By Jeff Aiken
Pierce Manufacturing

It is probably safe to say that just about everyone active in the North American firefighting and emergency services community is aware of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards and revisions that are published on a regular basis. What are not yet on everyone's radars are the parallel standards and revision processes that occur within the Canadian firefighting and emergency services community.

The last major ULC-S515 revision was published in 2004 and was written to align closely with NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Apparatus (2003 ed.). ULC-S515 has been undergoing a revision cycle to bring it in alignment with the NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.). ULC-S515-12 has been through the public comment period, the French translation work is complete, and it should be published shortly.

Differences

In looking at NFPA 1901 and ULC-S515-12, there are a number of differences to note. The lists of referenced documents and standards and their respective revisions are not identical. Canada has established the metric SI system as the primary system of measurement. This is significant in that the metric SI unit is the requirement-any units in brackets are considered approximate. Gallons and gallons per minute (gpm) refer to imperial gallons. Any references to United States gallons are noted as "US-gal" or "USgpm."

By law, all Canadian standards must be published in both French and English. So, when a fire department in French-speaking Quebec reads the standard differently than a fire department in British Columbia, it can, quite literally, be a matter of interpretation.

Changes

There are a number of changes and new chapter additions for this latest edition of ULCS515. The chapter for Industrial Supply Pumps and Associated Equipment of the 2004 edition of CAN/ULC-S515 has been incorporated into Chapter 15-Fire Pumps and Associated Equipment of the 2012 edition. There is no longer a separate chapter for Industrial Supply Pumps.

Other chapter changes include Chapter 18-Foam Proportioning Systems, aligned closely with NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.) Chapter 20; Chapter 19-Compressed Air Foam Systems, aligned closely with NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.) Chapter 21; Chapter 20-Line Voltage Electrical Systems, aligned closely with NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.) Chapter 22 but note the primary reference to the Canadian Electrical Code, not the National Electrical Code; Chapter 21-Command and Communications, aligned closely with NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.) Chapter 23; Chapter 22-Air Systems, aligned closely with NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.) Chapter 24; Chapter 23-Winches, aligned closely with NFPA 1901 (2009 ed.) Chapter 25; and Chapter 24-Trailers, aligned closely with NFPA (2009 ed.) Chapter 26.

Data tables for friction loss, miscellaneous equipment, suction and discharge sizes, and flow rates are all located at the back of ULC-S515 instead of in their respective chapters, as in NFPA 1901.

There are no informational annexes, as in NFPA 1901. These resources for firefighters will be developed in the future by ULC Standards but have not been included in this edition. ULC-S515-12 does have an Appendix A on Limiting Design Stresses. This appendix provides direction and equations to be used in aerial device structural design. The safety factor equation used by ULC-S515-12 is not identical to that used by NFPA 1901, so aerial manufacturers need to be aware of this difference.

Aerial Stability Testing

This latest edition of ULC-S515-12 introduces new language covering stability testing requirements for aerial devices with envelope control, or "Limited Reach Operating Envelope Aerials" as they are referred to in the standard. This new language is contained in Chapter 17-Aerial Devices in Section 17.13-Tests. Manufacturers, testing and certification companies, and end users need to review t

Alan M. Petrillo

Diesel engine manufacturers are developing engines that generate more horsepower (hp) from the same or smaller size units, all while running cleaner to reduce or remove emissions and to more efficiently provide the most power for vehicle operations.

Diesel Technology

Dave Drehobl, manager of specialty vehicle business for Cummins Inc., says the evolution of technology over the years has radically changed diesel engines used in fire apparatus. "The first emissions regulations dealt with smoke and then nitrogen oxides (NOx)," Drehobl notes. "But, these days unburned hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen, and particulates are at near-zero-emission output levels in diesel engines."

He says that in 2002 the industry was first introduced to exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), which lowered NOx levels. "Engines today continue to use cooled EGR," he observes. In 2007, the industry was introduced to the diesel particulate filter (DPF), Drehobl says, which brought on the need for both passive and active regeneration. Most recently in 2010, the industry added selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to its diesel engines.

(1) Cummins offers the ISL-9 engine, compliant with EPA 2010 emission regulations, which features the XPI fuel system, enhanced cooled EGR, a single VGT turbocharger, selective catalytic reduction, and Cummins particulate filter. (Photo courtesy of Cummins.)

"With greenhouse gas fuel efficiency regulations in front of us," Drehobl says, "what's happening now is the integration of onboard diagnostics (OBD) into engines, something that has been around since the late 1990s in cars and light trucks."

Cummins uses an engine control module (ECM) running OBD software in the background that monitors the engine in a real-time diagnostic mode to identify if there is any engine system malfunction, Drehobl says.

He points out that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board expect that an engine will remain in compliance with coming greenhouse gas regulations as it operates. "Our engine control module accomplishes that task as it performs diagnostics on the engine, aftertreatment, cooling system, and the charged air system on the vehicle," Drehobl adds.

Because diesel engine emissions have been reduced to near-zero levels, regulators are now focusing on improving fuel economy, and greenhouse gases and fuel economy work hand in hand. "Greenhouse gas rules regulate the carbon dioxide (CO₂) output from the engine," Drehbol points out, "and when you lower carbon dioxide emissions, the engine consumes less fuel and the miles per gallon improve."

(2) The ISX-12 engine made by Cummins was designed to deliver better fuel economy, performance reliability, and durability in a compact design that could save space on fire apparatus. (Photo courtesy of Cummins.)

Durable with Less Weight

Creighton Pritzlaff, Navistar's vocational sales manager for the North American fire and emergency segment, says Navistar offers its own brand of engines in commercial chassis in a range that includes the Maxxforce-7, Maxxforce-11, and Maxxforce-13 engines. The Maxxforce-13 is available in a 475-hp rating (1,700 foot pounds of torque), two 450-hp ratings (1,700 foot pounds of output and multitorque output of 1,550/1,700 foot pounds), as well as a 430-hp r