Image:Helsinki fire engine 11.jpg

[edit] Summary

Description	Helsinki H11 fire engine
Source	picture and texty by Pöllö
Date	Picture taken by Pöllö in July 2006, text slightly re-edited in April 2007
Author	Picture and text: Pöllö, please notice sources referred in some parts of the text
Permission (Reusing this image)	Picture used by permission of Pöllö

This fire engine from the end of 1990’s carries 1+5 professional crew members (1 unit leader, 1 engineer and two pairs of fire fighter/EMTs working typically as pairs e.g. in smoke diving) 24 hours a day and 7 days in a week. The letter H means "Helsinki", the first 1 is a station number (1 = central station located in Kallio), and the second 1 is for the unit type (1 = engine). The unit is used in fires, rescue, surface rescue, and first response missions. It should be able to work independently in various kinds of smaller tasks and as a part of major operations. This unit has a pump at its rear.

A trend-setting list of equipment in a basic Finnish fire engine in 2006 follows. The list gives a glimpse on today’s multitask challenges in fire fighting – or in other words, in various kinds of rescue missions. It should be noticed that an engine is only a part of a larger fire department and various other units and supporting units carry various other kind of equipment needed in different kind of situations.

Communications:

- vehicle mounted radio/status equipment (using encrypted TETRA-network)

- handheld radios (also EX-type for places with a hazard of explosion, and for underground use in various kinds of tunnels/subway)

- mobile data terminal

Dangerous goods:

- handbooks & recognition guides on dangerous goods & hazardous materials

- pump for flammable liquids

- absorbing materials, oil absorbing material, saw dust, containers, buckets, wedges

- chemical protection suits, boots, gloves, etc.

Electricity & lighting:

- (built-in) aggregate (at least 4 kW), floodlights, pneumatic floodlighting mast

- various kind of electric cables, earthing equipment etc.

- reversers, couplers, current reducers, voltmeter etc.

Fire fighting and smoke diving:

- built in pump (at least 1800 l/min/8bar), at least 2000 liters of water

- handheld fire extinguishers (carbon dioxide, dry powder), bucket fire extinguisher

- fire blanket, additional fire protection gloves

- scaling ladders, other type of ladders

- compressed air apparata for smoke diving, masks, regulators, smoke diving monitoring chart etc.

- hand torches, chargers, searching light, floodlights, radios for smoke diving

- smoke diving ropes, hose brackets, sport drinks, water

- keys, adaptors and various armature for fire hydrants, signalling lamp

- keys and handbooks for fire detector systems etc.

- suction and inlet hoses, adaptors, sieves, dividers, blocking contacts

- various adaptors for sprinkler systems, boats etc.

- 300 m of 39-52 mm hose, 200 m of 76 mm hose, 60 m of 110 mm hose

- various kinds of water-spray nozzles, hose bridges, adaptors, connectors, dividers

- strike-through fog nozzles & hammer for roofs

- ventilator (for over-pressurizing an area/building)

- water cannon with pedestal, fog nozzle etc.

- foaming agents, various foam nozzles, inline inductors, foam hoses etc.

- submersible pumps

- rescue masks with CO-filters

- possibly thermographic camera

- metal detector

Notice: The metal detector is used to locate underground water hydrant wells under streets etc. The hydrants are connected to the pressurized municipal (drinking) water pipelines. The coordinates of fire hydrants are typically also labelled on e.g. building walls. The metal detector helps to locate the hydrant wells (or their metal covers) under the snow and ice during the winter.

First aid & first response

- monitoring defibrillator, razorblade, clothe scissors

- oxygen container, regulator, oxygen masks, suction unit, breathing mouthpiece

- bag resuscitator with reservoir bag, various masks

- laryngoscope with light and various blades, various sizes of endotracheal tubes, Magill’s forceps

- backboard, scoopsaver, neck collars, blanket, aluminum blanket

- vacuum mattress, vacuum splints, footpump for vacuum splints

- blood glucose tester, blood pressure meter, stethoscope

- penlight, tapes, various kind of bandages, binders, tapes, gauzes, trigonum etc.

- infusion lines, infusion liquids, glucose liquid, sodium bicarbonate solution, canules, stasis etc.

- acetylsalicylic acid (for cardiac infarction), active carbon, isosorbide nitrate

- sick report blankets, blankets for case of death

- triage package: tag tapes with various colours, paper, pen, sick report blankets

- triage checklists: triage leader, gathering site operations, organisation chart etc

High places (rescue & fires):

- carabiners, ropes, knives, descenders, rope clamps, pulleys, belay device, gear slings, etc.

- rescue harness, patient harness, special stretcher

- various tools for roof & gallet fires

Routing:

- digital map system, digital driving/navigation system

- handheld maps, special maps for underground tunnels, map of hydrants etc.

