Fire departments running small pumpers and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) can choose from a wide variety of slip-in skid units for their rigs. The makers of skid units work closely with departments to develop the types of skids needed for specific applications as well as for general fire suppression from smaller platforms.
Jim Darley, pump division inside sales manager for W.S. Darley & Company, says Darley makes three Fast Attack skid versions. “The Fast Attack 1 is our economy skid that incorporates a 13-horsepower (hp) twin-impeller Davey pump that can deliver 120 gallons per minute (gpm) at 40 pounds per square inch (psi), 95 gpm at 108 psi, 60 gpm at 133 psi, and 20 gpm at 146 psi,” Darley says. “If the customer is only after flows to support a hose reel and a 1½-inch discharge, we use one of our gear-driven pumps,” Darley observes. “Any Darley pump that has a ‘G’ in the name signifies there’s a gear box between the pump and transmission, making the impeller spin faster and creating higher pressures. The gear box helps reduce engine rpm and noise and prolongs engine life.” Such pumps are capable of 120 gpm at 155 psi, 75 gpm at 230 psi, and 35 gpm at 300 psi, he adds.
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1 W.S. Darley & Company makes three Fast Attack skid unit versions. Shown is the Fast Attack 1 that has a 13-hp Davey pump with an optional foam nozzle. (Photo 1 courtesy of W.S. Darley & Company.)
“If a customer is looking to also support a 2½-inch discharge to fill tankers in a pinch, we recommend a direct-drive portable pump that offers less pressure but more volume. Our 2BE multipurpose pump flows up to 380 gpm and could supply a 1½-inch hoseline at 140 psi,” Darley says. “It delivers 380 gpm at 25 psi, 150 gpm at 115 psi, and 100 gpm at 135 psi. We also can provide diesel engines instead of gasoline as well as larger water tanks.”
Jerry Halpin, vice president of sales and marketing for CET Fire Pumps, points out that skid units on UTVs are great for wildland, forestry, and limited-access locations where fire suppression and rescue can’t be made by traditional municipal rigs. “The larger chassis small rigs, like the Ford F-250 through 550 and the Dodge 2500 through 5500 chassis, are able to carry more water and a larger pump and also more equipment but still get into places that a traditional municipal pumper would not be able to access,” Halpin notes.
2 CET Fire Pumps makes three skid units, Fire Pack Force 1, 2, and 3, with a 225-gallon water tank, multiple outlet manifold, and a choice of a 6.5-, 11-, or 20-hp Honda engine-powered pump. (Photo 2 courtesy of CET Fire Pumps.)
For the Ford and Dodge chassis, CET makes three skid units—Fire Pack Force 1, Force 2, and Force 3, Halpin says. Each one has a 225-gallon fully baffled polypropylene water tank, a multiple outlet manifold, a 1½-inch discharge, and a 2½-inch tank-to-pump quarter-turn ball valve. “Fire Pack Force 1 has a 6.5-hp twin-impeller pump that delivers 70 gpm at 10 psi, 40 gpm at 100 psi, and 20 gpm at 125 psi,” Halpin says.
Fire Pack Force 2 has a Honda engine-powered 11-hp pump that delivers 70 gpm at 10 psi, 40 gpm at 100 psi, and 20 gpm at 125 psi. The Fire Pack Force 3 has a 20-hp midrange pump powered by a Honda engine that delivers 265 gpm at 50 psi, 190 gpm at 100 psi, 115 gpm at 150 psi, and 45 gpm at 200 psi, Halpin says.
CET also offers three skid units for UTV/ATV rigs—Fire Pack 1, 2, and 3. Fire Pack 1 has a CET PFP-6p HND-M-Twin self-priming pump that has a 20-gpm at 125-psi capacity, a 60-gallon water tank, and a 50-foot reel with ¾-inch booster hose. Fire Pack 2 Skeeter has a 6.5-hp twin-impeller pump providing 70 gpm at 10 psi, 40 gpm at 100 psi, and 20 gpm at 125 psi, with a 75-gallon baffled water tank. Fire Pack 3 Skeeter EMS is an emergency rescue skid that can handle a long board or Stokes, turning the UTV into a mini ambulance, Halpin adds.
Jamie Emblem, US Northeast region salesman for Mercedes Textiles Ltd., says his company offers a range of portable and vehicle-mounted pumps under its WICK® brand, from ultra-lightweight single-stage to high-power two-/three-/four-stage models. He says for UTV/ATV units, Mercedes offers the WICK 100G two-stroke and the WICK 100 and WICK-4H four-stroke pumps for applications with water tanks of less than 100 gallons. Emblem notes that the pumps can be mounted with quick disconnect options to all for portable use when needed.
3 Mercedes Textiles makes a range of vehicle-mounted pumps under its WICK brand, which can be installed on pickup-sized or UTV chassis. (Photo 3 courtesy of Mercedes Textiles.)
“Mercedes recently added two new models in this line,” Emblem notes, “the WICK 100M, with a new Mitsubishi engine that offers greater performance, 25 percent more fuel efficiency, and lower emissions; and the WICK 100-4M, a new 4-stroke model that has multiposition performance for convenience and flexibility.”
For pickup skids and small pumpers, Mercedes makes the WICK SI 250 and SI 300, which offer more pressure in a high-performance, low-maintenance, three-stage pump, Emblem says, where both are available with electric start. On the larger end, Mercedes recently relaunched the WICK XP series with two-/three-/four-stage cross-compatible pumps built on 13- to 23-hp engines. Mercedes also has a new high-pressure/high-volume combination pump, the WICK UltraFlo™, that offers a maximum of 305 gpm at 215 psi.
