Tools enhance our ability to perform our duties and represent a large investment of taxpayer money. Keeping these tools in a high state of readiness is part of our job and is evidence of our professionalism as firefighters.

Good maintenance reduces downtime and saves money for other needs. A tool maintenance program, including preventive maintenance, will help ensure having safe, functioning tools that won’t let you or your community down when you need them the most. Being good at keeping tools running is as important as being a good tool operator.

Begin with documenting inventory. Categorize (i.e., hand or power), count, and describe every tool and its assigned location. Include a copy of the purchase record, operating manuals, and any maintenance records. Create a unique identification marking for each tool. This will make it easier to track each tool’s maintenance history.

Assign specific staff to be responsible for tool maintenance. Provide training through seminars or manufacturers’ workshops. Tool rental/local repair shops are a great resource for information and troubleshooting tips/ advice. Equip staff with a tool kit and diagnostic instruments to facilitate troubleshooting and repair. Basic diagnostic tools include an electric multimeter, gas engine compression gauge, tachometer to check engine rpm, and spark tester. Get a work bench with a vise, adequate lighting, and a supply of maintenance items such as lubricants, cleaning solutions, and spare parts. Start a “Tag Out-of-Service” procedure accessible to all staff. The “Do Not Use” tag needs to list the problem, who tagged it out, the date, and the tool assignment.

Assess the condition of each tool and list and prioritize deficiencies. Budget to keep tools to factory specifications and sustain them. Power tools such as electric generators, air chisels, reciprocating saws, and chain rotary saws need to be on a preventive maintenance/inspection program. At least once a year, cycle these tools through your “tool person” for an in-depth inspection, testing, cleaning, lubrication, tuning, and fastener check. When maintaining, inspecting, or adjusting any power tools, make sure the equipment is deenergized, the pressure is safely bled off, the tool is unplugged, and the sharp edges are guarded. Be sure the tool can’t be turned back on while you are working on it.

BEST PRACTICES FOR MAINTAINING TOOLS

Keep your tools clean inside and out. Wipe dirt and debris from tools and also contamination from smoke. Use compressed air to blow into tool vents. Brushing accumulated dirt from vents could force dirt deeper into the tool. Keep all blades clean—rotary saw blades/chain saw chains are notorious for getting “gunky,” resulting in reduced performance.

Heat is the main source of tool malfunction. Overheating a tool puts a lot of stress on all components. This condition is a cumulative injury to the tool, like most of the conditions described here. You can get away with it a few times, but eventually it will catch up with you—likely at the worse time. Keep the bits/blades sharp. A dull bit/ blade can reduce tool efficiency by 30%. When the bit/blade dulls, many of us will try and push on through, worsening the situation and rarely speeding up the operation. Keep extra bits and blades handy. Do not block tool vents with your hands while operating. Let the tool breathe.

1 Photo by Shutterstock.com/Chuyko Sergey.

We often have to push our tools hard. Proper lubrication is a must to keep all the moving parts on your tools working properly. It keeps the parts from excessive wear and overheating and prevents rust and corrosion.

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One of the things that is always enjoyable when attending the Fire Truck Training Conference takes place before the classes begin. Students are filing in and taking their seats, and the side chats begin before the instructor arrives. They could be talking about the class’s topic or something else going on back at their shops, but before long, they are all engaged and troubleshooting the problem and everyone has a solution because everyone has encountered it. That’s one of the most valuable things about this conference is that no matter what your challenge, someone else at the conference is going through the same thing or has already gone through it.

What’s also fascinating is seeing them on their phones during breaks or having to take calls while they are in class. They are never not working. They are solving problems for techs back home no matter where they are. Dave Griffin in his keynote this year asked, “Why would you not want to be the best?” The techs here embody being the best. It’s a pleasure to be around them. They are one of the nicest groups of people I’ve ever met.

Breakfast conversation this morning involved one tech from Washington and two techs from Nova Scotia. The topic of salt came up. I know, kind of random. But it came up, and it wasn’t so much the salt part of it that interested me but how both all three of the techs were from departments that covered wide areas. The Washington tech has about 40 units in his own fleet that he services but also other departments from the area bring their apparatus to his shop, and that brings in an additional 50 or so over the course of a year. All three though had very diverse fleets. In Washington, the fleet comprises rigs from the 1980s all the way until now. And, here’s where the salt comes in, he said they are all in great shape. Some may be old, but because his neck of the woods doesn’t need road salt, they “aren’t falling apart.”

The Nova Scotia techs discussed how the area they cover with mobile techs makes knowing the rig you’re going to service critical. In one example, a driver’s side door wouldn’t open. The station was more than an hour away. Making sure the correct handle and related hardware was critical. But, it really hit home for me just how different the shops are and the areas they cover are across the country. And, just now much our techs today need to know to service their fleets. Not everyone has the most up to date fleet. Some of our first-out rigs, out of necessity, are in their 40s. The institutional knowledge these techs possess is invaluable. Hold onto them as long as you can!

All three of my breakfast table companions were here to attend the supplier classes because they were up to ate on their EVT certs or were preparing to take them closer to home, owing to the variety of classes available to EVTs at the Fire Truck Training Conference.

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