BY RODNEY DAWSON
About two years ago, THE Gwinnett County (GA) Fire and Emergency Services started looking for a different means of transporting technical rescue equipment. Until recently, all of our technical rescue equipment had been kept in a trailer, which we transported with a fire truck fitted with a trailer hitch. This system worked fine when we had just a trench rescue team.
However, over time, we added confined space, rope, collapse, and tunnel rescue to our department’s operations. Trying to cram all the tools and equipment for these five disciplines into the one trailer was impossible. Because of the lack of space, we were unable to arrive truly well equipped for any one operation. We had definitely run out of space, and what we could not store on the trailer was left in the apparatus bay.
 1. Photos by Tom Riggs |
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In addition to cluttering our fire station, the equipment wasn’t readily accessible when required. We needed a better way to store and transport all of our specialized rescue equipment.
If we were to put all of our equipment onto one vehicle, it would take at least one tractor-trailer to transport it all, which would have presented a few problems. First, it complicated accessibility to the scene. Because many of the calls we go on are in or around construction sites, the response vehicle had to be maneuverable. Second, we didn’t want to commit our entire equipment cache to a single incident. For instance, if we had a trench rescue call, we didn’t want to tie up our rope rescue equipment in case there was a simultaneous call requiring it.
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The individualized pod concept from Spear Truck provided a solution. The system consists of pods, which are large steel containers with exterior dimensions measuring 22 feet long, eight feet high, and eight feet wide. A truck chassis is equipped with a hydraulic hook-and-arm system that grabs the pod and pulls it onto the truck chassis (photo 1). This design allows you to have a number of pods and just a single truck chassis. You decide which pod you need at the time of dispatch and simply take that pod with you, leaving the second pod in the station to be picked up later if needed for another call.
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In our procurement process, we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted. In the design phase, we considered exactly what equipment would be stored in each pod and how it would be placed. Starting out with an empty container, we worked with the manufacturer to design the needed shelving and interior storage configuration to hold the equipment. Each pod was assigned two rescue disciplines. Our A-pod contains our trench and collapse rescue equipment (photos 2, 3); the B-pod contains our rope and confined space rescue equipment (photo 4).
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For this application, we purchased a new chassis that is used for pod deployment only. However, the hook hoist system can also be fitted on existing vehicles.
For a particular type of response, we can quickly hook up the specific pod containing the appropriate equipment for that situation and take it to the incident. At the emergency scene, the specialized module may be left on the truck chassis or offloaded to free the truck for additional responses elsewhere. Either way, we have the appropriate equipment we need on-site.
Another huge advantage of this system is that, if the pod is unloaded, all of the equipment is at ground level, making it much easier to move the heavy equipment we carry in and out of the pod.
When we get a call to respond to a particular type of accident, we decide which specific pod should be loaded. Since the pod can be loaded onto the truck in about three minutes, we can respond quickly. In loading, the truck is backed up to the pod, and a hydraulic arm extends so that its hook can grab the pod and drag it onto the chassis. The same system can quickly unload the pod at the rescue site or back at the station. These specialized containers permit quick response, and we arrive with exactly what we need.
This organizational advantage provides a safer, more professional rescue operation at a lower cost.
In the future, we hope to obtain a third pod for tunnel rescue. We are designing this pod so that it can also serve as our command center. It will include heat and air- conditioning and an oxygen-refilling station. Half of the pod will hold an all-terrain vehicle. The technical rescue team will occupy the other half, which will include a water supply for cleaning and sterilizing our positive-pressure rebreather system. This system allows us to remain on air for approximately four hours. The rebreather type of apparatus needs to be taken apart and cleaned after every use. The water supply allows us to do that inside the pod in a controlled atmosphere.
The pod system provides endless outfitting possibilities. Other possible applications we are considering include pods designed to hold generators, haz-mat equipment, air and light equipment, and specialized fire hose and one that will be designed as a water tanker.
Before discovering the pod concept, we were considering a specialized truck for each of our applications. With the pod system, we are able to buy one truck and any number of pods, which saves a significant amount of money.
ROD DAWSON has served with the Gwinnett County (GA) Fire and Emergency Services for 10 years. He is a lieutenant/paramedic on Engine Company 9, which staffs the Technical Rescue Team with which he has served for four years. A paramedic for eight years, Dawson is an adjunct instructor for the Georgia State Fire Academy.
