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| Crimson Fire has built an impressive combination pumper/tanker for the Sister Bay & Liberty Grove Fire Rescue Department. (Crimson Photo) |
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| Sister Bay’s pump panel was one of the most outstanding at the FDIC show. There are no discharges or intakes near the pump operator and tools are located in front of the operator. It’s equipped with Fire Research combined pressure/flow meters and electric valve controls. |
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| Crimson Fire took time to think about the plumbing on Sister Bay’s rear-mount pumper tanker. Note how neat the water will flow from the valves to the discharges. The serviceability of this pump and plumbing is outstanding. |
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| The front bumper of Sister Bay’s apparatus is used fully with preconnect discharges and a preconnected suction line with the strainer attached for portable tanks. (Fire Apparatus Photos by Bob Barraclough) |
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| Preconnects are mounted low which, means they are easy to deploy and firefighters do not have to climb on the rig to pull them or for repacking. |
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| The whole pump module can be quickly moved to the rear of the truck for service by disconnecting a few hoses and the pump drive line and cranking the component back. |
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| Most apparatus use a standard household distribution box for electrical systems. Sister Bay has an electrical distribution box, custom made by Crimson Fire, that is waterproof and extremely well done. |
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| Sister Bay’s emergency medical supplies and miscellaneous storage boxes are securely fastened. The arrangement inside the cab is very efficient and well thought out. |
One truck shown at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC)trade show this stood out as really imaginative and innovative was the Sister Bay & Liberty Grove Fire Rescue department’s new Crimson Fire pumper/tanker.
The rear-mount, fully-loaded and equipped unit came with a $700,000 price tag, but it has things firefighters only dream about and something most wouldn’t even think about, including a modular pump house that glides back on the frame rails to provide access for servicing and repairs.
Many show attendees stopped in their tracks, to gawk at the large gap between the pump panel and rest of the apparatus. It almost looked like the pump module was being towed.
Jim Salmi, president of Crimson Fire, simply smiled when quizzed about the unique apparatus, which was destined to serve Sister Bay, Wis.
“The customer wanted access and we provided it,” Salmi said gazing into the great divide. “Do you recognize those?” he asks pointing to glide plates with rollers mounted on the frame rail. “They’re the same ones we use on our aerial.”
The entire pump module, which fills the rear end, moves back with the assistance of a large screw mechanism. A specially made crank wheel can be fitted into a slot in the rear of the apparatus to crank the pump module back.
Moveable Pump Module
“We call that our prop,” quipped Sister Bay & Liberty Grove Fire Chief Chris Hecht, pointing at the two-foot round wheel. It has the Crimson Fire logo in the middle neatly fitted into a tripod stand and slipped into the rear of the apparatus.
Sister Bay and Liberty Grove are located near the end of the Wisconsin peninsula, on the Lake Michigan shores of Green Bay nearly surrounded by water, so an apparatus with a prop, while impractical, might cause one to stop and think for a minute.
Crimson Fire has trademarked two features of the moveable pump module and applied for patents on the technology. SmartPump Access provides four-way entry into the pump module to improve maintenance and reduce down time. And the trademarked Glideback feature is a patent-pending option the company is now featuring in its lineup.
Hecht said that because his area is plagued with “hard water” pump maintenance is a top priority. For the past few years, he’s been able to have his children squeeze into tight areas with tools to effect repairs.
“They’re getting too big now,” Hecht said. “So we had to do something different.”
Salmi said that, from a manufacturer’s point of view, building a truck like the Sister Bay & Liberty Grove unit has some advantages.
“We had a crew working on just the pump module while the rest of the apparatus was being constructed,” Salmi said. “We just slid the two components together when it was time.”
While the Glideback module is the most unusual feature of the Sister Bay & Liberty Grove apparatus, its innovation doesn’t stop there.
The apparatus is built on a Spartan Motors Gladiator MFD cab and chassis, with tandem rear axles, powered by a Caterpillar 525 hp engine. For the nuts and bolts of firefighting, it has a Waterous 2,000 gpm pump, a 2,000-gallon tank, a 120-gallon foam cell and a compressed air foam system.
Hecht said he protects an area filled with homes on long driveways and difficult-to-access locations. Being on a peninsula, the community is filled with long dead-end roads too. Therefore, the department needs big tanks and big pumps to bring everything in on one vehicle. Clogging up the scene with multiple vehicles isn’t an option in those situations.
“In the rural areas, we need to bring it all with us,” he said.
The decision to go to a rear-mount pump “just made sense” when the department members started talking about what they needed. Having the working part of the apparatus at the rear makes it easier to operate.
The diagrammatic operators’ panel was one of the most outstanding exhibited at FDIC. It has no discharges or intakes near where the pump operator stands and tools and adapters are conveniently located where they’ll be used. The panel features electric valve controls and Fire Research combined pressure and flow meters.
Around the back of the apparatus is a trademarked SmartStep rear tailboard that slides in and out for extra clearance when not needed. Crimson even laser cut Sister Bay and Engine 6 into the tailboard, complete with lighting behind each.
Hecht said he is particularly impressed with Crimson’s attention to detail on his apparatus.
Opening up the electrical distribution box in an officer’s side compartment, he points out the craftsmanship exhibited in the custom-made, waterproof container. The wires are neatly arranged, precisely installed and color-coded.
“That took someone a lot of time and they put a lot of pride in that,” he said.
Even the cab is set up out with an emergency medical supply cabinet, an occupant intercom system, portable radios in chargers and flashlights at each seat.
“There isn’t an inch on this apparatus that hasn’t been well thought out and used to the fullest,” Salmi said.
At the front, the extended bumper is just as loaded with two discharges and a front suction with a preconnected hard suction hose and strainer for immediate drafting.
A front suction is important for Sister Bay as many of the places to draft water require nose-in positioning.
In fact, the department has one apparatus it can drive directly into the lake or water source to establish a water supply.
The pumper/tanker carries an ample amount of large-diameter hose and all preconnect hose beds are low for easy deployment and to keep firefighters off the top of the rig for repacking.
Choosing Crimson Fire to build the unique apparatus was not difficult, Chief Hecht said. The department solicited bids and had several manufacturers submit proposals.
It so happens that Crimson Fire was the low bid, but that wasn’t the objective. Hecht said he knew what the department sought was very custom and expected the price tag to be commensurate with the requested features.
“Fire apparatus ought to be turnkey and have everything you need or will need,” Hecht said. “When an apparatus has a life of 25 to 30 years the initial price is not that critical.”
The price as bid was $652,000, but the final price with equipment was closer to $700,000. Salmi confirmed that $700,000 was a more realistic price to duplicate the apparatus.
Sister Bay’s Engine 6 joins a fleet of nine engines, two pumpers, two tankers, a platform aerial and a late-model Saulsbury combination pumper/tanker as well as smaller vehicles for brush fires and other duties. The department, which has a roster of about 40 volunteer members, staffs two stations.
For information call 605-582-4000 or go to www.crimson-fire.com.
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