American Fire Engine Products of "Hundred Years of Accumulation" (Part 2) - Products of American Fire Truck Series Articles

The U.S. Fire Truck combines three functions of fire fighting, rescue, and rescue, and is unmatched in the world today. According to the National Fire Protection Association’s fire engine standards, U.S. fire engines can be broadly classified as pump fire engines, water tank fire engines, ladder fire engines, Quint fire engines, towed ladder fire engines, early fire fighting fire engines, and foam fire engines. , forest fire engines, airport fire engines, and special fire engines. This article describes the characteristics and development trends of American fire truck products for readers through reference to the typical fire engine models introduced in the American Fire Truck Standards, for reference and learning.

2.4 Quint Fire Engine

The Quint Fire Engine (pictured in Figure 16) has the functions of a pump fire truck and a ladder fire truck. Its name is derived from the Latin prefix Quinque, which means quintuplets, ie pumps, water tanks, fire hoses, ladders and landing ladders. Five major functions.

Figure 16 Pierce Dash Chassis Quint Fire Truck

American LaFrance and Seagrave began production of the Quint Fire Truck in 1935 and 1940, respectively, but it has not been widely used since its invention. It did not become widely accepted until the 1990s. This is because at that time many US fire departments cut their budgets, especially some small fire departments. They could not properly and properly allocate pump fire engines and ladder fire engines when receiving fire alarms, prompting Quint fire engines to start selling well. Although the Quint Fire Engine is more expensive than any other type of fire engine and requires more firefighters to complete the related operations, the Quint Fire Engine has both the functions of a ladder fire pump and a pump fire engine. With the purchase of a single-function fire engine, multi-purpose combat capabilities will be enhanced and fire-fighting tasks will be completed more efficiently.

2.5 Tractor-Drawn Aerial, Tiller Ladder or Hook & Ladder

Trailed ladder fire engines (Figure 17) are unique models of fire engines in the United States and are popular in narrow road cities such as Washington and San Francisco. Its greatest feature is the presence of two independent cabs and two steering axles. The steering axle of the semi-trailer adopts power steering or power steering. The steering wheel swings inwards and outwards by an angle ≥ 20°. It can be controlled by the driver riding in the cab of the semi-trailer. It can also be set to the locked state (when parking When the motion is released, the pilot light in the tractor cab will give a visual warning). A permanently connected non-retracting traction saddle is mounted on the rear part of the chassis of the tractor, and when the hydraulic legs are in the stowed state, the angle between the tractor and the semitrailer can reach 90°, and the vehicle can be driven. The flexible control of the trajectory makes it easy to travel on narrow congested city roads.

Figure 17 Traversing ladder ladder fire truck

Traction ladder ladders have larger space under the ladder and can store more fire fighting and rescue tools, such as generators, mobile pumps, smoke exhausters, and various fire ladders.

Traction ladder fire truck ladder can also be equipped with fire water cannons and pre-fixed telescopic water supply piping system, can also be configured with pumps and water tanks, etc., to form the Quint fire engine required by the American Fire Protection Association NFPA 1901-2009 standards - Fire-fighting pumps, water tanks, fire hoses, ladders and landing ladders, full-featured traction ladder fire trucks can reduce the financial investment of the fire department to meet the city's fire fighting and rescue needs.

Traction ladder ladders on the fire truck semi-trailer must undergo special training in order to work, and have a higher requirement for driving age. There is a two-way buzzer communication system or a two-way voice internal communication system between two cabs, and the vehicle is running, and the driver can realize the communication dialogue by holding the steering wheel. In addition, when the vehicle approaches the maximum folding angle allowed by the manufacturer, the sound and visual warning systems in the two front and rear cabs will warn to alert the front and rear drivers.

As the towed ladder fire truck has two cabs and drivers, its driving safety is high, which can reduce the time for the fire engine to arrive at the fire rescue scene. Usually, the position of the cab behind the semi-trailer is high, and the driver has a wide field of vision, which is conducive to the manipulation of the track of the semi-trailer. It is precisely because the towed ladder fire truck has two front and rear drivers, so the driver in the towing vehicle only concentrates on driving the fire engine and does not need to look through the rear-view mirror to see the road behind, turn, change lanes, and reach the fire rescue scene. When parking and other operations are performed by the driver on the semi-trailer, the vehicle travels at a high speed and has a short time to reach the fire scene. The cab on the semi-trailer not only has a steering wheel but also steering indicators and brake pedals. In order to improve the ride comfort and safety of drivers in rear cabs, rear cabs are equipped with rearview mirrors, defrosters, wipers and air conditioning/ventilation systems, and all control switches are arranged so that the driver can clearly view and Easy to operate location. The driver sitting in the semi-trailer cab is responsible for putting the semi-trailer on a narrow street corner, and is also responsible for putting the fire truck in place after the fire truck arrives on site.

