IFF Issue 32

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

FIRE FIGHTERI N T E R N A T I O N A L

FIRE FIGHTER

An MDM PUBLICATIONIssue 32 – November 2011An MDM PUBLICATION

Issue 32 – November 2011

Reporting Worldwide to Municipal, Industrial and Fire Training ProfessionalsReporting Worldwide to Municipal, Industrial and Fire Training Professionals

www.mdmpublishing.comwww.mdmpublishing.com

TASK FORCE TIPS, INC.

3701 Innovation Way, Valparaiso, IN 46383-9327 USAInternational +1.219.548.4000 •www.tft.com • [email protected]

NFPA 1964Compliant

FMAPPROVED

110, 230, 360 & 470 l/min Selectable Nozzle

Fixed or Spinning Teeth

QuadraFog

• Selectable Liters• Flush Without Shutting Down• Quick Change Rear Valve Seat• Stainless Steel Shut-off Ball• Color Pistol Grip and Valve Covers

BLITZFIREPortable Monitor

CROSSFIREPortable Monitor

MonsoonWater Cannon

2000 l/min 4800 l/min

7600 l/min

46383-9327 USAww.tft.com • [email protected]

110, 230, 360 &Selectable N

Fixed or Spinni

• Selectable Liters• Flush Without Shutting• Quick Change Rear Va• Stainless Steel Shut-of• Color Pistol Grip and V

110, 230, 360 & 470 l/min38 mm Coupling

QuadraCupSelectable Foam Nozzle

The TFT QuadraCup is a rugged and dependable selectable gallonage nozzle with a retractable foam aspiration sleeve. When the outer sleeve is in the retracted position, the nozzle operates the same as the TFT QuadraFog. Flow can be set to any one of four settings, or to a flush mode. The front end can be rotated from straight stream through wide fog patterns. Uniquely cut fixed metal fog teeth produce a wide range of fog patterns. Available in either tip-only configuration or with a stainless ball shutoff, the QuadraCup is also available with optional colored pistol grip and handle covers (NFPA 1901 (A.16.9.1).

For excellent quality fire fighting equipment visit www.tft.com and call your local distributor for a demonstration.

AUSTRALIAGaam Emergency ProductsPhone : 61 3 9466 1244Fax : 61 3 9466 [email protected]

USATask Force TipsPhone: 1-219-548-4000 Fax: 1-219-464-0620 [email protected]

®

www.tft.com

AUSTRIALeader GmbHPhone: 4968938007117 Fax: [email protected]

BELGIUMGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

DENMARKGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

CANADATask Force TipsPhone: 1-219-548-4000 Fax: 1-219-464-0620 [email protected]

CHINATask Force TipsPhone: 1-219-548-4000 Fax: 1-219-464-0620 [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLICLeader GmbHPhone: 4968938007117 Fax: 496893800710 [email protected]

SWITZERLANDLeader GmbHPhone: 4968938007117 Fax: 496893800710 [email protected]

MALAYSIASentrix Technology Sdn BhdPhone: +603 8023-5228Fax: +603 [email protected]

NEW ZEALANDTyco Safety ProductsPhone: 6498261707 Fax: [email protected]

THAILANDAnti-fire Co., Ltd.Phone: 66 2 259-6898Fax: 66 2 [email protected]

TAIWANTask Force TipsPhone: 1-219-548-4000 Fax: 1-219-464-0620 [email protected]

FINLANDGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

FRANCEGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

GERMANYGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

HONG KONGRotter International Ltd.Phone: 85227517770Fax: [email protected]

INDIAForemost Technico Pvt LtdPhone: +91 (11) 2619 6982Fax: +91 (11) 2616 [email protected]

INDONESIAPt Palmas EntracoPhone: +62 (21) 384 1681Fax: +62 (21) 380 [email protected]

JAPANYone CorporationPhone: 81758211185Fax: [email protected]

ISRAELHameshavek Trading&EngineeringPhone: 97239616634 Fax: [email protected]

IRELANDGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

ITALYGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

KUWAITSafety & Fire Exp Phone: 96524343885 Fax: [email protected]

SPAINGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

SWEDENGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

SAUDI ARABIAHeba Fire & Safety Equipment Co LtdPhone: 96638420840 ext. 333Fax: [email protected]

PHILIPPINESAlliance Industrial SalesPhone: 6328908818Fax: [email protected]

SINGAPORES. K. Rosenbauer PTE. LTD Phone: 6568623155 Fax: [email protected]

NETHERLANDSGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

NORWAYGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

OMANAbdul Aziz & Brothers LLCPhone: 01196824446793 Fax: [email protected]

PORTUGALGroupe Leader S.A.Phone: 33235530575 Fax: [email protected]

3701 Innovation Way,Valparaiso, IN 46383-9327 USAInternational +1.219.548.4000

[email protected]

INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER 3

PRO/pak foam injection andapplication system photo courtesy ofTask Force Tips, Inc. www.tft.com

PublishersDavid Staddon & Mark Seton

Sales ManagerMark Bathard

Group EditorGraham Collins

Contributing EditorsTim Mockridge, Henry Persson,Margaret McNamee, Piers Bishop,Peter A. Kirk, Ian Dunbar, Michael C. Ruthy, Kevin Brandes,Geoff Trickey, Johan Kramer, Keith Bellamy, Graham Collins

IFF is published quarterly by:MDM Publishing Ltd The Abbey Manor Business Centre,The Abbey, Preston Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2ENTel: +44 (0) 1935 426 428Fax: +44 (0) 1935 426 926 Email: [email protected]: www.mdmpublishing.com

©All rights reserved

Annual SubscriptionUK – £50.00 Europe – �60Overseas – US$70.00lSSN – 1744-5841

DISCLAIMER:The views and opinions expressed inINTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER are notnecessarily those of MDM Publishing Ltd.The magazine and publishers are in noway responsible or legally liable for anyerrors or anomalies made within theeditorial by our authors. All articles areprotected by copyright and writtenpermission must be sought from thepublishers for reprinting or any form ofduplication of any of the magazinescontent. Any queries should be addressedin writing to the publishers.

Reprints of articles are available on request.Prices on application to the Publishers.

Page design by Dorchester Typesetting Group Ltd

Printed in the UK



FIRE FIGHTER





November 2011 Issue 32

Follow International Fire Fighter on

67-70

6-15 News &

Profiles

17-21 Safety at

Sea

23-25 Ethanol –

Providing Answers

to New Firefighting

Challenges

27-31 Trauma

Awareness in

Firefighter

Leadership Training

33-35 Storage

Tank Fire Protection

37-40 Spending

Less and Getting

More From Your

Hazmat Suit

43-44 Equipment

Developments in

USAR

47-48 Reaching

Greater Heights

51-54 Command

and Communicate

57-61 Tales of

Risk and Heroism

63-65 Evolution of

the High Volume

Pump

67-70 Technical

Rope Rescue

72 Advertisers’

Index

47-48

37-40

27-31

23-25

17-21

63-65

51-54

Contents

FROM THE EDITOR


It was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better knownto the world as Mark Twain, who popularised thephrase ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics” to

describe the persuasive power of numbers, andparticularly the use of statistics to bolster weakarguments. Indeed, thanks to the power of masscommunication, we have all but become immune,even anesthetised to the true impact of statisticswhen they are cited in news broadcasts. Butbehind each set of figures there is a human story,perhaps nowhere more so than when the numbersrelate to death or injury, be it actual or potential.

Perhaps it is the technology of our daily work,the sophistication of the equipment we use, or thecleverness of the techniques we adopt that hasthe potential tendency to dull our senses to thehuman dimension of natural or man-madedisasters, and the decisions that are made thatimpact on the health and safety of people aroundthe world.

I read two statistics recently that brought thisinto sharp focus.

The first was that an estimated one billionpeople live in shanty towns or slums in the devel-oping world where fire safety is non-existent;worse, where living conditions actually enhancethe prospect of a small fire intensifying into amajor conflagration, and where safe evacuation isa matter of pure chance. According to the esti-mates I read, it is expected that this number willswell to 1.4 billion by the end of the currentdecade, and it is projected that in the next fiftyyears, two-thirds of humanity will be living intowns and cities. Significantly a large part of thisgrowth will take place in the form of informal set-tlements – densely populated, self-constructedsquatter settlements, shanty towns or slums thatare characterised by make-shift shelters that arebuilt from whatever material happens to beavailable.

The fuel load in these environments is invariablymassive, and in many countries where theseshanty towns are prevalent, the resources of thefire and rescue services are simply inadequate tocope with the challenge.

The second set of figures to come my way wasfrom the US Department of Homeland Security’sUS Fire Administration. It catalogued the 74 fire-fighter fatalities that have occurred so far this year,bringing home once again the hazardous natureof the profession. With a couple of months still togo before the end of the year, this tally alreadyexceeds the 2010 figure of 72 deaths.

On the positive side, both years’ firefighterfatality statistics – unless there is a horrific level ofloss of life in the next few weeks – will mean thatsix times in the past decade firefighter deaths inthe USA will have fallen below 100 for the year.Interestingly, this improvement is said to be down largely thanks to advances in training and

equipment and improved fire codes. But that mustbe of limited comfort to the families and friends ofthose who lost their life in the line of duty. Theydied from overexertion, stress and heart attacks,from the impact of collapsed buildings, vehiclecrashes, or trapped in a blaze. Everyone was ahusband, a father, a son or a brother, and every-one needs to be remembered not as a statistic, butas a dedicated and honourable human being.

I believe the message behind these two sets offigures is clear. Those around the world with the power and responsibility to make decisionsregarding poverty eradication, urbanisation, build-ing codes, construction standards, health andsafety and emergency services funding mustalways remember that statistics and balance sheetsare not the issue; it is the lives of those caught upin a disaster and the lives of those who, at amoment’s notice, put their own safety aside tosave others. IFF

Graham Collins

Who Counts?

www.mdmpublishing.com

Behind every set of statistics there is a human story, perhaps

nowhere more so than when the numbers relate death or

injury, be it actual or potential.

6 INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER

PROFILE

In early 1981, Bud Calkin, a former US Armymedic who had struggled with the Army’s littersduring his time in the military, re-designed a

game carrier invented by his sister for draggingdeer out of the woods into what is now known asthe Sked Stretcher.

Skedco was then incorporated in December of1981 by Bud and Catherine Calkin. Calkin believedthis was a giant leap forward in patient transportfrom the battlefield but, because it was so differ-ent than the standard litters, few people wouldeven look at it. After ten years of diligent work andmany small quantity sales the Sked was purchasedin massive quantities for Operation Desert Storm.The giant leap was then seen for what it was.

The Military then understood its value on thebattlefield. It surpassed all of the claims made bySkedco. Skedco has since grown substantiallywhile developing many other new and differentproducts for military and civilian EMS and rescue.There are now several versions of the SkedStretcher along with CASEVAC systems individual

first aid kits, self-rescue kits, laryngoscope kits,“extreme medicine” knives, packs and bags for awide range of medical and rescue applications,including many items for use in helicopters.

Understanding the need, Calkin developed theHazmat, decontaminable Sked for the rescue ofvictims in a contaminated area and for masscasualty evacuation from buildings, subways andother areas of possible mass casualty or hazmatrescue. With the Skedco/Skyhook system 300 to400 people can be evacuated from the “hot zone”in as little as 20 minutes. It will drag up to sixloaded HMD Skeds at a time while taking theempty HMD Skeds back to the “hot zone”. Noother system can do that.

Skedco has also developed other confinedspace rescue equipment. These include the

Sked-Evac tripod, the Skedco Rescue Hauler andMicrohauler that are pre-rigged 4:1 mechanicaladvantage rope haul systems, and the Half Sked, abailout kit that features Skedco’s window anchorfor far greater safety than those with hooks, asthey fit in the bottom corner of a window givingtwo points of contact with the window for thegreater safety.

Skedco has confined space rescue kits for onestop shopping to save time and money. Patientsimmobilised in the Oregon Spine Splint and placedinto a Sked stretcher can pass through smallerholes than when in any other stretcher.

Skedco has a bleeding simulator that willsimulate arterial, venous and capillary bleedssimultaneously. It is remote controlled and whenworn by live simulated casualties is the most effec-tive haemorrhage control trainer in the world. Itallows you to present a screaming, combative,profusely-bleeding patient that will add realism toany training scenario. It even features a bulletimpact simulator, a sucking chest wound and a

needle decompression simulator that rivals the real thing. It creates stress and chaos to enhanceany training incident. If the medic does not treatthe wounds or injuries properly, the bleeding con-tinues until it is done right or the system bleedsout at, which time the medic fails and must berequired to do it over until he or she gets it right.This allows for more patients saved from the mostpreventable cause of death on the battlefield orstreet in real life situations.

Skedco Inc. is located in its own building inTualatin Oregon, USA where all of their productsare manufactured under strict quality control. Onlya very few items are made outside the USA. Thatquality control gives Skedco a much higher qualityproduct line. Skedco’s 30th anniversary of servicewill be December of this year. IFF

For more information, go towww.skedco.com

Skedco – 30Years of Service

For European enquiries:Felix Trading BVTel: +31 346 555 622Email: [email protected]: www.skedco.nl


NEWS

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) has taken delivery of theaward winning HEROPipe high-rise firefighting equipment thatELKHART BRASS introduced at this year’s Fire DepartmentInstructor’s Conference (FDIC).

Developed by front-line Chicago Fire Lieutenant, MichaelWielgat, HEROPipe is a lightweight water delivery system that

allows firefighters to deliver a master stream to any floor of ahigh-rise structure from the vantage point ofthe floor below. Described by Elkhart Brass as:“. . . a real game-changer for high-rise fires.”HEROPipe is heralded as being the first viablesolution for fires that cannot be reached eitherfrom a ladder truck or an adjacent building. Byenabling firefighters to neutralise incidents fromthe floor below, the solution poses far less riskto the team than a direct attack.

The system can be set up for action in aslittle as three minutes with a two-personteam. Once the proper attack points havebeen determined, the aluminium manifold

is secured to the exterior of the floor belowthe incident. The telescopic waterway is

made of anodized aluminium and is capable ofdelivering large volumes of water. Combined with Elkhart’s Sidewinder EXMmonitor, a targeted stream can be directed by remote control.

For more information, go to www.elkhartbrass.com

New York’sNew Hero

The Eagle Has LandedThe new Eagle Attack thermalimaging camera from SCOTT SAFETYhas been launched with the promiseof delivering all the performance,quality and durability that firefightersdemand, offering a full-featuredimager in a compact form with nosacrifice on quality. Its high resolutiondesign is claimed to provide userswith great image quality andfunctionality not normally available inlightweight imagers. Developed foron-the-job reliability, durability andease-of- use, the Eagle Attack imageris being promoted as being one ofthe lightest and most portableimagers in the industry.

Smaller-sized cameras typicallysacrifice features and image quality for portability and while larger imagers,although feature-rich, can be bulky and more difficult to handle in tightsituations. The Eagle Attack aims to be the ideal combination of the best of bothsmall and large imagers.

It features a generous display, a high degree dynamic range and class-leadingresolution and sensitivity, making fire analysis quick and easy. The lens isprotected by silicone bumpers and if anything ever happens to the germaniumlens, it has been engineered so that change-out can be done in the field.

The camera can be custom-configured to suit changing needs. It is offered witheither a greyscale or colour imagery and the optional Scott thermal video recorder,which automatically captures every event for training and documentation purposes.It also comes in three rubber bumper colours to suit the customer’s own branding.

For more information, go to www.scottsafety.com


NEWS

First platform forUzbekistan

CTE has delivered Uzbekistan’s first aerial ladder platform – a45-metre high, 450 kg basket payload B-FIRE 450 platform incollaboration with its firefighting vehicle manufacturing partner,Tital. The vehicle is being used by the municipal fire brigade inthe capital, Tashkent.

The telescopic-jib B-FIRE range of platforms is available up to 55 metres high, with a maximum capacity of 450 kg, which allows access to four workers with full equipment. Afront flap, designed as a walkway, and an entrance in thebasket on the front wall allows for a smooth and continuousconnection from the at-height rescue level to ground level,while electronic ultrasonic technology prevents accidentalcollision of the basket. The machine also includes a sidestaircase made of aluminium alloy, an integrated electronicsystem, three command posts, automatic stabilization andinterior lighting.

For more information, go to www.ctelift.com

US Department’s Quantum Leap

Keeping it Quiet

The use of low noise rescue tools is being given a boost followingremarks by Marc Bigalke, medical director of rescue services for the city of Amberg in Germany and an emergency physician. Heconfirms that noise is one of the unwanted side effects of rescueoperations. Loud power units make communication more difficult,not only with the patient but also between the rescuer personnel.

LUKAS has joined the debate, stressing the importance ofcalming the patient to help reduce stress and minimise thepsychological impact. All rescue activities, the company asserts,should always be performed with the least possible impact on thepatient, and the use of low-noise rescue tools helps reduce theseundesirable disturbances to the lowest possible level.

With its eDRAULIC series, Lukas offers what it believes are thequietest rescue tools, and the safest ones for patients. The toolsoperate with electricity and generate sound emissions only whenthey are in use. If the eDRAULIC tool is not in use, it is completelysilent.

