Responsibilities of the Driver
As a fire apparatus operator, there are a few things that need to be remembered during the morning or evening checks of the vehicle.Whether it’s an engine, ladder or rescue company, some things apply to all vehicles.However, keep in mind that there are some things that can be applied only to the vehicle you’re checking.In addition to that, there are some things that you should keep in mind depending on your location in the country and the time of the year.
Being an apparatus driver comes with many responsibilities, both on the road and in the firehouse.In addition to driving to and from the scene safely, you must be proficient in your operations of the apparatus at the scene.You must be very knowledgeable about the apparatus and any limitations it might have.
If you’ve been driving for some time, you hopefully know some of the quirks and little things that the apparatus may do.Strange noises or
feelings can be an odd experience for a new driver who isn’t used to them.You should know how the apparatus will react at certain speeds, how it acts when braking, whether hard or normal.You should have a general working knowledge of the systems on the particular apparatus.Whether it’s how the pump is put together and how it engages and pumps, or whether it’s how the hydraulic system on the aerial is set up, you should have some knowledge of that.I’m not saying you have to be trained mechanically on those systems, but you should have some idea so that if something goes wrong you can give a little bit more of a description other than "it’s broke".
I’m just going to talk about the morning or evening checks, and some of the things to keep in mind for particular apparatus and times of the year. I’ll start at what I think is the “beginning” and we‘ll go from there.
We’ll start with a general check and I’ll make notes throughout in relation to particular apparatus.Above all else, no matter which vehicle you’re driving, the first thing that should be checked is your mask/SCBA/pack, what have you.Even if you’re just driving the engine, you never know when you might make that extra alarm fire where they just need manpower and don’t need your apparatus or operator.This is your lifeline and needs to be checked first thing, no matter which vehicle you’re on.
Once you’ve checked your mask, we can move on to the cab. Starting in the cab, turn the batteries on and check the gauges, particularly the fuel level as it’s sitting in the station. There’s no need to start the vehicle at this time, as we’ll get to that at a later time. Adjust your mirrors with the electronic controls, if applicable, or have someone check them for you. Now keep in mind that you’ll need to have the doors closed for this, to get a good look down the side of your apparatus.
Once you’ve checked the gauges and checked your mirrors, adjusting them to the proper positioning, start the apparatus up and pull it outside, either onto the apron or to a spot where it won’t be in the way. You’ll want to check all of the warning lights, the hazard and turn lights, along with the siren, both
electronic and mechanical. Don’t forget to check the air horn either. It might sound repetitive, but just keep in mind that making sure everything works at the beginning of the shift covers you in case something were to happen (i.e. an accident).
Any lights that don’t work will need to be replaced.If you can’t replace them because you don’t have them then make a note of it, pass it on to the next shift.If you’re not sure which light bulb to use, find someone who does know and have them help you replace the bulb. Leave the lights on and let them run while you walk around the apparatus, checking that all lights are operational and taking a look at the vehicle for any obvious damage at the start of your shift.
While you’re walking around checking the lights, it would be a good time to go through all of the compartments on the vehicle, ensuring that everything is in its proper place, and that there isn’t anything missing.Make sure the doors are closing properly, and get closed as you finish looking into the compartment.Run up any saws or portable power pumps that might be on the vehicle.These need to be done more than just once a week.This should be an everyday thing to ensure that at the start of the shift they are working and working properly.Any problems found should be fixed immediately.
One other thing to take care of while walking around and checking the lights and the outside of the vehicle is to start any apparatus mounted generator.Start the generator and put it under load, turning the apparatus mounted lights on, making sure there aren’t any problems with the generator and that all the outlets on the vehicle are working.
This would be the opportune time to work on and check the outside systems of the vehicle.This could either be running the pump up,running the aerial up or any other fixtures on the apparatus. If you’re driving an engine company for the day, you should run the pump up to ensure that it is engaging,and there aren’t any problems with getting the vehicle into pump or getting it to pump.Get back into the cab and put the apparatus into pump per the manufacturer recommendations.Step out of the cab and open the “Tank to Pump” and “Tank Fill” valves.This will ensure that the water is re-circulated while you are hecking the pump.Using either the electronic controls or the throttle wheel, run the pump up to a higher pressure.Whenever I run the pump up, I usually take the pressure up to 200psi.It would also be prudent to ensure that the governor or pressure relief valve is in working order.Run the pump up enough to engage these safety devices to make sure that they are working properly.Bring the throttle back down and let the pump idle while you look over the gauges.Are all of your valves closed and the gauges reading zero?Do you have some gauges that aren’t working, or valves for that matter?Look over your cross-lays, are they all in order? Do they all have nozzles on them?What nozzles are on what cross-lays?As a personal preference, when I’m checking the cross-lays, if the hose has been passed through the bale of the nozzle, I remove it.This could be a department issue, as to whether your people or administration prefers the hose kept this way.However, it only takes one stretch of the lay, and charging of the line, without having noticed the hose in the bale and removing it, to realize that it can be an issue.
If you’re driving the engine for the day, during your walk around to check compartments and lights, make sure you get up on the back step and look at the hose loads on the rear of the pumper.What loads are there? Are you using 5” for supply, or some other size hose? Do you have any pre-connects coming off the back and are they in order? Nozzles, folds, connected to the apparatus are all things to check on these loads. This also applies to any front bumper loads and any hose troughs on the side of the pump panels for holding a pony section of 5” hose.
