November/December 2007
ALF Tractor-Drawn Heavy Rescue May Be Largest Ever
By Tony Lolli
The Alhambra (Calif.) Fire Department and American LaFrance (ALF) teamed up in a two-year project to produce a unique tractor-drawn heavy rescue vehicle to respond to disasters and terrorist attacks.
It is ALF’s first non-steerable trailer and is believed to be the largest rescue trailer made by any manufacturer, according to Bill Batdorf, an ALF senior applications engineer. He said the chassis frame was conceived, designed and built using the experience gained from producing hundreds of tractor-drawn aerials.
Alhambra Fire Chief Vincent L. Kemp said the apparatus is a regional urban search and rescue (USAR) resource that can also be used for his department’s needs. The purchase was funded through an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant, which provides financial assistance to high-threat, high-population areas.
A Smooth Ride
The vehicle was delivered in August 2006 and went into service on Sept. 11 of this year. Much of the past year was devoted to USAR training and acquiring and installing equipment. It rolled on one call in its first couple of months in service, a minor structural collapse.
Chuck Sukiasian, an Alhambra engineer and paramedic, said being at the wheel of the heavy rescue is an experience. “For us to be driving something this big is unusual,” he said. “It has air-ride suspension on both the tractor and trailer, so it is a smooth ride, and our cache of tools stays in place without bouncing all around the trailer compartments.”
The vehicle is one small piece of a national USAR response system established under the authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The system – a framework for linking local emergency service agencies into integrated disaster response teams – is comprised of 28 task forces spread across the nation.
Eight of the 28 task forces are in California, and five of them are in the southern part of the state – the city of Los Angeles, the city of Riverside, the city of San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles County, which includes Alhambra.
Self-Sufficiency
Individual task forces are expected to be able to deploy within six hours of notification and to be totally self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of deployment. They are staffed and equipped to conduct around-the-clock search-and-rescue operations following disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, aircraft accidents, hazardous materials spills and catastrophic structure collapses, in addition to terrorist incidents.
A typical task force has more than 100 highly-trained members, according to FEMA, and the equipment cache used to support a task force is considerable, weighing nearly 60,000 pounds and valued at about $1.4 million. The Alhambra heavy rescue is one element of the Los Angeles County task force.
Alhambra Battalion Chief John Cermak said the department’s desire was to be self-sufficient for a long period of time in the event other USAR resources could not arrive as quickly as planned. As a result, he said, the 61-foot apparatus is bigger than a basic heavy duty USAR vehicle, but was designed to fit into Alhambra’s existing headquarters station.
The trailer frame is a drop-neck design that uses a Holland sliding fifth wheel. The commercial fifth wheel was chosen with the intent that, if necessary, the trailer could be moved by any commercial tractor, according to Batdorf. The trailer uses two Hendrickson Intraxx 23,000-pound capacity air ride suspensions for a combined capacity of 46,000 pounds.
Both the tractor and trailer can operate independently when conditions require, Batdorf said. Side rails and a pto-driven air compressor on the tractor allow it to leave the trailer to retrieve materials or to respond on its own to a rescue call.
Batdorf said the pto-driven Vanair compressor, mounted under the deck of the tractor, puts out 185 cubic feet per minute (cfm) and is plumbed to outlets on each side of the tractor. “At 150 pounds per square inch (psi), it can operate two demolition jackhammers at the same time as well as other rescue tools,” he said. “In addition, fold up/down side rails and a rear net turn the area around the fifth wheel into cargo area useful on long USAR deployments.”
Counterbalanced Stairway
The trailer is also intended to be self-sufficient thanks to its 50-kilowatt Cummins Onan 50DGCA diesel generator with a self-contained 12-hour fuel supply.
The trailer has a rear-access stairway designed and built by ALF. It is made of aluminum and counterbalanced so that it can be deployed by one person from the top and can easily be controlled by a second person on the ground, according to Batdorf. There is a ladder at the front of the trailer providing access to the top deck to deploy the rear stairway, which has folding handrails to reduce its stored height and is wired to an indicator light in the tractor cab.
Other trailer equipment highlighted by Batdorf includes: a 100-amp transfer switch to allow electricity from the generator to power remote, ground-based equipment; a Will-Burt light tower; and a Safety Vision back-up camera with cab mounted color monitor.
Reels include: two Hannay electric reels with 200 feet of 10-4 cable and junction boxes; one Hannay utility air reel with 300 feet of .375-inch general purpose air hose; and one Hannay hydraulic rescue reel with 100 feet of twin 5,000-psi hydraulic hoses.
The breathing air compressor and cascade system includes: a Scott Liberty 6,000-psi, 22-cfm breathing air compressor; four 6,000-psi ASME storage cylinders mounted between the trailer frame rails; an Appleton Space Saver two-bottle enclosed fill station; a storage rack for 16 spare breathing air cylinders; and, a Hannay reel with 150 feet of breathing air hose.
