Roll up doors

[wfd144]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to keeping roll up doors on apparatus moving freely?

[ThNozzleman]

Keeping the tracks, guides, and rollers clean and lubed with a silicon based lubricant works pretty well for us.

[DeputyMarshal]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to keeping roll up doors on apparatus moving freely?

(1) Recall fondly how you never had this problem with traditional hinged doors.
(2) Remove troublesome roll up doors.
(3) Replace with traditional hinged doors.
(4) Rejoice in the restoration of storage space wasted for roll-up doors.
(5) Remember this when you spec your next apparatus.

[Lump532]

(1) Recall fondly how you never had this problem with traditional hinged doors.
(2) Remove troublesome roll up doors.
(3) Replace with traditional hinged doors.
(4) Rejoice in the restoration of storage space wasted for roll-up doors.
(5) Remember this when you spec your next apparatus.

Absolutely!

[BoxAlarm187]

Keeping the tracks, guides, and rollers clean and lubed with a silicon based lubricant works pretty well for us.

Agreed, we clean and lube the tracks of our roll-ups weekly. Even on my 10 year old engine with 150k miles on it, they're still working great.

[chiefengineer11]

(1) Recall fondly how you never had this problem with traditional hinged doors.
(2) Remove troublesome roll up doors.
(3) Replace with traditional hinged doors.
(4) Rejoice in the restoration of storage space wasted for roll-up doors.
(5) Remember this when you spec your next apparatus.

And barn doors are fair game for mounting tools!

[SPFDRum]

Yes, get rid of those pesky roll up doors. Heaven forbid you have to actually perform any basic maintenance or adjustment. We all know that hinges never need to be cleaned or lubed.
Funny, we have engines running a couple of thousand runs a year and have no problem with the roll up doors. But then again, this is Minnesota, so there probably isn't any slush, road salt, sand, dirt or ice we have to deal with....

[DeputyMarshal]

Yes, get rid of those pesky roll up doors. Heaven forbid you have to actually perform any basic maintenance or adjustment. We all know that hinges never need to be cleaned or lubed.

Seriously? I've never seen any reason to switch to roll-ups other than because we could. Hinged doors require maintenance, too, but far less of it than roll ups; they can store tools as noted above or they can even serve as a sheltor for the pump operator if they're hinged upwards; and, most of all, they don't waste space inside the compartment. I've yet to come up with any reason why a roll-up is a better choice than a hinged door.

[BoxAlarm187]

I've yet to come up with any reason why a roll-up is a better choice than a hinged door.

1. Less chance of taking out a support column between the bay doors when the door is either left open or comes open as the rig leaves the bay.

2. Lessens the profile of the rig when operating alongside the roadway with an open door.

3. Doesn't create an obstruction for hydraulic hoses or electrical cables when coming off a roller fairlead. They'll just come right out of the compartment without having to also go around a door.

4. How much stuff are you really storing at the top front of the compartment that at roll-up is keeping you from putting there? Seriously?

We're running over 50 rigs with roll-up doors and have used them since 1997. No chance of us going back to hinged doors.

[Catch22]

One thing I can say is that I've never seen a roll-up door ripped off the truck.

Aside from that, take care of them (preventive maintenance, like washing out the tracks, lubing, etc.) and they'll last a good long time.

[ChiefKN]

One thing I can say is that I've never seen a roll-up door ripped off the truck.

Aside from that, take care of them (preventive maintenance, like washing out the tracks, lubing, etc.) and they'll last a good long time.

Big ten-four on that.

I've seen more then one company with a plywood replacement hinged door...

We had a compartment door ripped off by the mirror of a truck on the interstate.

Roll ups are great, never had an issue trying to open one when the space was tight and to be honest, do you really use the top five inches of a compartment? nahh...

[FireRescueLupo]

Both have their advantages, and not catching posts while exiting the station on a run is one for rollups, seen that a few times lately. Also the open hinged door sometimes has to be worked around, especially when you have a big heavy generator that need two people to get it out. I do like tool storage on the hinged door as well and nothing like stepping under the pop up hinged during a rain waiting for your crew to get back to the truck. Not sure what side of the isle I am on with this one.

Same maintanance as above, check it often clean it every so often. We usually check all doors during weekly checkoffs and maybe once a month or so clean out the roll ups but we really only have a few of those to worry about.

[enginhouse2]

I never had the opportunity to operate an apparatus with rool-up doors. I do know however that a worn latch that isn't caressed upon closing will allow improperly secured SCBA tanks to leave a trail to the scene.

[LVFD301]

I hate roll up doors, in our mainly dirt road enviroment keeping them clean is almost impossible.

What is this about wiping out regular doors when leaving the station? What is the engineer doing?

[enginhouse2]

I hate roll up doors, in our mainly dirt road enviroment keeping them clean is almost impossible.

What is this about wiping out regular doors when leaving the station? What is the engineer doing?

The engineer cannot help a rear swing door coming open unexpectedly as the apparatus passes through the door jamb.

[BoxAlarm187]

The engineer cannot help a rear swing door coming open unexpectedly as the apparatus passes through the door jamb.

I witnessed this first hand in 2001 when a reserve 1985 ALF was pulling out of the station to respond on a run. A driver's side top-hinged compartment door popped open immediately before the rig pulled out of the door, which resulted in the center column and entire front facia of the two-bay station collapsing. It was quite a sight. The door on the engine was still intact and only had a small dent and paint chip on it. The engine house had tens of thousands of dollars in damage!

During my years of doing this, I've heard of something similar happening in two departments in our state.

[enginhouse2]

I witnessed this first hand in 2001 when a reserve 1985 ALF was pulling out of the station to respond on a run. A driver's side top-hinged compartment door popped open immediately before the rig pulled out of the door, which resulted in the center column and entire front facia of the two-bay station collapsing. It was quite a sight. The door on the engine was still intact and only had a small dent and paint chip on it. The engine house had tens of thousands of dollars in damage!

During my years of doing this, I've heard of something similar happening in two departments in our state.

They just don't make firehouses like they used to.

[BoxAlarm187]

They just don't make firehouses like they used to.

Haha, that house dated back to 1941.

[FIREMECH1]

Hinged doors suck... PERIOD. You're either replacing it because it popped open or someone didn't catch that it was open when they ducked underneath it to make a run. Rusted latches that won't release or catch. Then breaking all the screw heads off when trying to remove the handle so you can maybe open it. Then, if by the good graces, you do get it open, you fight the 44 phillip screws that are corroded holding the cover on. Now lets see, is it brand A, brand B, or brand C type of latch??? Great, it's brand D, the one I don't have. Time for a change over boys.

Rollup doors.... ROCK. Only replaced one because someone T-Boned an aerial. Wash it once a week, spray some dry silicone, and you're good. No fuss, no worries, no cussing.

FM1

[nameless]

Sounds like a lot of you have departments full of idiots. Come on, its a door. If you can't figure out how to close it you have a problem. If you can't close all the doors on the truck before leaving you are an idiot. These are the worst reasons to advocate roll ups. Does switching to roll up doors turn your firefighters from morons to geniuses that remember to close compartments?

Roll up doors in NY seem to only last in slow places that are religious about cleaning them. Anyone that runs a lot that isn't able to wash it out after each run in the dirt/salt has problems with the roll ups sticking.