The La Pointe Fire Department is one of the more unique fire departments in the state of Wisconsin, situated on a 14-mile-long, 3-mile-wide island on Lake Superior whose only access is by a 2.2-mile ferry ride.
The department covers a commercial area, a yacht club, marinas, and a lot of residential developments in wooded areas with tight, winding driveways.
Rick Reichkeitzer, La Pointe’s chief, says the department suffered a huge blow four years ago when a fire destroyed the fire station and adjoining garage that housed 13 vehicles and pieces of apparatus. “We got donations from other departments to replace vehicles and equipment, with a lot of donated rigs coming from other Wisconsin departments,” Reichkeitzer says. “That included a 1992 Ford General pumper that we recently wanted to replace. We educated our town board on the need for a new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) compliant engine and went with CustomFIRE right from the start.”
He notes, “Because we are on an island, we have to be self-sufficient. If we are calling for mutual-aid help, it means that we are working a fire in full defensive mode.” Reichkeitzer adds that the department also fields the top ice rescue team in the area, using a pickup truck pulling a 20-foot airboat powered by a small-block Chevy engine, which has a three-firefighter crew, including an emergency medical technician (EMT).
1 CustomFIRE built this top-mount pumper on a Spartan FC-94 chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters for the La Pointe (WI) Fire Department. (Photos courtesy of CustomFIRE.)
2 The pumper has a Waterous CSU20 1,250-gpm pump, a 1,250-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, a FoamPro 2022 single-agent Class A foam system, an FRC PumpBoss pressure governor, and a Trident Air oilless auto primer.
3 The pump panel on the La Pointe engine.
4 The La Pointe pumper’s hosebed carries 1,000 feet of 4-inch LDH and 1,000 feet of 3-inch dead lay.
Specs
CustomFIRE Top-Mount Pumper
- Spartan FC-94 chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters, five in SCBA seats
- Stainless steel body and subframe
- Waterous CSU20 1,250-gpm rear-drive midship top-mount pump
- 1,250-gallon water tank
- 20-gallon foam tank
- FoamPro 2002 single-agent Class A foam system
- FRC PumpBoss pressure governor
- Trident Air oilless auto primer
Wayde Kirvida, CustomFIRE’s sales engineer, says La Pointe wanted a pumper with as short an overall length as possible for greater maneuverability but also wanted a top-mount pump to give the operator greater visibility on a scene. The rig CustomFIRE built for La Pointe is on a Spartan FC-94 chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters, five of them in self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats, with a stainless steel subframe, stainless steel body, and roll-up doors covering all compartments.
La Pointe (WI) Fire Department
Strength: 30 volunteer firefighters, one station.
Service area: Covers a 14-mile-long and 3-mile-wide island on Lake Superior with a year-round population of 450 and a summer population of 3,000.
Other apparatus: Pierce 750/500 pumper; one pumper-tanker; three 2,000-gallon tankers; one heavy rescue truck; a trailer with a 750-gpm pump to fill tankers; two ambulances, one pickup truck; 20-foot airboat.
Kirvida says the engine has a Waterous CSU20 1,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) rear drive top-mount pump, a 1,250-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, a FoamPro 2002 single-agent Class A foam system, an FRC PumpBoss pressure governor, and a Trident Air oilless auto primer. The rig has a wheelbase of 210 inches, an overall length of 35 feet 7 inches, and an overall height of 10 feet 9 inches and is powered by a Cummins 380-horsepower (hp) L9 engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission.
Tyler Andreas, chairman of La Pointe’s apparatus committee, says the department can fight fire from all sides of the new pumper. “We have three crosslays under the pump panel walkway,” he notes, “including two 200-foot 1¾-inch hose crosslays and one 200-foot 2½-inch hose crosslay.” He says the engine carries 200 feet of 2½-inch hose and 200 feet of 3-inch hose in the extended front bumper, two 2½-inch discharges off the rear, and one 2½-inch discharge on each side of the pump panel.
The rig also has 5-inch and 2½-inch rear suction inlets, Andreas points out, and the hosebed has adjustable dividers, carries 1,500 feet of 4-inch large-diameter hose (LDH), and carries 600 feet of 3-inch hose dead lay. “We’ll drop 1,000 feet of 4-inch LDH down a tight driveway to a fire and use a second pumper to supply the first in at the scene,” he observes.
Kirvida says the new La Pointe top-mount pumper has slide-in ladder and hard suction hose storage from the rear, adjustable shelving in the compartments, pull-out and swing-out tool boards, and an SCBA storage compartment. “The pumper also has a rear camera with a 7-inch display, a Cast Products electronic siren and speaker, Whelen LED emergency lighting, Whelen LED scene lights, TecNiq LED step lights, and TecNiq LED walkway lights.”
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.
