Tailboard Riding And Today's Firefighting

Factual Questions
1

Hey All,

I am writing a paper for my department about fire apparatus safety history and really want to cover “Tailboard Riding” and current state of cab seating. I have looked online and haven’t really been able to find much information.

I would like some information on the transformation from the use of tailboard riding positions to rear facing jump seat positions to enclosed cab positions. A brief timeline of these changes would also be very helpful!

Thank you in advance!

2

Can’t help you except to comment that I hope fire departments do this in a safer manner than sanitation workers. A friend of mine fell off of a garbage truck he was riding on, and was killed.

3

A thread on the subject from earlier this year. Contains cites to national (US) codes regarding apparatus design.

Some anecdotes from firefighters.