Proper Compartment Layouts Provide Crews With All The Tools They Need

It’s almost cliché, but fire apparatus are indeed big tool boxes on wheels. Decades ago, apparatus carried firefighters, water, a pump, a bit of hose, a couple of ladders and little else. While that’s still the core of what apparatus do, firefighters’ mission has expanded so greatly they must now carry tools and equipment to handle incidents ranging from major building collapses, and conflagrations to homeowners’ flooded basements and even defibrillators and medical gear. All that has to go somewhere. And it all has to fit on an apparatus because tools left back at the station don’t help much where seconds can mean life or death.

In its 2009 edition of Fire Apparatus Specifications, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) upped the ante on equipment that must be carried to be compliant. We all know there are no NFPA police around issuing violations, but as nationally accepted standards, it’s always a better idea to be in compliance than not for liability reasons.

Since 2009, apparatus manufacturers have been trying to develop ways to fit more equipment on apparatus. Not only are firefighters required to carry more, they seldom discard or retire equipment that already lives on apparatus, unless it’s broke. For example, NFPA no longer requires hose clamps on engines, but how many do you think are still out there? Most likely countless.

To keep up with the demand for space for more equipment, apparatus manufacturers have been experimenting with different body configurations and even tank shapes to come up with the perfect balance of loose equipment space and the need for carrying water and fire suppression equipment. For example, T-tanks, which have come to be a standard over the last 20 years or so, allow a lot more compartment space lower on the fire body for heavy, larger equipment, like generators, portable pumps and extrication pumps. The T-tank also allows for high side compartmentation, which is always a nice feature on apparatus. There are even L-shaped tanks and reverse L-shaped tanks that allow firefighters to configure their compartments in almost any geometric configuration they desire.

Through-the-tank ladder and long-tool storage also opens up more compartment space on both sides of an apparatus. And, one that’s gaining more popularity is a notched tank to accommodate ladders on the top side of an apparatus, still fully enclosed, but with less engineering and reinforcing that through-the-tank storage requires.

With computer-aided design, engineers can draft just about anything departments dream up. Creativity and physics are the only limitation. The biggest concern is safety. It might be possible to make a tank with all the water way up high for more compartments lower, but it wouldn’t be prudent for safe driving. The center of gravity would make the vehicle top heavy and prone to overturning. The laws of physics can’t be broken, no matter how creative the engineer, or firefighter may be.

Other space solutions include using every bit of available space on the apparatus. At thousands of dollars per cubic foot, perhaps even tens of thousands of dollars, apparatus space is expensive real estate. So, it makes sense to use it wisely.

One place to find additional space is in the wheel wells. Most apparatus manufacturers offer options of SCBA cylinder storage in front and in back of the rear wheels. That space can also be used for extinguishers and they also make good space for rolled-up salvage covers.

Organization is key

Using the space more efficiently also means better organization of the tools and equipment on board. There are several third-party vendors offering tool-mounting systems and bracketing, all to keep things in their place. How many fire scenes have you been at where stuff is pulled out of apparatus compartments and strewn around like a yard sale? Thoughtful tool mounting and placement can save time and conserve precious space on apparatus. It might cost a bit more up front, but in the long run, it is well worth it. It makes that $500,000 investment more efficient.

There are a few apparatus builders that have their own proprietary tool-mounting systems that should be considered as well.

Tool boards, adjustable shelves and slide-out trays can afford great space savings by organizing tools and keeping them where they need to be. Migrating tools from compartment to compartment not only chew up space, it can delay on-scene responses. How many times have you gone to retrieve a tool that you know was in the front officer's side compartment, only to find that it's now in the pump operator's compartment on the other side? It's frustrating, at best. A well thought-out plan for tool placement at the start, with the appropriate numbers of shelves and trays will save time in the long run. And, apparatus manufacturers say shelves cost about $600 a piece, so specifying just enough will help keep the budget in line. It will also help prevent the accumulation of a pile of expensive scrap metal from forming in the corner of the station when people realize there are too many shelves in the new apparatus and they get taken out.

Coffin-style compartments on top of the apparatus also afford some very usable storage space in an area typically not considered for equipment. The compartments can run the lengths of both sides of an apparatus with hinged lids accessible from the top. They make good locations for storage of lightweight equipment and supplies, like absorbent booms or salvage covers. They might be a good spot for seldom-used tools as well as long as they’re not too heavy. It’s never a good idea to mess with the center of gravity of apparatus.

Over the life of any apparatus, tools and their locations change. Engineers and manufacturers do their best, and even certify the apparatus they create is safe, but it’s up to the departments to keep them in compliance.

The Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) has an online tool to help firefighters not only specify new compartments, but help them maintain compliance as the use of the apparatus evolves over the years.

Keep in mind that like Newton’s third law of physics, “for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction,” the same is true when designing apparatus. For every inch to take for equipment, there’s less space for water, or personnel.

Adding compartments and equipment can also increase the truck’s wheelbase and overall length.

To get exactly the apparatus they need with sufficient compartments to haul it all, departments need to think long and hard about the new apparatus’ mission. A rescue rig that will do extensive auto extrications on the interstate doesn’t need a 1,000-gallon water tank, in most instances. It’s better to reserve that cargo space for tools, not water. A tender/tanker with a mission of strictly hauling water, might only need enough compartment space for a few adapters, water appliances and maybe a portable pump.

Match compartments to the mission and make sure all that premium space is used to its fullest extent with well-organized tool mounting and location. That will make for an apparatus that is fully functional for years to come.

ED BALLAM is the industry and products associate editor for Firehouse, a captain with the Haverhill Corner, NH, Fire Department, and a National Registered EMT. He is also a Deputy Forest Fire Warden for the New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands. Professionally, he's been a journalist for over 30 years working for a variety of publications, including employment as managing editor of a national fire service trade journal for more than a decade.