2.6 Initial Fire-fighting Fire Truck

The initial stage fire extinguishing fire trucks can also be called quick reaction fire engines or small pump fire engines (Figure 18).

Figure 18 Initial fire extinguishing fire truck modified from GMC C5500 chassis

The best application of fire extinguishing fire trucks at the initial stage is in the limited fire station. When responding to emergency medical and minor rescue incidents, the first fire truck normally dispatched by the fire station is the initial fire extinguishing fire truck. The initial stage fire extinguishing fire truck has enough storage space for the equipment box and can be equipped with necessary rescue tools so that the firefighters on duty or on the first arrival at the scene can arrive at the fire rescue site ahead of other firefighters/vehicles.

Another typical application of the initial fire extinguishing fire truck is in a congested, narrow space, which can be a height-restricted, limited-width or limited-length site, such as a parking lot with a high limit, etc., and a site with a total mass restriction, such as isolation. Residential areas such as private bridges. Some fire stations will deploy large-diameter supply hoses and pre-connected nozzles up to 100 meters in the initial fire extinguishing fire truck to transport fire water from a pump fire truck parked on the road to a restricted isolation area.

The initial fire fighting fire trucks are suitable for driving on grade roads and are not suitable for extinguishing fires on uneven grounds such as forest areas. This is due to the small initial approach and departure angles (only 8° for forest fire trucks and 20° for forest fire trucks) and insufficient ground clearance (204 mm for forest fire engines and 229 to 381 mm for forest fire engines). ), not suitable for use in non-highway areas; poor stability on slopes, not suitable for use on steep slopes for firefighting and rescue.

In addition, the initial stage fire extinguishing fire truck cannot be used alone without backup. After all, the fire pump flow rate of this kind of pump fire truck is low, and the tank volume, tool type, and quantity are limited. If they deal with persistent building fires alone, they will Endangering the safety of firefighters is not enough to effectively control the fire and reduce fire damage.

2.7 Foam Fire Truck

Some requirements for foam fire trucks are the same as for pump fire engines, such as 3 000 L/min minimum flow fire pump, 0.8 m3 fire hose storage area, 2 0.1 m3 pre-connected fire hose storage area and 1.1 m3 equipment Box volume. In addition, foam fire trucks also require a foam tank with a minimum volume of 2 000 L and a foam proportioning system.

Foam fire trucks (see Figure 19) can also be equipped with ladders or platforms to increase fire-fighting efficiency and fire extinguishing height.

Figure 19 Foam Fire Extinguisher (Class A Foam)

2.8 Forest Fire Truck

The forest fire truck English called Brush Truck, also known as Booster, Brush Breaker or Breaker, is mainly used in non-urban areas with more complex terrain, such as empty prairie, wilderness areas, rural areas and airport runways on both sides. Forest fire trucks are small, lightweight vehicles (Figure 20), usually 4-wheel drive, equipped with water tanks and fire pumps, and other ancillary tools such as axes, chain saws, and shovels. The general front bumper covers the front face of the vehicle to avoid crashing the front face of the vehicle when driving through the forest. Some vehicles, in addition to the protective chassis and the bottom of the vehicle, also raise the front guardrail to the cab and the top of the car to prevent collision. Bad windscreen and body parts (see Figure 21).

Forest fire trucks have smaller “heads” that can extinguish fires in areas where city garages and other large-scale pump fire trucks cannot enter, and are gradually favored by more and more urban fire stations. They are no longer urban or rural or forest fires. Bureau's exclusive fire-fighting vehicle. Because forest fire trucks can do their job well in crowded city streets, they can reach fire scenes earlier than other large fire engines. A fire-fighting forest fire-fighting vehicle equipped with a breaking tool (such as a Jaws of Life® hydraulic support tool and a power saw) and a medical supply can also be rushed to a fire rescue site at the first time to save the lives of those who are trapped.

Typical forest fire trucks are retrofitted with heavy duty pickup trucks equipped with rescue tools with a minimum volume of 750 L water tanks, chainsaws, shovels and stretchers.

There are seven types of forest fire trucks defined in the ICS (Incident Command Support), and the classification basis includes the diameter and length of fire pumps, fire hoses, the volume of water tanks, ancillary equipment, and the number of firefighters equipped. Of the 7 models, Type I is the largest and Type VII is the smallest. The following describes the seven types of configuration parameter requirements in detail (see Table 5).

