APPARATUS CONVERSION: FROM “SCRAP METAL” TO RESCUE UNIT

APPARATUS CONVERSION: FROM “SCRAP METAL” TO RESCUE UNIT

BY DAVID FETTY

Unavoidable accidents can occur at anytime. Sometimes these instances can be small and easily handled, but at other times they can be devastating. How people handle these instances of adversity is the true measure of their character. The members of the Morgantown (WV) Fire Department have displayed their great character by taking what was viewed by many as scrap and converting it into a viable, necessary fire apparatus.

THE PROJECT

In July 1996, our 1978 aerial truck was operating in a training exercise at the West Virginia University fire training center. While extending the ladder, a mechanical malfunction caused the unit to totally collapse. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the aerial truck, for all intents and purposes, was totally destroyed. Later, the truck was taken to the manufacturer`s factory to determine what it would cost to replace and certify the ladder portion of the unit. When a cost projection of $92,000 was returned, it was decided to store the truck until some other options could be researched. The truck remained stored in our main station for two years.

In January 1998, I proposed to City Manager Dan Boroff that the truck be converted into a heavy rescue unit. The proposal stated that most of the work would be done in-house at a cost of about $30,000. Skeptical, Boroff accompanied me to the main fire station to look over the proposed work. The firefighters had already taken digital pictures of the damaged aerial truck, manipulated the configuration and size of the unit using a computer program, and produced a picture of what the new heavy rescue unit would look like. Viewing the pictures, listening to my arguments, and seeing the enthusiasm of the firefighters, Boroff reluctantly consented to the project. The proj-ect began on March 9, 1998.

THE RECONSTRUCTION

The truck was initially stripped of all compartments, lighting, ladders, equipment, and so on. A deal was made with Pettito Mining Equipment to remove the truck`s heavy turntable unit in exchange for the turntable unit itself. The second step was to relocate the back drive axles, air tanks, fuel tank, and all of the other applicable drivetrain hardware so that the frame could be shortened by approximately 10 feet. After fabricating a new driveshaft, the truck was able to move again.

The mechanics of the truck were completely overhauled so that it would be in excellent shape for the refurbishing steps that lay ahead. After installing new brakes, shocks, springs, wheel bearings, filters, belts, radiator, exhaust system, and much more, the truck was ready for the fabrication phase.

Fabrication

The first step in the fabrication phase was to inventory what was salvageable from the old unit and establish what else would be needed. After compiling a materials list, the firefighters went to work organizing a work area in the main station. Welding equipment, work benches, vises, clamps, torches, grinders, and a multitude of other tools (along with Band-Aids(TM)!) were brought in from personal inventories. Venders were established, purchase orders were obtained, and materials began arriving.

Firefighters who could, did. Those who couldn`t, tried. Those who didn`t know, learned. Assembly lines began to form. While one person called out measurements, another cut the steel and handed it to the fitters and welders. Piece by piece, the skeleton of the heavy rescue truck was formed, and the framework was ready to paint.

After the framework was painted with an industrial red paint, all of the salvageable compartments of the old truck were put in place and secured. This allowed for the measuring, shearing, bending, and welding required to fabricate the other necessary compartments. When the remaining compartments were completed, they were placed and secured in their respective positions. At this point, the original doors were reinstalled and new doors were made for the compartments fabricated by the firefighters. All that remained in the fabrication process were the design, sheering, bending, and fitting of the aluminum diamond plate materials used for the roof and ends of the compartment body.

Wiring

As the firefighters admired their creation, it became immediately apparent that this unit would need some major wiring changes for the proposed lighting and equipment. The entire truck was rewired. Everything that required power had to be considered and planned for. After a few miscalculations and some minor problems, the rewiring was completed, and all the required breaker systems, transformers, switches, access panels, hangars, sheathing, and so on, were installed. The lighting systems selected conform to the most current NFPA standards.

Exterior Finish

Although our new heavy rescue unit was a thing of beauty to those who had put in so many hours of their time, other not-so-understanding bystanders commented on the rough edges and the primer paint. It was time to do something about that. The truck was taken to the city garage paint booth for its transformation. As with nearly every other obstacle on this project, the firefighters chose to overcome the painting challenge themselves. They began by grinding welds and applying body filler. The sanding and filling seemed to go on for weeks, until one day it was ready to be masked off, primed, and painted. When the painting was finished, even the most critical bystanders couldn`t believe the results. Although it looked a little bare, the red and white paint glistened under the shine of the aluminum diamond plating.

The firefighters` enthusiasm for the project was renewed. All of the chrome fixtures were cleaned and polished. The old lights were checked for flaws, and the new lights were uncrated. With each new light and each newly replaced chrome fixture, pride within the department and community grew. Finally, a lettering schematic–complete with the required reflective taping and simulated gold leaf borders–was developed.

