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Taking Care of Business |
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By Mark Uttley
Taking Care of Business” isn’t only a kicking BTO song—it’s also an expression that gets used by many, with many different things. But, in the extrication business, the phrase can mean only one thing: getting the job done. And if your tools aren’t ready to go, that could be a problem. As my portable radio sends out call after call for responses to motor vehicle collisions, I can only wonder if these crashes will prove to be minor or horrendous. Size-up begins by the officer and the crew as the dispatch rattles off the information over the radio. We never know until we arrive on-scene just how severe the accident will be and what tools will be required. The need for equipment that is ready to “rock and roll” at the drop of a hat or the sound of the alarm goes without saying. However, I see and hear about rescue service agencies that seem to forget about an all-too-important necessity.
 Check and maintain the spreaders and keep them in a state of readiness. Some of the nuts and bolts on the tool body can become loose through vibration. That necessity is maintenance, that No. 1 item that may get the ol’ once-over during the daily or weekly equipment check, but little more than that. I can hear the critics of this statement now. “Not in my department.” “No way, that would never happen here.”
Well, folks, don’t shoot the messenger. Instead, just have a peek around the trucks at your station and see what shape your extrication equipment is in. I’ll bet that your department is no different than mine, or the firehouse in the next community. The call volume is up, the rigs are busier than ever and there is definitely a different generation of firefighters out there. I’m not sure if we’re teaching them enough, or the proper methods during recruit training or station training. But this situation requires an adjustment, be it one of attitude or method.
A BUTT-KICKING FOR SURE
All right, I’ll admit it: I’m embarrassed by the condition of the equipment I see when I visit the firehouses around town, but my city’s stations are not alone, unfortunately. I’ve see rust-coated hydraulic cutters and spreaders; rescue chains sitting in a bucket that haven’t seen a drop of oil in I don’t know how long; hydraulic hose that still has the mud on it at about the 50-foot mark when you unroll it off the 100-foot reel; lost or misplaced equipment that gets neither found nor replaced. You get the idea. This list could go on and on, but I have to stop and wonder what happened to the pride rescuers traditionally had in having nice, quality equipment ready for use.
 Hydraulic cutters require regular maintenance involving the inspection and tightening of the pivot bolt. Torque the bolt to the manufacturer’s specifications or have an authorized agent do this. This is important to maintain safe operation. One fact is certain: If this equipment were on the rigs like this 20 years ago—when those great old departmental “war horses” were still around—we’d have definitely gotten a royal butt-kicking. I didn’t like the way those gruff old-timers treated us junior red-asses sometimes, but you sure knew where you stood and what had to be done. (By the way, “red ass” is a general label given for many decades to junior firefighters. I have no idea where the term came from, and if anyone knows, please let me know.)
TEST SITUATION
OK, let’s take a look at a hypothetical incident: Rescue One responds to a T-boned vehicle with people trapped within it. The older female passenger suffers a broken arm and a broken hip and, needless to say, is in extreme pain. The very competent captain of the rescue squad sizes up the wreck, and comes up with two courses of action. Plan A calls for a door and B-post removal. Plan B is centered around removing the roof. So out come the big guns, the spreader and cutters from the compartment which are preconnected to a 100-foot hose reel. The operator powers up the gasoline-powered portable power unit. Once the car is stabilized, the auto destruction team is ready to rip.
(Note: When I designed the system for our trucks several years ago, I used a portable gas-powered simo unit on a pullout tray and preconnected the two 100-foot hose reels. If the tools were needed off the truck at a remote location farther than the reels carried, such as in a field or even at a high-rise building, the unit could be quickly disconnected and removed from the tray to be carried to its required location. In addition, two 30-foot hoses were taken along to hook up the tools.)
 If the pivot bolt is not torqued to specs, this photo shows what can happen. The broken blades can also be a result of using the blades on an angle and not 90 degrees to the cutting surface. What’s this? Not enough power in the tools to cut the B post? Impossible! Three million psi (well, maybe I’m exaggerating a little...) cutters shouldn’t have a problem with the new high-strength material. Let’s check the system over quickly—perhaps a connection came loose.
While this is happening, out come the Nike manual-powered spreaders and cutters off Engine 2 to save the day. It takes a little while to get the job done and a few faces will be red with frustration and embarrassment, but the hose jockeys have saved the day.
With extrication complete and the situation mitigated, Rescue One heads off to the apparatus division to have the mechanics take a look at the problem. Now, these mechanics are brilliant and can repair the most difficult problems, but soon discover that this situation was caused by a lack of job performance and not a mechanical breakdown problem.
Soon it is discovered that the problem with the gas-powered hydraulic system was due to very poor maintenance. The hydraulic fluid reservoir has less than half the required amount of hydraulic fluid, and with two tools operating off 100 feet of hose each, there wasn’t enough hydraulic fluid to supply the needed pressures. You could purchase the strongest tools in the world, but if there isn’t enough blood for the heart to pump, it’s not going to work. This would be a very sad state of affairs that would adversely affect the customers in need and make our hypothetical city’s Fire-Rescue services look extremely bad.
