ON DETERMINING WORLDWIDE APPROACHES TO CLASSIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRE AND EMERGENCY RESCUE VEHICLES

Abstract

The relevance of the issue of improving the national regulatory framework for classification requirements for fire and rescue vehicles is determined. The national standards of Ukraine and EU countries that establish classification requirements for fire and rescue vehicles are analyzed. It is established that fire trucks are divided into: fire and rescue vehicles (fire trucks with pumping equipment, special-purpose vehicles), car lifts (rotary ladders, hydraulic platforms), rescue vehicles, medical fire trucks, emergency response vehicles, headquarters vehicles, vehicles for the transportation of personnel, auxiliary vehicles, and fire trucks for other purposes. The article identifies differences in the classification by type of fire truck depending on the main type of application in Ukraine and the EU countries. The general view of fire trucks of various types that correspond to the European classification is given. The European classification by weight of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight in the equipped state of more than 3 tons is indicated. The following categories of fire trucks are presented, depending on their ability to move on or off-road, namely: category 1 (urban) - vehicles usually used for driving on the surfaces of constructed roads (category 1 vehicles usually have one drive axle); category 2 (rural) - vehicles capable of moving on any road, with limited ability to move off-road; category 3 (all-terrain) - vehicles capable of moving on any road and off-road. The article identifies the shortcomings of global approaches to classification requirements for fire and rescue vehicles. It is noted that currently in Ukraine and the EU countries there are different approaches to the designation of fire trucks. Relevant examples of fire truck designation in accordance with national and European regulatory documentation are given. The author emphasizes that today the requirements of the national standard establishing general technical conditions for firefighting vehicles are outdated and do not meet the requirements of today; namely, the standard is focused on the manufacture of outdated models of firefighting vehicles; therefore, it hinders technical progress in the industry and contains low requirements for their model range.