For more information, go to www.lukas.com

The Mesa Fire Department in Mesa,Arizona, USA has ordered threePIERCE Quantum pumper vehiclesand one Quantum aerial platform,boosting the Fire Department’s frontline apparatus fleet to include 33Quantum pumpers and fiveQuantum aerials.

Each of the Quantum pumpers isequipped with a 500 hp EPA 2010certified engine, TAK-4 independentfront suspension, 480mm frontbumper extension, seating for sixfirefighters, frontal impact and side rollprotection systems, Husky 12 foamsystem, Hercules CAF system, 5700 litres-a-minute single stage bronze pump, 3800 litres-a-minutemonitor with electric remote control, hydraulic ladder rack andCommand Zone advanced electronics.

The Quantum 60-metre aerial platform features a 7600 litre-a-minute single stage bronze pump, twin electricmonitors, 950-litre water tank, Husky 12 foam system, 430-amp

alternator, a 4.9-metre stabiliserspread with 300mm of groundpenetration, TAK-4 independentfront suspension and air ride rearsuspension, slide out adjustabletrays, swing-out tool board, storagefor seven air bottles in fenders,telescoping tripod lights, breathingair to the tip, and LED lighting along the aerial device.

The city of Mesa is the 40thlargest city in the United States, and the Mesa Fire Departmentsafeguards a population of 468,012.In 2010, the department handledmore than 55,000 runs out of 18 fire

stations. It operates a standard replacement schedule that calls fornew vehicles every eight to ten years, or every 210,000 kilometres.The department then rotates the units into reserve status for threeto five years, or 240,000 kilometres.

For more information, go to www.piercemfg.com


PROFILE

Cutters Edge has beenmanufacturing fire rescue sawssince 1984. Unlike competitors, oursaws are not designed for construction,demolition or logging with fire rescue labelsadded – our saws are engineered and builtexclusively for the fire and rescue market.

Our “Next Generation Technology” 2100Series MULTI-CUT Fire Rescue Saws use thelatest advancements in 2-stroke engine

technology to generate more power, more torqueand more fuel efficiency. Cutters Edge “NextGeneration Technology” engines utilize dualintakes that split the airflow into one fresh-airstream and one clean-air stream for the fuel-airmixture. The fresh air intake forms a barrier thatdelays the fresh-fuel mix from entering the enginewhile assisting in exhausting the burned gases.Then the fuel-air mixture flushes into the engine,resulting in more power and less emissions,compared to conventional 2-stroke engines.

In addition to new engine technology, CuttersEdge Four-Stage Air Filtration System has 211.4square inches of filtering surface, enabling MULTI-CUT saws to run up to 12 times longer thancompetitor’s saws in hot (up to 1100°F) andsmoke filled environments.

The new 2100 series includes two engine sizes:70.7cc and 87.9cc.

Each engine is designed specifically for use withthe Cutters Edge Carbide-tipped BULLET Chainand will cut a wide range of materials found atfireground and rescue scenes. Cutters Edge 2100Series MULTI-CUT saws can be used for manyoperations including: rescue cutting, ventilation,

extraction, forcible entry, storm damage, crashrescue and more. Today’s 2100 Series saws haveundergone 29 improvements since their introduc-tion in 1987 and many of these improvementswere suggested by firefighters.

In 1993 Cutters Edge introduced the BULLETChain, the first carbide-tipped chain specificallyengineered for fire rescue cutting. Today it remainsthe only carbide chain manufactured specificallyfor fire rescue cutting – not just a modified woodcutting chainsaw cutter.

The BULLET’s unique design and “filing action”revolutionized fire rescue cutting technology and itis the most widely used cutting chain in the worldthat can cut a wider range of materials and lastslonger than any other chainsaw chain. In addition,the BULLET Chain is also the safest chain. Certifiedtest results, performed in accordance with ISO9518, by the Swedish Test Institute, showed theBULLET Chain has 67% less rotational kickbackenergy than standard chainsaw chains and isconsidered an “extremely low kickback chain”. TheBULLET Chain is capable of cutting routing nails,joist hangers, nailing plates, flashing, light gaugesheet metal and lightweight concrete. It also cuts automotive sheet metal and glass, hurricaneglass, bullet-proof glass, plastics, glass fibre andmany other composites; including aircraft skin and cockpit and aircraft window glass.

Additional MULTI-CUT Fire Rescue Saw featuresinclude:● Tool-less Guard/Depth Gauge for increased

safety and precise cutting depths● Full-wrap handle● Fire Glove D-Handle Starter Rope Pull● New Reflective labels help locate saw easier in

dark and smoke● Guard Deflector● Chain brake – stops chain in 1/20th of a second● Tool-less carburetor compartment entry for fast

access, inspection and maintenance● Compression release – reduces starting resis-

tance by 40% for easier starts● External side-chain tension adjustment● Multi-function “Scrench Tool” attached to saw

handle● Large capacity petrol and bar and chain oil

lubrication reservoirsAll three (2166, 2172 and 2188) MULTI-CUT

models are available in a custom built diamondplate aluminum field kit box that contains every-thing needed for fire rescue cutting anywhere. IFF

For further information go towww.cuttersedge.com

Cutters EdgeIntroduces“Next Generation Technology”MULTI-CUT FireRescue Saws

PROFILE


In addition to being one of India’spremier specialist fire protectioncompanies, K V Fire Chemicals has

created a considerable presence,particularly throughout the AsiaPacific region and the Middle East.It currently has a customer basespread across 38 countries and hasambitious plans to develop othermarkets across the world.

Today, its key markets include thepetrochemicals industry, defence,aviation, power generation, manu-facturing industries, maritimeapplications and both municipaland industrial fire and rescueorganisations. In addition to its coreproducts of powders and foam con-centrates, the company’s expandingportfolio includes: portable fireextinguishers; foam production,storage and delivery hardware; andthe latest development – water misttechnology.

The K V Fire Chemicals foamsoffering includes, among manyothers: AFFF concentrates; Class Aconcentrates; an HEF concentratedeveloped specifically for fightingengine room and aircraft hangarfires; and a Class K foam for oil and fat fires. Interms of foam generation and delivery hardware,the company’s comprehensive line-up embraces:foam makers; sprinklers; chambers; bladder tanks;and bladder proportioners. The company alsomanufactures a mobile foam delivery unit thatcomprises a foam inductor, foam branch pipe, a con-centrate storage tank and two lengths of fire hose.

The current widely-approved dry powder offeringfrom K V Fire Chemicals includes the UL ClassifiedKV Lite POWEREX, which is now used extensivelyby its customers in portable fire extinguishers, fixeddelivery systems and power cannons. The company’sportable fire extinguisher range includes both stan-dard fire risk and special application models that areUL-listed and come with a six-year guarantee.

The latest addition to the K V Fire Chemicalsportfolio is a water mist system – the K V Fire UltraMist system – which is available as a portable

15-litre (30kg) back-pack system or 50-litre(100kg) trolley-mounted unit. Both of the lowpressure systems are dual mode and can deliverthe water mist as either a jet or a fog.

This clean agent water mist system reflects thecompany’s on-going commitment to developing,manufacturing and marketing fire suppression andfire extinguishing solutions with the least possiblenegative impact on the environment. It alsoreinforces the company’s growing internationalreputation for manufacturing excellence and pro-ducing systems and products that represent valuefor money, robustness and low in-use cost.

The company, which was established in 1988, isheadquartered in Navi Mumbai with a 20,000square metre manufacturing, logistics anddevelopment facility in Mundhegaon, Nashik. The company is certified to ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007. IFF

K V Fire – A majorForce in theInternationalMarketplaceFor more than two decades, K V Fire Chemicals has specialised in themanufacture and supply of firefighting and fire suppression chemicals, inparticular powders and foam concentrates.

For more information, go towww.kvfire.com


NEWS

SaferExtricationwith RTAAppExtraction Zones is a patented app foremergency first responders at thescene of a road vehicle accident,which is available as a download tothe iPhone, iPad, iPod touch (requiresiOS 3.0 or later) or any Androidpowered smartphones or tablets.

By clicking on the app and selectingthe make and model of the damagedvehicle from an extensive databank in apop-up list, the side and top view of thespecific vehicle will be displayed. It willshow all of the areas of concern thatare crucial to a safe and efficientextrication of trapped victims, includingultra-high-strength structuralreinforcements, high voltage hybridbatteries and high voltage cables,airbags and airbag canisters, seatbeltpre-tensioners, fuel tanks, and 12 voltbatteries.

A second and more complete versionof the app has been released byEXTRACTION ZONES LLC calledExtraction Zones Pro that features anadditional 150 vehicle makes andmodels, increasing the originalExtraction Zones databank of vehiclesby over 300 percent. Extraction ZonesPro improves on the original versionwith the addition of entire productionlines from many popular manufacturers.

The vehicle schematics allow theuser to see immediately all dangerousareas that they are attempting toavoid. The app also featuresaccompanying notes specific to themodel, providing additional helpfulinformation such as the amount oftime the high voltage lines or the SRSsystem will continue to carry a powercurrent after being disengaged.

For more information, go towww.extractionzones.com

In Safe HandsHand protection specialist, POLYCO, hasexpanded its range of hand and armprotection with the introduction of the FrontLine range, which incorporates the very latestmaterials and advanced technology to respondto the needs of the emergency services andguarantee results in both safety and efficiency.

The additions to the Polyco line-up includean urban search and rescue and extricationglove that is made using Hexarmor SuperFabric,which has been designed to offer the highestavailable level of cut and abrasion protection.The ergonomically designed, breathable shell ofthe glove ensures superior fit, helping tocombat hand fatigue. The Granite 5 Beta glove has also been designed to offer high levels of cutresistance and comfort, with the incorporation of Kevlar thread in a soft leather shell, while theFreezemaster II is the latest hand protection product from Polyco. It provides emergency serviceswearers with what Polyco claims is unparalleled protection from extreme cold and wet environments.

For more information, go to www.polyco.co.uk

Specialised robotic andremotely controlled vehiclemanufacturer, DOK-ING,has launched its latestmultifunctional roboticfirefighting system calledthe MVF-5.

In addition to inbuiltwater and foam firefightingequipment, the MVF-5 has, as standard, a front-mounted rotational grippercombined with a dozer blade. The MVF-5 canlift up to two tonnes with the rotational gripperto remove dangerous objects, while the grippercan penetrate buildings and cut wires. Thedozer blade can push up to 10 tonnes ofdebris.

The MVF-5 operatorremotely controls the vehiclefrom a distance of up to1500 meters. A videosystem comprising fivewaterproof high-resolutioncameras enables directcontrol of the vehicle, whilethe incorporation of thermalcamera enables operationwhen visibility is reduced.

Currently, more than 95percent of Dok-ing’s production is exported tocountries such as Angola, Afghanistan, Iraq,Ireland, the Russian Federation, USA, Sri Lanka,Sweden and South Africa.

For more information, go to www.dok-ing.hr

New Robotic Vehicle

PROFILE


The pioneer in hydraulicrescue tools

RESQTEC was founded in 1972. Originallynamed Zumro we were the first world partnerwith Hurst Performance and developed the

first hydraulic rescue tool together, the legendary32.

The 32 was originally developed only foremergency support at racing tracks, but Zumrohad the vision of the potential benefits for fire andrescue services. In the beginning there was littleinterest in the rescue tool but after giving manydemonstrations, the first sale finally came inFrance, followed closely by Germany.

With a lot of innovations over the past 40 yearsamong them the Confined Space Cutter, NTLifting Bags, Aircraft recovery system R2s and theall new Octopus system, we know what we aretalking about in Rescue!

The future, Octopus Heavy RescuesystemPROFIX MAX, one shoring device that doeseverything better.

As basic product in the RESQTEC Octopussystem, the strut is the most capable shoringdevice, unmatched in capacity ease of use andsafety. The unique automatic interlocking deviceallows it to be used for lift support, stabilization,moving and trench! It can be operated pneumati-cally, mechanically and hydraulically by a V-seriesRam.

NT LIFTING BAG SERIES, making liftingeasyThe Lifting Bag NT-Series has proven to be thesolution for lifting and creating space betweenstructures. NT-Series can lift cars, trucks, trains,subways and collapsed buildings with ease andcontrol like no other system. It is the answer to the

limitations and complexity faced with conventionallifting equipment.

CRIBBLOCK – SERIES, fastest way tostabilize a loadThe CribBlock-series are a must have for the pro-fessional rescuer. The reason is simple: stabilizationis essential in rescue to prevent movement duringextrication. Nothing can do it better, easier orfaster. The different elements, all with interlockingdesign, create different stabilization structureseasily.

RAM V-SERIES, Highest performing ramever developedA ram is used to create space over a long struc-ture. The Ram V-Series is engineered to createspace easily; it has a long stroke and the unique 4-point jaws give optimum grip on the object. Usethe Ram adaptor to attach the ram to the ProFixMax strut for more length. IFF

ResQtec, thechoice since 1971A New Generation of RescueEquipment

For more information, go towww.resqtec.comFor any questions, [email protected]


NEWS

Your one-stopprovider for protective uniforms

We’ve been supplying protectiveuniforms and other safety equipmentto clients in the military,firefighting sector and electricalindustry since 2003. All ourproducts are made in strictadherence to internationalPPE standards, are NFPA 1971:2007- and EN 531-compliant, and carrynumerous certifications, including:

• GA 10-2002 • GA 7-2004 • NFPA 70E • EN 469:2005 • EN 13911 • Certificate of LA Mark of Personal Protective

Equipment

Our ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2001-certified factory makes use of advanced materials imported from Canada,the US and Japan. To join our clients in Europe, theUS, Asia and Africa, contact us now.

Shanghai Zanray Industrial Co. Ltd4/F, 500 Jianyun Rd., Zhoupu, Pudong, Shanghai, China 201318Tel: (86-21) 5138 8765 Fax: (86-21) 5129 2880

Email: [email protected]/zanray.cowww.zanray.comwww.zanray.cn

Rescue coverall

Firefighting suit

Seeing the LightPELI has unveiled two new LED torches – the 1910 andthe 1920.

Powered by a single AAA alkaline battery, the Peli1910 LED weighs in at just 40 grams (including theweight of the batteries) and provides LED illuminationthat delivers 39 lumens for one hour of batteryruntime. Weighing in at 62 grams (again with thebatteries), the Peli 1920 LED utilises two AAA alkalinecells and a single, next-generation LED to emit a ANSIFL-1 standard 67 lumens for nearly three hours ofruntime.

Both torches feature a removable metal clip and areweather and corrosion resistant with a tough Type IIanodized, “no-slip” matte finish to their aluminiumbodies. Each has a tail cap switch with momentary andon/off function.

For more information, go to www.peli.com

Panthers onthe ProwlA number of ROSENBAUER 12,000-litre PantherCA5 vehicles have been added to the MalaysiaAirports Holdings Berhad (MAB) fleet offirefighting vehicles. Four units have beendelivered to Langkawi and four to Kota KinabaluInternational Airports, plus a further four will bedelivered to Penang and Kuching by the end ofNovember with another three units for the newLCC hub at Kuala Lumpur International Airport(KLIA2) being delivered by the end of the year foroperation on the third runway.

The MAB supply contract includes a 15-yearmaintenance programme, which will beundertaken by Rosenbauer’s local partner inMalaysia, UMW Equipment, utilising its branchnetwork throughout East and West Malaysia. Allthe units are fitted with Service4Fire connectivityto enhance the availability and reduce servicetime, as well providing MAB with a real-timeperspective of the status of their trucks.

Also on its way to Hong Kong InternationalAirport, a CA5 joins existing Rosenbauer vehiclesat the airport and acts in the role of a rapidintervention vehicle (RIV). Operating with a watertank capacity of 9000 litres this Euro V enginedPanther can reach to 80 kilometres-an-hour in 25 seconds in accordance with ICAO standards.It is fitted with a Halotron extinguishing system,which is particularly relevant for tackling aircraftbrake fires where ceramics are used.

Rosenbauer says that by utilising a box framefor the chassis and the rigid axle with coil springsuspension, the Panther combines extraordinarycross-country ability with safety, while giving acomfortable ride for the crew. Unlike othersuspension types, such as leaf springs andindependent suspension systems, the flexibility of the rigid axle coil spring design enables the Panther to zigzag down a debris-strewnrunway, which is the role of the first responseRIV.

The complete firefighting system in all thePanther trucks is designed and manufactured byRosenbauer, from the pump to the foam mixing,monitors, hose reels and control systems. Thisculminates in a seamless operation, allowing theoperator to concentrate on his job, rather thantrying to control everything from his console.

For more information, go to www.rosenbauer.com

Throughout 2012, we are extending our internationally recognised programmes to meet the growing requirements within the public sector and private industry.

Structured training courses are available to private industry clients, organisations and individuals; supplying workers/operatives with the specialist knowledge and skills required to work safely in hazardous conditions.

Access, Rescue and Fire Behaviour courses will include:� con�ned spaces �� 10� breathing apparatus / positive

pressure ventilation � rope rescue � swiftwater rescue with �� working at height� ship �re�ghting� animal rescue.

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service is one of the leading �re and rescue training �roviders in the ��

Visit www�ds�re�gov�u� or email trainingacadem�ds�re�gov�u�


At around 23:00 on December 22nd 1963 Captain Mathios Zarbis was watching thepassengers enjoying themselves dancing at

the Tropical Tramps Ball in the main ballroom ofthe TSMS Laconia 180 miles north of Maderia.

