Nfpa Vehicle Replacement

[Juliane Bari]

Firedepartments are dealing with extended delivery times and a dramatic increase in costs for new rigs. This is because of a combination of market forces, including supply chain issues and long lead times for major components.

In many instances, fleet managers are having to modify the planned time frames for when new apparatus will be ordered to accommodate these longer production times. Frontline apparatus life cycles are being adjusted as well based on when the new, replacement units will arrive.

Older apparatus that are properly maintained and in good condition generally are relegated to spare or reserve service, for use when frontline units are out of service for preventative maintenance, testing or warranty repairs.

Although the operational terms might differ, some departments maintain fully outfitted apparatus that include tools, equipment, SCBA and radios. These apparatus would serve to be placed into service immediately as needed. These rigs are utilized and staffed during periods of high fire activity, incidents where personnel will operate for extended periods and other emergencies. These units might be called recall or ready reserve apparatus to differentiate them from regular reserve units.

Many factors would affect the number of reserve or spare apparatus that are needed to provide adequate fire protection, without having to resort to station brownouts or to companies that respond on nonfunctional apparatus. The fleet manager should maintain data on out-of-service time for each unit that are based on scheduled preventative maintenance, annual certification testing and other repairs. The number of incident responses, the condition of the frontline apparatus and utilization rates can provide data that can be utilized to determine an appropriate ratio of frontline-to-reserve apparatus for a department.

Smaller departments that have modest size vehicle fleets might not possess the resources to operate reserve units of any type. In these instances, regional or shared reserve engine and special service apparatus might be utilized to offset a reduction in services when frontline units are out of service for extended times.

The ACFD operates nine engine companies, three truck companies and two rescue squad apparatus. Four engines, two ladder trucks and one rescue are maintained to backfill when frontline apparatus are out of service for repairs or maintenance. Depending on the type of unit, it can take approximately 45 minutes to switch out an engine and as many as several hours to transfer the equipment on the heavy rescue. The ACFD maintains a well-designed and up-to-date apparatus fleet, which enables reserve apparatus to be similar to the frontline apparatus.

TOM SHAND, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, is a 36-year veteran of the fire service. He works with Michael Wilbur at Emergency Vehicle Response, consulting on a variety of fire apparatus and fire department master-planning issues. Shand is a member of the Firehouse Hall of Fame.

MICHAEL WILBUR, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, retired as a lieutenant in FDNY, where he was last assigned to Ladder Company 27 in the Bronx. He has served on FDNY's Apparatus Purchasing Committee and consults on a variety of apparatus-related issues around the country. Wilbur is a member of the Firehouse Hall of Fame. For further information, access his website at www.emergencyvehicleresponse.com.

An aging fleet, apparatus mechanical issues, lack of a defined replacement policy/plan, and no defined funding resources to support changes to the status quo are challenges that fire and rescue departments face daily.

Departments can overcome these challenges by having a fleet management program, looking at apparatus fleet studies, finding funding alternatives and, most importantly, having adequate insurance coverage to provide security in the event of an accident or catastrophic event.

One of the biggest challenges that a department faces is a fleet replacement. What are some of the mayday-style events that challenge and dictate fleet replacement? Things that need to be watched and reviewed that can help head off these challenges are an upfront reduction in capital funding for the fleet replacement program.

Pushing replacement out even one year can have long-lasting effects. Increased repair and maintenance costs are another signal that should alert internal stakeholders that budget constraints will be further challenged. Department personnel often have an emotional attachment to a particular apparatus and might discount or downplay the annualized operational costs. Here is where a robust fleet software system can track all repair, maintenance, fuel, insurance and depreciation costs to determine the actual cost of ownership.

When developing a good fleet management program and sound fleet management practices, departments need to start with data analysis of records on usage, repair and maintenance costs, downtime, fuel, insurance and certification testing. The department also must look at the annual cost of ownership to determine where these costs exceed the residual value in the vehicle. This amount can vary from vehicle to vehicle even with a standardized engine and truck fleet.

