 |
| Mississauga rescue crews extricate victims at a 2005 collision when a fire truck rolled over while trying to avoid a collision with a car that turned in front of the apparatus. (Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services Photo) |
Editor’s Note: This is the story of why fire officials in Mississauga, Ontario, one of Canada’s largest cities, decided to equip all new apparatus with roll stability control and to retrofit other trucks with stability warning systems.
On Friday May 20, 2005, Mississauga Fire’s Squad 107 was westbound on Dundas Street returning to quarters. The rescue/pumper was in the left lane on a six-lane roadway driving approximately 60 kph (40 mph) approaching an intersection. Three oncoming eastbound vehicles were lined up at the intersection to make a left turn. All three cars were full of high school students who had been planning to go camping for the long weekend.
As the traffic light at the intersection turned green prior to the apparatus arriving at the intersection, the first car began to turn left in front of the fire truck. The second car followed the first, which caused the fire truck operator to release the throttle pedal and allow the car some additional time to pass in front of the truck.
As the apparatus driver was commenting on the second vehicle not properly gauging the timing of the turn, the third vehicle followed the second car and turned directly in front of the fire truck. The fire truck operator took immediate evasive action and applied maximum brakes while turning the truck quickly to the right in an attempt to avoid a collision with the car.
The sudden hard braking and quick right turn may have caused the fire apparatus to lift the right rear tires off the pavement. The truck collided with the civilian vehicle near the center of the intersection. The passenger car was struck broadside, which contributed to further leaning of the apparatus. The momentum of the 17-ton fire truck pushed the civilian vehicle across the intersection. The car came to rest at the curb underneath the cab of the overturned fire truck.
The captain notified dispatch of the collision and requested assistance. All four firefighters aboard the apparatus were wearing seatbelts, which prevented any serious injuries to the crew. After the collision they were able to climb down from the truck and initiate immediate assistance to the occupants of the other vehicle. Two of the four occupants on the passenger side of the civilian vehicle were trapped and required extrication by the fire department.
The collision – the first time a Mississauga fire truck was involved in a rollover accident – could have been deadly, but thankfully all the students survived. The driver of the car was charged with making an unsafe turn.
During the internal investigation, Mississauga department officials reviewed the incident scenario and looked for initiatives that could be used to prevent rollover incidents.
At a previous Fire Department Safety Officers Association (FDSOA) Safety and Maintenance Symposium attended by two Mississauga fire officials, a relatively new product designed to prevent rollover incidents in large trucks was presented by a Meritor WABCO representative. Video evidence of the device working was very compelling.
The new roll stability control (RSC) system developed by Meritor WABCO had won the 2003 Technical Achievement Award from the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA) for the development of a “progressive technology that improved vehicle safety.”
The RSC system was designed to provide immediate intervention to assist the apparatus operator to prevent a rollover situation. The system focuses on a vehicle’s center of gravity and the lateral acceleration limit or rollover threshold. When that limit is reached, the system automatically intervenes to slow the vehicle by controlling the engine retarder and automatically activating the drive axle and brakes. An accelerometer mounted directly to the anti-lock braking system (ABS) electronic control unit (ECU) monitors the vehicle’s lateral acceleration.
As Mississauga was in the process of developing specifications for four new squads, Spartan Motors was requested to add RSC to the truck orders. The local dealer was told that RSC was relatively new and had only been tested on larger apparatus such as aerials and tankers.
After a few calls to Spartan Motors outlining the recent fire apparatus collision scenario, the company agreed to research the installation of RSC on the new Mississauga squads. A short time later, confirmation was received from Spartan Motors that all the new squads would be outfitted with the new safety device. These were the first “standard pumpers” to be built with the RSC system installed.
Since the collision in 2005, all new apparatus ordered by Mississauga have the RSC option. This device coupled with proper driver training is expected to have a positive outcome on future incidents with rollover potential.
With Mississauga replacing an average of two apparatus each year, it will be a considerable amount of time until the whole fleet is protected by RSC technology. In the interim, the Mississauga Fire’s Joint Health and Safety Committee endorsed the addition of the Stability Dynamics LG Alert for fleet vehicles not yet due for replacement.
The LG Alert utilizes similar technology as the RSC system to measure lateral acceleration and give a visual and audible warning as the apparatus approaches the rollover threshold. While the LG Alert system will not automatically reduce power from the engine or apply the braking system like RSC, the Stability Dynamics system warns the driver to take immediate and appropriate action to prevent a rollover.
Proper education of apparatus drivers is paramount for preventing rollover situations. When an apparatus is equipped with RSC, the driver should drive the vehicle with due regard for the safety of the crew and the motoring public and not be operating the vehicle beyond reasonable limits, constantly relying on the RSC system to correct improper actions.
After Mississauga’s new rescue/pumpers equipped with RSC were put into service, some operators complained that the trucks were losing power on highway entrance and exit ramps. They were experiencing RSC in action, and the trucks were operating perfectly.
The operators had been briefed on how the new system worked, but did not fully comprehend it. As a truck approaches a position where it could roll over, RSC robs power from the engine and applies brakes to maintain control.
The Stability Dynamics LG Alert warning system retrofitted to the older trucks has a useful feature RSC did not have – audible and visual warnings when approaching the rollover threshold. The driver is alerted so action can be taken to prevent an accident, and others in the cab are warned as well. That way the captain and everyone else in the truck knows when the apparatus is being driven too aggressively.
Each year approximately 25 percent of the annual firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) in the United States are related to transportation incidents. In an effort to reduce firefighter injuries and fatalities, all fire apparatus ordered after Jan. 1, 2009 must be equipped with a stability control system or pass a tilt table test to meet the National Fire Protection Association 1901 apparatus standard.
Providing safe apparatus, proper driver training and seatbelt usage are critical to the reduction line of duty deaths in rollover incidents.
Editor’s Note: Ian Laing had over 34 years of service with Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services (MFES), starting as a firefighter and progressing through the ranks of captain, district chief and then assistant deputy chief responsible for the fleet, facilities, equipment and PPE. Currently, he is the fire chief of Central York Fire Services, Ontario, Canada, protecting the communities of Newmarket and Aurora.
Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services
Mississauga is the sixth largest city in Canada, located just west of Toronto, the capital of Ontario. Over 700 full-time staff provide service to the community of approximately 725,000 in a 111-square-mile area. The first response fleet consists of 30 front-line fire apparatus and is a mix of pumpers, squads (rescue/pumpers), 55-foot aerials, 100-foot aerials and two aerial platform trucks. All apparatus in the fleet have pumping ability. The suppression division responds to approximately 27,000 incidents annually from 20 fire stations in the city.
More Fire Apparatus Current Issue Articles
More Fire Apparatus Archives Issue Articles