Unbeknown to Captain Zarbis and all on board,a string of events had started to unfold that by theend of that night would see the total loss of theship and the lives of 95 passengers and 33 crewmembers.

Just before 23:00 the steward noticed smokeseeping from underneath the door of the hairsalon. Upon opening the door he found the roomcompletely ablaze and attempts to tackle the fireand stop it spreading with fire extinguishersproved futile. The fire alarms were operated, butwere not audible enough to be heard. The firstindication of the fire to the rest of the ship wassmoke pouring into the ballroom.

As passengers from the ballroom attempted toget to the boat deck, those roused from sleep intheir cabins were wrongly directed straight intothe path of the fire. Between 23:30, when the firstdistress call was made, and the last signal indicat-ing the abandoned ship only 52 minutes lapsed.Despite individual acts of great bravery, such asthe swimming pool attendant and a steward beinglowered down the slide of the ship with ropes tiedaround their ankles to snatch trapped childrenfrom cabin portholes, the crew failed to bring thefire under control or even stop it rapidly spreadingto other decks.

Only half the lifeboats made it away safely;some burned, and two spilled the occupants intothe sea. Over 100 people were trapped on boardin the glass-enclosed Agora Shopping Centre untileventually the flames closed in on them, whenthey lowered the gangways and quietly walkedsingle file into the sea.

Between 03:30 and dawn, the rescue of thepassengers was carried out by the ships SaltaMont Calm, Charlesville, Rio Grande, Stratheden,Mehdi and four United States Air Force G54aircraft that dropped life rafts and survival kits.Despite the intervention of so many ships, manypeople died in the sea that night.

Learning the LessonsThis and many other devastating fires on vesselsand a rising death toll on passenger linersthroughout the world led to calls for increasedsafety at sea legislation. The IMO, formerly theIMCO founded in 1948, had only just adopted anew convention for the safety of life at sea,SOLAS, in 1960, but the loss of vessels was stillincreasing. It took years of legislation before amajor revision of the STCW 1978 came into force.This was further amended by the STCW 1995Convention.

The content of the Fire and Safety at Sea Legis-lation Regulations of the STCW Codes are themain focus in the day-to-day work carried out atthe Maritime School in Plymouth in the UK. Theschool has been in existence for over thirty years

Safety at SeaHow seriously do the world’s ship owners take the threat of fire, and how welltrained are the crew? Tim Mockridge

Devon & Somerset Fireand Rescue ServiceMaritime School

MARITIME FIREFIGHTING

and comes under the remit of the TrainingAcademy Division of Devon and Somerset Fire andRescue Service. The Maritime School’s STCWcurriculum has recently been re-accredited by theUK Maritime and Coastguard Agency afterchanges had been made to the course contents.While still adhering to the STCW regulations, wehave introduced new firefighting, ventilation andcommand and control techniques employed byinternational fire and rescue services. Theseprocedures include basic fire behaviour skills, suchas recognition of potential flashover and backdraftsituations, and the ability to control the environ-ment with advanced branch techniques and basictactical ventilation.

The School’s facilities, in addition to lecturerooms and breathing apparatus training facilities,include a demonstration room to enable studentsto witness the live actuation of sprinklers, inert gasflooding, foam and high pressure fog extinguish-ing systems. There is also new specialist rescue andconfined space towers for the use of students onother academy courses provided by the Access andRescue School, or to allow students on maritimecourses to practice ship-to-ship access.

The ship firefighting structure is a steel, multi-

compartment structure in-cluding machinery spaceswith fixed equipment andvaried-level gantries withmultiple access points. Themain success of the Schoolcomes from its ability toconduct carbonaceous burns,not gas. This providesstudents with a greatlyenhanced level of realismduring firefighting and theability to control the condi-tions themselves using firebehaviour techniques andventilation.

The Maritime School offersa full spectrum of coursesstarting with a one day mari-na firefighting course aimedat people who have responsi-bility for the running andsecurity of boat marinas.

The one day boat master’scourse is aimed at day boats,fishing boats and privateboat owners. The day isdivided into a morning’stheory input of fire safetyand fire prevention and anafternoon’s basic firefightingwith extinguishers and smallhose reels.

STCW 95 CoursesThe full STCW 95 basiccourse is offered startingwith a one day personalsurvival techniques, run inpartnership with MaritimeSurvival Solutions. The sec-ond day is the basic first aid,which can be delivered in itsbasic form or tailored for thesecurity industry to incor-

porate more trauma-related emergency medicine,such as the use of advanced airway management,tourniquets, haemostatic agents, and casualtytransfers.

The Personal Safety and Social Responsibilityelement of the course is offered in the evenings,leaving the last three days (or two extended days)for the basic firefighting.

Day one is basic theory input followed bypractical extinguisher firefighting. The last part ofthe day covers hose, ladder, door and hatch entrytechniques. Day two starts with the theory ofbreathing apparatus and breathing apparatusphysiology. The first breathing apparatus exerciseis a simple route finding exercise in darknessfollowed by a breathing apparatus exercise withinthe ship structure in cold smoke and darkness. Thefinal exercise of the day is a breathing apparatusexercise in heat levels with live fires. The studentspractice hose and branch techniques, door andhatch entry while working in teams in realistic fireconditions.

The last day covers firefighting tactics and fire party operations and also has a basic input into fixed firefighting installations. At this point in the course the students then witness a live fire



demonstration, a fixed installation such assprinklers, foam, inert gas and Hi-fog systems.

For the final afternoon’s exercise, students aredivided into fire parties and a scenario developedfor a serious multi-seated fire aboard with anumber of casualties reported missing. While thestudents are encouraged to make their own fire-fighting decisions during the exercise, the generalinstructions and guidance are delivered by thestaff instructors. Each firefighting team is accom-panied by a safety officer at all times. The staffmember is primarily there as an observer and willonly influence the firefighting teams if they putthemselves at risk. Safety officers are in constant

communication with an outside control room viaradio and use thermal imaging cameras withtransmitters to record students’ actions.

The final exercise is followed by a long anddetailed de-brief using plans, thermal image filmand safety officer’s observations to reinforce thecourse teaching outcomes.

STCW 95 Advanced FirefightingThe advanced course refreshes the techniqueslearned on the basic course and a similar exerciseto the basic final exercise is run for students on

day two to give both the students and the staff anunderstanding of the knowledge level of studentsso that the staff are better able to tailor thelearning outcomes.

The remainder of the course concentrates ontactics carried out in the live fire environment andin small groups using ship plans with studentspitting their wits against the staff instructors whoset and direct the scenarios.

Students on the advanced course also receivefurther instructions on board advanced fixedinstallations such as HiEx foam, forced ventilationfans, water removal and stability. Half a day isgiven over to table-top command and control

exercises to further enhance the capability ofships’ officers to command a rapidly escalating firesituation. The aim being to control the situationwith minimum risk to the crew and reducing lossto ship owners and insurers. Time is also given tounderstanding the regulations and legislation asthey apply in the maritime world.

The Piracy Fire ThreatRecent changes in the global maritime world havehighlighted the dangers of piracy. Soldiers andmarines are leaving the military service to join one


SAFETY AT SEA MARITIME FIREFIGHTING

Each firefighting team is accompanied by a safety officer at all

times. The staff member is primarily there as an observer and will

only influence the firefighting teams if they put themselves at risk.

Safety without Compromise www.pacifichelmets.com

Superior Emergency Services Helmets

Structural Fire

Marine Directive

Bush Fire

Paramedic

USAR

Water Rescue

Head-to-toe

Clothing Solutions

AS/NZS – CEN – NFPA

of the many maritime security companies andembarking on a new career to protect the world’sshipping from pirates. There is an obvious increasein the risk from fire aboard resulting from pirateattacks and a need for the security staff to be fullytrained in firefighting techniques and in manycases take a lead role in firefighting operations onboard. Indeed international maritime organisationsare bringing regulation into force to make STCW95 basic firefighting training, inter alia, compulsoryand both companies and individuals will find thequalification a pre requisite for employment in thesecurity industry.

The FutureWe can only speculate on the outcome of theLaconia fire if it had happened today and she hadbeen fitted with a modern automatic fire detec-tion system and if the fire awareness among thecrew had resulted in the steward who discoveredthe fire keeping the compartment door shut untila fully equipped firefighting team using CABAsets, fire behaviour branch techniques, thermalimaging cameras and radios to assist in command

and control and a high degree of training tookover. Perhaps the implication of a fire safetyculture on board may have meant that the firemay never have started.

Throughout the course of working at the Maritime School, staff have made many observa-tions. The most common observation is theabsence of an STCW 95 refresher requalification.There are not many industries where a singletraining course is deemed sufficient for a lifetime,particularly when such obvious changes in tech-niques, vessels, and risks have come about overthe years. How many officers and crews of ships

can remember back to their initial firefightingcourse and feel they can confidently tackle a fireon board? It is the intention of the PlymouthMaritime School to take this issue forward fordebate. In the short term, the School will bedesigning a one-day STCW95 refresher/re-qualifier,where students can practice the ship’s firefightingprocedures together in a live fire environment andbenefit from the input of professional fire serviceadvice.



Throughout the course of working at the Maritime School, staff

have made many observations. The most common observation is

the absence of an STCW 95 refresher requalification. There are not

many industries where a single training course is deemed sufficient

for a lifetime, particularly when such obvious changes in

techniques, vessels, and risks have come about over the years.

Even as I was writing this article, news arrivedabout a fire on board the Norwegian cruise ship, Nordyls, sailing from Bergen to the ArcticCircle. When a fire and explosion on board killed two of the crew and injured nine. Over 260passengers were evacuated from the vessel andthe possibility of her sinking was only avoidedafter she was towed into harbour. This difficult fire was tackled by over 50 crew members and

professional firefighters from Norway. If this canhappen on a vessel with some of the best trainedcrews in the world, in a country with some of the strictest safety regulations, than we can onlyspeculate on the risks some of the world’sshipping is facing.

One thing is certain knowledge, training, equip-ment and practice can go a long way towards the protection of lives from fire at sea. IFF


SAFETY AT SEA MARITIME FIREFIGHTING

For further information, go towww.dsfire.gov.uk

Tim Mockridge is joint-manager of the Devon &Somerset Fire and RescueService Maritime School

❚

❚

❚

❚


In the 2007 Spring Council, the EU agreed on tar-gets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least20 percent by 2020. To have such an impact on

the environment and reach the emission targets itis essential to have a successful introduction of abroad bio-based economy, which includes the useof ethanol fuels.

The main use for ethanol is for low blending inpetrol, but it is also used as E85 and “dieselethanol”. From this year, the acceptable propor-tion of ethanol in low blended fuels will increasefrom five percent to ten percent in Europe. Similar-ly, in the USA, the use of ethanol fuels hasincreased dramatically during the last decade,where presently the ethanol content in the gaso-

line sold is nominally ten percent but there areongoing discussions to increase this to 15 percent.

The obvious consequence of increasing thevolume of low blended ethanol, both in Europeand the USA is that the volume of bulk ethanoltransported, handled and stored will increasedramatically in coming years. The diameter orvolume of the storage tanks is also increasing,making a fire and ensuing firefighting operations a significant challenge. However, experience oftank firefighting involving ethanol or other watermiscible fuels, is very limited and those few tankfires that have occurred have resulted in burn outrather than extinguishment.

Ethanol and PetrolEthanol differs from petrol in several importantways.

The most significant differences in terms of fireperformance relate to the ability to extinguish afully developed fire using traditional firefightingmethods. However, the flammability propertiesand the burning behaviour are also different andhave to be taken into account both in pre-plan-ning and actual incident management.

The most important differences from a fireextinguishing perspective are that ethanol is awater miscible fuel and the large fuel depth in atank. Some test data concerning foam fire fightingof ethanol fuels and other water miscible products

is available, even for reasonably large scalescenarios, but they all represent spill fire condi-tions. During the last decades, SP has conductedseveral large test series using methanol, ethanoland acetone as fuels. Clearly these tests giveimportant information but knowledge is stilllacking concerning how to extinguish tank firescontaining water miscible fuels.

The problems relating to firefighting ethanolfires has also been an important issue in the USAand a series of fire tests were conducted in 2007according to UL 162 by the Ethanol EmergencyResponse Coalition (EERC). The tests on E95showed that the requirements of UL 162 were

Ethanol –ProvidingAnswers to NewFirefightingChallengesThe use of ethanol has increased significantly, creating new challenges for firstresponders. So much so that SP Fire Technology and the Swedish PetroleumInstitute have taken the initiative and developed a proposal for a research projecton ethanol tank firefighting called ETANKFIRE.

Margaret McNamee

SP Fire Technology

Henry Persson

SP Fire Technology

FIREFIGHTING RESEARCH

The obvious consequence of increasing the volume of low blended

ethanol, both in Europe and the USA is that the volume of bulk

ethanol transported, handled and stored will increase dramatically

in coming years. The diameter or volume of the storage tanks

is also increasing, making a fire and ensuing firefighting

operations a significant challenge.

only fulfilled when using an AFFF-AR and Type II(gentle) application.

Further, existing test standards for alcoholresistant foam concentrates (such as ISO 7203-3,EN 1568-4, and UL162) represent spill fires as theyall employ thin fuel layers and short pre-burntimes. Even spill fires will represent a firefightingchallenge, but provided alcohol resistant (AR)foams can be used and gentle application ispossible, extinguishment is at least theoreticallyfeasible.

However, as tank fires are usually extinguishedusing large capacity foam monitors, gentle applica-tion is not possible and therefore extinguishmentcannot be expected. A tank fire presents a moresevere situation compared to a spill fire due to thelarge fuel depth, which essentially removes orseverely limits the dilution effect from the firefight-ing foam. Also the large physical dimensions of atank make gentle application of the firefighting

foam impractical. Further, the pre-burn time islonger than that expected in a spill fire, therebyincreasing the temperature of the fuel and creat-ing hot steel surfaces making extinguishment evenmore difficult.

Other important differences compared to petrol relate to the flammability properties andburning behaviour of ethanol. In a closed vessel or a tank, pure ethanol forms flammable fuelvapours at a temperature range of about +12°C toabout +40°C while petrol needs to be below

about –20°C for this to happen. Ethanol fuels,such as E85, have a flammability range betweenpure ethanol and petrol, the exact range depending on the specific composition. Theconsequence of this is that the possibility to createflammable conditions in a storage tank containingethanol or ethanol fuels, and thereby the risk for ignition, is greater for ethanol compared topetrol.


FIREFIGHTING RESEARCH

In a closed vessel or a tank, pure ethanol forms flammable fuel

vapours at a temperature range of about +12°C to about +40°C

while petrol needs to be below about –20°C for this to happen.

The burning behaviour of ethanol is different tothat of petrol in that ethanol typically burns moreefficiently than petrol. This potentially translatesinto a significant difference between large scaleethanol fires compared to large scale petrol fires.The issue is further complicated by the fact thatthe size of the fire has an impact on the burningbehaviour of the fuel.

Experience from small scale fires shows thatradiation is lower from an ethanol fire comparedwith petrol. However, there are indications thatthe opposite may be true in a large scale fire basedon observations made during a series of fire testsconducted on a 200 square metre mixture ofacetone and ethanol. Measurements indicatedthat the heat flux from the acetone/ethanol firewas about twice that of petrol in this scalealthough petrol produced significantly higher heatradiation in small scale tests. The reason for this isprobably that, as the scale increases, petrol firesgenerate increasingly large amounts of smoke thattend to block the visible parts of the flamesthereby reducing the heat radiation.

An acetone/ethanol fire is almost free fromsmoke, and the associated heat radiated is there-fore not dissipated by smoke. It is not unlikely thatthis would also be true for ethanol fuels. Indeed,such observations were made during the PortKembla ethanol tank fire. One consequence of this phenomenon could be an increased risk forescalation and an increased complexity in firefight-ing operations due to higher heat exposure ofpersonnel and equipment.

ETANKFIREAlthough tank fires in general are rare, and thenumber of known ethanol tank fires to date ispresently low, extensive fire protection measureswill be required in storage facilities, based onvarious national laws and regulations.

Further, the number of ethanol tank fires will nodoubt increase as the volume of ethanol used andstored increases in the future. Typically this trans-lates into significant investments, both in preven-tative and risk mitigation measures, includingpreparations for firefighting in event of a full scaletank fire. However, as practical experience is very limited, and the standards for fire protectionlack specific information concerning ethanol andsimilar fuels, there is a clear risk that such invest-ments will not provide the fire protection levelexpected.

The main goal of the ETANKFIRE project istherefore to provide a platform of knowledge toensure proper investment in the fire protection ofethanol storage plants.

This will involve gaining information bothregarding the large scale burning behaviour ofethanol fuels and the development and validationof a methodology for firefighting tank firescontaining ethanol fuels. In order to achieve thisgoal, it will be important to provide an under-

standing of the differences between conventionalfirefighting of spill fires when compared with tankfire situations containing water miscible products.The main differences that are foreseen are:● Tank fires mean increased depth of fuel and less

dilution effects during extinguishment.● Longer pre-burn time increasing the fuel

temperature and the foam destruction.● Difficulty in achieving gentle application of the

foam using the most common firefightingtechniques (mobile foam monitors). This mightrequire different equipment, tactics and perhapseven the use of other types of extinguishingmedia.In order to optimise the test design in the

project, the intention is to start with a test serieson a laboratory scale to investigate the relativeinfluence of the three factors mentioned above.Based on the results of laboratory tests, the mostpromising extinguishing methods or media willthen be selected for further evaluation andverification in a larger scale or scales. Questionsregarding the burning behaviour and heat radiation

from ethanol fuels will primarily be investigated inlarge scale tests. During the initial phase of theproject, a literature review will be made to ensurethat existing test data and experience from realtank fires is identified.

