WILL YOUR APPARATUS PASS A DMV INSPECTION?

WILL YOUR APPARATUS PASS A DMV INSPECTION?

APPARATUS: THE SHOPS

This column is provided through the cooperation and coordination of the Apparatus Maintenance Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The information contained herein is, however, the sole opinion of the author and not the Apparatus Maintenance Section unless specifically referenced.

Recently a number of fire departments in Connecticut have found the answer to the question, Will your apparatus pass a DMV inspection? In some cases they did not like the answer they received.

Shortly after the May 1989 vehicle accident in which two Waterbury firefighters were killed and another seriously injured —reportedly caused by faulty brakes on their mid-1970s engine—the Connecticut Division of Motor Vehicles offered to conduct free inspections of fire apparatus for fire departments throughout the state. During the first several weeks of the program the DMV inspected almost 60 fire apparatus and found that 30 percent of them had defects serious enough that they failed to meet state standards. Specific examples included leaking fuel tanks, brakes saturated with oil, and exhaust leaks that sent fumes and carbon monoxide into the interior of the vehicles. In comparison, the DMV reported that commercial trucking industry vehicles subject to random inspections had a 53 percent rate of serious defects. So while the shiny fire apparatus appear to be in better condition in comparison to commercial trucks, the idea that almost one in three pieces of fire apparatus were deficient is eye-opening.

It is important to note that the definition of an “out of service” defect, as developed at the federal level and utilized by many states, is one that is determined to be so imminently hazardous as likely to cause an accident or breakdown or to cause a condition that would likely contribute to loss of control of the vehicle. We are discussing major problems— some of which may be easy to repair—that have the potential to contribute to an accident or even cause an accident. In view of the typical emergency response patterns, you know that the malfunction is likely to follow Murphy’s Law: It will happen during a major emergency, it will involve inclement weather, and the worse possible scenario will result.

It seems that Connecticut was the subject of another related and very enlightening study during 1989. A survey commissioned by the state legislature’s Public Safety Committee indicated that out of 84 career, combination, and volunteer departments surveyed, 93 percent did not have written policies specifying what defects would merit the removal of a piece of apparatus from service. Furthermore, 20 percent of those departments did not have a formal preventive maintenance program for their apparatus.

It is easy to point fingers at departments who responded to the legislature’s survey and/or were subjected to these invited and voluntary DMV inspections. More important, you should be asking yourself, How would my department’s apparatus measure up under such scrutiny? The answer to this question actually can be framed in the form of several questions, such as

  • Does your department have a regular preventive maintenance program for all apparatus?
  • Does your department have a procedure for promptly reporting problems associated with an apparatus?
  • To whom do you report a problem or defect in an apparatus?
  • Does your department have predetermined procedures for identifying what defects constitute a major defect that will result in the unit being placed immediately out of service?
  • Who in your department has the authority to put an apparatus out of service?
  • What procedure exists within your department to verify that important but not necessarily critical problems or defects are followed through with and addressed?

Many departments have answers to these several important questions, yet unfortunately many departments do not. Without answers and procedures, the remark “This hose doesn’t look good” will progress to “I think this hose is leaking hydraulic fluid” to The brakes just wouldn’t hold —it was just like they had been oiled. I can’t understand what happened, it all went by so fast….”

DMV INSPECTION

As chief of a department that has effective procedures for apparatus maintenance, I know how fast something can deteriorate and how easily something can slip through the proverbial cracks. It’s easy to say “How can they have 30 percent of their apparatus with serious defects?” but be careful—you may have 30 percent or even a higher percentage of your fire apparatus fleet with “out of service” defects. If you want to know, ask your state division of motor vehicles or equivalent agency to conduct an inspection of your fire apparatus fleet. Or ask a qualified mechanic to review each of your apparatus for possible defects. In either case you might be surprised!

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