ADAPTING APPARATUS FOR HIGH-WATER RESCUE AND EVACUATION
BY WILLIAM HAYDEN
Specialized fire apparatus for the fire service has evolved throughout history to adapt to the expanding scope and unique requirements of emergency responders in changing technological and geographical environments. Most times, firefighters and fire service leaders are on the cutting edge of the development of tools, techniques, and innovations to meet these challenges.
Members of the Lindenhurst (NY) Fire Department have met such a challenge and overcame a severe impediment to rescue, evacuations, and firefighting capability that had only become wholly evident during an October 1991 coastal storm that struck the south and north shores of Long Island.
Lindenhurst is a suburban/urban village that covers 3.8 square miles, has a population of 27,000, is made up of predominantly one- and two-family wood-frame dwellings, and has a modest mercantile and commercial district. The Lindenhurst Fire Department, staffed by 300 volunteers, responds to more than 2,300 combined fire and rescue alarms annually. The village`s southern boundary is the Great South Bay, which is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by a barrier beach. About 20 percent of the community is considered to be in a low-lying, flood-prone area. Localized flooding during storms prior to 1991 usually averaged six inches of water in the street with one foot at lower-lying areas. Generally, the department coped with this type of flooding without much fanfare. Coastal storms known as “nor`easters,” however, have changed that.
The effects of El Niño and other un-usual weather patterns that have been publicized during the past 10 years have created coastal flooding well be-yond the level to which the densely populated coastal area is accustomed. Tidal flooding during the coastal storm of October 1991 had placed one to three feet of bay saltwater into the residential community during a short period of time without any warning to the residents. A substantial area, extending beyond the Lindenhurst community, was flooded. The entire south shore of Long Island and many north shore areas experienced severe flooding conditions.
DEMAND ON LOCAL SERVICES
The severe flooding placed an immediate demand on local emergency services. People needed to be evacuated, ambulance/rescue responses were increased, and fire runs had to be made in high water. In addition, emergency responders had to deal with hazardous conditions resulting from utilities that were underwater and hazardous-material incidents arising from floating liquid petroleum gas tanks and 275-gallon residential fuel oil tanks that had detached from residences and were floating away.
A neighboring department extinguished a dwelling fire that burned 100 feet of the bay. About three feet of water covered the entire area, hampering firefighting operations. Accessibility was reduced, and substantial damage occurred to apparatus from saltwater intrusion.
APPARATUS DAMAGED
Although the Lindenhurst Fire Department generally coped well with the flooding, which receded in one day, the problems arising from the flooding would continue to manifest themselves for days, weeks, and months to come. All of the department`s apparatus were committed to tasks in the saltwater flooded area. Despite power washings, detergent scrubs, and the changing of lubricants within 48 hours of the incident, the apparatus were still moderately to severely damaged as a result of the saltwater intrusion. An estimated $60,000 worth of damage resulted from several hours of service in the saltwater flood.
Problems arose with almost every system on the apparatus. The transmission, brakes, and axles sustained the most deterioration. Moreover, there were constant electrical system malfunctions caused by saltwater corrosion, and rust erupted on apparatus body areas that were not fully accessible for cleaning.
A NEW VEHICLE PROPOSED
Following the October 1991 incident, Firefighter Steve Smaldon proposed that a committee be formed to develop a single vehicle that could achieve the tasks that needed to be performed during high-water flooding conditions. The committee and department officers felt that the department`s apparatus should not be deployed in high saltwater conditions for tasks such as evacuations and hazardous conditions that could be better dealt with by a more suitable vehicle.
The committee recommended that the department acquire a five-ton, 10-wheel military surplus cargo vehicle suitable for high-water operation. The village government and fire department gave the committee a vote of confidence but could commit no funds to the project at that time. The village government eventually advanced $1,500 to get the project in gear. The committee would be responsible for acquiring the expertise, physical labor, and materials to advance the project. The committee undertook the project. It took about a year to complete the project, even though committee members donated about 45 hours of their time per week to the project.
The municipality entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army for the purchase of a surplus truck. Conditions that had to be met were that the truck had to be used for five years and would be subject to recall by the U.S. Army (it is unlikely that the recall provision would ever be invoked).
Committee members visited five military bases and located several vehicles that were under consideration. Ultimately, the suitable vehicle was located at Fort Drum in Watertown, New York, and was accepted in “as is” condition. The vehicle was a 1974, five-ton, 10-wheel military cargo carrier, powered by a Mack Maxodyne diesel engine and equipped with a five-speed transmission and an all-wheel-drive system.
ALTERATIONS TO ACQUIRED VEHICLE
The vehicle was staged at Lindenhurst Fire Department Station #6, where it underwent a dramatic change. The alterations to the vehicle were matched to the tasks the vehicle was expected to perform: high-water rescue and evacuation. The vehicle had to be given the capabilities of resisting downed trees and utility wires and pushing stalled vehicles from the street. It would also have to be able to drive over underwater hazards without damaging the underside of the vehicle`s systems. The truck would also need some firefighting capability and storage areas in which to carry a variety of rescue equipment.
