By Chad Brown
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Braun Industries

The talk of the industry for the past year and a half has been the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1917, Standard for Automotive Ambulance, specifications. Additionally, talk has revolved around what impact those specifications will have on the industry as a whole, the impact on the manufacturers, and ultimately the impact on the individual departments and agencies. I will touch on all three impacts as I have seen and experienced during the past year and a half.

EMS Industry

Regarding the impact on the emergency medical service (EMS) industry as a whole, we need to take a step back and ask what is or was the driver behind these new industry specifications. I believe the intent of the NFPA 1917 committee members, then and now, is to create a safer ambulance for patients and crew members. Having had numerous discussions with past and current members of the committee regarding some of the changes to the KKK-1822-Revision F specifications (the current specification that ambulance manufacturers build to), all the conversation and decisions revolved around safety. In the end, I believe we are all striving to make a safer ambulance for all.

One distinct difference in the EMS community is that there is legislation at the state level on what defines an ambulance. What I mean by this is that the definition of an ambulance in Ohio vs. any other state can be completely different. There are state EMS directors and agencies that inspect the ambulances as they come into the respective states, and every state has some varying degree of differences, whereas on the fire side of the business, fire engines and aerials are not regulated at the state level. As manufacturers, we build to a set of generalized standards using the General Services Administration (GSA) specification KKK-1822-Rev. F as a starting point and go from there with each state's different regulations and definitions.

Specifically regarding NFPA 1917, there are many new items within that standard with which we must comply. Some of the more prevalent items include tire pressure monitoring, seat belt monitoring, cabinet testing (10-G pull test in all four directions of the cabinet), outside oxygen storage only compartment, cabinet weight capacity labeling, approach angle, brake over angle, and departure angle of 10 degrees.

Identifying Payload

However, I think the biggest change is that the department or agency will have to identify the overall payload needed for the vehicle. With the KKK-1822-Rev. F specifications, the manufacturer would tell the department or agency the overall remaining payload and have guidelines based on the chassis the department selected. With NFPA 1917, the department or agency will work with the sales representative to define the specific equipment it is putting into the vehicle. There are predetermined weights for equipment and personnel that will help you determine your remaining payload listed in NFPA 1917.

For a manufacturer that calculates front axle remaining payload, rear axle remaining payload, and overall remaining payload today, this is a rather big change in responsibility from the manufacturer communicating the remaining payload to end users. The department or agency is now responsible for communicating the desired payload to the manufacturer. I highly recommend that your committee fully investigate the weights of the equipment you choose to put into the ambulance and work with your sales representative to properly pick the right chassis with the appropriate gross vehicle weight rating for your department or agency.

Primary Care Position

Another significant change you will see or hear about from your sale representative will be a question your sales representative will ask: "What is your primary care position?" From an end

Bill Adams

The majority of metallic fire apparatus bodies feature welded construction; however, a handful of manufacturers bolt their bodies together. Some use bolted construction exclusively, while others offer it as an alternative to the welding process. Some use a combination of both. This article does not endorse, prefer, or recommend any method of construction, body material, or manufacturer, nor will it compare one to another. The intent is to inform the reader of the procedure and process of bolting apparatus bodies together and why some manufacturers market that method. Whether one is better than the other is a matter left to manufacturers' marketing people and individual purchasers.

Manufacturers offering bolted construction were contacted for input. Some replied and are quoted herein. Some did not reply. Several expressed hesitation in participating for fear of getting into a "heated debate" over why one is better than the other. One manufacturer said it would be hard to objectively opine on one method of construction without it resulting in a "tit for tat" comparison with other methods. I will try not to. Another inferred it would become "proprietary." My interpretation of proprietary is something that is exclusive, copyrighted, trademarked, or brand named. Bolting and welding are methods of construction available to all manufacturers.

History

In 1912, the E.G. Budd Company in Philadelphia spot welded the first automobile body. Around 1914, the Heil Company began acetylene and electric welding of bodies, claiming to have built the first "electrically welded compartment tank" for motor trucks. The first all-welded automotive body was fabricated in 1923. A historical record cannot be found for the evolution of fire apparatus bodies, although Mack Fire Apparatus's 1925 catalog notes, "The bodies used on all but the Hook-and-Ladder and Squad Car types of apparatus are constructed of only five sheets of gauge steel plate, 3⁄16 inches thick, electric welded to form the sides and front ...."

Lieutenant (Ret.) Mahlon Irish, of the Ithaca (NY) Fire Department and an antique American LaFrance (ALF) aficionado, owns more than a dozen antique rigs. He states ALF's 1920s-era bodies were riveted together with accoutrements such as fenders and steps bolted to the body. In the 1930s and 1940s, ALF's sheet metal was bolted to a welded framework. In the mid 1930s, Ward LaFrance riveted formed sheet metal around wood planks into a "sandwiched" type body. A 1932 Buffalo engine, in Mendon, New York, has a wooden hose body skinned with formed steel attached with wood screws and metal fenders riveted together. A 1938 Mack Type 75 pumper, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, has sheet metal doors and a sheet metal cab screwed to a wood framework. The late 1940s ALF 700 Series introduced all-welded bodies. The late 1950s 800 Series featured bolted-on compartment modules. Most builders during that era used untreated steel compartments. They didn't last long, and the bolted-on compartment modules were easy to replace. In 1971, ALF's Century body featured all- welded bodies and compartments. The Century 2000 body went back to bolting compartments to a welded body. No date can be found for the introduction of all-bolted construction.

(1-2) Bolted construction typically requires the process of computer numerical control (CNC) high-precision manufacturing to achieve high levels of accuracy and exactness. This bicycle, laser cut from a sheet of 14 gauge 304 stainless steel, is used by one manuf Read more RSS FirstPrevious9262926392649265926692679268926992709271Next Theme picker Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2024 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM