York (PA) Department of Fire/Rescue Services covers a five square mile area with a population of 44,000 residents in a city area that has some tight, narrow streets, as well as close alleys that need to be negotiated. The department was on schedule to replace an engine according to its 20-year plan, but an accident to a pumper caused the department to spec two engines at the same time. The winning bidder for the rigs was E-ONE.
Bill Sleeger, York’s chief, says the department’s protection area is a mix of residential and commercial structures. “We run three engines and one truck, with our engines being first response rigs with EMTs (emergency medical technicians) who respond to major Class 1 calls like severe traumas, cardiac calls, and shootings.”
Larry Daniels, E-ONE’s director of sales, says that the two pumpers are built on Typhoon chassis and medium cabs with seating for four firefighters, three in H.O. Bostrom SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) seats, and 304L stainless steel bodies and painted roll-up doors, powered by 450-horsepower (hp) diesel engines, and Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmissions. He notes they have Waterous CSU 1,500-gallon per minute (gpm) pumps, and 780-gallon polypropylene water tanks.
Daniels says the pumpers each have two single-stack cross lays above the pump panel, four rear preconnects, and a Task Force Tips Hurricane deck gun monitor with a TFT Extend-A-Gun with an electronic controller. He says the hose bed has a hose load capacity, looking at it from driver’s to officer’s side, of: 200 feet of 2-1/2-inch hose, 200 feet of 2-1/2-inch hose, 200 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose, 1,000 feet of 5-inch LDH (large diameter hose), 300 feet of 3-inch hose, 200 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose, and 300 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose.
Mike Jamison, sales manager for Fire Line Equipment, who sold the pumpers to York, says the department told him that they wanted rigs that were short and maneuverable, with overall lengths under 29 feet, manual pump valves, and a 750 gallon water tank. “The department told us they wanted basic firefighting engines that could handle all fire suppression situations,” he says. Wheelbase on each of the pumpers came in at 157 inches, overall length at 28 feet 1 inch, and overall height at 9 feet 4 inches, he adds.
Sleeger points out that a low hose bed was another requirement that York had for its new pumpers. “We also wanted a 5-inch intake on the front bumper, which was something new for us,” he says. “We’re very pleased with the pumpers, which are the first new pumper deliveries for us in 10 years.”
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.
