Emergency Vehicle Operation
Emergency Vehicle Operation
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Objectives
List five common causes of fire apparatus collisions.
Name the regulatory agency that governs emergency
apparatus operators.
Identify national standards addressing the emergency
vehicle operator.
Research your departmental policies and procedures for
emergency vehicle operators.
Discuss the importance of a driver’s ATTITUDE.
Defensive driving techniques.
Auxiliary braking systems.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Fire Apparatus Collisions
Many might think that accidents happen more
often during adverse weather conditions or at
night. According to studies made in the early
1990’s quite the opposite was found to be true.
Collisions are most likely to occur during ideal
vision and road conditions. Fire apparatus
collisions can be grouped into five basic causes.
Fire Apparatus Collisions
Top five causes:
1) Improper braking of the apparatus!! Seems we
have seen this somewhere else.
2) Reckless driving by the public.
3) Excessive speed by the apparatus operator.
4) Lack of driving skill and experience.
5) Poor apparatus design and maintenance.
Fire Apparatus Collisions
NFPA statistics compiled annually show that,
historically, 20-25% of all firefighter injuries and
deaths in the U.S. are caused by vehicle
collisions while responding to or returning from
emergency calls.
From October 2001 to December 2007 twenty-nine
Texas firefighters died in the line of duty. Of that
29 seven died in motor vehicle accidents. This
equates to about 24% of the deaths being
caused by MVA’s.
Regulatory Agency
The Texas Department of Public Safety governs emergency vehicle
response.
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SECTION 546.001. PERMISSIBLE CONDUCT
SECTION 546.002. WHEN CONDUCT PERMISSIBLE
SECTION 546.003. AUDIBLE OR VISUAL SIGNALS REQUIRED
SECTION 546.004. EXCEPTIONS TO SIGNAL REQUIREMENT
SECTION 546.005. DUTY OF CARE
SECTION 546.006. DESIGNATED EMERGENCY VEHICLE
DURING DECLARED DISASTERS
• SECTION 546.021. MUTUAL AID ORGANIZATIONS
Emergency Vehicle Operation
National Standards
NFPA 1002 - Standard for Fire Apparatus Driver / Operator Professional. This standard
identifies the minimum job performance requirements for fire fighters who drive and
operate fire apparatus, in both emergency and non-emergency situations.
NFPA 1500 - Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program.
This standard contains minimum requirements for a fire service–related occupational
safety and health program.
NFPA 1451- Standard for a Fire Service Vehicle Operations Training Program. This
standard contains the minimum requirements for a fire service vehicle operations
training program. This standard outlines the development of a written fire service
vehicle training program, which includes the organizational procedures for training
personnel, maintaining vehicles, and identifying equipment deficiencies; design;
financing; and other areas. The knowledge and skills required of safety, training,
maintenance, and administrative officers charged with developing and implementing
the fire service vehicle operations training program is also outlined within this
standard.
These NFPA standards are available for purchase from www.nfpa.org.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Departmental Research
Each department has its own set of SOP’s
that should clearly define your
responsibilities as an apparatus operator.
It is the Chief’s responsibility to see that
each person allowed to drive fire
department apparatus knows and adheres
to the department’s policies.
Driver Attitude
The first lesson in learning to drive safely is to develop a safetyconscious attitude. Many experts would say this is the most
important aspect of a safe driver. The safe and calm attitude of a
fire apparatus operator should begin when they enter their POV to
respond to the station for an alarm. This can be a very difficult task.
There are several contributing factors to this difficult attitude
adjustment. The personality traits of firefighters is to … help those
in need, get there fast, and be first. The other contributing factor just
makes these personality traits even more pronounced. The fact that
most calls occur when we are not at the station means we are going
to have an extended response time. So, what we do is drive faster
to the station to make the first truck out. Then we drive fast to beat
any other responding departments to the scene, so we can be first
on. All these things snowball into a big adrenaline rush that we must
control.
I am not suggesting getting to the scene is not important, but we must
do so calmly and safely!
