Every department should have a preventive maintenance program to keep its vehicles and equipment in top operating condition. A good preventive maintenance program can improve performance and reduce breakdowns. It also can extend useful life and protect a department's investment. It can even help prevent accidents and reduce the department's liability.

Preventive maintenance involves more than annual checks and tests on some of the major components. It involves all of the inspection and maintenance defined by the manufacturer of every component, all of the tests required by the applicable NFPA standards and all of the specific shop practices used by each department based on its own experience. It also involves a great deal of documentation, including the preparation of standard operating procedures, checklists, maintenance records and other items.

In the end, the goal of any preventive maintenance program is to prevent problems before they happen. In most cases that will require daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual maintenance, including inspections, tests, adjustments, refills or replacements of a wide variety of parts and systems. Although that may sound like a lot of work, many departments have found that it's much more manageable if you break down the tasks and do them step by step over an extended period.

Here are seven steps to help you establish a preventive maintenance program in your department.

1. Read the new NFPA 1911

   The new NFPA 1911, In-Service Apparatus Inspection, Maintenance and Testing, is expected soon. It combines, expands and replaces the previous NFPA 1911, NFPA 1914 and NFPA 1915 standards. All departments need to read and understand the new standard to ensure that their preventive maintenance programs comply.

   One important reason to comply with the NFPA standard is liability. Although NFPA standards aren't laws in most states, they do carry a great deal of legal weight because they are widely accepted industry standards. In the event of a lawsuit involving the maintenance of a fire apparatus, a court often will ask if a “reasonable and prudent” person would have complied with a widely accepted industry standard such as NFPA 1911. The answer is usually yes, and departments that fail to comply could be held liable. Departments also need to understand that they are responsible for the overall maintenance of their apparatus and can be held liable even if a dealer or outside shop does the work.

   Another important reason to comply is that the new NFPA 1911 standard provides useful information on the work to be performed and the documentation to be prepared. For example, it provides a summary of the specific components and systems that should be checked on an apparatus, a list of problems that are sufficient to put an apparatus out of service, and the types of information that should be included on maintenance and test records. As such, NFPA 1911 gives departments a detailed outline that they can use to help set up a comprehensive preventive maintenance program. Although this standard specifically applies to apparatus, it also can be used as a guideline for all types of other vehicles and equipment.

2. Obtain all manuals

   One recurring requirement in many NFPA maintenance and testing standards is that all work must be performed in accordance with the manufacturer's procedures and at least as frequently as the manufacturer's recommended intervals.

   To do this, departments need to obtain maintenance manuals or instructions for every component and system on every vehicle and piece of equipment. Without the manuals, departments won't know which components need maintenance, what maintenance is required or how often it needs to be done. And without that information, they won't know what qualifications are required to perform those tasks. In short, without all the manuals, departments won't be able to set up valid preventive maintenance programs.

   From a more practical standpoint, vehicles and equipment are getting more complicated, and maintenance personnel can't be expected to memorize every detail of the inspection, adjustment, replacement and testing procedures for every component and system. Without manuals, the people doing the work are going to be less efficient and take longer to perform tasks. They're also probably going to omit some steps or do others incorrectly. Unfortunately, that may result in critical mistakes.

   Most manufacturers offer a wide range of maintenance manuals, service instructions, troubleshooting guides and diagnostic procedures to cover almost every component and system. Many are delivered at the time of purchase, while others may have to be obtained directly from the component manufacturer. These materials may be in a printed format or on a CD-ROM, and some are available on the Internet. Departments need to ensure that maintenance personnel have the required computers and other equipment to easily access this information on a daily basis. If they don't, departments may want to consider printing paper copies and keeping them in the shop for reference.

3. Define what to check & when

   This step provides the foundation for the entire preventive maintenance program, so departments should take some time to do it thoroughly. It needs to be done for every component and system on every vehicle and piece of equipment in the department.

   Start with the vehicle or equipment that receives the most use. Using the manufacturer's maintenance manual for a specific component or system, write down all the required inspection, adjustment, replacement and testing procedures, as well as how frequently they should be performed. For example, on a vehicle equipped with air brakes, you might write “Air Dryer: Ensure dryer purges when compressor unloads; once every week,” “Air Dryer: Check for oil in purged water; once every six months” and “Air Dryer: Replace desiccant cartridge when excess water purges or once every two to three years.” Keep the statements short and focus on one component or system at a time until you have included all the procedures and frequencies in the manual. Additional maintenance items may be taken from the NFPA 1911 standard, as well as from your own shop practices and experience.

   On vehicles, work first on the most critical safety areas, such as the braking system, steering system and tires. Then move on to the firefighting areas, such as the pump and pump controls, aerial and aerial controls, foam injection system, and so on. Add other areas as the manuals become available. It's important to remember that in order to comply with the NFPA standard, all procedures and frequencies must meet the manufacturer's requirements at a minimum. Departments can choose to perform more detailed procedures or do them more frequently, but not less.

   Once all the required procedures and frequencies have been noted for a specific area, make a table or checklist with all the components in alphabetical order followed by the work to be performed and the frequency it should be done. For example, the braking system might include one or more entries for the air compressor, air dryer, air reservoirs, antilock-braking system, brake slack adjusters, brake shoes or pads, and so on. This will become the schedule of preventive maintenance for that component or system.

4. Out-of-service criteria

   Defining what items to check is a start, but it's also important to define what to do when problems are encountered. Some problems are minor and can be corrected as time permits. Others are so serious that the vehicle or equipment must be taken out of service to correct the problems immediately.