Although the project will be focused onethanol-based fuels, it will provide importantinformation that will also be applicable to otherwater miscible products.

International fundingThe fire protection issues related to ethanol areinternational in character and the aim is thereforeto involve stakeholders on an international basis.In order to present the ETANKFIRE project plans inmore detail and discuss the plans with variousstakeholders, various information activities areongoing.

The project idea was presented to the LASTFIREgroup in April and in June a workshop was held in London with approximately 35 representativesfrom the oil industry, fire protection companiesand regulators. The workshop offered anopportunity for these stakeholders to provideinput to the project plan in its present form and toidentify themselves as potential participants and sources of funding of the project. A secondworkshop was recently held in US to reach out toNorth American stakeholders.

An initial Steering Committee will be formed bythose willing to participate in the funding of theETANKFIRE project in order to take part in the finaldetailed planning, including the choice of venuefor the large scale tests. At present time, fundingis secured from two participants (the Swedish FireResearch Board and SPI) and a number of otherstakeholders have indicated a clear interest inparticipation. The aim is to launch the project early 2012. IFF


ETHANOL – PROVIDING ANSWERS FIREFIGHTING RESEARCH

For further information, go towww.sp.se/en/index/research/etankfire

Henry Persson is ProjectLeader and MargaretMcNamee is ResearchManager at SP FireTechnology

An initial Steering Committee will be formed by those willing to

participate in the funding of the ETANKFIRE project in order to take

part in the final detailed planning, including the choice of venue

for the large scale tests.

PAB Helmets


Too often the ‘human factor’ in team pre-paredness goes unaddressed in emergencyand contingency planning. The best laid plans

and most exhaustive drills often fail to takeaccount of the uncertainties of human reactionsand behaviour. Instead, organisations tend to relyon team building and a ‘macho’ culture to getthrough. Sometimes this is not enough. So whatcan managers and team leaders do to deal withthe threat of staff trauma?

PTSD Resolution is an organisation dealing with trauma awareness and treatment on a daily

basis. In a typical case we received a telephone call recently from a firefighter who had beentraumatised in a fire where burning bodies werediscovered. He spent some time on sick leave, waseventually retired early and the situation turnedinto a battle with his employer – which has nowalso become a traumatic episode in itself.

This secondary problem arose because the fireservice concerned did not have even the limitedunderstanding of PTSD that the armed forces areslowly developing – particularly in the UK and USA,as a result of engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trauma Awarenessin FirefighterLeadershipTrainingEven seasoned firefighters are not immune to the threat of trauma. Everyone has their own individual breaking point. When scenes and experiences become too much, or perhaps occur too often in a short space of time for the individual concerned, the result can be depression and behaviouralproblems. Left untreated, these symptoms may produce avoidable accidents,extended sick-leave and eventually resignation or dismissal – and perhaps amajor legal liability for the employer.Piers Bishop

PTSD Resolution

TRAUMA AWARENESS TRAININGUK MOD CrownCopyright 2011

So, why does existing staff training fall short,and what needs to be done?

Firefighters are trained to deal with events thatwould induce trauma in most people. Part of thattraining involves behavioural conditioning throughgraduated exposure to events, so as to increasethe ability to overcome a natural fear when con-fronted by the threat of fire or its consequences,including death and injury.

The core of a standard training regime is to pro-vide the firefighter with a sense of control to meetmost conceivable eventualities; to establishroutines to deploy him or her into a situation in a controlled way, with maximum provision forpersonal safety. But sometimes events happen thatare out of firefighters’ control, such as explosionsor fatalities – perhaps of close colleagues.

The traumatic effects of these challenges oneach individual can be temporarily overcome,denied or suppressed by the person concerned.But sometimes a further event occurs that maytrigger a noticeable reaction; and when suchstresses are repeated too often, mental healthissues may arise. The result can be debilitating forthe individual concerned, and disturbing for familyand work colleagues.

As a charity dealing with veterans of the UKarmed forces who are traumatised, we meet ex-military personnel who are trained for combat,but repeated or excessive traumatic exposure hasled to stress disorders. Eventually, if not understood

and dealt with, these suppressedfears overwhelm a person’s self-control and emotional health. Thatis why all team leaders andemployers need to understandhow to recognise post-traumaticstress, and where to get help,sooner rather than later.

Many of the military traumaticexperiences with which we dealinvolve fire. The firebombs andincendiaries in Northern Ireland, orthe explosive devices and conse-quent burning of vehicles, peopleand buildings in Iraq andAfghanistan for example. One ofthe most noticeable features of fireis the smell, and the most primitiveand earliest sense to be activatedis the olfactory sense. It is oftenthe smell that will trigger a fearreaction or memory first of all.

Trauma changes people inmany ways – it can make themmore aggressive, angry, nervous,depressed, vigilant, guilty, para-noid or any combination of these,as well as causing extraordinarilyvivid flashbacks and nightmareswhere, as far as the sufferer isconcerned, he or she is relivingthe original experience. This canbe hell – for the one who isexperiencing the problem and foreveryone around him or her.Many sufferers stop going towork or going out at all in orderto avoid the triggers.

While trauma is usually causedby being involved in or witnessing

events that involve actual or potential death orinjury, it is important to recognise that in manycases there are initial symptoms that may subsideover a few days or weeks. It is a natural copingmechanism. This means that it is usually best to letthis process happen by itself – ‘critical incidentdebriefing’, where everyone involved in an inci-dent is given counselling, is now thought to causemore problems than it solves.

However, if the symptoms have not subsidedafter a month, or have got worse, it is time to dosomething about it.

Trauma TipsIf you have staff that have been exposed to violentscenes, or are going to come across them, theyneed to be educated in these facts through thecorrect training:1 There is a chance that in the past, or as a

firefighter now, you are or will be affectedadversely by the things you see and do. This isnormal, and the emotional effects will fade inmany cases. If there is no reduction after amonth or so, or the condition is getting worse,it is a good idea to get help.

2 You are not going mad and this is not a sign ofweakness. It is a normal reaction to events and can happen to anyone, even the mostrobust and apparently stable individuals. Every-one has a threshold beyond which they can betraumatised.


UK MOD CrownCopyright 2011

TRAUMATRAUMA AWARENESS TRAINING

Tele: +1-(541) 524-9999 Email: [email protected] www.cuttersedge.com

Fully Equipped Sawing Kits are Available for All Three Models

The "NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY" Series of Cutters Edge Fire Rescue Saws are here and are designed and built to deliver 100% reliable, high performance cutting in the most demanding and extreme conditions encountered by Fire and Rescue Professionals.

New 2172RS MULTI-CUT® Rescue Saw The "NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY" CE2172RS features a new engine that produces 10% more Horsepower with higher torque. It also emits fewer emissions and is more fuel efficient.

New Rotary Rescue SawThe CE807R B1 Series Rotary Rescue Saw has a new, more powerful 80.7cc engine and a non-slip rubber Full-Wrap Handle for all position cutting. A new 4-Stage Air Filtration System, incorporating a High Performance K&N Filter as its third stage assures outstanding performance in all cutting conditions - with Cutters Edge Black Lightning and Black Diamond Blades.

New Gas Powered Concrete Rescue SawThe "NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY" CE94CRS Gasoline Powered Concrete Cutting Chainsaw cuts reinforced concrete up to 16-inches thick and cuts it up to 40% faster with the CE7COITM Diamond Chain. This "NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY" Diamond Chain features diamond cutting segments on every chain link - up to 30% more diamond cutting surface area in contact with the concrete being cut.

3 It is ok to talk about it, but it will not necessarilyhelp. Treatment is what you need. The sooneryou get on with it, the sooner you will be ableto get back to normal life.

4 Your usual doctor probably will not be a traumaspecialist. In fact you may know a great dealmore about post-traumatic symptoms than yourmedical practitioner, because of your experienceof disturbing incidents and the effects oncolleagues. Contemporary medical opinion doesnot in most cases recommend medication forpost-traumatic symptoms, but many doctors stilloffer antidepressants to new trauma cases.Insist on a referral.

5 There is a strong probability that with appropri-ate treatment you will experience a goodrecovery. Managers and team leaders should develop a

culture that is responsible not macho: firefightingequipment is maintained regularly and repairedwhen necessary, so it is rational to adopt the sameapproach with your people, at the very least.

If you manage firefighters who may experiencetrauma, keep an eye on their behaviour. If some-one is involved in an incident and seems to havechanged, it may be a sign that they will need help.Let them know that you are aware of what theyhave been through; that the organisation’s policyis to be open about stress reactions and to gethelp if necessary so that everyone can continue towork well. If the team member does not seem tobe returning to their normal attitudes, demeanourand behaviour after a few weeks, open a dialogueabout how they would like to be helped torecover.

Develop a relationship with an organisation likePTSD Resolution that has experience of severepost-traumatic reactions and can deliver briefinterventions that return people to work. The costof a typical course of treatment should be verymuch less than the expense of supporting anunwell employee down the line – or worse stillcoping with the collateral damage if someone


UK MOD Crown Copyright 2011

does something unfortunate while traumatised inyour employment.

Trauma TreatmentFortunately effective treatment is now fully avail-able. The therapy that PTSD Resolution uses isHuman Givens Therapy (HGT). Used in psychologi-cal trauma as a form of Trauma-Focused CognitiveBehavioural Therapy (CBT), this treatment for PTSDis consistent with national guidelines in manycountries, including the National Institute forHealth and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK.

The goal of therapy is to enable the person toremember the events that may have caused thetraumatic memory but with emotional detachment– so that they are not ‘reliving’ the event compul-sively. This is achieved by asking patients to recallthe events while in a deeply relaxed state during atreatment session; enabling them to understandtheir reactions and the processes involved. Treat-ment is repeated and any adverse reactions arenoted and measured until both patient andtherapist agree that no further support is required– usually within three to five one-hour sessions.

Patients are not required to talk about theincidents concerned, which otherwise tends toreinforce the traumatic memory. Instead, theprogramme policy is that re-exposure is betterdone in the client’s visual imagination and while ina relaxed state, protecting confidentiality andreducing distress.

Overall the programme has had a better than83 percent success rate in resolving the conditionfor the 150 UK veterans of the armed servicestreated in a pilot programme. This is similar to therecovery rate in the recent study of 599 stress-related cases from the general population whowere treated using HGT: over 70 percent reached asignificant and sustained improvement after anaverage of 3.6 treatment sessions.

Employers’ TrainingRecognising the needs of employers in firefightingand other sectors to deal with the problem oftrauma, in 2011 PTSD Resolution developed aone-day training programme for employers, sothat line managers and human resource profes-sionals can proactively identify trauma symptoms.

This trauma-awareness preventative trainingenables organisations to meet their responsibilitiesand statutory obligations – and avoid the opera-tional impact and personal cost of staff trauma.The goal is not to create ‘experts’, because this isnot necessary – but to enable managers to confi-dently identify a potential problem and take actionto resolve the situation.

The PTSD Resolution TATE one-day programmein London deals with the key issues for managersand HR professionals. It enables them to: recognisepost-traumatic symptoms and PTSD; understandthe effects of trauma on human behaviour; engagewith traumatised people to discuss practicaloptions; and identify a clear route to resolvingworkplace difficulties caused by trauma. IFF


TRAUMA

For further information, go to www.ptsdresolution.org/tate/

Piers Bishop is director of therapy at PTSD Resolution(charity No. 1133188)

Bristol - A global force in firefighter protection

StructuralIntroduction - Technical Urban Search And Rescue (USAR) Wildland Firefighting Garments Marine / Aluminised Firefighting Garments

Compatible PPE and Rescue Tools Emergency Services Integrated Clothing Project (ICP) Ergoflex System


Undoubtedly, the most tried-and-testedmethod of safeguarding storage tanks is toprotect them with fixed foam systems, in part

because they do not demand the hasty marshallingof emergency equipment and manpower. Rather,they stand guard in constant readiness. Certainly,there are a number of system options available onthe market, including those for cone roof andfixed roof tanks, open-top floating roof tanks,covered floating roof tanks, and horizontal tanks.

However, there is a “but”. Storage tank fireshave the nasty habit of starting with an explosion,or very soon resulting in one that may seriouslydamage the tank structure and completely destroythe foam generators used in fixed or “over-the-top” systems. This has resulted in the development

and more widespread use of the less vulnerablesub-surface injection and semi-subsurface injectionsystems for applications, where there is sufficientwater pressure available for their use.

In sub-surface systems, the foam is introducedclose to the bottom of a tank through a separatefoam line. It then floats to the surface to spreadand extinguish the fire. However, this technique isnot used on petrol blends that contain alcohol orother polar solvent additives as oxygenates,because polar solvents destroy the foam, evenwhere alcohol-resistant concentrates are used. Thesemi-subsurface injection technique overcomesthis problem. It can be used for all types of fueland has all of the benefits of sub-surface injection.The technique uses a flexible hose filled with foam

Storage TankFire ProtectionA storage tank fire is the nightmare scenario. Avoiding them demands carefulrisk assessment and thorough planning, while fighting storage tank fires calls forexceptional skill and the best available equipment, systems and products.

STORAGE TANK FIREFIGHTING

Graham Collins

under pressure. When the system is activated, thehose floats from the bottom of the tank to deliverthe foam to the surface.

Reverting back to the likelihood of a tankrupture following an explosion, it is criticallyimportant to provide a bund area that is also isadequately protected. Even for larger bund areas

in major tank farms, fixed low or medium-expan-sion generators can be used to create an effectivefoam blanket. Any remaining fuel in the tank canbe protected using a monitor. Monitors can be usedto protect the bund area, but this leads to muchhigher foam consumption, and the recommenda-tion is for at least two monitors to protect largerbunds to ensure complete coverage and the effec-tiveness of the equipment in all wind conditions.

Proportioning EquipmentPut in its simplest form, the proportioning of thefoam occurs when foam concentrate is mixed witha flowing stream of water to create a foamsolution. This is mixed with air – the term normallyused is aspirated – to produce foam that is a stablemass of tiny, air-filled bubbles with a lower densitythan oil, petrol or water, allowing it to easily flowover the surface of the fire’s fuel.

There are several methods of proportioning, butfixed foam systems typically use what is known asbalanced pressure proportioning for inducing thefoam concentrate into the feed water line. It gotthis name because the foam concentrate pressureis balanced with the water pressure at the propor-tioner inlets. This allows the proper amount offoam concentrate to be metered into the waterstream over a wide range of flow rates and pres-sures. Because balanced pressure proportioningequipment is capable of continuously generatinglarge volumes of foam, these systems are apopular choice when protecting tank farms.

There are two main types of balanced pressureproportioning equipment. One type is used infoam pump systems; the other is used in conjunc-tion with bladder tanks. Both provide accuratefoam delivery to fire monitors and deluge systems.

The current generation of low-pressure-dropbalanced pressure proportioners for foam pumpsystems come in a number of wide-flow designs.The wide-flow proportioner has an orifice, the area


There are several methods of

proportioning, but fixed foam

systems typically use what is

known as balanced pressure

proportioning for inducing the

foam concentrate into the feed

water line. It got this name

because the foam concentrate

pressure is balanced with the

water pressure at the

proportioner inlets.

of which changes in relation to the flow, ensuringthe correct proportioning within a wide range offlows. Typically, capacities span from as low as 100litres a minute to around 40,000 litres a minute.

Bladder tank proportioners also come in anumber of design and performance options. Theyare a solution worth considering when upgradingan existing water sprinkler system to a foam/watersystem. They are available either as a horizontaltank or as a vertical tank, although vertical tanksdo tend to have lower maximum capacities.

Fire MonitorsThe reality, as storage tank fires are, thankfully,rare is that fire monitors spend the vast majority oftheir lives motionless and inert. However, whenfire strikes, they can be easily all that standsbetween recovery and complete corporate andenvironmental disaster.

In essence, there are two types of fire monitor.The first type is the fixed monitor. As the nameimplies, this is a static piece of equipment that isattached permanently to pipework and is carefullypositioned to stand guard over a specific fire risk.The second type of monitor is the mobile monitor,which is most often used to protect a number offire risks. They are the “commandos”; ready to bemoved anywhere they are needed.

As the terms “mobile” implies, they are trailermounted for fast deployment around the site sothey do require a water supply, which is usuallyprovided by hose connection to a hydrant orportable pumps.

So, choosing between fixed monitors or mobileequipment is not straightforward as it may appear.Undeniably, a fixed monitor has the potential to bebrought into action on a particular fire risk muchfaster than a mobile unit that has to be moved,connected to a water supply, aimed and activated.However, the explosion referred to earlier has thevery real potential to disable or destroy the fixedequipment before it has had any chance of extin-guishing the blaze. So depending solely on fixedmonitors may be a high risk strategy.

