Are you writing specifications for a new fire apparatus? Then you should be aware that NFPA 1901, Automotive Fire Apparatus, is expected to be revised shortly. Once approved, the new standard will apply to all apparatus contracted after Jan. 1, 2004.

Over the years, the provisions of NFPA 1901 have become widely accepted as the minimum requirements for everything from acceptance tests to warning lights on pumpers, tankers, aerials, rescues and a variety of other fire apparatus.

More importantly, NFPA 1901 has become an industry standard that has some legal clout in cases where the specifications of an apparatus are in question. In situations where there are no specific laws regarding the design and performance of fire apparatus, courts have asked what a “reasonable and prudent” person would do. In many cases, the juries have decided that such a person would comply with NFPA 1901 simply because it's a widely accepted industry standard that addresses apparatus safety.

Safety first

The new edition of NFPA 1901 continues the tradition of placing safety first when writing fire apparatus specifications. Most of the changes reflect the need to improve safety in all areas of apparatus design and performance. These changes appear in the main body of the standard and are phrased with the word “shall,” meaning that they're required.

Here is a summary of some of the major changes:

Air cleaner inlets

Engine air cleaner inlets must have devices to prevent water spray and burning embers from plugging or igniting the paper air cleaner filter element. The devices must have grid openings of not more than 0.039 inches (1mm) and must be installed on apparatus built on both custom and commercial chassis in all types of service — urban, suburban, wildland and industrial. This requirement is designed to prevent dangerous engine shutdowns and possible engine compartment fires.

Seatbelts

All seatbelts must be colored red to allow visual differentiation from SCBA straps. The fixed ends of the seatbelts must be equipped with extension stalks to allow the belts to be fastened over bulky turnout gear. This requirement is designed to make it easier for personnel to fasten seatbelts, which is especially important as an estimated 70% of firefighters killed in the last decade while riding in an apparatus were not wearing seatbelts.

Work area lighting

The new standard defines additional areas that need illumination, including the right-hand pump panel, the main hose bed and any uncovered cross-lay hose beds. This requirement is designed to improve the illumination of areas where personnel may have to work, such as up in the main hose bed while reloading hose at night.

Reflective material

The inside surfaces of all cab doors must have a minimum of 96 square inches of reflective material to warn oncoming traffic that the doors are open. This requirement is in addition to the reflective material already required on the front, sides and rear of the apparatus and is designed to improve safety by increasing the visibility of the apparatus to other drivers.

Pump testing

Pump tests must be witnessed and certified by a third-party tester. All engine-driven accessories and electrical loads must be on during the tests. This requirement is designed to ensure the pump will deliver its rated flow and pressure under maximum engine load.

Aerial testing

Aerial devices equipped with pre-plumbed waterways must have the monitor and waterway flow-tested for each vehicle, not just once for a particular model. This is meant to eliminate reported variations in performance for similar designs.

Additional weight

In recognizing that many apparatus are carrying significantly more equipment, the new standard requires apparatus with more than 250 cubic feet of compartment space to have the capacity for 2,500 pounds of equipment, rather than the previous allowance of 2,000 pounds. This increase may still fall short of the actual load, and departments are advised to notify the manufacturer of the weights of all equipment to be carried. The FAMA Weight and Cube worksheet appears in Annex C of the new standard and is a good place to start. This requirement is designed to help avoid dangerous vehicle overloads.

Fill stations

Breathing-air fill stations must be equipped with a fragmentation chamber and be third-party tested. The air quality must be tested and certified to meet NFPA 1989. This requirement is designed to protect against accidental air bottle explosions and contaminated air.

Third-party testing

Third-party testers must actually perform or witness every test, not just a random sample, and must certify the results. This requirement is designed to ensure that all critical testing specified in the standard is conducted under the direction of knowledgeable people who are truly independent of the manufacturers.

Other changes

The new standard addresses several other areas of apparatus design and performance not directly related to safety. Some of these areas are revisions to existing requirements, and some are new requirements.

