Fishmobile Operation and Safety Manual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Camp Nose Fish

 

 

Absurd Plaza

 

 

Burning Man 2003

 

Table of Contents

 

Fishmobile Startup Procedure 3

 

Fishmobile Shutdown Procedure 7

 

Fishmobile Daily Maintenance Procedure 10

 

Fishmobile Refueling Procedure 12

 

Fishmobile Fuel/Oil Spill Mitigation Procedure 14

 

Fishmobile Control Panel Reference 16

 

Fishmobile Safety Reference 18

 

Fire Extinguishers 18

 

Power Disconnects 18

 

Operation 18

 

Communications 19

 

Using the CB Radio in an Emergency to Get Help 19

 

Fishmobile Operation Log 20

Fishmobile Startup Procedure

 

 

Follow this procedure to start up the fishmobile. It involves three people whose roles are as follows:

 

Captain Responsible for all procedures and is a driver.

 

Driver A second person who can drive the fishmobile,

also acts as a fuel loading assistant.

 

Crew This person doesn't need to know how to drive or handle fuel.

 

Please refer to the Fishmobile Control Panel Reference for all switch locations.

Fishmobile Startup Procedure

Step

Description

Be Careful

1

Unlock back doors and side panels.

Fix doors in their straight-back position.

Ensure that back doors cannot swing free.

2

Turn off the power strip which feeds the chargers. The switch is toward the back of the compartment housing one of the chargers.

The chargers can never be plugged in when the inverter is on. It will ruin the inverter instantly to power it with a charger.

3

Disconnect from the 120v camp power grid.

 

4

Make sure the battery bank feeding the stereo is different from the one feeding the 120v inverter by switching the stereo power source if necessary.

Do not switch the power source on the 120v power supply.

5

Connect the main power plug (it has a stiff yellow cord) to the inverter's 120v outlet box on top of the side panel housing the batteries. Then turn on the inverter.

If the interior lighting does not come on and the inverter appears to be producing power, check that some joker didn't trip the GFCI breaker in the inverter's outlet box.

6

Turn on the stereo power. Start the music. Turn on the black lights.

Check the cd player's battery level. If it is not two or three bars, replace the batteries. There are new AA batteries in the side panel in the 2nd or 3rd compartment.

7

Check that the battery voltage level is high on the bank feeding the 120v power. The low bank should feed the stereo.

Notify hoco if you have to switch battery banks.

8

Close the side panels, but don't lock them.

Place the locks over the side panels to prevent them from coming open, but don't lock them. If there is a problem or fire they may need to be opened in a hurry by whoever is standing there.

9

Remove the oil drip pan and wipe any oil spills with a paper towel and dispose of safely. Place the pan in the designated spot for the oil pan.

If a spill occurs follow the procedure for Mitigating Spills.

 

Notify hoco about any spill and its cleanup.

10

Add fuel until the fuel level in the tank is 85% full -- never fill over 85% full!!

 

 

Overfilling can prevent the truck from operating normally, create a safety hazard, and will certainly cause a long streaming fuel spill along our entire route! DO NOT OVERFILL!!

 

If a spill occurs follow the procedure for Mitigating Spills.

 

Notify hoco about any spill and its cleanup.

11

The entire crew (captain, driver and crew) walk around and check clearance and readiness.

Nothing should get run over when you drive away. Nothing should be hanging loosely from the fishmobile. No cables should connect it to the camp.

12

Make sure the hi/low shift switch is up and place the fishmobile in neutral. Push in the clutch and brake and start the engine. Let the clutch out in neutral. Turn on the headlights.

The emergency brake is still on.

Make sure the "Kill Engine" slide is pushed in. The truck won't start if it is pulled out.

13

Captain, driver and crew check that their FRS radios are operational and are communicating with each other.

If the channel is in use by someone else we will have to select a new channel for the night. Write the channel number on the white board in the kitchen in case anyone needs to reach the fishmobile from camp.