Conversely, reliance on mobile monitorsinevitably means some delay before firefightingcan commence. It is also imperative that all of thesite’s possible fire scenarios are carefully assessedso that this delay is not extended while, for example,

the most effective positioning of the monitors isdetermined. This requires careful fire planning totake into account the throw characteristics of themonitors, the proximity of hydrants, the need forhoses or pumps and possible wind conditions.Planning, therefore, is not an option – it is essential.

Frequently, the best solution adopted for tankprotection is a combination of fixed and portablemonitors. The fixed monitors act as the first line of defence, while portable monitors are used toprotect bunds, deal with fuel spillages and vapourconcentrations, and cool adjacent fire risks.

Monitors can be operated either manually bythe firefighter or be remotely controlled. Remotelycontrolled monitors enable the firefighter tooperate the equipment at a safe distance from thefire, moving the monitor in both the horizontaland vertical planes and, on the most sophisticatedunits on the market, adjusting the flow, streampattern and throw. IFF


STORAGE TANK FIRE PROTECTION STORAGE TANK FIREFIGHTING

Choosing between fixed

monitors or mobile equipment

is not straightforward as it

may appear. Undeniably, a

fixed monitor has the potential

to be brought into action on a

particular fire risk much faster

than a mobile unit that has to

be moved, connected to a

water supply, aimed and

activated.

FOAMFIGHTS

FIRE

We offer a full range of InternationallyApproved, High Performance, Environ -mentally Compatible Fire Fighting Foams.

Dr. Sthamer HamburgLiebigstrasse 5 · 22113 Hamburg · GermanyPhone +49 40 736168-0, Fax +49 40 736168-60 E-mail: [email protected]

24 / 7 EMERGENCYSUPPLIES PLEASE CALL

+ 49 40 7361680

Both EN1568 1A /1A & LASTFire Tested

www.sthamer.com

Sthamex-AFFF PremiumMoussol-APS Premium

1886 – 2011

w

or ldwide

125Years

Safety requires real-time information and monitoring. The Dräger Bodyguard® 7000 electronic unit is akey element of the Dräger PSS® 7000 personal safety system. It combines innovative ergonomic designwith advanced monitoring and warning features. Dräger Bodyguard® 7000: safety in the palm of yourhand. Interested? Take a look at the innovative system solutions of Dräger under www.draeger.com

Working together for your safety.

1612

-200

9


While the unexpected is expected in theemergency services world, there are twotruths: no two situations are the same;

and never take any situation lightly. On any given day a hazmat unit can be called

into action in potentially harmful conditions, risk-ing exposure to toxic chemicals, poisonous gases,and deadly biological agents. As such, hazmatprofessionals rely on their hazmat suits to protectthem so they can perform confidently and withoutworrying about coming into contact with thesedangerous elements. Since no two situations arethe same, it is crucial to know exactly what thecapabilities of a suit is protection are.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)concerns itself with the unexpected, and hascreated hazmat suit standards so that those whouse the products know exactly how different onesare designed to keep them safe in the hot-zone.The NFPA is the leading authority on fire protec-tion and safety, and being certified to its standardsis considered the pinnacle of hazmat safety.

Although NFPA standards exist for benefit ofthe users, they are often used by manufacturersfor development of hazmat suits as well. There areseveral different categories of hazmat suits – for example, Level A for maximum respiratory and skin protection and Level B for maximum

Spending Lessand GettingMore From YourHazmat SuitExplaining NFPA 1994 and NFPA 1992 and – the certifications of Level B style suitsPeter A. Kirk

Saint-GobainPerformance Plastics

HAZMAT STANDARDS

respiratory and lesser skinprotection – which corres-pond with these standards,bringing options to the user.

Since not all situationsrequire extreme protectionagainst the unknown, Level Bsuits can offer a lower costoption for use in scenarioswith known hazards; depart-ments can save money byavoiding use of a significantlymore expensive Level A suitwhen it is not needed. In thecase of Level B protectiveequipment, there are twoNFPA standards that a usershould look for: NFPA 1994Class 2 (Protective Ensemblesfor First Responders to CBRNTerrorism Incidents) and NFPA 1992 (Liquid Splash-Protective Clothing for Haz-ardous Materials Emergencies).These standards ensure that a user will be protected in awide range of situations.

In today’s economy, cuttingback on expenses and settlingfor less is commonplace, butit has no place in the emer-gency service industry. Justbecause a Level B suit can beselected to save money, itdoes not mean users mustcompromise on the level ofnecessary protection. A LevelB suit, dual-certified to NFPA1994 Class 2 and NFPA 1992is the best option for the bestprice, and offers an enhancedlevel of protection for manydifferent scenarios.

This article details the NFPA1994 Class 2 and NFPA 1992 standards to providea better understanding of what one gets whenusing Level B equipment certified to thesestandards, along with some of the options that areassociated with them

NFPANFPA standards can be traced back to the late19th century with the development of automaticsprinklers. According to the NFPA, when automatic sprinklers were first introduced theyworked well as extinguishing devices when prop-erly installed. However, installation methods andpractices varied widely, hampering their reliability.The solution was to create a centralised set ofuniversal rules for sprinkler installation, so thatcivilians and firefighters were safe no matter thesituation.

NFPA standards represent the highest protectionfor hazmat suits because of the strict requirementsproducts must follow in order to become com-pliant. When a hazmat suit is certified to one ofthe many NFPA standards, it means that it hasgone through hundreds of performance testsfollowing a set of guidelines that have beendeveloped from more than a century of researchand experience in the field.

Not all hazmat suits on the market are created toNFPA standards. But like the poorly installed auto-matic sprinklers, who would want to rely on some-thing that might not be installed properly, or in thesuit is case, one that might not provide neededprotection in the most dangerous scenarios?

NFPA 1992When performing in the hot-zone, it is importantto be focused on the mission at hand, not thesuit’s protection level. NFPA 1992 is one of thelesser utilised standards, as many hazmat teamsconcern themselves with vapour-capable protec-tion when responding to spills. However, it isbeneficial to look for certified NFPA 1992 protec-tion if your department is concerned with liquidchemical exposure.

NFPA 1992 establishes the requirement forchemical liquid splash protection when no chemi-cal vapour hazards exist. To be certified to NFPA1992, the suit goes through rigorous tests toascertain if it will stay intact and work properlywhen put in action. Suit material and seams aretested for chemical permeation against sevendifferent chemicals, and only passes if the rate ofpermeation does not exceed the maximumallowable amount within an hour.


SPENDING LESS AND GETTING MORE FROM YOUR HAZMAT SUITHAZMAT STANDARDS

NFPA 1992 is not limited to hazmat suits. Thesame tests are performed to ensure that glovesand footwear are protected from liquid-splashexposure. Gloves and footwear are also tested forimpact and compression resistance, putting themthrough the same puncture, abrasion, and coldweather tests. On top of that, footwear is alsotested for bending resistance and slip resistance.

NFPA 1992 is designed to protect the useragainst liquid chemical splash, but does not ensureprotection from gaseous chemicals; this can beobserved through its typical configuration, whichis an open faced coverall having a loose fittingbungee style interface to the SCBA mask andbottle on the back. While this design providesessential protection against liquid splashes, theuser is vulnerable to airborne hazards if the suit iscertified to NFPA 1992 only.

NFPA 1994 Class 2The NFPA 1994 standard defines design, testingand performance requirements for protectivegarments used by first responders in a terroristincident involving chemical, biological dangers.There were originally four classes of protectiondefined with this standard, but in the most recentedition (2007) Class 1 was removed and incor-porated into the NFPA 1991 standard (VapourProtective Ensembles for Hazardous MaterialsEmergencies). As a result, Class 2 became thehighest level of protection within the NFPA 1994standard.

A suit that is certified to the NFPA 1994 Class 2standard is used when the agent or threat hasbeen identified and the actual release has sub-sided. Similar to NFPA 1992 ensembles, NFPA1994 Class 2 protects responders from direct con-tact with liquid chemicals. However, unlike NFPA1992 ensembles, a suit certified to NFPA 1994 istested for protection against gaseous chemicals.

NFPA 1994 protective garments are similar inconfiguration to NFPA 1992. However, NFPA 1994Class 2 has the option to be configured as a fully-encapsulated suit with the SCBA and mask on theinside of the hood. In this way, 1994 Class 2 issimilar to the design of NFPA 1991 configured suits.

When a suit is certified to both NFPA standards,it enhances the suits usability because it isacceptable in more situations and will offer moreprotection than ones that only offer a single certi-fication, not to mention requires less storagespace, logistics, and training associated with themanagement of two separate products.

Dual CertificationAs can be seen by the test requirements, the NFPA1994 Class 2 and NFPA 1992 standards are verysimilar in nature. Both ensure users that they will

be protected from chemical contact, addressphysical properties of the materials, and are usedin similar situations. However, it has been a commonpractice for Level B hazmat suits to only featurethe liquid splash protection offered by NFPA 1992,or even no certification at all. This leaves a severegap in the protection level of the suit: high-levelskin protection, mostly due to the decision to savea few dollars.

Believe it or not, many hazmat professionalswho inappropriately use these suits create a falsesense of security by applying tape to critical areasfor sealing mask-suit and glove-suit interfaces.Users commonly wrap duct tape around them toblock obvious chemical passageways. This goesagainst the standardised protection that NFPAstands for.

Thankfully, there are now some suits on themarket that offer certification to both standards.This offers a suit to use in situations that do notrequire a Level A suit, but also one that providesthe liquid splash and gas chemical protection.These suits take those two universal truths veryseriously and make sure users are protected nomatter what.

The suits that offer dual certification, like SaintGobain’s ONESuit Shield, feature a tightly sealedmask interface using a gasket to connect the maskto the hood. The rim of the mask fits flush againsta rubber lining that is built into the suit is hood,stopping gases from flowing into the suit. Not onlydoes this improve the suit is ability to protect the

user, but it also gives the user more visibility and agreater range of motion.

ConclusionNo two situations are the same, and neverapproach a situation lightly. These two universaltruths have shaped the capabilities of hazmatteams and engineering of hazmat technology. TheNFPA has taken this mantra and created standardsso emergency personnel do not need to concernthemselves with anything other than the task athand.

The extensive tests performed to receive certifi-cation to NFPA standards ensure hazmatprofessionals that their protection is not beingtaken lightly. And although no two situations arethe same, using equipment certified to NFPAstandards enables standardised use throughoutthe hazmat industry.

With that being said, it is imperative for hazmatteams to understand the requirements of thesestandards. This not only determines your safetyduring use, but also gives peace of mind while inthe hot-zone because the suit is capabilities andprotection levels are aligned through training inadvance of any response. IFF


SPENDING LESS AND GETTING MORE FROM YOUR HAZMAT SUITHAZMAT STANDARDS

For further information, go towww.protectivesystems.saint-gobain.com

Peter A. Kirk is MarketManager at Saint-GobainPerformance Plastics

NFPA 1992 is designed to protect the user against liquid

chemical splash, but does not ensure protection from gaseous

chemicals; this can be observed through its typical

configuration, which is an open faced coverall having a

loose fitting bungee style interface to the SCBA mask and

bottle on the back.

Let’s WORK.

Let’s mAKe tHeRmAL imAging simpLe.

COMPACT. LIghTwEIghT. PERFORMANCE.Eagle Attack by Scott Safety is a tactical l ightweight thermal imaging camera. Its high resolution design provides users with great image quality and functionality not normally available in l ightweight imagers. Developed for on-the-job rel iabil ity, durabil ity and ease of use, the Eagle Attack imager is one of the l ightest and

most portable imagers in the industry.

TO LEARN MORE VISIT: SCOTTSAFETY.COM

Copyright © 2011 Scott Safety. All Rights Reserved.

Fon: +49 9131 698-0 www.lukas.com


So far the 21st century has witnessed globaldevastation on a scale not seen in livingmemory. Indeed the century was not even a

month old, when there was massive destructiondue to the Gujarat earthquake in India and then ofcourse, came 9/11. On Boxing Day 2004, a 9.1magnitude earthquake off the west coast ofSumatra, Indonesia led to a tsunami, which affect-ed 14 countries. In October 2005, the Kashmirregion of India was hit by a quake. Haiti wasdevastated by an earthquake that hit the island inJanuary 2010 and in 2011 we have also seen NewZealand and Japan hit. Approximately one hourafter the Japan earthquake, a tsunami hit theisland (and affected the wider Pacific region).

This series of high profile natural disasters, andother man made events, are a stark reminder, if itwere needed, that urban search and rescue (USAR)personnel need to be better prepared than everbefore and have the latest equipment to allowthem to perform with maximum safety andsuccess, in these areas of devastation. It also serves

to remind us that USAR is no longer just confinedto rescue from collapsed structures. Due to thetypes of disasters we have seen, USAR teams also have to be proficient in, and have the toolsfor rescue from all types of vehicles and publictransport. Following a tsunami, they have to beprepared for the rescue of persons who could be found in any location.

Rescue ToolsAll USAR operations require specialist tools. Manu-facturers of hydraulic rescue equipment haveworked closely with rescuers to ensure that theadvances in recent years allow teams to operatemore safely and more effectively. The ability forteams to work with well-designed, ergonomic andintelligent equipment means that casualties standa better chance of being located sooner, medicallystabilised and extricated more quickly, whichgreatly increases the chances of survival.

There have been many advances in all types ofrescue equipment designed for USAR operations.

EquipmentDevelopmentsin USAR The physical and emotional burden on USAR personnel deployed anywhere inthe world is enormous. For this reason alone, the equipment they choose mustperform in the toughest of environments. Ian Dunbar

Holmatro

HYDRAULIC RESCUE TOOLS

These changes have come in the form of specifi-cally designed cutters, for the cutting of chain,padlocks and rebar (reinforced steel found inmasonry and concrete as a tensioning device).These are small and can be operated by one handand powered by small, mobile pumps, lightenough to be taken over challenging terrain.

Tools that are designed specifically for crushingconcrete give crews an alternative to the practiceof sawing. This type of tool is silent in operationand creates far less dust during operations, whichimproves the environment for rescue personneland casualties alike. Hand-controlled hydrauliccutters and “combi” tools (combination of spread-ing and cutting) are silent in operation, making thescene safer due to improved communication. Lessnoise also means the increased ability to locatecasualties, maintain contact and perform remotemedical assessments far more effectively.

Rescuers now have more options when it comesto lifting. Hydraulic wedges allow lifting operationsto commence in narrow openings (from an initialheight of 6mm). These wedges can be handcontrolled or powered by a pump. The initial use of the hydraulic wedge can be followed up byhigh pressure airbags, toe jacks and hydrauliccylinders.

The success of change under flow typecouplings for specialist cutters and wedges meanthat the rescuer can have hoses extended to thescene of operations and change tools indepen-dently. This increases the capability of the rescuerin terms of using existing hydraulic tools for USARoperations.

Self-contained tools, whether hand or batteryoperated, are invaluable for use in urban searchand rescue. Not only are they versatile enough todeal with a wide variety of materials, they are alsolight and easily portable. Hand operated tools areideal for work in confined spaces, producing nonoise or emissions. Battery operated tools, withtheir small dimensions, are ideal for use on smallerpolice, fire, ambulance and rescue vehicles. Theyare also ideal for use on rescue helicopters whereweight limits are very important.

Challenging EnvironmentsIt must be remembered that the geographicallocations where USAR teams have to work varygreatly, making logistics difficult at best and nearlyimpossible at worst. The New Zealand earthquakefor instance saw teams located in Christchurch, a

large modern city with well-developed infrastruc-ture (albeit affected by the earthquake). Rescuersin Japan however faced a very different situationin terms of gaining access for personnel andequipment. The nature of the Japanese tsunamimeant that the infrastructure that did exist, wassimply washed away making the availability oflight, self-contained tools, a logistical advantage.

Buildings vary greatly all across the world. Theirdesign, the materials used and the methods ofconstruction employed, all mean that there can beno standard approach to urban search and rescue.It therefore follows that next to specialist equip-ment, USAR teams also need rescue tools versatileenough to deal with the many types of materialsthat will be encountered. It should also be remem-bered that rescue from a collapsed structuremeans not only penetrating the building materials,but also the contents of the structure, whetherthat is furniture, fittings, fabrics or indeed vehicles.

Advances in casualty detection (seismic/acousticlistening devices, canines) mean that casualties arebeing located at greater depths than ever before,both horizontally or vertically. This presents prob-lems in terms of maintaining safe access andegress due to the need to stabilize debris. Becauseof this, emergency shoring is now becoming morecomplex and intelligent systems are invaluable.They must be light, readily deployable and providestructural support in a whole host of situationswhere various heights and spans are required.They must also have options in terms of methodof operation being manual, pneumatic orhydraulic. A great advantage is for your shoringsystem to have a capacity to lift.

ConclusionThe work of urban search and rescue specialists isdifficult enough, but we must also remember thatall of the devastation we have witnessed through-out the first decade of the 21st century hascoincided with the rapid growth of instant media.Twenty-four hour rolling news and smart phonesmean that disasters are now reported on virtuallyas they happen and witnessed on a global scale,adding to the pressure and increasing theexpectancy on rescuers.