   Some out-of-service conditions or criteria include such obvious problems as vehicles with flat tires or engines that won't start. Equipment problems might include ground ladders with broken rungs or lengths of hose with damaged couplings. Vehicles and equipment with these conditions can't be used until they're replaced or the problems are corrected. Other out-of-service conditions relate to safety, such as tires with deep cuts in the sidewalls or chainsaws with loose chains. Unsafe items shouldn't be used. A few out-of-service conditions may depend on specific situations. For example, having an inoperative seatbelt on the driver's seat requires the vehicle be taken out of service; having an inoperative seatbelt on any other seat just takes that seat out of service. NFPA 1911 offers a comprehensive list of apparatus out-of-service conditions that departments should consider.

   Once any of these conditions is found, the vehicle or equipment must be taken out of service immediately until the problem is fixed by a qualified person. There should be no delays or temporary fixes, and no one should be able to override this decision. To emphasize that point, out-of-service conditions should be written into a department policy and signed by the chief. The policy also should define the steps when a vehicle or piece of equipment is taken out of service. These might include notifying the dispatch center or neighboring departments, calling for a mechanic or technician, placing warning signs on the affected item, and moving spares into service.

5. Assign tasks

   Developing a preventive maintenance program isn't any good unless you can assign the tasks to the appropriate personnel. To do this properly, departments need to consider the type and frequency of work to be done, the qualifications and equipment required to do that work, and the restraints of any organizational structures or labor agreements.

   Start by reviewing the schedule of preventive maintenance you developed for every component and system on each vehicle. Some of these tasks are simple checks or adjustments that need to be done daily or weekly and require only basic skills and equipment. Others are more difficult tasks that need to be done less frequently but require more advanced skills or equipment. A few tasks are done only once a year or more and require very specialized skills and equipment.

   Ideally, vehicle operators should perform the daily and weekly tasks. This allows them to constantly know the condition of the vehicles they operate and reinforces the idea that they share responsibility for maintenance and performance. Typical preventive maintenance tasks for operators might include checking engine oil levels, checking and adjusting tire pressures, visually inspecting the operation of warning lights, and verifying that all hose and equipment are properly secured. To ensure operators are qualified to perform these tasks, departments need to provide checklists, diagrams and hands-on training as required.

   Emergency vehicle technicians should perform most of the quarterly and annual tasks because they'll be able to use tools and equipment not normally available at individual stations. Typical tasks for technicians might include brake inspections and adjustments, engine oil changes, wheel alignment checks and periodic replacement of engine coolant. To ensure that technicians are qualified to perform these tasks, departments need to assign work based on training or certification.

   Finally, a few tasks are so complex or require such specialized equipment that many departments choose to have them done by outside shops. These often include annual pump and aerial tests, engine overhauls, and other jobs. Departments need to select shops with people who are qualified to perform the specific tasks. For example, technicians who are certified to perform pump tests aren't necessarily certified to perform aerial tests.

6. Document everything

   For a preventive maintenance program to be effective, both now and in the future, it needs to be supported by written documentation. Not only will this provide detailed guidelines for everyday operations, it also will provide legal proof that a department is following the proper preventive maintenance procedures.

   Start by writing down all the decisions you've made in the previous steps: the specific components or systems on each vehicle that need to be checked or worked on, the tasks that need to be performed, and how often each task needs to be done. This will be the schedule of preventive maintenance. Then write down who will perform each task based on the person's qualifications. That will be the preventive maintenance assignment and training guide. Decide what conditions are serious enough to take a vehicle out of service and what procedures are required to do it. This will be the out-of-service policy. Finally, take all of this documentation, distill it, incorporate it into a standard operating procedure and have it signed by the chief.

   Next, set up individual maintenance folders or electronic files for every vehicle. Each folder or file should contain information on the year, chassis make and model, body make, chassis and body serial number, vehicle identification number, and a general description of the vehicle. This record also should include the make, model and serial numbers for the engine, transmission, front and rear axles, pump, aerial, and any other major vehicle component. All inspections, adjustments, replacements, repairs and other maintenance on the vehicle should be noted in each file, along with the name of the person performing each task. Paper records of the daily or weekly checks performed by the vehicle operators should be collected periodically and added to the appropriate files.

   Departments also need to have records for each person involved in preventive maintenance. These records should show what classes, certifications, degrees and other training the person has to help establish his or her qualifications to perform specific tasks.

7. Follow through & review

   Very few things go right the first time. Keeping your department's preventive maintenance program on track will require constant follow-through and review.

First, you need to accept that a preventive maintenance program may take several months or even years to establish. A step-by-step approach can make it easier, but it will still take a long time. In the beginning, start with one vehicle and follow every step to the end. Any maintenance schedules, guidelines, policies, procedures or other written materials you generate in the process can always be left in draft form or revised later. Once you finish the first vehicle, you can review everything and decide what needs to be changed before you work on other vehicles and equipment.

Along the way, you may have to leave some items undone. For example, you may not be able to obtain manuals for every component or system, or you may not be able to secure a decision on some important points. Before you continue, go back and follow though on those items to get the information or decisions.

You also will need to understand that this is an ongoing process that requires periodic updates. New vehicles and equipment with new components and systems enter service, and old ones are sold. Maintenance assignments rotate to new personnel, existing personnel gain new skills and old ones retire. Decisions to send certain jobs to outside shops vary with the annual budget. As a result, any preventive maintenance program should include provisions for reviews in order to remain workable, effective and compliant.

The result of all this work will be a program that keeps your vehicles and equipment in service and ready to go every day. Small problems won't turn into big ones, and repair costs will decrease. Vehicles and equipment will last longer, and the replacement cycle will be extended. The chance of accidents relating to poor maintenance will drop sharply, and the safety of firefighters will improve.

When you consider that some departments have committees who spend a year to develop the specifications for a single vehicle or piece of equipment, doesn't it make sense to devote an equal amount of people and time to develop a preventive maintenance program for all the vehicles and equipment on your roster?