Some fire departments around the country continue to use the strategy of attacking a structure fire with a small quick-attack rig or mini-pumper before the big guns arrive on the scene. And manufacturers are responding to the need with minis and quick attacks that pack a much bigger punch than such rigs of earlier days.
Joe Messmer, president of Summit Fire Apparatus, says there seems to be a resurgence in the use of quick-attack trucks and mini-pumpers around the country. “We now can put a 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm)-rated pump on a Ford F-550 and on a Dodge RAM 5500 chassis because the pump manufacturers have developed bigger pumps that work on the smaller rigs,” Messmer says. “And the minis and quick attacks are great for fitting down narrow driveways and narrow roadways where full-size pumpers might have difficulty.”
While some departments are going with 1,500-gpm pumps on their small rigs, Messmer believes that the majority of the minis and quick attacks are being fitted with 1,250-gpm pumps and 300 gallons of water. “Weight is everything, and it’s cumulative on these vehicles, so you have to build the mini or quick attack for the majority of fire or rescue runs that the department has instead of for the biggest calls,” he says. Messmer also finds that many departments are putting foam systems and compressed air foam systems (CAFS) on their quick attacks and minis to make the best use of the minimal amounts of water carried.
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1 Summit Fire Apparatus built this mini-pumper on a Chevy 550 chassis and four-door cab for the Clinton-Warren (OH) Joint Fire District. (Photo>s 1-2 courtesy of Summit Fire Apparatus.)
2 This mini-pumper/quick-attack truck was built by Summit for the South New Berlin (NY) Fire Department and Rescue Squad.
Russell Chick, marketing and communications manager for HME Ahrens-Fox, says HME recently built an EVO mini-pumper for the Argo (AL) Fire Department on a Ford F-550 chassis with a two-door extended cab, powered by a Powerstroke 330-horsepower (hp) 6.7-liter V8 engine and a Ford 10-speed automatic transmission. Chick says the Argo rig has a Hale DSD 1,500-gpm, 24-inch, side-operated pump; a UPF Poly® 500-gallon water tank; an Ahrens-Fox 3000 foam system; and a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1901, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, compliant ladder complement of a 22-foot three-section extension ladder, a 10-foot roof ladder, and an 8-foot folding attic ladder.
Ed Boring, HME’s fleet manager, says the company also built an EVO mini-pumper for the Odenville (AL) Fire Department on a RAM 5500 chassis with a four-door cab, powered by a 325-hp Cummins 6.7-liter V8 engine and an Allison six-speed automatic transmission. Boring says the Odenville rig has a Hale DSD 1,500-gpm, 24-inch pump; a UPF Poly® 400-gallon water tank; and an NFPA 1901-compliant ladder complement.
3 HME Ahrens-Fox built this EVO mini-pumper for the Argo (AL) Fire Department on a Ford F-550 chassis and two-door extended cab with a Hale DSD 1,500-gpm pump, a UPF Poly 500-gallon water tank, and an Ahrens-Fox 3000 foam proportioning system. (Photos 3-4 courtesy of HME Ahrens-Fox.)
4 This EVO mini-pumper was built by HME Ahrens-Fox for the Odenville (AL) Fire Department on a RAM 5500 chassis with a four-door cab.
5 Unruh Fire built this quick-attack pumper for the UCLA (CA) Fire Department. (Photos 5-6 courtesy of Unruh Fire.)
6 This mini-pumper/quick-attack truck built by Unruh Fire went to the Hinsdale (NH) Fire Department.
Todd Nix, apparatus consultant for Unruh Fire, says that budgeting is a big deal with fire departments right now, so they are being asked to do more with smaller rigs. “Departments are also having difficulty staffing their vehicles, plus the smaller pumpers don’t need a special license to drive and have better access to tight streets and parking garages,” Nix points out. “The majority we’re building are on Ford F-550 and Dodge 5500 chassis, usually with a 1,500-gpm pump so they can pull up on a scene and do a knockdown with the 300 gallons of water they have in the tank. Some departments are carrying 3- and 5-inch large-diameter hose (LDH) in their mini-pumper hosebeds, while others are going to 4-inch LDH, which flows almost as much as 5-inch and allows them to put about 500 feet of LDH in the hosebed.”
