THERE ARE NO NFPA POLICE!
WILLIAM C. PETERS
It is the responsibility of apparatus purchasers to conduct a good inspection of their new apparatus to ensure compliance with NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus. There are no NFPA police to enforce the regulations.
The following photos illustrate some areas of noncompliance.
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Photo 1. The standard states: “All steps, platforms or ladders shall have skid-resistant surfaces. Where the fuel fill is located at or near a stepping surface, the surface shall be constructed of an open grate-type material to facilitate draining of accidentally spilled fuel to lessen any slipping hazard.”
As you can see in the photo, the step is constructed of smooth aluminum treadplate, which normally is slippery when wet. If fuel is accidentally spilled, the surface will resemble ice! (Photos by author unless otherwise stated.)
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Photo 2. This apparatus has a compliant open-grate step.
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Photo 3. The standard states: “Access handrails shall be constructed of, or covered with, a slip-resistant, noncorrosive material.”
These smooth handrails are on a commercial chassis and were not changed to achieve compliance.
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Photo 4. The handrails on this similar type of apparatus comply with the standard.
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Photo 5. The standard states: “All equipment not required to be used during an emergency response, with the exception of SCBA units, shall not be mounted in the driving or crew area unless it is contained in a fully enclosed and latched compartment capable of containing the contents when a 9-G force is applied in the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or a 3-G force is applied in any other direction, or the equipment is mounted in a bracket(s) that can contain the equipment when the equipment is subjected to those same forces.”
The claw tools appear to be mounted in compliant brackets; however, the sledge- hammer and hooks might easily become dislodged in a rollover accident and create a hazard for the firefighters in the crew compartment.
NFPA 1901 IS A MINIMUM STANDARD
The regulations contained in NFPA 1901 outline the minimum requirements for the construction of new apparatus. Purchasers should always be aware that they can exceed the provisions of the standard to enhance safety or operational efficiency.
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Photo 6. The single arrow light shown here combines the functions of turn signal, brake lights, and taillights into one unit. While it is compliant, having an all-red, single light might not be the most visible to the driving public. This purchaser might have specified this older-style light to maintain uniformity in the fleet.
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Photo 7. This apparatus has separate amber-colored arrow lights, mounted both low and high, to signal turning intentions to the driving public.
APPARATUS SPECIFICATIONS ARE A SERIES
OF TRADE-OFFS
When specifying apparatus, a series of trade-offs are often required. To enhance one capability or feature, a trade-off of efficiency of another often results. The following photos illustrate how the size of the water tank makes a drastic difference in the height of the hosebed.
Purchasers should carefully consider the ramifications of change and determine which feature is most important to the operational efficiency of the apparatus. While performing research, ask the sales representative for comparison drawings of the hosebed height and configurations with different water tank capacities before the apparatus is delivered and some of the firefighters have a problem reaching the nozzle!
Remember, the apparatus manufacturer will build the apparatus to comply with your specifications. Don`t blame the manufacturer if the outcome of your decision is less than perfect.
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Photo 8. Using an upright tank in this low-hosebed configuration makes it easy to deploy and repack hose. (Photo by Ron Jeffers.)
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Photo 9. This apparatus utilizes a “T”-shaped tank, making the various hose loads easily accessible. Note the mounting of the LDH appliance on the rear step, which is convenient and can be safely removed for deployment at ground level. (Photo by Ron Jeffers.)
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Photo 10. This department obviously had a need for a large water tank, but the height of the hosebed might make it difficult for the firefighters to reach and deploy the hose effectively. In addition, making a hose attachment to the discharge in the upper left side will be difficult while trying to use two hands. Most likely, the ground ladders are stored in the upper compartment on the right side and will also be awkward to deploy quickly.
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Photo 11. Packing and deploying hose on an aerial or quint apparatus is generally quite difficult. One manufacturer developed a hydraulically operated, slide-out hosebed that makes packing the hose quite easy.
WILLIAM C. PETERS is a 24-year veteran of the Jersey City (NJ) Fire Department and has served the past 12 years as apparatus supervisor, with responsibility for purchasing and maintaining the apparatus fleet. He is a voting member of the NFPA 1901 Apparatus Committee, representing apparatus users. Peters is the author of Fire Apparatus Purchasing Handbook (Fire Engineering Books, 1994); two chapters on apparatus in The Fire Chief`s Handbook, Fifth Edition (Fire Engineering Books, 1995); the instructional video Factory Inspections of New Fire Apparatus (Fire Engineering, 1998); and numerous apparatus-related articles. He is an advisory board member of Fire Engineering and the FDIC. He lectures extensively on apparatus purchasing and safety issues.
