By Alan M. Petrillo

Some fire departments around the country have been experimenting with running rapid response vehicles (RRVs) or alternate response vehicles (ARVs) on emergency medical service (EMS) runs instead of putting a pumper or ladder truck on the road.

Two departments in different parts of the country-one in Tennessee and the other in Oregon-are reporting success with their programs thus far, although they had to overcome several hurdles to make the plans work effectively.

ARV Program

Memphis (TN) Fire Services currently staffs eight ARVs: Ford F-350 pickup trucks with crew cabs and long-bed wheelbases, powered by Ford V8 diesel engines. Michael Putt, deputy director for Memphis Fire Services, says the F-350's bed is enclosed with a cap that rises to the top of the truck cab and covers the entire bed. Access to the area under the cap is from the rear, and there are compartments on either side.

Portland (OR) Fire Department Lieutenant Rich Chatman stands in front of one of the department's RRVs-a GMC Yukon with the back seat removed to carry medical equipment and gear for two firefighters. [Photo courtesy of the Portland (OR) Fire Department.]

"The long-wheelbase Ford F-350 holds more than what we needed to carry," Putt says. "But at the time we bought the vehicles, we needed the long wheelbase to carry a spine board because we couldn't find a good, collapsible spine board to use. Good collapsible boards are available now, so we could go with a shorter wheelbase on future ARVs-either one-ton or ¾-ton vehicles on short wheelbases."

Memphis Fire Services took delivery of all eight vehicles within two months of each other and put them in service in June 2010. "Like everyone else in the country, we were tight on money but had set funds aside to buy these ARVs," Putt points out. "We haven't purchased any more of them yet and would have to do so through capital improvement planning bonds."

Memphis (TN) Fire Services staffs eight ARVs like this Ford F- 350 long-wheelbase crew cab vehicle with equipment bays in the covered truck bed. [Photos 2-4 courtesy of Memphis (TN) Fire Services.]

Putt says the biggest challenge when starting the program was firefighters' concern that they should have control in determining whether to respond to an EMS call in an ARV or in a pumper. "Because the ARV only carries medical gear, there was some worry that if the crew was in the ARV for an EMS call, it wouldn't have the necessary equipment to fight a fire if it was alerted to a fire call," he says. "So, we gave the crews total control on whether to take the ARV or the pumper on an EMS call. The firefighters liked having that measure of control and also liked how easy it was to get around in traffic in the ARV. It is faster and more maneuverable than a pumper."

Putt points out that department policy states if a pumper is out on an EMS call, the crew must tend to that person's medical event, even if a fire call comes in during the EMS call. "It's the same with EMS calls where the crew responds in the ARV," he says. "They can't accept a fire call until they are back at the pumper."

Robert Rutterow

In my past two columns, I provided a quote from Glen Usdin, a former magazine publisher, that states, "The fire service is a low-tech market that has zero potential for growth, and the amount of new products and services being introduced each year is very small. We keep our expensive stuff for a long time, don't really embrace much new technology ...."

I found this comment to be humbling as it was something I have never considered.

Personal Protective Equipment

When I step back to my first experiences in the fire service as a kid in the late 1950s, I can easily see changes everywhere. Firefighters had virtually no personal protective equipment (PPE). The only items available were plastic raincoats, thin plastic helmets, and rubber gloves and boots. There was no self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The objective was to stay dry.

If there is one item that is predominantly a fire service product, it is the PASS device. Other than two-way radios and handlights, it can be said that the PASS device ushered in the era of electronics on the fireground. PASS devices started to emerge in the mid 1980s as standalone products. Today, most PASS devices are integrated into SCBA. Steady and incremental improvements in PASS devices have continued for the past 30 years.

Our SCBA has probably seen the most advancement of any part of our PPE ensemble. Early versions consisted of heavy steel bottles and demand-only belt-mounted regulators. Today, the industry standard is lighter-weight composite bottles, positive-pressure face-mounted regulators, and nose cups. Electronics have led to heads-up displays.

PPE Materials

Our protective fabrics have certainly come a long way. Inherently flame-resistant fabrics and breathable moisture barriers have provided significant improvements in flame and heat protection. We have seen incremental improvements in thermal barriers and improved garment patterns.

Our footwear is transformed from "one size fits all" rubber boots and hip boots to a more athletic fit of leather boots. Our Red Ball rubber gloves have given way to better fitting, moisture-barrier-lined, primarily leather gloves. Helmets, well … that's a story for another time.

Thermal Imaging cameras

Arguably, the most important technological advancement has been with thermal imaging cameras (TICs). Although not considered by most a PPE component, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements for them fall within its Fire and Emergency Services Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment Project. As with most electronic equipment, the pace of advancements and the subsequent reduction in costs have been quite rapid. We must keep in mind that our thermal imaging technology is borrowed primarily from the military and other industries. However, the fire service can be proud that, through the NFPA, it has prompted the industry to develop much more robust TICs than found in other applications. I foresee a fireground where their use is greatly expanded as we learn more about fire behavior.

ROle of Electronics

Electronics will continue to be the venue for technological advancements in PPE. Hopefully, the industry is not too far from having reliable and affordable physiological monitoring (breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure, body core temperature, and so on) as well as a firefighter locator system. I envision an incident management system that has an on-scene management structure and a supplemental off-scene component of the command structure-perhaps at the communications center. The supplemental off-scene component would be responsible for the "bird's-eye" view of the physiological monitoring, firefighter locator system, and time remaining in the breathing air cylinder. Note that I use the term "time remaining" rather than percenta

By Alan M. Petrillo

Electronics have changed the look of today's fire apparatus in many ways and continue to do so with new ways to control the pump at the pump panel.

