July 2007

Brush Trucks Evolve Into Bigger, Safer Multi-Purpose Vehicles

By David A. Smith

The concept behind the traditional brush truck is relatively straightforward: It’s a rugged unit capable of getting people and equipment – and water – to places a larger engine can’t typically navigate.

For years a four-wheel-drive pickup, often outfitted with some type of small pump, an assortment of hand tools and even a couple of hundred gallons of water, fit the bill. In many ways and for many departments, it still does.

But it’s not the only option anymore. The brush truck has advanced beyond the standby Dodge Power Wagon or the also popular military “deuce-and-a-half” to units capable of doing a lot more.

“The basic concept of the truck really hasn’t changed, as much as it has evolved,” said Rick Irwin, a factory sales representative with 4 Guys Fire Trucks of Meyersdale, Pa. “It’s still a truck that’s going to be taken out and sometimes abused because of areas and situations they get put into, but they are becoming more hi-tech.”

Those who build the trucks say they’ve seen some trends in recent years:

• The units are becoming more multi-purpose.

• New features and designs have helped the units progress.

•Bigger units are becoming more popular.

• The units are safer.

• Installation of CAFS and other foam capabilities are more common.

Just as firefighters are being asked to do more than just put out fires, the same can be said for their equipment. It is also being asked to do more. Today’s engines commonly carry an assortment of rescue, medical and other specialized gear, and yesterday’s standard brush truck is often being asked to do more than just head to the occasional brush fire.

“We’ve seen a lot of evolution in this part of the industry, as they’ve become more multi-purpose,” said Dan White, vice-president of sales with Classic Fire LLC, based in Ocala, Fla. The company makes brush trucks, light-rescues, tankers and skid units for E-ONE, also of Ocala, and manufactures its own products as well.

“The down and dirty brush truck is still the standard,” White said, but Classic is shipping units set up to carry backboards and Stokes litters and with more compartments to haul a variety of equipment. The trucks aren’t just being used for brush fires, and it is becoming common to see them used as “first-responder” type units.

David Horton, product manager at Long Island-based Firematic, agrees. Firematic is a dealer for Pierce, Hurst and MSA products, but since 2001 its Firematic Mfg. Corp. has made its own brush/rapid-attack unit, The B.R.A.T.

He said departments are running Firematic’s B.R.A.T. to medical calls, car wrecks, and Dumpster fires, in addition to brush fires. “It’s nice to have that multi-purpose truck,” he said.

“We’ve been producing a lot of trucks that maybe have utility bodies,” said Bruce Kreikemeier, marketing manager with Danko Emergency Equipment in Snyder, Neb. “They have more compartments, and they’re able to carry more specialized equipment. Departments can also still use them as personnel carriers.”

Builders are adding a variety of features that have extended the units’ capabilities beyond those of the basic brush truck.

Danko’s wildland units, for instance, include a standing platform behind the cab. Once the truck arrives at the scene, a firefighter can operate a hose line from the platform.

“With pump-and-roll and with the standing platforms, they can go along the fire line and chase the fire down,” Kreikemeier said. “That is something [customers] are starting to look for.”

Firematic’s B.R.A.T. features large, single tires on the rear axle, instead of the traditional dual tires, to provide for better access, Horton said. The truck also features several modular components – such as its extended front bumper, aluminum brush bars, roll bars and cages – that can be replaced should they get damaged.

The truck, Horton explained, evolved from the traditional Long Island “Brush Breaker,” a heavy-duty military truck.

“We had several customers who wanted something smaller,” he said. “They wanted to get in tighter places, but still have the protection.”

Bigger units, built on larger chassis, are also becoming more common, according to those in the industry, particularly because of the vehicles are being used more frequently for multiple purposes.

“For those departments where the world has gotten more complicatedC9 those guys have upsized from the pickup,” said Larry Segreto, engineering manager with Boise Mobile Equipment Inc. (BME) in Idaho. Many of that company’s wildland units are sold to federal and state agencies with wildland responsibilities.

“Much of the change has been chassis-related,” Segreto explained. At one time, there was a gap in the weight-ratings for pickups, which generally top out at 11,000 to 12,000 pounds, and those of larger trucks starting at about 21,000 pounds.

When trucks in the 15,000 to 19,000-pound range came out, they proved a big hit, he said. That allowed builders to more easily design trucks to carry more water or with more compartment space.

