA standards-making process. Keep in mind that NFPA

Alan M. Petrillo

Two prototype firefighter locating systems are inexorably making their way through testing and refinements with the aim of producing field units usable on fire scenes sometime in the near future.

The Wearable Advanced Sensor Platform (WASP), under development by Globe Manufacturing Inc., is a system that combines physiological monitoring with location tracking of a firefighter, while the Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders (GLANSER) is designed as a tracking and location system. GLANSER is being built by Honeywell First Responder Products and the United States Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate.

WASP

Mark Mordecai, Globe Manufacturing's director of business development, says that although Globe has been working on WASP since 2006, there has been a lot of action in the past 18 months that makes it a promising project. "The first step was in garment development because in order to do physiological monitoring, you have to have a garment that can be worn for a 24-hour stretch," he says. "We had to develop new textiles to replace the cotton T-shirt that would be wearable, stretch, and integrate the electronic strap assembly."

Mordecai notes the physiological sensors are very flat and must be in contact with a firefighter's skin. "There's a two-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor that measures heart and breathing rate; an acceleration sensor that measures work; and a gyro that tells posture, like crawling, standing, sitting, or flat on your back," he says. "They are in a puck that's connected to the shirt, which manages the Bluetooth data communications coming from the shirt. The key part is getting the data out of the building and transmitted to another device."

A tracking unit worn on the belt of a firefighter's bunker pants transmits information about the firefighter's location. "Right now it's about the size of two decks of cards," Mordecai says. "A one-deck size will be the next iteration."

Mordecai says the two sensor systems transmit their data through an integrated Motorola APX radio that has a digital side channel for data. "The puck on the shirt transmits its data to the tracking unit on the belt, which sends a combined tracking packet over the APX radio, which currently has only one Bluetooth receiver, to a command station-basically a laptop with a receiver," he points out.

WASP can also transmit over Android cell phones, which have a bigger pipe to carry more data, Mordecai notes. Both the puck and the tracking unit can communicate through cell phones to a command station.

Globe has conducted a half dozen WASP fire simulation trials with fire academies and departments around the country. The first was with the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), then the Atlanta (GA) Fire Department, the Fairfax (VA) Fire Department, the Annapolis (MD) Fire Department, and Texas A&M's Texas Engineering Extension (TEEX). Trials varied from one- to two-day test sessions.

"As a system, the product isn't commercial yet," Mordecai says. "We are identifying beta sites to use WASP where we will get information on its use from the fire department's point of view. We want to know how they'll use it in training, who would wear WASP, how it will be used, and which data they found useful."

Mordecai says the WASP beta site deployments will happen during the next 12 months. "The really good news is that a lot is happening with WASP," he says. "It takes a long time for this kind of technology to get ramped up, but we're starting to see a lot more come out the end of the hose."

GLANSER

GLANSER can track and locate firefighters within multistory buildings, indicating the room they are in, th