 |
|
Alan M. Petrillo |
The Katonah (NY) Fire Department looked at the long-range needs of its fire district and determined it should incorporate an aerial device into its fleet. But, the angle of entry into its firehouse and low support cross beams inside meant the department needed a vehicle with a low travel height and also one with a restricted length.
Katonah had purchased a pumper from Smeal Fire Apparatus a few years before and again turned to Smeal to develop a low-profile quint that would work for its situation.
The result was a 75-foot aerial quint with an overall height of 10 feet, 9 inches and overall length of 39 feet, 1 inch that carries a Waterous 2,000-gallon-per-minute (gpm) two-stage pump, a 400-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon Class A foam tank, and a FoamPro 2000 foam system.
 |
| A low travel height and a restricted length were two major reasons the Katonah (NY) Fire Department chose Smeal Fire Apparatus to build a 75-foot quint aerial. (Photos courtesy of Smeal Fire Apparatus.) |
Specific Requirements
Dean Pappas, Katonah's first assistant chief, says the department had such good results working with Smeal on its pumper that the department instinctively turned to Smeal to work out a solution to its aerial ladder issue. "We also wanted the quint to mirror our new pumper as much as possible," Pappas points out. "Smeal had built a low-travel-height quint for a department in Rhode Island and our dealer, New England Fire Equipment and Apparatus, brought it to our firehouse and put it through our double-length drive-through bay, so we knew our firehouse could handle it. None of the other manufacturers we talked with would guarantee their quint would fit if they built it for us."
Pappas says the Katonah truck committee sat down with Smeal representatives and presented the department's list of requirements for the quint. "We wanted the vehicle on a single axle with full pumping and attack capability," Pappas says. "We wanted as much water as possible, plus a foam tank, foam system, and plenty of hosebed space for large-diameter hose (LDH) supply line. We were shooting for a 500-gallon water tank, but it turned out not to be possible on a single axle with the length of the vehicle we required. So, we ended up with a 400-gallon water tank and a 20-gallon foam tank."
 |
| The Smeal 75-foot aerial quint has a Waterous 2,000-gpm two-stage pump, a 400-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon Class A foam tank, and a FoamPro 2000 foam system. |
Atypical Height Need
Rich Peck, sales manager for New England Fire Equipment and Apparatus, says the maximum travel height requirement of 10 feet, 9 inches was considerably lower than that of a typical 75-foot quint aerial. "Normal height for a 75-footer is 11 feet, 5 inches, so we had to reduce the height by 8 inches," Peck observes. "We worked closely with Spartan to make a six-inch notch in the center of the cab in order to get the aerial down lower. That was the toughest thing to accomplish because of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirement for headroom height inside the cab. So, we had the vehicle built on a wider cab-a 99-inch cab."
Peck notes that Smeal also had to modify the torque box to lower the vehicle. "Smeal was able to do that and still maintain the NFPA requirement of 115 feet of ground ladders for a truck complement, even though a quint requirement is 85 feet," he says. Peck adds that the quint has a four-jack system. "The truck has two straight-down jacks behind the front wheels and two 14-foot spread H-jacks at the rear of the vehicle," he says.
Jon Gilliland, contract manager for Smeal Fire Apparatus, says his company has worked with a number of fire departments in the East that are housed in older stations. "Typically those stations have narrower doors and shorter apparatus bays," Gilliland says, "and it can be a challenge to fill those bays with newer fire trucks. Manufacturers have to put more equipment on the trucks for departments but still have enough room to get the truck into the firehouse."
 |
| To lower the apparatus to the required height, Smeal Fire Apparatus had Spartan manufacture a six-inch notch in the center of the cab to drop down the aerial's profile. Smeal also modified the torque box to get the vehicle height to the spec. This view also shows the Task Force Tips 1,250-gpm Monsoon monitor and nozzle, scene lighting, 2½-inch discharge, and holster to hold a thermal imagining device at the tip of the ladder. |
Equipment Locations
Gilliland points out that when building a truck that has a shorter overall length, it affects the compartments on the vehicle. "So, you have to locate things more creatively," he says. "On the Katonah quint, we built a special self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) bottle compartment above the pump panel. But, that's where we usually put the radio box, so that was put in the body at the front between the access steps."
Other modifications that Smeal made for Katonah's quint involved the wheel chocks, a cord reel, and a thermal imaging unit. "On the right side of the vehicle we built a long narrow compartment in the running board for the two SAC-44 wheel chocks," Gilliland says. "The department didn't want the electric cord reel in a side compartment, so we located it at the rear of the vehicle in the space behind the access step. There's a door over the space, and the cord reel deploys straight out the rear of the truck."
 |
| 4 An electric cord reel is built into the rear of Katonah's quint, filling the space behind an access step. The cord reel, covered by a small door, deploys straight out the rear of the vehicle. |
On the tip of the ladder, Smeal built a special holster to hold a thermal imaging unit. "A firefighter can hook it up, strap the unit in, and then extend the ladder and swivel it around so he can scan the area using infrared imaging," Gilliland notes. "That's the first time we installed a holster like that." Also at the tip of the Katonah ladder are a Task Force Tips Monsoon 1,250-gpm monitor and nozzle, three lights, and a 2½-inch discharge. Peck points out that the aerial's waterway automatically stows. "You can't bed the aerial unless the monitor is brought back to the neutral position," he says.
Finished Product
Pappas notes that Katonah rolls the quint as a truck company knowing that it can function as an engine company as well. "The single axle, low height, and shorter length mean it's very maneuverable on some of the narrow roads we have in our district," Pappas says. "This quint takes our department to a new level of protection that we didn't have before because this is our first aerial. And for the future, we're looking at a short-wheelbase pumper with all-wheel-drive capability."
Gilliland says that as a custom builder Smeal does whatever is necessary to make the customer happy. "Innovation begins by listening to the fire department," he says. "We don't tell them what they need, we listen to what they want. We use their ideas to keep us on the leading edge."
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist and is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
Smeal 75-Foot Low-Profile Aerial Quint
Katonah (NY) Fire Department