BY DON FRANK
The tools carried and used on a rescue truck are designed for a variety of incidents. Other tools and equipment used were borrowed from various industries (e.g., welding, construction, automotive, and mountaineering) and adapted to aid and complement the standard tools. A tool or a group of tools married together requires only the skill, knowledge, and experience of the rescue crew to accomplish the task.
 1. Photos by author. |
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I designed and built a low-profile portable air manifold to aid with low-pressure pneumatic tools and equipment operation. The unit has three adjustable pressure regulators with gauges and three locking quick-disconnect sockets and can operate multiple tools simultaneously and independently of each other (see photo 1). Rescue personnel can operate various pneumatic tools such as air-lifting bags, air chisels, saws, drills, air shores, impact hammers, and nail guns using the portable air manifold (see photo 2). The manifold’s pressure gauge registers pressures of up to 200 psi, at which point a pressure-relief device activates to protect the user and the device from overpressurization.
The major advantage of the portable air manifold design is that it allows the users to operate multiple tools from a single air source, such as a C.A.R.T., 2,216/4,500-psi air cylinders with pressure regulators, or the rescue truck’s onboard air compressor (see photo 3). If the emergency scene is inaccessible or too far away from the truck’s air system, the C.A.R.T. or 2,216/4,500-psi air cylinders with pressure regulators can supply the manifold to operate the tools. All air hoses have the same type of locking quick-disconnect sockets, to keep all fittings standard to eliminate any line connection compatibility problems between various air tools and hoses.
DON FRANK is a 25-year veteran of the fire service and currently a rescue firefighter with the Robins Air Force Base Fire Department in Georgia. Previously, he served with the Springlake (CA) Fire Protection District. Frank is an instructor in all phases of aircraft emergency operations and firefighting, confined space, high-angle rescue, and building collapse operations. A nationally certified fire instructor III, Frank holds fire officer certifications from California and the U.S. Department of Defense.