In addition to a permanent front bumper 12,000-pound Warn winch, the trailer carries a Warn XD90001 portable winch with five receivers, two on each side and one in the rear.
Six watertight compartments top the trailer, according to Batdorf. Each is 25 inches wide by 19 inches deep by 10 feet, 4 inches long. One has removable partitions intended to store USAR team members’ personal ready bags and gear. The deck space between the left and right compartments can be used as a viewing platform.
Rounding out the trailer storage capabilities are: a custom 13-drawer tool chest, built by CTech of Weston, Wis.; an extensive array of slide-out trays, adjustable shelves, pull-out tool walls and tilt-down trays; storage for six pike poles in the trailer frame; and hinged storage for a high-pressure air bag set.
The trailer also has a Whelen Engineering emergency light package and an 8-by-20-foot Zip Dee recreational vehicle-style awning on each side of the trailer.
Batdorf said Alhambra officials designed the unit to serve as a backup to their truck company in addition to its duties as a USAR vehicle. There are two 35-foot, 2-section ladders, two 20-foot roof ladders and a 10-foot folding ladder stored in the rear compartment adjacent to the shoring lumber.
Extra Equipment
There are 58 categories of required equipment, tools, and kits for Type-I, heavy rescue apparatus used as part of the national USAR response system, and the Alhambra ALF apparatus carries more than that. Its lumber cache alone is huge.
Cermak said additional equipment was added because it was important for the unit to be self-sufficient. Some of those extras are: two sets of Paratech shoring equipment; a Miller portable wire welder for light repair or adding rescue anchor points; a Millermatic plasma cutter; a Petrogen oxy-gasoline cutting torch; a complete set of Champion hydraulic tools; a portable electric power supply and 50-foot hose reel; and an air knife and vacuum air tools, manufactured by Air Knife America, for damage free excavation and trench rescue.
More Additions Planned
Sukiasian said more additions are planned, such as: outfitting the command cab with a touch screen computer; a series of antennae to send images from search cameras and thermal imaging back to the command cab; and GIS mapping so the crew can see features as they were before an incident.
He said the first call for the ALF heavy rescue involved a vending machine company in a commercial building where a mezzanine partially collapsed from the weight of stock stored on it. There were no personal injuries. He said 4-by-4-inch and 2-by-6-inch lumber was used along with cribbing kits to shore up the undamaged area of the mezzanine so employees could remove the stock.
The cost of the apparatus and its equipment was approximately $1 million, with the equipment accounting for about $300,000 of that, according to Jonathan Holmes of American LaFrance Los Angeles.
The UASI grant that funded the Alhambra ALF vehicle was part of a larger grant intended to provide 16 heavy rescue and 16 hazmat vehicles, according to Cermak. He said some of the money was for upgrading existing rescue vehicles, while some was earmarked for new vehicles. Steve Turner, public affairs manager for the California Office of Homeland Security, said 2007 USAI funds for his state totaled $140.7 million.
Batdorf said he developed a close working relationship with Alhambra Fire Department officials during the two-year project to develop the heavy rescue.
“We were on the phone frequently, often daily, debating the merits of one idea or another,” he said. “Since the magnitude of this project was without precedent, there were times during the design phase when I asked them to trust me to do the right thing.”
The apparatus has a commemorative decal on the rear door designed by Alhambra firefighters to pay tribute to their FDNY brothers lost on Sept. 11, 2001. It was made by Horst Signs of Myerstown, Pa., and reads “We Remember – FDNY – 343.”
For information call 888-253-8725 or go to www.americanlafrance.com.
Dimensions
• 177-inch wheelbase
• 10 feet, 10 inch travel height
• 96 inches wide
• 61 feet long
Tractor
• Detroit Diesel Series 60 515-hp
engine
• Allison 4500EVS transmission with
power takeoff and output retarder
• 18,500-pound front steering axle
• 27,000-pound drive axle
• 80,000-pound gross vehicle weight
• Permanent 12,000-pound Warn
winch on front bumper
• Pto-driven Vanair 185-cfm air com
pressor mounted under the deck
• 148-inch ALF Eagle raised-roof,
three-door aluminum command cab
• Seating for driver, officer and four fire
fighters
• Stainless steel desk and command area
with commander’s chair
Trailer
• Aluminum construction with steel frame
• 40,000-pound axle rating with two Intraxx 23,000-
pound capacity air ride suspensions
• Matching left and right compartments
have Robinson roll-up doors.
• Deployable ramp system
• Six coffin-style watertight compartments on top
• Rear access stairway
• 50-kilowatt Onan 50DGCA generator
• Portable Warn XD90001 winch
• Scott Liberty air compressor and cas-
cade system
• Four Hannay reels
• Four 450-pound capacity Davit mount
receivers on top for use with a portable
jib crane
• Whelen 600 Series LED light package
• Will-Burt NightScan lighting system