14

Captain takes the wheel, driver starts out in the control room. Crew acts as "ground crew" and stands in road and provides clearance and eyes for fishmobile to pull out.

Captain releases emergency brake and follows ground crew's lead out into traffic. Ground crew gets on cart once underway and it is safe to do so.

Drive at an idle speed and always watch for obstructions ahead and on the sides. Check radio contact frequently. In an emergency the person on the cart should run to the front of the fishmobile where the driver will see them and stop.

15

Control room crew should check the voltage level and report if it drops below 11 volts. If the voltage drops enough the inverter will sound an alarm. Stop and swap battery banks at or before the alarm point.

 

The inverter alarm will sound when the battery level reaches 10.5V +/- 0.5V

Temperature shutdown is at 55C +/-5C

The cart crew may be the only person who can hear the inverter's whistling alarm.

16

About once an hour the drivers should trade off and the crew should swap positions to allow each person a turn to be on the cart and in the control room.

The role of the crew member on the cart is to limit the number of people in the fishmobile at any one time. Control room and cart communicate to assess crowd level, then the cart crew member lets one on for every one off.

Fishmobile Shutdown Procedure

 

 

Follow this procedure to shut down the fishmobile. It involves two people whose roles are as follows:

 

Captain Responsible for all procedures and is the driver.

 

Crew A second person who acts as a shutdown assistant and understands how to handle an oil spill.

 

 

Please refer to the Fishmobile Control Panel Reference for all switch locations.

 

Fishmobile shutdown Procedure

Step

Description

Be Careful

1

Pull fishmobile into parking spot. Previous fishmobile crew evacuates except for Captain and one crew member.

If you miss, pull around the block and try again. Do not attempt to back up in the fishmobile.

2

Turn off the fishmobile ignition key and pull the "Kill Engine" slider.

Turn off lights.

Set emergency Brake.

After the engine has stopped push in the "Kill Engine" slider.

To turn off the engine you must pull the "Kill Engine" slider out about 2 inches. It is located just to the right of the steering column.

3

Place oil pan under engine.

Make sure the oil pan covers both the transmission and engine oil pan. There should be no oil dripping. Notify hoco if there is an oil drip.

 

If a spill occurs follow the procedure for Mitigating Spills.

 

Notify hoco about any spill and its cleanup.

4

Turn off the cd player itself and the power to the stereo system in the side panel.

 

5

Turn off the 120v inverter.

 

6

Swap the charge bank and the 120v power source bank. When done, the bank that had been used to power the lights that night will be set to charge.

The charging bank can never, ever, ever be the same as the bank powering the inverter. Doing so will ruin the inverter.

7

Make sure the 120v source is not pointing to the same bank as the charger.

Yes, double check it.

8

Open the side panel doors. Feed the charger power strip cable through the small hole in the side panel and connect it to the camp's power grid.

 

9

Switch on the charger power strip. Verify that the chargers are charging and are not in the "start engine" or "trickle charge" position. They should be charging at about 5 to 10 amps each.

 

10

Verify using the side panel volt meter that the bank being charged has a high voltage (indicating that the chargers are running).

They should read higher by about a volt than when the chargers were off. You can switch charging banks for a moment (and then back) to see the voltage change if needed.

11

Verify that there is nobody inside the fishmobile or the control room. Then lock the rear doors of the fishmobile.

 

12

Make sure none of the wires in the side panel will be pinched when you close the side panel doors. Close them and lock them.

The danger zone is within 1" of the bottom of any door. Above that the wires are safe.

13

Unplug the main power plug from the GFCI plug box on top of the side panel.

If anyone wants the black lights lit, let them plug the main power plug into the camp's power grid.

14

Verify that the headlights are off and that no blinkers are blinking.

 

15

Place key in the Nome in the spot reserved for the fishmobile key.