The truck was stripped of its cargo body and scrubbed, sanded, and prepped for painting. Four coats of zinc-based marine primer were brushed on the chassis and eventually on all fabricated body parts. This would help protect the vehicle`s structure from saltwater deterioration. Red acrylic lacquer was eventually sprayed as a topcoat.
Push bumpers, a two-inch steel bar cage (see photo 2), and protective steel plates were fabricated to protect the truck from trees, debris, and vehicles. Four sharp hooks were fabricated and installed at the corner high points of the protective pipe at the cab area to cut downed utility lines that might contact the vehicle while moving. Firefighters fabricated the protective steel sides, a cargo body, the rear step area, and the front bumper area. The body was constructed from 38-inch steel plate.
A portable Hale HP-200 250-gpm fire pump was mounted midship in the cargo area. While still de-ployable as a port-able pump, it is totally quick-connected to the vehicle`s pre-piped systems (see photo 3). It is manifolded to two 112-inch discharges in the cargo area. In addition, it is preconnected to 150 feet of 112-inch hose, accordion-folded at the driver-side front fender. A preconnected 100-foot booster hose on a reel is located midvehicle at the vehicle`s opposite side.
One hundred feet of three-inch hose, kept rolled for compact storage, is available for use with a hydrant to supply the pump. The prime and exhaust for the pump are vented to the exterior and quick-connected to the pump. A midship hard suction, lowered into the high water, allows the pump to draft from the high water and can take street water while the vehicle moves (see photo 4). A 13-gallon gasoline tank integral to the truck fuels the fire pump. Two custom-fabricated, 10-foot-long steel, zinc-coated tanks, with a capacity of 150 gallons, form the seats in the cargo area and provide onboard suppression water.
Other features engineered by the firefighters are the following:
an electrical system converted from 24 volts to 12 volts by using an “equalizer” and the addition of a third battery to increase cranking amps;
inspection of the electrical system`s intrinsic seals, which were repaired where needed;
new electrical runs at the four-foot level or higher;
inspection of brake boots for intrinsic seals, which were repaired to stop saltwater intrusion;
installation of onboard trickle charger for batteries;
installation of a 20-ton capacity winch, which was substantially anchored to the chassis by extending the chassis to the winch mount (adapted a power take-off to same);
fabrication of a front grill from a salvaged New York City subway grate;
fabricated underbody ladder compartment under the cargo body (see photo 5);
redesigned the windshield and cab to make them weatherproof;
installed a chrome muffler shield;
custom-fabricated vinyl top and rear doors;
installed subway-style strap handles at rear step;
installed high water sensor at 3.5 feet, enunciating in cab; and
installed removable rear step to cargo area (see photo 6).
A full array of communications equipment is cab-mounted with a fire band remote in the cargo area. A partial equipment list follows:
two SCBA mounted in the cargo area,
a complement of hand tools,
three cold-water immersion suits,
a 14-foot ladder,
hooks, and
an EMT bag and oxygen.
Two firefighters can ride in the cab and three in the rear cargo area, which is protected by steel bars (see photo 7). Fifteen evacuees can be seated in the cargo area, which has been weatherproofed with snap-on top and rear plastic (see photo 8). As noted, seating is provided on top of the two 150-gallon booster tanks. The fire pump and SCBA are forward mounted in the cargo area (see photo 9). The rig can operate in up to four feet of water.
The final dollar expense for this apparatus was approximately $8,000; most materials were donated.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS
Additional functions added since the rig was placed in service include the following:
transporting the fire department`s dive team to inaccessible areas or long stretches of beach front;
fighting fires from the beach in waterfront areas;
providing support for brush fire operations, such as transporting personnel and equipment; and
transporting victims from inaccessible beach or brush terrain.
The rig is operated on a departmentwide basis, and a standard operating procedure has been developed and implemented for its deployment.
This apparatus has been deployed more than a dozen times during high saltwater conditions resulting from coastal storms and, as noted above, has also been used for a variety of other operations. The coastal storm that served as an impetus for the fabrication of this high-water evacuation vehicle cost the department $60,000 in apparatus repairs. Minimal repair costs have been incurred from storms subsequent to the October 1991 storm as a result of the new vehicle`s answering requests for evacuation and rescue during high-water conditions. Weather patterns continue to bring unusual coastal storms to the south shore of Long Island, and the Lindenhurst Fire Department is now better prepared to respond in high-water conditions. n
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Lindenhurst (NY) Fire Department STORM FIGHTER high-water evacuation rig. (Photos by author.)
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n WILLIAM HAYDEN is a fire marshal for the Town of Babylon, New York, and a certified fire investigator and certified fire protection specialist. Previously, he had been a member of the Lindenhurst (NY) Fire Department for nine years.