Once you’ve ensured that your pump is in working order and that the generator is working well and everything has had time to run you can shut it all down and put the pumper away back in the firehouse. Make sure that you put everything back to the proper position so that it’s ready to go on your next run.
If you’re driving the ladder company for the day you will want to follow many of the same steps from above with a few variations. Just like above,
you should start with checking your mask/SCBA to ensure you have a full bottle and that everything is working. Check your gauges and mirrors in the cab and then pull the truck out onto the apron or a side area for a more thorough check.
For the ladder company, you don’t have to ensure that the pump is working and that your hose loads are all in proper order, but that doesn’t mean there’s less to check. One of the first things you should check is the operation of your aerial ladder.
You can start your check of the operation of the aerial by putting the truck into ladder operation mode.Usually this is done with the flip of a couple switches in the cab. Exit the cab and set your outriggers. Be sure you are setting them on solid ground, and if your uncertain then don’t hesitate to put the ground pads down.Set the jacks and ensure you have any and all lights or gauges giving you the okay to proceed to ladder ops. If you are supposed to have any lights or gauges giving you an indication that you can proceed, and they aren’t working, you should stop here at this point and fix the problem. If it’s not something that you can fix then you will need to make a note of it and pass it on to the proper people to be repaired.
Once you have the go ahead from any gauges and lights, proceed with checking the operation of your aerial.Raise the ladder, extend and retract and be sure to rotate the ladder in all directions. Personally, I will raise the ladder, extend it all the way, retract it, and then rotate it 3600 one direction, then bring it back around 3600 the other direction.This ensures that you have no issues with rotating one direction versus the other.At this point, if you have the hands available, you can test the function of the ladder in over-ride mode.Different ladders have different operations, so this will be department/manufacturer specific as to how your aerial operates in over-ride mode.This is an important function to check, though, because you never know just when you might need to operate the aerial in over-ride mode.It will be comforting knowing that when it’s needed, you are sure it works, because you checked it with your morning check.
Once you’ve checked the operation of the aerial, there isn’t much more of a difference in what needs to be checked between the truck and the pumper, or the rescue for that matter.You’ll need to check the compartments and any gasoline powered equipment.Be sure to check the generator and outlets on the apparatus.Ensure that all the tools are accounted for and in their proper places and put the truck away, with all the systems reset, ready for the next run.Another check to be made is on the ground ladders.Ensure that they are all accounted for and you will need to ensure that the halyards are tied off correctly.
As stated above, when it comes to checking the apparatus, there isn’t much difference between the 3 for adaily morning or evening check.When it comes to the rescue company, one of the differences would be ensuring that any hydraulic, electric or air operated equipment is hooked up and functioning properly with the apparatus running.
You can proceed through the same steps as above, pulling the rescue out onto the apron or to the side and check any extra equipment it might have on it (i.e. light tower, winch, truck mounted reels). It’s just as crucial to ensure the correct operation of the light tower and winch, even though both are not an “every day” used item.Any defects or problems need to be reported to the people who can fix them, if it’s something out of your realm.
Now that we’ve gone over the daily checks of the 3 common apparatus, we can talk a little about some seasonal things that you might want to keep in mind while checking the apparatus.
In the summer time it’s always handy to keep, at a minimum, a 5 gallon jug of ice water along with some cups.There’s nothing worse than coming out of a fire wanting a nice glass of ice cold water and there isn’t any water to be found, other then what’s spraying off of the pump panel or out of the hydrant. Some departments even go so far as to keep an ice chest full of “cool vests”, whether home-made or purchased, for use after coming out of a fire.If you don’t have any vests to use, you can always use some of those ever present hospital towels and put them in a cooler of ice. These things can be used at any time really, when the weather gets unbearable, no matter if you’re coming out of a fire or stuck at a long extrication.
Something to keep in mind during your daily check, during the summertime, is to ensure that the A/C, if the apparatus is equipped, is working. Again, it’s just something to help cool the members down after a long hard fight.
During the winter time there are some other considerations to keep in mind when checking the apparatus.You should keep on hand a 5 gallon bucket or pail full of either rock salt or kitty litter, if you don’t have any access to rock salt.This will come in handy if you’re pumping a fire and have a spray of water coming off the pump panel and it ends up putting a nice little area of ice around your apparatus.The rock salt will obviously melt the ice, and if you don’t have any salt available, the kitty litter will give you some traction around the pump panel and the apparatus.
During the winter you should also keep on hand a winter bag that you can keep in some extra hoods, gloves and possibly some winter hats.These will come in handy not only for you, but for someone who doesn’t have the foresight to keep their own winter bag with them during the cold months.
Another consideration during the winter, if driving the engine company, is to make sure that all of your fittings and connections on the pump panel are free of water and that they have been recently lubed up.A good coat of Vaseline jelly will help in trying to loosen the connections in the middle of a cold winter night.
These are all just some considerations to keep in mind when you’ve been giving the responsibility of driving the fire apparatus in your department.Nothing is written in stone, things can always be changed around.These are just some suggestions to give you a place to start when performing your daily checks. Hopefully you can take them and build off of them and come up with some of your own ideas and check off points for a daily check.
