Chapter 1: Types of Apparatus Equipped with a Pump Flashcards
Fire apparatus’ are classified according to
the primary function for which they are designed
The fire department pumper is
the core unit of the fire service and is sometimes expected to fill several roles such as rescue, hazardous materials, or medical responses
Fire department pumper
: is to provide adequate water pressure for effective fire streams
The 3 water sources may be the
apparatus internal water tank
A fire hydrant
a static water source such as a lake or portable water tank
NFPA 1901
Standard for automotive fire apparatus: contains the requirements of pumper design
what does the NFPA 1901 standard require of pumps and tanks
o This standard specifies a minimum pump capacity of 750gpm (3000L/min)
o minimum water tank with a capacity of 300gallons (1200L)
Pump capacities larger than 750gpm (3000L/min) increase in increments of
250gpm (1000L/min) with most municipal fire departments operating pumpers of 20000gpm (8000l/min) or less
- Nfpa 1901 specifies the minimum portable equipment that must be carried on all fire department pumpers include:
o Intake and discharge pump connections
o Pump controls and gauges
o Variety of hose and nozzle sizes and types
The following list contains equipment commonly found on pumpers:
o Ground ladders
o SCBA
o Forcible entry tools
o Salvage tools and equipment
o Portable water tank
o Emergency medical equipment
Rescue pumpers
combine some of the functions of a rescue company with a fire department pumper
o They carry medical ,rescue and extrication equipment
Both municipal and industrial foam pumpers may be equipped with any of the following:
around the pump, direct injection and balance pressure foam proportioning systems
Compressed air foam systems (CAFS
o Balanced pressure proportioning system
o Fire pumps ranging in capacity from 750 to 3000gpm
o Large onboard tank of foam concentrate
o Large fixed foam/water turret capable of flowing the entire capacity of the fire pump
around the pump, direct injection and balance pressure foam proportioning systems
o Around-the-pump (foam tank never mixes with the pump)
direct injection (puts it right into the pump)
balanced pressure foam proportioning systems (balance of foam and water)
Compressed air foam systems (CAFS)
generic term used to describe a high energy foam generation system consisting of a water pump, a foam proportioning system, and an air compressor (or other air source) that injects air into the foam solution before it enters a hose line (combined with or in addition to another proportioning system)
municipal and industrial foam pumpers Fire pumps ranging in capacity from —- to ——gpm or greater
Fire pumps ranging in capacity from 750 to 3000gpm (3000L /min to 12000l/min) or greater
Large onboard tank of foam concentrate (usually found on industrial pumpers) oftain contain —— gallons or more of foam concentrate
500 gallons
limitation of Class A foam systems commonly installed on municipal fire pumpers
only have a few discharge outlets are capable of flowing foam solution.
The foam proportioning systems commonly found on municipal fire pumpers are scaled down versions of……
Likewise the foam tanks are correspondingly smaller, usually ranging from — to — gallons
The foam proportioning systems commonly found on municipal fire pumpers are scaled down versions of those used for industrial fire pumpers
Likewise the foam tanks are correspondingly smaller, usually ranging from 20 to 100 gallons
small tanks are often designed to be refilled directly from — gallon containers
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Initial Attack Fire Apparatus
: fire apparatus whose primary purpose is to initiate a fire attack on structural and wildland fires and support associated fire department actions
o scaled-down versions of full size pumpers
Mini pumper
small fire apparatus mounted on a pickup truck sized chasis, usually with a pump having a rated capacity less than 500 gpm (2000L/min)
o Primary advantage is speed and mobility, which enables it to respond to fires more rapidly than larger apparatus
Midi pumper
apparatus sized between a mini pumper and a full sized fire department, ususlly with a gross vehicle weight of 12,000 pounds or greater.
