Fire Apparatus Manufacturer’s Association 

Fire Apparatus Duty Cycle White Paper 

FAMA Technical Committee 

Chassis Subcommittee 

Roger Lackore - Pierce Manufacturing 

August 10, 2004 
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Contents 

Purpose........................................................................................................................................................... 3

Methods.......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Definition of Terms ........................................................................................................................................ 3

PART I - Survey of Fire Chiefs...................................................................................................................... 4

Description............................................................................................................................................ 4

Respondent Profile................................................................................................................................ 4

Type of Department ......................................................................................................................... 4

Population Served ............................................................................................................................ 4

Demographics Served ...................................................................................................................... 4

Topography of Region Served ......................................................................................................... 5

Average Apparatus Per Department by Type ............................................................................................ 5

Apparatus in service per department................................................................................................ 5

Chassis Type (newest apparatus) ..................................................................................................... 5

Life Expectancy......................................................................................................................................... 5

Years Expected in Active Service (Average)................................................................................... 5

Years Expected in Reserve Service (Average)................................................................................. 5

Annual Apparatus Usage ........................................................................................................................... 5

Total Miles Driven In Last 12 Months............................................................................................. 5

Total Engine Hours (Average) ......................................................................................................... 5

Hours at Idle Per Week .................................................................................................................... 6

Life Expectancy by Demographics............................................................................................................ 6

Years of Apparatus in active service (Average Expected) ............................................................... 6

Years of Apparatus in reserve service on (Average Expected) ........................................................ 6

Years of total service life (active plus reserve) ................................................................................ 6

Apparatus Use by Demographics .............................................................................................................. 6

Miles driven (last 12 months)........................................................................................................... 6

Engine hours (last 12 months).......................................................................................................... 6

Runs per Week ................................................................................................................................. 7

Idle Time (hours per week) .............................................................................................................. 7

PART II - Engine Duty Cycle Extraction....................................................................................................... 8

Description................................................................................................................................................. 8

Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 9

Population of Engine ECMs Interrogated ............................................................................................. 9

Average Apparatus Miles Per Year by Demographic........................................................................... 9

Average Engine Hours Per Year By Demographic............................................................................. 10

Average Pump Hours Per Year By Demographic............................................................................... 10

Average Aerial Hours Per Year By Demographic .............................................................................. 11

Time Spent at Engine Speed by Demographic.................................................................................... 11

Time Spent at Engine Load by Demographic ..................................................................................... 12

Average Engine Load ......................................................................................................................... 13

PART III - Vehicle Data-Logging................................................................................................................ 14

Description............................................................................................................................................... 14

Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 14

Urban Career Department Apparatus Results ..................................................................................... 14

Rural Volunteer Department Apparatus Results................................................................................. 15

National Cumulative Projections for Custom Apparatus.............................................................................. 16

Data Source.............................................................................................................................................. 16

Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 16

All Domestic Fire Apparatus .............................................................................................................. 16

Custom Fire Apparatus ....................................................................................................................... 17

Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... 18
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Purpose

This paper has been created by the Chassis Technical Committee of the Fire Apparatus 

Manufacturer’s Association for the follow purpose: 

• Provide guidance to fire apparatus manufacturers on the life expectancy and use 

profile for major types of fire apparatus. 

• Estimate the average engine duty cycle in a fire apparatus. 

• Provide a tool for engine manufacturers to use when estimating the impact of fire 

apparatus engine emissions. 

Methods

• Survey of Fire Chiefs 

• Instrumentation of selected vehicles to log data on use profiles 

• Engine Data Collection 

Definition of Terms

Urban Area served by the fire department is obviously metropolitan and consists 

of high-density housing, industrial, or retail structures. 

Suburban Area served is mainly single family housing, light retail or light industry. 

Could be outskirts of metropolitan areas or smaller communities. 

Rural Area served is small towns and low density population regions that would 

include significant distances between the station and the structures being 

protected. 
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PART I - Survey of Fire Chiefs

Description 

In January 2004, Pierce Manufacturing conducted an independent quantitative research 

survey through Added Value Inc. that was designed to provide information on the usage 

patterns for fire apparatus. Among the information sought through this survey were the 

following topics: 

• Department demographics 

• Number of apparatus by type 

• Average number of runs per week 

• Average length of run 

• Average miles driven per year 

The methodology for the research survey was as follows: 

• A one-page questionnaire was developed consisting of 15 closed-end questions. 

• A list of 1200 fire chiefs representing a cross-section of the U.S. was created. 

• A code number was printed at the bottom of each questionnaire to allow Added 

Value Inc. to track responses. 

• All Questionnaires were mailed with a postage-paid return envelope, and a cover 

letter from Pierce Manufacturing. 

• The cutoff date for the survey receipt was February 23, 2004. 