Defensive Driving Techniques
Sound defensive driving skills are one of the most
important aspects of safe driving. Each and every
eligible member should be familiar with the basic
concepts of defensive driving.
Defensive driving techniques include …
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Anticipating other driver actions.
Estimating visual lead time.
Knowing braking and reaction times.
Having knowledge of weight transfer.
Combating skids.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Anticipating Other Driver Actions
Anticipation is the key to safe driving. Never assume what
another driver’s actions will be. There are five control
factors that we should always utilize:
 Aim high in steering: Find a safe path well ahead.
 Get the big picture: Stay back and see it all.
 Keep your eyes moving: Scan--do not stare.
 Leave yourself an “Out”: Do not expect other drivers
to leave you an out (an escape route). Be prepared by
expecting the unexpected.
 Make sure others can see and hear you: Use lights,
air horns, and sirens in combination.
Estimating Visual Lead Time
When we talk about visual lead time we are referring the apparatus
operator scanning far enough ahead, for the speed at which you are
traveling, to ensure that evasive action can be taken if it becomes
necessary.
For example: If you are concentrating on traffic that is 100 feet in front
of you, and based on the speed you are traveling it would take 200
feet for you to stop or perform an evasive maneuver, a collision is
likely to occur.
A good rule of thumb is to look ahead 12 seconds on city streets and
20 seconds ahead on highways. So, how do I know I am looking
ahead 12 seconds? The way you determine how far ahead you are
looking is … Pick a stationary object on the side of the road, such as
a telephone pole, and begin counting. If you are wanting to look
ahead 12 seconds, but it only takes you only 8 seconds to get to that
stationary object, then you are not looking far enough ahead.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Braking & Reaction Time
Lets begin by defining a few terms.
Reaction Time: Is the distance a vehicle travels while a
driver is transferring their foot from the accelerator to the
brake pedal after perceiving the need to stop.
Braking Distance: Is the distance the vehicle travels from
the time the brakes are applied until the apparatus
comes to a complete stop.
Total Stopping Distance: Is the sum the driver operator’s
reaction distance and the vehicle braking distance.
Factors that will influence your
ability to stop
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• condition and slope of the road
• speed you are traveling
• the weight of the apparatus (this is a huge
factor, because many times we go from
driving our POV that weighs 4000 lbs to
driving an apparatus that may weigh
50,000 lbs in just a matter of minutes),
• type of braking system and the condition
Air Brakes
So how do they work?
We will KISS it, there are a few major components
used in an air brake system … the air tanks, an air
compressor mount to the motor, a very strong spring,
and the brake pedal. The air tanks keep a reserve of
air at pressures of 120 psi. The very strong spring is
constantly trying to apply the brakes. Air pressure is
used to keep the spring and brake pad compressed
away from the brake rotor. What happens when you
set the parking brake is, you are removing that air
pressure, allowing for the spring to press the brake
pad against the brake rotor. When you apply the
brakes during driving you are compressing air in the
lines, creating pressure which is turned into a
mechanical action, which applies the brakes.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Braking & Reaction Time
Let’s look an illustration of stopping a standard
sized engine, weighing around 30,000 lbs,
traveling 35 MPH.
Reaction Distance – 39 feet
Braking Distance – 125 feet
Total Stopping Distance – 164 feet
This equals to just over half of a football field in
length. Again, this is on dry flat pavement.
Weight Transfer
The Law of Inertia states “objects in motion tend to remain
in motion; objects at rest tend to remain at rest unless
acted upon by an outside force”.
When an apparatus undergoes a change of direction,
weight transfer takes place. The more severe the
change the more severe the weight change. Water
makes up much of the weight of our fire apparatus. It is
also a moving weight. This is why the proper baffling of
a water tank is so critical. A partially filled tank can also
cause problems. This is because, though it is less
weight, the water has much more room to move and gain
momentum as it does, creating more Inertia.
Combating Skids
Training and learning to avoid conditions that lead to skidding is
important. Learning to correct a skid once it occurs is just as
important.
