You must stop the apparatus if. . .
- Temperature gauge indicates above 205 degrees F or the pilot light shows.
- Air pressure indicator shows less than 90 psi or a leak rate of more than 3 psi per minute for Class B and 4 psi for Class A vehicles.
- Oil pressure gauge reading indicates below 5 psi or warning light shows.
- Flat tire or blowout.
- Unusual noise or smell indicating mechanical trouble.
Check Gauges. Be sure engine and other equipment are functioning properly.
a. Oil pressure gauge 40-60 psi within a few seconds.
b. Air pressure gauge should reach 100 psi no more than 45 seconds after air pressure reaches 85 psi.
c. Ammeter should show charge when engine is brought to 1000 rpm within a few seconds.
d. After 10 minutes, temperature gauge should show at least 140 degrees F.
e. Unit should not be moved if air pressure drops to less than 90 psi.
f. Check horn, windshield wiper, all lights, directional lights, mirrors, and safety devices.
g. Check air brake system.
h. Do not stop engine immediately after it has been working hard. Allow the engine to idle for several minutes to allow the coolant circulation to carry away the intense heat from engine parts and prevent warping and distortion of components.
What is the best jack knife recovery?
Keep all wheels rolling to allow traction with the road. Steering with little or no use of the throttle or brakes is the most effective driving technique for recovery from a jackknife.
What is the pyramid for supporting skilled driving?
- Attitude
- Judgment 3. Habits 4. Knowledge
- Skills 6. Mental Fitness 7. Physical Fitness
What is the top of the skilled driver’s pyramid?
Ninety (90) percent of safe driving involves mental decisions. The remaining ten (10) percent involves skills necessary to operate the vehicle. A driver’s attitude involves their mental or emotional regard for themselves, for others, for their vehicle, and for surrounding conditions. A driver with a poor attitude usually looks for so-called legal reasons why the other fellow, the other vehicle, or the driving conditions are wrong. ATTITUDES are not INBORN, they are CREATED and, therefore, they can be corrected.
What are the 5 fundamental points of a safe driver?
- CONCEDE the right-of-way, if required, to avoid an accident.
- CONCENTRATE on the driving.
- COURTESY to others - drivers and pedestrians.
- CONTROL of the vehicle at all times.
- FORESEE, ANALYZE, AND ANTICIPATE traffic situations.
What are unsafe driver traits?
- Overconfidence. Taking too much for granted. Having a serene confidence that their vehicle will always perform when needed. Counting on other people to do the right thing at all times.
- Minimizing the seriousness of minor accidents. Looking upon a little bump that merely dents a fender as being of minor consequence. Yet, that same minor accident could have been serious. The only way to prevent serious accidents is to eliminate the acts that cause “little” accidents.
- Pride in past record. Getting puffed up about a no-accident record. Such a driver is well on the way to a rude awakening. There are a good many people buried in cemeteries who, if they could talk, could honestly say “I never had an accident until this one!”
- Faith in experience. Believing that experience as a driver will get them through. The facts, however, show that this type of experience is usually gained through having accidents, not through training in avoiding them. Experience develops bad habits as well as good ones.
- False ideas. Relying on guesses, estimates, legends, and fiction instead of facts. A quiz of hundreds of drivers revealed that 90% of the drivers tested in estimating stopping distance at a given speed were short by more than 40 feet - a dangerous impression.
- Self-righteousness. Judging their own actions and usually deciding in favor of themselves, particularly in reporting accidents. Self-righteousness often causes a driver to try to punish others whether the “trespasser” will be merely frightened or will be involved in an accident.
- Impatience. Taking needless chances, suppressing good judgment, and getting into tight situations just to save a little time. This results in violations and inevitably accidents. When these things happen, the driver loses the time he tries to save and a lot more, too.
When responding to an alarm what does the apparatus driver need to ensure?
A. IN ADDITION TO PART I, DEPARTMENTAL PROCEDURES, WHILE RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY, OPERATORS WILL:
- Ascertain the correct location of the emergency.
