The McAdoo (PA) Fire Company was in need of replacing a 1993 New Lexington tanker and a 2006 KME engine and decided to build a single new rig that could function as both engine and tanker. But then a light bulb went off overhead, and they chose to make the new vehicle a triple threat by adding battery-operated hydraulic tools to the mix to make the vehicle a pumper-tanker-rescue.
“McAdoo Fire Company merged with two other volunteer fire companies in 2016 into one entity,” says Bob Leshko, McAdoo’s chief. “We cover 130 square miles of rural and residential area with a large, seven-business industrial park, four warehouses in another industrial park, and another four warehouses, each of 1 million square feet, in the planning stages. The hydrants in our coverage area are on a gravity-fed system, so sometimes water is limited, which is why we wanted a big water tank on our new pumper-tanker-rescue.”
The vehicle McAdoo had KME build is on a Panther LFD chassis and cab with a 16-inch raised roof and a 3/16-inch-thick aluminum body, says Ryan Slane, KME’s Southeast region sales manager. “McAdoo is only 20 miles away from the KME factory in Pennsylvania, and the fire company said they needed a Swiss Army knife-type vehicle that could function as a pumper, tanker, and rescue. They wanted to do more with a single truck.” The vehicle is powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 diesel engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS transmission, he notes, and has a wheelbase of 226 inches, an overall length of 34 feet 7 inches, and an overall height of 9 feet 10 inches.
Jason Hartz, KME’s factory direct salesman who sold the vehicle to McAdoo, says the pumper-tanker-rescue has a Hale 1,500-gallons-per-minute (gpm) DSD single-stage pump, and a 2,000-gallon water tank, and a Newton dump valve at the rear with an extension chute that traverses 180 degrees. “The rig is set up to carry six firefighters, five of them in USSC Valor SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) seats covered by Durawear,” Hartz points out. “Inside the cab, there is storage for EMS (emergency medical services) equipment, as well as a WiFi hotspot, a computer, and a fax machine. Lighting on the vehicle includes Whelen LED emergency lighting, a Whelen Freedom IV LED light bar, and Whelen Pioneer LED scene lights.”
Leshko notes the fire company covers about a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 81, so they wanted a vehicle that could get out there with a couple of thousand gallons of water. “That was our thought process in designing this new vehicle,” he says. “We also wanted our rescue tools on the vehicle, which include a set of Hurst Jaws of Life eDraulic cutter, spreader, high lift jack, full set of rams, and air bags, all located in the R1 compartment.”
Leshko adds, “We put our deck gun right above the pump panel with a Task Force Tips valve between the smoothbore tips and the monitor, so we can charge the gun and then let the firefighter or driver get up there to turn it on the fire, which means no waste of water.” Another different feature on the rig is in the cab where the rear-facing seats would be. “We have four forward-facing seats on the rear wall, and instead of rear-facing seats have two exterior-accessible compartments to carry EMS gear, road cones, a rabbit tool, a six-battery charger for portable tools, salvage tarps, and a Milwaukee Tools portable light stand,” he says.
Leshko says the pumper-tanker-rescue carries two 1-3/4-inch hose cross lays of 200 feet each, one 2-1/2-inch cross lay of 200 feet tipped with a Task Force Tips Blitzfire monitor, 200 feet of one-inch collapsible brush hose in a dead lay in the cross lay space, 150 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose in the front bumper along with a 5-inch intake, 1,300 feet of 5-inch large diameter hose (LDH) in the hose bed, and rear dead lays of 700 feet of 2-1/2-inch hose and 250-feet of 3-inch hose with a wye for two 1-3/4-inch hose lines.
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.
