EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY ALL GASOLINE POWERED EQUIPMENT ON FIRE APPARATUS MUST BE CARRIED WITH THE FUEL SHUT-OFF VALVE TURNED TO THE "OFF" or "STOP" POSITION. Why???
The change addresses a growing department-wide trend in which Holmatro power units are sent in for repair and have been found to have gasoline in the crankcase. It has been determined that gravity-fed, gas-powered small engines, coupled with consistent apparatus vibration and movement, allows fuel to pass though the carburetor and into the combustion chamber when the engine is not running. The fuel then flows down through the cylinder and into the crankcase (where there should only be oil). This situation will lead to serious engine damage and potential catastrophic failure of equipment.
