The Little Rock (AR) Fire Department has put three new Oshkosh 4×4 aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) trucks in service at its station at Clinton National Airport.
Eric Hildreth, Little Rock Fire’s battalion chief, says that the department protects the Index C airport with 12 full-time paid firefighters assigned to the three shifts. “There’s a captain and three drivers on each shift, and we have a mutual aid station two miles away with another 12 firefighters,” Hildreth observes. He notes that the department has a total of 24 stations staffed by 445 employees who cover the city of Little Rock and its 200,000 residents.
Hildreth notes that the department chose to purchase the new ARFF trucks because it started having maintenance issues with its older ARFF rigs, all which carried aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). “With our new Oshkosh ARFF trucks, we got commonality among our three trucks, and we transitioned to the safer fluorine-free F3 foam,” he says. “We are the first airport in the state to make that transition.”
Jack Bermingham, business unit director of airport products for Oshkosh, says two of the Striker ARFF trucks carry roof and bumper turrets, while the third Striker has a high-volume low-attack (HVLA) bumper turret and a 50-foot Snozzle high reach extendable turret (HRET) with a 1,000-gallon per minute (gpm) piercing tip that’s designed to reach cargo at any angle. “All the turrets and the Snozzle on the trucks are capable of flowing water, foam, dry chemical, or a combination of those agents,” Bermingham says, “and each is electronically controlled by a joystick.”
He points out that other than the Snozzle, the Strikers are identical, each carrying a 2,000-gpm Waterous CRQB single-stage pump, a 1,500-gallon water tank, 220 gallons of foam, an around-the-pump foam proportioning system, 550 pounds of dry chemical, and a fixed hose reel capable of a water/foam stream.
The rigs have a top speed of more than 70 miles per hour (mph), Bermingham adds, have a side slope stability of 30 degrees, and are able to ascend and descend a 50% grade. Wheelbases on the rigs are 219 inches, overall lengths are 35 feet 6 inches, and overall widths are 10 feet, with 62,000-pound gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWRs).
Bermingham says the Strikers have TAK-4™ all-wheel independent suspension systems on the front and rear 31,000-pound rated axles, 670-horsepower (hp) 16-liter Scania DC16 V8 diesel engines, Allison 4800 EVS 7-speed automatic transmissions, and Oshkosh power dividers that allow the vehicles to pump and roll at any speed and time while having constant pressure using one engine.
The cabs on the rigs are ergonomically designed, Bermingham points out, with center-focused cockpits for the operators, with 12-inch camera displays, and seating for four other firefighters. He says that the rigs have increased visibility that helps with situational awareness by offering 98 square feet of glass and a 254-degree horizontal viewing plane. He adds that Oshkosh increased the forward visibility to 8.8 feet, and that vehicles have driver-enhanced visioning systems that Oshkosh partnered with AeroBoss, which allow the operators to pull in-flight tracking information to better position ARFF apparatus in emergency situations.
Hildreth says, “Everyone is very happy with the new Oshkosh Striker 4×4 trucks. They are awesome trucks, and our operators love the centering of the seat for the driver. They say it’s like being in a fighter jet’s cockpit.”
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