The challenge for USAR teams is to constantlymaintain and increase skills and knowledge, whileall the time ensuring they have the latest tools andtechniques to deal with the catastrophic scenesalready witnessed this century. IFF


EQUIPMENT DEVELOPMENTS IN USARHYDRAULIC RESCUE TOOLS

For further information, go towww.holmatro.com

Ian Dunbar is the RescueConsultant at Holmatro


The International Fire & Emergency Training LeaderThe International Fire & Emergency Training Leaderexperience the HEAT

Municipal / Industrial Firefighting Emergency Medical Service Hazardous Materials Response Search & Rescue / USAR Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting Fire & EMS Leadership Fire Officer / Instructor

Marine - Shipboard Firefighting Oil Spill Response Weapons of Mass Destruction Emergency Management / NIMS Incident Command LNG Emergency Response Assessment / Technical Assistance

TEEX trains emergency response personnel from more than 45 countries each year. TEEX trains emergency response personnel from more than 45 countries each year.

Each course can be tailored to meet your exact needs in a variety of areas.Each course can be tailored to meet your exact needs in a variety of areas. Schedule these or any of our 130+ courses today.www.teex.org/fire | 1.866.878.8900

Scan the QR code with your smartphone for more information about this training program.

Don’t have a reader? Search for the best rated QR Code reader in your phone’s app store and download. Then, launch the Reader and hold your phone’s camera facing the code.

C11.C11.CC11.4984 8888 .02.02


In a perfect world, Plan A works, and the sprinklersystem puts out the fire. Before I am accused ofblowing this out of proportion, this does work in

the vast majority of emergencies. But sometimes itdoes not, especially in construction projects wheresuch systems may not be fully operational, and theShanghai Fire Department wanted to be prepared.In the words of our metallurgist, Robert Allen, “Atest is worth a thousand expert opinions.” Theproblem is that tests are hard to come by.

Shanghai has many high rise constructionprojects, some in excess of 100 stories. Such build-ings are becoming more commonplace, while eventaller ones are being built around the world. TheShanghai construction company worked with usto conduct studies that cannot usually be doneonce a building is in operation.

During the construction of this building, astructure with an approximate height of 250meters, we were allowed to conduct tests to verifythe response ability in extreme conditions. I amarbitrarily defining ‘extreme’ as anything over the14th floor. That is a rule of thumb I have heard.

In the United States, automotive vehicles with pumps are generally rated up to 250 psi (~17 bar), according to the standard published bythe National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA 1901).This pressure will allow flows to approximately 178 meters, with no pressure remaining and noallowance for friction loss. If you allow 100 psi

(7 bar) for a usable nozzle pressure, an NFPA 1901pump can push water up 150 psi (10 bar), orabout 100 metres and still have workablepressures. Thirty stories at best.

So when the unthinkable happens, and firesrage uncontrolled at stories far above our range ofreaction, what do we do? It starts with homework.

Fire districts should assess their areas and planfor the unthinkable. It is not pretty, but first wereviewed some recent history. The Philadelphia fireat One Meridian Plaza was a teaching experience.My colleague, Robert Tutterow, has some excellentarticles on some of the difficulties of fighting firesin high rise structures that I would urge you tocheck out.

The tests we performed involved specialisedequipment and custom built apparatus. Not alldepartments are equipped to do what Shanghaidid, nor do they need to, though new responseideas are evolving.

Compressed air foam is a concept I have beenvoicing since it was developed. Our calculationsindicated a usable stream on the top floor withonly 175 psi at ground level. Compressed air foambubbles are lighter than water, and regular rules of thumb do not apply due to that. Whilecompressed air foam bubbles are lighter andcontain less water, the fact that one could moveany water to such a height would be significant.The Shanghai Fire Department, while familiar with

ReachingGreater HeightsHigh rise skyscrapers present particularly difficult firefighting challenges. Recenttests conducted by the Shanghai Fire Department, in conjunction with our DarleyChina Team, have shown remarkable solutions to some of those challenges.Michael C. Ruthy

W.S. Darley & Co

HIGH-RISE PUMPING

compressed air foam, did not want to rely solelyon it for their pumping requirements. They wantedto move water to such a height – plain water – incase the compressed air foam system failed insome way. This required special equipment.

We built the test truck with these operationalrequirements in mind. In order to pump water thishigh, the pump would need to produce 600 psi,or about 42 bar. In order to minimise frictionlosses at reasonable flow rates, a special 75mmhose was located that could operate at these highpressures. Once charged to 100 stories, the watercolumn of such a deployment exerts tremendouspressure at ground level, even when operationsare ceased. Draining the hose lines is a serioussafety concern.

To prepare for this situation, Darley, DarleyChina, and the Shanghai Fire Department workedtogether to utilise a special wye valve that couldoperate at the required operating pressures (42 bar) and provide for a means to drain these lines without danger to the firefighters or to theequipment.

The discharge hose was deployed vertically upthe outside of the structure to its top floor, withspecial precautions taken to ensure no connec-tions would come loose. A loose 75mm hosedischarging at 42 bar could pose serious risks, andeven supporting the hose was a concern. 75mmNH connections were used as similarly sized Stortzconnections were not available in the pressurerange required.

A two-stage pump was employed to deliver thehigh pressure at reasonable engine speeds. Onceeverything was deployed, the pump was startedup, and within minutes, two nozzles were dis-charging at the top floor. The result was a successin that it proved ‘Proof of Concept’, though alladmit in an actual fire scene, such a deploymentcould prove difficult. Access to the upper floorsmay be compromised, and having the properequipment available to attempt such a knockdown would be an obvious issue. Deployment ofthis equipment would require significant man-power and time, during which the fire couldescalate. That said, being able to do so, even in acontrolled environment, gave the Shanghai FireDepartment encouragement that they had atested way to attack such fires.

There are other means available to jurisdictionsthat may need to respond to such fires, though

again, I must stress the importance of beingprepared. Such resources must be identified aheadof time and plans developed for how they mightbe used. One such system is an almost unbeliev-able concept: The Helicopter Pumper.

This concept is not new, and is actually beingsold in several countries. As radical as it sounds, ahelicopter equipped with about 2,500 litres ofwater and an engine driven pump, in this case anaircraft quality Rotax engine with 64 HP (50kW),can present amazing firefighting capabilities and isproven technology. Helicopters can rise far furtherthan fire departments can pump, and can directthe water stream into the building with more flexi-bility and speed than a deployed line can allow.Our OEM customer, Kanrus Co. in Kansas, USA, isspecialised in this type of response, for both highrise applications and forestry needs, among others.Several videos on the internet are available to gainsome familiarity in how these systems might beused. There is a lot of potential to their approach.

Finally, I would like to draw attention to a classof new products that are currently coming avail-able to the market: drone or remote controlledsurveillance aircraft. Such equipment was availablefor demonstration at last year’s fire show in Leipzig(Interschutz 2010) and has been increasing incapabilities ever since.

Several manufacturers now make such devices.Some of these are adaptations of toys, which Icould not recommend. Some devices are highlyengineered specifically for the fire service andcould suit multiple purposes.

Most consist of a small remote helicopterdesign, perhaps one- meter in diameter, which canrelay fire ground information back to the com-mand post in real time. Many are equipped withsophisticated instrumentation and capabilities. Adrone helicopter can fly to any story of a high risebuilding, and with infra-red cameras, determinewhich floors are in danger. Similarly, it couldimprove rescue efforts for lost hikers in a forest.The type we have shown can be equipped with not only HD live video, but thermal imaging,radiation and hazmat detection, and a host ofother features. Many manufacturers offer productslike these, with various levels of sophistication tosuit a department’s needs.

With built in stability control (units will maintaintheir location, through GPS, within about a one-meter radius, unattended), ‘come home’ capabilities(one touch return or a ‘low battery’ signal flies itback the operator the way it came), and a viewingeyepiece to direct flight and observation with onlya turn of the operator’s head, I predict these will become indispensable tools for firefighting in many applications. We have demonstrateddistances as far as five kilometres and heightsbeyond the tallest skyscraper yet to be built. Itmight not be able to fight the fire, but knowingwhere the fire lies is information to be used.

The world is getting taller. Cities are gettingtaller. Physics is not changing, though how wefight fires is. We need to adapt our responseprocedures for the new conditions confronting us.Fortunately, we have solutions available thatwould have been ludicrous even a decade ago.Jurisdictions with high rise buildings have newtools with which to prepare for the unthinkable.After looking at what Shanghai has done,preparation is the key tool. IFF


REACHING GREATER HEIGHTSHIGH-RISE PUMPING

For further information, go towww.darley.com

Michael C. Ruthy is VicePresident of Engineering atWS Darley Company’s PumpDivision


Mobile command and communicationsvehicles play a critical role with specialisedemergency response teams to manage,

organise and monitor incidents – such as majorfires and natural disasters – over long periods oftime. These mobile command centres ofteninclude radio and video equipment, space forpersonnel and conference rooms, as well asstorage areas for equipment. Fire departments,law enforcement departments, and other govern-mental agencies are typical customers for this typeof vehicle.

The most significant trend in this market mayhave more to do with the customer than with theaccelerating changes in technology. Today, cus-tomers are much more in tune with what theyneed,” says Bill Proft, senior chief engineer andmarket manager for Pierce Manufacturing ofAppleton, Wisconsin, USA. “They understand thetechnology a lot better than they did even a fewyears ago, and they know what their needs are.Customers are coming to us a lot more educatedabout the technologies and the capabilities theywant in their mobile command vehicle.”

Mobile Command CapabilitiesA mobile command and communications vehicle isdesigned to serve a wide range of requirements,and may contain the following types of featuresand technologies: ● The latest radio, video, surveillance, and

communications systems to help emergencyresponse leaders manage any emergency.

● Command and communications equipmentthat is organised for optimal use. This equip-ment should be stored in easily accessible areas,such as above command workstations.

● Slide-out command areas that contain room forpersonnel, equipment storage and conferencerooms. These slide-out rooms can greatlyincrease interior space for meetings andconferences.

● Exterior-facing video and communicationsequipment for incident command meetingsthat are built into the body and shielded fromthe elements with a well-insulated compart-ment door.

● Telescopic light, weather, and surveillanceequipment with the ability to pull in vital datawhile illuminating an emergency scene for longperiods of time.

● Interiors that are designed to maximiseflexibility.

Types of VehiclesMobile command vehicles are built on a wideselection of custom or commercial chassis typesand sizes to accommodate a range of customerrequirements. These include everything from smallcommercial to large custom chassis, givingcustomers the flexibility to design a vehicle thatfits its unique requirements and available budget.“We build command vehicle with bodies that run from 4.3 metres to 10.4 metres long, andeverything in between,” states Proft. “Somedepartments and agencies don not need to carry12 people and lots of equipment on board, so amore compact vehicle is the correct choice. Andwith today’s electronics, you can fit a lot ofcomponentry into a relatively small space.”

A wide range of emergency vehicle types canincorporate mobile command capability functions.“Other types of emergency vehicles, such asHazMat apparatus, may have an area inside the

Command andCommunicateFire and rescue command and communication vehicles come in an everincreasing number of shapes, sizes and configurations, reflecting the trend oftailoring each vehicle to the particular user’s precise needs.Kevin Brandes

COMMAND & CONTROL VEHICLES

body or cab that accommodates a small laboratory,as well as a space that features a computernetwork and an external video camera to helpmonitor a scene,” says Proft. “In fact, you caninclude those capabilities on any custom rescuevehicle – with a small command area in the crewcab with, for example, weather monitoring andvideo capabilities.”

When it comes to engineering and buildingmobile command units, Pierce often works togetherwith sister company, Frontline Communications ofClearwater, Florida. “When a sales representativesubmits a mobile command vehicle specification toour team, we determine the optimal buildingprocess based, in part, on the electronics require-ments,” states Proft. “If the customer’s require-ments include sophisticated communicationselectronics – such as connecting radios, cellphones, satellite phones, and other components –we call on Frontline’s expertise. They design manyintegrated mobile communications systems. Front-line operates exclusively in that domain, and has tremendous expertise because of its work inengineering sophisticated, mobile television net-work broadcast vehicles. When we collaboratewith Frontline Communications, it is a powerfulcombination.”

Listening and Staying on the CuttingEdgeThe engineering and building process for a customvehicle manufacturer should begin with findingout as much as possible about the customer’sneeds. “It is primarily a matter of listening to whatthe customer wants to do,” says Proft. “A manu-facturer needs to understand the requirements,and have a process in place to bring it together ina vehicle. That is the approach we take with every-thing on the truck. Not just the electronics, butalso the cab, body and chassis. ‘How are yougoing to use this truck?’ ‘What do you need tocarry in the vehicle?’ ‘How many people need tobe inside, and how do they interface with oneanother?’ All these play a role in what type ofvehicle will do the best possible job. We havemany different products, and we can configureone to meet a customer’s specific requirements. Itis not always easy but, if you are a true custombuilder, that is what you need to do.”

With the explosion of new technologies, vehiclemanufacturers need to focus resources on how tointegrate these new products into their offerings.“We help our customers stay abreast of newcapabilities,” Proft explains. “The technologiescontinue to improve, such as video cameras andhigh definition electronics. And we have a personwhose responsibilities include sourcing and man-aging the development of these new products and accessories. He is constantly searching for new technologies, and works together with ourcolleagues at Frontline to make them available toour customers.”

A Gentle Reminder about theSuspensionWith expensive and sensitive electronics on board,a vehicle manufacturer needs to focus a lot ofenergy on the chassis and suspension that oftencarry these capabilities into rough and/or off-roadconditions. Available chassis technologies, such as Pierce’s TAK-4 independent front suspension,

provide a smoother ride for personnel andsensitive electronics. “With command centres,independent front suspension is a definite plus,”says Proft. “It gives a far better ride quality than a straight axle suspension. It also offers othersignificant benefits, such as a shorter stoppingdistance.”

An independent front suspension also gives thevehicle an increased weight carrying capability.“Departments sometimes tend to specify a toolight or too heavy axle on the front and rear end,”says Proft. “It is very important to incorporateaxles that are properly sized for the application.There are cases where, for example, you have aheavier stainless steel body and carry lots of equip-ment on board. In these cases, the more capableindependent front suspension is a big plus.”

The rear suspension components receive anequal measure of attention. “We always recom-mend an air ride suspension on the rear as it willhelp cushion the sensitive equipment,” statesProft. “If you are carrying $200,000 worth ofelectronics on the vehicle, the last thing you wantto do is bump and jar it going down the road ormaneuvring off-road in an emergency. A stiffsuspension may be too much, and you have tolook at weight balance and make sure you are notover sprung or under sprung on both axles.”

Example at Work: Frisco CommandVehicle Pierce recently built a custom command centrevehicle for the Frisco, Texas Fire Departmentlocated directly north of Dallas, Texas. This vehicleis possibly the most advanced mobile commandcentre the company has ever produced.

Among its many technologies, the apparatus isequipped with highly advanced video streamingcapabilities. The system enables the mobile com-mand centre to receive live streaming video feedsfrom any of the security cameras located withinthe city’s 36 schools. This capability allows firstresponders access to live video from inside schoolsand the ability to share this footage with thedepartment’s Emergency Operations Centre and allfirst responders.


COMMAND AND COMMUNICATECOMMAND & CONTROL VEHICLES


RESQTEC, THE CHOICE SINCE 1971A NEW GENERATION OF RESCUE EQUIPMENT

“ALL YOU NEED FOR HEAVY RESCUE”

RESQTEC is the developer, producer and seller of rescue equipment since 1971. With a lot of innovations, among

them the Confined space cutter, NT lifting bags, Aircraft recovery system R2s and the all new Octopus system,

we know what we are talking about in rescue! Contact us for a full range brochure or check our new website!

AN EXPERT KNOWS, IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTROL...

Meer en Duin 82, 2163 HC Lisse

the Netherlands

T +31 (0) 252 419002

F +31 (0) 252 411794

E [email protected]

W www.resqtec.com

H E A V Y R E S C U E S Y S T E M

TM

The same live streaming video capability isavailable through feeds from all 200 of the city’s“pan-tilt-zoom” traffic monitoring cameras. Thisenables the department to pinpoint and assessstorm damage or other emergency informationmore quickly and accurately to provide citizenswith a new level of service and support.

The vehicle is built on the Pierce Velocity chassiswith TAK-4 independent front suspension, 450-hpengine, and a 62,800 GVW rating. Other featuresand capabilities include a 10.5-metre long (2.23-metre interior walkway height) aluminiumwalk-in command body with three slide-out mod-ules for additional room inside when deployed atan emergency scene. The vehicle has a conferenceroom with six workstations – two with full dispatchcapabilities. Total interior floor space with slide- outrooms extended is more than 30 square metres.

On board communications equipment includesa video teleconferencing system and an 800 digitalradio system to provide interoperable communica-tions among all responders. The unit has 20 video display screens throughout the apparatus,including a one-metre screen mounted outside thevehicle for incident team briefings.

Imaging equipment on the vehicle includesportable thermal imaging camera receivers, amast-mounted thermal imaging camera and mastmounted High Definition (HD) camera to quicklyassess emergency situations.

Example at Work: Northern IllinoisThe Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) isa joint venture of suburban municipal policedepartments surrounding the Chicago metropoli-tan area. NIPAS offers services that the individualdepartments cannot alone afford to provide theirrespective communities.

The Pierce command vehicle is deployed to inci-dents such as search warrants, hostage situations,large-scale events and even dignitary protection.The vehicle is typically deployed with a single driverwho drives the vehicle from its central location tocarry all of the required gear to the scene.

