Sometimes less is more, and that adage even applies to fire apparatus. Madeira and Indian Hill (OH) Joint Fire District, which serves an affluent suburban area near Cincinnati, needed a medical rescue vehicle that could function as a first response EMS (emergency medical services) unit and double as a light rescue for the two jurisdictions served by the joint district.
The district contracts with the city of Madeira and also the city and village of Indian Hill, says the district’s chief, Steve Oughterson. “Madeira is a suburban area of a couple of square miles of about 8,000 population, mostly suburban with a small commercial area, while Indian Hill is mostly residential with a 4,000 population that has some churches, schools, parks, and governmental entities,” Oughterson says.
Oughterson notes the district runs a quint and medic unit (Advanced Life Support ambulance) out of a station in Madeira, and an engine and medic unit out of a station in Indian Hill, staffed by a combination department that has paid firefighter-paramedics and part-time paid medics with 10 on duty daily. “When a medical call came in we would chase the ambulance with a pickup and two firefighter-paramedics or an engine/quint for manpower,” Oughterson says. “The paramedics that would run in the pickup truck never had enough equipment with them, so we replaced that vehicle with the new light rescue truck.”
Jerry Halpin, vice president of sales and marketing for CET Fire Pumps Manufacturing, says that Madeira and Indian Hill came to CET for the rig because of the vehicle’s polypropylene body. “They were looking for a small vehicle that was lightweight with a body that would not rust or break down,” Halpin points out. “The district decided on our walk-around rescue truck built on a Ford F-450 chassis with an extended cab and a polypropylene body that’s 96 inches wide, 110 inches long, and 60 inches high. Wheelbase on the rescue is 168 inches, overall length is 21 feet 3-1/2-inches, and overall height is 7 feet and 5-1/4-inches.”
Oughterson points out that the district wanted a vehicle that could negotiate many of the narrow streets and hilly country roads found in its coverage area. “Especially in Indian Hill, there are a lot of mansions with gated entries and long driveways lined with trees where we needed a smaller rig to get into, instead of a larger fire engine,” he says.
He notes that the new rescue has a transverse compartment behind the cab where the department keeps its hydraulic rescue tools and other hand tools. Over the rear wheels is the compartment where medical first-in bags and drug bags are kept, along with a Lifespan 15 monitor/cardiac defibrillator, while the third compartment holds self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) packs, hand lights, an axe, and a Halligan tool.
Kevin Kleman, vice president of apparatus sales for Vogelpohl Fire Equipment, who sold the rescue to the district, says that rear compartment has a thousand-pound slide-out tray that the district uses to carry the Little Giant ladder in a segmented compartment, and contaminated turnout gear after a fire. “The district made good use of a mix of slide-out and adjustable shelves on the rescue,” Kleman says. “They especially liked the polypropylene body for its strength, lighter weight, and the fact that it won’t rust or corrode like other types of bodies might.”
Kleman adds that the rescue has a Whelen LED warning light package, Whelen LED light bar, Whelen electronic siren, Hi Viz Fire Tech LED scene lights, and Kussmaul Electronics battery charger and auto-eject system.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Ariz.-based journalist, the author of three novels and five non-fiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board. He served 22 years with Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including the position of chief.
