For firefighters, the right apparatus is a vital investment in safety and efficiency, including a firetruck. Every department has the equipment, but do you know when that equipment has seen better days? You must recognize the signs when one of your department trucks or other major equipment needs replacement.
Your Team Knows About The Condition of The Firetruck
When upgrading your department’s equipment, listening to your team is the best place to start. Often, complaints and issues come up in conversations, so spotting trends in those discussions may alert you to problems.
Excessive Maintenance Costs
Assess the maintenance and repair costs for the equipment in question. If your department spends more on maintenance and repair costs than the worth of the equipment, you may find it more financially responsible to invest in new equipment instead.
Major Component Failure
Fire equipment operates in high-demand environments, so you should expect wear and tear. When that typical wear turns into major components failing and costly repairs that leave the truck out of service for an extended period, it’s often best to look for a replacement.
Outdated or Insufficient Equipment
As technology advances, equipment that was perfectly operational in the past becomes insufficient to support the new devices, features, and advancements, even with portable mobile equipment. Keeping your department on the cutting edge of equipment helps ensure overall safety. Consider the advancements happening and ensure that your equipment can sustain those changes.
Perceptions of Poor Quality
Sometimes, the morale of your team and the ability to retain talent contribute to the decision. Consider upgrading your existing equipment when your department struggles with low morale, challenges retaining quality firefighters, or overall perception of poor-quality equipment and operations.
Changing Industry Standards
As equipment advances and technology improves, industry standards improve as well. When your equipment no longer meets those standards, you may put your general liability insurance coverage at risk. Most carriers require equipment to comply with industry standards and regulations.
Always Trust Your Judgement
Sometimes you have to consider how you feel about the equipment in question. If you’re wondering how to know when a firetruck needs replacing, it needs replacing when you no longer feel safe, reliable, or right for the department anymore. In a high-risk industry, you need consistent, reliable equipment. You should replace a truck when you no longer think it is worthy of that trust.
Protecting Firefighters Starts With Equipment
Firefighting is a risky industry. Ensure your team has everything they need and optimal safety advancements by investing in new trucks and equipment when possible. Those investments are not only investments in equipment but also investments in your department and the safety and protection of your firefighters.
About Provident Fire Plus
At Provident Fire Plus, we offer custom-tailored packages to best protect firefighters and volunteer firefighters. We understand the risks that emergency response teams are subjected to on a daily basis, and have worked to serve these dedicated professionals for over 87 years. For more information about our products and policies, we invite you to contact our experts today at (855) 201-8880.