2.9 Special Fire Trucks

Special fire engines usually refer to medium and heavy rescue Squad fire engines, communications fire engines, command fire engines, gas fire engines, lighting fire engines, dangerous goods disposal fire engines, and other fire engines that are not specified in NFPA 1901-2009. .

2.9.1 Rescue Fire Truck

The United States rescue fire truck products have two kinds of walk-in and walk-in. Rescue fire fighting vehicles are mainly designed to improve and optimize the internal and external space, facilitate the layout of communications command equipment, patient rehabilitation centers, and other special equipment, etc. Instead of step-in rescue fire engines, there is a large space for equipment layout, and, It is more convenient to take and put various equipment.

Heavy rescue fire fighting vehicles, also known as Rescue Company, Rescue Squad, or Technical Rescue, are special Fire Fighting or Emergency Services (EMS) vehicles. Heavy rescue fire engines carry a large number of rescue toolboxes to handle technical rescue situations, such as sieges, narrow spaces, rope rescue, emergency water delivery assistance, or building collapse rescues due to traffic accidents.

The rescue-pump fire engine emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is a heavy-duty pump fire truck that differs from the NFPA standard. It is more powerful and comprehensive than the pump fire engine. The initial concept of the rescue-pump fire engine is to combine the heavy rescue fire fighting engine function with the pump fire truck function on a fire engine, that is, to increase the fire pump with 4 000 L/min flow rate and 1 900 on the rescue fire truck. L above the water tank. The first rescue-pump fire truck is not equipped with all types of supply fire hoses that typical pump fire trucks carry, but is equipped with all the tools for heavy rescue fire trucks, including the removal of rescue tools and pump fire trucks or ladder fires. There are no special rescue tools in the car.

From the mid-1980s to the end of the 1980s, American fire-fighting vehicles were mostly refitted from custom-built chassis with non-enclosed cabs. Therefore, fire-fighting rescue vehicles mostly came in step-by-step. Generally, the middle part of the car can carry 6 or 8 firefighters. By the early 1990s, the emergence of a closed cab with up to 10 firefighters allowed the rescue fire trucks to begin non-leaving development (Figure 22), so that rescue fire trucks could have more storage space. . A typical non-landing rescue fire truck has an external storage area on both the body side and the top of the vehicle. At present, two types of rescue fire fighting vehicles are common, and there are hybrid body designs in which the front/rear half of the body is non-intrusive to increase storage space, while the rear/front half of the body is step-in Structural design for riding firefighters or as a firefighter's rehabilitation center.

Figure 22 Pierce Non-Step-On Rescue Fire Truck

2.9.2 Squad Fire Engine

The Squad Fire Engine (Figures 23 and 24) is a special rescue fire truck designed to transport the necessary tools, equipment and a certain number of personnel in order to rescue the trapped people in the accident and to implement technical rescue and dangerous goods disposal. Squad fire trucks resemble rescue-pump fire engines, and their structure and configuration vary greatly depending on the region of use. For example, Squad fire trucks used in snow or rough terrain are mostly four-wheel drive and equipped with differentials and hydraulic pressure. Live and off-road tires. Squad fire trucks are usually refitted with ambulances equipped with necessary rescue tools and equipment. However, budget-conscious rescue teams or fire stations will purchase more complex and full-featured Squad fire trucks modified from custom truck chassis. Squad fire trucks can be roughly divided into 3 categories, namely Class I, Class II and Class III. The Class I, also known as the Light Squad, is the smallest and cheapest. This type of vehicle is basically a modified ambulance, Chevy, GMC or Ford F550 chassis. Class II is also known as the medium-sized Squad fire engine, which is larger than the light Squad fire engine. The medium-sized Squad fire engine can be a smaller pump fire engine that has been refitted for rescue work, or a Squad fire engine modified by International, Freightliner or Mack chassis. The Class III, also known as the heavy-duty Squad, is the same size as the largest pump fire truck but is equipped with more exotic tools such as plasma cutters.

Figure 23 New York Fire Department Squad Fire Truck

Figure 24 Heavy Squad Fire Engine

Squad fire trucks are equipped with tools and equipment that usually include hydraulic support tools, air cushions, generators, glass cutting tools, reciprocating saws, axes, plasma cutters, winches, ropes, crowbars, lighthouses, and first aid kits.

