FA Viewpoints | If You Had to Design a Stock Pumper, What Would You Specify?

Stock Pumper Spec? Multiple Answers

By Bill Adams

This question has multiple answers—each correct in the eyes of the beholder. Stock apparatus are directed at specific markets. Regardless of intended location, they’re designed for profitability and ease in selling. Barely National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) compliant, stock pumpers on commercial chassis with large booster tanks are directed at financially strapped customers. They can extinguish fires; however, it is debatable if a bare-bones stripped-down pumper can efficiently and safely do so for every fire department.

Stock pumpers with intermediate size pumps and tanks, more than minimum compartmentation and hose connections, and limited optional features appeal to a wider market. Some dealers and apparatus manufacturers (OEMs) offer job-specific stock rigs for particular locales.

Fire departments purchasing stock apparatus might inadvertently sacrifice essential features as well as contending with some not needed. The allure of low cost and quick delivery could unintentionally alter purchasers’ priorities and negatively impact fireground operations.

Another type of stock pumper is when commentators inject personal and biased opinions, similar to me favoring multiple rear hose connections, preconnecting all discharges, and operational flexibility. My rig is not designed as a pumper-rescue, paramedic-pumper, pumper-tanker, or some hybrid wildland interface pumper. It may not appeal to urban departments with hydrants every couple hundred feet or to rural departments where a thunderstorm is their only water source. And, it is not intended to be the lowest cost pumper on the continent.

It is designed for my perception of average suburban departments with fire hazards ranging from residential to congested villages and perhaps mixed commercial and manufacturing. The primary function is delivering water to a fire in multiple ways. The design allows in-house modifications whether necessitated by growth; fireground experiences; new innovations; or, in the case of volunteer entities, a new fire chief every few years.

Priority is firefighter safety and ease of operation including with limited staffing regardless of their vocation. There are no hose connections on the pump operator’s panel or preconnected hose above or immediately next to it. A hosebed walkway facilitates safe reloading and access to the pump house dunnage area.

Compartmentation for ancillary equipment is not addressed—it being secondary to providing multiple efficient ways of delivering water. Not-to-exceed overall length, height, and wheelbase dimensions and a pump house size required for piping will dictate how much room is left for compartments. Provide adjustable shelving tracks only.

Commentators, OEMs, and dealers do not have the right to dictate fireground operations. When designing stock apparatus, we all inadvertently do so when predetermining fixed sizes and capacities of crosslays, hosebeds, enclosed ladder storage tunnels, as well as the quantity, sizes, and locations of hose connections. My intent is flexibility without breaking the bank. OEMs’ literature and blueprints were reviewed to prevent eliminating potential manufacturers from building the rig. The following are conceptual specifications only; they’re just theoretical.

CHASSIS

• Five-seat custom chassis flat cab; 450-hp motor and automatic transmission.
• Maximum 190-inch to 200-inch wheelbase.
• Maximum 390-inch overall length and 114-inch overall height.
• Sirens and air horns recessed in a 24-inch extended front bumper (flat apron, no compartments).
• Multiple two-piece hold-down straps on bumper to secure hose.
• Self-contained breathing apparatus seats for officer and three firefighters.

BODY

• Flatback rear panel; no beavertails; full-width 18-inch tailboard.
• Access ladder above open rear compartment to hosebed floor.
• Wide auxiliary step each side of rear compartment outboard of large-diameter hose (LDH) connections.
• Wide auxiliary step each side above rear LDH connections.
• Wide auxiliary step above the two upper rear discharges each side.
• Full-width auxiliary step each side of access ladder at hosebed floor.
• Rear lower-level warning and chassis lights mounted horizontally just above the tailboard.

COMPARTMENTS

• One left-hand side (LHS) full-height ahead of wheelwell; half-depth upper, full-depth lower.
• One LHS full-height over wheelwell; half-depth.
• One LHS full-height behind wheelwell; half-depth upper, full-depth lower.
• One right-hand side (RHS) low-side ahead of wheelwell, full-depth.
• One RHS low-side behind wheelwell, full-depth.
• One rear between/below frame rails; no door.
• One recessed in forward portion of pump house about 25 inches wide with hosebed flooring 66 inches from ground level; vertical hinged door each side; lift-up cover on top. (See photos 3 and 4 for the same area used for dry crosslays at https://bit.ly/4b8s6SA.)

HOSEBED

• About 152 inches long, 72 inches wide, and 24 inches deep.
• Each tier in the hosebed should hold 400 to 500 feet of 1¾-inch to 2½-inch or 350 to 450 feet of 3-inch or LDH (slightly less where tank fill tower is located).
• Walkway extends to pump house dunnage area.
• Three full-length bed dividers LHS of access ladder.
• Three dividers RHS of walkway to boxed-in tank fill tower.

