By Lori Consalvo
The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
MONTCLAIR, Calif. — In times of limited funding, firefighters are being being asked to extend the life of their equipment.
Montclair City Manager Ed Starr, like other city officials, has asked his fire chief to keep vehicles “a little bit longer than they normally would,” since the city has not been able to put as much money into its vehicle replacement fund.
If the vehicle is functioning properly and continues to fulfill its purpose, Starr said he did not see a problem extending its life expectancy.
While there is no rule saying fire apparatus must be replaced within so many years of purchase, there are guidelines that local fire departments can follow.
“There is a time limit. It’s basically, you monitor them as they get older,” said Upland City Manager Stephen Dunn about firetrucks and engines.
“We won’t even consider replacing it until it meets certain criteria - when it’s reached a certain age or has a certain amount of hours or miles on it.”
The National Fire Protection Agency has guidelines that address how long fire apparatus should be in frontline service, then placed in reserve, and then replaced.
“The 1991 editions have been recognized as the benchmark from which improved and safer fire apparatus have evolved,” according to the NFPA 1912 standard guidelines. “It is recommended that only apparatus that were designed and manufactured to meet the 1991 or later editions of the NFPA fire department apparatus standards (or apparatus that have been refurbished to meet NFPA standards) be permitted to operate in first-line service.”
In terms of reserve units, “it is recommended that an apparatus manufactured prior to 1991 that is less 25 years old, that has been properly maintained, and that is still in serviceable condition should be placed in reserve status and upgraded to incorporate as many features of the post-1991 fire apparatus as possible,” according to the NFPA 1912 standard guidelines. “Apparatus that were not manufactured to the applicable NFPA fire apparatus standards or that are over 25 years old should be replaced.”
According to local city managers and fire chiefs, most of the frontline fire trucks and engines driving around local cities were purchased since 1999.
Vehicles older than that are used only as backup units, officials said, or are in the process of being replaced.
There is a risk in using older fire vehicles, Upland Fire Chief Michael Antonucci said.
“These apparatus stand between life and death and must be replaced, updated and maintained on a regular basis per the national standards and California standards.”
Not all fire departments follow the NFPA guidelines.
“Some departments might feel that they have maintained their apparatus and considering the amount of use it sees that they can get longer service life out of the apparatus than the recommended service life,” said Ken Willette, division manager of the Public Fire Protection division for the NFPA.
But the guidelines, Willette said, give local officials “a credible platform to develop their fleet replacement program with.”
Antonucci remembers an incident that happened to a Los Angeles-area fire department a few years ago when a pump failed while firefighters were extinguishing flames.
“It was traced back that it was too old, and did not meet current standards,” Antonucci said about the pump.
While firefighters strive to maintain proper, updated equipment, recent economic issues have prompted city officials to see how far they can stretch the life expectancy of their vehicles.
“I’m sure that you’ll find in rural cities they probably keep a firetruck for 25 years or longer, simply because they don’t have the finances to replace them,” Starr said.
Montclair Fire Department has two vehicles as part of its normal response team, which were purchased about 2002 and 2003. The department also has an emergency operations truck from the state, which was acquired in 2007, and a backup unit that was bought about 25 years ago.
“It isn’t something we rely on on a day-to-day basis,” Starr said about the backup unit. “But it does the job, it has all of the proper equipment and is working effectively.”
Like other local departments, Montclair uses its backup equipment when one of the regular vehicles is out.
“We can bring out one of those older ones for temporary use while the other ones get fixed,” Starr said.
Ontario Fire Chief Dave Carrier agreed.
“The backup units are placed in service when the frontline units need oil changes, mechanical work, or are called out of town on Strike Team Assignments,” Carrier said.
Ontario Fire Department has eight frontline engine companies, purchased between 1999 and 2007, plus five backup engines.
The city is in the process of replacing its two oldest vehicles because of mileage, time and service ability.
“The key is to have some type of equipment replacement program so you’re continuously preparing for these types of predictable expenditures,” Carrier said.
But in these times, that is easier said than done.
“We have attempted to replace fire engines over the last five years,” said Dunn, adding that they have gotten requests for truck repairs or replacements recently. “I think it’s time but we don’t have the funds right now.”
The good news, Dunn said, is that the city does have a vehicle replacement fund.
“The bad news is that’s one of the areas that when things get tight we stop funding at an appropriate level or we stop funding it overall,” he said.
The Upland Fire Department has seven fire engines. One was bought in 1989, another in 1998. The other five were purchased between 2002 and 2007.
An aerial ladder was bought in 2009, the command unit was purchased in 2008 and a smaller unit was obtained last year.
“When I came here, we had an older fleet,” Antonucci said. “Before the economy got bad, we did a really good job of replacing them.”
Which is a good thing, since fire trucks now cost about $450,000 and ladder trucks are priced around $1 million.
The Rancho Cucamonga Fire Department has two frontline trucks, bought in 2002 and 2008, and seven engines, purchased between 2003 and 2010, said Public Information Officer Kelley Donaldson.
They also have six reserve units which were bought from 1992 to 2000.
Rancho Cucamonga’s department has a general rule of thumb that allows about 10 years of service for frontline apparatus.
The Chino Valley Fire District bought their seven frontline engines between 2002 and 2010 and their frontline ladder truck in 2004.
Their four reserve engines were bought between 1990 and 1998; their reserve ladder truck in 1994.
There are consequences to holding onto aging fire vehicles, specifically the frontline trucks and engines, officials said. When a firetruck or engine has mechanical problems it is removed from the rotation, causing fire officials to scramble for temporary replacements if no backup is available.
“The fallout is that calls for service, response time, is going to drop,” Dunn said. “It will take an engine out of service somewhere in the city. If we have an engine out of service, and no backup for it, it will require response from an outside city.”
While some of the fire departments are looking to replace their older vehicles, they are also confident in their equipment.
“It’s not a hard and fast rule,” Carrier said about the truck and engine’s life expectancy. “We try to get as much bang for our buck. We do everything we can to maximize the use we can gain from our units.”
“But our primary concern is the safety of the community.”
Upland probationary fireman Dennis Weaver pulls hose from an engine during a drill Thursday at Magnolia Park in Upland.
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