Fire Apparatus Safety in NFPA 1500
DEPARTMENTS
Volunteers Corner
One chapter of the new National Fire Protection Association Standard 1500, “Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program,” takes on special significance in light of the NFPA’s recent finding that carelessness en route to and from the fireground continues to be a major cause of firefighter deaths. [See “More care is needed to save firefighters’ lives” in Dispatches, Fire Engineering, July 1987.]
Accepted by the NFPA membership at its annual meeting that was held in Cincinnati in May, NFPA 1500 touches on many facets of firefighter safety, and it should be reviewed by all volunteer departments once it’s published this summer. Volunteer fire companies will want to stay abreast of the requirements in order to budget properly for items that may need to be replaced or added. Also, enhanced training programs may be necessary in order to improve safety and lessen the chance for liability claims.
The chapter in question—Chapter 4, “Vehicles and Equipment”—has generated major concern about how its requirements will affect volunteer departments’ apparatus specifications and their ability to purchase new apparatus.
Chapter 4 is divided into five sections:
- General,
- Drivers Operators of Fire Department Vehicles,
- Persons Riding on Fire Apparatus,
- Inspections, Maintenance, and Repair of Vehicles, and
- Portable Equipment.
The general section is a broad statement that health and safety are “primary concerns” in all phases of the vehicle, from inception to daily use and care. This encourages fire departments to be more aware of apparatus safety.
The drivers/operators section begins with requirements on training and certification. Certification must be to NFPA 1002, “Fire Apparatus Driver/ Operator Professional Qualifications.” Other requirements include having a driver’s license, driving within the applicable traffic laws, and practicing “safe and prudent operation under all conditions.” Safe and prudent aren’t defined, however, and could be considered rather vague terms.
A significant requirement of this section is that the driver is not to move the vehicle until all passengers are seated and belted or harnessed in “approved riding positions.” (There was considerable public comment on the tvpe of seat belt: Several people thought a three-point lap-and-shoulder belt or harness should be required. But none of this discussion made it into the final document.)
The section on persons riding on fire apparatus repeats that when the vehicle is in motion, all personnel must be seated and belted or harnessed. Standing is specifically forbidden, as is riding in exposed positions, including tailboards and running boards. Departments that will have difficulty meeting this requirement because of older apparatus will have to acquire and dispatch utility vehicles, station wagons, or four-door light rescue units as personnel carriers.
This section also agrees with the temporary interim amendment to NFPA 1901, “Automotive Fire Apparatus,” which states that new apparatus must be specified with enclosed seats for “the maximum number of persons who may ride.” The important words here are maximum and may.
There should be no confusion over the term enclosed area. It means the sides, back, top, and bottom are closed in the same fashion as the jump seats on many existing pieces of apparatus; the front may be open to the outside. This doesn’t mean a total enclosure with positive-latching doors, or what’s commonly referred to as a four-door cab. However, the standard does require seats with belts or harnesses for each passenger. Helmets and eye protection are a must for persons in cabs or tiller seat positions that aren’t enclosed.
The section that covers inspection, maintenance, and repair of vehicles calls for the inspection of apparatus 24 hours after use or repair, or at least W’eeklv. In the case of repairs, inspections are required before placing the unit back in service.
Preventive maintenance programs with ample recordkeeping are also required. Maintenance is to be performed to manufacturers’ recommendations. Any apparatus determined to be unsafe is to be placed out of service.
Pumpers are to be tested according to the frequency and procedures in the new NFPA 1911, “Acceptance-Service Testing of Fire Department Pumping Apparatus.” Any aerial device is to be tested according to the frequency and procedures in NFPA 1904, “Testing Fire Department Aerial Ladders and Elevating Platforms.”
The section on portable equipment deals mainly with inspecting and testing to ensure safe operation. All equipment that’s carried on the apparatus or designated for training is to be inspected 24 hours after use, or at least weekly. All equipment is to be inventoried and full records are to be kept. Equipment must be tested annually to the manufacturers’ recommendations or to standards that apply. Any defective equipment must be taken out of service
All volunteer departments should begin immediately to implement NFPA 1500 in order to protect their membersuntil it’s either repaired or replaced.
Ground ladders, hose, and fire extinguishers are to be inspected and tested according to the following standards: NFPA 1932, “Use, Maintenance, and Service Testing of Fire Department Ground Ladders”; NFPA 1962, “Care, Use, and Maintenance of Fire Hose”; and NFPA 10, “Portable Fire Extinguishers.”
This section further recommends that all new power tools be purchased with consideration given to protecting the user’s hearing.
Chapter 4 of the new NFPA 1500 will assist volunteer fire companies in making both apparatus and standard operating procedures safer. All volunteer fire departments should begin immediately to implement the recommendations and practices suggested in order to better protect their firefighters. Let us not be bent on maintaining tradition, but instead be the standard bearers carrying the flag of progress when it comes to safety in the fire service.