BY JAMES JOHANNESSEN
Purchasing automotive fire- fighting apparatus is one of the most important decisions the fire services must make. Regardless of the size of the municipality, choosing a vehicle that will best suit the community’s present and future needs is of utmost importance. The authority responsible for writing the specifications that will guide this process relies on many factors that will assist in the decision-making process. One of the most important tools available to fire department personnel is National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus. This standard specifies the minimum requirements for automotive fire apparatus used for structural firefighting and supporting associated fire department operations.
An NFPA technical committee of experts and interested parties is responsible for the periodic review of NFPA 1901 and recommends revisions as needed. The committee is comprised of 30 voting members (and numerous nonvoting members serving on subcommittees) from the fire service, including apparatus and equipment manufacturers, insurance representatives, and other interested parties. Revisions to NFPA 1901 for the 2003 edition are complete and become effective January 1, 2004. All vehicles contracted for on or after this date must comply with the revised NFPA 1901 standard requirements.
Among the many changes and additions to the revised NFPA 1901 2003 edition that fire departments should be aware of is the expanded role of third-party testing and certification organizations, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL).
Chapter 4 of NFPA 1901 requires manufacturers to supply vehicle information to the purchaser, including test results certified by third-party certification organizations, for the following components: Fire Pumps and Associated Equipment (Chapter 16); Industrial Supply Pumps and Associated Equipment (Chapter 18); Aerial Devices (Chapter 20); Line Voltage Electrical Systems (Chapter 23); and Air System (Chapter 25).
Since the early 1990s, NFPA 1901 has required third-party testing of specific components. However, many questions arise as to what components need third-party testing, who is qualified to perform the tests, who accredits the testing organizations, and whether all the tests need to be conducted on all the apparatus. Prior to the 2003 edition, there was no mechanism to qualify the many testing organizations involved with the testing of fire apparatus. For the first time, the revised NFPA 1901 has a list of qualifiers with which all testing organizations must comply.
The main qualifier for third-party testing organizations is that they be accredited for testing systems on fire apparatus in accordance with a national standard. This will level the playing field in regard to minimum standards that all testing organizations must meet. Another requirement mandates that the certifying organization cannot be owned or controlled by the manufacturer of the product being tested. The testing organization shall be primarily engaged in certification work and is required to witness all tests, which means that no testing organization can audit partial testing and then issue certifications as if the entire vehicle had been tested. All tests must be witnessed and the results certified.
Below is a description of the changes and additions in specific chapters. This is a summary of the required testing and is not intended to describe all the certification tests and the acceptance criteria.
- This applies to fire pumps with a rated capacity of 750 gpm (3,000 L/min) or higher.
- If the chassis engine drives the pump, the total continuous electrical loads shall be applied throughout the pumping portion of the test.
- If the vehicle is equipped with a fixed power source (generator) driven by the same engine that drives the fire pump, it shall be running at a minimum of 50 percent of its rated capacity throughout the pumping portion of the pump test. If the same engine drives an onboard generator that drives the fire pump, the generator must be run at a minimum of 50 percent of its rated capacity for the duration of the pump test.
- This applies to fire pumps with a rated capacity of 3,000 gpm (12,000 L/min) or higher.
- This is a new chapter; the testing requirements are similar to Chapter 16.
- The three-hour pumping test will consist of two hours of pumping at rated capacity at 100 psi net pump pressure, one half-hour of pumping at 70 percent of rated capacity at 150 psi net pump pressure, and one half-hour at 50 percent rated capacity at 200 psi net pump pressure.
- When testing structural weldments and mounting pins, all nondestructive testing (NDT) shall be performed by American Society of Nondestructive Testers (ASNT) Level II NDT technicians or by an ASNT Level I technician under the supervision of an on-site Level II technician, all of whom have been certified in the test methods used in accordance with ASNT CP-189, Standard for Qualification and Certification of Nondestructive Testing Personnel. It is very important that the fire department verify that the testing organization employed has the proper certification. Do not assume—require it and get proof!
- In addition to the stability tests, a horizontal load test has been added to test side deflection of the aerial device and the locking capabilities of the rotation system.
- The testing of the fixed power source shall be witnessed, and the results of the test of the fixed power source shall be certified by an independent third-party certification organization.
- The testing of the onboard generator must be witnessed, and the results of the test must be certified by an independent third-party certification organization.
- The power source shall be loaded to at least 100 percent of the continuous rated wattage as specified on the power source specification label.
- The test duration shall be run for a minimum of two hours.
- If the line voltage is derived from the low voltage system of the vehicle and is the primary source for line voltage, the system may not be shed as part of the load management system.
- Manufacturers of an enclosed air refill station shall type test a standard production model to validate the design.
- The test shall include pressurizing a one-hour SCBA cylinder rated at a gauge pressure of 4,500 psi to failure.
- One test that must be conducted is pressurizing a one-hour SCBA cylinder that has a rated gauge pressure of 4,500 psi to failure.
- Provisions for simultaneous refilling of multiple cylinders shall be tested, and the air fill station must contain all fragments of a failed cylinder so the operator is protected.
Chapter 25: Air Systems
In addition to the chapters that specify third-party testing and certification, NFPA 1901 requires the apparatus manufacturers to test and certify the following components and systems: Low Voltage Electrical Systems and Warning Devices (Chapter 13); Fire Pumps (Chapter 16)—pumps less than 750 gpm (3,000 L/min) and piping hydrostatic test; Water Tanks (Chapter 19); Foam Proportioning Systems (Chapter 21); and Compressed Air Foam Systems (Chapter 22).
Annex A of NFPA 1901 suggests that the fire departments employ third-party testing/certification organizations to test these systems as well as the required systems. It is important to remember that this is a minimum standard and the fire department can specify not only what additional tests need to be certified by a third party but also what specific third-party testing organization is to perform the work.
The NFPA technical committee members working on the development and revisions of NFPA 1901 realize that this is one tool that will assist fire departments in specifying a vehicle that best suits their communities’ needs. Third-party testing and certification are valuable for ensuring a reliable product for the fire service.
JAMES JOHANNESSEN is a lead engineering associate with the Fire Equipment Services group of Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and a member of the NFPA 1901 (Automotive Fire Apparatus) and NFPA 1500 (Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health) committees.
