Hallam Fire Department purchased a Type 6 quick attack/wildland pumper from Weis Fire & Safety Equipment LLC in 2015, and when Hallam decided it needed a second unit it again turned to Weis for a near-identical rig.
Mike Weis, owner of Weis Fire and Safety, says that when the Hallam truck committee asked him about building a second quick attack/wildland truck, he met with them, determined their specific needs, and made some changes to the prior design to better suit the department’s operations. “There were subtle changes in the new truck,” Weis notes, “with slight modifications to the compartments, and adding Hi Viz Fire Tech LED horizontal scene lighting instead of telescoping scene lights.”
Tim Bruder, Hallam’s assistant chief, points out that Hallam covers 50 square miles of a mostly rural fire district with 25 volunteer firefighters operating out of a single station. In addition to its newest Weis quick attack/wildland Type 6, Hallam runs a Type 1 pumper with a 1,750-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump and 750-gallon water tank, a pumper-tanker with a 1,250-gpm pump and 3,000-gallon water tank, a Weis Type 6 wildland unit on a four-wheel drive Ford F-450, a pickup truck outfitted as a brush truck, and an ambulance. “We have a lot of brush and wildland fires and a lot of wind in our area,” Bruder observes, “and for the past month and a half we’ve been in red flag conditions. We also have multiple terrain issues to account for, with lots of hills and ditches, and also small lakes.”
Because of those terrain issues, Bruder says Hallam chose to outfit its new quick attack/wildland pumper with four-wheel drive and Super Singles wheels and tires. “The Super Singles give the truck great ground clearance, as well as very strong torque,” Bruder notes.
Weis says the new Type 6 quick attack/wildland truck built for Hallam is on a Ford F-450 four-wheel-drive chassis and extended Super Cab, powered by a Power Stroke 330-horsepower (hp) 6.7-liter turbo diesel engine. The rig has a Hale HPX200-KBD 24 pump that has pump-and-roll capability, a UPF 300-gallon water tank, top-mounted pump controls, two red rubber one-inch booster whip lines equipped with Task Force Tips DQS40P pistol grip nozzles in the 20-inch wide walkway that’s protected by swing gates, a rear-mounted electric rewind Hannay booster reel with 100 feet of one-inch booster hose, two ground sweep nozzles with KZCO electric valves, and a Task Force Tips Tornado bumper-mounted monitor controlled by an in-cab joystick.
Weis notes that the vehicle’s cab has seating for two, and that Hallam wanted the drop-down seats in the extended cab removed. “We fabricated a custom conversion for them with a backboard on the rear wall for mounting equipment,” Weis says. “We mounted SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) brackets with retention strips on the backboard, installed 110-volt outlets, and an EMS (emergency medical services) cabinet.”
Bruder points out that the new Type 6 serves as a multi-purpose response unit, handling wildland and brush fires, rescues, motor vehicle accidents, and medical calls. “We’re very pleased with the performance of this truck,” he says.
Lighting on the Type 6 includes a Whelen Justice 56-inch light bar, Hi Viz Mini Brow LED scene lights (two 30-inch and three 10-inch), Whelen Mini-T-ION LED flashing lights, Whelen L31 series LED beacons, and underbody ground lights.
The rig also has a Whelen 100-watt siren and speaker, a Ramsey 9,000-pound quick-mount winch, rear bumper-mounted pull-out and drop-down steps, a heavy-duty full-replacement front bumper, a Kussmaul Supercharge 1000 auto-eject plug, a rear tool compartment with pull-out tray, and custom compartments covered by Hansen brushed aluminum roll-up doors.
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.