Jim Fazekas, sales manager for Waterous, notes his company’s most popular pump used on skid units is its PB18-3030 that delivers 100 gpm at 110 psi and in low-pressure transfer situations can do 400 gpm at 15 psi. “We also have put our 500 series diesel-powered pumps on some skids,” Fazekas says. “The E511 is our most popular and will do 100 gpm at 190 psi. It’s liquid-cooled, so it has a higher weight, which means you need to put it on a Ford F-350 or higher chassis.”
4 The most popular Waterous pump that’s used on skid units is its PB18-3030 high-volume/low-pressure pump. (Photo 4 courtesy of Waterous Company.)
Fazekas says Waterous compressed air foam system (CAFS) units have found their way onto skids. “We’ve seen our 70-35 CAFS with a 70-gpm pump and a 35-cubic-feet-per-minute (cfm) compressor go on both pickup chassis and UTVs,” he points out. “We are seeing a resurgence in CAFS use in both full-size apparatus and in the portable units.”
Mike Dupay, divisional vice president of marketing for fire, EMS, and industrial for Safe Fleet, says his company’s FoamPro Turbo Stream® self-contained ultra-high-pressure (UHP) pump and foam system has been used on many skid units. “The system is powered by a 13-hp Honda gasoline engine and will deliver 8 gpm at up to 1,400 psi,” Dupay says. “It includes a foam proportioner and a foam gun.”
Pete Luhrs, Safe Fleet’s division vice president of product management, notes that many skid units incorporate Class A foam on them and that FoamPro’s 1600 and 1601 models are very popular. “The 1600 system will give 1.7 gpm of foam, while the 1601 will deliver 1 gpm maximum of foam. That’s the one that is the best application for a skid unit and is our most popular.”
5 Safe Fleet’s FoamPro division makes the FoamPro 1600 and 1601 models of foam systems that are popular on skid units. Shown is the 1600 version. (Photo 5 courtesy of Safe Fleet’s FoamPro.)
Jason Black, president of MTECH Industries and QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus, says one of its most popular models of UTV skid units uses the WATERAX Versax pump. “Our 85HP fire skid uses a WATERAX Versax 6 high-pressure pump with an 85-gallon water tank that can be restricted down to 55 gallons if weight is an issue,” Black says. “The skid has a Scotty around-the-pump foam system; 50 feet of 1-inch booster hose; 50, 75, or 100 feet of ¾-inch black rubber hose; and a 1-inch auxiliary discharge for lay-flat forestry hose.”
6 QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus’s 85-HP fire skid, its most popular, uses a WATERAX Versax 6 high-pressure pump. (Photo 6 courtesy of QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus.)
The other QTAC models include an 85EMS-C fire unit with a flip-up litter platform; the 70EMS-L with a 70-gallon water tank and litter platform; and an EMS-R all rescue unit with a Stokes platform, attendant seat, and under-platform storage.
Keith Olson, owner of RKO Enterprises, says that his company builds skid units primarily for Polaris Government Defense, with which it has partnered since 2009. “We make rescue, fire, and fire-rescue skid units using two different pumps—the WATERAX Versax centrifugal pump and the CAT Pumps high-pressure/low-volume pump,” Olson says. “We use high-quality UPF Poly® water tanks, RKO full flow stainless steel piping, and our Quick Quench Foam System when it is required.”
Kimball Johnson, president of Kimtek Corp., notes that Kimtek makes UTV and pickup-truck-mounted skid units from small budget models all the way up to high-pressure and UHP units on pickups. He says Kimtek makes the FIRELITE® FDHP-300 series high-pressure skid units. “All of the FDHP-300 series skid units are available in 125-, 160-, 200-, and 300-gallon configurations,” Johnson points out. “We offer four different pump options, and they are specially built to fit into most short or long beds on full-size pickup trucks or on a flatbed body. These include the Darley pumps powered by 6.5-, 9-, and 13-hp Honda engines and also the Darley 1.5AGE pump powered by a 13-hp engine. We also offer the Mercedes WICK pump in another configuration that can be removed from the skid and used as a portable pump.”
7 Kimtek makes a number of FIRELITE® fire and rescue skids. Shown is its FIRELITE Transport skid with a Darley Davey 9-hp Honda-driven electric start pump, hose reel, and rescue platform that it built for the Gallipolis (OH) Fire Department. (Photo 7 courtesy of Kimtek Corp.)
Johnson says that Kimtek also makes a UHP FIRELITE FDHP-400 series skid for fire departments looking for brush truck capabilities. “All of the FDHP-400 series truck skids are available in 125-, 160-, and 200-gallon configurations, and departments can choose from additional tool and hose storage options and even patient transport areas. The FIRELITE® series is built to fit into most full-size, short- or long-bed pickups or a flatbed body.”
Kimtek also makes several fire/EMS UTV units, including its most popular MEDLITE® Transport Deluxe that’s designed to carry one patient, one EMS attendant, and assorted emergency gear. Johnson says a long board is easily attached to the unit using 10 hook-and-loop fastener D loop straps that are included. “The attendant’s seat, with a seat belt, glides on wheels and is able to be locked in two different locations along the guide rails to meet any emergency situation,” he says. “It has 9 cubic feet of enclosed storage under the patient area for medical bags, trauma supplies, and oxygen, and the storage area has a slide-out tray. The unit comes standard with a retractable utility pole, oxygen holder to hold a standard size ‘D’ bottle with regulator, and a third attendant rail.”
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.
