INSIDE THE APPARATUS INDUSTRY

A quick refresher on how to ensure your pump is ready to go
By Bob Vaccaro
Photos Courtesy Keith Klassen

Should you test your pump? You would think the answers would be a no-brainer; however, I’ll bet that if we conducted a survey around the country, we’d find that a large number of fire departments don’t test their pumps on a regular basis—perhaps not even on a yearly basis.

Regular testing and pump maintenance is critical for any apparatus. I’d like to know that when my engines arrive on the fireground, the pump isn’t leaking around all the seals or valves, and the pump is working to capacity when called upon to deliver water on the fireground. Further, annual tests are required by the ISO to get additional credit for your apparatus.

All manufacturers are required to conduct a piping hydrostatic test prior to apparatus delivery. If the pump has a rated capacity of 750 gpm or greater, it will be tested after it and all of its associated piping and equipment have been installed on the apparatus. These tests will be conducted at the manufacturer’s approved facility and certified by an independent testing organization that’s approved by the purchaser—usually UL.

At a minimum, the certification process will include the pumping test, the pumping engine overload test, the pressure control system test, the priming device test and the vacuum test. If the apparatus is equipped with a water tank, the water tank-to-pump flow test will be included as well. If the apparatus has a pump rated at less than 750 gpm, then all of the above is required except the pumping engine overload test.

A test plate will be provided at the pump operator’s panel that gives the rated discharges and pressures, along with the speed of the engine, as determined by the certification test for each unit. The test plate numbers are based on the position of the parallel/series pump and the governed speed of the engine, as stated by the engine manufacturer on a certified brake horsepower curve.

All of these requirements, as well as the details of how the tests are conducted, are listed in NFPA 1901, Section 14—required reading for you and your apparatus committee.

As far as annual tests are concerned, if it’s possible, it’s best to have a local dealer—or maybe the local county fire academy in your area—conduct the tests for you. If you have a department mechanic who knows how to perform these tests, that’s great, but make sure you follow the pump test section of NFPA 1901.

Most important: Make sure you log these tests with the proper documentation and save everything. And if you find a deficiency, make sure that it’s corrected in a timely manner; otherwise all of your efforts are for nothing. After all, the whole purpose is to make sure you have a fully operational vehicle and pump.

Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire-service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (N.Y.) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, The New York Fire Patrol and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant. Vaccaro is a life member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

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