Pump makers and apparatus manufacturers are using electronics in ways that continue to satisfy those with traditional tastes in fire pumps, as well as those who trend toward more modern pushbutton and touchscreen technologies.

Class 1/Hale's electronics line includes the Total Pressure Governor Plus (TPG+) that automatically controls discharge pressures, eliminates the need for master and discharge gauges, and monitors engine functions and data. (Photo courtesy of Class 1.)

Gaining Acceptance

David Guynn, business line director of vehicle electronics for Class 1, says that although it's no secret the North American fire industry lags behind the rest of the world in terms of its comfort level with electronics on fire apparatus, the industry has still made large leaps in electronics use. "Twenty years ago an electronic pressure governor was a product that an apparatus maker put on a fire truck only if the fire department said it wanted one," Guynn says. "Today, 90 percent of the fire vehicles being built have an electronic pressure governor on them-so much that it has become the default standard."

Guynn believes that a combination of factors has led to the wider acceptance of electronics on fire apparatus. "A lot of younger firefighters coming into the industry are more in tune with using electronics," he says. "The industry has gained a lot of reliability in its products, and the value of the cost of electronics over the old vernier throttle has risen."

The next evolution of the pressure governor from Class 1/Hale is the Sentry, which uses full color display technology and can control a pump from multiple locations. (Photo courtesy of Class 1.)

Class 1's electronics line includes the Total Pressure Governor (TPG), used to automatically control the impact on discharge pressure as firefighters open and close various hoselines rather than an operator manually adjusting engine speed. The TPG also accommodates preset pressures and monitors engine oil pressure and temperature, battery voltage, as well as intake and discharge pressures on all valves.

Guynn says the Class 1 TPG Plus adds more diagnostic features and eliminates the need for six-inch master and discharge gauges because all that information is shown in a display window. "The next evolution of the pressure governor is the Sentry, which uses full color display technology," he points out. "With Sentry, you can control the pump from various locations so that if you have a side-mount pump, you can have the same Sentry display on each side of the truck and can dictate which side controls the vehicle."

Steve Toren, director of North American sales and marketing for Waterous, says he sees electronics continuing to become a bigger part of the fire service. "As electronics became more efficient, reliable, and durable, they were better accepted in the fire service," Toren notes. "I'm surprised the use of electronics hasn't moved faster but think the economy slowed down the use of electronics in fire vehicles."

Most of the products that Waterous makes are electronically contro

By Raul A. Angulo

Appearances are important. Our conduct sends a message. A sloppy uniform sends a message. A dirty fire apparatus with body damage sends a message. How we carry our tools sends a message. What message do we want to convey when we show up at a structure fire? Hopefully it is one that demonstrates our mission of saving lives and property.

Look at the condition of some of the scabbards that sheathe one of our primary tools-the chainsaw. Many fire departments cut up sections of old 2½-inch hose for chainsaw scabbards. That is a great way to recycle and get the most out of an old piece of fire hose, but we often forget to change it out. The hose absorbs the oil and dirt and, after awhile, the saw looks like it belongs in Jed Clampett's tool shed. If you're going to use fire hose, change it out so it at least looks clean.

Many fire departments recycle old fire hose and use them as scabbards. They get extremely dirty and look very unprofessional. This saw was probably taken off the back of Jed Clampett's truck-otherwise known as Ladder 10. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)

But in our line of work, the real statement of class and professionalism lies in leather. The iconic symbol of our industry that is internationally recognized is the fire helmet. And, the most expensive helmets on the market are the Cairns natural leather "New Yorker" and "Sam Houston" models. They range between $500 and $600 apiece. Some say there isn't a nicer, classier helmet on the market. A firefighter who wears one of these helmets is definitely making a statement. If you look at the finer things in life-car interiors, furniture, brief cases, purses, wallets, shoes, or jackets-they're all made of fine leather.

Paul Davenport is the inventor of the SawGuard™ and owner of SawGuard, LLC, based in Yakima, Washington. The SawGuard is a custom leather bar cover for chainsaws. This scabbard is based on a design he created back in 1978 when he acquired his very first chainsaw, a Homelite Super XL with a 20-inch bar. He was always worried about the blades being uncovered. The exposed bar was something that could damage or become damaged. It could also cut, scratch, or become dull because of hard surface contact. What we typically refer to as the teeth of a chain are actually individual knife blades.

SawGuard covers are made from time-tested harness leather, a thick oily leather that has great strength and durability and resists tearing and cuts. The cover soaks up excess oil from the bar, which hydrates the leather and keeps it pliable and water- resistant.

The exposed bar was also a safety concern for him because he had young children. So, he asked his grandmother, who worked with leather, if she could make a scabbard to cover the bar. It had to be something that would not be cut or damaged by the blade itself, and the sewing, which would hold the case together, would have to be protected from the saw's sharp cutting blades. She told him she would play around with his design. Several months later, she presented him with the first prototype. It was two pieces of heavy duty harness leather laminated together with leather spacers and held together with stitching and rivets.

SawGuard Materials and Stitching

Harness leather is time-tested, rugged leather designed