You cannot help but stop when you walk by a nice low hose bed at FDIC 2015. Sutphen has worked with Columbus Ohio and put together a very functional spec for a pumper that is built to work. You will also see a gallery below of several of their other trucks seen at FDIC 2015 including a pair of aerials that have incredibly low hose beds and carry 500 gallons of water. Take a look at the gallery below:
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Harrisonburg Heavy Rescue at FDIC 2015
Typically it appears as if the normal process for spec’ing fire apparatus is to design a vehicle and then place the tools and equipment on it the best way possible. Every now and then however, you come across an apparatus that was designed around the tools and equipment it’s going to carry along with its overall mission. Such is the case of the new 2015 Harrisonburg Heavy Rescue built by Pierce.
The vehicle is well equipped on a Pierce Velocity Chassis with features including:
- A 70” cab with 20” raised roof section
- TAK-4 independent front suspension
- Detroit Diesel DD13 500 hp motor with 1650#’s of torque
- A wheel base of 255.5”
- Seating for 5
- Side roll and frontal impact airbag protection
- 26” extended front bumper with a raised tool tray that holds extrication reels and a 25k lb Warn winch
- Advanced electronic Command Zone
- 250 gallons of water. 10 gallons of foam
- 250 gpm hydraulic driven pump
- An overall height of 11’ 6”
- Overall length of 41’ 9”
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The true beauty and art however is the thought process and engineering that went into the rescue style body. Every item carried has a place and there is virtually no wasted space which allows the apparatus to carry all of the above in addition to a extrication equipment, air bags, an air cascade system and compressor, a full set of hand and mechanic tools, an ample amount of cribbing, and the standard compliment of firefighting tools including pike poles, axes, etc. The body also incorporates both high and low 9000 lb rated anchor points for rope operations.
Invariably, someone is going to ask, “Why water on the heavy rescue?” Harrisonburg fills the box with multiple surrounding jurisdictions for both fires and auto accidents. Because of that, they decided they wanted at least a minimal amount of water in case they were to arrive on the scene of either prior to the arrival of an engine company. Due to their thinking outside the box, they were able to do so without compromising compartment space or having to reduce their standard rescue compliment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqV6Efp7CZE
Ferrara at FDIC 2015
We saw a lot of good trucks and specs at FDIC 2015. Ferrara has been churning out some very good looking trucks lately and we have a photo album below for you to check them out. The FDNY 150th Anniversary truck was definitely a crowd pleaser. You can see a video of the FDNY 150 Truck below. [flagallery gid=10]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0LCNPghth4
Brownsburg Ladder Co. 131 - FDIC 2015
I have to say when we came across the new Brownsburg Ladder Co. 131 we were very surprised. This truck looks very different than many of the E-One's we have seen in the past. We were lucky enough to speak with one of the truck company members who went through the entire apparatus with us and explained the spec's they developed. This truck has some really nice features including: recessed water can mounts in the compartments, shores in the front bumper with other rigging equipment, tons of LED scene lighting and much more. We have provided a gallery below as well as a video on the Blow Hard Battery powered fans. [flagallery gid=8]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO1NQx8cwz0
Pierce Ascendant - FDIC 2015
We recently had the opportunity to check out the new Pierce Ascendant Aerial built by Pierce Mfg at FDIC 2015. The Ascendant is a 107' aerial built on a single rear axle. This is a very interesting new design and we are very curious to see how well it operates. You can tell from the pictures the outriggers provide a slightly wider footprint than many other single rear axle aerials. The Ascendant can be configured with 500 gallons of water, with no pump/no water, or with the PUC. This Ascendant is built on the Enforcer chassis which is a good looking and functional cab. We have provided a gallery below and a couple videos for you to view. Check them out. [flagallery gid=7]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrsXsu7O37o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbOp81xrFRQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHONVX163io
Jackson Fire Department - Truck 28
I recently had the opportunity to check out Jackson Fire Department's new Pierce 100' Platform. This is one good looking truck. Truck 28 will serve the south side of downtown Jackson, MS and the surrounding area. Truck 28 is a busy truck company in Jackson affectionately known as the "Hood Rats". Great group of guys and I wish them the best of luck with their new chariot! Check out the video of their truck here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjvbAOoEXj8