Fire fighting, what was and what is
By Linda Hobbs
The evolution of fire fighting, and fire fighting equipment, is based on need and innovation.
In mid-June, the Fountain Fire Department welcomed a new fire engine to Station I on Santa Fe Avenue. Not only does this reflect the advancement of fire protection in Fountain, it also reflects the progress of fire fighting in general.
Fountain Fire Chief Darin Anstine took a moment to compare the department's oldest truck, a 1941 Ford, which came to the department in 1957 from New Mexico, to the new engine. This was also an opportunity to look at the history of fire fighting technology and how far it has come.
Firefighter Eric Bently and Fountain Fire Chief Darin Anstine stand beside the oldest and the newest fire engines in Fountain.
Perhaps the first thing that stands out in the old Ford engine is the absence of seat belts, that, and the cramped quarters of the seating area, designed to carry exactly two people. The dashboard is spare with three knobs and a couple of gauges, as opposed to the elaborate dash of the new engine.
The floor has a brake, clutch and accelerator set high on long steel bars, without much else. The evolution of the fire engine has added versatility, greater safety, but more than anything, the technology is vastly more complex.
Firefighter Eric Bently revved the old style siren, bringing to mind air raid warnings. He sounded the braying horn. Firefighter Bently's job is to take care of the old truck. While Fountain City Fleet Maintenance also works on it, Bently is the firefighter assigned to it.
The dash of one of Fountain's first motorized fire fighting apparatus had three knobs, while the modern fire engine has enough switches, dials and buttons to make NORAD engineers scratch their heads
No flashing lights adorn the roof. The horsepower tops out just below 100, compared to the new engine's 400, which is an important detail as the ability of the engine to deliver water to a fire depends directly on engine power. Horsepower at sea level takes 200 hp to pump 1,000 gallons per minute (gpm).
Also, modern fire engines are required to carry a staggering array of equipment for a dazzling array of contingencies. "Years ago, all the firefighters did was put out fires," Anstine explained. "Now we're responsible for emergency medical services, rescue, HazMat, public education and fire code enforcement. 40 years ago, we didn't do all that."
In early history, putting out fires generally meant carrying a bucket, running to the fire and tossing as much water as possible. Fighting fires was a community effort shared by men, women and children to join the "bucket brigade." In fact, George Washington himself was a volunteer firefighter. Other volunteer firefighters were Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Alexander Hamilton, Benedict Arnold and James Buchanan.
The first fire pumps were manual units that had to be pulled by firefighters to the scene and hand-pumped to shoot water at the fire. However, they still needed a bucket brigade to dump water in a tub for the "pumper."
In 1832, the New York Mutual Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1 decided to use a horse to pull the pumper wagon. The idea caught on and the horse-drawn fire wagon became prevalent. Dalmatian dogs came into use to protect horses and equipment.
In the early 1900's the industrial revolution initiated a nationwide transition from horses to the motorized engine. From that point, the profession of firefighting itself evolved to what it is today, and with it, the fire engine.
While records are scarce, all indications are the Fountain Volunteer Fire Department acquired a hose cart in 1913, which was simply a hose set on two wheels. There were two bright red buckets, a bell and a lantern. The device was equipped to be pulled by firefighters who simply ran as fast as they could to the fire. Years later the cart was discovered in storage, and in 2003 it was restored to be placed on display the Fountain Historical Society & Museum at the corner of Main Street and Iowa in downtown Fountain.
The Fountain fire hose cart had to be pulled by running firefighters and hand pumped.
Further archival research is required to discover whether any other fire fighting vehicles were in service during the 44 years between 1913 and 1957.
In 1957 a Fountain child died in a fire just near Santa Fe Avenue, and the people of the city decided to acquire the first motorized fire apparatus on record. The Fountain Volunteer Fire Department acquired a 1941 Ford fire engine, purchased from New Mexico for $600.
The '41 Ford remained in service for over 20 years, until about 1979. It could pump 500 gallons per minute, which doesn't seem like much when compared to the 1,500 gallons per minute on the new truck, but in 1941, 500 gallons per minute was impressive, and certainly outdid the hose cart.
Fountain acquired newer trucks in the early '80's and onward, with each new engine bringing added innovations, more buttons, dials, switches, power and technology.
"What's really evolved in fire trucks over the years is the safety to the firefighters," Anstine explained as he surveyed the old fire engine. "If you look at this fire truck, it's an open cab. It doesn't have seat belts. If that truck were to get into an accident, the chances of the firefighters getting hurt are significantly high."
Fire fighting technology has evolved along with the many ways people can get hurt.
The new fire truck comes with a foam tank, because water won't put out E85 (ethanol) fuel. Ethanol fires are harder to extinguish than gasoline fires and require a special type of foam, different from conventional foam. Structural fires are different too.
