Fire Apparatus Maintenance

Five research questions were addressed in the study: 1) what are the goals of an apparatus maintenance program; 2) what does an apparatus maintenance program consist of; 3) what is the criteria for apparatus maintenance personnel; 4) what is the cost of such a program; 5) is there a benefit of combining an apparatus maintenance program with surrounding towns? A review of literature and a survey to which 21 of 34 members of the Metro Fire District responded was undertaken.

Results of the study indicated that less than one-half of all participating fire departments rely upon the services of an EVT for apparatus maintenance, that over one-half contract out maintenance functions or depend upon services provided by the Department of Public Works, and that when dedicated mechanics are on staff at a fire department, they are as likely to be firefighters as civilians. Recommendations emerging from the study include the development of a task force to study the possibilities and strategies for creating a combined apparatus maintenance program for the towns of Stoneham, Wakefield, and Reading.

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g a departmental mission of saving lives and protecting property. Every PM program, says Peters (1991), begins with the vehicle operator. Routine maintenance checks of the levels of oil, fuel, and coolant and the conditions of lights, wipers, and warning devices are an absolute necessity. This first-echelon maintenance should be established on the local level and developed with the frequency of use, personnel qualifications, and manufacturers' recommendations as the criteria. Glatts (2000) believes that it is important to combine apparatus safety, maintenance and training. Training of operators and others involved in routine PM is necessary and can enhance a safety effort. For example, a successful fire pump test not only trains operators and firefighters for more efficient work; it also serves to test equipment, potentially identifying functional problems, and to reassure a community that a fire department is ready for service. William A. Brown (1992, 1993) described the steps needed to establish and then implement an effective maintenance program for fire protection agencies. Integral to fleet maintenance, for example, are parts replacement intervals prior to failure that are based on real maintenance data and proper
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 6987
Approximate Pages = 28 (250 words per page)

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