Manual monitors still have their place in firefighting, but monitor manufacturers say that more fire departments are turning to electronic monitors for their ease of use and ability to be operated remotely instead of tying up a firefighter at the nozzle.
The array of electronic monitors that manufacturers produce runs the gamut from small bumper-mounted units to huge water-throwing models.
Keith Chard, OEM product manager for Elkhart Brass Co., a division of Safe Fleet, says Elkhart makes six models of its EXM2™ electronic monitors with flows ranging from 750 gallons per minute (gpm) to 5,000 gpm. “We make the Sidewinder (750 gpm), Cobra (1,500 gpm) Boa (2,000 gpm), Scorpion (up to 2,500 gpm), SkyStream (up to 3,000 gpm), and Magnum (5,000 gpm) models,” Chard notes, “and each of these EXM2 versions is embedded with WiFi connectivity within the module control monitor. It allows the user to set travel limits; keep-out zones; and stow, deploy, and oscillation modes and retrieve diagnostic information, all from a WiFi-capable tablet or laptop.”
Chard points out that the EXM2 series input controllers include standard monitor controls for up/down/left/right, dedicated stow, deploy and oscillate buttons, nozzle controls for fog and straight stream, open/close/preset valve controls, and a manual override control in the event of a power failure. He adds that Elkhart also makes the BrushHawk bumper monitor that delivers up to 500 gpm and is joystick-controlled electronically from the vehicle’s cab.
Jason Riggenbach, product manager for Akron Brass Co., a division of IDEX Corp., says Akron’s two most popular electronic monitors for pumpers are its StreamMaster™ II and its DeckMaster™ models. “StreamMaster II’s compact outside dimensions give it the ability to flow 2,000 gpm through its patented waterway that has low friction loss,” Riggenbach points out. While the StreamMaster II has a range of flow from 500 to 2,000 gpm, Riggenback says the monitor’s sweet spot is in the 1,250- to 2,000-gpm range.
“Our DeckMaster is our second most popular electronic monitor that has the unique ability to elevate 24 inches above its stowed position,” Riggenbach says. “This is accomplished by the monitor having an extra joint to allow it to stow in a low position for fire departments with height restrictions.” The DeckMaster monitor will flow from 500 to 1,250 gpm, he adds.
1 This electrically controlled Cobra EXM2 monitor made by Elkhart Brass will deliver 1,500 gpm. (Photo 1 courtesy of Elkhart Brass Company.)
2 The Akron Brass electrically controlled StreamMaster II monitor will flow 2,000 gpm. (Photo 2 courtesy of Akron Brass Company.)
3 Task Force Tips makes the Hurricane electrically controlled monitor that is rated for a maximum flow of 1,250 gpm. (Photo 3 courtesy of Task Force Tips.)
4 Rosenbauer makes nine models of the RM series of electronic monitors. Shown is an RM130 4,000-gpm monitor on an industrial pumper. (Photo 4 courtesy of Rosenbauer.)
5 The electrically controlled Ambassador monitor made by Williams Fire & Hazard Control will flow from 2,000 to 8,000 gpm. (Photo 5 courtesy of Williams Fire & Hazard Control.)
Akron Brass also makes an electronic joystick-controlled Forestry wildland monitor that flows up to 300 gpm and the FireFox wildland monitor that has all of Forestry’s attributes with more programmable options, like stow and deploy, and flows up to 500 gpm, Riggenbach says. Akron Brass also makes the AeroMaster 12 electronic monitor that’s used on industrial pumpers and flows up to 3,200 gpm and the Trident electronic monitor for aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) trucks that allows for dual flow, such as 1,000/2,000 gpm, 750/1,500 gpm, or other options, with a nozzle that’s integrated into the monitor.
Task Force Tips makes the Hurricane series and Tornado series of electronically controlled monitors. The Hurricane has a 225-degree horizontal movement, a vertical movement from –45 degrees to 90 degrees, and a maximum flow of 1,250 gpm. The Tornado is rated up to 500 gpm and is remotely controlled for 370 degrees of horizontal rotational travel and vertical travel from 90 degrees above horizontal to 45 degrees below horizontal.
Joe Lichtscheidl, director of inside sales for Rosenbauer America, says Rosenbauer makes nine variations of its electronically controlled turret monitor that are suitable for discharging water, foam, and fire extinguishing compounds. “We’ve put our RM units on municipal pumpers, industrial pumpers and aerials, ARFF trucks, and on the front bumpers of wildland rigs,” he says. The models include the RM8, 15, 24, 25, 35, 60, 65, 80, and 130 and have correspondingly greater rates of flow, he notes. “We recently put a RM130 4,000-gpm monitor on a center mount for Aramco Saudi Arabia,” he adds, “and mounted two RM25, 1,250-gpm monitors at the rear of the pumper.”
James Morgan, applications engineering manager for Williams Fire & Hazard Control, says Williams makes the Ranger 3+ monitor that has a 6-inch waterway and can deliver from 1,000 to 4,000 gpm, the Ambassador with an 8-inch waterway that will flow from 2,000 to 8,000 gpm, and the Battler with a 10-inch waterway that will flow up to 12,000 gpm. “Field-adjustable limit switches on each monitor’s actuator allow 360-degree horizontal rotation and from -70 to +70 degrees of vertical travel,” Morgan says. “Monitor traversing speed is at least 10 degrees per second, and a third direct-mounted electric actuator enables remote operation for the nozzle’s discharge pattern from wide fog to straight stream.”
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.