"Nowadays," Anstine continued, "house fires are more deadly than they were before, because of all the plastics. When plastic burns, you inhale that smoke and it mixes with the moisture in your lungs. It turns back into a plastic form. It fills your lungs up faster, and your chances of survival decrease dramatically. Plain wood smoke doesn't reform into a plastic." While still deadly, wood smoke doesn't attack the lungs in the same way or as quickly.
Also there are the Jaws of Life and hydraulics.
"Because we cover I-25 down to Pueblo County," Anstine explained, "we get a lot of traffic accidents where we have to use the Jaws to get people out. This truck is going to be able to start that equipment much faster than the old way where we had to pull the power unit out, start the power unit and hook the Jaws up. Now, the Jaws of Life are hooked up inside the front bumper compartment, so a firefighter can jump out, grab the tools and begin cutting right away."
The seats are oval-shaped, with the centers removed to allow firefighters to wear air tanks while in transit, which is different from the '90's when firefighters had to put their packs on once they arrived at a scene.
The brakes on older fire fighting apparatus were hydraulic drums. The newer equipment has 17 inch front air disc brakes, increasing stopping power, which is important for safety.
There is also an auxiliary braking system, or engine brake that slows the transmission. This gives the vehicle a decreased stopping distance by up to 30%, and lessens wear and tear on the mechanical brakes.
The customized cabin (cab) is equipped to endure roll-overs and impacts with an approximately 95% predicted survival rate if the occupants are properly secured.
The new truck has a rear and side camera system. Fire fighting vehicles need to be highly maneuverable while responding to emergencies, and visibility is critical, especially with the potential for crowded scenes, debris and other obstacles.
Speed, response time, safety and versatility have evolved. Of course, not all the changes are good.
The '41 engine cost $600. The new engine was $350,000. One wheel on the new truck will run in the neighborhood of $400, whereas a new tire in the 50's was about $10. A replacement tire on the vintage truck now is about $150, only because they are hard to find. The older engine manages somewhere around 10 miles per gallon, while the new truck turns out 6.5 miles per gallon.
Of course, the old truck doesn't have the equipment needed on the newer version.
"No jaws of life," Anstine said. "No medical equipment. Nothing to deal with Hazmat."
Some things never change, and some things that were discarded have come back into use. On the old Ford, the hoses are spooled on a booster wheel mounted high atop the truck.
"We do have a booster wheel on the new truck," Anstine related. "On the other trucks, we didn't get them, but we realized how efficient and easy it is to use for very small fires, so we put it back on the truck, so that's a bit of history repeating itself."
The interesting thing is one small word: "we."
Anstine made certain to consult everyone affected by the purchase of the new truck, from firefighters to the mechanics in Fleet Maintenance, and he asked them what they wanted in a new engine.
Fountain Fleet Maintenance Emergency Vehicle Technician Sam Cimino appreciated the opportunity to offer input from a mechanic's perspective on safety and easy access to components for maintenance and upgrades.
Fountain Fire Chief Anstine (top photo) worked cooperatively with Fleet Maintenance to ensure city mechanics were part of the process of determining specs for the new truck. Fountain Fleet Maintenance Emergency Vehicle Technician Sam Cimino (right photo foreground) appreciated the opportunity to offer input from a mechanic's perspective on safety and easy access to components for maintenance and upgrades.
"Chief Anstine formed a committee," Cimino explained about the cooperative effort, "of paid staff, himself, volunteers and Fleet. We all came together with what we wanted, compromised when we had to, and we got everyone together with what the firefighters wanted and what we wanted. In the past, with previous chiefs, it was just the fire chief who decided what he wanted and we had to live with it. That's changed since Chief Anstine came on board."
"What we know," Anstine added, "is how to put out fires and what we need to put out fires, but we're not experts on engines and things like that. This was a working relationship between our fire department and the Fleet Maintenance Department to ensure that everything is satisfied for our community. So Fleet Maintenance worked on this just as hard as we did."
The result is a truck with the practical speed and efficiency needs of firefighters, the safety concerns important to Chief Anstine to protect those firefighters, and the structural, mechanical and equipment concerns important to Fleet Maintenance.
A few basic specs on the new truck include:
* Pumps, 1,500 gallons per minute
* 30 gallon FoamPro 2000 system
* Automated retractable flood light tower
* 1,200 foot fire hose
* Bumper equipped as storage compartment for "T-N-T" extraction tools (Jaws of Life, etc.)
While the old Ford can go about 55 miles per hour, the new engine can go 78, with a "governor" system to prevent the engine from exceeding the prescribed speed limit.
Another evolution is the hook and ladder. Fire engines that did not pump water carried extension ladders and hooked poles. The hooks were used to pull down walls and other barriers. A hook and ladder truck is equivalent to the modern aerial or ladder truck, but always evokes the memory of simpler days when the tradition of the hook and ladder eventually became the proud heritage of modern fire fighting.
