Most people only know of the first two positions when dealing with the multi position waterway. Unfortunately we are now learning of a third, the launch position.
(photo from the NIOSH saftey advisory document)
This is one of the many times where the “set it and forget it†mentality does not apply. If your aerial has the adjustable waterway, you need to verify its position every time prior to charging the waterway. EVERY TIME!
Many modern aerials are being equipped with an adjustable position waterway. This allows the aerial operator to choose whether the waterway will be in the standard position up at the tip, or pinned back into the rescue position. This multi-position design is a great idea, allowing the tip of the aerial to be less cluttered when being used as a ladder. One of the many problems associated with an aerial that has a pre-piped waterway is that the tip became so cluttered that it made positioning the tip near the roof or window difficult.
For some reason there have been numerous incidents involving these types of aerials in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, on April 8, 2008, Lawrence Park (PA) Asst Chief Mike Crotty died in the line of duty while serving as the Incident Commander. He was struck by an unsecured aerial waterway that launched over 75 feet. Details of this event can be found in the NIOSH Safety Advisory . Please take the opportunity to read the report and share it with everyone at the firehouse. Firefighterclosecalls.com also has some details of another recent incident that can be found by clicking here.
Some people may ask then: “why not store it in the waterway position for safety?†Well, let’s think about that. Of the two main functions you need the aerial for which is more time sensitive: Aerial access or defensive water stream? Exactly, the aerial position (or rescue position it’s sometime called) is the obvious choice. So how do we prevent this from happening? It’s easy. Check it, EVERY TIME. Check it every morning when you get on the rig, and check it EVERY TIME prior to using it as a waterway. You shouldn’t have to, but why not place a reminder label on the aerial master discharge valve at the pump panel that reminds the operator to verify the position of the waterway? Don’t just place this label next to the valve, place it on the valve so the operator would need their head up their @$$ not to see the thing. Of course this would only work for the rigs that have their own pump. For rigs without a pump, the label can be placed over the aerial inlet, so it would have the same effect. Another contributing factor to the launching of the waterway is the fact that the actual valve on the master stream would have to be closed. Why not leave it open and primarily control it from the pump panel? There may be a reason to leave it closed, but can’t think of one off hand. The other benefit to storing the waterway in the rescue position is that it would force the operator to go up and change positions prior to charging the waterway.
So the moral of the story is this, check the position of the waterway. There are enough things that can hurt us on the fireground, let this not be one of them.
I feel a government mandate coming down the pipe. By the beginning of ’09 I would not be surprised if the Feds did not require a retro fix of a positioning senor on the water way. It is sad that with all the senors required by the different agencies that this was not one of them. A department buys a $500K+ truck and someone dies because an engineer did not have the for site to design in a $50 senor.
This is just another reason I dislike the pre-piped waterways. I believe that an aerial should be an aerial. When an elevated master stream is called for I would rather haul some hose up the ladder rather than have it pre-piped. Like what was said in the description. Which is used more the ladder or the waterway? The ladder. This is just my opinion but I like the no waterway option vs. the pre-piped option. For elevated master streams request a couple tower ladders.
I agree that this is something that needs to be checked every shift, just like any other part of the rig. In our dept. there are often relief drivers who are not reguarly on the truck, leaving more of a need for us to check this. While a sensor would might be a good back-up, lack of one cannot take the blame for human error or failure to check one’s equipment. The waterway “carriages” are most secured to the aerial with a locking pin or a cam/clamp lever. A sensor might still show the monitor in the appropriate position, while the pin is not completely inserted. However, anything we can do to prevent stuff like this from happpening is worth trying.
Sorry for the bad grammar…busy night.
I worked at a department with a pinable waterway. There were two pins, one for the left side beam and one for the right side beam. To reposition from the fly section to be in the rescue postion required both pins to be moved. Needless to say, twice in 12 years someone put one pin in the fly position and one pin in the 3rd section position and guess what? We twice bought some expensive repairs! In both cases I mentioned to the manufacturer’s rep that a lever and not a pin was needed. The lever is in one position or the other and never in the middle. Sensors are subject to misalignment. Who’s open door sensor or rung alignment senor has never malfunctioned.
