The city of Westfield, Indiana, sits 20 miles north of Indianapolis in Hamilton County and is considered a suburb of the metropolitan area. The Westfield Fire Department was first established in 1904 when the town voted to purchase a hand-drawn chemical engine for the community. Today, the department is operating out of three stations, providing fire protection and emergency medical services (EMS) for more than 56 square miles within Washington Township and the incorporated areas of Westfield.
The department has 97 shift members operating in three battalions. The department runs three engine companies, a ladder company, three ambulances, three battalion chiefs, and three field resource paramedics. All department members are trained to the emergency medical technician basic level, and nearly a third are trained to the paramedic level. The department is also trained to handle a wide variety of specialized incidents involving hazmat, confined space rescue, trench rescue, building collapse, high-angle rope rescue, and water rescues. In addition to these emergency service calls, the department also provides community outreach programs, fire inspections, and fire prevention services.
Engine Company 382 is currently assigned a 2023 Pierce Enforcer with an aluminum body equipped with AMDOR roll-up compartment doors. The rig serves as a rescue-engine carrying medical equipment as well as vehicle extrication tools. It is powered by a Cummins 450-horsepower (hp) L9 engine and has an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission. It is also equipped with a New York style 750-gallon water tank, an L-shaped tank with a low hosebed, which serves the Waterous 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump. The pumphouse is 45 inches wide.
The unit is painted traditional red with three black reflective stripes running along the lower portion of the cab. These stripes then transition upward on the driver’s-side high compartments towards the rear. Above the high-side compartments is outside storage for hard suction hose for drafting operations. The officer’s side has lower-side compartments with portable ladder storage above it, which includes 28-foot two-section extension, 16-foot roof, and 10-foot folding Duo Safety ladders.
The cab has seating for four firefighters with three interior compartments for medical and swiftwater rescue equipment. It features Retrac remote controlled heated mirrors with convex sections to assist the driver in operating the vehicle in harsh conditions. It also has shoreline power and auto-disconnect through the Kussmaul connection on the cab just behind the driver.
Sitting in front of the cab is a 26-inch stainless steel extended bumper with a chrome 5-inch swivel intake pipe. The front bumper has two recessed Grover air horns and two Whelen grilled speakers mounted in it. On top of the bumper sits a Federal Q2B siren. There are also two hose troughs in the bumper, one for 20 feet of 5-inch suction hose and a larger section which holds 150 feet of 1¾-inch hose.
Hose storage is also available in two crosslay troughs behind the crew cab. The rear storage bed has five storage areas separated by dividing walls. These separate the following hose sections of two 300-foot beds of 1¾-inch, one bed of 750-feet of 5-inch supply line, 200-feet of 3-inch attack line with a portable monitor preattached, and one bed of 2½-inch attack line. For additional fire attack tactics, there is a prepiped monitor above the pump panel.
The rig boasts an assortment of Whelen warning and scene lighting. On the cab is a Freedom IV LED lightbar and on the cab’s front brow sits a Pioneer LED scene visor light. At the rear and upper sides of the rig sit two Whelen Rota Beam lights and a Whelen TAL 65 LED traffic light for warning traffic at emergency scenes. The rear end also has Whelen vertical LED cluster lights, which serve as directional, warning, backup, and emergency lighting. Mounted