What is on board is an impressive list ofcapabilities designed to make NIPAS more effectiveand efficient. Behind the driver is a command

area, which has six radios and all the frequenciesfrom the 65 active NIPAS communities and state-wide interoperability frequencies. The unit has thecapability to become a secondary command postin the event the team has multiple simultaneousemergencies occurring.

Once on a scene, the vehicle has a dedicatedarea for interviewing people that are involved withthe situation – a place for the agency’s negotia-tions personnel to speak to them in a controlledenvironment. As a support unit for the EmergencyServices Team, the vehicle needs to carry a widearray of equipment, including ballistic shields ofevery kind and a wide assortment of lightingequipment to meet specialised needs. The vehicleis designed to allow teams to work more effectivelyand safely, and has additional compartment spaceto accommodate future equipment needs.

Example at Work: North HudsonRegional Fire & RescueNorth Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue serves thecitizens of North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken,West New York and Guttenburg, New Jersey. Thisregion, situated directly across the Hudson Riverfrom New York City, is the most densely populatedarea in the United States, with high rise buildings,bridges, the Lincoln Tunnel, light rail lines, railroads,industrial and commercial structures, shoppingcentres, congested highways and hazardousmaterials storage.

North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue recentlypurchased a Pierce mobile command vehicle tosupport its fire suppression, rescue services, marinedivision and HazMat services teams. The vehicle isbuilt on a commercial chassis and features a com-pact 5.5-metre body. The unit includes 1.9 metresof interior walkway height, a conference area, fourworkstations, computer network, six line telephonenetwork, satellite system, audio/video system withLCD monitor and 4-channel DVR, electronics rack,exterior awning and a light tower.

As these examples demonstrate, the capabilitiesof today’s mobile command vehicles are quite extra-ordinary. And as technology evolves and the servicesthat first responders undertake expand, so too willthe capabilities of mobile command vehicles. IFF


COMMAND AND COMMUNICATECOMMAND & CONTROL VEHICLES

For further information, go towww.piercemfg.com

Kevin Brandes is a U.S.based technical editorspecialises in fire andemergency products andtechnologies

MAGIRUSFIREWALL

You ask for extreme demands. We supply the solutions. IVECO MAGIRUSoffers you a complete range of vehicles: turntable ladders, telesopic masts,multi-function and firefighting vehicles – our Firewall is at your service.

[email protected]

IVEC

O M

AG

IRU

S B

rand

schu

tzte

chni

k G

mbH

• G

raf-

Arc

o-S

tras

se 3

0 •

D-8

9079

Ulm

• w

ww

.ivec

o-m

agir

us.n

et

Nano technology provides

wide versatility and excellent mobility !

6.9mm diameter Camera Head

with 360° look-a-round articulation

Intuitive Camera Head Control

b y Jo y Stic k Lever

YONE CORPORATION 23 NISHINAKAAICHO, NISHINOKYO,

KYOTO CITY, 604-8441 JAPAN

TEL: +81 75 821 1185 FAX:+81 75 801 2263

www.yone-co.co.jp

-

H700×L370 mm / 3.3kg

nano-cam Handy

PROEYE 991-NH

Camera Head allows operators

to insert it into holes as small as 7mm dia. or cracks and find victims

who are trapped in confined areas.

The Camera Head is designed as IP67

waterproof and can be used into water and oil.

nano-cam Handy

Two Way Audio Communication is available.

NAKAGYOU-KU,


Naturally enough, King Stefan and QueenLeah were horrified when the baby PrincessAurora (alias ‘Sleeping Beauty’), was cursed

by Maleficent. On her 16th birthday, Aurora woulddie after pricking her finger on a spinning wheelspindle, what should they do? Clearly the idealsolution might have been to deal with Maleficentand her like and put an end to cursing all together.However, since Maleficent had the powers of awicked witch, we have to excuse Stefan for optingfor the regulatory route and for dealing with thethreatening object rather than with the complexi-ties and uncertainties of the individual. All spinningwheels in the kingdom were duly burned!

In the real world we face risks of all kinds thatwe would like to mitigate, but here is the dilemma;like the fabled spinning wheel, every day objectslike iron frying pans, pointy sticks and even afrozen legs of lamb (according to Roald Dahl) areall potentially dangerous or even deadly weapons.Whether or not there is actually any risk involveddepends entirely on whose hands these potentialweapons are in.

The trends and outcomes in modern risk man-agement appear surprisingly similar to those inSleeping Beauty. In attempting to eliminate risk,the human factor is left languishing in the ‘toodifficult basket’, becoming marginalised by apreference for procedural solutions; rulebooks,checklists, regulation of all kinds and a labyrinth oflegislation. This is not of course because humanfactors are daunting in the Maleficent sense, butthey are daunting in their complexity and their

obscurity. We have been at a loss to know how toget to grips with the human risk factors, butrecent research into personality and Risk Type ismaking an important contribution.

Financial events provide their own modernmorality tale as the total failure of all safeguardsagainst excessive risk lead to the near disintegra-tion of the world economy. Terms like ‘toxic debt’,‘rogue banker’ and ‘Frankenstein bonds’ havemade it from the financial and business pages intothe tabloids and into our daily lives. Risk taking is,of course, at the very core of the problem. How-ever, even though the perpetrators of financialchaos are easily identifiable, we don’t tend to ask‘what is it about these people that allowed themto do it?’ ‘What human chemistry was responsiblefor such delusions of indestructibility?’ ‘How didthe once staid and sober bankers turn into greeddriven Geckos of Wall Street?’

And what is going on in the emergency services? Angry headlines following the 2005 London

bombings highlighted the delay in firefightersreaching the trapped and dying victims deepunderground, leaving shocked and woundedpassengers to help each other. In 2007, an inquestheard how police community support officersstood by while a ten-year-old boy drowned in apond in Wigan in the UK. Senior officers with theGreater Manchester force, which employed them,said they acted “correctly”, citing health andsafety restrictions by way of explanation.

In another incident a volunteer coast guardsaved the life of a 13 year old who had fallen onto

Tales of Riskand HeroismRisk management practices cannot be fully effective when they are solelypreoccupied with procedures, while ignoring the risk taking nature of theindividuals involved. Geoff Trickey

PsychologicalConsultancy

RISK MANAGEMENT

a cliff ledge in gale force winds. In spite of hiscourage and initiative he was criticised for breech-ing Health and Safety regulations and ‘underimmense pressure’ resigned his post. And, morerecently, a 51-year-old village post woman of 21years service was suspended from duty after cling-ing to the bonnet of her van in a ‘courageous’ bidto stop a thief driving off with the mail. She hasbeen threatened with the sack.

Meanwhile, the UK public has been as promi-nent as ever on the front line. One headline reads,“Hero students leap into river to save drowningwoman as police officers refuse to help”. Checkout too the extraordinary and unforgettableYouTube video clip of pensioner Ann Timson(dubbed Supernan) tackling six armed raiders withher swinging handbag and driving them off emptyhanded.

Of course, these accounts of over cautiousemergency services, of heroes facing dismissal andof the general public taking on the criminals allhave the same underlying theme; the spontaneousimpulse of people to come to the assistance ofothers in peril with absolute conviction and with-out concern for their own safety. Many others, ofcourse, would have cowered or run for it – butthat is the simple reality about the diversity ofresponses to risk across the spectrum of humannature.

The contrast between have-a-go members ofthe public and the procedural approach of emer-gency services looks like a fundamental disconnectin the fabric of modern life. Both heroism andHealth and Safety are concerned with the protec-tion or rescue of those under threat or in distress.The question raised by the above examples iswhether, in our management of health and safety,we may increasingly be trying to pursue opposingand incompatible objectives within the emergencyservices and in relation to public expectations? Inshort, is the Health and Safety approach beingtaken to counterproductive extremes? Someclearly believe it is.

In the children’s story ‘Wendle’s Workshop’, aningenious mouse invents robots and much else.The Wendlebot was designed to tidy the work-shop, which it does very effectively, but then itcannot be stopped. By the time it is finallydestroyed it has reduced everything in sight to tidypiles of powder or useless fragments. It then setsout to tidy the world. Maybe Health and Safetyhas become a Wendlebot? Having carried out itsinitial task very well, but now out of control, itpersists to create a topsy-turvy world, preoccupiedwith form filling, box ticking and paralysing riskanalysis? Apparently, the present UK government

is concerned. Lord North has been overseeing areview of Health and Safety regulations and the UK Prime Minister recently pledged to freeemergency services from senseless heath andsafety rules.

King Stefan and Queen Leah failed to stop thewitch, the emergency services procedures do notstop people being heroic (just parts of the emer-gency services) and the FSA regulation of thefinance sector did not prevent the excesses of thefinancial meltdown. Human factor risk is achallenge and is hard to get to grips with, buttotal reliance on procedures and regulations simplydoesn’t cut it. Heroes will be heroes, chancers will be chancers and the anxious will be fearful.Managers have to manage and leaders have tolead and that means making judgements anddecisions and not abdicating that responsibility orhiding behind a fog of spuriously systematic ornumeric procedures. Solutions have to work fromhonourable principles and personal responsibilities.Managers need to know their people, theirstrengths and their limitations and to train,support and deploy them appropriately.

If this all sounds rather one sided, there clearlyis an important place for the regulatory approach.If there is a problem with current practices, it isthat regulation has become too influential and aneasy way of avoiding real issues about individualdifferences. The truth about risk is that individualsreally are fundamentally different in their propensityfor risk. They differ in their Risk Type, in their risk attitudes in their risk tolerance and in thedegree to which they expose others to risk. Thesedifferences are the problem, in so far as the impul-sive, the carefree, the adventurous all push thelimits in terms of the risks they are inclined to takeand the risks they expose others to, but they are

also part of the solution. Any enterprise needs risktakers. They drive business and they drive theeconomy as well as pushing the frontiers in thearts, sciences and technology. Creativity, entrepre-neurism and heroism, all involve taking risks –indeed any investment of time, effort or moneyinvolves risk. Risk is as ubiquitous as the air webreathe.

The challenge for managers must be to deployrisk types appropriately, to achieve the appropriatebalance of risk types within any group, at the levelof the team, the department or the organisation.This has been difficult to achieve because thehuman risk landscape has been virtually invisible.Look across the room, or out of the window, oracross the crowded rush hour train carriage; there


TALES OF RISK AND HEROISMRISK MANAGEMENT

The question is whether, in our

management of health and

safety, we may increasingly be

trying to pursue opposing and

incompatible objectives within

the emergency services and in

relation to public expectations?

The truth about risk is that

individuals really are

fundamentally different in their

propensity for risk. They differ

in their Risk Type, in their risk

attitudes in their risk tolerance

and in the degree to which

they expose others to risk.

• Handle All Hose From1 3/4� To 7 1/4� LDH

• No One Rides or Standson Moving Rigs EVER!

• Never Lift LDH Rolls!

• Used by municipal,industrial and militaryfirefighters all around

the world

Scan QR code withyour smart phone!

is a lot to take in terms of individual differences,but zero information about their dispositiontowards risk. Some will undoubtedly be crazy hot-heads; up for any kind of wacky adventure,others will be so risk averse that they are per-manently anxious and fearful and will worry andfret themselves through their working day. Thesefundamental differences in temperament need tobe recognised and harnessed.

Personality research reveals eight Risk Types;types whose underlying temperament establishesa persistent bias towards very different percep-tions, expectations and behavioural responses. Thiskind of analysis has the potential to make thehuman risk landscape visible; to provide avocabulary that facilitates planning, research anddiscussion about human factor risk. These areimportant steps in getting to grips with humanfactor risk and towards redressing the balancewith the regulatory approach.

In the Sleeping Beauty story, the regulatorystrategy; the banning of all spinning wheels, failsto save the heroine but the effects of the curse aremoderated by Merryweather, the good fairy, whowas able to influence the impact of the wickedwitch Maleficent, for our purposes, the personifi-cation of human factor risk. Recent and currentworld events dramatically highlight the potencyand potential destructiveness of risk mismanage-ment. To achieve a Merryweatherian moderatingeffect, we need to understand and address thehuman risk factor. A greater understanding of theroots of risk taking in the temperament of the

individual must be of central importance. To suc-ceed we need the capability of making morestrategic management decisions about who werely on for what, which combinations of risk typesis optimal for any circumstance and wherethroughout the organisation the various risk typesare currently positioned.

Type Definitions● Spontaneous

Uninhibited and excitable, this Risk Type enjoysthe spontaneity of unplanned decisions. Theyare attracted to risk like moths to a flame, butare distraught when things go wrong. Theirpassion and imprudence make them excitingbut unpredictable.

● IntenseThe Intense Type tends to be highly strung, pes-simistic and nervous about any threat to theirequilibrium. In extreme examples, personal rela-tionships and decision-making can become anemotional minefield. Passionate and self-criticalby nature, they react strongly to disappoint-ment, taking it personally when things don’twork out.

● WarySelf-disciplined and cautious of risk, the Wary Type is organised but unadventurous andputs security at the top of the agenda. They willbe drawn to the idea of securing their futurebut anxious that however well somethingworked for others, in their case it will gowrong.


RISK MANAGEMENT

● PrudentVery self-controlled and detailed in their plan-ning, the Prudent Type is organised, systematic,conservative and conforming. Conventional intheir approach, they prefer continuity to varietyand are most comfortable sticking to what theyknow.

● DeliberateSelf-confident, systematic and compliant, theDeliberate Type tends to be unusually calm andoptimistic. They experience little anxiety andtackle risk and uncertainty in a business-like and unemotional way. They never walk intoanything unprepared.

● ComposedThe Composed Type is cool headed, calm andoptimistic, but at the extreme may seem almostoblivious to risk and unaware of its effect onothers. They take everything confidently in theirstride, seem quite imperturbable and managestress well.

● AdventurousThe Adventurous Type is both impulsive andfearless. At the extreme, they combine a deeplyconstitutional calmness with high impulsivityand a willingness to challenge tradition andconvention. Intrepid and never discouraged,they quickly rebound from any setback.

● CarefreeSpontaneous and unconventional, the CarefreeType is daring, excitement seeking and some-times reckless. Not good at detail or carefulpreparation, they often seem unclear abouttheir objectives. Their impatience and impru-dence can lead to hasty and unwise decisions.

● TypicalIndividuals who show none of the extremes thatcharacterise other Risk Types are classified as‘Typical’. Because they score close to the centrethey will not naturally be exceptionally prudentor unusually reckless, neither will they beparticularly emotional or extremely calm. Anypronounced risk-taking behaviours will likely be due to attitudes developed from specificexperiences. IFF


TALES OF RISK AND HEROISM

Take the Survey – Discover Your OwnRisk Type

International Fire Fighter would like to invite you to participate in our survey. Complete thequestionnaire and you will receive a detailedreport about your risk type, your risk attitude andyour risk tolerance.

How to take part in our Risk TypeSurvey:1 Go to http://www.psy-key.com2 Choose ‘Online Assessments’3 Enter access code: “firefighter”4 Follow the on-screen instructions

To get more information about the Risk-Type Compass, visit www.psychological-consultancy.com

For further information, go to www.psychological-consultancy.com

Geoff Trickey is Managing Director of PsychologicalConsultancy Ltd

UnbeatableFor sewage water with

Ø 80 mm solids passage and full motor-protection

www.mast-pumpen.de

The powerful ATP20 400V and ATP20R 400V

are designed for the most demanding sewage

applications with high solids content. With the

unique MAST MD-Electronic System, the pump

is protected against all environmental incidents.

It has an accurate sense of rotation, is protected

against phase failure, overload, low voltage and

even the shaft seal is monitored by a micro

controller.


At the end of the 1980s, Hytrans Systemsdeveloped a mobile water supply system that was a water transport system without

draft problems. The high volume (submersiblepump) was called the HydroSub, which basically isa hydraulic-driven submersible pump that is fed via60 meters of hydraulic hose and a diesel drivenpower pack. This enables the submersible pump tobe hand carried to locations where it is impossibleto use standard suction pumps due to the limitedlength of the suction lines.

Although developed in cooperation with theDutch Home Office, its main task was providingfirefighting water and, as such, the system neededto be mobile and had to be capable of beingdeployed with a minimum amount of effort andtime and as few personnel as possible. Quickdeployment is usually not a necessity duringfloods, but it does come in handy when a numberof smaller flood planes or cellars need to beemptied. The standard system HydroSub 150 willprovide 3500 litres a minute, with a pressure of 10 bar. This means that transporting this amountof water can be done over more than 2500 metersthrough a single 150mm hose and still haveenough pressure left to fill a tanker vehicle.

Preventing a flood is, of course, always the bestoption, but unfortunately there will always be aflood in some place where it was not expected.Flooding can have a serious impact on both theeconomy and the environment of any country; itdisrupts businesses by blocking roads, floodsoffices, damages or destroys vehicles. The water isoften contaminated and this presents a real dangerto the environment and the public health. To min-imise the impact, reducing or clearing the effects

of a flood is of prime importance and the rightmaterial needs to be selected to help achieve this.

The problem when trying to drain a floodedplain is usually access to the water; roads mayhave been damaged or become unstable, prevent-ing big stationary pumping systems from beingtransported to the location by heavy trucks.Another problem is that most pumps rely on asuction line that connects the water to the pump.Sucking water has its limits and a maximum draftof 7.5 meters is the result.

