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| SVI Trucks has built a 4-wheel drive heavy rescue for the Inter-Canyon Fire/Rescue crew to handle incidents in the rugged terrain in and around Morrison, Colo. It’s built on a Spartan Gladiator cab and chassis with a 525 hp Caterpillar engine. (SVI Trucks Photo) |
When an Inter-Canyon Fire/Rescue crew in Morrison, Colo., responds, they could be rolling over anything from an interstate highway to a wilderness Forest Service road, from relatively flat to mountainous terrain, in summer heat to heavy snow conditions.
As a result, their latest 4-wheel-drive heavy rescue vehicle, built by SVI Trucks, was designed to meet a variety of needs across their 100 square miles of service area, 10 miles west of Denver, at elevations from 6,000 to 9,000 feet. The $420,000 SVI replaced a 1981 International medium rescue vehicle. “Everything is much more user friendly than what we had before,” said Deputy Chief Mark Adams. “In addition, the handling is superb. The only difference is that the driver certification for the new rig is more complex than for the old one.”
The capability of the vehicle to also serve as an incident command post (ICP) was a critical factor in selling the idea to Inter-Canyon’s Fire District Board, he said. “Until this heavy rescue unit arrived,” he said, “we often set up our ICP on folding card tables or the back of some other smaller vehicle.”
The previous vehicle had an A-frame boom that was fixed, according to Adams, and the truck could not be moved once the boom was in place. The new unit boasts a mounted crane system for steep terrain and mountain rescue. The crane lifts rope systems into the anchoring locations built into the top of the truck, and it provides for lifting the rope system above the roadbed, keeping the ropes above rescuers and out of the work area. As a result, Adams said moving victims becomes both easier and gentler as they approach the vehicle.
Additional anchor points are available near ground level and are built-in rather than retrofitted. Another use for the crane system, he said, is in a stabilizing situation, where safety is improved by keeping cables above the crew and out of the work area.
Cabinets On Top
A collection of long cabinets is located atop the truck. The cabinet immediately in front of the crane contains all the associated high-angle rescue gear. Other cabinets hold a scoop stretcher for high-angle rescue and long tools such as struts, shovels and pike poles. Another cabinet holds six backboards for mass-causality situations.
Another specialty item lodged in the long rectangular cabinet, directly to the left of the crane, is a yurt. This tent shelter is used for mass-causality events. It comes with a fan for cooling victims in hot weather and a heater for warming them in winter conditions.
The integrated staircase is unique, according to Adams. It was designed for protection against winter conditions for the crane operator and others working on top of the rig. It also gives safer access to the top cabinets in bad weather.
Other Features
There are also cabinets built in between the stairs. Above the first step is a cabinet for a 12,000-pound winch. The second step cabinet contains winch blocks. The third has long tools, and the fourth houses a 24-foot extension ladder, attic ladder and roof ladders. The stairway also provides a platform for working with the crane and the high-angle anchors.
Other features Adams noted include a higher capacity cascade system with 6,000-pound capacity. A pull-out step below each cabinet makes for easier access to the upper shelves. Also, each cabinet has pull-out shelves.
Communications in the command area includes low-band 800 MHz VHF/VHF radios and cell phone. Future plans include a wireless laptop.
Adams attributes the success of obtaining the apparatus to good planning. “We used the history of past calls and potential of future calls over anything from Forest Service roads to interstate highways,” he said. The department’s needs were championed by members of the Inter-Canyon Fire District Board. The members are elected, and the board is authorized to obligate funds for the fire/rescue department on behalf of the taxpayers.
Bob Chamberlain is the president of the board. He explained how strategic planning came together with funding needs to provide the heavy rescue apparatus. “The Board has a truck committee with 5- and 10-year plans. A key in the strategic plan is the International Safety Organization’s (ISO) rating of fire/rescue departments. ISO provides their rating to insurance companies, and that rating affects the rate residents pay for insurance.”
One consideration used by ISO is availability of heavy rescue, and for that reason, heavy rescue was put into the Inter-Canyon’s plan. Prior to the arrival of the heavy rescue vehicle, the departments ISO rating was a 9, according to Chamberlain, and it improved to an 8. This was due to the vehicle, itself, and the increased equipment it is capable of handling, he said. The improved rating, he said, pays big dividends in an area where the number of million dollar homes is growing.
Convincing Taxpayers
Another strength of the plan that enabled board members to convince taxpayers of the need for a heavy rescue vehicle was that it could also serve as an incident command post, he said.
Bob Sorensen, SVI’s vice president of sales, related what the company does to try to make sure a plan becomes reality.
“The key is in knowing the budget ahead of time,” he said. “Some departments don’t want to show their hand too early. Inter-Canyon was up front so we were able to be the successful bidder and come in within budget.”
Another key is having good drawings. After the bidding process, SVI turns two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional drawings so the client can see all the equipment in place. It becomes much easier for customers to make changes at that stage, before the construction begins. SVI e-mails drawings to customers, and they can tour their virtual vehicles, seeing all the major tools in place. As a result, Sorensen said major surprises are eliminated.
SVI, based in Loveland, Colo., has a secure Web site, and the company posts pictures so customers can see their vehicles being built. It is a new way of communicating that complements actual inspection visits, he said.
Cab Command Center
The SVI Inter-Canyon heavy rescue vehicle has seating for four. The cab command center has a custom “L” shaped desk that runs along the street-side of the compartment and ends with a short section behind the driver’s seat. Next to the desk are two attack crew seats, backing up against the driver’s center console and the first officer’s seat. The command center also has overhead cabinets, radio consoles, custom cabinets for a microwave, Streamlight flashlights and a David Clark intercom system. The command cab area is also used for back-boarded patients in severe weather.
Inter-Canyon’s Web site (www.intercanyonfire.org) provides a virtual tour of its latest heavy rescue vehicle (Rescue 680). The virtual tour function had been limited to department members and was previously used only for training purposes. It is now available to the public.
The SVI heavy rescue vehicle has been operating since February 2006. It’s built on a Spartan Gladiator classic LFD with a 20-inch raised roof. Other specifics include gross vehicle weight rating of 44,000 pounds, a 201.5-inch wheelbase, 20,000 and 22,000 Arvin Meritor axles front and rear respectively, a Caterpillar C13 525 hp engine coupled with an Allison 4000EVS transmission.
The overall dimensions of the rig are 31 feet, 11.5 inches long, 8 feet, 4inches wide and 11 feet, 2.5 inches high. The 18-foot-long, 3/16-inch formed aluminum walk-around body has one transverse 1,000-pound slide-out tray, four 1,000-pound slide-out trays, three 250-pound out-down trays, three 500-pound slide-out trays, adjustable shelving, transverse module for stokes basket, air bag storage, and two tool boards.
Other equipment includes one 120-volt electric reel, one 240-volt electric reel, one low pressure air reel, two hydraulic reels, Amkus power unit, Eagle Sidewinder X2 SCBA fill station with a module for 10 spare bottles, and four DOT air cylinders,
It also has fire extinguisher mounting, rear stairway with integrated compartments, a rear-mounted 12,000-pound winch, pike pole/ladder storage, curbside mounted 2,000-pound crane, upper body compartments, and one 9,000-watt Command Light light tower with backlighting.
Power is provided by an Onan 30,000-watt pto generator and distribution is achieved with interior and exterior outlets, one 120-volt electric reel with 175 feet of 10/3 cable, and one 240-volt electric reel with 200 feet of 10/4 cable.
For information call 888-784-1112 or go to www.svitrucks.com.
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