Editor’s Opinion Chris Mc Loone
In his April 2023 edition of Inside Darley (bit.ly/42tCyyZ), Paul Darley remarks there were more than 6,000 fire apparatus sold in 2022.
There’s an important distinction to make: These more than 6,000 represent orders for fire apparatus—not deliveries. Darley goes on to explain that along with what is a record for sales, fire apparatus manufacturers are experiencing longer lead times than they ever have. The moral of the story here is if you are considering purchasing a fire apparatus, put together your committee now and plan for what could be a 48-month lead time in some cases. Don’t just plan for the wait—figure out how you’re going to keep your current rigs going during that timeframe. For departments with a heavy call volume, plan for the wear and tear. Stock up on the parts you need when you can. We’re not out of the woods in terms of parts availability. For departments with a somewhat lighter call volume, stay up on your preventive maintenance to prolong the lifetimes of your rigs.
At FDIC International 2023, I had the pleasure of hosting a “Live at FDIC” podcast with Bill Peters (bit.ly/3LzKasH). The bulk of our conversation revolved around upcoming changes to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard covering fire apparatus. If you were to spec a new rig today, you would be spec’ing it to comply with NFPA 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus (2016 ed.). Most of us are already familiar with this standard and the required equipment we must include so the new rig is compliant with NFPA 1901 when it lands. And, fire apparatus ordered before January 1, 2024, will be compliant with NFPA 1901 upon delivery. But, there are big changes coming.
Beginning in January 2024, NFPA 1900, Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles, Automotive Fire Apparatus, Wildland Fire Apparatus, and Automotive Ambulances, will go into effect. The standard combines NFPA 414, Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting Vehicles; NFPA 1901; NFPA 1906, Standard for Wildland Fire Apparatus; and NFPA 1917, Standard for Automotive Ambulances. Peters covers some of the reasons for combining the standard but really focuses on some of the notable changes. While there are too many to get into here, one of the most significant to me is changing almost all the required equipment to recommended equipment. Equipment recommendations for each type of vehicle are now parts of the appendix. Another important change that Peters discusses is to the primary seating requirements. If you are planning to order a new rig in 2024, get familiar with NFPA 1900 now. Listen to the entire podcast at bit.ly/3LzKasH.
We cover FDIC International 2023 in our cover story this month, but if I were to identify one common thread throughout the exhibit side of the event, it would be technology. Fire service suppliers—whether they be apparatus, equipment, tools, or training facilities—are injecting more and more technology into the products they provide. We have been saying for years in other aspects of the fire service how important data are. Now more than ever, suppliers are building technology into their products that assists us with not only reporting data but also compliance with NFPA standards. They also take maintenance one step further from preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance. Some of the technology we never see but rely on it to ensure everything works properly on the rig. Other technology is more forward facing to us like, for example, accountability systems that provide unit, location, air levels, and someday hopefully physiological information. If we haven’t reached the tipping point for these technologies, we are very, very close.
There were a variety of other themes to be gleaned from the show, and you’ll get a taste in our cover story where our Advisory Board members provide their impressions from FDIC International 2023. It was a great event, as we’ve all come to expect, and the energy level was as high as or higher than I’ve ever felt.
One last anecdote: We’ve brought some fitness training into the firehouse. I participated in my first round of it recently. It’s never too late to get into shape. We did some circuit training, and wow, I had no idea I have become as out of shape as I am. If you have the chance to bring fitness into your firehouse, don’t hesitate. It may never be too late to get into shape, but the longer you wait, the longer it will take.
