Quick-Attack Trucks, Mini Pumpers Continue to Be Mainstays in Many Departments

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO

Shorter wheelbases for quick maneuvering, speedy response times, and the ability to easily get water on a fire fast all are advantages that proponents tout when talking about quick-attack trucks and mini pumpers.

From east to west and north to south, fire departments are having manufacturers build smaller units that are carrying larger pumps and performing many functions that typically are done with Type 1 pumpers.

SUTPHEN

Darryl Rhyne, general manager of Sutphen East Corp., says that Sutphen has built a variety of smaller fire vehicles in the past year that fall into two distinct categories. "One group of customers wants the best quality and a big option base to choose from to provide flexibility in the design elements," Rhyne points out. "The other group treats a smaller pumper more like a commodity vehicle where they use it for a certain period of time and then turn it over like they would with an ambulance."

Rhyne says Sutphen recently built a mini pumper for the St. Hedwig (TX) Fire Department on a Ford F-550 chassis with a split-shaft Hale 1,250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a 300-gallon water tank, recessed LED lighting, a brush guard at the front, and a Line-X-style blackout package instead of tread plate. Likewise, the Port Ewen (NY) Fire Department had Sutphen build a similar mini pumper on a Ford F-550 with a Hale 1,250-gpm pump and 300 gallons of water, while the Madisonville (PA) Fire Department got a Sutphen-built mini supply truck on a Ford F-550 chassis and flatbed body with a Hale 1,250-gpm pump but no water tank. "The mini carries hard suction lengths and supply line hose," Rhyne notes, "and is designed to go to a water source, draft, and pump."

UNRUH FIRE

Todd Nix, apparatus consultant for Unruh Fire, says Unruh is building a mini pumper for the Mid County (MO) Fire Protection District with a split-shaft Waterous 500-gpm pump, a 300-gallon water tank, a 12-foot rescue body covered in Line-X inside and out, and Super Single wheels and tires. The rig will have two preconnects and a booster line off the rear.

W.S. DARLEY & CO.

Troy Carothers, AutoCAFS manager for W.S. Darley & Co., says Darley has built a lot of quick-attack pumpers on Ford F-550 chassis and more recently on the Ram 5500 chassis because of its 300-horsepower (hp) diesel engine option and transmission that can lock up to take a midship pump. "The fire departments that think of them as quick attacks use them as first-out vehicles to get to the scene and put water on the seat of the fire quickly," Carothers says. "These lower and narrower vehicles are able to get into tough driveways that might have steep inclines or declines because they are more maneuverable than full-size pumpers."

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