The response rate for the survey was 30% 

 

Respondent Profile 

Respondents who were fire chiefs or assistant fire chiefs 69% 

Type of Department

Career fire departments 30% 

Volunteer departments 45% 

Combination career/volunteer 25% 

 

Population Served

50,000 or less 82% 

50,000 to 100,000 11% 

100,000 or more 7% 

Demographics Served

Urban 25% 

Suburban 46% 

Rural 48% 
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Topography of Region Served

Relatively Flat 58% 

Hilly 36% 

Mountainous 14% 

Average Apparatus Per Department by Type 

Apparatus in service per department

 Pumper 5.8 

 Aerial 1.5 

 Rescue 2.5 

Chassis Type (newest apparatus)

 Custom Commercial

Pumper 77% 23% 

Aerial 93% 7% 

Rescue 46% 53% 

Life Expectancy 

Years Expected in Active Service (Average)

Newest Pumper 17 

Newest Aerial 19 

Newest Rescue 15 

 

Years Expected in Reserve Service (Average)

Newest Pumper 12 

Newest Aerial 10 

Newest Rescue 9 

Annual Apparatus Usage 

Total Miles Driven In Last 12 Months

Newest Pumper 4,501 

Newest Aerial 3,663 

Newest Rescue 4,898 

Total Engine Hours (Average)

 Last 12 Months Hours per Week

Newest Pumper 655 12.6 

Newest Aerial 413 7.9 

Newest Rescue 705 13.5 
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Runs (Average) Runs per Week Runs per Year

Newest Pumper 15 780 

Newest Aerial 10 520 

Newest Rescue 16 832 

Hours at Idle Per Week

Newest Rescue 10 

Newest Pumper 9 

Newest Aerial 7 

Life Expectancy by Demographics 

Years of Apparatus in active service (Average Expected) 

Urban Suburban Rural 

Newest Pumper 15 16 18 

Newest Aerial 18 19 21 

Newest Rescue 13 15 16 

Years of Apparatus in reserve service on (Average Expected)

Urban Suburban Rural

Newest Pumper 10 11 14 

Newest Aerial 9 10 13 

Newest Rescue 7 7 11 

 

Years of total service life (active plus reserve)

Urban Suburban Rural

Newest Pumper 25 27 32 

Newest Aerial 27 29 34 

Newest Rescue 20 22 27 

Apparatus Use by Demographics 

Miles driven (last 12 months)

Urban Suburban Rural

Newest Pumper 7,629 4,992 3,034 

Newest Aerial 5,083 3,492 2,155 

Newest Rescue 7,534 6,087 3,946 

Engine hours (last 12 months) 

Urban Suburban Rural

Newest Pumper 873 572 496 

Newest Aerial 540 403 279 

Newest Rescue 714 648 745 

 
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Runs per Week

 Urban Suburban Rural

Newest Pumper 29 16 8 

Newest Aerial 13 11 5 

Newest Rescue 31 16 11 

Idle Time (hours per week)

Urban Suburban Rural

Newest Pumper 11 10 6 

Newest Aerial 8 7 5 

Newest Rescue 13 9 8 

Run Length (Round-Trip) Miles

Urban 4.9 

Suburban 5.4 

Rural 7.6 
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PART II - Engine Duty Cycle Extraction

Description 

With the advent of electronically controlled diesels, engine manufacturers have 

incorporated data logging capability into the Electronic Control Modules (ECM) of the 

engines. Both Detroit Diesel and Cummins engines have the ability to log duty cycle 

activity and output the results in the form of percent of time spent at varying loads and 

engine speeds. 

The accessibility of this logged data varies between engine models, dates of manufacture 

and the extent to which the customers may have extracted data already. Despite these 

issues, the researchers were able to access data on engines from a wide spectrum of 

apparatus types and department demographics. The resulting data provides good insight 

into the manner in which the average fire apparatus is used. 

Because the format of data between engine manufacturers, engine models, and ECM 

versions is not identical, this paper condenses the results into six buckets. The percentage 

of time the engine operates at various speeds is reported as follows: 

Low Speed 1000 rpm or less 

Medium Speed Between 1000 rpm and 1800 rpm 

High Speed 1800 rpm and above 

The percent of time the engine operates at varying loads is reported as a percentage of 

maximum load 

Low Load 0 – 10% 

Medium Load Above 10% and below 90% 

High Load 90 – 100% 

Time spent at negative values of torque (engine braking) is included with the low load 

values. 
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Results 

Population of Engine ECMs Interrogated 

Average Apparatus Miles Per Year by Demographic 

Apparatus Type

Number of Apparatus 

Sampled

Average Months of 

Service in Extraction 

Record

Pumper 51 26

Aerial 21 31

Rescue 4 14

Grand Total 76 26

Demographic Apparatus Type

Average of Miles 

Per Year

Rural Pumper 2,352

Aerial 1,866

Rescue 2,756

Rural Total 2,347

Suburban Pumper 6,068

Aerial 3,479

Rescue 4,992

Suburban Total 5,403

Urban Pumper 6,126

Aerial 6,514

Rescue 9,222

Urban Total 6,478

Grand Total 5,222
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Average Engine Hours Per Year By Demographic 

