Gas City (IN) Fire Department has recently taken delivery of a Rosenbauer pumper-tanker, making the rig the second Rosenbauer in the department’s fleet which includes a 115-foot Rosenbauer T-Rex aerial platform.
Nick Baker, Gas City’s chief, says the 28 volunteer firefighter department is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, serving a population of 7,000 from two stations that house the new pumper-tanker, the T-Rex, three Pierce engines, two Ford F-450 rescue trucks, one brush truck, a brush UTV (utility terrain vehicle), an EMS (emergency medical services) UTV, and a BLS (basic life support) ambulance.
“We are looking at the possibility of becoming a fire territory or a fire district, which would mean covering a much more rural area,” Baker said, “so the Rosenbauer pumper-tanker will be filling multiple roles for the future. We’ve made sure to equip it with the right amount of fire suppression equipment, and also battery-powered PPV (positive pressure ventilation) fans, battery saws and drills.”
Jeff Stigall, apparatus specialist for Sentinel Emergency Solutions, who sold the pumper-tanker to Gas City, says the rig is built on a Rosenbauer Commander 3318 chassis and 33-inch cab with seating for two firefighters with an 8-inch raised roof, powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 diesel engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission. The pumper-tanker has a Rosenbauer FX 3/16-inch aluminum body, hot-dipped galvanized frame rails, a 1,500-gallon per minute (gpm) Waterous CXVC20 pump, a 2,000-gallon UPF Poly®, and Akron Brass electric valves. Wheelbase on the rig is 158 inches, overall length is 28 feet 2 inches, and overall height is 11 feet 2 inches.
Baker points out that the pumper-tanker is equipped like a Type 1 engine. “Between the cab and the pump are two speedlays that each hold 200 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose,” he says. “There’s 150 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose preconnected in the front bumper, a deck gun, and a 5-inch discharge so we are able to connect with our engine with CAFS (compressed air foam system) to be able to make 9,000 gallons of foam product between the two trucks.”
Baker notes that the pumper-tanker’s hose bed holds 700 feet of 5-inch LDH (large diameter hose) and 700 feet of 3-inch double-jacket hose. “We have a portable water tank in a Rosenbauer rack on the right side of the pumper-tanker along with a couple of lengths of hard suction, and three ladders in an enclosed hose tunnel on the left side — a 24-foot extension, a 14-foot roof, and a 10-foot attic ladder,” he says. “We also carry two high rise packs that we use when responding to hotels and other commercial facilities.”
He says that the pumper-tanker only needed space for two firefighters in the cab “because our first out engine carries six firefighters in its cab, so there was no need for a larger cab on the pumper-tanker. We have a transverse compartment behind the cab where the driver and officer carry their turnout gear and SCBAs (self-contained breathing apparatus), as well as some spill containment kits.” The UPF water tank has three Newton 10-inch round remote control dump valves, one on each side and the third at the back, controllable from the truck cab, the pump panel or the rear of the rig, Baker adds.
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.
