Editor's note: Industry Insights are sponsored blogs submitted by manufacturers and suppliers serving the fire service industry.
First responders at the scene are on a mission of minutes. There’s no time to spare when it comes to saving lives, and we take every precaution we can to make sure we’re quick, careful and efficient in getting to the patient. We park the apparatus to ensure the fastest departure from the station. We train so we know the best place to make the cut to quickly remove the door. And we take care of the tools that help us spread, cut and lift, because it’s critical these tools be ready for service no matter what time of day or night we get the call.
In the more than 20 years I’ve been in this industry, I’ve worked on all sides of the rescue tool. As a volunteer firefighter, I’ve extricated patients from seemingly unsurvivable car accidents. I’ve sold tools to other firefighters so they can be as prepared as I was when they’re on the scene. I’ve also managed and taught tool maintenance, and it’s this care and training that I’ve always enjoyed best. Here are a few tips for you to consider for your hydraulic rescue tool maintenance.
The basics of maintenance
When it comes to the maintenance for your hydraulic extrication tools the first step is to visually inspect the tools; for hydraulic hose line tools, are there leaks, abnormal wear or deformities in the cutting surfaces or the spreader arms? You also want to make sure that all guards are in place and in good condition.
Next is the function check. Connect each tool to the hydraulic pump and operate the tools, ensuring smooth operation from the closed to the fully open position. Also, listen for any unusual noises and check that the control valve, when released, returns to the neutral position and that the tool does not move while in that position. Finally, check the stability of all handles.
Avoid easy mistakes
Two of the biggest problems with poor maintenance involved fluid. First, not changing the hydraulic fluid at the recommended service intervals can result in contaminated fluid, which prematurely wears the seals in the pumps and the tools. The next most common problem is inexperienced or untrained personnel putting the wrong type of fluid in the system causing a catastrophic failure of the system
How do the contaminants get in there? Some Hydraulic fluid naturally absorbs the moisture in the air, degrading the fluid over time. Another entry for contaminants are the couplings on the tools themselves; during the normal course of an extrication while connecting and disconnecting the tools, there is a path for dirt and other contaminants to get in the system. This is unlike the eDRAULIC line of tools, which has a closed system and no point of entry for dirt and contaminants to get into the tool.
Another easy maintenance tip that’s often overlooked for the systems that utilize a gasoline engine to run the hydraulic pump is shutting off the fuel valve while not in use. This simple step will avoid some carburetor issues and prevent the gas from seeping into the oil and causing a no-start condition.
Service steps
Preventative maintenance should be performed by a HURST certified technician at the recommended intervals. The technician can use various specialized diagnostic equipment to check the state of health of the hydraulic pumps and make any needed adjustments, such as a pressure adjustment. The pump is the heart of the system and if problems occur in the pump that affects the whole system. Just like your car, the gasoline motor needs a tune up; that service includes an oil change, air filter and pre-filter replacement, fuel filter and spark plug.
Let’s look at the spreaders next. The technician would do the same visual and function check that the end user would perform, but they would also disassemble the tool and check for any wear or other issues; clean and grease the arms; re-assemble the tool to check the function of the tool again; and, test the spreading forces by using a force load tester.
With the cutters, technicians perform basically the same process. While they have the cutter apart, they would resurface the blade if it needs it. But what needs extra attention with the cutters is the pivot pin nut, which is the main nut that holds the pivot pin together securing the blades. This nut must be torqued to a specific value depending on the model of the cutter. Failure to do this can cause the blades to not cut properly and in some cases cause blade failure.
eDRAULIC tools
The eDRAULIC tools are a self-contained tool that utilizes a battery to run an electric motor which in turn runs a pump. The pump in the eDRAULIC tools uses the same pump theory, but since there is no path for contaminants to get into the system failures related to the fluid are mostly non-existent. With that being said, all the eDRAULIC tools should go through the same basic maintenance as the hydraulic tools and as long as you have a fully charged battery in the tool they are ready to go.
More than maintenance
Maintenance is critical, but tool care goes beyond hydraulic fluid and pivot nuts. Here are a few takeaway tips from a guy who’s been there, done that:
Keep up on car technology and being properly trained in the use of tools. Refresher training throughout the year will minimize user/operator errors. Car manufacturers are making cars stronger and faster; between the technology that goes into the car and the technology that goes into the rescue tool, you should stay educated.
Also, have your tools properly mounted in the truck so they’re not bouncing around in the compartment. Normally, all extrication tools are in one place, and if they’re free floating in the compartment there’s a good chance they’re hitting the other tools when the truck takes those turns. The tools are resilient, but parts like the fuel tank and reservoir need to be protected.
And back to that maintenance? Have it done regularly. When you have to use these tools in a true extrication, you want them to work
