Riding on Bumper

[TexasFireWife19]

Okay, I'm 'just' a fireman's wife, but let me see if I have studied up on the laws correctly. NFPA 1500 6.3.1 states " . . .standing or riding on . . . any other exposed position shall be specifically prohibited." To save space I left out much of the standard (you can find it on NFPA's website).

So, if I understand this correctly, why is it that so many departments paid and volunteer not only allow but REQUIRE their firefighter's to stand on a platform on the front of a booster truck, unharnessed, to fight wildland/brush/grass fires?

During the horrific, deadly wildland fires that the Texas Panhandle experience in March & April 2006, my husband was just so perched on the front of a booster truck while fighting fire. The fire truck hit some type of hole or something and threw my husband off the front. Luckily he was not killed or seriously burned, but he came close. He did receive serious injury to his shoulder, which look as if he will deal with for the rest of his life.

What can be done to stop the practice of riding on the outside of a fire truck? Who do we write to or contact. My husband has mentioned this to his superiors and now they are on a witch-hunt against him, threatinging demotion or termination (almost 18 years if service). So, obviously, we cannot handle this in house.

I appreciate your input and advice.

TexasFireWife19

[KenNFD1219]

NFPA is not a law, only a reccomended standard-a FD or town may elect not to follow the standard.

Have you looked into motor vehicle laws for riding outside vehicles? I'm sure you could not do this on a private vehicle without getting pulled over.

[TexasFireWife19]

Follow up

Sorry for the typos above, any way, I forgot to mention the following:

After the Fire Chief ordered the truck(s) which were delivered without the front platform and railing, the Chief asked why the truck was not delivered as ordered. The Chief was told by the rep. from the manufacturing company that NFPA standards prohibit them to build a truck that way and they only build truck according to NFPA standard. Our departments solution . . . modify the booster trucks themselves. They had the trucks modified locally by someone who wouldn't know the difference as they don't build fire trucks. Therefore, it shows they had prior knowledge of the laws.

Thanks again.

[TexasFireWife19]

NFPA is not a law, only a reccomended standard-a FD or town may elect not to follow the standard.

I did not realize that this isn't law. It should be.

Have you looked into motor vehicle laws for riding outside vehicles? I'm sure you could not do this on a private vehicle without getting pulled over.

Thanks for the tip. I will look into Texas laws, but if a fire truck is a municiple/city vehicle with exempt tags, would that mean it isn't private?

[NonSurfinCaFF]

It is a practice that should be outlawed, unfortunately in many states it is common. Even the BLM, a Federal agency allows firefighters to ride on top of an engine in some areas.

A firefighter was killed doing this when I was in Texas during 1998, in the smoke his engine hit the engine ahead of it cutting him in half at the waist.

Not sure if Texas is an OSHA state of not but who ever handles occupational safety in Texas should be putting a stop to it, why they havn't I have no idea.

That is not a nation wide practice but I have seen it outside Texas, it would never be allowed in California. Pretty much the same tactic can be done using bumper mounted sprayers, a fairly inexpensive and much safer technique. Of course on my '98 trip I also saw that PPE was lacking as well on brush fires, many wore structure pants and boots, shirt & helmet optional.

[TexasFireWife19]

Texas is an OSHA state. By the way, our guys use there full structure PPE when fighting brush/grass fires (bunker pants/jacket/boots, airpacks, helmets, etc.).

Thanks, I will look into both Texas and OSHA laws. I appreciate the input.

[HEDQUIZZY]

[QUOTE=TexasFireWife19;755262]Texas is an OSHA state. By the way, our guys use there full structure PPE when fighting brush/grass fires (bunker pants/jacket/boots, airpacks, helmets, etc.).

your Guys wear Bunker Gear, Airpacks and helmets when fighting Wildland fires? Just wondering...

[TexasFireWife19]

Okay, I goofed, they wear their bunker gear and helmets, not their airpacks. I thought they did wear their airpacks but my husband corrected me this morning. They do were their bunker pants/jackets/boots. They have been told to wear their airpacks but my husband said that it is nearly impossible to stand on the front bumper and wear an airpack. He did say that they are required to wear an airpack when fighting a dumpster fire (in addition to grass fires, we get a lot of dumpster fires around here).

I'm not not have I ever been a firefighter, but I think the standard that NFPA sets need to be law. You guys would be a lot safer if all departments followed NFPA standards. They are there for a reason.

