Since 1890, Sutphen Corporation has been making products firefighters use every day to mitigate a variety of incidents. When a Sutphen fire apparatus rolls down a street, it is readily identifiable as a Sutphen with its well- known headlight bezels on the front of the cab and its siren mounted through the front grille.

Sutphen has been a family-owned business for 135 years. Originally founded by C.H. Sutphen, the fourth and fifth generations of the Sutphen family are currently at the helm of the 135 year-old business. Leading the company are fourth- and fifth-generation family presidents, Shelby Sutphen Chambers and Julie Sutphen Phelps.

C.H. Sutphen’s son Harry joined the company after World I, and his sons Tom and Bob ran the the company until Bob’s son, Drew, and Tom’s daughter, Julie, became the leaders of the business in the 1990s with Drew overseeing Sutphen Dublin and Urbana and Julie overseeing Sutphen Hilliard and East. It was Tom Sutphen who, in 1958, started developing what has become a staple of Sutphen’s production offering: the Sutphen aerial.

According to Dan Sutphen, a fourth-generation family member and the vice president of sales, after the company began developing aerial prototypes, the company’s first-ever Sutphen aerial truck was ready and officially debuted at FDIC 1964. After the demonstrations, Sutphen sold the truck to the city of Norwalk, Ohio. Dan Sutphen says, “Tom saw an opportunity to provide a stronger, safer aerial device for the fire service by developing a four-sided box boom design. Inspired by this vision, he entered the aerial device business and created a product that continues to set the standard for strength, safety, and reliability in the fire service.”

Sutphen’s first aerial product—a 65-foot aerial platform quint—was born from Tom Sutphen’s vision. He sought to create a fire apparatus that prioritized safety for both firefighters and victims. “Rather than requiring individuals to climb a ladder,” says Dan Sutphen, “this new platform allowed them to ‘take an elevator’ directly to the scene, revolutionizing fireground accessibility and rescue operations.”

Aerial Evolution

That original 65-foot quint telescopic platform has seen decades of innovation and refmement, yet many of its core design principles are still evident in today’s Sutphen midmount aerials. These include the following:

• Lightweight, heavy-duty aluminum aerials that reduce wear on the trucks while improving braking and engine performance.
• Huck-bolted aerial devices that provide superior strength, rigidity, and ease of maintenance.
• Self-leveling platforms that function like a Ferris wheel, keeping firefighters and victims safe and upright within the bucket regardless of aerial positioning.

“Despite these consistent design philosophies, today’s apparatus are significantly more advanced than the original,” says Dan Sutphen. “Major improvements have been made in the body and chassis design, including enhanced body compartments, increased cab safety, and greater chassis capacity. Over 60 years later, Sutphen continues to build upon its legacy of innovation, safety, and durability in aerial fire apparatus.”

1 The first Sutphen aerial tower was built on a Ford C-800 cab and chassis and had a 65-foot boom. (Photos courtesy of Sutphen Corporation.)

2 To combat the effects of metal weakening when welded, Tom Sutphen deci

The fireground is dynamic and can evolve rapidly from a single-line fire to a complex water supply system with multiple hoselines and master streams in operation.

Alternative pump operation methods have been shown to provide some simplification, and it might be worth a closer look. After all, if we never challenged the status quo, we might still be fighting fires with buckets. Progress depends on keeping an open mind and being willing to evolve.

This article will walk through the practice of “overpumping,” its origin in my region, how we use it, and why it has become a valuable part of our operations. I encourage you to explore it with curiosity and see if it has a place in your area.

FROM MANUAL RELIEF VALVES TO PRESSURE GOVERNORS

Before electronic pressure governors became common, pump operators relied on more archaic systems like manual throttles and manual relief valves. These older systems required constant attention, as operators manually adjusted the throttle and the valves to produce desired pressures. Every increase here required a decrease there and vice versa.

Around 2003, the Austin (TX) Fire Department began its transition from manual throttles to electronic pressure governors on new fire engines. In 2007, the chief of training directed Captain Kevin Kalmus and Josh Miller (ret.) to build a formalized Pump Apparatus Driver/Operator training program. Prior to this effort, pump operations training had been largely informal and inconsistent across the department. During this time, the department was also transitioning to low-pressure smooth bore nozzles and introducing new pumping concepts like the “tank transfer” (now widely recognized in the fire service as the “booster backup”).

While developing this program, Kalmus clued in on some of the testing procedures that were noted in the Waterous pump manuals and began analyzing these principles and how they may play into our current model. He realized that intentionally creating a differential between the master pump discharge pressure (PDP) and the individual discharges could have some value for troubleshooting various pumping issues while also improving operations on fire scenes requiring multiple handlines. From that idea, overpumping was born, quickly becoming a standard practice for the Austin Fire Department and eventually being adopted by many departments in the region.

