E-ONE has delivered five Cyclone pumpers and two Cyclone 100-foot aerial ladder platforms to the Montgomery (AL) Fire Department, replacing one-third of the department’s apparatus fleet.
Milford Jordan, Montgomery’s chief, says, “We’ve never done a purchase of this size before, so for us it’s unusual and historic. It was all made possible by our mayor, Steven L. Reed, for his strong support and commitment to public safety. The department had gotten behind on replacement of apparatus, and Mayor Reed wanted to get the fleet modernized and allowed us to purchase what we needed.”
Jordan notes that Montgomery had been running straight stick aerial ladders and, prior to placing the order with E-ONE, discussed the differing capabilities of ladders vs. platforms. “We reviewed the pros and cons of each type,” he says, “and decided to go with aerial platforms because of their greater ability in performing rescues and giving crews greater situational awareness. We have a lot of high-rises in town and the downtown is growing with a lot of apartment complexes, so the rescue capability is so much better with a platform.”
1 E-ONE built five identical pumpers for the Montgomery (AL) Fire Department on Cyclone 4×2 chassis with raised roof cabs and seating for five firefighters. (Photos courtesy of Sunbelt Fire.)
department
Montgomery (AL) Fire Department
Strength: 490 full-time paid firefighters; 15 fire stations.
Service area: Provides fire, rescue, and EMS to the city, which is the capital of Montgomery County and makes up 88% of land area of the county. The city has a number of high-rise structures, including a 24-story building, several 15-story structures, and several 12-story and lesser height buildings; a Hyundai automotive plant; a BMW factory; and other related automotive facilities.
Other apparatus: 15 pumpers (five of which are Advanced Life Support paramedic engines), six 100-foot and 110-foot aerial ladders, four reserve aerial ladders, 12 ALS ambulances.
Thomas McLendon, president of Sunbelt Fire, which sold the platforms and pumpers to Montgomery, says the E-ONE 100-foot aerial platforms are built on Cyclone chassis and cabs with seating for five firefighters, four of them with H.O. Bostrom self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats. The aerial platforms have wheelbases of 245 inches, overall lengths of 44 feet 2 inches, and overall heights of 11 feet 10 inches and are powered by 550-horsepower (hp) Cummins X15 diesel engines and Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmissions.
He says the rigs have Task Force Tips remote-control monitors at the platforms and carry 188 feet of ground ladders, including two 35-foot two-section extension ladders, two 28-foot two-section extension ladders, one 20-foot roof ladder, two 16-foot roof ladders (one of which is on the aerial), and a 10-foot folding ladder on the aerial.
2 Each pumper has a Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm single-stage pump, a UPF Poly® III 530-gallon water tank, and a 30-gallon UPF foam tank.
3 Each pumper is powered by a 455-hp Cummins X12 diesel engine with a Jacobs engine compression brake and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission.
4 The hosebeds on the engines are set up to carry 700 feet of 5-inch LDH, 700 feet of 3-inch double-jacket hose, and 700 feet of 2½-inch double-jacket hose.
specs
E-ONE Cyclone Pumper
- Cyclone 4×2 chassis and raised roof cab
- Seating for five firefighters, four in H.O. Bostrom SCBA seats
- 455-hp Cummins X12 diesel engine
- Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission
- Hale Qmax 2,000-gpm single-stage pump
- 530-gallon UPF Poly® III L-shaped water tank
- 30-gallon UPF Poly integral foam tank
- Task Force Tips deck gun with 18-inch Extend-A-Gun
Jordan points out that Montgomery had E-ONE outfit the platform with a parapet ladder fixture, rappelling fixture and anchor points, and stokes basket fixture. “These platforms will allow us to do things that we couldn’t do with our straight stick aerials,” he says.
McLendon says the five pumpers are built on Cyclone 4×2 chassis and raised roof cabs with emergency medical services (EMS) cabinets and seating for five firefighters, four of them in H.O. Bostrom SCBA seats, powered by 455-hp Cummins X12 diesel engines with Jacobs engine compression brakes and Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmissions. Each pumper carries a Hale Qmax 2,000-gallon per minute (gpm) single-stage pump, a 530-gallon UPF Poly® III L-shaped water tank, and a 30-gallon UPF Poly integral foam tank.
Each E-ONE pumper has a Task Force Tips deck gun with an 18-inch Extend-A-Gun fixture, two 1¾-inch hose crosslays of 200 feet each, one 2½-inch 200-foot hose crosslay, a front bumper 1¾-inch hoseline, two 2½-inch discharges on the left pump panel, and two 2½-inch and one 3-inch discharges on the right pump panel, Jordan says. Each pumper also carries Holmatro battery-powered hydraulic rescue tools, as do the two aerial platforms.
specs
E-ONE Cyclone Aerial Ladder Platform
- Cyclone chassis and cab
- Seating for five firefighters, four in H.O. Bostrom SCBA seats
- 550-hp Cummins X15 diesel engine
- Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission
- 100-foot aerial ladder
- 245-inch wheelbase
- 44 feet 2 inches overall length
- 11 feet 10 inches overall height
- No pump or water tank
- Task Force Tips remote-control monitor on aerial platform
- 188 feet of ground ladders in enclosed storage compartment
5 The two 100-foot aerial platforms are on Cyclone chassis and cabs, powered by 550-hp Cummins X15 diesel engines and Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmissions.
6 Each platform has a Task Force Tips remote-control monitor at the tip.
7 The platforms each carry 188 feet of ground ladders.
8 The aerial platforms have red, white, and blue ladder lighting schemes.
The hosebeds on the engines each hold 700 feet of 5-inch large-diameter hose (LDH), 700 feet of 3-inch double-jacket hose, and 700 feet of 2½-inch double-jacket hose. Alco-Lite ground ladders are stored in a ladder tunnel through the water tank. These include one 24-foot two-section extension ladder, one 14-foot roof ladder, and one 10-foot attic ladder with feet as well as two pike poles and two backboards.
The pumpers each have a Vista IV display for the V-MUX electrical system and Voyager cameras at the rear, driver’s side, and officer’s side. The rigs carry Whelen Super LED warning lights, a Whelen Freedom IV 14-module LED light bar, a Golight white LED spotlight, a HiViz Fire Tech 35-inch 12-volt mini brow light with flood optics, and Amdor LED compartment lighting.
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.
