Humvee hazard: defective fire-safety equipment to be replaced in military trucks.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Tactical Vehicles

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MONTEREY, Calif. -- A tire suppression system designed to put out flames in burning humvee trucks failed in combat after the power source that it relies on to spray retardant malfunctioned, said the Army official who oversees vehicle programs.

The equipment failures have raised concerns among troops in the field. Marines have even refused to wear specially designed seatbelts for fear that they cannot escape if their truck catches fire, said a Marine Corps official. Despite years of catch-up efforts to make humvees safer, it appears that the military's workhorse hasn't entirely escaped its reputation as a "death trap."

The Army expects to have the problem fixed by the end of March, when humvees on Iraqi streets will have three tire suppression bottles that spray retardant, said Lt. Col. Sam Homsy product manager for light tactical vehicles at the Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM).

"What we found sometimes in theater is that the electrical system sometimes fails [and] disconnects the battery," he said at the National Defense Industrial Association's tactical wheeled vehicles conference.

Currently, two red bottles that resemble everyday tire extinguishers are set to automatically deploy, Homsy said. In March, a backup battery will also be installed in case the primary one fails to send a signal to release the retardant. A third bottle that can be manually deployed by first responders is also being added.

The third manually deployed bottle will allow first responders to "get in there and remove the soldiers from the burning vehicle," Homsy said.

A request to TACOM for more information on how this system would work was denied. Craig MacNab, a spokesman for humvee manufacturer AM General, referred questions to TACOM.

Armor and other protective devices installed on trucks, known as fragmentation, or frag, kits, are required for humvees when they leave forward operating bases in Iraq.

At the end of March, humvees arriving in Kuwait depots will have the sixth generation of frag kits installed, which will include the updated tire suppression system, Homsy said.

It is unclear how long it will take to outfit the rest of the fleet with the more robust tire suppression system, and whether models with the fifth-generation frag kits will be allowed to leave secure bases.

After insurgents in Iraq stepped up their use of improvised explosive devices in late 2003, TACOM has installed various ad hoc solutions to make the...