DC141 Interview: Ladder Fire Truck Design with Chief Dan Phillips

Chief Phillips of the Plymouth Township Fire Department has the
mind of a firefighter and the heart of a User Experience
designer. Join him and Tim Keirnan for a sequel to our pumper
truck design episode, this time to discuss the design of
our  township's new ladder truck.


How does the purpose of a ladder truck differ from a pumper
truck? What did the fire department learn from ordering and using
the pumper truck that improved their design of the new ladder
truck? How is the human machine interface (HMI) of the ladder
truck made to be as easy as possible for firefighters, including
controlling the ladder and hoses and foam generator?


Our discussion lasts 60 minutes and covers a wide range of
anecdotes, from the scenes of emergency incidents, to the design
specification reviews, to the shop floor of the Pierce factory
where our truck was built.