Experience is a good teacher until technology changes. With recent advances in chemistry and engine technology, things can get pretty confusing. There are also some common misconceptions that can lead to expensive repairs. You invested in the latest technology for your apparatus—it might be time to review the more common engine maintenance oversights. Fire Apparatus Continue reading
Beginning with the 1991 edition of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, safety has been a focus for apparatus design. Over the years, the NFPA addressed many of the issues facing the industry. A number of Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) member companies sit on the NFPA 1901 committee and Continue reading
Not all firetrucks need a pump. Not all trucks need a ladder. But, one thing every fire apparatus needs is a set of headlights. In the United States, virtually every area of the fire apparatus has been enhanced, improved, and given significant funding by spec committees to improve the safety of the crews. In an Continue reading
For many years, numerous speakers at virtually every major fire service gathering have focused on data and data analytics. Interpreting and using data have become routine in fire service management. Decisions on a wide range of critical issues such as funding, apparatus purchases, station placement, and staffing are backed and validated using data obtained from Continue reading
Fire departments worldwide are rapidly embracing the use of video on their fire apparatus to increase safety and security. Video and recording technology is quickly evolving from basic backup cameras to multicamera video systems that provide operators greater visibility and high-tech recording and that deliver much more than the video. Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) Continue reading
Anyone involved in the emergency response service should be familiar with the standards that are promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Whether you are a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, a safety officer, a fire chief, or an emergency vehicle mechanic, NFPA standards have a significant effect on your job. What you may not realize is how simple it is for you to have an effect on the standards. Manufacturing representatives from the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) are involved in the development of relevant NFPA standards and encourage you to also get involved.
A seasoned executive from one of the leading fire apparatus manufacturers once said, “Fire apparatus are like snowflakes and fingerprints. They are all extremely unique, and even on sister trucks, no two are ever exactly identical.” These rigs often have more than 100,000 individual components on the trucks, and many of them are specifically called Continue reading
Safety always starts with a simple click of the seat belt buckle. With the advent of active safety systems in passenger vehicles, such as collision warning, blind spot, and rollover technology and the transition of these new technologies into emergency vehicles, the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) continues to drive safety and new technology to Continue reading
Air-ride suspensions have steadily increased in popularity in nearly all segments of the trucking industry. Approximately 75 percent of the trailers manufactured today and almost all highway tractors use air-ride suspensions. Air has even proliferated into the specialty segments of the trucking industry. It is not uncommon to find air-ride suspensions on heavy-duty vehicles that Continue reading
It’s no secret that fire apparatus are becoming more multifunctional as budgets and personnel allocations decline—combining rescue trucks with pumpers (rescue-pumpers) or pumpers with aerials (quints). However, one area that is often overlooked is the increasing amount of equipment that is carried on the apparatus and the effect this has on vehicle weight. Additional Weight Continue reading