Alan M. Petrillo

The Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department’s truck committee wanted a simple, flexible design in a new pumper that would allow them to change things around on the vehicle as the need arose.

They also needed more compartment space for hydraulic rescue equipment and wanted to keep the size of the wheelbase and the pump panel to a minimum. The committee got what it wanted in a custom pumper from 4 Guys Fire Trucks.

1 The Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department had 4 Guys Fire Trucks build this custom pumper on a Spartan Gladiator chassis with a ELFD long four door cab. [Photos 1-3 courtesy of the Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department.]

Jason Smithey, Wilkesboro’s chief, says this is the sixth piece of apparatus he’s been involved in purchasing in his career as both a paid and volunteer firefighter. “We wanted a vehicle that we were going to use in some capacity for 30 years,” Smithey says. “It might run first out for 10 years, then second out for the next 10 years, and then third out after that. At that time, we also could expand its role into a hazardous materials vehicle if needed.”

Bob Pursel, owner of Commonwealth Fire Equipment Co. Inc., sold the rig to Wilkesboro and is a longtime friend of Smithey. “He had seen some pumpers on the 4 Guys Web site and called me to ask for more information,” Pursel says. “He asked 4 Guys to allow him to work with me because of our past association instead of with a North Carolina dealer, and 4 Guys agreed.”

Rig Features

Pursel notes that the Wilkesboro truck committee wanted a narrow pump panel and as much compartment space on the vehicle as possible so they could make it a combination pumper-rescue unit. “They also got rid of the crosslays at the midship station and relocated [preconnected lines] all to the rear of the pumper,” he says. “There are four speedlays in removable trays, each piped to a 2½-inch discharge below each tray. The department also can put a reducer or gated wye on one of the discharges to have smaller-diameter hose preconnected.”

2 The Wilkesboro pumper carries a Hale Qmax SX 1,500-gpm side-mount pump with a 35-inch-wide pump panel and manual valves.

As delivered, the pumper has a Spartan Gladiator chassis and ELFD four-door cab with seating for six firefighters featuring a 203½-inch wheelbase, a 33-foot 10-inch overall length, and a 9-foot 6½-inch overall height. The pumper is powered by a Cummins 450-horsepower (hp) ISX12 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission and carries a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) side-mount pump, a 600-gallon copolymer water tank, and an FRC Pump Boss pressure governor.

Water Delivery

Smithey says the

Alan M. Petrillo

The Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department’s truck committee wanted a simple, flexible design in a new pumper that would allow them to change things around on the vehicle as the need arose.

They also needed more compartment space for hydraulic rescue equipment and wanted to keep the size of the wheelbase and the pump panel to a minimum. The committee got what it wanted in a custom pumper from 4 Guys Fire Trucks.

1 The Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department had 4 Guys Fire Trucks build this custom pumper on a Spartan Gladiator chassis with a ELFD long four door cab. [Photos 1-3 courtesy of the Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department.]

Jason Smithey, Wilkesboro’s chief, says this is the sixth piece of apparatus he’s been involved in purchasing in his career as both a paid and volunteer firefighter. “We wanted a vehicle that we were going to use in some capacity for 30 years,” Smithey says. “It might run first out for 10 years, then second out for the next 10 years, and then third out after that. At that time, we also could expand its role into a hazardous materials vehicle if needed.”

Bob Pursel, owner of Commonwealth Fire Equipment Co. Inc., sold the rig to Wilkesboro and is a longtime friend of Smithey. “He had seen some pumpers on the 4 Guys Web site and called me to ask for more information,” Pursel says. “He asked 4 Guys to allow him to work with me because of our past association instead of with a North Carolina dealer, and 4 Guys agreed.”

Rig Features

Pursel notes that the Wilkesboro truck committee wanted a narrow pump panel and as much compartment space on the vehicle as possible so they could make it a combination pumper-rescue unit. “They also got rid of the crosslays at the midship station and relocated [preconnected lines] all to the rear of the pumper,” he says. “There are four speedlays in removable trays, each piped to a 2½-inch discharge below each tray. The department also can put a reducer or gated wye on one of the discharges to have smaller-diameter hose preconnected.”

2 The Wilkesboro pumper carries a Hale Qmax SX 1,500-gpm side-mount pump with a 35-inch-wide pump panel and manual valves.

As delivered, the pumper has a Spartan Gladiator chassis and ELFD four-door cab with seating for six firefighters featuring a 203½-inch wheelbase, a 33-foot 10-inch overall length, and a 9-foot 6½-inch overall height. The pumper is powered by a Cummins 450-horsepower (hp) ISX12 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission and carries a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) side-mount pump, a 600-gallon copolymer water tank, and an FRC Pump Boss pressure governor.

Water Delivery

Smithey says the

Alan M. Petrillo

The Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department’s truck committee wanted a simple, flexible design in a new pumper that would allow them to change things around on the vehicle as the need arose.

