Fire Apparatus Seating All About Safety, Comfort
Fire apparatus is often referred to as toolboxes on wheels meant to transport a lot of equipment to the fire scene. They are also meant to carry firefighters to the scene.
If one thinks about apparatus seating like mounting equipment, it quickly becomes apparent that there’s a lot more to the topic than a soft cushion upon which to coddle the firefighters’ assets.
Seatbelt anchor points, SCBA brackets, size and fabric coverings are just a few of the options to be considered during apparatus specifications.
Three seat manufacturers shared tips with Firehouse.com on what firefighters should consider when specifying the apparatus seating that arguably carries the most important resource to fire scenes.
Seats Incorporated
Seats Incorporated manufactures a line of 911 Emergency Seats for fire apparatus and emergency response vehicles.
Katie Kleinschmidt, the in Reedsburg, WI-based company’s sales coordinator, recommends the first thing firefighters do when they start considering seats is to talk to the companies that actually make them.
“Truck OEMs and dealers are great resources, but they may not be aware of newly released or upcoming seating products that you will absolutely want,” Kleinschmidt said. “We wholly enjoy helping with this process and look forward to your calls.”
Kleinschmidt said Seats Incorporated serves a wide market base shipping more than 2,000 seats every day for a variety of industries including Class 6-8 trucks, turf, construction, industrial, military, rail, marine and bus driver seats.
“This diversity allows us the opportunity to adapt technologies and designs from a wide range of markets into our 911 seating line,” Kleinschmidt said.
The best knowledge, however, comes from the firefighters’ experiences, she said, noting firefighters will want to consider what they like about seating in their current apparatus as well as the concerns and things that are problematic. Seating manufacturers will have the answers on how to resolve issues and fulfill the desired features.
Once a department has selected the right seat with the right options, Kleinschmidt said departments must talk to their apparatus manufacturer to make sure all of the seat adjustment and features will work when in the cab.
“Less than adequate mounting into the cab may restrict these adjustments leading to, for example, packs not fitting completely into the SCBA cavity and, instead, intruding into the occupant’s back,” Kleinschmidt said.
Safety is a top priority for Seats Incorporated and the company puts a lot of effort into making sure products do their jobs and are durable before being marketed, she said.
“Each new product spends a good chunk of time in our test facility to prove it will hold up to this tough industry before it is ever released to market,” Kleinschmidt said. “Passing cycle and durability testing is culture here. Our in-house industry-leading test facility helps guarantee quality engineered product.”
Beyond the generic seat requirements, such as safety and functionality, Kleinschmidt said firefighters have myriad options to consider.
Parade panels for ride comfort when not responding to calls, mask pouches, extra-wide seats, cushion reinforcement, triple-seam stitching, lumbar support, bottle-release systems, seatbelt retractors, recline positioning and cushion material are among the options firefighters have to consider, Kleinschmidt said.
And there’s also suspension options, knee action, scissor actions, ultra-low profile and cam action, she said, all having different advantages and benefits. There are also seats available with power options as well as manual tracks with easy-to-access "towel bar" handles. Also, 911 Seats are available with a ReadyReach belt system that places seat restraints at arm level to keep them easily seen and easy to grab, which means they’ll be more likely used, she said.
“The options to fit your specific needs are endless,” Kleinschmidt said.
Kleinschmidt said firefighters need to consider rollover-protection systems, including seat airbag installation, belt pretensioners and suspension restrictors, all designed to keep occupants safe in the event of a rollover.
Cushions and covers are also important elements of apparatus seats. Kleinschmidt said Seats Incorporated uses an elastomeric vibration control (EVC) to ease tailbone pressure and increase comfort by reducing vibration up to 50 percent.
Turnout Tuff cloth is a urethane-coated denier nylon and is water repellent up to 75 psi, which is suitable for heavy-duty applications, Kleinschmidt said. The material Seats Incorporated uses is modeled after turnout gear and has a rip-stop weave to stop unraveling if punctured and can handle 300 pounds plus per foot of burst pressure and withstand more than 1,000 cycles of heavy grit wheel abrasions.
Innovations in apparatus seating is constantly evolving, Kleinschmidt said, and Seats Incorporated is keeping pace with demands.
