Firefighters Shouldn't Fear Apparatus Data Recorders
Source Firehouse News
ORLANDO – On-Board Data Recorders on fire apparatus shouldn’t be feared by firefighters. In fact, the information they glean from operations can be used for training and maintenance programs.
That’s the message Matt Pitzer from Fire Research Corporation and Jeff Zook from Weldon gave attendees of a lecture on the devices delivered at the Fire Department Safety Officers Association annual apparatus symposium on Tuesday.
“They’re not just used during investigations of accidents,” said Pitzer who works for FRC which makes components that interfaces with the data recorders and also makes equipment that monitors seatbelt use. “We want to take some of the scariness out of the data recorders.”
Zook, who is an engineer with Weldon, another company that makes similar kinds of monitoring devices, said since 2009, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards have required apparatus to have data recorders on board. Additionally, data recorders have been on vehicles for at least 20 years, he said.
On-Board Data Recorders are much like the “black boxes” found on aircraft and they record a myriad of information from the vehicle, including speed, braking, anti-lock braking system activations, hard accelerations and even things like seatbelt use and warning lights and siren use. Engine speed, throttle position and other mechanical information is also stored on the devices.
Pitzer explained that 100 hours of operation time is stored on a looping basis, meaning that after the first 100 hours are recorded, it starts writing over itself and storing the most recent data while discarding the oldest.
The raw data is not corruptible by any user and cannot be erased without sophisticated passwords that would require authorization, the experts said. And, the information is stored with or without power to the unit indefinitely.
While the information can, and is often used during accident investigations, it can also be used for training Zook said.
“Say you have a firefighter with a heavy foot,” Zook said. “You can get the information from the data recorder, take him aside and show him, letting him know he needs to slow down.”
The information can also be used for maintenance, the experts said, noting that unanticipated or frequent anti-lock brake activations can indicate problems with ABS sensors and brake problems that mechanics can use for troubleshooting.
The information is accessible by USB computer connection to a laptop, or options can be specified that will allow the information to be uploaded to secured web sites via the internet or wirelessly to computers, the experts said.
Once in a computer, the raw data can be entered into Excel spread sheets, or other proprietary software programs that help the end users analyze the information and generate reports, they said.
In the future, Pitzer and Zook said cameras, GPS and more sophisticated analysis will be available as options for data recorders.
“It’s already there and there are a ton of things it can do,” Zook said. “We just have to get firefighters to use it.”
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Ed Ballam
Ed Ballam served as associate editor for Firehouse. He is the assistant chief of the Haverhill Corner, N.H. 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 35 years working for a variety of publications, including employment as managing editor of a national fire service trade journal for more than a decade.
