By Alan M. Petrillo

Oregon became the first state in the country in 1989 to create a statewide regional hazmat emergency response system.

Since that time, it has provided the funding for the apparatus used by 13 hazmat teams across the state. The teams consist of career and volunteer firefighters, with some law enforcement and public works employees.

As part of its vehicle replacement cycle, the State Fire Marshal’s Office awarded a 10-year contract to Pierce Manufacturing Inc. to build 10 heavy rescue hazmat vehicles-two vehicles every two years. The first two hazmat rigs were delivered in December 2015 to Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services and in January 2016 to the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department.

1 The Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal has put in service two Pierce Manufacturing heavy rescue hazmat trucks with emergency response teams in the state, the first pair of 10 units to be built and deployed. (Photos courtesy of Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.)

The next two hazmat heavy rescues will go to the Astoria Fire Department and the Medford Fire Department. Future deliveries are yet to be determined as to location but will be chosen from the Roseburg Fire Department, the Gresham/Multnomah County Fire Department, Klamath County Fire District No. 1, Linn/Benton (Albany Fire Department, Corvallis Fire Department, and Lebanon Fire District), the Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, the Salem Fire Department, Ontario Fire and Rescue, and the Coos Bay Fire Department.

The 10-Truck Order

Chad Hawkins, hazmat rail coordinator for the State Fire Marshal’s Office, says all 10 vehicles are standardized in terms of design, what they carry, and location of equipment. “If we have mutual-aid incidents,” he points out, “we want the vehicles to be fully interoperable.”

The heavy rescue hazmat rig is built on a Pierce Enforcer™ chassis with a 70-inch walk-through cab and a 24-inch raised roof on a 23-foot-long, 96-inch-wide, heavy-duty aluminum body. The cab seats six firefighters and has a 144-inch walk-in storage area behind it, accessed by an officer-side door with an automatic pneumatic fold-down step. The walk-in area features a command desk with two forward-facing seats as well as a 79-inch slide-out module on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

2 The hazmat trucks are built on Enforcer chassis, with a 70-inch walk-through cab, a 24-inch raised roof, and a 144-inch walk-in storage area at the back of the cab. The units are powered by 450-horsepower Cummins ISL 9 engines and Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmissions.

A 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins ISL 9 engine and Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmission power the vehicle, which carries a 12-kW Onan Quiet Diesel gen

By Alan M. Petrillo

Oregon became the first state in the country in 1989 to create a statewide regional hazmat emergency response system.

Since that time, it has provided the funding for the apparatus used by 13 hazmat teams across the state. The teams consist of career and volunteer firefighters, with some law enforcement and public works employees.

As part of its vehicle replacement cycle, the State Fire Marshal’s Office awarded a 10-year contract to Pierce Manufacturing Inc. to build 10 heavy rescue hazmat vehicles-two vehicles every two years. The first two hazmat rigs were delivered in December 2015 to Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services and in January 2016 to the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department.

1 The Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal has put in service two Pierce Manufacturing heavy rescue hazmat trucks with emergency response teams in the state, the first pair of 10 units to be built and deployed. (Photos courtesy of Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.)

The next two hazmat heavy rescues will go to the Astoria Fire Department and the Medford Fire Department. Future deliveries are yet to be determined as to location but will be chosen from the Roseburg Fire Department, the Gresham/Multnomah County Fire Department, Klamath County Fire District No. 1, Linn/Benton (Albany Fire Department, Corvallis Fire Department, and Lebanon Fire District), the Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, the Salem Fire Department, Ontario Fire and Rescue, and the Coos Bay Fire Department.

The 10-Truck Order

Chad Hawkins, hazmat rail coordinator for the State Fire Marshal’s Office, says all 10 vehicles are standardized in terms of design, what they carry, and location of equipment. “If we have mutual-aid incidents,” he points out, “we want the vehicles to be fully interoperable.”

The heavy rescue hazmat rig is built on a Pierce Enforcer™ chassis with a 70-inch walk-through cab and a 24-inch raised roof on a 23-foot-long, 96-inch-wide, heavy-duty aluminum body. The cab seats six firefighters and has a 144-inch walk-in storage area behind it, accessed by an officer-side door with an automatic pneumatic fold-down step. The walk-in area features a command desk with two forward-facing seats as well as a 79-inch slide-out module on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

2 The hazmat trucks are built on Enforcer chassis, with a 70-inch walk-through cab, a 24-inch raised roof, and a 144-inch walk-in storage area at the back of the cab. The units are powered by 450-horsepower Cummins ISL 9 engines and Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmissions.