2.9.3 Quad Fire Engine

The Quad fire truck first appeared in 1925 and its name derives from the Latin prefix Quadruple. It refers to the four functions of fire pumps, water tanks, fire hoses and floor ladders. The biggest difference between the Quad fire engine and the Quint fire engine is that the Quad fire engine does not have a ladder.

The Quad fire truck is particularly suitable for the use of fire fighting and rescue in rural or urban-rural areas without high-rise buildings, which can reduce the firefighters' allocation, save the fire brigade's investment, and have strong fire fighting and rescue capabilities.

Pierce company has specially built the Quad fire engine modified by its Velocity chassis for the Fair Haven Fire Department (Figures 25 and 26). The eight-seater high top cab design increases the number of glass windows in the front part of the cab, allowing more sunlight to enter the cab and increase the brightness of the cab; the unique torque box and water of the ladder truck are used. The tank (1,900 L polypropylene water tank) structure facilitates the storage of various fire ladders and hook rods in the torque box; more equipment boxes are arranged on the side of the torque box to facilitate firefighters to pick and place tools; equipped with the Waterous company 2 files 6 000 L/min fire pump, 10 kW hydraulic generator, Akron foam system, fixed and mobile search and rescue lighting system and electric winch. The Quad fire truck carries a 180 m (45 mm diameter) fire hose (3 in each, 60 m long), 60 m long (25 mm diameter) pressurized fire hose, 76 m long (45 mm in diameter) ) Fire hose, 143 m long (diameter 65 mm) fire hose and 610 m long (76mm diameter) supply hose. In addition, it also carries a three-section 12.2 m landing ladder, a three-section 10.7 m landing ladder, two 2-section 7.3 m landing ladders, a 5.5 m rooftop ladder, and a 4.3 m roof Ladder, 1 3.7 m folding ladder, 1 3 m folding ladder and 1 "Little Giant" ladder.

3 Future Development Trends of U.S. Fire Trucks

At present, the market for American fire trucks is about 70,000 vehicles. About 60% of fire engines have been in service for more than 15 years. The sales volume of new cars has declined. Many fire stations or companies are more inclined to retrofit old cars. In order to save expenses.

3.1 Pump fire truck

In the latest sales of fire-fighting vehicle products, the proportion of pump fire trucks has increased year by year, but the sales volume has been declining, and the functional aspect is developing towards multi-functionality. For example, pump fire trucks can be used for traffic control (Figure 27), lighting (Figure 28), SCBA inflation, etc.

Figure 27 Pump fire truck in traffic control use

Figure 28 Pump fire truck with illuminated lighthouse

3.2 Rescue fire truck

Rescue fire engines began to move into non-leaving and sales are declining. The sales of non-step-by-step rescue fire engines have doubled, and are progressing from the main response to fire to emergency. Rescue fire trucks are increasingly used for dangerous goods disposal (Figure 29), and models that are independent of the seating area and equipment storage area are becoming increasingly popular.

Figure 29 Dangerous Goods Disposal Rescue Fire Truck

Another development direction of rescue fire trucks is the two extremes of heavy-duty and miniaturization. One of the main reasons for miniaturization should be the impact of budgetary constraints; and a typical feature of heavy-duty is almost on a heavy-duty rescue fire truck. Equipped with a variety of rescue tools, such as filling station, air compressor and all rescue tools (Figure 30), and even some fire stations require rescue fire engines equipped with foam systems (such as compressed air foam systems and water tanks) , in order to deal with the fire that occurred when the car was rescued.

Figure 30 Oversized equipment box volume rescue fire truck

3.3 Water tanker fire truck

Sales of water tank fire trucks have increased year by year. In contrast, the square water tank has a larger capacity than the oval water tank, and has a high space utilization rate and is easy to arrange. As a result, square tank fire engines have grown faster than elliptical tank fire engines, and sales have doubled, and tank fire trucks modified by military vehicles and tankers are no longer popular.

3.4 ladder fire truck

Yunti fire trucks include ladder trucks, traction ladder fire trucks and high-emission fire engines, which have increased sales slightly.

3.5 Airport Fire Truck

The market share is limited and there is a certain amount of retention, and sales are falling.

3.6 Old car refurbishment

The number of renovations is declining. In the 1990s, more fire trucks were refurbished, mainly to meet the requirements of NFPA 1901-2009. The refurbishment business is mainly focused on high value-added fire engine models such as pump fire engines, ladder fire engines, airport fire engines, water tank fire engines, and foam fire engines.

This article comes in "Special Vehicles and Accessories" 2013.09 period. Reprinted to jointly discuss the knowledge of fire-fighting vehicles and the popularization of fire protection. If there is infringement, please contact us.