Larry Labarbera is the Maintenance and Resource Superintendent for the Mesa Department, and, although not a firefighter, has been a part of the fire service for more than 23 years. Labarbera describes the two areas of responsibility he manages and explains why the Quantum® chassis works well for the Mesa Fire Department.
The Fire Maintenance Division is charged with keeping the fire department’s fleet of vehicles in peak condition to minimize any out of service situations. The scope of that responsibility includes the maintenance of a fleet of 160 vehicles that cover a radius of 132 square miles. Mesa’s current population is 468,012. In 2010, the department responded to 55,589 calls. With that volume of calls and the vast response area, such a comprehensive in-house maintenance capability is a win-win solution for the citizens of Mesa and the department’s operations.
Maintenance Division Responsibilities
Beyond apparatus and fleet repairs, the Fire Maintenance division handles additional responsibilities. Labarbera explains, “We take care of small equipment and SCBAs. We even maintain our rescue tools, evacuating tools and chainsaws. All of that equipment is handled in-house on the Fire Maintenance side.”
There are a few specialty repairs that Labarbera will send to outside vendors, including transmissions and engines. The Maintenance division at Mesa is focused more on preventative maintenance. Because the maintenance on the vehicles and apparatus is so regular, many issues are caught prior to problems arising.
The second area of responsibility under Labarbera’s supervision is the Resource Management division which, among other things, operates a warehouse and handles fire station building maintenance needs. The warehouse staff receives, stores, and issues the fire station supplies, medical supplies, and parts that are needed to maintain the trucks. The Resource Management staff handles the requests for building maintenance needs and forwards the information to the City’s Facilities Maintenance Department or other vendors to initiate repair.
Why Mesa FD Continues to Choose the Quantum
The Mesa Fire Department was among the very first to purchase the Quantum custom chassis. Labarbera describes why the Mesa Fire Department decided to purchase the Quantum, “Well, when the Quantum chassis was introduced, we took a closer initial look.” Labarbera continues, adding, “We like the Quantum. The biggest things that sold our firefighters were the drop down steps and the roomy interior.” Many of the past complaints heard from the firefighters were related to being cramped inside the truck. Labarbera gives testimony that the Quantum cab has “room like crazy,” “the outward visibility is excellent,” and the “flat cab floor is a big plus”.
The vehicle specification process, led by Labarbera, is a joint effort with Mesa Fire Department. “We jointly develop our specs and lay out a plan for how to configure the vehicle and utilize the storage compartments for our equipment,” said Labarbera referring to himself, the firefighters, senior staff and maintenance team.
The department’s “Fire Maintenance Procedural Manual” outlines the process that begins with meeting with the equipment users (to ascertain the exact performance needs) and continues with meeting with the department’s Apparatus Team for input, and then presenting that information to senior staff. Once the department acquires the apparatus, the process is finalized by collecting data from the appropriate crews through the department’s New Apparatus Evaluation Form. This final process is completed approximately four months after the new apparatus is in service. Labarbera uses the information from the survey tabulations for future apparatus purchases.
“The Quantum vehicles are a happy medium to both the firefighters and the maintenance team. Overall, firefighters love the truck and it’s working out great for us,” explains Labarbera, referring to maintenance.
There are specific issues in Mesa that necessitate additional specifications. “All the pumpers that we’re currently purchasing are compressed foam trucks. They’re capable of discharging A and B compressed foam, and they’re 1500 gallons per minute bronze pumps. They’re not cast. We invested a little extra because our water is loaded with mineral deposits. We also go with stainless steel piping or rubber. We can’t even run mechanical seal type pumps. We need to run packing rings because the water just eats up mechanical seals,” explains Labarbera. He adds, “We also made improvements on them like moving to the TAK-4® independent suspension. We took our crosslays and dropped them so they’re easier for our firefighters to reach.”
The Quantum platform’s durability has far exceeded Mesa Fire Department’s expectations. Labarbera explains how the front line trucks run for eight to ten years for a total of 150,000 miles, followed by serving on a reserve status for an additional three to five years. He further explains how the Maintenance team monitors the condition and mileage of the fleet (including all apparatus and vehicles), and, using a cost per mile study, determines the need for replacement based on certain criteria. The established criteria include:
- Usable life cycle (cost per mile/excessive breakdowns)
- Availability of replacement parts
- Outdated safety features and technologies (e.g. ABS, interlocks, pressure governor controls, pump systems, wiring systems, handling and braking ability, etc.)
- Innovative firefighting tools (e.g. compressed air foam systems)
- Compliance and inspection to meet NFPA standards (e.g. safety, pump, aerial)
- Vehicle Emission Compliance
The Bottom Line
Overall the Mesa Department firefighters are quite pleased with the Quantum. As mentioned previously, the highlights are the roomy interior cab, the drop down steps, and the visibility. Mesa has moved to a standardized fleet that’s proven to be advantageous to the Maintenance team. Each mechanic understands what to look for to easily troubleshoot any issue, which reduces the time a truck is out of service. Labarbera mentions a five to six percent downtime. “The Quantum trucks are all standardized and that’s the key, and plus – stocking parts on the shelf – I can stock minimal parts now because they’re all just about the same. Together with the excellent, EVT certified mechanics on our team, that’s how we’re pulling it off.” He continues, “Most would agree that the quality and timeliness of maintenance are perhaps the most significant factors in determining how well a fire apparatus ages.”
With thirty-three Quantum vehicles on the front line of duty, and five aerial platforms, Labarbera is perhaps the leading expert on the chassis, with more experience than anyone else in North America. He summarizes, “The Quantum vehicles ride nice, turn well, they’re user-friendly, and they’ve aged well.” Mesa Fire Department is pleased with the overall performance of their Quantum fleet.
Pierce dealer Hughes Fire Equipment provides local service and support. Pierce sales representative Jamie Clifford has worked with the Mesa Fire Department for 12 years.