T-SHAPED BOOSTER TANK

• 1,000-gallon capacity; bottom corners notched above frame rails for rear LDH piping each side.
• Each bottom corner of Ts notched for 3-inch piping each side.
• Sleeves for 2½-inch piping about 6 inches above/inboard of the 3-inch each side.
• Tank extends to rear body panel; fill tower at front RHS corner.

LADDERS AND HARD SLEEVES

• RHS full-height vertically adjustable storage.
• Two hard sleeves on top; one each roof and extension ladder on bottom.
• Initially set ladders 10 inches above compartment top for hotel pack hose storage.
• Multiple two-piece hold-down straps on compartment top to secure hose.

PUMP

• Single-stage 1,500-gpm; midship pump house.
• LHS operator’s panel with 6-inch master and 3½-inch individual gauges.
• Single-agent foam system with foam tank in dunnage area above pump house.
• Interchangeable noncolor-coded, screw-on discharge identification labels.

6-INCH SUCTION INLETS

• Handwheel controlled at pump panel; no 6-inch LHS or 2½-inch suctions.
• One 6-inch through face of front bumper with 6-inch NST cap.
• One 6-inch rear LHS above frame rail with NST-to-Storz LDH adapter, swiveling elbow and cap.
• One 6-inch RHS pump panel with NST-to-Storz LDH adapter, swiveling elbow and cap.
• Three loose 2½-inch NST swiveling female reducers; one for each 6-inch suction.

DISCHARGES

• Rear RHS above frame rail; piped/valved 4-inch with Storz LDH adapter, elbow, and cap.
• Two 3-inch to rear, one each side under tank Ts at or below the height of the RHS compartment top; LHS with leader line wye.
• One 3-inch to RHS pump house with Storz LDH adapter, elbow, and cap.
• 2½-inch to rear, one each side just above/inboard of each 3-inch discharge.
• 2½-inch on front bumper with swiveling elbow with leader line wye.
• 2½-inch RHS pumphouse with leader line wye.
• 2½-inch to deck gun in dunnage area above pump.

INITIAL PRECONNECT LAYOUTS

• Front bumper: two 150-foot 1¾-inch handlines off leader line wye strapped to apron.
• Rear preconnects are single stacked.
• Bed #1 rear LHS: 200-foot 2½-inch handline.
• Bed #2 rear LHS: 200-foot 1¾-inch handline off 3-inch discharge leader line wye.
• Bed #3 rear LHS: 1,500 feet of nonpreconnected 5-inch LDH (four tiers).
• About a 20-inch-wide walkway with this hose load.
• Bed #4 rear RHS: 200-foot 2½-inch handline.
• Bed #5 rear RHS: 200-foot 3-inch line with ground monitor.

FLEXIBILITY

• Preconnects can be easily added, moved, relocated, or locations switched.
• An 1¾-inch or 2½-inch handline or the ground monitor can be moved to or added above the RHS compartments where hotel packs are usually stored and preconnected to the RHS 2½-inch discharge. Store monitor on pump house running board.
• Delete or move front bumper preconnects and add or relocate a 2½-inch preconnect or the preconnected ground monitor (monitor flow might be questionable).
• Removing hinged vertical doors on the pump house compartment allows dry hose storage or the hotel packs to be accessible from one or both sides.
• Dry hose can be under or in front of each rear preconnect.
• Stack preconnects on top of each other—it’ll work (i.e., add second 1¾-inch handline in Bed #2).
• Rear discharges are reachable from ground facilitating a “pull and break” stretch or adding to a preconnect.
• Mount rear preconnect nozzles, ground monitor, or open butts on rear panel outboard of access ladder each side reachable from ground level.
• Extend rear preconnect pull-loops to above hose connections; secure with pull-apart hook-and-loop straps.
• Adapt to different hose widths on front bumper and RHS compartment top with hold-down straps.
• Adapt to different hose widths in hosebed by sliding dividers (add or delete walkway width).
• Need another hard sleeve? Store it above LHS compartments.
• Need extra space for hose storage? Grudgingly reduce my walkway width or eliminate it.

BE OBJECTIVE

Remember, this is a conceptual design—it is theoretical. It hasn’t been tweaked with OEMs to determine if a full-bodied manifolded pump or a single-suction pedestal pump is better, what size valves and piping are best for anticipated flows, what the front to rear weight ratio is, what the recommended axle weight ratings are, or what would be the angles of approach and departure, etc.

Do not look at Ricky Riley’s, an OEM’s, a dealer’s, or my stock pumper design with the intent of how you would change it. Evaluate every stock rig from the viewpoint of how—and if—you can use it. City Hall may decide to purchase a low-cost stock rig regardless of if it may be detrimental to the safe and efficient operation of your fire department. Good luck!

BILL ADAMS is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board, a former fire apparatus salesman, and a past chief of the East Rochester (NY) Fire Department. He has 50 years of experience in the volunteer fire service.

