APPARATUS DELIVERIES

APPARATUS DELIVERIES

When its converted U.S. Army brush truck became too big of an expense in terms of maintenance, the Selden, New York Fire Department purchased two Marco quick attack units instead.

The units feature auto transmission with four-wheel drive, pressure and volume pumps, a 300-gallon water tank, a 10-gallon foam tank, and water extinguishers. “We are particularly happy with the amount of cabinet space and number of lights on the vehicles,” says third assistant chief Thomas McGregor, who was part of a committee of seven that chose the vehicles.

The vehicles are especially helpful because Selden is repaving its main roads. The department services a predominantly residential area with some brush and commercial buildings and will use the vehicles for light brush fires, not for first responders.

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The Sherbrooke Fire Department in Quebec, Canada, wanted to accommodate those hard-to-reach buildings that are set back from the street, a common site in its neighborhood full of hospitals and schools, so it purchased the Bronto Skylift 3-boom articulating platform. Now, depending on building size, the platform can sometimes extend over a building and down the other side, according to fire chief Jacques Denault.

The platform is built in Finland, where temperatures are similar to those of Canada. That is an important consideration in terms of durability, according to Denault, who with a member of his purchasing department searched for this addition to his fleet for more than a year. The choice was the best in terms of general safety and usefulness, according to Denault.

Built on a Freightliner chassis, the 107’ platform has an aluminum body with a 1500 SPM Hale, a top-mounted pump panel, and a serial control station. It has a working area of 24 square feet and a capacity of 800 pounds. The third boom is capable of 180-degree vertical articulation.

The booms have a built-in safety feature, according to Denault. “We cannot move the beams all the way up at the same same speed: Five degrees before it is straight up, it automatically slows down. The platform does not allow any type of maneuver unless it is a safe one,” Denault says.

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The Columbus, Indiana Fire Department has a much quieter ride in its new Darley custom pumper. The rear mounted Cummins L-10 350 horsepower cuts down on noise in the cab considerably, according to deputy chief John Breeding.

Built on a Silent Knight four-door stainless steel cab, the pumper features a Darley LDMH 1500 gpm pressure volume pump with a Darley Eductor Foam System. The 50-gallon foam tank is necessary as the department is the first response unit for a nearby commerial airport that services mostly passenger planes but sometimes large military planes as well. The pump is controlled by a totally enclosed, top console panel.

The 10-man command cab enables all personnel to ride inside with the officer, allowing ease of command as well as responder safety, according to Breeding. An added safety feature is retrovision, a rear-mounted TV camera that turns on automatically when the vehicle is in reverse, providing an unobstructed view of what’s behind it.

The vehicle replaces a 1967 pumper. On the old pumper, the ladder racks were mounted on the side of the engine. Now hydraulic ladder racks are overhead, to allow for more compartment space.

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APPARATUS DELIVERIES

The township of North Bergen, New Jersey has many narrow, steep streets—some of which have grades up to 20 percent. The department’s two new pumpers, built by Grumann with a Spartan chassis and a Gladiator six-man cab, were designed for such streets.

The units each have a Detroit 8V92TA diesel engine and an Allison HTB-741 automatic transmission with fourth gear lockup. A transmission retarder is used when descending hills, and a pressure of three foot pounds applied to the brake pedal will bring the apparatus down to five mph.

The vehicles are equipped with Waterous 1,250 pumps with selfadjusting mechanical seals. Engine 3’s boom has instant foam capabilities, with four foam proportioning valves built into the pump panel; the balanced foam proportioning system is fed from a 50-gal. foam tank. The foam pumper carries 500 gallons of water; the other, 600 gallons.

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Bedington (W. Va.) Volunteer Fire and Rescue’s new pumper, with its large pump and 5″ hose, was designed for use at industrial fires. Although the 70 square miles covered by the department are primarily rural, part is a growing industrial section that includes a General Motors plant and a plastics company, says Chief John Rhinaman.

The American Eagle Fire Apparatus Co. unit, built on an Ottawa chassis, features a 1,500-gpm Hale single-stage pump and a 750-gal. tank, and carries 10 gallons of foam. It carries 1,200 feet of 5″ hose; 300 feet of 1 ¾” attack lines; and 200 feet of 2 1/2 blitz lines.

The department, which has between 50 to 60 members, has seen some growth of its own. Within about 18 months’ time, it will have expanded from one station to three.

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Saegertown explosion

Firefighters Among More Than a Dozen Injured in PA Explosion

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Trailer Fire Metairie (LA)

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