 

 

Fishmobile Daily Maintenance Procedure

 

 

Follow this procedure to maintain the fishmobile during the day. It involves one people whose role is as follows:

 

Maintainer Responsible for all procedures

 

 

Fishmobile Maintenance Procedure

Step

Description

Be Careful

1

At about 3pm check the battery charge level by switching off the charger power strip and using the side panel volt meter. If it reads at 13.3v or above it is sufficiently charged.

 

2

If it is not sufficiently charged, turn on the power strip, lock the side panels and come back in an hour or two and try again, but continue at step 7 now.

 

3

If it is sufficiently charged swap the source for the 120v inverter and the charger circuit. Also switch the stereo source bank, so it again is different from the bank supplying the 120 inverter.

The charger must never be switched to the same bank as is used to power the inverter! Doing so will ruin the inverter.

4

Verify that the inverter and the chargers are not connected to the same bank.

Yes, double check it.

5

Close and lock the side panels.

 

6

Notify hoco and that night's captain that the main batteries were charged and the standby batteries are now being charged.

 

7

Check for any oil drips.

Notify hoco if there are any oil leaks on the pan or on the playa.

8

If there are any oil drips, place the spare oil pan under it/them.

If a spill occurs follow the procedure for Mitigating Spills.

 

Notify hoco about any spill and its cleanup.

9

Notify hoco that the daily maintenance has been completed.

 

Fishmobile Refueling Procedure

 

 

Follow this procedure to maintain the fishmobile during the day. It involves two people whose roles are as follows:

 

Fuel Captain Responsible for all procedures

Fuel Crew Helps as needed


 

Fishmobile Refueling Procedure

Step

Description

Be Careful

1

Open fuel tank. Inspect level visually using a flashlight. If it has at least 3/4 of a tank of fuel then close the tank and do not follow this procedure.

 

Either way, close the fuel tank lid.

The tank must never be more than 85% nor less than 10% full. The fishmobile will not operate safely outside these limits and may not be able to be started at all.

2

Place fueling drip pan under the entire fuel tank but leave as much as possible sticking out next to the fishmobile.

Any conceivable dripping should land on the drip pan.

3

Select a large blue diesel fuel storage tank and make sure its lid is securely closed. Move it by the fishmobile's fuel tank and place it on the drip pan.

We're trying for zero spillage.

4

Using a rag to minimize dripping and keep out dust, connect the pump to the blue tank.

If a spill occurs follow the procedure for Mitigating Spills.

 

Notify hoco about any spill and its cleanup.

5

Open fuel tank and hold supply hose end in tank.

 

6

Fuel crew pumps while fuel captain watches fuel level. Fuel crew will stop the pump when fuel captain says stop.

The tank must never be more than 85% full!

7

Stop when there are about 3-4 inches of air above the fuel level and below the opening level.

Overfilling could cause a spill and could interfere with safe operation.

8

Wait until fuel stops flowing after the pump has been turned off.

 

9

Place rag around fuel supply hose and use it to catch any excess fuel that would otherwise drip from the hose as you remove it from the fuel tank.

 

10

Replace the fuel cap.

 

Fishmobile Fuel/Oil Spill Mitigation Procedure

 

 

Follow this procedure to maintain the fishmobile during the day. It involves one person whose role is as follows:

 

Fuel Spill Crew Responsible for all procedures

 

 

Fishmobile Fuel/Oil Spill Mitigation Procedure

Step

Description

Be Careful

1

If there is any possibility of a fire deal with that first! Prevent fires!

Never put water on a fuel fire! Smother it with cat litter or playa dust.

2

If only a tiny amount of fuel or oil has spilled, dig it out with a spoon. Take no more playa than is necessary to completely remove the fuel. Seal the contaminated playa in a plastic container and dispose of it in the camp's non-compostable garbage. Stop -- the rest of this procedure is for larger spills. If you don't want to dig it up with a teaspoon it is a large spill.

Notify hoco of any fuel spill and its resolution.