Due to the increasing demand for mobile superhigh volume pumps, to reduce the impact offloods, the Flood Module was developed as anadd-on system for the HydroSub 150. This allowsthe same HydroSub 150 to drive three floodpumps and generate a capacity of 50,000 litres aminute (lpm). This entire system – Hydrosub andFlood module – fits into one frame and can easilybe transported and handled by means of oneprime mover with a hook arm facility.

Because of its flexibility and the fact that it is atotal solution, in addition to the pumps, hoselayers, hoses and hose recovery unit are usedincreasingly by industrial firefighters, appreciatingthe advantages of mobile high volume watertransport systems. The Hytrans fire system hasproven to be very effective during incidents such as the Buncefield oil terminal fire in the UK,the Dalian pipeline explosion in China and,recently, the Fukushima Nuclear reactor disaster in Japan. This is due to their high capacity, quickdeployment, easy operating, modular configura-tion and flexibility. Furthermore they can also beused as a backup system if the fire main is underconstruction or shut down for maintenance. With

Evolution of theHigh Volume PumpHigh Volume Pumping, and particularly mobile high volume pumpingequipment, has developed tremendously in the past 20 years.Johan Kramer

Hytrans Systems

HIGH VOLUME PUMPINGFlood Module

a mobile system standby the production does nothave to be stopped and safety is guaranteed.

Besides a fast deployment, it is also a “must” torecover the system quickly. Most firefighters say thatonce the fire is extinguished they have all the timein the world to recover the used equipment. How-ever if you look at training on the system, it isessential to make recovery quick and easy. Whentraining is easy, it will be done more often and thiswill lead to more skilled people. The more trainingthe better prepared for action during a real incident.

As storage tanks increased in diameter thedemand for more water and higher pressure grewwith it. This resulted in not only the developmentof much bigger pump units, but also in enlargingthe diameter of the hoses to reduce friction lossover long distance; hose recovery units that areable to handle large diameter hose up to 300mm.


300mm hose with 300mm Multi Lug coupling

HydroSub 150 with a 50,000 lpm Flood Module

The largest unit in the Hytrans fire systemproduct range at the moment is the HydroSub1200, which has a capacity of 30,000 lpm at 12bar. Due to the use of hydraulic driven submersiblepumps there is no draft loss and therefore thiscapacity is also reached at a pump lift of 15meters. The 60 meter of hydraulic lines allows youto get to the water in almost any situation.

As mobile high volume pumps are more andmore used for direct firefighting it was necessary todevelop a foam injection unit that is vey accurateand can deal with these high flows. The PowerFoamcan be either integrated in the large HydroSubs orsupplied as a stand alone unit. The latter can beplaced at any convenient point in the water line.

Due to the hydraulic driven foam gear pumpand the accurate water flow measuring, the exactamount of foam concentrate is added to thewater flow. Foam setting can be done from zeroand six percent in increments of 0.1 percent. Thesystem works in such a way that it is fully indepen-dent from pressure and water flow and adaptsautomatically if there is fluctuation. Accurate foammixing is the result. It also features a return linethat allows you to return the foam concentrateback to the container during training sessions.Training on the entire foam setting of the unit, aswell as the foam logistics, can be carried outwithout wasting precious and expensive foam.

Mobile high volume pumping was, is and willbe constantly developing in order to get bigger,better, faster and lighter equipment to helpfirefighters fulfill their tough job. IFF


EVOLUTION OF THE HIGH VOLUME PUMP HIGH VOLUME PUMPING

For further information, go towww.hytransfiresystem.com

Johan Kramer is SalesManager at Hytrans Systems

Digital Editions of International Fire Protection, AsiaPacific Fire & International Fire Fighter Magazines.Featuring ...

● Live fast page turning software ● Free .pdf download of Digital Edition pages ● Comprehensive Search facility within each Digital

Edition● Email articles and advertisement pages to your

contacts● Easy zoom In/Out

The site is split into three easy to navigate portals, one for each title therefore you only have toview the areas of the fire industry that really interest you.

Each portal contains.....

● Live video streams – These maybe technology based, informational or instructional.

● Latest feature articles – updated regularly, this area will offer you a taste of the fullDigital Edition.

● Latest news stories, topical news, plus new technology and product releases.Updated Weekly.

● Free Online Subscriptions – Subscribe/Register to the Digital or Print Editions online.

● Free Newsletter Subscription – Monthly newsletters from each Magazine withinformation on news and articles.

● Events Calendar – A comprehensive list of fire related conferences andexhibitions. You can even upload your own event direct to the website.

● Product Blog – An opportunity for manufacturers to place a productblog to which subscribers may ask their questions direct to acompany representative.

● Media Pack – A downloadable edition of our Media Pack andEditorial Calendars.

● Magazine Archive – A full back catalogue of old editions availableto view digitally or download for free.

● Social Network Connections – We have branded Twitter,Facebook & LinkedIn pages that will be updated weekly.Information will be posted to our friends and followers on theseforums to keep you up to speed.

Visit:www.mdmpublishing.com

Register on-line for free print magazine and E-Newsletter subscription

MDM Publishing Ltd.W O R L D W I D E M E D I A

Simply The Bestwww.mdmpublishing.com


There are several different levels of rope rescueand working at height capabilities withinHampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS).

The current procedures have been in place since2003 and ensure that we carry out our work safely and comply with the UK Work at HeightRegulations.

All firefighters within HFRS are trained and ableto set up safe working at height systems whileattending fires or effecting rescues. The full timefire crews also have additional skills and equip-ment to be able to affect rescues from height by putting people in suspension, but with thelimited capability of 50-metre ropes and simplemechanical advantage systems for raising.

The Technical Rope Section consists of membersfrom the HFRS Urban Search and Rescue Team,which provides a technical rope rescue capabilitythat works in conjunction with the fire crews’systems. There are 12 members in the section withfour being on call at any one time. Members ofthe team live across the county and mobilise directto incidents from home or their place of work. The shift cover is for a two week period on call,

followed by two weeks off, followed by twoweeks on ‘second’ call for large scale incidents.

The Technical Rope Section can mobilise toincidents where a rope rescue is already in progressand compliment the systems already in use withadditional capability. If required, we can addtripods, deviations, cable ways and mechanicaladvantage systems, plus other equipment to therope systems already in use without having todisconnect or change what is already in place. TheTechnical Rope Section also provides additionaloperational capabilities in several areas, such as:● Specialised advice to an incident commander

regarding the existing and anticipated use ofsafe working at height or rope rescue systemsby fire crews.

● Advice at incidents where safe working atheight systems need to be created for work onroof tops and on edges.

● Work in suspension on 200-metre ropes.● Work in suspension in a non-vertical situation

using cableways.● Safe entry/exit to difficult access locations and

confined spaces.

Technical RopeRescue Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s technical rope rescue team provides expertsupport, working alongside firefighting crews to provide an increased capabilityfor both rescue and safe working at height.Keith Bellamy

Hampshire Fire andRescue Service

Rescuing a casualty witha leg injury from a craneat Southampton docksduring a trainingexercise

ROPE RESCUE

● Enhanced casualty packaging equipment andtechniques, such as specialist confined spaceand bariatric stretchers.

● Safe handling and delivery of skilled personnelfrom other organisations (such as doctors orHazard Area Response Team paramedics) to medicate a trapped casualty in difficult toaccess locations.

● Provide operational support to other specialistgroups and agencies.There is a hierarchical system that we follow on

rope rescues and it has proved to be very effectiveand efficient. If the rescuer has to be put insuspension, wherever possible the lowering andraising of the rescuer and casualty is done remotelyby dedicated rope system operators; one for theprimary system and one for the independentsafety system. This can be carried out by full timefirefighters and enables the rescuer to give bettertreatment and care to the casualty as the rescuerdoes not need to operate any systems.

Good communication between the rescuer andsystem operator is critical for this and, when prac-ticed regularly, becomes the norm. If this type ofoperation is not achievable or suitable then therescuer can control his primary system while theindependent safety system is controlled remotely.As a last resort we would commit a rescuercontrolling both his own primary and independentsafety systems. This increases the workload for therescuer quite considerably but is still an option.The latter two ways of committing a rescuer areonly carried out by the Technical Rope Section.

EquipmentAll HFRS fire appliances carry a safe working atheight pack that contains a 50-meter rope, variouswire and fabric slings, karabiners, harnesses and Y

lanyards with fall arrest devices. This equipmentenables the crews to set up work restraint systemswhere needed to prevent falls from height. Whenthis is not achievable, a fall arresting system can be set up with the same equipment to protectthemselves from falls from height.

Fire appliances crewed by full time firefightershave additional items in their safe working atheight packs to enable them to carry out rescuesfrom height and set up work positioning systemswhere people are put into suspension on ropesystems. These items are a rope control device,casualty harness, rope grab and pulleys. Simplemechanical advantage systems can be set up usingthe pulleys and rope grab to enable the crew toraise the rescuer and casualty when required. Toachieve work positioning two fire appliances aremobilised to the incident and this provides theamount of equipment and personnel required.

The Technical Rope Section carries considerablymore equipment to enable them to provide theadditional specialist capabilities mentioned before.The team equipment is stored on a strategicallypositioned appliance, which is stationed centrallywithin the county.

The kit includes a selection of 100-meter and200-meter ropes, various rope control devices, avariety of wire and fabric slings of varying lengths,rigging plates, several different types of pulleysranging from small single type to large triplepulleys, an Ozpod luffing frame that can also beused as a tripod, anchor bolts, girder clamps,ground anchor plates and pins. In addition to thiseach team member has a set of personal equip-ment that includes a harness, fall arrest lanyards,work positioning lanyard, rope control device, ropegrab, pulley, fabric slings and karabiners.

A selection of casualty packaging equipment isalso held on the appliance as part of the rescueequipment. We have a Bell stretcher that can beused for large casualties or it can be set up as awork platform on the side of a building or cliff.The stretcher used the most frequently is the ReactSlix in conjunction with a scoop stretcher. It is keptset up ready for use with the flexible riggingattached to enable it to be moved from thevertical to horizontal and back again by therescuer while in suspension. As well as basic firstaid equipment we also carry vacuum splints and afull body vacuum mattress.

TrainingAfter successfully completing initial training, allfirefighters regularly participate in ongoing ropepack training (as this is a safety critical area ofoperations) and they are assessed on all the areasof working at height on a six-monthly basis.

The technical progression from full time fire-fighter to the much higher level of operationsrequired within the Technical Rope Section is takenon a 15-day course. Team members then have toattend a minimum of at least one full day trainingsession every month and be assessed on all theirareas of working at height on a six-monthly basis.This is considerably more than the firefighter leveland the assessments are continuously carried outon a flexible rolling programme to allow variationsin training venues and scenarios.

Training scenarios that enable the team to gainexperience of setting up in different types oflocation or to refresh basic skills are undertaken in


Stretcher bound casualtyand rescuer beinglowered over the edgeat Grimpday 2011

TECHNICAL ROPE RESCUEROPE RESCUE

a variety of venues. These include fire service facili-ties across the county and private sites where wehave been granted permission for access. Thesevary from partly demolished industrial buildingswhere we drill and bolt fixings to use as anchorswithout having to worry about the consequencesof the damage, to training at the top of the 80-meter cranes at Southampton Dock.

The organisation of training at private sitestakes more work in building relationships with theowners and site staff, but is extremely worthwhileas it gives us realistic training venues and famili-arises us with places that we might get called to inthe future. Also, this gives us the opportunity tomeet other people who work in industries atheight and obtain an insight into what potentialproblems and issues we may be faced with duringan incident.

CompetitionsOur training has taken us to both national andinternational rope rescue competitions. Out teamstarted by entering the UK Rescue OrganisationRope Rescue Challenges and for the three yearswe entered we won several events and categories.We have won best overall team twice and second-best once; Best Medic twice, and Best Officer inCharge on all occasions. On the last event weentered there was a technical category, which wealso won.

For the last five years the team has also enteredGrimpday, which is a rope rescue challenge held inNamur, Belgium. This all-day event has teams fromacross Europe taking part where they have towork around a course taking their stretcher-boundcasualty and all their equipment with them. Overthe course, the team has to utilise its equipmentto get themselves through a variety of differentscenarios ranging from ascending walls to crossingrivers. In addition to the team trial there is also atechnical skills test for individual team memberswhere they have to work through various scenarioson their own. We encourage our new team

members to come along tothis event and take part as ithas huge benefits for them inenhancing team working andincreasing confidence in theuse of the equipment.

IncidentsSince its introduction inHampshire eight years ago thecurrent rope rescue capabili-ties have been used on a hugevariety of incidents from animalrescues (such as the obligatorycat up a tree) to responding toa man who had fallen 15metres down a well.

In the last couple of yearswe have assisted at numerousincidents where cars have leftthe road and ended up at thebottom of steep embank-ments. This initially involvessetting up safe working atheight systems to access thevehicle. We then went on toutilise the rope rescue systemsin order to get the casualties

safely back up the slope and over into the handsof our colleagues in the ambulance service.

We have also responded to two incidents torescue tree surgeons from the very top of treetrunks that have had all the branches removed.One individual was not only trapped at thepinnacle but had a suspected fracture to his femurand had become suspended in his harness afterbeing hit by a falling log that he had just removed.This not only made access extremely difficult butalso meant that the movement of the casualty andour actions had to be carefully considered toensure that his injuries were not made any worse.He was successfully rescued using a combinationof rope rescue techniques and being suspendedfrom the cage of an aerial ladder platform thathad been mobilised to the scene.

Our Bell stretcher has also been called on severaltimes to help with the rescue of bariatric patientsfrom various places. On occasion we have had touse rope systems to assist with moving them oncethey are in the stretcher.

We have a very good working relationship withthe police and have been called upon on severaloccasions to assist them with body recoverieswhere there has been a need to use safe workingat height systems to gain access to the bodies.

Most of our rope rescue related calls are to giveadvice and provide safe working at height systemsfor fire crews that are at incidents where theyneed a greater capability than they can set up withtheir limited resources.

We continually strive to be the best at what wedo. As a result, our systems of work and tech-niques have adapted and become extremelyrefined, which has led to HFRS operational proce-dures being updated to include these improvedtechniques. For example, the service now has astretcher set up that is very versatile in that therescuer in suspension with the casualty can easilychange the orientation of the stretcher from hori-zontal to vertical and back again whilst they arebeing lowered or raised through tight spaces. IFF


The Ozpod being usedto make edgenegotiation easier forrescuer and casualtyduring a trainingexercise

TECHNICAL ROPE RESCUEROPE RESCUE

For further information, go towww.hantsfire.gov.uk

Section Leader KeithBellamy is with the UrbanSearch and Rescue team atHampshire Fire and RescueService


ADVERTISERS’ INDEXSUBSCRIPTIONSAlco 62

Angus Fire 22

Argus Thermal Imaging 2

Bristol Uniforms 31

Con-Space Communications 34

CTE Lift 64

Cutters Edge 29

Dafo Fomtec IBC

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service Training Academy 16

Dr Sthamer Hamburg 35

Draeger Ltd 36

Dynax Corporation 46

Emergency Services Training Institute (Texas A&M) 45

FDIC 2012 4

Goliath Footwear 12

Holmatro 45

Hytrans Systems 65

Indianapolis Industrial Products 69

Iveco Magirus 55

Jintian Fire 32

Kussmaul Electronics 12

KV Fire Chemicals 11

Lukas Hydraulik 42

Mast Pumps 61

On Scene Solutions 13

Pacific Helmets New Zealand 19

Packexe Smash 12

Paratech Inc 30

Plastika Akrapoviv 26

Plastisol 50

ResQtec 53

Rollnrack LLC 59

Scott Safety 41

Shanghai Zanray Industrial 15

SK Rosenbauer Pte Ltd 53

Skedco 7

Solberg Scandanavian 60

Super Vacumn Manufacturing 21

Task Force Tips Inc IFC, 1 & 39

Trelleborg OBC

Unifire USA 71

WS Darley Inc 49

Yone Corporation 56

GET YOUR FREESUBSCRIPTION NOW!!!

IFF IS PUBLISHED 4 TIMES A YEAR – FEBRUARY, MAY, AUGUST AND

NOVEMBERTo obtain your free subscription login/register

at www.mdmpublishing.com



FIRE FIGHTER





INTERNATIONALFIRE FIGHTER

INTERNATIONALFIRE FIGHTER

Name:––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Company/Organisation: –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Address: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Telephone: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Fax: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

E-mail: ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Start Subscription from Issue: –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Back Issues: US $18.00, £10.00 or �15 each inclusive of P&P (subject to availability)

MDM Publishing Ltd.The Abbey Manor Business Centre, The Abbey,

Preston Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2EN, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1935 426 428Fax: +44 (0) 1935 426 926

Email: [email protected]

✂ ✂

“The independent alternative”

Foam Concentrates and Foam Systems

Dafo Fomtec AB P.O Box 683 SE-135 26 Tyresö SwedenPhone: +46 8 506 405 66 Fax: +46 8 506 405 29

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.fomtec.com

NOT STANDARD SAFETYTHE SAFETY STANDARD

The Trellchem® gastight suits offer unbeatable

protection and long-lasting durability in the

harshest environments. Proven and trusted

by demanding customers all over the world

and certified to the toughest standards in

America and Europe.

WWW.TRELLCHEM.COM

GEAR UPTRELLEBORG PROTECTIVE PRODUCTS

WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO,

IFF Issue 32

Documents

Transcript of IFF Issue 32