February 2008 - Apparatus Ideas - by Bob Barraclough - Items To Consider For Safety In 2008.

Where I’m from, here in Texas, the term “Looky Loos” means, “Looky here son, I’ve got something to show you.” In this column, I’d like everyone to listen up because the points I’m about to make could save a firefighter’s life.

The gist of this column is really to look at those items that could be specified on your next rig that may make the unit safer and more functional. Yes, you may have seen some of the ideas in my other columns; however this one may have some additional details or a different twist.

When it comes to scene lighting, the neatest thing I’ve seen lately is battery-powered scene lighting from Fire Research Corp (FRC). The light battery and stand are self-contained with no need to run cords from the rescue or engine. Just grab it and go to the scene. The idea is so good, other manufacturers have started offering them as well.

Speaking of scene lighting, fire departments should consider specifying high-intensity discharge (HID) portable or fixed light heads. HID produce better light with less power consumption. They’re available in a 12-volt version. That means, depending on your standard operating procedures (SOPs), your engine may not need a line voltage generator producing 120 or 240 volts. It’s important to make sure all four sides of your apparatus are covered with these bright lights, which means including at least one front “brow” light. FRC, Akron Brass and Havis-Shields are three suppliers of HID lights.

The radius of the effective light depends on the power of the metal halide or halogen lamp(s). The whole package comes in a convenient carrying case for easy storage on an apparatus.

There are some interesting Looky Loos happening in the new car, truck and trailer market with almost all having LED tail lights. LEDs are now being found on more apparatus these days as the life expectancy of LEDs is far superior to halogen or incandescent and the power draw is much lower. LEDs are now the most popular emergency warning light systems for apparatus, and the good news is the prices are coming down as the volumes go up. Some lighting manufacturers are offering complete National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 1901) packages requiring less than 15 watts of power. Some of the manufacturers offering LED lighting packages are Federal Signal, Whelen Engineering, Weldon Technologies, Power Arc and Code 3.

LEDs are taking over emergency lighting duties. They greatly reduce power draw while increasing visibility while responding and at the scene.

For daytime runs, a wig-wag headlight flasher system seems to be the most visible warning device. This is an excellent option that is available at a very reasonable price.

If you will take a minute to read Robert Tutterow’s “Keeping It Safe” column in this issue, you will see that the two of us are strong advocates of buckling seat belts before any vehicle is moved. For those chiefs and officers with firefighters who think they’re immortal or conveniently forget to buckle their belts, there’s a piece of equipment I’d like to recommend. FRC has developed a seat belt warning system like the kind the revisions to NFPA 1901 will require by January 2009. The system has an interesting twist in that the system has a 30-day recording function (seats occupied, belts buckled or un-buckled, etc.) that can be downloaded to a laptop computer. This should provide some interesting data for safety minded officers who really want to ensure seat belts are being used.

Some of the forward-thinking custom chassis manufacturers now offer a door lock system with a touch pad controlled entry. It’s unfortunate, but there have been a number of incidents where cab-mounted equipment has been stolen, or worse, the entire apparatus, while fire crews are fighting fires or off doing inspections. That’s why this option makes a lot of sense. It eliminates having to leave one person to guard the rig or carry a set of door lock keys while away from the apparatus. It’s one of those “nice-to-have” options that are fairly reasonably priced.

While still on the topic of cabs, it’s important to make sure there are bright retro-reflective traffic vests for all seated positions in every rig. This is something that won’t break the budget and should be done immediately with every apparatus in your department before something happens.

If you’re a firefighter, I’m sure you’ve had this experience – climbing into a dark cab with a black interior and black access grab rails. I have, and it’s not easy to do. One way to increase the visibility and accessibility is to have yellow grab rails and handles as opposed to the normal black or dark gray ones. I might suggest having a floor to ceiling yellow bar installed just inside the door, and beside the seat. You’d be amazed how much that helps getting in and moving about the interior of the cab. .....Continued