3

If more than a tiny amount has spilled and any remains on the surface, spread kitty litter on the spill to absorb any of the spill that remains above the playa.

Move fast -- it will soak in fast!

4

Assuming more than a little fuel has spilled, the playa will have to be removed with a shovel, placing the contaminated playa on an oil plan. Careful not to take very much more playa than is needed to remove the spill.

Work fast, the spill is seeping deeper even as you dig!

5

Once the contaminated playa has been removed store the contaminated playa in a flip-top-box or other suitable plastic container.

Notify hoco of any fuel spill and its resolution.

 

6

Do not fill the hole!

 

Mark the spill site with a spill flag (located by the fuel containers).

Any large spill will need to be reported to BM and it is possible that authorities or BM personnel will want to inspect the spill site to see that it was properly cleaned up.

7

Once it has been determined that the spill has been adequately cleaned up and hoco has given his clearance fill the hole with collected playa dust (don't dig up any more playa!). Add some water to make a mud and let it dry.

 

8

Later, add more playa dust and water until the fill stands a bit higher than the surface. After it dries a car or the fishmobile should driver over it a few times to compress the soil. Even this will not really help a deep hole from becoming a hazard in the future, but it may help a shallower hole be less of a hazard.

 

 

Fishmobile Control Panel Reference

 

 

The fishmobile control panel is located in the rearmost compartment of the side panel box right behind the Fishmobile's engine batteries.

 

It controls:

 

There are two meters on the panel. The top meter shows the voltage level of each battery. Each bank has two batteries. So bank A has A1 and A2. Likewise bank B has B1 and B2. The volt meter has a rotary switch under it to allow you to see the voltage level for one battery at a time. From left to right, the switch positions show levels for B2, B1, A2, A1, contrary to what you might expect.

 

The bottom level shows the current draw in amps on the bank feeding the 120v inverter. The batteries have maybe 80-100+ available amp-hours each, so a pair should have at least 160 amp hours. If the draw rate is 10 amps a bank should theoretically last 16 hours.

 

Never allow the Charger Destination to be the same as the 120v Inverter Source! Doing so will ruin the inverter!

 

There is a computer connector (db25) at the top of the control panel. The other end of that cable terminates at a voltmeter in the control room of the Fishmobile. That meter allows the control room operator to check on the battery levels and warn the driver when it is necessary to change which bank feeds the 120v inverter.

 

Fishmobile Safety Reference

 

 

The fishmobile has numerous safety features and devices, summarized here. All crew members should be aware of the location of each safety device.

 

Fire Extinguishers:

 

Power Disconnects:

 

Operation:

Communications:

Using the CB Radio in an Emergency to Get Help:

  1. Halt the Fishmobile and set the brake but leave the engine running unless that poses any kind of risk (e.g. turn it off for a fire, but leave it on for a medical emergency).
  2. Turn the CB Radio on.
  3. Set the channel switch to 9.
  4. Turn the volume up until you can hear well.
  5. Adjust the squelch until the static just barely stops.
  6. Hold the handset and press the switch and announce clearly and slowly that you have an emergency and need help.
  7. Then LET GO OF THE BUTTON AND LISTEN!!. You cannot hear anything when the button is pressed: you can only transmit. You must release the button after speaking. The people you talk to won't know you can't hear them!
  8. If you do not hear a reply after counting to ten, broadcast again, beginning with the word "Repeat". Continue broadcasting every ten seconds and dispatch someone to run to find emergency services. Don't worry, someone will be monitoring channel 9, I assure you.
  9. Focus on telling them what you need: ambulance, fire truck, police and answer their questions concisely!
  10. If you must leave the radio to deal with the emergency, leave someone capable at the radio at all times once you have used channel 9 to contact help unless that would put the person at risk (e.g. in a fire). Help may want to reach you again in a few minutes, for example, to ask how find you.

Fishmobile Operation Log

 

 

 

Fishmobile Operation Log

Date

Description

Resolution

To-do