They also needed more compartment space for hydraulic rescue equipment and wanted to keep the size of the wheelbase and the pump panel to a minimum. The committee got what it wanted in a custom pumper from 4 Guys Fire Trucks.

1 The Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department had 4 Guys Fire Trucks build this custom pumper on a Spartan Gladiator chassis with a ELFD long four door cab. [Photos 1-3 courtesy of the Wilkesboro (NC) Fire Department.]

Jason Smithey, Wilkesboro’s chief, says this is the sixth piece of apparatus he’s been involved in purchasing in his career as both a paid and volunteer firefighter. “We wanted a vehicle that we were going to use in some capacity for 30 years,” Smithey says. “It might run first out for 10 years, then second out for the next 10 years, and then third out after that. At that time, we also could expand its role into a hazardous materials vehicle if needed.”

Bob Pursel, owner of Commonwealth Fire Equipment Co. Inc., sold the rig to Wilkesboro and is a longtime friend of Smithey. “He had seen some pumpers on the 4 Guys Web site and called me to ask for more information,” Pursel says. “He asked 4 Guys to allow him to work with me because of our past association instead of with a North Carolina dealer, and 4 Guys agreed.”

Rig Features

Pursel notes that the Wilkesboro truck committee wanted a narrow pump panel and as much compartment space on the vehicle as possible so they could make it a combination pumper-rescue unit. “They also got rid of the crosslays at the midship station and relocated [preconnected lines] all to the rear of the pumper,” he says. “There are four speedlays in removable trays, each piped to a 2½-inch discharge below each tray. The department also can put a reducer or gated wye on one of the discharges to have smaller-diameter hose preconnected.”

2 The Wilkesboro pumper carries a Hale Qmax SX 1,500-gpm side-mount pump with a 35-inch-wide pump panel and manual valves.

As delivered, the pumper has a Spartan Gladiator chassis and ELFD four-door cab with seating for six firefighters featuring a 203½-inch wheelbase, a 33-foot 10-inch overall length, and a 9-foot 6½-inch overall height. The pumper is powered by a Cummins 450-horsepower (hp) ISX12 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission and carries a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) side-mount pump, a 600-gallon copolymer water tank, and an FRC Pump Boss pressure governor.

Water Delivery

Smithey says the

Robert Tutterow

Many of you are aware of the recent talk of perfluorooctanoic acids (PFOAs) causing cancer among firefighters. The talk has basically been in the social media circles.

The primary purpose of this column is to provide a brief overview of PFOAs and then address, in more detail, the totally inaccurate statement in an article that reads: “Of the 16 voting members on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1971, Standard on Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting, committee, 10 are manufacturers. The others are made up of scientists, special experts, and one or two firefighters/chiefs.”

PFOAs

First just a brief comment about PFOAs. They are found in many products, including nonstick cookware, food packaging, carpet, upholstery, and consumer clothing. They have been found in water supplies and dust in homes. Now that the science is known, PFOAs are being eliminated in many manufacturing processes. They were used in firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE), but this practice has also been discontinued. Is it possible that a firefighter could have or might have contracted cancer from the PFOAs in his PPE? It is extremely unlikely, considering all the other more likely carcinogenic exposures, such as failure to wear the self-contained breathing apparatus face piece through overhaul completion, dirty PPE, diesel exhaust, and eating food prepared in certain treated nonstick cookware. The PFOAs used in firefighting PPE are the same as those used in bulletproof vests. I am not aware of a cancer epidemic among law enforcement or military personnel. For more information, please read the article published by the International Association of Fire Fighters in May titled, “PFOA and Turnout Gear.” It is an excellent source of balanced information.

NFPA Technical Committee Control

Now to the inaccurate statement referenced above. The clear insinuation is that the manufacturers control the technical committees. The statement and implication are wrong. As of this writing, there are 34 principal members of the technical committee and 30 alternate members. Alternate members can only vote in the absence of the principal member for whom they are an alternate. The roster is available to the public on the NFPA Web site. It can be found by doing a search for “NFPA 1971.” Click on the first link that pops up, then click on “Technical Committee.” From there you can find the roster.

Each member of an NFPA technical committee is assigned a classification. There are nine classifications:

1. Manufacturer.
2. User.
3. Installer/maintainer.
4. Labor.
5. Applied research/testing laboratory.
6. Enforcing authority.
7. Insurance.
8. Consumer.
9. Special Expert.

No more than one-third of the committee members can be from one classification.

In theory, fire service personnel can come from all classifications except manufacturer. Of the 34 principal members on the NFPA 1971 technical committee, 14 are current or retired fire department members. Eight of the members are classified as manufacturers. Members who perform PPE maintenance and repair are considered installer/maintainers. There are members who represent independent testing such as