Average Pump Hours Per Year By Demographic 

Demographic Apparatus Type

Average of Eng 

Hrs

Rural Pumper 301

Aerial 204

Rescue 301

Rural Total 295

Suburban Pumper 1,364

Aerial 1,133

Rescue 367

Suburban Total 1,272

Urban Pumper 1,107

Aerial 2,379

Rescue 1,686

Urban Total 1,681

Grand Total 1,244

Demographic Apparatus Type

Average of Pump 

Hrs

Rural Pumper 70

Rural Total 70

Suburban Pumper 168

Aerial 59

Suburban Total 135

Urban Pumper 93

Aerial 141

Urban Total 111

Grand Total 117
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Average Aerial Hours Per Year By Demographic 

Time Spent at Engine Speed by Demographic 

Demographic Apparatus Type

Average of Aerial 

Hours Per Year

Rural Aerial 63

Rural Total 63

Suburban Aerial 64

Suburban Total 64

Urban Aerial 72

Urban Total 72

Grand Total 69

Apparatus Type Demographic

Average Time at 

Low RPM

Average Time at 

Medium RPM

Average Time at 

High RPM

Pumper Rural 63% 27% 11%

Suburban 71% 23% 6%

Urban 62% 32% 5%

Pumper Total 66% 27% 7%

Aerial Rural 73% 19% 9%

Suburban 68% 27% 5%

Urban 73% 22% 5%

Aerial Total 71% 23% 5%

Rescue Rural 51% 42% 7%

Suburban 77% 17% 7%

Urban 57% 32% 11%

Rescue Total 61% 30% 9%

Grand Total 67% 26% 7%
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Time Spent at Engine Load by Demographic 

Apparatus Type Demographic

Average Time at 

Low Load

Average Time at 

Medium Load

Average Time at 

High Load

Pumper Rural 61% 36% 3%

Suburban 54% 44% 3%

Urban 73% 24% 3%

Pumper Total 62% 35% 3%

Aerial Rural 83% 11% 6%

Suburban 37% 58% 5%

Urban 53% 42% 5%

Aerial Total 50% 45% 5%

Rescue Rural 59% 39% 2%

Suburban 78% 22% 0%

Urban 44% 51% 5%

Rescue Total 56% 41% 3%

Grand Total 58% 38% 3%
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Average Engine Load 

The Average Engine Load was determined by multiplying the percent load, by the 

percent time at load, then by the total HP, and summing up the results. This gives an 

average power load for each sample apparatus. The following chart summarizes the 

average power by each power rating, and finally provides and average power load for the 

entire sample population. 

Apparatus Type HP

Average Power 

Load (HP)

Pumper 315 44

330 49

350 51

365 51

370 68

400 51

430 90

435 106

475 111

500 118

Pumper Total 73

Aerial 330 42

430 81

470 124

500 128

Aerial Total 104

Rescue 350 32

430 107

500 96

Rescue Total 86

Grand Total 82
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PART III - Vehicle Data-Logging

Description 

Operational data was gathered by installing GPS based data logging equipment on two 

sample apparatus. This recording equipment was installed for a span of three weeks on 

each vehicle and measured the time spent accelerating, decelerating, pumping, and at 

idle. Engine speed was also measured. The first apparatus was a pumper located at the 

busiest station of a major metropolitan department. The second apparatus was located at 

the station of a volunteer department in a rural bedroom community. 

Most of the information obtained here is duplicated with a much larger population in the 

Engine Duty Cycle Extraction section. The unique information obtained in this portion 

of the study is the percentage of time the apparatus spends accelerating or decelerating 

while driving, and a more detailed view of the engine speeds during pumping. 

The percent of time the apparatus operates at various conditions is defined as follows: 

Acceleration +1.5 mph per second or greater 

Deceleration -1.5 mph per second or less 

Steady Speed Between +1.5 and –1.5 mph per second 

Results 

The result of this section of the study are provided for reference purposes only. The 

results are not statistically significant since only two trucks are involved and only three 

weeks of data was collected for each vehicle. The rural apparatus only operated for 15 

hours over the three week time frame and of that was only actually driving for a total of 

three hours. It responded to one car fire which accounts for the pumping hours. 

The urban pumper probably provides a more useful profile since it accumulated 64 hours 

of engine-on time over the three week period. The annualized data agrees fairly well 

with what we might expect of a busy metropolitan station. 