- Proper response route.
- Pre-fire plan if possible.
B. DEPARTING FROM QUARTERS
- Ensure apparatus bay doors are completely open.
- Ensure all personnel are properly seated and secured.
- Close all compartment doors and secure equipment.
- When clear, move apparatus onto driveway using the lowest gear.
- When vehicle clears apparatus floor, either manually or remotely, close apparatus floor doors.
- Engage all emergency lights and sirens.
- Ensure OPTICOM is enabled.
C. RESPONSE FROM MULTIPLE COMPANY STATIONS
Companies will respond without delay and in the following order: Engine, Ladder, and Rescue.
What can you do for safe emergency vehicle operations?
As an Emergency Vehicle Operator
a. Ensure you are qualified and fully capable of operating the emergency vehicle you are driving.
b. Drive with due care. Operate an emergency vehicle as you would if all those in your vehicle and on the road around you were your family.
c. Slower means safer. A good safety guideline is not to exceed the posted speed limit. Drive even slower when road conditions or visibility is poor.
d. Always stop at intersections when the red light is against your path of travel. Proceed through intersections only after coming to a complete stop and are sure that other vehicles have stopped and given you the right-of-way.
e. At an unguarded railroad crossing, or when your view is obscured at a railroad crossing, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends lowering the emergency vehicle’s window, idling the engine, and turning off all radios, fans, and wipers to listen for oncoming trains.
f. Never assume that another vehicle is aware of your presence. Vehicles with noise insulation, powerful radios, windows rolled up, and air conditioning lessen the effectiveness of horns and sirens. Dark tinted windows make it difficult to see emergency lights; especially at night.
g. Park safely. Park your emergency vehicle away from hazardous areas such as near downed electrical lines, falling debris and structures, flames, toxic gases, and smoke. If you park on a roadway, ensure that it can be seen by oncoming traffic by using the vehicle’s emergency warning lights, by safely placing warning signals such as flares and portable warning lights, or safely locating another emergency vehicle where oncoming traffic can be alerted.
h. Always use parking brake and appropriately chock the wheels of parked emergency vehicles.
i. Do not move your emergency vehicle until you and all passengers are safely seated and wearing seatbelts.
j. Ensure your emergency vehicle is completely stopped before anyone exits.
k. Always use a competent spotter when backing your emergency vehicle.
l. Never drive an emergency (or any other) vehicle while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Upon approach to all intersections controlled by lights or signs should emergency sirens tone be changed from “wail” to “yelp”?
150 ft prior to intersection.
When responding to an alarm and the traffic control red light is against the fire apparatus, the driver shall:
- Bring the apparatus to a complete stop before entering the intersection.
- Ensure through eye-to-eye contact that permission to cross has been given by the nearest driver in the nearest lane.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 above for each lane of travel to be crossed until clearing intersection.
- Upon approaching a stop sign, the driver shall stop the apparatus and shall not proceed until all other vehicles yield the right-of-way. Never allow another driver to “wave” you through lanes you cannot see. Proceed slowly until you are able to see a clear lane.
WHEN POSITIONING VEHICLES AT FIRES AND EMERGENCIES
- All drivers in response to fires and emergencies shall exercise good judgment in parking their apparatus. They will avoid blocking fire hydrants or drafting positions of other responding apparatuses or EMS vehicles.
- Pumper drivers shall exercise good judgment in parking their vehicle so as not to interfere with the positioning of other Department vehicles. Aerial ladders will usually operate from a position directly fronting the fire scene.
- Chiefs’ vehicle operators shall exercise good judgment in parking their vehicle so as not to interfere with the operations of responding companies. They shall particularly avoid blocking the removal of ladders from the rear of the quint or ladder apparatus.