THE GOAL: HEAVY RESCUE

From the inception of this project, the firefighters kept in mind the real reason for this truck–heavy rescue! Throughout the project, they constantly discussed equipment needs and how to best provide for those needs. By taking advantage of equipment that had been stored and making or buying equipment they did not have, they were able to develop a very impressive arsenal of life-saving capability.

A four-ton winch with remote operation features was mounted on a hitch assembly designed and built by the firefighters. This allowed the winch to be used on the front or rear of the vehicle.

Electric rewind reels were purchased to provide electric, hydraulic, and pneumatic power on-scene.

A salvaged generator, which could produce 5,500 watts of power with an 11-horsepower engine, was installed to supply the 110-volt scene requirements.

An in-house hydraulic unit was installed to produce the necessary 10,000-psi pressures needed for the hydraulic tools.

A complete field air cascade system was designed and built so that breathing air bottles could be filled on-scene at large-scale incidents. This cascade system also allows for a 200-foot air tag line to facilitate a confined space rescue team. A secondary air system, using the truck`s own compressor, was installed for the operation of various air rescue tools and air lifting bags.

The interior compartments featured adjustable shelving units, dry decking, and splatter painting for easy maintenance.

Technology was not overlooked either. The cab has a computer stand, wiring, and a computer with an absolutely phenomenal database. Couple this computer capability with a cellular phone and a 100-watt radio system, and you`re ready to conduct business.

Nervous hands added the finishing touches–lettering, taping, and decals–the same hands that had been burnt by torches and welders, cut by sharp objects of all sorts, and bludgeoned by hammers and steel.

BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT

The rewards of this project are as varied as the skills required to accomplish it. Some are short-term and obvious, others are long-term and somewhat abstract. In the short-term analysis, the fire department was able to build a much needed heavy rescue unit and thereby increase its capability to handle a variety of situations. This unit will allow us to develop or improve our ability to extricate victims in the following scenarios: vehicular accidents, confined space rescues, trench rescues, industrial rescues, first-responder activities, limited haz-mat intervention, and hundreds of other general service calls we perform. This vehicle will also allow us to lighten up our minipumper and extend its life as well. All of this was achieved on a budget of approximately $30,000, the equivalent of the cost of a moderately priced luxury car. A new, comparable heavy rescue unit could cost as much as $300,000.

The long-term benefits are much harder to define, but they are certainly more crucial. Time will tell how many lives and how much property will be saved by the equipment carried on this unit. There is also no way to measure the sense of pride the firefighters will experience when another fire department has been inspired to undertake a similar project.

The Morgantown firefighters have shown what can be accomplished with a relatively small budget. Perhaps other small communities will endeavor to replicate this initiative in many other areas of public safety. If this happens, then our goal of saving lives and protecting property will be attained, no matter where those lives or property may be located.





(1) Aerial apparatus after the ladder was removed. The ladder had collapsed during a training exercise. (2) Compartments and turntable were removed from the frame. (3) The aerial with all its original compartments and the turntable removed before the frame was modified. (4) Fitting and fabricating the new compartments and building the frame.




(5) New compartment and frame work completed. (6) Compartment containing electric rewind 100-foot hydraulic reel for rescue system; power component will sit on the aluminum slide-out tray. (7) The emergent Heavy Rescue 1.

STATISTICS AND FACTS

Initial project proposal date: 01-16-98

Project starting date: 03-09-98

Project completion date: 08-01-98

Initial project cost estimate: $30,000

Total actual project costs: $32,000

Total firefighter man-hours: 3,500

Outside agencies that provided labor:

Pettito Mining Equipment

Wilson Equipment Company

Mt. State Bit Service

Vehicle specifications prior to the project:

1978 aerial truck

Wheelbase: 229 inches or 19 feet, one inch

Total vehicle length: 468 inches or 39 feet

Total vehicle width: 96 inches or eight feet

Total vehicle height: 126 inches or 10 feet, six inches

Total vehicle weight: 37,680 pounds

Engine spec.: Diesel

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Vehicle specifications after the project:

1978 heavy rescue truck

Wheelbase: 141 inches or 11 feet, nine inches

Total vehicle length: 306 feet or 25 feet, six inches

Total vehicle width: 96 inches or eight feet

Total vehicle height: 121 inches, or 10 feet, one inch

Total vehicle weight: 23,960 pounds

Engine spec.: Diesel

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Walk-in area: 266,000 cubic inches

Compartment area: 615,000 cubic inches

Estimated cost of purchasing a comparable new unit:

between $150,000 and $300,000.

DAVID FETTY is a 22-year veteran and chief of the Morgantown (WV) Fire Department and deputy fire marshal of West Virginia. He has an associate`s degree in fire science from Fairmont State College.

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