I thought this month I would touch on a subject that most of us probably wouldn’t think twice about: fire apparatus tires. What got me thinking about this topic was a recent alert that was put out by my friend Mike Wilbur, who runs Emergency Vehicle Response and its Web site. The alert that was put out concerned recent fire apparatus accidents: Check the dates on all your department’s tires ASAP! Why? Last July alone, three firefighters were killed and two firefighters were seriously injured in two separate accidents, one in Kansas and the other in Nevada. More recently, a tanker/tender in Maryland was in a rollover with two firefighters hurt.
In all three incidents, the cause was listed as tire failure. In the last year, Emergency Vehicle Response found that one out of three fire apparatus inspected during fleet evaluations had tires that needed to be taken out of service based on the standard.
A.8.3.6 tire age can be determined by checking the Department of Transportation (DOT) code on the sidewall of each tire. The code begins with DOT and ends with a three-digit (through 1999) or four-digit (2000 and beyond) date code. The first two digits of the date code are the week of the year the tire was manufactured, and the last one or two digits indicate the year. For example, “DOT GJ HU234 319” was manufactured in week 31 of 1999. “DOT BT FR87 2501” was manufactured in week 25 of 2001. The code may be on the inside or outside sidewall
This is worth taking a look at, as it is a serious matter when the safety of your firefighters is concerned.
In case you weren’t aware, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1911, Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles states the following: 8.3.6 Tires shall be replaced at least every seven years or more frequently when the tread wear exceeds the state or federal standards as determined by measuring with a tire depth gauge.
Now this was stated in the 2007 version of the standard. After further investigation, I found a report completed in 2015 entitled “Automotive Fire Apparatus Tire Replacement” by the Fire Protection Research Foundation. The report states that NFPA 1911 lacks supporting scientific documentation to have tires replaced every seven years. Because of high capital costs, the decision for replacing fire apparatus tires should be based on an objective decision making process. The required replacement of tires after seven years is placing an undue financial burden on departments and agencies trying to comply with the 1911 requirements.
Now, where this info came from about a lack of evidence kind of puzzles me. This basically caused a lot of grief for fire departments around the country. The report is 27 pages long and details a great deal of info on tires. It was thought that the new 2017 edition of NFPA 1911 would make this area of concern exempt. However, it is still in the standard.
The standard goes on to say that a vehicle should be taken out of service if:
- 6.3.1 (3) Tires have cuts in the sidewall and penetrate the cord. 6.3.1 (4) Tires have a tread width of less than 4/32 of an inch on any steering axle and 2/32 of an inch on any nonsteerable axle at any two adjacent major thread grooves anywhere on the tire.
- 6.3.2 A qualified technician shall conduct an out of service evaluation of the following deficiencies; 1. Punctures, 2. Cuts to the chord, 3. Bulges other than bumps or repair bulges, 4. Sidewall separation, 5. Tire speed rating is less than govt speed rating.
I am not trying to make anyone reading this a mechanic–I certainly am not. I am just making everyone aware of what is out there and some of the problems that are being caused.
A great deal of fire departments are complaining about the cost burden this will bring to them for replacing tires every seven years of less. They are also stating it’s a good thing the NFPA standards are not law.
See if this holds up if you have an accident and end up in court. There are a great deal of lawyers out there who may disagree with you. Since there are no laws regarding certain aspects of the fire service, NFPA standards are the closest thing to them.
To make a long story short, have your qualified EVT perform regular inspections on your tires and check the tread width, wear, tire pressures, etc. If need be, replace them if they meet the out of service criteria.
Don’t take this lightly–it may save a life.