Nix notes that some departments are choosing the quick-attack/rescue-style truck with a 500-gpm pump, small water tank, and combination fire/rescue style body. “We’re building a quick-attack/rescue truck for the Cherokee Village (AR) Fire Department with a 300-gpm pump preconnected skid unit; a 300-gallon water tank; a foam tank and foam system; and a ladder complement of a 22-foot three-section extension ladder, a 16-foot folding roof ladder, a 9-foot folding attic ladder, and a 22-foot combination Duo-Safety jackknife ladder,” he says.
Ben Bregg, design engineer for Spencer Manufacturing Inc., notes that Spencer recently built a mini-pumper on a Ford F-650 chassis with a crew cab set up to carry four firefighters, two in self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats, for the Fort Gratiot (MI) Fire Department. Bregg says the rig has a Hale DSD 1,250-gpm pump, a 400-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, and a Hale SmartFOAM 2.1A single-agent foam system. “It has a solid polypropylene body; an enclosed pump panel; two 1¾-inch hose crosslays; 400 feet of 2½-inch hose at the rear with a Task Force Tips Blitzfire nozzle; 600 feet of LDH in the hosebed; a full set of battery-operated HURST™ Jaws of Life® eDraulic® hydraulic tools; and a ladder complement of a 26-foot three-section extension ladder, a 10-foot roof ladder, and a 10-foot folding attic ladder,” Bregg points out.
7 Spencer Manufacturing Inc. built this mini-pumper for the Fort Gratiot (MI) Fire Department on a Ford F-650 chassis and crew cab, carrying a Hale DSD 1,250-gpm pump, 400-gallon water tank, 20-gallon foam tank, and Hale SmartFOAM 2.1A foam system. (Photo 7 courtesy of Spencer Manufacturing Inc.)
8 QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus built these Super3 Type 3 engines that double as quick-attack/mini-pumpers for Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression in California. (Photo 8 courtesy of QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus.)
Midwest Fire recently built a mini-pumper on a Ford F-550 chassis and four-door crew cab for the Roxbury (NY) Fire Department, powered by a Ford Powerstroke 330-hp 6.7-liter V8 diesel engine. To fight fire, it carries a Hale 1,250-gpm DSD pump, an APR polypropylene 300-gallon water tank, a 12-gallon foam tank, a Hale SmartFOAM 2.1A single-agent foam system, and an Elkhart Brass Company Sidewinder EXM remote monitor.
Greg Blanchat, president of Blanchat Manufacturing, says a lot of fire departments are having to fight fires with fewer people and fewer pieces of apparatus. “The departments also want vehicles that can get into narrow roads, driveways, and other tight areas,” Blanchat says. “We developed a user-friendly CAFS system reconfigured to use dishwashing soap to make foam for use on wildland and quick-attack trucks, which we build on a Ford F-550 chassis with 600 gallons of water and Hale HP200 and Rowe portable pumps. Each pump produces 120 gpm at 120 pounds per square inch (psi), and if you put them in tandem, you can double that to 240 gpm. For mountain wildland work, we can bring the pressure up to 250 psi, and if the department wants a transfer pump, we use the Hale HP75 that can tandem up to 500 psi.”
Jason Black, president of MTECH Inc.’s QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus, says QTAC makes the Super 3™, a Type 3 engine on a Ford -F550 chassis that doubles as a quick-attack/mini-pumper. “It carries 500 gallons of water on a chassis that features Super Singles wheels and tires,” he says, “and has a dual pump system of two WATERAX BB-4 pumps that can produce 250 gpm at 150 psi running in parallel. The Super 3 has a PolyTough™ body, runs a FoamPro foam proportioning system, and can be tailored either for wildland urban interface or straight wildland response.”
QTAC also makes the Super 6™ mini-pumper/wildland rig, which can be configured with water tanks from 300 to 399 gallons, two WATERAX B2X medium pressure pumps, preconnected hosebeds, a FoamPro foam proportioning system, and maximized compartment storage including a transverse compartment that can hold a 28-inch chain saw. The Super 6s are typically built on Ford F-550 and Dodge RAM 550 chassis, Black adds.
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.