And BME is not alone in that regard. Large four-wheel-drive units are popular with other builders as well.

“We currently have several orders for trucks of those sizes,” said Classic Fire’s White. Heavy-duty pickups capable of carrying 300 to 500 gallons of water and accompanying brush equipment remain popular, but larger, four-wheel-drive units – built on the International 7400 chassis, for example – are gaining in popularity.

In addition to its “Contender” brush truck – built on a Ford F550 chassis, Pierce Manufacturing also offers a series of wildland units built on larger chassis and equipped with 500-gpm pumps and tanks ranging from 500 to 750 gallons.

Rosenbauer’s Timberwolf is another wildland/interface unit, also with larger pumps and the capability to carry 500 to 750 gallons of water and foam systems, as well as other features.

“We’re starting to do a lot of wildland trucks on the bigger chassis,” agreed Danko’s Kreikemeier.

It is not just the trucks that are getting bigger. Other features, such as pumps, are increasing in size, as well, said Jim Hester, president of Freedom Fire Equipment in Marietta, Ga. In addition to brush and wildland units, that company builds a variety of tankers and rescues and is a distributor for Smeal engines and aerials.

“Really, it started out with very small engines – 11-horsepower Briggs & Stratton engines – and small-gallon pumps,” Hester said.

“Now, they have evolved to larger-gpm, larger-horsepower pumps.”

And because the trucks are being used for extended periods of time, it makes sense to include more storage and other features, such as extended cabs. That’s been particularly noticed with the ongoing drought in the Southeast, Hester said. “They’re fighting more and more brush fires and having to be out there longer,” he said.

The bigger trucks have also become safer as designs and capabilities have improved. For example, today’s units are better able to carry all of the necessary equipment on them.

Firematic’s Horton points out that it wasn’t safe to put too much on the older pickup-type brush trucks. “Really, any time you put an amount of water over 200 gallons, they’re overloaded,” he said. “They’re just not meant to carry that much weight.”

Features such as NFPA-compliant striping have also improved safety, said Classic Fire’s White.

As the use of foam has become more commonplace in the fire service, those capabilities have also been added to brush and wildland units, which can stretch the water they carry.

“We’re equipping them now with not just water, but you’re starting to see CAFS become more popular,”  said White.

“Most everyone is using a foam proportioner,” said Hester. “When we first started, it wasn’t really required. The departments, now with the CAF systems, a lot of people are requesting that. It certainly lengthens the use of 300 gallons of water.”

It should come as no surprise to those in the fire service that departments have a plethora of options to consider when looking at brush or wildland units.

For some, a unit built on a traditional pickup truck platform may work just fine. Others, however, may want a larger vehicle, and still others may want or need more of a multi-purpose unit.

“Most of the departments are very, very good at understanding their needs and designing that unit to fit their particular needs,” said Hester.

Firematic Supply Co.’s B.R.A.T. has 19-inch single rear wheel and Michelin tire combinations. The single rear wheel configuration helps eliminate blowouts due to branches getting stuck between dual tires. (Firematic Photo)

Classic Fire, which builds wildland apparatus for E-ONE and under it’s own label, has a Fire Trooper Attack Unit it builds on a Ford F550 cab and chassis. The all-wheel drive unit has a 17,500 pound gross vehicle weight rating. It’s built on an all-welded extruded aluminum body with a 300-gallon tank and a 10-gallon foam cell. Features include a Hale Honda 20 hp pump, a Hale 2.1A FoamLogix system, stainless steel plumbing, Hale Torrent valves and Hannay reels. For information call 352-351-1347 or go to www.classicfirellc.comsmith

Weis Fire & Safety Equipment Co.’s “Quick Attack 500” is built on a Ford F550 Super-Duty Chassis, with a 17,950 pound gross vehicle weight rating and four-wheel drive. It carries a 500-gallon tank, a crosslay tray for up to 100 feet of 1.5-inch hose, a 10-gallon foam tank and top-mount pump controls. It has a Hale HPX200-B18 pump powered by an 18 hp Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine. Features also include a Hannay booster reel with 100 feet of 1-inch hose and a Hale 2.1 FoamLogix Class A foam system. It has a heavy-duty aluminum body with a 120-inch deep by 30-inch wide tool compartment at the rear, side compartments measuring 72-inches wide and 20-inches deep and two underbody toolboxes. For information call 888-689-9347 or go to www.weisfiresafety.com