“We are seeing a big shift, and continued variability, in the wants and desires of this industry,” Kleinschmidt said. “Cleanability has recently become more important to the industry than ever before.”
To meet that increasing demand, Seats Incorporated offers a variety of easy-to-clean materials including a traditional vinyl, she said, noting that Turnout Tuff is another material that has gained popularity with departments that want cloth seats, but recognize the need to be able to remove debris while making sure the fabric holds up and never allows particles to get into the foam through tears or frayed seams.
Kleinschmidt said departments increasingly want tool-free adjustments and parts that are easy to serve and replace if needed.
“They want to be safe during and after the call,” she said. “They want to be comfortable and enter and egress with ease. They want operations to be simple and quick.”
She said Seats Incorporated continuously innovates and diversifies as it creates seating for the fire service.
“As the industry continues to change, so will our product,” she said. “Before purchasing a truck, you will certainly want to make sure you are up to speed with the latest offerings.
H.O. Bostrom Co. Inc.
H.O. Bostrom Co. Inc., is a maker of seats for a variety of markets, including fire and emergency service vehicles. Paul Bostrom is the vice president of sales and marketing of the third-generation, family owned business based in Waukesha, WI.
“I would say if you’re looking at seating, safety, ease of use and durability has to be considered,” Bostrom said. “Safety is an operational, cultural thing for us. Whatever we are developing, we’re trying to help firefighters.”
One of the main things H.O. Bostrom does to make its seats safe is to have all belts to seats (ABTS) design, Bostrom said, noting that his company was a pioneer in ABTS designs.
“The majority of OEMs use that kind of seat, but what makes us unique is we have RiteHite seatbelt adjustments that provide a vertical adjustment for the shoulder position seatbelt,” Bostrom said. “That accommodates smaller or taller male or female firefighters by placing the belt on the shoulder in just the right position across the chest for safety.” He added the comfort is better with a properly positioned belt making it more likely firefighters will wear their belts.
Bostrom said his company has started making longer seat cushions in its 500 Series seats and integrating SCBA strap storage. He said often firefighters spend time fishing for airpack belts that have fallen into cavities between the seats and cabs. He added that the feature is comprised of literal hooks to store SCBA straps on.
And, speaking of SCBAs, Bostrom pointed out that H.O. Bostrom is the only seat manufacturer that makes its own SCBA in-seat brackets called SecureAll. He said the product will accept airpacks from all the manufacturers.
When it comes to the driver’s seat, Bostrom said firefighters need to consider equipping the apparatus with a unit that allows the operator the optimal control of the vehicle. He said some air suspension seats can cause feet to come off pedals, which might make apparatus control difficult. He said H.O. Bostrom has a seat with a back that suspends and a seat bottom that independently adjusts, which prevents feet from coming off the ground.
“Adjustments are important as women are becoming more prevalent in the fire service,” Bostrom said, noting that men of slight stature can also benefit from independent adjustments.
When it comes to placing seats in an apparatus cab, Bostrom said there are a number of options firefighters need to consider, including egress.
To help with that Bostrom said his company has developed a “fold and hold” feature added to a traditional fold-up crew seat. A cam action device means the seat will stay down unless it’s lifted up over center of the cam and flip down and stay when deployed. That means firefighters can more easily move in the cab and make the choice of having the seat up or down as needed.
Bostrom said the safest seating position in an apparatus is forward facing and should be the goal for seating. However, that’s not always possible to accommodate the most seating in a cab. He suggested that toenailing seats in slightly will help in the event of a collision.
Referencing a recent International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) study of the anthropometrics of firefighters, Bostrom said it is now a matter of science that most firefighters are bigger than the general population. To that end, Bostrom said many fire departments are placing fewer seats in apparatus and spreading them out further. In many cases, seats have increased from 20 inches wide to 22 inches wide, which helps increase comfort and safety.
Another way to keep occupants safe in fire apparatus and emergency vehicles is to specify seats with dual seatbelt retractors, which means each retractor will have less belt to tension in a crash event, Bostrom said. Seatbelt pretentioners and airbags built into the seats are a couple of other ways to help protect apparatus passengers, he said, noting his company works with rollover protection companies like IMMI and Takata.
Cushion material should also be a priority for firefighters as they consider firefighting seating, Bostrom said, noting that his company offers high-strength, wear-resistant Durawear for its seats.
He said it’s a combination of a woven composite material and a PVC sheet backing that makes it resistant to punctures and resistant to water and liquid penetration.
“It is impossible to clean a ripped seat,” Bostrom said, adding that’s why H.O. Bostrom takes great strides in making sure that doesn’t happen. Seams that are sown one inch below the seam help prevent ripping and wear as firefighters get in and out of apparatus.
The Durawear material is easy to clean too, something Bostrom said should be a factor when picking fabrics. He said 85 percent of all containments, including carcinogens and pathogens, can be removed with just detergent and water. H.O. Bostrom is also offering cushions where the seat covers can be removed for an even more thorough cleaning, he said.
When it comes to technology, Bostrom said firefighters might want to consider H.O. Bostrom’s Command.com option, which integrates speakers and microphones in the seats.
“It offers hands-free operations in the seat and is very flexible,” Bostrom said, adding firefighters no longer have to worry about breaking cords from other kinds of headsets and they don’t have to worry about charging cordless ones.
“We are constantly looking at adding more functions into the seat,” Bostrom said. “In the future, there will be more functionality in the seats.”
Bostrom said H.O. Bostrom is looking at smart seats that read vibrations for better ride and more control.
“We are moving to a point where the seat is an integral part of the safety features of the truck,” Bostrom said. “We want to give firefighters more input into driving the truck.”
Valor First Responder Seating
The top priority of Valor First Responder Seating, a division of USSC Group in Exton, PA, is surviving a crash.
“Our foundation is safety and survivability when a crash hits,” said Mike Bowman, regional sales manager for Valor. “It’s not if it hits, but when it hits.”
Bowman said firefighters need to consider serviceability, reliability, comfort and safety when selecting seats.
“We need to make those ergonomics as comfortable as possible, to a certain extent,” Bowman said. “The fire service is very lax when it comes to buckling up. Firefighters have the adrenaline going and they’re focused on getting the gear on right. We need to make it easy to put the seatbelt on.” He said Valor has a product that keeps the belts convenient and easy to put on.
Bowman said apparatus seating needs to have “a robust frame.” Valor uses tubing for additional strength and a proprietary component called Dynatrol suspension. He said it provides comfort and control by reducing severe bouncing. It helps control the basic dynamics bouncing has on internal organs.
“Every good structure has to have a good foundation,” Bowman said.
Most apparatus seats have SCBA and Bowman said Valor offers a product called Dynamic Back, which is incorporated into the back of the seat. He explained that as firefighters push against the SCBA, the SCBA bracket ratchets back.
“What this does is it allows the pack to be pushed back into the seat, so if there is an event, the airpack doesn’t contact the back like other brackets do,” Bowman said. “It allows firefighters to sit against the bolster and offers more protection and safety.”
Conscious of firefighters need to have protection against blood-borne pathogens and carcinogens, Valor uses Cordura 3 in a product it calls VALORTechXD anti-microbial upholstery.
“It’s a military-type grade material that we coat the underside with an antimicrobial,” Bowman said, adding that the antimicrobial agent is produced by Aegis Microbe Shield. “So if you do get blood-borne pathogens on it, you can wipe it down with something like Simple Green.”
Bowman said the Aegis product can be used to re-treat the seats and applied to other surfaces in the cab as well for added protection.
As a manufacturer of seats for other industries, including transit buses, Bowman said Valor can borrow technology and designs from other vocations. It did that recently with a Magnus air-suspension seat that has a 650-pound capacity. He said it’s more forgiving for “robust” people who might spend hours in the seat at a time. Comfort should always be a consideration, Bowman said.
Like other manufacturers, Valor offers airbags built into the seat and other safety options. It also has a few more creature comforts firefighters might want to consider including cell phone pockets, USB ports and on the horizon, Bluetooth technology, which Bowman said “is always an option.”
Valor has approval to be installed in any OEM’s product and has seats for all positions including EMS response vehicles.
“We have approvals to be placed in any OEM vehicle,” Bowman said. “Whether it’s fire or EMS, we’ve got product to cover the need.”