Here is a summary of a few of these changes:

Suction hose couplings

Storz and other quarter-turn couplings now are permitted on any apparatus equipped with a pump. This change recognizes the popularity and effectiveness of quarter-turn couplings.

Battery terminals

Batteries must be equipped with jumpstart terminals that are accessible without tilting the cab. This is a practical change because some cabs have electrically driven cab tilt pumps. With dead batteries, it's difficult or impossible to tilt the cab to reach the jumpstart terminals.

CAFS ratings

The air compressors on compressed-air foam systems now must be tested to demonstrate that they can deliver the rated capacity of air while the pump delivers the rated capacity of water — both at the same time. This change will ensure the CAFS delivers the proper flowrates and pressures of air and water to produce the required ratio of compressed-air foam.

Line voltage

Vehicle-installed generators and motors rated up to 480 volts AC now are permissible. Generators rated at 8kw or higher must be now be certified for continuous-duty operation in ambient air conditions of 120°F.

Winches

Guides, rollers and remote-control devices are covered, as are portable winches and their attachment points.

Industrial pumpers

This new chapter covers pumpers with capacities of 3,000gpm or more. The pumps are rated at 100psi discharge pressure, instead of the 150psi rating used for most other fire service pumps.

Check the annex

As with all NFPA standards, specifications that appear in the annex sections, formerly called the appendix, at the back of NFPA 1901 are not part of the standard and aren't required. That doesn't mean you should ignore them, however, because they include some helpful advice.

Annex A includes additional suggestions relating to material found in the main body of the standard. Annex B provides recommendations to apparatus buyers on the buying process, the specification process, and the final inspection and acceptance process — all good stuff. Annex C provides instructions for filling out the FAMA Weight and Cube worksheet to ensure that a newly specified apparatus has sufficient load capacity — another “must do” item.

One of the most valuable portions of the annex sections is Annex D, which provides guidelines for upgrading and replacing older apparatus to provide the safest and most dependable vehicles.

It recommends that all first-line apparatus should meet, or be refurbished to meet, the requirements of the 1991 or newer editions of NFPA 1901. As for apparatus built to comply with the 1979 or 1985 editions of NFPA 1901, the annex recommends that they be upgraded immediately to include as many of the 1991 edition requirements as possible and then placed in reserve. Finally, apparatus not built to NFPA 1901 standards or built prior to 1979 should be upgraded immediately or replaced.

While some departments may find the recommendations of Annex D controversial — specifically, that all first-line apparatus meet the 1991 or newer editions of NFPA 1901 — they should remember that these are only recommendations, not requirements.

Moreover, Annex D provides a document that departments can use to convince taxpayers to purchase newer apparatus. Every vehicle has a finite life. After many years of service, a vehicle starts to require more maintenance, parts get harder to find, and its performance begins to decline when compared to newer vehicles.

For example, a fire apparatus built before 1991 would be at least 12 years old. It probably wouldn't have safety features like enclosed crew seating, reflective body striping or anti-lock brakes. The compartments may not have enough room for all the rescue and emergency medical gear that many departments have to carry, the aerial may have a tip load rated below 250 pounds, and the hose bed may be too small to carry large-diameter supply hose. And when a pre-1991 apparatus is compared to all the police cars, ambulances, utility trucks and other public service vehicles in the area, it probably would be the oldest by several years.

Annex D, like the rest of the NFPA 1901 standard, is designed to help departments operate fire apparatus that provide the best performance and the highest degree of safety. Part of that is knowing how to write specifications for new apparatus, and part is knowing when to replace or upgrade old apparatus. It's all part of the same process, and that's why Annex D was added.

How to order

The latest edition of NFPA 1901, which will be called the 2003 edition even though it isn't expect to take effect until Jan. 1, 2004, should be available this September. Mark your calendars now to make a note to call the National Fire Protection Association at 800-344-3555 to order your copy.