If You Had to Design a Stock Pumper, What Would You Specify?

By Ricky Riley

As fire apparatus prices continue to rise, and delivery times are still well over two years, even die-hard custom fire apparatus purchasers could be looking toward stock units. We can only hope that the manufacturers can find a way to cut down on these delivery times and the unexpected and unbudgeted after-contract signing price increases/costs passed on to the buyer. A number of departments are out of the running for a custom rig based on the number of options and special pricing that comes with a custom purchase.

So, even though many departments have a standard rig they buy that may involve a detailed specification, I think all of us are looking for a way to get a comparable rig for lower cost and, more importantly, with reduced delivery time. These are available with a stock unit purchase or a program rig, both of which have the builder producing an apparatus that is a generic rig with very few options and special designs, thus helping lower the cost and getting a rig to your department in a much shorter time.

Most stock units or program trucks are financed and built by the manufacturer and then put out for sale through its dealer network. As dealer networks grow, and the dealer finds a way to please customers, we have seen big dealers starting to finance and build their own stock units from their OEMs for which they are authorized to sell. That way they can build the stock rigs to meet the demand in their area, the departments they service, and the geographic style of apparatus in their area.

So, it becomes important for these stock units—regardless if they are built by the OEM or the dealers—to be designed for functionality and to be sold quickly. Two of the biggest questions that will need to be answered are on a ladder truck/tower and the engine. Does the truck/tower have a pump and tank? On the engine company side, what is the tank size and pumping capacity?

For Northeast departments, the use of a pump and tank on a ladder truck/tower is not needed, and an emphasis on more ground ladders is usually the demand. So, this usually rules these departments out on stock units as the vast majority of those are built as quints. It was even hard for me to type the word quint let alone think about buying a stock unit or not. But, quints do have a place in many departments because of department size, staffing levels, operational deployment, and response matrix. That does not mean we cannot get a quint to meet the demands of a majority of departments.

Some of the must-haves in my world would be a small 300-gallon tank, minimal supply line, and just one or two attack lines. And, those attack lines should not interfere with the scrub surface of the ladder or tower at 0 degrees or below. Enhance the ground ladder complement beyond the 115 feet of ground ladders called for by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1900, Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles, Automotive Fire Apparatus, Wildland Fire Apparatus, and Automotive Ambulances, to a respectable 160 feet of ladders at least. Spec a small hydraulic generator to support fans, lights, and tools, even if a majority of those are now battery-operated. It is always good to have the backup plan built on the rig.

The motor and transmission will need to properly power the rig through your area. Even as good as the torque rating and power stats for the motor are, there are still departments that will need to deal with hills, wide open spaces, and terrain that will require a bigger motor than the standard power unit placed in a number of stock/program trucks.

As we move to engines being produced as stock/program rigs, there are a number of options and designs to meet before purchasing a stock unit. Water tank size is the main point for most departments. While the 750-gallon tank range has been the norm for a number of rigs, the engineering teams at the builders have worked hard to achieve that 750-gallon tank with a much lower hosebed than before and the ability to have ample storage on both sides of the rig, making a stock unit a little bit more attractive for even urban departments. Many bigger departments request a number of options that are not the norm on stock units. These include a low hosebed, ground ladders that are reachable by all size firefighters, space for EMS equipment, plenty of charging ports for numerous tools and equipment, and the ability to store high-rise packs/racks in a position to allow for easy and ergonomic removal from the rig. The amount of supply line and attack lines that will need to be carried has to be considered to meet the mission of urban and suburban departments. All these options put together usually push most departments into custom rigs rather than a stock/program truck.

With the fire apparatus industry in the state it is in with deliveries and prices, I believe many departments will start looking at stock rigs or program trucks. The program truck is an offer by manufacturers to give departments some latitude in designing a rig where they can get rigs with decreased delivery times if they stay within parameters set by the manufacturer. This is usually a limit on the number of options that can be chosen and an even more stringent number of special designs or options. Just as an example, a builder might limit you to 400 options on a program truck. In my department, just in the bumper we have close to 20 options or special pricing. Just keep adding that number up as you move on to the rest of the truck, and you will quickly get to the 400 number. But, if you and your department can have a serious conversation on options, and the program truck/stock truck will not affect the operational needs of your department, then yes, move forward with it and look at the savings in dollars and delivery times and help get your fleet healthy and up to date with the use of stock/program trucks.

I know stock/program trucks will not work for every department. But, at least go through the exercise with your organization to see if they will help you, your fleet, and your community.

RICKY RILEY is the president of Traditions Training, LLC. He previously served as the operations chief for Clearwater (FL) Fire & Rescue and as a firefighter for Fairfax County (VA) Fire & Rescue. He also is a firefighter with the Kentland (MD) Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board.