Pasco County Fire Rescue has ordered two highly customized Frontline Communications vehicles including a C-45 Velocity® mobile decontamination unit and a C-45X-2 Velocity mobile rehabilitation unit.
APPLETON, Wis. (August 2, 2021) – Frontline Communications, a division of Pierce Manufacturing, Inc., and a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), announced today that it has secured a purchase order for two highly customized vehicles from Pasco County Fire Rescue in Florida including a C-45 Velocity® mobile decontamination (decon) unit, and a C-45X-2 Velocity mobile rehabilitation (rehab) unit. These specialized vehicles will provide critical support at structural fires and long-duration deployments to aid with the removal of harmful carcinogens from gear and equipment. Additionally, they will provide respite to avoid overexertion from heat and weather with access to fluids, energy snacks, medical evaluations, and more.
Industry standard is to issue every firefighter two sets of turnout gear, so after one is soiled, it can be bagged and stored on the truck, with another set available in the event the crew needs to go immediately to another scene. According to Chief of Pasco County Fire Rescue, Scott Cassin, the cost and storage of two sets of gear was prohibitive and a challenge they aimed to solve.
“We turned our sights to selecting purpose-built vehicles that would handle the on-site decontamination of gear and rehabilitation needs our dedicated team of firefighters require during complex structural fires or long-duration deployments,” said Chief Cassin. “We worked with Frontline Communications to design a custom decon unit that is an industry first configuration and will help us save time and energy cleaning equipment. We also collaborated with Frontline Communications on the design of a custom rehab unit that will provide necessary aid. Our biggest return on investment is knowing we are protecting our firefighters from as many risks as possible.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, firefighters have a nine percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14-percent higher risk of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population. Additionally, the physical and emotional demands of the job put firefighters at an increased risk for cardiovascular events, which are responsible for 45-percent of on-duty deaths. Mobile decon and rehab units help manage carcinogen exposure and offer a reprieve by providing vital on-site decontamination and recovery resources for firefighters at a fire scene.
Pasco County Fire Rescue’s new vehicles feature:
C-45 Velocity Mobile Decontamination Unit
- Pierce® Velocity® chassis
- Cummins 450 hp engine
- Command Zone™ electrical system
- Two Meiko decontamination wash units designed for structure fire decontamination. The units are supported by dual 100-gallon water tanks and storage bins
- Onboard generator (Lima-Mac 40kW PTO-driven generator for Meiko decon equipment)
- Four custom swing-out tool boards
- Dual-side hose bibs with an on-board water pump and 100-feet of heavy-duty hose on an electric reel
C-45X-2 Velocity Mobile Rehabilitation Unit
- Pierce Velocity chassis
- Cummins 450 hp engine
- Command Zone™ electrical system
- Bauer SCBA 6,000 PSI compressor and fill station with three additional air cylinders to supply breathing air for air tanks
- Two lavatories on the front side of the body accessible from either side
- Onboard generator (20kW diesel generator for rehabilitation elements, communication gear, and other