A compressed-air foam system (CAFS), plenty of CAFS- and foam-capable discharges, and a large amount of lighting were the top items on the new pumper wish list being developed into specifications by the Oak Bluffs Fire Department on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

John Rose, Oak Bluffs chief, served on the truck committee since its inception and became chief in the middle of the committee’s work. “It took a year to design the pumper as we wanted it,” Rose points out. “The way the downtown in Oak Bluffs is constructed, it started out in the 1800s as a small village with some houses as close as two feet away from each other.”

CAFS Requirement

The truck committee and department officers were concerned, Rose says, with having sufficient knockdown power in a pumper to handle closely packed homes, protect exposures, and provide a fire break if needed. “We wanted the knockdown power of CAFS, its better absorption of carbons, and the fact that it does little water damage,” Rose says. “We also wanted to be able to put it on a house in that little village and use it as a fire break if the situation called for it.”

1 The Oak Bluffs (MA) Fire Department had 4 Guys Fire Trucks build this pumper with a compressed-air foam system (CAFS) on a Spartan Metro Star MFD chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters. (Photo courtesy of 4 Guys Fire Trucks.)

The committee also wanted as much lighting as the new pumper could handle, including a light tower and multiple LED scene lights. Once it settled on the specs, Rose notes, “We put it out to bid on the Massachusetts Central Registry and got two bids. We chose 4 Guys Fire Trucks because it met our needs better than the other bidder and was very close to the specs we really wanted.”

The end result is a 2015 pumper on a Spartan Metro Star MFD chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters; an all 304 stainless steel body, subframe, pump house, and plumbing; and custom emergency medical services (EMS) cabinetry in the cab. The vehicle is powered by a 380-hp Cummins ISL9 engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission and carries a Hale QMax 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a 500-gallon UPF Poly water tank, and a Waterous 140-P CAFS unit with a Hale Foam Logix 5.0 foam pump.

2 Overall length was a concern for Oak Bluffs firefighters, so 4 Guys Fire Trucks brought the CAFS pumper in at an overall length of 31 feet; an overall height of nine feet, six inches; and a wheelbase of 201 inches. (Photo courtesy of 4 Guys Fire Trucks.)

Jonathan Cares, owner of Granite Fire Equipment, which sold the CAFS pumper to Oak Bluffs, says the CAFS is piped to supply two 1¾-inch speedlays and one 2½-inch speedlay, all located forward of the pump house, while foam solution is piped to a rear discharge, two 1¾-inch running board handlines, and a booster reel.

Built for Its First D

A compressed-air foam system (CAFS), plenty of CAFS- and foam-capable discharges, and a large amount of lighting were the top items on the new pumper wish list being developed into specifications by the Oak Bluffs Fire Department on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

John Rose, Oak Bluffs chief, served on the truck committee since its inception and became chief in the middle of the committee’s work. “It took a year to design the pumper as we wanted it,” Rose points out. “The way the downtown in Oak Bluffs is constructed, it started out in the 1800s as a small village with some houses as close as two feet away from each other.”

CAFS Requirement

The truck committee and department officers were concerned, Rose says, with having sufficient knockdown power in a pumper to handle closely packed homes, protect exposures, and provide a fire break if needed. “We wanted the knockdown power of CAFS, its better absorption of carbons, and the fact that it does little water damage,” Rose says. “We also wanted to be able to put it on a house in that little village and use it as a fire break if the situation called for it.”

1 The Oak Bluffs (MA) Fire Department had 4 Guys Fire Trucks build this pumper with a compressed-air foam system (CAFS) on a Spartan Metro Star MFD chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters. (Photo courtesy of 4 Guys Fire Trucks.)

The committee also wanted as much lighting as the new pumper could handle, including a light tower and multiple LED scene lights. Once it settled on the specs, Rose notes, “We put it out to bid on the Massachusetts Central Registry and got two bids. We chose 4 Guys Fire Trucks because it met our needs better than the other bidder and was very close to the specs we really wanted.”

The end result is a 2015 pumper on a Spartan Metro Star MFD chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters; an all 304 stainless steel body, subframe, pump house, and plumbing; and custom emergency medical services (EMS) cabinetry in the cab. The vehicle is powered by a 380-hp Cummins ISL9 engine and an Allison 3000 EVS automatic transmission and carries a Hale QMax 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, a 500-gallon UPF Poly water tank, and a Waterous 140-P CAFS unit with a Hale Foam Logix 5.0 foam pump.

2 Overall length was a concern for Oak Bluffs firefighters, so 4 Guys Fire Trucks brought the CAFS pumper in at an overall length of 31 feet; an overall height of nine feet, six inches; and a wheelbase of 201 inches. (Photo courtesy of 4 Guys Fire Trucks.)

Jonathan Cares, owner of Granite Fire Equipment, which sold the CAFS pumper to Oak Bluffs, says the CAFS is piped to supply two 1¾-inch speedlays and one 2½-inch speedlay, all located forward of the pump house, while foam solution is piped to a rear discharge, two 1¾-inch running board handlines, and a booster reel.