o Fire pump with a rated capacity generally not greater than 1000gpm
Mobile Water Supply Apparatus(water tenders or tankers)
used to transport water to areas where a water system is nonexistent or inadequate
the capacity of mobile water supply units is based on a variety of factors including:
o Terrain: apparatus must be capable of traversing roads in the area, including hills and winding, narrow roads
o Bridge and weight limits: bridges in a response area must be capable of supporting the weight of water supply apparatus
If the apparatus is over weight for some older bridges, alternate routes should be preplanned
o Monetary constraints: local jurisdiction may not have enough funding to purchase and operate a large mobile water supply apparatus
o Interoperability: the capability of nearby jurisdictions should be considered before making a purchase. Water shuttles may operate more efficiently with apparatus of similar capacity
Mobile water supply apparatus:
o are equipped with a tank capacity of
1000 gallons
mobile water supply apparatus- The design and construction process should meet certain safety and efficiency requirements including some of the following:
o Adequate but reasonable water capacity
o Efficient fill and dump time
o Suspension and steering matched to terrain requirements
o Properly sized chassis
o Adequately sized engine for vehicle size and terrain
o Sufficient braking ability for vehicle and terrain
o Proper tank mounting and baffling
o Adequate tank venting system
o Ability to dump water from either side or rear of apparatus
- Mobile water supply apparatus have 2 basic functions on the fireground
o mobile shuttle operation: the water tender arrives at the designed dump site and either pumps off or uses the quick dump valve to offload its water supply into folding portable water tanks
o Stationary reservoir or “nurse tender”: the apparatus is parked in close proximity to the fire scene. The pumpers connect to the water tender and use its supply during suppression operations
Wildland fire apparatus info and pump/tank capacities
- Design that is lightweight, highly maneuverable and all terrain
- Commonly known as brush trucks, brush breakers, or booster apparatus, these vehicles often have pump capacities and water tanks of 500 gallons (2000L) or less
A pump roll system
allows the apparatus to be driven while discharging water
o is an advantage when combating wildland fires
o the more the RPM the more the water pressure (PSI)
how do woodland apparatuses differ from other apparatuses
- separate motor or PTO (power take off) to power the fire pump
- Often mounted on one-ton or larger chasis, usually featuring all wheel drive
Most wildland apparatus hoses:
o booster hose
o forestry hose
o small diameter attack hose
ground sweep nozzles:
intended to extinguish small fires and hot spots as the vehicle advances through short vegetation
wildland fire apparatus foam systems:
o CAFS
o other types of Class A foam systems
CAFS
o Compressed air foam systems
Aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF)
are used to provide immediate suppression of flammable liquid fires and suppression of vapors from fuel spills
- Assist municipal departments with large scale flammable liquid incidents
(ARFF)
Aircraft rescue and fire fighting
Many local jurisdictions divide their ARFF apparatus into three general categories:
o Major fire fighting vehicles
o Rapid intervention vehicles
o Combined agent vehicles
Fireboats
protect hazards on and adjacent to water ways
- Fireboats commonly operate in areas containing boat or ship traffic as well as harbors with wharves, piers and docks
Functions of modern fireboats include
ice and water rescue, emergency medical services, fire fighting, and relay pumping to land based apparatus
Some fireboats have capacities as high as
- Some fireboats have capacities as high as 50,000gpm (200000L/min) each nozzles can discharge at excess of 10,000gpm
Aerial apparatus equipped with fire pumps
- have additional benefits on the fireground including
the ability to supply its own master streams and extinguish small fires when an engine company is not available
- The apparatus may function with the capabilities of an engine or ladder company
AERIALS SHOULD ALAWAYS BE POSITIONED
with consideration of the reach of the aerial device
A quint:
is an apparatus equipped with a fire pump, water tank, and hose in addition to an aerial device and ground ladders
NFPA 1901- the vehicle should be equipped with a pump rated at a minimum of ———-gpm and a water tank of at least ——– gallons
- NFPA 1901- the vehicle should be equipped with a pump rated at a minimum of 1000gpm and a water tank of at least 300 gallons
Rescue vehicles in some jurisdictions may be equipped with
small fire pumps and tanks in order to extinguish small fires and provide protective hoselines at extrication and other incidents
These units are often designed with the pump panel and one or more preconnected hose lines housed in a compartment
rescue apparatus equipped with fire pumps
- These vehicles should not be confused rescue pumpers discussed earlier in this chapter as they do not have the fire capabilities of a full sized fire department pumper
rescue apparatus equipped with fire pumps
Trailer mounted fire pumps use
- Long term pumping operations such as those involving fires at petroleum storage facilities or landfills, may be suitable for the deployment of trailer mounted pumps in order to release standard fire department pumpers for response to other incidents
what is an inverter
advantage and disadvantage
step up transformer that converts a vehicles 12 or 24 volt DC current into 110-220 volt AC current
o Have the advantage of fuel efficiency and is nearly noiseless
o Disadvantage: can be moved only a short distance away from the vehicle and have relatievely small power supply capacities
Most common power source used in emergency services
electrical power generators
Portable generators powered by
small gasoline or diesel engines generally have 110 and/or 220 volt capacity
largest capacity of a generator
12000 watts
Scene lighting and watts
- Most fire pumpers are equipped with scene lights
- May be portable or fixed
- Portable: Ranging from 300 to 1000 watts
- Fixed: ranging from 500 to 1500 watts
The use of —- ——during incident operations is a common occurrence
- The use of extension cords during incident operations is a common occurrence
Most common rescue tools found on pumping apparatus include the following:
o Extrication equipment such as spreaders and shears
o Combination spread and shear tools
o Extension rams
These tools are powered by either:
o Hydraulic pressure
o Compressed air or apparatus power take off system
Chapter summary
- Fire apparatus are classified according to the function for which they are designed
- NFPA 1901: standard for automotive fire apparatus
- Within category of pumping apparatus a wide variety of designs and capabilities are built to serve specific needs
- Fire apparatus with pumping capability may include small vehicles used for initial attack and wildland fire fighting to standard municipal fire pumpers and large tandem axle mobile water supply apparatus with pumping capability
- Modern pumping apparatus also feture aerial devices as well as foam making systeems or specialized equipment for use at rescue or emergency medical incidents
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Which equipment allows rescuers to plug their equipment into standard electrical outlets?
Adapters
Which equipment is used to supply power to several connections from one supply source?
Junction boxes
Which of the following is the MOST likely reason that a fire department would use heavy duty electrical cords?
Cords provide greater abrasion protection on the fireground.
Which of the following statements about apparatus-mounted generators with separate engines is MOST accurate?
They may create noisy work environments making communication difficult.
Which equipment is MOST likely to be used when a small amount of power is needed near the vehicle?
inverter