A 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins ISL 9 engine and Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmission power the vehicle, which carries a 12-kW Onan Quiet Diesel gen

By Alan M. Petrillo

Oregon became the first state in the country in 1989 to create a statewide regional hazmat emergency response system.

Since that time, it has provided the funding for the apparatus used by 13 hazmat teams across the state. The teams consist of career and volunteer firefighters, with some law enforcement and public works employees.

As part of its vehicle replacement cycle, the State Fire Marshal’s Office awarded a 10-year contract to Pierce Manufacturing Inc. to build 10 heavy rescue hazmat vehicles-two vehicles every two years. The first two hazmat rigs were delivered in December 2015 to Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services and in January 2016 to the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department.

1 The Oregon Office of the State Fire Marshal has put in service two Pierce Manufacturing heavy rescue hazmat trucks with emergency response teams in the state, the first pair of 10 units to be built and deployed. (Photos courtesy of Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.)

The next two hazmat heavy rescues will go to the Astoria Fire Department and the Medford Fire Department. Future deliveries are yet to be determined as to location but will be chosen from the Roseburg Fire Department, the Gresham/Multnomah County Fire Department, Klamath County Fire District No. 1, Linn/Benton (Albany Fire Department, Corvallis Fire Department, and Lebanon Fire District), the Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, the Salem Fire Department, Ontario Fire and Rescue, and the Coos Bay Fire Department.

The 10-Truck Order

Chad Hawkins, hazmat rail coordinator for the State Fire Marshal’s Office, says all 10 vehicles are standardized in terms of design, what they carry, and location of equipment. “If we have mutual-aid incidents,” he points out, “we want the vehicles to be fully interoperable.”

The heavy rescue hazmat rig is built on a Pierce Enforcer™ chassis with a 70-inch walk-through cab and a 24-inch raised roof on a 23-foot-long, 96-inch-wide, heavy-duty aluminum body. The cab seats six firefighters and has a 144-inch walk-in storage area behind it, accessed by an officer-side door with an automatic pneumatic fold-down step. The walk-in area features a command desk with two forward-facing seats as well as a 79-inch slide-out module on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

2 The hazmat trucks are built on Enforcer chassis, with a 70-inch walk-through cab, a 24-inch raised roof, and a 144-inch walk-in storage area at the back of the cab. The units are powered by 450-horsepower Cummins ISL 9 engines and Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmissions.

A 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins ISL 9 engine and Allison EVS 3000 automatic transmission power the vehicle, which carries a 12-kW Onan Quiet Diesel gen

By Alan M. Petrillo

Manufacturers continue to evolve their aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles, with more mobile, more powerful, and more ergonomic rigs.

And, some airport fire departments are having makers build structural firefighting equipment and functions into their ARFF rigs in the interest of making them become more multirole vehicles.

1 E-ONE built this 6x6 ARFF truck for Fort Benning (GA) Crash-Fire-Rescue, including a structural firefighting pump panel, suction plumbing, discharges, and preconnected hoselines. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.)

Equipped for Structures

R.J. Jones, sales and product manager of U.S. government and airport products for E-ONE, says that very often ARFF vehicles “are becoming multitools for fire departments” that might be charged with protecting more types of hazards instead of only aircraft. “We have built-in dual structural pump panels, one on each side of an ARFF truck, along with electric valves, large-diameter tank fills, suction plumbing, and dual 2½-inch discharges on each side,” Jones says. “Some of these vehicles are becoming hybrids with all of the characteristics of a traditional pumper on the chassis of an ARFF truck with all its specialized equipment.”

One of the drawbacks of adding a structural plumbing package to an ARFF truck, Jones points out, “is that you may have to lose some compartmentation. But, we customize our designs to meet the customer’s requirements and usually can modify the compartmentation or relocate a component to another area of the vehicle.”

2 The Sault Ste. Marie Airport in Ontario, Canada, had E-ONE build this 4x4 ARFF truck with structural firefighting capability and a light tower for on-scene lighting. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.)

