I recently was challenged by one of my colleagues to outline the future of modern fire apparatus and, more importantly, what the pump panel of the future might look like. As I pondered this challenge, I thought of all of the pump panels that I saw at a recent trade show. We all know that truck manufacturers trot out their best and most high-tech offerings at such events. However, a cursory look at pump panels revealed one striking impression: they have become too busy and too complicated.

Consequently, future pump panels will have to become cleaner, more intuitive and easier to use. This will be accomplished largely through the use of color displays. Today’s networked color displays are easy to see, intuitive to use and rugged enough to withstand the rigors of the fire service. The programmability and ruggedized features found in such displays that are available now will give engineers the ability to view and control all aspects of the apparatus. For instance, they will be able to monitor, from a single display, the status of all engine- and chassis-related functions, including vehicle parameters that previously couldn’t be seen. From the basics like engine RPM, oil pressure and coolant temperature to more uncommon parameters such as transmission temperature, pump temperature, pump gearbox temperature and fluid levels, the pump operator can take a snapshot of all apparatus parameters instantly in real time.

And that’s just the information side of the equation. Now let’s discuss control. From a single display on the pump panel, future firefighters will be able to control engine speed to maintain desired pumping pressure, operate and control intake and discharge valves, and monitor and control extinguishing agents and delivery systems such as foam and compressed-air foam systems. With the available network solutions, we are able to provide firefighters with single-button solutions for different scenarios.

Let’s consider the response to a car fire. The pump operator must establish water flow, then adjust the engine speed to the desired pressure, engage the foam system, adjust the injection rate and establish foam flow. Using today’s display technology we could place a car icon on the display and have all of those things happen simultaneously with the push of one button. This would eliminate the need to manually set the pump pressure and/or the foam injection rate. What we gain from this is consistency and ease of operation. When the firefighter pushes the “car fire” button, he knows that the pump pressure and the foam concentrate mixture will be the same every time. This also ensures that the right mixtures and pressures are optimized for the particular types of fires that are being fought.

The one-button approach is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to apparatus automation. There are other easily doable things that would make life easier and more consistent for firefighters. For example, automatic pump shifting, smart valve control and even smart-nozzle technology are in the not-too-distant future. The important thing to note is that today’s displays can be optimized for the particular application at hand. The operator no longer has to drill down into multiple screens for mission-critical functions. The control of functions and the display of information can be altered on the fly, ensuring that the operator can control and see everything that he needs to control and see — and nothing more.

Although the pump and pump panel are the heart of the modern fire apparatus, they reside on a larger network of components and equipment that is equally important to the mission. And, just as the amount of available information related to the pump is growing rapidly, we are being bombarded with data concerning the overall vehicle network. This raises an important question: what are we supposed to do with all of this information?

Fortunately, controller area networks (CAN) allow us to see this information in “real time,” while new vehicle data recorders allow us to store this information for retrieval later. Regardless of whether you are in the “Big Brother” camp or you believe in making data-driven decisions, there is no argument that information is power. And gathering information is easy to do when you have networked components — for example, pressure transducers, flow sensors and temperature senders that are placed onto a pump and gearbox. We can use this data immediately for display and decision-making purposes, or we can store it for evaluation later.

There are two fundamental uses for this information: safety and efficiency. Knowing the pressures, flows, amounts and duration of firefighting agents delivered to put out different types of fires will innately make us more efficient at putting out those fires. Putting out fires faster and more efficiently makes us inherently safer just by limiting our exposure time.

While safety is always in the forefront when it comes to firefighting, efficiency is where the most dramatic changes are going to come. By capitalizing on the available information, we will learn what techniques and processes work best for each different scenario. Efficiency means cost savings, and in today’s financially challenged world there are no two words that garner more attention.

Once the individual trucks are made as intuitive, user friendly and efficient as possible, we can begin to imagine how each apparatus fits into a larger family of vehicles. If every piece of equipment on the fireground is outfitted with similar electronics as described above, that add adds a whole new element to incident command. What if the incident commander knew in real time the inventory of each vehicle at a particular scene? From extinguishing agents to extrication equipment, a commander could know at a glance how each truck was stocked and equipped. Easy access to this information will aide commanders in the decision-making process, which will save more lives and property. This type of inventory knowledge also will be quite helpful in the aftermath of the incident. The ability to tag loose equipment and confirm that all of the equipment that the truck responded with is back in its proper location prior to returning to the station is information that is critical to the apparatus’s next mission.

In summary, having information and control in the right place at the right time will make apparatus and firefighters safer and more efficient. Being able to pour over the data collected after the incident will allow us to evaluate and adjust our techniques and methods of fighting fire. Finally, knowing that the trucks are stocked with the proper equipment and inventories will shorten apparatus turnaround times and increase confidence in its readiness level.

Chuck Hutchins has more than 25 years of experience in electrical and electronics in various industries, including aviation, mining, transit, refuse and emergency vehicles. He currently is employed at Class 1 as the application manager for ES-Key and electronics.

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