Evaluation of the apparatus fleet is the foundation of a good apparatus plan. An evaluation is made up of identifying cost of ownership issues and apparatus life cycle costs, which include service life, technological life and economic life.

There are four basic fleet replacement options: buy all units new through outright purchasing; lease units, returning or purchasing/buying them out at end of lease; rehabilitate now/replace later; and buy used apparatus.

A good fleet management program starts with annual testing and certification for all units, a comprehensive preventive maintenance program, and a fleet software system where all costs can be captured and analyzed.

When doing a fleet study, consider the following objectives: Evaluate each unit for age, mechanical condition, repair and maintenance costs, corrosion issues, pump and aerial inspection results along with the anticipated remaining service life. Inspections of all components (including chassis, tire condition and age, body compartmentation, confirmation of in-service weights and any accident repair records) should be under consideration.

Another key component is the annual vehicle mileage (AVM). In this case, the AVM for all frontline engines was 5,580 miles per year, and the average for the truck company units was 4,709 miles per year. Using this information, you can calculate the AVM for a new engine and help set your replacement plan. For example, based on the above information, the AVM for a new engine after 12 years was 80,760 miles; after 15 years, it was more than 100,000 miles.

Purchasing authorities and cooperative purchasing groups can provide a department with the ability to determine which original equipment manufacturer (OEM) they want to deal with while having visibility to standard components and optional equipment costs for consideration.

Rehabbing or rebuilding apparatus has its ups and downs. You must consider the following if looking at this avenue: the department is unable to afford new apparatus; the mission of the apparatus changed; the department desires to upgrade specific components to enhance operations, maintenance and safety and extend the life expectancy of the vehicle.

If your department plans to rebuild a vehicle, first determine the length of time that the unit will continue to provide frontline service before a new vehicle will be acquired. Spending $150,000 to upgrade warning lights, paint and graphics with a change in tires and wheels might not work out if you plan to keep the unit for five years, because these upgrades will do little to ensure the mechanical reliability of the unit.

Reasonable candidates for rebuilding projects include: custom cab apparatus that have solid frame components; vehicles whose OEM is in business to support replacement parts; and vehicles whose major drivetrain components are in good condition to provide the additional life cycle.

The main point of fleet plan funding is to make sure that the replacement schedule is realistic, that the funding can be maintained and projected, that funding keeps pace with the economy, that you leave some wiggle room in case of difficult times and that you might have to move replacements back some.

A major concern for any fleet and its plan is insurance coverage. Do you know what coverage you have, and do you understand it? The biggest item to understand: agreed values. There are several assumptions made by clients and prospects as to the process of determining how (or whether) the apparatus is repaired or replaced after an accident or damage occurred. Placing the proper value on the apparatus is important to both department and insurer.

Every insurance provider is different, but we will use this example from one of the largest emergency services organization insurance carriers. In this case, the carrier will pay the least of the four items:

Special thanks to Chief Joseph Cardello of Stafford County, VA, Fire & Rescue Department; Chief Jerry Poland of Bonneauville, PA, Fire Company; and Tom Shand of Emergency Vehicle Response for help with this article.

We will start this multipart series discussing the issue of tire age. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles, 8.3.6 states that tires must be replaced every seven years. Although this recommendation has become controversial within the fire service, studies have shown that older tires have a greater chance of failure than newer tires. This is because rubber tire components dry out, dry rot, and break down over time.

Anyone who may have inherited an older vehicle from an elderly relative may have experienced such issues. I once inherited a 10-year-old car with only 26,000 miles on the odometer. As a poor college student, I thought this was the greatest thing ever. However, soon after I started to drive the car on a regular basis, I had two incidents of tire blowouts at highway speeds. The tires blew out because they were old and dry rotted, making them much more susceptible to tire failure, especially under the heat and rigor of high-speed driving. Fortunately, I recognized the problem and purchased a new set of tires before I crashed the car and paid with my life.

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