Recent major improvements in battery power and life have increased the use of battery-powered hand tools like drills and saws instead of electric corded versions. Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment examines the reasons behind the move to battery tools and checks out the models and types of battery-powered hand tools being carried on rescues.
Robert Ingram, district manager of fire rescue services for Makita USA Inc., points out that one of Makita’s newer products used in the fire service is the CEB-01 14-inch rotary battery-powered saw. “The saw can take either a 14-inch or a 12-inch blade, which makes it versatile in the fire service,” Ingram notes. “It’s an 80-volt tool that runs off of two of our 40-volt lithium-ion batteries and delivers the power of a 75-cubic-centimeter (cc) gasoline-powered saw.” Makita makes its own brand of 40-volt and 18-volt batteries, Ingram adds.
Ingram says that Makita makes a series of battery-powered chain saws (the GCU-04, 05, and 06 models) that are run by a single 40-volt battery. “The 04 model is a standard stud-and-nut style on the side of an 18-inch bar,” he says. “The 05 has a 16-inch bar, the 06 has an 18-inch bar, and both don’t need tools to remove the bar. With all three models, firefighters get instant power right away, equivalent to a 40- to 45-cc gasoline-powered chain saw and a run time similar to that of a tank of gasoline.”
Makita also makes a rotary hammer tool, the GRH06, that is used often by firefighters for collapse rescue and urban search and rescue situations, Ingram says. The tool runs on two 40-volt Makita batteries and can run a core bit up to two inches in diameter to a depth of eight inches, Ingram says. “We took the antivibration technology from our corded rotary hammer and incorporated it into our battery model, which has counterbalances to take out some of the vibration.”
1 Firefighters compare the progress of cutting roof vent holes using the Makita CEB-01 rotary saw and the Makita GCU-04 battery-powered chain saw. (Photo courtesy of Makita USA.)
2 The Milwaukee Tool M18 FUEL rear handle circular saw has a 7¼-inch blade. (Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Tool.)
3 The HURST E3 waterproof high-capacity eDRAULIC battery is being used on Super Vac positive pressure ventilation fans and may be used to power saws, drills, and other electric hand tools in the future. (Photo courtesy of HURST Jaws of Life.)
Another Makita tool used by firefighters is the Rod Flush Cutter, XCS-06T1, which has a carbide tooth blade that can cut flush with a concrete wall as close as 1⁄8 inch, Ingram points out. “It will cut up to 1-inch rebar and vehicle steering wheels or brake pedals. It takes the cutter less than a second to cut through them, powered by an 18-volt battery.”
Milwaukee® Tool has introduced the M18 FUEL™ 7¼-inch rear handle circular saw, a battery-powered unit that the company says not only generates the power of a 15-amp corded saw but also cuts faster than the leading corded saws in the industry. Milwaukee notes that the M18 FUEL saw has three innovations: a POWERSTATE™ brushless motor, a REDLITHIUM™ battery pack, and REDLINK PLUS™ intelligence.
Milwaukee’s POWERSTATE brushless motor delivers 5,800 revolutions per minute, while the REDLINK PLUS intelligence package ensures maximum saw performance under load and prevents against overload and overheat, a Milwaukee spokesperson says. The spokesperson adds that when equipped with Milwaukee’s new REDLITHIUM high-output HD12.0 battery, the saw can power through up to 570 cuts on a single charge, providing 50 percent more power, running 50 percent cooler, and delivering 33 percent more run time that the previous HD9.0 battery.
The rear-handle circular saw has cast magnesium construction to reduce weight without sacrificing durability, Milwaukee notes, and features an LED work light to allow more accurate cuts and a multisized rafter hook for easy storage.
Batteries that work across multiple tool platforms, even beyond drills and saws, also are gaining traction in the fire service, say battery and tool manufacturers. Lou Zara, product manager for Safe Fleet, says that his company’s FRC Spectra Mobile LED portable light is a 15,000-lumen design with a compact head, hanging strap, and spike that is powered by an 18-volt Milwaukee Tool 12-amp-hour battery. “The Spectra Mobile light can use the same type of battery as many of the saws and drills that you would find on a fire apparatus, so there’s no need to carry a proprietary battery to power the unit,” Zara points out.
Michael Canon, director of distribution for IDEX Fire & Safety, points out that the fire service uses two unofficial classes of batteries—a retail/technical model that’s used in the fire service without modification and smaller, more specialized purpose-built batteries for emergency service use. For instance, HURST Jaws of Life® specifically built its battery-powered hydraulic rescue tools to use the emergency services category of battery, he says, because they are constructed to operate at a high temperature range and to be waterproof.
“Our 9-amp, 25.2-volt batteries are designed and built by a custom battery maker for us,” Canon says. “They meet the IP67 and IP68 standards for water resistance, which no retail battery does, and can also be used to operate smoke ejection fans to the National Fire Protection Association standard. We have a cooperative agreement with Super Vac and Leader (Tempest) to allow them to use our battery technology and design their battery-powered fans so they interface correctly with our HURST E3 waterproof high-capacity eDRAULIC® batteries.”
Canon notes that while every fire department has a need for power tools that are powered by retail type batteries, there are instances where a higher performance is necessary to do the job at hand. “We are currently exploring more cooperative agreements with hand power tool manufacturers to expand the use of our batteries beyond exhaust fans and LED lights,” he says.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