Our Chief follows the standards that the Chief picks and chooses. In my opinion, the chief is out for numbero uno. This chief could care less if a guy is lost. I know my words seem extreme, but the chief has been quoted saying in a company meeting . . . "I feel bad for you guys, but me and my family come first." This was in reference to budget issues and not wanting to put the chiefs job on the line to do what was best for the department and the firemen. Like I said "numbero uno."

Thanks again,
TexasFireWife19

[TexasFireWife19]

Texas is an OSHA state. By the way, our guys use there full structure PPE when fighting brush/grass fires (bunker pants/jacket/boots, airpacks, helmets, etc.).

Okay, Texas may not exactly an OSHA state, we "follow OSHA guidlines" but apparently it is not exactly law. Exactly Law? It is or it isn't. I will investigate further and get back to you on this. But it sounds like we follow laws/guidlines/standards when it fits within our budgets and the lives of our firemen don't exactly matter.

I know you guys and your families (as well as my husband and I) knew the risks and dangers when you signed up for the job. But lets not take advantage of that fact and require you to risk your life and limb any more than absolutely necessary. In fact, in appreciation for the risks you take day in and day out, we should make every effort to assure your jobs are a safe as possible.

Thanks again for letting me vent.

TexasFireWife19
(should have set myself up as NotReadyToBeAWidow)

[Jay911]

My province (the "state of Alberta") finally put into place a law a few years back prohibiting people from riding in the back of a pick-up truck (etc) for any reason ... but specifically exempted firefighters performing their duties. I disagree with it, as I'm even MORE likely to slip and fall when I'm standing on a wet, slippery truck bed bouncing over uneven terrain, never mind lying down going over smooth pavement, which is why the law was established in the first place.

My department modified our brush trucks after seeing what another local department did. On their trucks, there is a short length of hose connected to a fitting on the right front corner of the service body, with a pistol-grip nozzle clipped to the body, within reach of the passenger door. The passenger (usually the officer) can then sit in his normal, inside seating position, belted in and all, and fight fire with the short handline. The only time either person has to leave the cab is to start the pump in the first place, when the truck first starts off into the brush.

I may have a photo of this - I'll have to look after I get home.

[Dashman]

Correct me if I am wrong but I did not see anything about who told your
Husband to take that position on the front of the truck or did He do it on his
own?

[NonSurfinCaFF]

Correct me if I am wrong but I did not see anything about who told your
Husband to take that position on the front of the truck or did He do it on his
own?

That was a common practice at least in the part of Texas I went to. Most of the departments either had a "cage" set up on the bumper for a firefighter to stand in or they had an old tractor seat mounted on the hood. The tractor seat was by far the most common.

[BDVFD784]

Our older truck has a front bumper you stand on.It can be dangerous buy you can also get to the fire.The driver can also see the FF on the front.When we built a new truck we went to carrying the FF behind the cab.There is a box on each side to stand in.It is much safer.Here are some pics.

http://forums.firehouse.com/attachme...9&d=1139191350

http://forums.firehouse.com/attachme...6&d=1139277117

[Jay911]

Here's the picture I promised. Looks like they didn't have the pistol grip nozzle on it when I snapped the shot, but you get the idea anyway.

[Bowbreaker]

TexasFireWife,

Talk to the Texas Forest Service about your issues. They can help with the bunker gear issue also. If I remember right they had a program to help VFD's get wildland protective clothing (PPE's). From time to time I get e-mails from our State FMO that are forwards from a Texas Forest Service Employee and there was a reference last Spring, I think, to a program to purchase wildland PPE's for Texas VFD's. As cheap as wildland coveralls or jacket and pants are, I find it hard to believe any Fire Chief would allow his firefigters to use bunker gear on a grass fire.

The federal wildland fire agencies will not allow riding on a fire truck, even behind the cab like in the pictures provided by BDVFD784. We have spots behind the cab on several of our trucks but are only allowed to use them at fires on private land. If I had my way we would have bumper turrets and fight fire from inside the cab but we can not afford the $3500 + for each engine. As for riding the front bumper, there are some not too bright departments in this part of the world that still do it.

Glad your husband was not more seriously injured. Do not give up. Some chief are harder headed than others. You just have to get the right people to help.

Brad

PS: You also might try the department's workers compensation insurance company. You should be in contact with them anyway on the injuries suffered.