ARMORED FIRE APPARATUS

Robert Tutterow's April 2013 Keeping It Safe column "Time for Armored Fire Apparatus?" is definitely visionary thinking, especially in these times of scene safety and increasing terrorism in the United States-i.e., incidents like the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. However, emergency planners need to be mindful of a fundamental point: Armored vehicles defeat their intended purpose whenever their occupants "surface" themselves like a turtle opening up its shell and sticking out its head, arms, and legs.

Real-world examples include whenever armored car guards exit their cargo compartment, SWAT teams ride on their back steps, and so on. The same vulnerability would apply whenever firefighters exit their cabs or whenever medics exit their patient compartments.

Are armored vehicles viable for firefighting? Yes-if and when designed for rotating deck gun operation like a military tank turret. Examples of this type of apparatus include aircraft fire department foam tenders and European fire engines commonly used to safely quell rioters.

Donald E. White
Administrative Officer
Alexandria (VA) Volunteer Fire Department
Director of Safety and Security, Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute

• SEAGRAVE FIRE APPARATUS was recognized by the FDNY for its dedication and support provided during the recent tragic events following Superstorm Sandy. The award was presented by Mark Aronberg, assistant commissioner for FDNY fleet services, to A. Joseph Neiner, chairman and CEO of Seagrave Fire Apparatus, LLC, during FDNY's visit to Seagrave's company headquarters.

A portion of the inscription on the plaque reads "FWD Seagrave Once Again Stepped up to Provide Much Needed Assistance to the FDNY, In Our Most Difficult Times We Can Always Count on the Men & Women of FWD Seagrave for their Continued Support."

• TENCATE ADVANCED COMPOSITES NORTH AMERICA announces that Northern Composites, of Hampton, New Hampshire, will serve as an eastern United States representative for TenCate regarding tooling prepregs and materials. As reported last year, TenCate and 3M have joined forces to market and support 3M's line of tooling prepregs featuring 3M's matrix resin technology. This 3M innovation uses nanosilicas to create a more durable, robust, and dimensionally accurate tool for the fabrication of composite parts. Northern Composites will have responsibility for supporting customers in the eastern half of the United States.

• PIERCE MANUFACTURING, part of the Fire & Emergency segment of Oshkosh Corporation, is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a public open house scheduled for July 13, 2013, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. at the Pierce 41 manufacturing facility in Appleton, Wisconsin. Visitors to the event can attend the 100th ceremony at 1:00 p.m., visit the new Pierce History and fire truck and Oshkosh truck displays, view interactive fire and safety education, participate in kids activities and games, go on rides on fire apparatus, and take manufacturing tours.

To round out the celebration, Pierce is hosting a 9-11 Stair Climb at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sunday, July 14 to raise funds for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF).

For more information on the event, visit http://www.piercemfg.com/100thopenhouse to register for the open house and the 9-11 Stair Climb.

• STREAMLIGHT®, INC., a provider of lighting for first responders, has donated $25,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), including $15,000 in proceeds from sales of the company's Red Nano Light®. Streamlight earmarks $1.00 from the sale of each Red Nano Light to the NFFF. The company also contributed an additional $10,000 for renewal of its "Bronze Helmet" NFFF sponsorship. Both donations will assist the nonprofit organization in commemorating the lives of firefighters who have died in the line of duty and supporting their families and co-workers. Streamlight's sponsorship of NFFF helps fund various initiatives, including the organization's National Memorial Weekend tribute to fallen heroes. Streamlight's sponsorship support also helps fund scholarships awarded to spouses and children of fallen firefighters and counseling programs for agencies that have lost colleagues in the line of duty.

• FERRARA FIRE APPARATUS unveiled its F-Shield chassis frame corrosion protection for the Ultra, Inferno, and Igniter models of custom fire chassis. F-Shield is a process that encapsulates the chassis frame, cross members, fasteners, and fixed accessories mounted on the chassis. The fuel tank, air reservoirs, and their brackets are treated separately before assembly. These additional steps ensure these components are completely sealed with the F-Shield proces

Alan M. Petrillo

Two manufacturers-Sutphen Corp. and SVI Trucks-recently teamed up to design, manufacture, and deliver five identical heavy rescues to the Columbus (OH) Division of Fire.

Scott Sanders, a lieutenant in Columbus's Research and Development Bureau, says the 10-person vehicle committee, headed by Captain Steve Martin, met periodically and determined the next generation of heavy rescue truck that would meet the needs of the department. "We run all our rescues as heavy units, so we need room for manpower and all the equipment we have to carry-cutters, spreaders, rams, air bags, tripods, cribbing, air bottles, diving equipment, and the rest of it," says Sanders. "Once we settled on the spec, we put it out to bid."