1 Before electronic pressure governors became common, pump operators relied on more archaic systems like manual throttles and manual relief valves that required constant attention. (Photos courtesy of author.)

2 Overpumping is intentionally setting a higher PDP than what any potential individual discharges may require.

WHAT IS OVERPUMPING?

At its core, overpumping is the practice of intentionally setting a higher PDP than what any potential individual discharges may require. This creates a purposeful pressure differential between the PDP and the specific line pressures, allowing each discharge to be precisely gated down to its target pressure. Other areas around the country also refer to this practice as “pot of pressure” pumping.

For example, Austin pump operators will often set their PDP to 150 pounds per square inch (psi) or greater. This high baseline ensures that, as the fireground progresses, regardless of what lines are pulled (1¾-inch, 2½-inch, or extended stretch combinations) there is always room to gate each line to its ideal pressure without needing to constantly adjust the pum

A man died after being hit by a fire truck, according to troopers with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, wxii12.com reported.

A pickup truck was traveling on U.S. 421, towing a utility trailer, around 6:20 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, 2025, the report said.

Officials said the trailer became detached from the truck. Once the driver noticed this, he moved to the shoulder and parked near an abandoned vehicle, leaving the truck’s left rear side slightly over the fog line, according to the report. 

As the man exited his truck, officials said a fire truck hit the trailer, which was then thrown into the abandoned vehicle, the report said. The fire truck then hit the left corner of the pickup truck and then struck the truck driver who had stepped out to retrieve the trailer, according to the report.

Officials said the driver of the pickup truck died. The driver of the fire truck was not injured.

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The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) celebrated the delivery of new fire and EMS vehicles totaling a $10.7 million investment in public safety — another milestone in the city’s long-term effort to modernize its fleet, improve reliability, and maintain response times well below national averages, the city said in an Oct. 14, 2025, press release.

The showcase at DFD’s Apparatus Division highlighted the department receiving 10 new pumpers, 13 new ambulances, three battalion chief vehicles, and three EMS supervisor vehicles, all equipped with industry-leading technology to help protect residents and first responders.

Deputy Mayor Melia Howard, Group Executive of Construction & Building Operations LaJuan Counts, and Deputy Budget Director Donnie Johnson joined DFD leadership for the event, which also drew strong media attendance.

“Today is about showing our community the results of a major investment in public safety – $10.7 million dedicated to keeping Detroiters safe,” said Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms. “Thanks to the unwavering support of Mayor Mike Duggan and City Council, we’re ensuring our firefighters and medics have the reliable equipment they need to respond quickly when Detroiters call for help.”

The new apparatus marks significant progress in the city’s commitment to maintaining a young, modern fleet. Once these new engines are placed in service, all but five of the Detroit Fire Department’s front-line engines will be five years old or newer — a dramatic improvement from just a decade ago, when many vehicles were decades old and prone to breakdowns.

“When our firefighters see brand-new front-line equipment rolling into their engine houses, it reinforces that their safety is a top priority,” said Chief David Nelson. “These new units mean faster responses and better safety for the residents we serve every day.”

Fleet investment breakdown:

• 10 pumpers: $8,620,140.00
• 13 ambulance remounts: $1,755,989.86
• 3 battalion chief and 3 EMS supervisor vehicles (Ford Explorers with upfits): $276,226.80

Placement of the new vehicles was data-driven, based on each unit’s age, mileage, and utilization rate — meaning DFD analyzed which neighborhoods had the hardest-working or most in-need apparatus to ensure resources were distributed where they would have the greatest impact on service and reliability.

Every vehicle is equipped with HAAS Alert Safety Cloud, a connected safety platform that sends real-time digital alerts to nearby drivers when emergency vehicles are approaching or stopped at an incident. This helps prevent collisions and improves safety for first responders and the public alike.

Over the past decade, the City of Detroit has made remarkable strides in fleet modernization, moving from aging and unreliable apparatus to a fully modern, technology-enabled fleet. These investments have helped DFD maintain Code 1 medical response times under 7 minutes and 30 seconds, well below the national average.

“These investments ensure that when Detroiters call for help, we can respond quickly, safely, and effectively,” said Commissioner Simms. “For our first responders, this means reliable equipment so they can focus on saving lives — not worrying about whether the engine will make it to the scene, like we did 15 years ago.”

With these new additions, the Detroit Fire Department continues to strengthen its role as a national leader in emergency response, fleet modernization, and employee safety.

The post Department Celebrates $10.7M Investment in New Fire Apparatus appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency