Productivity Is Objective of Course To Improve Truck Company Operations
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The correct operation of a truck company is probably one of the most misunderstood procedures which occur on the fireground. In many cases, the unit is staffed with frustrated nozzlemen, who abandon ship as soon as they arrive on the scene to help with the hose lines.
In other departments, there is no ladder truck, so the emphasis is placed on doing engine company operations. This results in the neglect of many fireground tasks. Efficiency and operation at the incident then become problems.
For these basic reasons every fire department—big or small, career or volunteer—should have a truck company operations course. Someone must perform specific jobs at the incident. Whether they ride a ladder truck, city service truck, engine, or utility vehicle is immaterial. The key is that they perform their job. The discussion of the truck company course used by Montgomery County can be used as a guide to develop your own. It is not a magic way of training, but we have found that it meets our needs. By analyzing our course and your requirements, you can develop one which will meet your needs.
Productivity a problem
The Montgomery County truck company operations course was developed as a solution to the problem of increasing that productivity on the fireground.
Research and planning for the course consisted of performing a “job” analysis of truck company operations and determining those areas which could be revised or redeveloped to attain maximum utilization of resources. Those specific areas then became building blocks or enabling objectives necessary to achieve the terminal objective of increased productivity.
The course outline (see box) indicates the subject matter for those building blocks.
The first step is to orient the student to the terminal objectives of the course. Included in the orientation is a definitive explanation of the student’s obligations necessary for certification. That synopsis contains minimum requirements provisions for attendance, homework assignments, quiz scores, a skill check-off sheet, and the final exam.
The student is then introduced to truck company operations through lecture and discussion. The development of the truck company is traced from the Roman Empire to the formation of salvage or “bag” companies in the 1700s to the gradual conversion of horse-drawn apparatus to gasoline-powered vehicles, metal aerial ladders, and finally the conceptual applications of modern-day truck companies.
The students are then provided with an acronym associated with truck company operations, LOVERS (ladders, overhaul, ventilation, entry, rescue, salvage). Detailed discussion of these functions and their scope is then held with the student who is afforded the opportunity to provide as much input as possible. Emphasis is placed on the coordination of these functions necessary to attain the objectives of a truck company. Particular attention is given to the necessity for truck company operations on the fireground whether a truck company is available or not.
General discussion is then centered on the types of truck company apparatus and their capabilities and limitations. Service aerial, rear mount, quad, tractor-drawn, telescoping boom, city service and quint are briefly defined. The students then compare the advantages and disadvantages of the various apparatus to their specific response areas and operating procedures.
The equipment list of NFPA 1901 are then reviewed by the class for the purpose of identifying and comparing the equipment carried on their respective apparatus. Each item and its specific use is discussed.
Truck Company Training Course
- Introduction to truck company operations
- Preplanning truck company operations
- Hydraulic power systems for aerial apparatus
- Forcible entry operations
- Ventilation
- Elevated fire streams and power equipment and supply
- Search and rescue—special ladder evolutions
- Utility control
- Final exam
Attention is also directed to how much manpower should be deployed on fireground operations to effect competent truck work. Reference is made to Warren Y. Kimball’s observation that “The fireground efficiency of a fire department is largely proportional to the adequacy of its truck service.” Comparisons are made of ISO recommended manning standards versus local manning capabilities. The concept of deploying between 28 and 36 percent of the first-alarm manpower to truck company operations is introduced and discussed. The necessity of thoroughly training and drilling those personnel is emphasized as well as the concept that personnel who perform truck company work must be capable of operating independently to a certain extent.
A review of the lesson is then held, using a slide program followed by a question and answer session.
Preplan operations
The necessity of developing standard operating procedures which are flexible and realistic as well as preplanning the individual apparatus for efficiency is identified as a means of increasing productivity with limited manpower. Consideration is given to the location of tools and equipment by use, e.g., salvage, electrical, overhaul, etc., located together, as well as the accessibility of tools by an individual’s assigned truck company function. (Ventilation man should have a Halligan bar, K-Tool, and flat head ax within close proximity of each other.)
The concept of preplanning truck company operations in relation to specific target hazards is introduced to the students. Previous training afforded the students has supplied them with the fundamental concepts of preplanning. This is expanded to consider the need to determine specific tactics relating to truck company operations that may be necessary on those particular hazards. Specific tactics discussed include accessibility of the truck, the reach of the ladder, control of utilities, salvage considerations, and expected ventilation routes.
Emphasis is placed on developing turntable locations which afford maximum use of the apparatus for the accomplishment of those specific tactics. Methods of determining ladder reach are discussed as well as the considerations relating to safety and the effect of apparatus placement on the total fireground strategy.
A review is conducted and students are given a homework assignment which requires them to develop truck company operational tactics for a particular occupancy.
Hydraulic power systems
The students are introduced to the basic components of a simple hydraulic power system and what function those components perform in the operation of an aerial ladder truck. Procedures of apparatus operation are then discussed with emphasis placed on apparatus limitations plus the safety requirements of the operator and other associated problems and trouble-shooting techniques. The importance of vehicle stabilization and the methods of accomplishing that stabilization for various types of apparatus are also compared.
Inspection procedures for safe and reliable operation are included in the discussion of preventive maintenance measures. The necessity for following the manufacturer’s recommended preventive maintenance requirements and establishing an adequate record-keeping system are items of particular importance. The students are provided with a trouble-shooting guide and a sample apparatus checklist developed from various manufacturers’ suggestions.
The subject matter is reviewed and the students are given another homework assignment relating to truck company operational tactics.
Ventilation
Why ventilate? Since inadequate ventilation is an often recognized inefficiency of fireground operations, considerable time is spent discussing the many advantages gained by its inclusion in a coordinated fire attack effort. Postive contributions obtained through ventilation are emphasized by detailed explanations of how effective ventilation can actually assist in controlling fire spread.
The necessity of preplanning buildings according to their construction features is pointed out as a means of anticipating the ventilation needs of a future fire. The decision on how to ventilate may be dependent on those features. Having achieved a thorough understanding of the principles of ventilation, the students are then introduced to ventilation skill techniques and procedures required of specific construction features, including the use of power tools to accomplish the task.
The definition of an elevated fire stream conducted by and and discharged from an aerial device provides a basis for the student to readily understand its various tactical applications. Further discussion identifies the methods used to provide those streams as well as their capabilities and limitations. The discussion includes basic hydraulic principles and the need for coordination and assistance of engine companies.
Portable generating systems
Since the truck company is used by most departments as a source of power generation and supply for fireground accessories, the operators should have a thorough understanding of those accessories to avoid hazards to personnel and potential damage to equipment. The principle of portable generating systems and their components are explained, with emphasis placed on limitations of the generator as related to the power requirements of the accessories. A system of rapidly identifying those requirements and limitations is introduced to the student for consideration as a means of preventing overload.
Search and rescue
The primary consideration of every fireground operation is rescue. Therefore, a review of the principles and methods of search and rescue is held with emphasis on coordinating those operations with other truck company functions. Special ladder evolutions such as bridging, emergency extension of the aerial ladder, factory or hotel ladder raise, and use of flying standpipe are introduced and practiced.
Before performing these evolutions, the instructor explains the necessity of an annual service test of the aerial ladder. Students then participate in the performance of an annual test and record the necessary data.
The concept of using the fire building’s electricity, gas, water or heating, ventilating and air conditioning to assist in fire control operations is introduced to the student. The importance of comprehensive preplanning procedures is stressed as a means of determining that capability before the emergency incident.
The student is made aware of the many problems, e.g., electrical, gas, smoke circulation, fuel valves, that become more hazardous as a fire’s severity increases. Specific types of fire incidents and their related hazards are discussed, including suitable courses of action. Those incidents include electrical facilities and natural gas emergencies.
Review and final exam
The final session is partially devoted to course material review in the form of a question and answer session which affords the student the opportunity to clarify areas of uncertainty. The remainder of the session is allocated to testing the students via a written examination. The examination is objective and requires a grade of 70 percent or better for successful completion.
The truck company operations course used in Montgomery County is accomplishing its intended goal as can be readily evidenced by observing fireground operations. In addition to providing effective truck company operations with limited manpower, it is, in effect, preparing future leaders to meet the challenges they will be faced with. The real question, however, is how are you addressing those problems?