- Always position the first-arriving apparatus to protect the scene, patients, and emergency personnel.
a. Initial apparatus placement should provide a work area protected from approaching traffic from at least one direction.
b. Angle apparatus on the roadway to create a barrier between the scene and approaching traffic to slow motorists and redirect them around the scene.
c. Use the apparatus to block another lane in addition to the obstructed lane.
d. Whenever possible, position the apparatus to protect the pump operator’s position from being exposed to approaching traffic
Where do you place the reflective triangles in the appropriate positions two-way traffic or road?
(i) One triangle 100’ to the front of the vehicle or incident
(ii) One triangle 10’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
(iii) One triangle 100’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
Where do you place the reflective triangles in the appropriate positions one-way traffic or road?
(i) One triangle 10’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
(ii) One triangle 100’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
(iii) One triangle 200’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
Where do you place the reflective triangles in the appropriate positions on a hill or curved road?
(i) One triangle 10’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
(ii) One triangle 100’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
(iii) One triangle 200’-500’ to the rear of the vehicle or incident
What is classified as a “serious” accident?
If the accident results in:
- a fatality,
- injuries requiring medical attention away from the scene, and/or
- any vehicle required to be towed from the scene,
When involved in an accident, FCC shall immediately be contacted by radio or phone and notified of the following. .
(1) Location of the accident,
(2) Involved drivers, passengers, juveniles, pedestrians, bicyclist, and/or motorcyclist,
(3) Involved vehicles and/or property,
(4) Number and extent of injuries/fatalities, and
(5) If needed, any other aid requirement such as EMS, HPD, etc.
Per HFD what is a safe following distance?
Just how closely should you follow the vehicle in front? A good distance formula is to keep at least 1 second for every 10 feet of vehicle length below 40 mph. At speeds greater than 40 mph, you must add an additional second. For example, if you are driving an apparatus 40 feet or less you should leave 4 seconds between you and the vehicle ahead. In a 60-foot apparatus, you will need 6 seconds. Over 40 mph, you would need 5 seconds for the 40-foot or less apparatus and 7 seconds for the 60-foot apparatus. When it rains, allow at least 1 more second. For example, at 30 mph, a 40-foot apparatus needs at least 5 seconds and the 60-foot apparatus needs 7 seconds. Any speed over 40 mph an additional second is needed; 6 seconds for the 40-foot apparatus and 8 seconds for the 60-foot apparatus. But even at this distance formula, one must be on the alert for improper or sudden stops ahead.
What is the Daily Brake Check Procedures?
a. Air Brakes - to be checked on a daily basis.
(1) Governor Cut Out - 120 psi; Governor Cut In - 100 psi
(2) Air Pressure Loss Rate
(a) Single Truck: Static - 2 psi/minute; Applied - 3 psi/minute
(b) Combination Truck: Static - 3 psi/minute;
Applied - 4 psi/minute
(3) Low Pressure Warning Device Activation - 60 psi (4) Emergency Brake Activation - 40 to 20 psi (5) Compressor Rate Buildup - 85 to 100 psi within 45 seconds at idle engine speed (6) Parking Brake Check - roll forward 5 mph, apply anchor lock, check for side-to-side pull or any unusual feel in stopping. (7) Service Brake Check - roll forward 5 mph, apply brake pedal, check for side-to-side pull or any unusual feel in the brake pedal.
What is the 2 second plus rule?
Calculate your following distance:
Start with 2 seconds
Your Vehicle
Class 3, 4 Class A, B Air Brakes Towing a Trailer Bad TiresAdd 0 +2 +1 +1 +1
Road Conditions
Wet Low Visibility
Add +1 +1
Vehicle Ahead Motorcycle/Scooter Towing a Trailer Add +1 +1 Vehicle Behind Following Too Close Heavy Vehicle Towing a Trailer Add +1 +1 +1
An accident is classified as serious if it involves any of the following:
1 Fatality
2 Injuries requiring medical attention away from the scene
3 Motorized vehicles that require to be towed from the scene
4 Third-Party personnel involvement
5 Damage that requires repairs to continue operations