Built for Its First D

By Alan M. Petrillo

Proper storage and care of fire hose are necessities in prolonging the life of the hose and making sure that it is serviceable when firefighter and civilian lives are counting on it to perform as designed.

Hose storage and cleaning vary at fire departments around the country, but there are many similarities in how hose should be stored and how it should be cared for.

Washing and Care

Mark Lighthill, Southeast regional manager for Key Fire Hose, says that storage of fire hose falls into two distinct categories: new hose and hose off of a piece of apparatus, which includes spare hose at the station to replace apparatus hose. “The hose made today is based on its filament, which can be polyester, rayon, a nylon mix, or pure nylon,” Lighthill says. “You’ll also see cotton filament used, but mostly we find it being fielded in forestry and wildland situations as well as PVC nitrile hose (rubber hose).”

1 Superior Fire Hose recommends keeping fire hose coiled for storage after it has been inspected, cleaned, and dried. (Photo courtesy of Superior Fire Hose.)

Polyester and nylon filament hoses don’t mildew or mold, Lighthill points out, but once used, cotton filament jacketed hose and rayon filament hose can get material embedded in its filaments that can cause mold. “With cotton jacket hose, it has to be dry before it is put away in storage,” Lighthill notes. “Once cotton jacket hose is dirty, it needs to be inspected to be sure there are no burns or tears in it, washed with a mild detergent, dried, and then put on a rack for storage. And with PVC nitrile hose, it still has to be cleaned if it has been dragged through something dirty or abrasive.”

Lighthill observes, “We don’t want to see hose drying on hot asphalt out on the fire station apron, because the heat will bake the hose and cause it to dry on only one side because of the overexposure to heat.” Lighthill recommends drying hose on a rack, table, hanging facility, or hose tower. “There are pull-up racks and flat layout racks that allow air to get underneath the hose and dry it out better,” he says.

2 Various types of fire hose made by Superior Fire Hose include double-jacket polyester rubber-lined hose as well as synthetic nitrile rubber hose that is resistant to fuels, chemicals, oils, heat, cold, and environmental pollutants. (Photo courtesy of Superior Fire Hose.)

Richard Bergeron, president and general manager of Superior Fire Hose, says that the first recommendation he makes to fire departments about fire hose is to follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1862, Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing, and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles, and Fire Hose Appliances, to the letter. “Unfortunately, some departments don’t always have the staffing or time to follow the recommendations as they should,” Bergeron says. However, he points out, applying common sense to the c

By Alan M. Petrillo

Proper storage and care of fire hose are necessities in prolonging the life of the hose and making sure that it is serviceable when firefighter and civilian lives are counting on it to perform as designed.

Hose storage and cleaning vary at fire departments around the country, but there are many similarities in how hose should be stored and how it should be cared for.

Washing and Care

Mark Lighthill, Southeast regional manager for Key Fire Hose, says that storage of fire hose falls into two distinct categories: new hose and hose off of a piece of apparatus, which includes spare hose at the station to replace apparatus hose. “The hose made today is based on its filament, which can be polyester, rayon, a nylon mix, or pure nylon,” Lighthill says. “You’ll also see cotton filament used, but mostly we find it being fielded in forestry and wildland situations as well as PVC nitrile hose (rubber hose).”

1 Superior Fire Hose recommends keeping fire hose coiled for storage after it has been inspected, cleaned, and dried. (Photo courtesy of Superior Fire Hose.)

Polyester and nylon filament hoses don’t mildew or mold, Lighthill points out, but once used, cotton filament jacketed hose and rayon filament hose can get material embedded in its filaments that can cause mold. “With cotton jacket hose, it has to be dry before it is put away in storage,” Lighthill notes. “Once cotton jacket hose is dirty, it needs to be inspected to be sure there are no burns or tears in it, washed with a mild detergent, dried, and then put on a rack for storage. And with PVC nitrile hose, it still has to be cleaned if it has been dragged through something dirty or abrasive.”

Lighthill observes, “We don’t want to see hose drying on hot asphalt out on the fire station apron, because the heat will bake the hose and cause it to dry on only one side because of the overexposure to heat.” Lighthill recommends drying hose on a rack, table, hanging facility, or hose tower. “There are pull-up racks and flat layout racks that allow air to get underneath the hose and dry it out better,” he says.

2 Various types of fire hose made by Superior Fire Hose include double-jacket polyester rubber-lined hose as well as synthetic nitrile rubber hose that is resistant to fuels, chemicals, oils, heat, cold, and environmental pollutants. (Photo courtesy of Superior Fire Hose.)

Richard Bergeron, president and general manager of Superior Fire Hose, says that the first recommendation he makes to fire departments about fire hose is to follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1862, Standard for the Care, Use, Inspection, Service Testing, and Replacement of Fire Hose, Couplings, Nozzles, and Fire Hose Appliances, to the letter. “Unfortunately, some departments don’t always have the staffing or time to follow the recommendations as they should,” Bergeron says. However, he points out, applying common sense to the c