As for whether or not a prepiped waterway is of value, I have had that discussion many times and the foes always point to the tip being crowded, you can’t get the ladder in with the pipe in place, and the pinning issue. Design is the issue. Good design prevents issues such as these. Having used an aerial stream in an offensive manner to control heavy fire so handlines could be advanced in, I still go with the prepiped waterway.
I’ve done a few truck checks only to find the cam lock disengaged from the waterway. And a senior FF told me long before the NIOSH report came out about what would happen if the aerial was charged and not secure. Our evening truck checks don’t require me to set up the stick, but I do it anyways. Just because something was fine during day shift. Doesn’t mean that everything is as it should be on nights. And both times I found the waterway unlocked have been coming onto a night shift.
I seem to recall this very same thing happening at a training event. One local department has the pinable aerial and when the waterway was charged, the thing shot like a rocket, nearly taking out a firefighter standing on the second floor of the training tower. After all was said and done (and a few shorts were cleaned), it was obviously human error that allowed this to happen.
That, unfortunately, is the one thing we can’t get away from. No matter how many times something happens, or how many times it gets checked, it can still happen (sorry, no sh on the it). One sure fire way to eliminate human error in this particular case is to figure out which position is the most beneficial and useful to your departments operation and WELD it.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree 100% that everything should be checked everyday (one pull on the chainsaw), but we are human and are bound to make a mistake. This idea behind an optional waterway is just an accident waiting to happen, no matter how many times it gets checked.
Correct me if im wrong. I’ve read the niosh advisory report but the ff close calls page wouldn’t open for me. I’ve heard about this incident and spoken about it back at the fh. Still I have not heard any report on what the final determination was regarding the pipe letting loose. If someone has, please let us know. I have gathered that the anchoring pin was found to be on the ground near “the front of the truck’s cab.” No word on what kind of shape the pin was in. Bent? Broken? Missing lead ball? etc..? Our depts monitor is held into its desired position by a similar such anchoring pin. The pin is only a few inches long, if that, and with the thickness maybe that of a pencil. In addition to a little lead ball thats suposed to keep the pin in place, there is also a thin braided metal wire. This wire is connected to the monitor’s frame on one end, and to the pin on the other end by a key chain ring.
Check, check and checking everytime is an absolute MUST, I agree. Not just on your ‘monitors pin’ but everything on the whole rig needs to be constantly checked everytime. A concern of mine is the anchoring pin. This pin is what we are relying on to keep this monitor from wanting to extend under large amounts of pressure. This doesnt quite seem right to me. I’m sure this pin is rated for the load it’s meant to deal with but why a pin? why two pins? why not something, i dunno….. A LITTLE BETTER!? The monitor doesnt necessarily have to be welded into place to prevent accidents. But, how about something a bit more sturdy. Something that cant be shooken loose. somehthing that is bigger than a pin so it wont be forgotten. Before this incident I never knew this pipe was even designed in a way that it could potentially become a projectile. So its safe to say that the pin not only takes the brunt of extention and retraction of the aerial but also the brunt of water hammer. I say lose the pins and just replace with some sort of better, more obvious alternative for the force it needs to restrain.
Quote report: “The waterway did not include any secondary mechanical stops to prevent the separation of the water monitor in the event the anchoring pin was not properly seated.”
This has to change, even the cheapest telescope has something in place to stop it from being pulled apart.
Obviously the human error factor has to be bypassed by the advent of mechanical “stops”.
With regard to the first comment by Acklan. I happen to be an Elect. Engineer and a vollie FF. As an engineer, I can’t tell you how many times things are not done the “right way” because the almighty dollar and corporate politics drive the bottom line. Adding sensors cost $ and cut into the profit margin. Sad to say, but that’s reality … not a lack of foresight.
This is one of the reasons why I’m sick and tired of the corporate engineering BS world. If I could do it all over again, I’d be a FF.
Yes, very sad indeed.