The city of Rawlins (WY) has 8,000 residents in the eight-square mile city, and while that is the main response area for the Rawlins Fire Department, the agency also runs on mutual aid in Carbon County’s 7,980-square miles. The city has a mix of residential, commercial and industrial occupancies, including a number of hotels and churches, while there is an oil refinery six miles outside of town.
Blain Schumacher, Rawlins chief, says that Rawlins Fire Department protects its district with two Type 1 pumpers, a 100-foot aerial platform, a heavy rescue, two Type 6 wildland pumpers, and one ambulance, operating out of two stations. “We’re a combination department with nine full-time paid firefighters, three of them on duty during the day running 48/96 shifts, two administrators, and 15 volunteer firefighters,” Schumacher says. “Our second station is manned during the night.”
Allen Robinson, Rawlins battalion chief, points out that, “This is our first Type 3 wildland urban interface (WUI) all wheel drive engine that is replacing a Type 1 pumper. We wanted something with a big enough pump to fight structure fires, as well as to handle wildland fires.”
Jason Kline, SVI Trucks sales manager for Colorado and Wyoming, notes that Rawlins Fire came to SVI “looking for a multi-function, dual-purpose vehicle, something that could handle the wildfires that they get in that area, but also deal with structure fires too.” The Type 3 WUI engine that Rawlins got from SVI is on a Freightliner chassis with a four-door cab and seating for four firefighters in a clean cab design. The self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) air packs for the four crew members are located on a pull-out tray in the rear compartment on the driver’s side of the rig. Wheelbase on the Type 3 is 197 inches, overall length is 29 feet 4 inches, and overall height is 11 feet.
Kline notes that the Type 3 is powered by a 400-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission, and carries a 1,250 gallon per minute (gpm) Waterous CXS fire pump, a 750-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank, a FoamPro 2001 Class A and B foam proportioning system, a Fire Research PumpBoss pressure governor, and a Chelsea Hot-Shift pump-and-roll system.
The rig also has front bumper ground sweep nozzles and an Akron Brass Company forestry monitor, cab step Hannay booster hose reel, two 1-3/4-inch cross lays of 200 feet and 150 feet, a 200-foot 2-1/2-inch hose line with a Task Force Tips Blitzfire nozzle, and a 200-foot 1-3/4-inch hose line in a front bumper compartment. The rig’s hose bed holds 600 feet of 5-inch large diameter hose (LDH) and 600 feet of 2-1/2-inch hose.
Robinson points out that the Type 3 also has a Command Light 12-volt LED KL series light tower, a Ziamatic horizontal ladder access system, and an aluminum hose bed cover.
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.
