Vehicle Maintenance

Keeping and maintaining proper documentation of vehicle maintenance repairs and evaluations can be as important as the maintenance and repairs themselves.  Having complete and accurate records that support your organization’s vehicle maintenance program should not only assist you in defense of your maintenance and repair program should a claim arise, but should also permit more accurate accounting which will be helpful in budgeting for maintenance and repairs.

In review of the your organization's vehicle maintenance program, it appears that there were some deficiencies noted, which included but not limited to:

• Lack of records by vehicle
• Deficiencies noted but repairs or parts not indicated
• No work orders or repair invoices
• Missing information (e.g. dates; mileage; technician etc.)

To enhance and support your vehicle maintenance program, we recommend one or more of the following changes:

• Make certain that the documentation and service provided meets the frequency of the time frames indicated in your organizations service instructions
• Any and all repairs should be indicated on the maintenance forms for each vehicle
• A file for maintenance and repairs should be kept for each vehicle
• There should be a paper trail for each vehicle indicating the repair made; parts used; date of service and the individual completing the service should be indicated

Available Resources

• Preventive Maintenance for Emergency Services Video
• NFPA 1910 Standard for Inspection, Maintenance, Refurbishment, Testing, and Retirement of In-Service Emergency Vehicles and Marine Firefighting Vessels
• Weekly Emergency Vehicle Report Form
• Vehicle Preventive Maintenance