By Al Petrillo
Fire pump manufacturers are continually enhancing their products in terms of water flows, reduced friction loss, weight, reliability, and performance. Some pump makers are even working on electrically powered fire pumps in moving forward with their designs.
Wayne Hable, chief engineer at Darley, says the innovations in fire pumps these days revolve around better performance and lighter weight. He notes that Darley builds a lot of power takeoff (PTO) and rear-mount pumps and tries to accommodate apparatus manufacturers by making pumps that allow them to build trucks easier and faster. “They don’t always need a pump module, which means more space for compartments and crosslays,” Hable says. “Darley also has lots of market share with the PUC pump we make for Pierce Manufacturing, which is proprietary to their PUC pumper.”
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Hable points out that Darley is also very big in the wildland pump market. One pump for that market is its 1-1/2AGE pump. “There’s been a big push to electric pumps,” he observes. “We introduced two electric-powered Darley 1-1/2AGE pumps: a 14.1-horsepower (hp) (10.5-kW) model with an electronic touchscreen controller and a 2.4-hp (1.8-kW) model with an electronic pushbutton controller, both powered by a 72-volt/ 146-amp-hour lithium-ion battery. The 14.1-hp model will pump at 132 gallons per minute (gpm) at 102 pounds per square inch (psi) for an hour before using all its charge, and the 2.4-hp model will pump at 153 gpm at 4 psi for 41 minutes before the battery used all its charge.”
He also notes that one of Darley’s industrial midship pumps, the Zeus 2ZSM, earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. “The pump was in a pumper that was a stock configuration powered by a 600-hp Cummins ISX15 engine and an Allison 4000 EVS transmission, with a 200-gallon fuel tank,” Hable says, “That pumper could pump continuously at capacity for 24 hours a day, seven days a week with the engine at full throttle until either the fire went out or you got tired of refueling the diesel tank every six hours.” The rated performance points of the Zeus 2ZSM are 5,500 gpm at 100 psi, 3,850 gpm at 150 psi, and 2,750 gpm at 200 psi, all through three 8-foot lengths of suction hose while drafting to a 6-foot drafting height, he adds.
Gregg Geske, director of sales and marketing for Waterous, says Waterous introduced the ESU1 pump with a 2,000-gpm rating this year, replacing a S-100 1,500- gpm pump. The ESU1 uses computerized computational fluid dynamics software that allows Waterous to change the geometry inside the pump without the need for an inducer, he points out. “The software greatly improves the flow characteristics of the pump,” he says. “This pump is used on midship and rear-mount pumpers and also on aerials, and we have used the software improvements for other midship pump models in our line to improve their efficiencies.”
Geske says Waterous is looking into electrifying some of its portable pump models, likely those in the E-500 series. “We want similar performance from a battery-powered pump compared to a gasoline-powered model,” he points out. “Battery development is getting closer to the performance of a full tank of gasoline, but we are waiting for the best battery options.”
Jason Cerrano, director of research and development for IDEX Fire and Safety, says automation and integration of components on the fireground are a main aim of IDEX. “With our SAM technology, we have complete automation of the entire pump assembly, controlling pump pressure, each individual valve, and managing pressure on the intake side,” Cerrano says.
He continues, “With the introduction of our Smart Nozzle, firefighters have the ability to charge a handline on their own and can see an accurate pressure at the nozzle. Smart Nozzles have a sensor in them that knows what the pressure should be as it communicates with SAM to either increase or decrease the pressure. It also has a tank indicator showing green for a full tank, yellow at half, red at a quarter, and flashing red to tell the firefighter to get out.”
IDEX also introduced the fire service to SAM Boost, Cerrano says. “We took a part of the SAM technology and put it into SAM Boost to allow the system to be retrofitted on any brand pump on an existing pumper,” he notes. “SAM Boost handles tank-to-pump, two discharge valves, and a pressure governor and comes with two Smart Nozzles.”
Chris Kleinhuizen, chief engineer for body production at Rosenbauer America, points out that the innovations Rosenbauer brings to fire pumps include its aluminum alloy construction and the NH pump that integrates a high-pressure system. “We offer pumps in aluminum alloy because they are lightweight and have improved corrosion resistance compared to standard cast iron pumps,” he says. “We also offer all of our pumps in bronze, the N35 and N55 in stainless steel, and the N200 6,000-gpm pump in full carbon fiber construction, made exclusively for Rosenbauer by KASE Pumping Systems.”
Kleinhuizen continues, “The NH pump is unique in the industry. It can put out 160 gpm at 600 psi at the same time that it is flowing 1,500 gpm. It’s also popular on wildland pumpers because the finer droplets you get with high pressure cool with less water, which is important in limited-water scenarios.”
Frederic Lefrancois, vice president of products and supply chain for WATERAX, says his company has introduced the Next-Gen STRIKER high-pressure pump with advanced hydraulics that integrates composite components and is engineered to be lighter while offering resistance to corrosion, enhancing water flow efficiency and longterm durability.
Lefrancois adds that the WATERAX MARK-3® Watson high-pressure pump has a new engine that produces more power and onboard electronics with an LED display to show operational status of the unit. He notes the MARK-3 Watson is a four-stage centrifugal pump powered by a two-stroke engine and weighing 44 pounds.
Jamie Emblem, Northeast region US sales rep for Mercedes Textiles Ltd, says his company has introduced two all position portable pumps: the WICK 100-4M powered by a four-stroke Honda GX50 engine and the WICK 100-M powered by a two-stroke Mitsubishi engine. Emblem notes that both multiposition models can be operated at any angle, are mounted on a backboard-style carrying base with a cutout handle, and feature a detachable single-stage foam-compatible pump designed for easy maintenance.
Jerry Halpin, vice president of business development for CET Fire Pumps, says CET is working on an electric-powered fire pump for the small pump and forestry market that will be fixed and mounted on a skid. Halpin says the 2- to 6-hp pump will be driven by an electric motor powered by an over-the-counter battery like those made by Milwaukee Tools or DEWALT®, which can be recharged by a shore line.
Chris Ferrara, president of US Fire Pump and US Fire Apparatus, says the development of high-capacity pumps for industrial applications has been a game changer in that firefighting space. Ferrara notes that US Fire Pump’s development of a 6,000-gpm industrial pump working from draft has given new advantages to industrial firefighting. “When we tested our high-velocity pump, it did greater than 6,000 gpm from draft and more than 10,000 gpm from a hydranted water source, like those likely to be found on refinery, chemical, and industrial locations,” Ferrara says.
He adds that US Fire Apparatus is building a rig with a 6,000-gpm high-velocity pump and an 85-foot-long articulating aerial device tipped with a US Fire Pump monitor that flows in excess of 6,000 gpm of water or water/foam mix at full extension.
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.
