28 SPRING • 2011
www.carolinafirejournal.com
Carolina Fire Rescue EMS Journal
Apparatus safety continued from page 27
ment budgets, drivers must “eyeball� the rig prior to driving it.The whole purpose of the “eyeball� is to recognize glaring safety defects or mechanical issues that “jump out at you� on first glance that may result in an accident or incomplete response due to mechanical breakdown.The “eyeball� can recognize a flat or very soft tire, open or partially open compartment doors, broken glass or vi-
tal fluids pooling under the rig. A driver should be able to recognize if a fluid under a rig is coolant or hose water, or diesel fuel or window washer fluid. One day I got a good chuckle when a new apparatus driver in my department looked under the front of the rig for leaking fluids during a weekly truck check.The only problem was that this particular rig was a 1989 E-One Hush with the engine in the rear like a city bus. It is reasonable to expect driv-
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ers to know the location of the engine! To expand on the issue of compartment doors — when eyeballing the rig, equipment mounted on the exterior of the rig and hose in hose beds or cross lays should also be properly secured and stowed. In Pennsylvania, April of 2004, a hose and nozzle hanging from a rig fatally struck a 10-yearold girl as the truck passed her. While the quick “eyeball� prior to response or returning after the incident, for that matter, may not catch all issues, but it is a good safe habit for drivers to get into and goes a long way in preventing accidents and incidents.
Lighting, Sirens and Horns In every speech or class I give about apparatus driver safety (www.respondsmart. com) I cannot stress enough about how important it is for drivers of emergency vehicles to communicate their presence and their intended actions to other motorists.The only way we can communicate with other motorists is visually through lighting or hand signals (and by hand signals I do not mean with finger gestures) or audibly via horn or siren.To take your rig out on the road you MUST have working headlamps, turn signals, 4-way hazards, back up lights and tail/stop/turn lights. These are the basic vehicle lights required by most states’ department of motor vehicles (DMV) or department of transportation organizations (DOT). If these items are not operational they should be repaired prior to the rig heading out on the road. Motorists, while they may not use the lights themselves when they drive, will cry that they didn’t see your brake
lights or turn signals, if in fact they were not operational and the non-working light(s) contributed to an accident. Obviously, it is equally important for an emergency response to have working NFPA compliant sirens, emergency lighting and horns or air horns. However, if one bulb is out on a light bar your vehicle is probably not going to be rendered out of service or at critical risk for an accident, but repair should be completed ASAP. My rule of thumb is when it comes to lighting and audible devices — if they are on the
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rig, they should be in working condition.
Mirrors Large fire apparatus and other emergency vehicles have many more blind spots than the car, truck or S.U.V. that your fire driver regularly drives to and from the firehouse. For that reason mirrors that are mounted on the rig are not optional equipment.The mirrors should be present, mounted properly so they do not change position while driving, and should be clean, free from cracks/ cloudiness and should be properly adjusted. Mirrors are not one size fits all when it comes to their adjustment. Different drivers may have to adjust the mirror(s) to their visibility needs to insure a good field of view and the overall safety of the rig.
Tires and Wheels I’ll say it like a kindergartner.The tires must be properly inflated.This sounds obvious, but poor tire inflation can lead to hydroplaning and/or loss of control of the apparatus and the potential for roll over.Tread depth, while not something you would check prior to response, should be periodically checked to insure safety. Front “steer� tires would in most cases be considered safe with no less than four mm of tread depth and your rear “duals� should have no less than two mm depth. Keep an eye out for nails, screws or other items that may be stuck in the tire and for side-