Working on Air

Working on Air

APPARATUS

New Zealand's standardized 1,000-gpm pumpers equipped with 160-cu.-ft. air compressor. Two one-inch air outlets and controls are mounted on pump panel.

The New Zealand Fire Service’s combination pumper/rescue apparatus is versatile, efficient, and a major boost to productivity and service.

THE NEW ZEALAND Fire Service is a nationalized organization. It protects more than three million citizens in a country about the size of California. Cities and towns are spread evenly throughout the country, and include four large urban and 20 provincial centers.

The fire service organization has a traditional British base, but in the last 20 years, globe-trotting Kiwis have scoured the world for ideas on operational and equipment alternatives. The result is that our fire service is now a mixture of American, Japanese, British, and other European influences. This blend —mingled with a dose of our own ingenuity — is demonstrated with our latest emergency vehicle, the combined pumper/ heavy-rescue tender.

While firefighting remains our primary service, automobile accidents, with related rescue and EMS operations, and hazardous-materials incidents account for a growing number of our responses. The combined pumper/rescue tender is designed to provide at least tw o of these major functions within one vehicle.

A nation of only three million cannot afford infinite personnel budgets, and yet management wanted to provide farreaching heavy-rescue capability in addition to the well-developed firefighting service already in place. With the salaries and benefits of career firefighters comparable to those in other parts of the world, the option of staffing additional rescue vehicles was tried but soon abandoned as cost-prohibitive. The answer was to try to develop a combination vehicle and related operating procedures.

The “green light” was given with the mandate that we did not compromise either capability. The vehicle, we were ordered, had to have full pumping capacity and related equipment for firefighting, and also be able to provide for efficient operations at heavy-rescue incidents. The only capabilities which could be downplayed were in the support functions of salvage, cleanup, and other nonemergency services.

How did we get this “big air” capacity on our standard fire pumpers?

We decided to try fitting a compressor on our standard pumpers to drive related pneumatic rescue tools. Working closely with different manufacturers in refining specifications, the prototype combined pumper/heavy-rescue units were developed in Aukland, New Zealand’s largest city. One of our national contract manufacturers delivered the first unit in 1986; presently, 28 units are in service. At least one is assigned to each major city in the country.

The essential—and novel—feature of the combined pumper/heavy-rescue tender is that all power rescue tools are driven by an air compressor from outlets on the apparatus. Air tools arc not new to the fire service, and percussive air tools have been around for a long time. These have traditionally been powered from the brake system or air bottles. However, the “big air” that we have designed into our apparatus is able to deliver 160 cubic feet per minute— high capacity by any standard. This volume of air. delivered at 100 psi, is able to drive any amount of tools necessary at the rescue scene.

Ask yourself why every tool in a coal mine or quarry is pneumatic. What drives most of the tools in a heavy-metal plant or a car-assembly factory? Air is clean, requires only a single feedline to the tool, is intrinsically safe, and is totally reliable in starting. Air-driven tools arc simple, lightweight, and powerful. They are also relatively quiet. If you do a little research and shopping, you w ill be able to find any type of tool you desire in a pneumatic version. Off the shelf, pneumatic motors can repower the few’ special cases in which pneumatic drive is not available from the manufacturer.

How were we able to get this “big air” capacity onto a standard fire pumper? All our pumpers are standardized, developed over the last 16 years. All are British heritage body style with roller shutter doors. The only innovations had been the adoption of a midmount American-style pump and a New Zealanddesigned cab. Our designs are mounted on American, British, Japanese, and now Scandinavian chassis, but the vehicles are almost indistinguishable.

APPARATUS

WORKING ON AIR

The answer was found in the United States. We purchased a rotary screw air compressor that could be driven, by power take-off, from the automatic transmission. This unit was easily mounted in the open space beneath the chassis: This unit did not compromise the space needed for our 1,000-gpm, three-stage centrifugal pump, nor for our 400-gallon booster tank. The body still provided a four-door crew cab and standard equipment compartments.

Our converted pumpers are fitted with the compressor kit and its associated coolers and receiver/separator. They are then outfitted with the additional pneumatic tools before commissioning. Most are assigned to respond as a second pumper, operating in either role or in combination.

The operating sequence begins by engaging the power take-off switch in the cab. The main pump may be run simultaneously without complications. Air is supplied from the compressor to two one-inch outlet valves on each pump panel. Adjusting the hand throttle to 1,800 rpm provides maximum air supply. However, lower engine speeds will maintain pressure if less air is needed for the operation. The pump operator merely monitors an air-pressure gauge instead of a water-pressure gauge or flow meter. Any excess air is “dumped” from an automatic safety valve.

The air is supplied to the tool location through heavy-duty, one-inch, lay-flat, pvc/rubber air hoses. They are much lighter than traditional air tubing. The air lines are stored rolled and have hermaprodite claw couplings. Each vehicle carries four 100-foot rolls.

The tools carried are:

Heavy masonry/rock breaker— Standard roadworking and demolition paving breaker used for breaching/entry and other rescue operations.

I Medium percussion cutters—These compact, powerful tools will walk through sheet steel and plate up to 3/16-inch in thickness. Magnificent but noisy.

Typical pneumatic equipment compartment. The carrier for two 100-foot rolls of one-inch air hose is removable and easily unrolled for use.This apparatus is able to pump at capacity to supply hand lines necessary while also maintaining sufficient air supply to drive any number of required rescue tools.

APPARATUS

WORKING ON AIR

Small percussion cutters—For cutting metal ducts and automobile panels. Hacksaw— Reciprocating units using an industrial blade that cuts on the pull-back. Ideal for brake pedals or other close work.

Rotary cutter— A 5-hp angle grinder body fitted with metal-cutting abrasive wheels. It is able to cut in any position —even upside down —singlehandedly.

Hydraulic spreading!cutting devices— Standard units repowered with pneumatic motors. It cuts the sound level in half, guarantees starting with no sparks or fuel supplied to the scene. Extended operations merely require turning the activation levers on and off. We have absolute reliability with full original power.

Chainsaw— 30-inch bar fitted with carbide-tipped chain. Almost silent in operation, yet has all the capabilities of an ordinary’ chainsaw.

Smoke extractor (ejector) — Standard 16-inch ducted fan with a 3-hp motor. With high efficiency blades, these units supply over three times the rated capacity of comparable electricpowered units. They can be used in flammable/explosive atmospheres to vent gases or evaporate spills in addition to the traditional ventilation functions.

Impact wrenches and related sockets and adaptors

Hazardous-material pumps—A small ⅛-hp motor powers this stainless steel and Teflon transfer pump Air driven, it is the ultimate power source for safely decanting drums of flammable materials at emergency scenes.

Air bags—Standard high-pressure air bags are supplied from the compressor without the need for air bottles and regulators.

ITie ultimate test of any new or innovative equipment is not the inspection by the chief and local dignitaries at the ceremonies—it’s the opinions of the firefighters and officers who must work with the equipment. After twelve months of service, these pumper/rescue units have received high marks from the “field.” We have been able to operate at complicated vehicular accident scenes while providing our own protection against accidental ignition of petroleum vapors with charged lines from our own unit. The versatility of the compressor allows simultaneous action of the 1,000-gpm pump and/or the compressor at maximum capacity.

These vehicles are regarded as an unqualified success and have attracted wide international interest. Essentially, they are an investment in the productivity of our fire service. They ensure that the widest range of firefighting and rescue services is available from a single unit. The bottom line is that they provide tremendous value for the money in an age when money is becoming scarcer and the public is demanding more “bang for their buck.”

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