Urban Career Department Apparatus Results 

Urban Pumper Percent of Time 

Acceleration 7.2 % 

Deceleration 6.8 % 

Steady Speed 13.6 % 

Stopped with Engine Running (Pump Off) 66.6 % 

Pumping 5.8 % 
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Urban Pumper Hours per Year 

Acceleration 80 

Deceleration 77 

Steady Speed 151 

Stopped with Engine Running (Pump Off) 747 

Pumping 64 

Total 1123 

Rural Volunteer Department Apparatus Results 

Rural Pumper Percent of Time 

Acceleration 1.5 % 

Deceleration 2.0 % 

Steady Speed 18.5 % 

Stopped with Engine Running (Pump Off) 61.4 % 

Pumping 16.4 % 

Rural Pumper Hours per Year 

Acceleration 4 

Deceleration 5 

Steady Speed 46 

Stopped with Engine Running (Pump Off) 152 

Pumping 41 

Total 247 
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National Cumulative Projections for Custom Apparatus

Data Source 

FAMA reports each year on the number of apparatus sold by apparatus type (Pumper, 

Aerial, Rescue). This data is sent by each fire apparatus OEM to a third-party 

organization that tallies the results and reports the total numbers without revealing the 

break-down by manufacturer. This eliminates any incentive for over or under reporting, 

and provides what we believe to be reasonably accurate data on the fire apparatus 

population. These numbers are inflated because they include export sales, but they are 

understated by the small number of OEMs who are not members of FAMA or do not 

report. We believe that these reporting errors balance fairly equally and that the values 

reported here can be used for gross estimates with a reasonable degree of confidence. 

Results 

All Domestic Fire Apparatus 

Year

Commercial 

Pumper

Custom 

Pumper Aerial Rescue Specialty Total

1997 1425 1570 605 408 735 4743

1998 1328 1535 590 520 805 4778

1999 1561 1561 657 513 900 5192

2000 1523 1865 712 446 1016 5562

2001 1416 1755 648 447 1028 5294

2002 1321 1977 584 588 1008 5478

2003 1277 1701 537 548 1028 5091
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Custom Fire Apparatus 

The number of Custom Chassis Apparatus can be estimated as follows: 

100% of Custom Pumpers (as reported by FAMA ) 

100% of Aerial Apparatus (Nearly every Aerial is built on a custom chassis) 

20% of the Rescue Apparatus 

10% of the Specialty Apparatus 

Year

Custom 

Chassis 

Apparatus

1997 2330

1998 2310

1999 2411

2000 2768

2001 2595

2002 2779

2003 2450
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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank all the fire service personnel who assisted in this project. Hundreds of 

Chiefs responded to our survey, or gave permission to inspect their apparatus. The 

gathering of this data involved many visits to fire stations where I was allowed to take 

their apparatus out of service while the data was collected. I have never visited a fire 

station where I was not welcomed and treated with curtsey. Perhaps a friendly attitude is 

a natural characteristic of those who put their life on the line to protect others. Whatever 

the reason, I find it a pleasure playing a small part in a profession filled with such kind 

people. 

– Roger Lackore, Pierce Manufacturing 

Special thanks to the following departments for their help during the engine analysis 

phase of the project: 

Anderson, Indiana 

Appleton, Wisconsin 

Big Bend Vernon, Big Bend, Wisconsin 

Black River Falls, Wisconsin 

Central County Rescue, Missouri 

Chicago, Illinois 

Cleveland Township, Indiana 

Countryside, Illinois 

Delefield, Wisconsin 

Denver, Colorado 

DePere, Wisconsin 

Dover, Pennsylvania 

Eagle River FPD, Colorado 

East Troy, Wisconsin 

Fivepointville, Pennsyvania 

Freedom, Wisconsin 

Ft Atkinson, Wisconsin 

Glenwood Springs, Colorado 

Greenville, Wisconsin 

Hand In Hand, Pennsyvania 

Harris Township, Indiana 

Howard, Wisconsin 

LaGrange, Wisconsin 

Lakeville, Indiana 

Liberty, Pennsylvania 

Lincoln, Pennsylvania 

Lincolnshire, Illinois 

Los Angeles, California 

Madison, Wisconsin 

Marshall, Wisconsin 

Mesa, Arizona 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Mishawaka, Indiana 

Monona, Wisconsin 

Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin 

Mukwonago, Wisconsin 

North Shore, Wisconsin 

Plymouth, Indiana 

Portage Township, Indiana 

Racine, Wisconsin 

Riverside County, California 

Seymour, Wisconsin 

Sheboygan, Wisconsin 

South Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Sugarland, Texas 

Tualitan Valley, Washington 

Union Township, Indiana 

Vail, Colorado 

Warran Township, Indiana 

West Grove, Pennsylvania 

Willowstreet, Pennsylvania