Automotive Fire Apparatus

This standard defines the requirements for new automotive fire apparatus and trailers designed to be used under emergency conditions to transport personnel and equipment and to support the suppression of fires and mitigation of other hazardous situations.

Fill & dump rates

The NFPA standard for tankers/tenders states that these apparatus must be capable of being filled at a rate of 1,000 gpm and must be able to be emptied or dumped at the same rate of 1,000 gpm, at a minimum. How can you check your tanker/tender to ensure this kind of performance? Well, it is pretty easy. If you have a 3,000-gpm tanker/tender and a watch, then you just have to time it. If you can fill and dump the apparatus within 3 minutes or less, than you’ve met the standard.

How can you check to make sure that your 3,000-gallon tanker/tender is actually dumping 3,000 gallons of water? First, make sure that the apparatus tank is completely full. Next, take the vehicle and get it weighed. Then dump all the water that you can and weigh the truck again. Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon, so if you have a 3,000-gallon tank, then the apparatus must weigh 25,020 pounds less than the initial weight.

Check the weight

With new tanker/tenders, it is extremely important that the apparatus is delivered to you completely empty and with all the equipment and a full tank of fuel. This is when and how to weigh the vehicle. You then need to fill the water tank and weigh it again, and then dump the water tank and weigh it again. Two items you can now check off your delivery acceptance list—that the vehicle is not overweight and that the vehicle is dumping the rated capacity of the tank.

As you are filling and dumping the tank, it is advisable as part of the acceptance testing to time it to make sure that the apparatus can meet the NFPA standard of dumping and loading at a rate of at least 1,000 gpm.

Get what you paid for

Many fire departments are not doing any kind of acceptance testing upon delivery. This is a big mistake. The NFPA standard has acceptance requirements for all kinds of apparatus. If you find that you have a 1,500-gpm pump that, upon delivery, cannot deliver that required flow, then you can send the unit back to the manufacturer and the unit can be fixed under warranty. However, if you wait until the first in-service pump testing, the unit may be out of warranty and the fire department may have to pay for any repairs. The key here is to make sure you are getting what you paid for.