TOOLS NEED CARE, TOO!
Rescue tools have huge demands placed on them daily (just like rescue personnel, eh?). Every time we roll out the door to respond to the next MVC, we need to be reassured that the tools are going to do the job we need them to do. To ensure this, we must be diligent in the maintenance of our equipment. Some tools require daily checks, while others can get by with a weekly or monthly check. The frequency to conduct equipment checks depends on your own department’s SOPs and how much the tools get used in your particular station. You may respond to a couple of extrication calls a month, or, like my department, an average of a dozen calls a day. These factors will all determine how often tools require maintenance.
 The simo power unit requires regular checks of fluid levels to ensure proper operation. This Hurst unit has a hydraulic oil gauge, which also acts as a vent. Make sure the vent is clear and occasionally remove the gauge to check oil level; otherwise, you can get a false sense of security and actually not have enough oil in the reservoir. The level should be only 1 inch below the top of the tank. You may able to get by with a performance check and fluid refill of the tools after each use. And then, during the weekly meeting night that most volunteer companies have, complete the weekly checklist and routine maintenance.
The first step in creating a maintenance schedule is reading and understanding the tool manufacturer’s operations manual. In the manual there should be specific instructions on items that require special attention.
Here are some suggestions for hydraulic tool maintenance and schedule:
Equipment Check and Maintenance: Should be performed daily, weekly or monthly, depending on your needs.
Power Unit:
• Inventory—replace missing items as soon as possible.
• Fluid levels—fuel, motor oil, hydraulic oil—maintain at no more than 1 inch below the top of the reservoir.
• Tune up motor on an annual basis by changing plugs and oil and air filters, unless it is used in a harsher environment (with dust, extreme heat, etc.).
• Carefully inspect for wear, damage and leaks.
• Check couplings for smooth operation, then clean and lubricate them (remember: dirt and rust are your enemies!).
• Operational—start units, check ease of starting and proper throttle control operation (i.e., throttle holding position while running; high and low operating speeds; run motor to normal operating temperature).
• Top up fuel.
Spreaders, Cutters and Rams:
• Carefully inspect for hydraulic leaks, wear or damage.
• Check control valve for ease of operation and free return to neutral position. (This is a safety issue!)
• Check spreader tips, cutter blades and rams for damage, and replace as necessary.
• Check pivot bolt for tightness, and torque it to the manufacturer’s specifications (a torque wrench is needed for this, but you can check the shims located between the blades and the tool body. If the shims are moving or shifting, the bolt could be loose.)
• Clean all areas of the tool and apply a light coat of oil to prevent rust.
• When tool check is complete and tools are in home position, shut off hydraulic fluid flow valve and operate triggers in all positions while still hooked to hoses to relieve stored pressures. This will aid in the reattachment of couplings.
Hoses and Hose Reels:
• Check hoses for physical damage—kinking, abrasion wear, tearing of outer sheathing, etc.
• Check quick connections. Ensure couplings will connect and the ease of operation; check for corrosion (rust), look for dirt in sleeves, clean with hot soapy water, lubricate with hydraulic oil.
• Check hose and electrical connections on hose-reel rewind motors.
For the lubrication of all hydraulic tools, I recommend using the oil that is used in the tools. For example, if you use Hurst tools, lubricate the piston shafts, couplings, spreader arms and cutter blades with Hurst hydraulic fluid. Off-the-counter oils (such as WD-40) could cause the seals to break down, and others, such as silicone, may cause friction on the moving parts, slowing the tools down. While checking the tools for damage, take a look at the nuts and bolts that hold the tools together. Quite often we find screws loose or missing after falling out, due to the vibration of the truck rolling down the roads.
 Checking the oil level on this Honda motor does not require screwing in the dipstick. Unscrew the dipstick, wipe it clean and replace it to check the level without screwing it in. If you screw the stick back in to check the level, you will receive an inaccurate reading, possibly allowing you to run the motor with too little oil. Once a year or more often, the hydraulic oil and filters require changing. The quality of the hydraulic oil will determine how often it should be changed. Check with your tool manufacturer to find out what they recommend about changing the hydraulic oil. With regular maintenance and a little TLC, you should get maximum performance and extend the life of the tools and equipment, making the departmental number-crunchers a group of happy campers.
When checking your rescue equipment, you must keep safety in mind. The minimal amount of personal protective equipment that you should be wearing is head, foot, hand and eye protection. High-pressure fluid leaks can be extremely dangerous should a leak suddenly occur.
And remember, as always, to B.E. S.A.F.E.R.—Before Everything, Stop And First Evaluate, then Re-evaluate. |
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