Adams

Lately the fire service, warning light manufacturers, pundits, commentators, and safety gurus alike have advocated doing something about the glare or distraction of warning lights that people say can, could, may, or might be a cause or a contributing factor of accidents.

There’s been a fundamental change in the traditional “competitive bid” process used to purchase apparatus as well as noticeable changes in the attitudes of some apparatus buyers and sellers.

Some proponents of the concept advocate keeping turnout gear (personal protective clothing) out of the crew cab at all times. There is no questioning keeping contaminated gear out of the cab

This article does NOT address warning lights when responding. However, some comments made could be applicable to that mode. It addresses warning lights used in the blocking-the-right-of-way mode.

By Bill Adams Part 1 described my personal opinion that fire apparatus purchasing specifications can be “short and sweet” and right to the point. They should not be used as a textbook or an educational tool for the fire department. ...

There is no logical justification for a purchaser to explain each infinitesimal feature of a component part, how it works, and why it is being specified. That rationalization should be done at a committee level. At the same time, it is not the APC’s job to explain to potential bidders how each widget specified works.

At regional and local shows, most of the rigs are already bought. They’re mostly from local departments, and some are even in service. Potential buyers have the opportunity to observe exactly what other people purchased and often get to ask the end user why something was specified.

By Bill Adams From the July 2019 Fire Engineering: “The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards Council has announced that the information in the NFPA 114 Emergency Response and Responder Safety (ERRS) standards, guides, and recommended practices will be consolidated ...

By Bill Adams At the FDIC International 2019, several apparatus manufacturers addressed both physical and gaseous carcinogens in crew cabs. Noteworthy were introductions in compartmentation by both REV’s E-ONE and Rosenbauer-America. I am totally in favor of innovations, devices, and ...

By Bill Adams Pundits and commentators expound on the firematic benefits of using L-shaped booster tanks on pumpers. Apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) promote rigs with “New York City style” low hosebeds. (See Apparatus Purchasing: FDNY-Style Hosebeds, http://www.fireapparatusmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-22/issue-9/features/apparatus-purchasing-fdny-style-hosebeds.html.) No side is taken ...