While more and more fire apparatus manufacturers are continually jumping on the bandwagon to produce and install safety features on new fire apparatus, one manufacturer Pierce seems to be ahead of the learning curve.
Every year for the past several, Pierce Manufacturing has developed new ideas, with firefighter safety in mind.
This year at IAFC 2006 in Denver it continued its quest in providing safer apparatus. In conjunction with its “Protection from every angle program,” Pierce introduced a tire protection system that includes a tire monitoring system and tire blowout wheel protection.
The new product was developed with technology from Tyron Automotive Group. Tyron is a Britain-based automotive-engineering firm that has been in business for more than 27 years, specializing in runflat and safety systems for tire and wheel manufacturers, military, government and emergency services.
So just how do these products work? While some of you may have heard about the new stability control systems that are being manufactured and installed on apparatus suspension systems, Pierce took a different angle. The tire monitoring system determines tire pressure and temperature. Both can impair vehicle stability and overall handling. A small unit in the cab will display tire information and warn users of a problem before a failure can occur. An alarm will activate if there is any deviation in tire pressure, critical low pressure or high temperature. The system can also help to maintain proper tire inflation, which can decrease maintenance downtime and enable less tire tread wear and heat-related wear.
The tire blowout protection band is manufactured to be lightweight, but able to withstand the weight of a 38-ton vehicle. The bands are coated with a Zinc, to not only be corrosion resistant but withstand the rigors of all types of environments.
When a tire deflates, the tire could come off of the wheel causing the wheel to come in contact with the road. This in turn could cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. With the Tyron band in place, steering, braking and cornering control can be maintained at any speed, after a simple puncture, or a catastrophic blowout. The band locks the tire on the rim, forming a rubber cushion, so the vehicle can stay on the road. The system works on any kind of surface and should also prevent body damage after a blowout.
While I never encountered a tire blowout in my 30+ years in the fire service, I have seen many apparatus accidents that could have been prevented by equipment such as this being installed. There have been many apparatus rollovers in the past several years, some caused by speed and driver error and some that could have been caused by low tire pressure and blowouts. Adding additional safety equipment would definitely be an asset.
While being somewhat of a student of fire apparatus, I really think this would be an option I would spec on any new apparatus I would consider purchasing. Add the Side Roll Protection System and the Tak-4 Suspension and you can’t go wrong. Let’s not forget a lot of firefighter injuries and deaths occur responding and returning from alarms.
Pierce is providing another margin of safety to add to the matrix.