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Safety Advisory: Automatic Slack Adjusters

Manual Adjustment of Automatic Slack Adjusters May Contribute to Unexpected Brake Failure on Automotive Fire Apparatus. NIOSH recommends that all fire departments operating fire apparatus equipped with automatic slack adjusters (ASAs) immediately take the following actions to reduce the risk of fire fighters being injured in an apparatus crash due to brake failure:

Ensure that ASAs are not manually adjusted.

Establish procedures to ensure maintenance on fire apparatus is conducted as recommended in NFPA 1911
Standard for the Inspection, Maintenance, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Automotive Fire Apparatus.

Ensure maintenance is only performed by qualified technicians who meet NFPA 1071 Standard for Emergency Vehicle Technician Professional Qualifications.

Download the Advisory Here: .pdf

November 8, 2009

NCFMA: Castroville Meeting Update

Past Meetings

The meeting at Castroville went well. Excellent round-table discussions regarding Weight laws and associated issues. District Joe Pastore’s professional cake designer wife presented us with two specially designed NCFMA cakes for meal dessert. Chief Joe Rosa, North County FPD (retired), cooked up his specialty Artichoke Stew for the meal and the Firefighters prepared an excellent steak meal.

Tony Bulygo will be presenting the latest information on the weight and length laws at the SCFMA meeting next Tuesday, October 20 at the LAFD shops.