Technology is helping us to combat the issue of braking. Most newer
apparatus are equipped with all wheel antilock braking systems
(ABS). This system minimizes the chance of a vehicle going into to
a skid when the brakes are applied forcefully. How this works is …
there is an onboard computer that monitors each wheel and controls
the pressure to the brakes. Each wheel is equipped with a sensor
that monitors the speed of each wheel. When a wheel begins to
lock up, the sensing device sends a signal to the computer that
wheel is not turning. The computer compares this signal with the
signals from the other wheels to determine if they are still turning. If
the computer determines the wheel should be turning, a signal is
sent to that wheel reducing the brake pressure allowing the wheel to
turn. All this takes place more than 20 times per second.
Combating Skids
When operating an apparatus without ABS and it goes into
a skid,
• release the brakes and allow the brakes to rotate freely
• Turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid.
Once the skid is controllable,
• gradually apply power to the wheels to further control the
vehicle by giving traction.
The only way for us to get better at controlling our
apparatus in skid conditions is to actually train at a
facility with a skid pad. These facilities are few and far
between for large apparatus.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Auxiliary Braking Systems
There are several different types of auxiliary braking systems
commonly found on fire apparatus.
 Engine Brakes
 Transmission Retarders
 Frictionless Braking Systems
Apparatus can be equipped with more than one of these systems.
Apparatus operators need to understand these systems so that they
can be used properly;
Their use should be avoided completely.
When the road is WET!!!
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Auxiliary Braking Systems
This chart shows the effectiveness of the different systems.
Engine Brakes
Engine brakes utilize the compression within the cylinders of the engine to
create braking power. When pressure is released from the accelerator the
engine brake is engaged. There are four steps to the operation of an
engine brake.
The principle behind the engine brake engine retarder is simple. In order to
understand how the engine brake provides its strong retarding power, let's
compare the engine cycles with and without an engine brake. The
illustration pertains to a four-cycle engine.
(1) The intake valve opens and air is forced into the cylinder by boost pressure
from the turbocharger.
(2) Air is compressed to approximately 500PSI by the engine piston. The
energy required to compress this air is produced by the vehicle's driving
wheels. Near top dead center, the engine brake opens the exhaust valves,
venting the high pressure air and dissipating the stored energy through the
exhaust system.
(3) On the downward stroke, essentially no energy is returned to the piston
(and to the driving wheels). There is a loss of energy. This loss is how the
retarding work is done.
(4) Normal exhaust stroke.
Transmission Retarders
This type of braking system can be referred to as “Braking Through
Resistance”. Since most fire apparatus have Allison Transmissions
we will look at their retarder.
Allison’s hydraulic retarder is basically a vaned flywheel
in the transmission housing. The transmission directs oil
into the retarder housing to absorb the vehicle’s energy
through the drive shaft. The absorbed energy is
converted to heat and dissipated through the vehicle’s
cooling system. Resistance to the flywheel, augmented
by stators on the inside of the housing, delivers braking
power to the driving wheels. More oil in the housing
means stronger braking.
Frictionless Braking Systems
These systems utilize large electromagnets
surrounding the drive shaft.
Transmission
Rotation
Direction
Direction
Magnetic
Field is Trying
Rotate the
Transmission
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Frictionless Braking
Systems
This is a picture of an
electromagnetic
braking system.
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Summary
Learning to safely operate and handle our fire apparatus is
the most important job we have as driver operators.
There would be no reason to learn about pumping the
apparatus if we can not get to the scene alive. I hope in
the future we look into better ways to provide realistic,
real world training of apparatus operators. Of all the
things you can train on and buy to make your job safer,
there is one device that works to save lives, and I want
each of you to promise yourself today to commit to …
WEARING YOUR SEATBELT!!!!
Emergency Vehicle Operation
Each member on this apparatus was wearing their seatbelt
and walked away to spend more time with their families
and fight fire another day!!!!
Apparatus Positioning
The Right spot at the Right time
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