Harry Sutphen, sales representative for Sutphen Corp., says that Sutphen had a prior relationship with the Columbus (OH) Division of Fire, which currently has 17 Sutphen pumpers serving as first-line engines and nine Sutphen SPH100 midmount aerial platforms as first-line ladders. "We were pleased to be awarded the bid, which we sold to Columbus as a Sutphen heavy rescue truck with an SVI body," Sutphen says. He notes that Sutphen has collaborated with SVI Trucks for a number of years on various heavy rescue vehicles. "We sat down with Bob Sorenson, vice president of SVI Trucks, and the SVI engineers at Columbus Fire headquarters and got the vehicle to the way their committee wanted it," he says.

(1) The five heavy rescues built for the Columbus (OH) Bureau of Fire by Sutphen Corp. and SVI Trucks are on Sutphen Monarch 73-inch cabs and chassis with 20-inch raised roofs with SVI aluminum front walk-in/walk-around bodies. (Photos courtesy of SVI Trucks.)

Identical Specs

The five heavy rescues were built to identical specs so there was a commonality as to placement of equipment, Sanders points out. "Our agreement in the beginning was that we would fine tune the trucks as we went along, and if an obstacle arose, we'd sit down together and work it out," Sanders says. "Sutphen and SVI bent over backward numerous times to give us what we wanted and suggest what was best for our needs."

Columbus Fire wanted all five rescues delivered completely equipped with all tools mounted, Sanders says, which meant that the department had to work closely with Sutphen and SVI engineers. "If we wanted to move a shelf or a piece of equipment that wouldn't fit in a compartment, they figured out a way to accommodate us," Sanders says. "Our guys sat with the engineers and built the entire trucks on a computer beforehand. We had to give them the name, make, and measurement of every tool that we wanted on the vehicles."

Once the trucks were blueprinted digitally, with all the equipment placed, it was easier to adapt to changes, Sanders points out.

(2) The Columbus rescues were all set up in identical fashion in terms of design and gear location. Sutphen and SVI designed the location of all equipment on slide-out trays and rolling tool boards under the direction of the Columbus truck committee, and SVI mounted it all prior to delivery of the five vehicles.

Identical Designs

The Columbus rescue designs are based on a Sutphen Monarch 73-in

By Wesley D. Chestnut
Lead, Compliance, Spartan Motors, Inc.

During the past several months, I've been asked to write articles and give presentations discussing changes in emissions standards set forth by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and fuel efficiency standards set forth by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) that impact fire apparatus.

At a presentation I gave in January, certain members of the audience provided feedback that certain elements were not very clear and the topic was "boring." It may be a boring topic, but when departments or city councils wonder why the price of a fire apparatus has increased during the past six years, it may be largely attributed to the complex emissions standards. Emissions standards have a very real impact on the price of a fire apparatus and service of the vehicle during its in-service life. Beginning with the forthcoming first round of greenhouse gas emissions standards, the regulations are more complex and apply to more than the engine.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Beginning with model year 2014, or January 1, 2014, both engines and chassis for fire apparatus will have to meet greenhouse gas emissions standards defined by the EPA. Certain engine manufacturers have opted to certify their engines early, resulting in changes to certain components of the emission control system as well as the engine. Although the engine and its aftertreatment devices may look the same as more recent fire apparatus, there are changes nonetheless. These changes have resulted in certain manufacturers having to perform tests required by the engine manufacturer, which in turn indicate to the EPA that the engine installed in the fire apparatus meets the emissions standards that apply to the engine.

Where the greenhouse gas rules differ from previous emissions rules as they relate to fire apparatus is that the chassis must also be certified with the EPA. Rolling resistance of the tires is the critical element in determining the greenhouse gas emissions output of fire apparatus as they are considered vocational vehicles. Because rolling resistance is a critical factor in determining the emissions output, tire manufacturers have had to test tires or have their tires tested by a third party and submit the rolling resistance values to the chassis manufacturers. In some cases, certain tires or combinations of tires may not be used because the chassis does not meet the applicable requirements within the regulations.

Chassis and Components

The chassis must maintain its certification for its useful life. As set forth by the EPA, the useful life a fire apparatus is 10 years or 100,000 miles. This may impact the choice of tires that are installed on a fire apparatus after it has been placed in service. Replacement tires must have similar rolling resistance values as the original tires on the vehicle. Although rolling resistance values will likely not be put in owner's manuals or other literature related to the tire, the owner's manual may instruct the owner to seek a tire that is equivalent to the original built tire.

There may be changes to certain warranties that relate to emissions-critical components on the fire apparatus that apply for a longer period of time than that of the overall apparatus. Certain components within the emission control system must have a five-year/100,000-mile warranty. With the new greenhouse gas emissions rules, tires are required to have a two-year/24,000-mile warranty. In certain cases, fire apparatus manufacturers may have to, if they have not already done so, update their owner's manuals to reflect the new warranty information.

Timeframe

Although the first phase of the greenhouse gas emissions rules starts with 2014, other federal requirements apply with model year 2016. The next phase of requirements involves