Features
Tech Talk: A story with many lessons

Another year has gone by, never to be seen again. I wish nothing but good health and happiness to you all in 2024. I want to say thank you to all of you that follow these articles from one year to the next. I hope they help you better your fire department, even in a small way.

My first article for 2024 addresses the elephant in the fire truck room: How much? How long? Why? What? And so on. It appears that the pandemic has had a longer lasting effect on how business and personal lives are to be handled and run than we anticipated. We may have ordered new apparatus and new vehicles at the front end of the pandemic only to find out that fewer people were working so fewer could be built. If it was already built and you needed it, you may have paid double because you needed it right then. The same held true if you were selling — you made large money because somebody else needed it. This has been a learning curve for many.  

A story for you: In 2019 we lost the district chief’s vehicle in an intersection crash with no personal injury. The DC’s vehicle was hit. Insurance kicked in because it was a write-off. The vehicle was at the end of its life cycle, so not so bad anyway. This was a little premature to think, but needless to say, the replacement would now have to be ordered. The purchasing department put it out to bid and the contract was awarded. The vehicle was ordered and was expected to be delivered in about eight to 12 weeks, which took us well into March of the first year of covid. We took delivery of the vehicle in May 2023. It was not what we spec’d and because the manufacturer was still way behind, they said take it at this discounted price or leave it and wait until who knows how long for another one. We took it. This vehicle spec was completely outfitted from the factory as it was an emergency response Interceptor known as a police package. When it arrived, it was missing some of the factory installed package it was spec’d with. We now had to go out to quote for parts left out of the factory build pertaining to the emergency package. Internally we had the means to install them. A well-known emergency lighting manufacturer was our choice, only to find out if we order we might get some of it in three months.  

We managed from 2019 onward only because we have a dedicated apparatus division and could keep the costs down with repairs. 

In 2022 our platoon chief’s vehicle was hit at an intersection. Not the fire department’s fault. Now we had two Interceptors on order with the same spec. 

 We shopped around for the emergency package parts we needed to build the vehicle to what we had spec’d. We were also able to remove a lot of the lighting package from the wreck to repurpose. During this time, we learned that the future for new vehicle purchases, big or small, was going to be a challenge. 

Both new vehicles arrived in the third quarter of 2023. Same spec, yet when delivered, they were not the same. The 2020 build was $20,000 less than the 2022 build. Both came in as 2023s. Both vehicles are now built and on the road. Our financial department in conjunction with the fire department were able to come up with the money needed to complete these builds. Insurance did not cover these additional headaches. 

Front line class 8 fire apparatus: one and a half to two years now once ordered to complete. A lack of labour in manufacturing explains some of the delay. Not enough staff means not enough gets done. This includes all the biproducts required to build a fire truck, from the stainless steel to the screws in the front bumper and tailboard. If it’s not already in your building or on a shelf, you’re not likely to get it right away.   

The cost? Hard to figure this one out. Supply and demand? Material not available from regular sources so pay more? People not working for what the previous pay was? The jury is still out but we pay more for absolutely everything.

VFRS’ 2023 Ford F-150 Lightening EV.

When you go to council for budget, keep in mind that you will be keeping your fleet longer. That means you need to budget for more repairs. You may have to stock some common tire sizes, especially for the rigs. Last year was the first time I held surplus tires. I am keeping decent class 8 tires now as well. In the past, if a truck had one- or two-year old tires that were needed to keep it on the road until auction time, it would be sold with the tires to help increase value. I now remove them and refit take-offs or well-worn tires before the truck goes off to auction or for sale. I am removing emergency lighting. We are finding simple 600 series lights. Red, blue, amber and white are becoming very expensive and harder to get right away when you need them. 

Every department is different, but no matter if you’re full-time, composite or volunteer, you should budget or start thinking about how you are able to get parts when you need them. Not the serious parts, but simple ones like tires, emergency lights, SCBA items, cab seats and cushions. Think about re-upholstering not replacing, and that seat belt or ground ladder you need to replace. I recently did my annual ground ladder testing and two ladders failed so we made one out of two and had it retested to pass. Think outside-the-box.  

New truck deliveries may be missing parts. We received three new engines and one was missing all the ground ladders, another with the single fly damaged at the manufacturer, and one complete. I was unable to put a brand new truck in service with new ladders because there were none available. We ended up putting 2023 pass-tested ladders on a new truck so it could go into service. 

When you spec a new build, ask about paint warranty. Be sure to read the fine print and ask if it is pro-rated. You do not want the headache of denied warranty paint jobs if, for example, corrosion is not covered. Pay close attention where the lights, trim, fenderettes, handle, etc., get fastened to the truck. This is where you will see the paint bubbling out, usually at the 12- to 20-month time frame (or one Canadian winter). I have yet to see a flat surface like the middle of the door bubble out if there is nothing fastened onto it. In some cases, once the body shop starts to take the corrosion off the alum, it has been noticed the area was poorly primed or treated. This is another reason paint should be covered. If corrosion starts, I believe it’s due to poor paint quality, or a break or blemish in the paint, and then the corrosion process begins. You will have to be creative, start processes early for paint and body, or when next spec goes out ask what the savings is not to have warranty on paint. If you have a commercial cab and chassis with an apparatus built body in Canada, look for bubbling under fenderettes, grab handles and other items anchored to the body. Pay close attention or you may be facing large estimates for a re-paint.

Last item: If you accept a long build time, be sure you have full warranty coverage when the truck is delivered. Some engine manufacturers start engine warranty once they sell the engine to the builder. Imagine I order a custom fire truck and I get it two and a half years later with less than three thousand kilometres on it and the engine is already out of basic warranty. You may want to write a goodwill clause into your build so the selling dealer is responsible as well.  

It will be interesting to see how the electric fire truck warranties work. Stay tuned, stay safe and remember rubber side down! 

Chris Dennis is the chief mechanical officer for Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service in Ontario. He can be reached at Chris.Dennis@vaughan.ca.