- possibly a location system (information on the location of the unit to the dispatch centre)

Surface rescue:

- swimmer’s snorkels, masks, fins, knife, torch, surface rescue suits

- safety ropes, ice chisels, rescue board, life jackets

Tools:

- keys and tools for elevators, fire detectors, fire hydrants, windows, natural gas lines etc.

- various tools and drills for breaking locks and doors

- various general tools: screwdrivers, gavels, nails, iron wire, putty, combined pliers

- adjustable wrenches, plate shears, open-end wrenches, pipe tongs, power tongs, hex wrenches

- saw, metal saw, etc.

- chain saws, spare chains & parts, gasoline, logger’s helmet, breaking & impact bar

- disc cutters (gasoline/electric; also for steel, concrete), spare parts & blades

- air compressor, pressurized air container, heat gun, jack

- ice auger, hammers, shovel, crow bar, iron bars, axes, street brushes, swab, dungfork

- measuring tape, duct tape, plastic bags, wedges, spray paint for marking, marking chalks

- starting cables

Traffic accidents & rescue:

- high visibility traffic reflecting vests, traffic cones

- hydraulic pump, pneumatic lifting bags

- earthing tools for subway, electric train & tram etc. systems

- hydraulic cutters, rescue chain package, hydraulic spreaders, ram jacks

- air bag protection package, stabilization blocks, struts, shackles

- seat belt cutters, windshield saw, glass punch

- towing rope

- traffic signs & pedestals (also handheld): general hazard (accident/fire), road closed

- warning triangle, barrier tape

Various:

- hearing protectors, respiration filters, gauntlets, goggles, gloves

- timber

Actually only less than 15% fire/rescue tasks in Helsinki are real fires in buildings, vehicles or on terrain. There are still plenty of fire alarms and automatic fire alarms, but the majority of missions include first responses, affirmation, storm damages, traffic accidents, rescuing animals, oil leaks, helping responses, damage preventing missions, rescuing humans, joint missions with police/other fire departments, other rescue missions, and hazardous materials. The unit H11 runned more than 1900 tasks in 2005 ^[1]. The amount of yearly tasks is increasing.

If a fire department runs the urgent medical responses – like in Helsinki, various kind of medical responses form the majority of missions of a fire department. Basic and advanced level ambulance units are used in medical responses. Additionally medical supervisor and a physician (typically an anaesthesiologist) work 24/7 in the field of medical responses. In addition, fire engines and rescue units provide first response services, and one engine in Helsinki has the equipment and personnel even on a high advanced life support –level.

The equipment list follows the equipment typically found in the engine, and the guidance for the fire/rescue units given by the Finnish Ministry of Interiors. It should be noticed that the needs in various fire departments may differ and there are differences in the engines and other kind of units.

Further information on Finnish fire engine standards and equipment can be found in Finnish sources (in Finnish) and European standards standards (also in English)^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}. In addition, European legislation on motor vehicles are to be followed.

In April 2008, the unit in picture was replaced with a new H11 [1]. The new H11 is quite similar to old H11. The new H11 carries 2000 liters of water, has a pump of 2800 l/min, 4x25 liters of foaming agents, hydraulic central unit for various hydraulic rescue tools, sparkless tools, environmental protection tools, diaphragm pump, covers to protect patient in e.g. extrication, heat elements to keep patient warm, a hand truck, and various bag sets for e.g. traffic accidents, door/window opening, rescue, ropes, and storm damage prevention. The new engine has air conditioning. One of the new (2008) engines in Helsinki, namely H41, carries a Cobra Cutting Extinguisher.

[edit] References

[edit] Licensing

I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. Afrikaans | Alemannisch | Aragonés | العربية | Asturianu | Български | Català | Česky | Cymraeg | Dansk | Deutsch | Eʋegbe | Ελληνικά | English | Español | Esperanto | Euskara | Estremeñu | فارسی | Français | Galego | 한국어 | हिन्दी | Hrvatski | Ido | Bahasa Indonesia | Íslenska | Italiano | עברית | Kurdî / كوردی | Latina | Lietuvių | Latviešu | Magyar | Македонски | Bahasa Melayu | Nederlands | ‪Norsk (bokmål)‬ | ‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬ | 日本語 | Polski | Português | Ripoarisch | Română | Русский | Shqip | Slovenčina | Slovenščina | Српски / Srpski | Svenska | ไทย | Tagalog | Türkçe | Українська | Tiếng Việt | Walon | ‪中文(简体)‬ | ‪中文(繁體)‬ | zh-yue-hant | +/-

The following file is a duplicate of this file:

• Image:H11.jpg

• Fire apparatus
• User:Daysleeper47/sandbox2