Jason Shively, director of engineering for airport products at Oshkosh Corp., says that, “from an industry standpoint, the ARFF crew at an airport is first-line for everything-a medical emergency in the terminal, a wheel fire on an aircraft, or a fire at the fuel farm. So, that means having the equipment to handle those scenarios on the ARFF vehicle.”

Shively notes that some airport fire departments have turned their ARFF vehicles into combination ARFF/rescue/medical/fire trucks. “We’re putting preconnects on ARFF trucks connected with a fixed length of hose-about 200 to 300 feet-and a fixed flow rate nozzle,” he says. “All three models of our Striker ARFF trucks (4x4, 6x6, and 8x8) offer crosslay trays accessible from each side of the vehicle that hold 200 feet of 1½- or 1¾-inch hose. The firefighter pulls the hose off the truck, arranges it, and gives it a tug to trip a pivot switch that engages the flow of water.”

Read more 478 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Sep 8, 2016 Some Departments Add Structural Attack Functions to ARFF Rigs By Alan M. Petrillo Manufacturers continue to evolve their aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles, with more mobile, more powerful, and more ergonomic rigs. And, some airport fire departments are having makers build structural firefighting equipment and functions into their ARFF rigs in the interest of making them become more multirole vehicles. 1 E-ONE built this 6x6 ARFF truck for Fort Benning (GA) Crash-Fire-Rescue, including a structural firefighting pump panel, suction plumbing, discharges, and preconnected hoselines. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.) Equipped for Structures R.J. Jones, sales and product manager of U.S. government and airport products for E-ONE, says that very often ARFF vehicles “are becoming multitools for fire departments” that might be charged with protecting more types of hazards instead of only aircraft. “We have built-in dual structural pump panels, one on each side of an ARFF truck, along with electric valves, large-diameter tank fills, suction plumbing, and dual 2½-inch discharges on each side,” Jones says. “Some of these vehicles are becoming hybrids with all of the characteristics of a traditional pumper on the chassis of an ARFF truck with all its specialized equipment.” One of the drawbacks of adding a structural plumbing package to an ARFF truck, Jones points out, “is that you may have to lose some compartmentation. But, we customize our designs to meet the customer’s requirements and usually can modify the compartmentation or relocate a component to another area of the vehicle.” 2 The Sault Ste. Marie Airport in Ontario, Canada, had E-ONE build this 4x4 ARFF truck with structural firefighting capability and a light tower for on-scene lighting. (Photo courtesy of E-ONE.) Jason Shively, director of engineering for airport products at Oshkosh Corp., says that, “from an industry standpoint, the ARFF crew at an airport is first-line for everything-a medical emergency in the terminal, a wheel fire on an aircraft, or a fire at the fuel farm. So, that means having the equipment to handle those scenarios on the ARFF vehicle.” Shively notes that some airport fire departments have turned their ARFF vehicles into combination ARFF/rescue/medical/fire trucks. “We’re putting preconnects on ARFF trucks connected with a fixed length of hose-about 200 to 300 feet-and a fixed flow rate nozzle,” he says. “All three models of our Striker ARFF trucks (4x4, 6x6, and 8x8) offer crosslay trays accessible from each side of the vehicle that hold 200 feet of 1½- or 1¾-inch hose. The firefighter pulls the hose off the truck, arranges it, and gives it a tug to trip a pivot switch that engages the flow of water.” Read more 428 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious6927692869296930693169326933693469356936NextLast Theme picker Filter News Catagories Categories News (193) RSS Expand/Collapse Washington News (11847) RSS Expand/Collapse National News (11518) RSS Expand/Collapse WFC News (109) RSS Expand/Collapse Legislative Announcements (7) RSS Expand/Collapse Flag Lowerings (15) RSS Expand/Collapse Memorial Information (24) RSS Expand/Collapse Sections (6) RSS Expand/Collapse Emergency Medical Services (1) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Administrative Support (17) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Mechanics (18941) RSS Expand/Collapse Fire Training Safety & Officers (25) RSS Expand/Collapse Public Fire Educators (4) RSS Expand/Collapse HazMat Committee (0) RSS Expand/Collapse Filter to see National, Washington or WFC News, or filter to the Section News you are looking for! Search News Articles Search Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2025 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM