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Apparatus/Equipment upkeep and maintenence
We have found in our experience, that there are many different policies for the upkeep of fire department equipment. Some departments perform upkeep one compartment per week. Others may complete the whole truck in a months time. Some departments perform these duties as often as they utilize the equipment on a call. If it isn't used, it doesn't get serviced. At our department, we completely remove every piece of equipment, one compartment at a time, and clean and check for serviceability, every Thursday. The entire apparatus is cleaned inside and out, to include the engine compartment. If a tool fails inspection, it is fixed or removed from service. How is this duty performed at your respective department or company?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Larry Lasich on -
We checklist every piece of apparatus on our first day back. Just to make sure everything is as we left it. All fuel and oil levels are checked and every friday small engines are started (and run 'till warm), and the hydrolic tools are exercised. Weather permiting, we roll the trucks outside and excerse the pumps. Anything that fails a check is brought to the attention of the Capt., pulled from the rig and replaced with a like piece off of a second due, or sent off and a pass on is created.
Or equipment gets washed EVERY SINGLE TIME they go on the road. Our Chief is a 35 year DoD Fire Chief and he is all about equipment looking good. But because we are private, the property owners want to know that we are taking care of the stuff. And when kids and folks want a tour thru the station, it's nice that the app floor and rigs are looking sharp.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Cook on -
We start each piece of equipment, every morning and run for 15 minutes(Rain or Shine) .The power plants for the cutters,spreaders and ram are hooked up to each tool to assure the tool is in proper working order. After the tools have been ran all the fluid levels are checked, and any repairs that are needed are taken care of they are placed back on the rig. We also place the truck in pump gear and throttle the rig to diffrent pressures to assure the pump is in operating condition. One day a week we take all the tools off the truck and do a detalied cleaning and inspection of the tools. We also on this day do a detalied inspection and cleaning of the rig itself. If the tools are used on a job when the rig gets back to the station all the tools used are cleaned an inspected then placed back inservice. We also wax the rig twice a month
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Permalink Reply by Steven Longmire on -
Larry, when your team has a peice of equipment going out of service, how do you update your area EOC as to that status?
I have run into a couple situations to where for example a snorkle truck with foam (only 2 in the area), was up on a rack for oil service. The call came in for the truck, yet as it was up on the rack, extra time was taken to respond as they had to re-queue the other truck. I am trying to come up with a simple way to manage unit status with real time updates to the EOC and dispatch without heavy dollars and something that does not take much effort on the part of the responders. I have some ideas on that, and would apperciate your feedback.
Thanks,
Steven Longmire (Redmond, WA)
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Permalink Reply by Larry Lasich on
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Steven,
If we got paged for Mutual Aid and the rig that was requested was out of service, we would advise dispatch at that time.
We arn't part of the Galatin County dispatch system and we are geographicly seperate from Madison County. As a result, they don't know if we are working our own deal unless we yell for help and what our level of response can be unless they call.
We are working toward getting formal MA aggrements with the two departments that are located next to us and that should solve most of the "what have you got and how fast can it get here" problems.
Hope that helps, if I was unclear let me know and I will try to give you a better answer.
Larry
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Permalink Reply by Brenda Tenney on -
On our department we check our apparatus's ,equipment before any call,during the week,after and call,we roll out the lines and clean them,check the fuel levels and oil.If any truck is low on fuel,after and call ,it gets gas ,and back to the station.
Our department checks all compartments,to see if everything is in them,and up to date.
We make a check list of what we need.,if anything is messed up and so on.
One thing we had to order extra,is and battery for the CPR equipment.We have certain fire fighters who keeps everything up to date,checking out the fire trucks...We do inventory ,on all our things in the dept.,our trucks,,once are twice a month.
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