• Firefighting equipment is regulated by the NFPA.fire truck image by charles taylor from Fotolia.com
  
  The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets standards in hundreds or areas related to fire safety, one of these (NFPA 1901) is for firefighting equipment and personnel. Meeting NFPA fire apparatus standards helps to safeguard firefighters and the public, and it helps firefighters serve the public more efficiently and with fewer injuries.
  
  

Vehicle Data Recorders

• Onboard Vehicle Data Recorders are required under NFPA standards. VDRs are required to capture 100 hours of information regarding vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, engine speed and throttle position, anti-lock brake system and seat belt status. The information must be able to be accessed by computer.
  
  

Equipment Requirement

• The NFPA's 2009 standards added to the equipment requirements on fire trucks and other apparatus. Added to the equipment requirements was one traffic vest for each riding position, five fluorescent orange traffic cones, five flares and one automatic external defibrillator. The new standards also allow a multipurpose ladder to be carried instead of a folding ladder provided the folding ladder meets ANSI standards and can hold 300 pounds.
  
  

Diesel Requirements

• In accordance with new Environmental Protection Agency standards, fire trucks and other apparatus must be equipped with diesel particulate filters and be able to burn off unburned particles. NFPA requires vehicles equipped with DPFs to activate the system that burns the particles either automatically by the engine or manually with a switch located in the area where the driver sits. While the engine is burning off the particles, however, the engine exhaust measured at the exhaust pipe must not exceed 851 degrees Fahrenheit.
  
  

Helmet Requirements

• NFPA standards require labels in the riding positions in fire trucks and other apparatus warning that fire helmets are not to be warn in the cab. Fire helmets are not designed to protect in case of an accident and the helmets often interfere with headrests and contribute to injuries by adding extra weight to the fire fighter's head. Wearing a helmet in the truck also reduces the space needed for absorption in the case of accidents. Fire helmets stored in the cab must be secured the same as other equipment in the cab.
  
  

Retro-reflective Stripping

• Fifty percent of the rear vertical surface of a fire truck or other fire apparatus must have six-inch reflective stripping in a chevron pattern sloping downward from the center at a 45 degree angle. The stripes are to be a single color alternating between red and yellow, the yellow may be fluorescent yellow or fluorescent yellow-green.