Running a rescue-pumper that can handle fire suppression and several types of rescue situations from a single rig has been standard operating procedure for many rural and suburban fire departments for several years, obviating the need for a dedicated rescue truck.
Manufacturers have responded to this trend by crafting their rescue-pumper designs to fit the specific requirements of fire departments.
Brian Franz, vice president of apparatus for Sentinel Emergency Solutions and a representative for Rosenbauer, says rescue-pumpers make up the bulk of the engines Rosenbauer has been supplying to fire departments. “Many of them are choosing Rosenbauer’s MP3 rescue-pumper design that has a compact pump house on the left side of the apparatus, with the control panel situated in the L1 compartment. The intakes and discharges can be exposed or can be placed behind a roll-up door,” Franz says. “The big advantage to the MP3 design is that it shrinks a 44- or 50-inch-wide pump panel on the right side down to 30 inches wide, which allows the R1 compartment to be that much larger. The rescue-pumper can be fitted with a Rosenbauer N series compact single-stage pump up to 2,000 gallons per minute (gpm) or a Hale, Darley, or Waterous pump.”
1 Rosenbauer built this MP3 rescue-pumper for the Tacoma (WA) Fire Department. (Photo courtesy of Rosenbauer.)
2 The La Plata (MD) Volunteer Fire Department had Pierce Manufacturing Inc. build this rescue-pumper on an Enforcer™ chassis and cab with a Hale 1,250-gpm midship pump, a 500-gallon water tank, and a 6-kW Harrison hydraulic generator. (Photo courtesy of Pierce Manufacturing Inc.)
Franz points out that Rosenbauer is building a ton of rear-mount pumpers, which often are configured as rescue-pumpers because you get so much more compartment space. Many departments choose full-depth and full-height compartments on both sides of the vehicle, a ladder rack and coffin compartments on top, and a water tank of 1,000 gallons or less.”
Franz adds that the organization of equipment in compartments is a trend he sees in rescue-pumpers, with a variety of slide-out tool boards and trays holding heavy equipment low in compartments and lighter equipment up high.
Ken Sebo, pumper business development manager for Pierce Manufacturing Inc., says that a year ago Pierce released its new heavy-duty rescue-pumper body designated HDRP. “It’s a third-generation platform that we’ve had a lot of positive feedback on,” Sebo observes. “The rescue-pumper features a traditional pump house, typically a 1,500-gpm pump and a 750-gallon to 1,000-gallon water tank that’s stepped for a low hosebed, ladder storage through the water tank as low as possible, full-depth and full-height compartments on both sides, and full-length coffin compartments on both sides on top.”
Sebo notes that Pierce has built HDRP rescue-pumpers on wheelbases from 163 inches to 189 inches. “Sometimes the front bumper is set up to carry hydraulic rescue tools, and other times the rescue tools are carried in the rearmost compartment on the officer’s side of the vehicle,” he says. “With SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) coming out of the cabs because of the clean cab concept, departments are storing them on vertical slide-out tool boards in the L1 and R1 compartments. The rest of the rescue-pumper is often filled with slide-out shelves and trays and slide-out boards. Fire departments tell us it’s important for them to have their rescue-pumper carry lots of water and have plenty of storage that keeps equipment as low as possible.”
3 CustomFIRE built this rescue-pumper for the Mount Hope (NC) Fire Department with a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gpm pump, a SAM Automated Flow Control System, a Class 1 SmartFOAM system, a 750-gallon water tank, and a 30-gallon foam cell. (Photo courtesy of CustomFIRE.)
4 Sutphen Corp. built this rescue-pumper for the Frenchtown (MI) Fire Department on a Sutphen Monarch heavy-duty custom chassis and S8 rescue body that incorporates a 34-inch-wide pump module. (Photo courtesy of Sutphen Corp.)
5 The Dover (OH) Fire Department had Summit Fire Apparatus build this rescue-pumper on a Spartan chassis with a Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump and a Hale CAFS Pro compressed air foam system, a 750-gallon water tank, and a 30-gallon foam tank. (Photo courtesy of Summit Fire Apparatus.)
Wayde Kirvida, sales engineer for CustomFIRE, says most of the rescue-pumpers his company builds have side-mount or top-mount pump control panels and as much compartment space as can be fit on the body. “Full-height and full-depth compartments are found on most rescue-pumpers,” Kirvida says, “and we’ve seen fewer generators going on those vehicles because of LED lighting. However, we are installing more power points and charging strips around our rescue-pumpers to allow for full-time charging of all types of battery tools.”
Kirvida says CustomFIRE recently built a rescue-pumper for the Mount Hope (NC) Fire Department on a Spartan Metro Star chassis with a stainless-steel subframe powered by a Cummins 450-horsepower (hp) L9 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission. “The rescue -pumper has a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gpm pump, a SAM Automated Flow Control System, a Class 1 SmartFOAM system, a Hale ESP priming pump, a 750-gallon water tank, and a 30-gallon foam cell,” he says. The rig has adjustable compartment shelving with pull-out trays and tool boards, slide-in ladder and suction hose storage, overhead coffin storage pods, and a Harrison hydraulic generator.
Josh Plichta, Sutphen Corp.’s marketing communications manager, says Sutphen’s S8 rescue-style body for intermediate size pumpers is on a wheelbase under 200 inches and incorporates a pump module that’s 34 inches wide. “The L1/R1 compartments on the rescue-pumper are 56 inches wide, and the L3/R3 compartments are 53 inches wide, each 66 inches tall,” Plichta says. “We offer a maximum hosebed width, a water tank of up to 1,000 gallons, and a ladder chute in the center of the body. Many departments choose a front bumper design that can carry hydraulic rescue tools, and a lot of departments are putting light towers on their rescue-pumpers.”
Justin Howell, Sutphen’s southeast region sales manager, says Sutphen has a rescue-pumper in production for the Washington Township (OH) Fire Department that has a transverse, full-height compartment in the pump compartment that houses the transverse on the left and the 1,500-gpm pump on the right. “It’s covered by a roll-up door, and the body and pump module match the cab height of the 20-inch raised roof.” He notes that a rescue-pumper Sutphen is building for the Iona McGregor (FL) Fire Department has 2×2-inch receiver hitches on top of the body, one on each side, that will be used as high anchor points for rope rescue work. “You usually don’t see that on rescue-pumpers,” he says.
Joe Messmer, president of Summit Fire Apparatus, says that rescue-pumpers are the most popular vehicle Summit builds except for tankers. “We’ve built rescue-pumpers from the mild to the wild variety,” Messmer says. “Lots of departments are moving toward battery-powered hydraulic rescue tools, so we don’t have to make room on the rig for hydraulic reels. But they still like them up in the front bumper, along with a trash line, so they can pull everything straight out and keep the rescue-pumper in a single lane when they’re working on a highway.” Messmer adds that most departments divide their rescue-pumpers in half, with rescue equipment on one side of the vehicle, usually the curb side, and fire suppression on the other.
Ben Bregg, design engineer for Spencer Manufacturing Inc., says his company is being asked to build rescue-pumpers that carry all the fire suppression equipment of a traditional engine and all the rescue equipment of a rescue. “Sometimes it’s challenging to get all the equipment they want to carry on the truck,” Bregg says, “but we find ways to satisfy their requests as much as possible.”
He notes besides the fire suppression and rescue equipment being carried, most rescue-pumpers also are outfitted to carry emergency medical services (EMS) equipment like automated external defibrillators, EMS trauma bags, stokes baskets, and backboards. “Most department choose an extended cab so they can safely store their EMS gear,” he observes.
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.
