Fire departments around the world rely on pumper fire trucks to quickly and effectively extinguish fires. With so many different types of pumper fire trucks available and thousands of available features, it can feel daunting to start the specification and selection process.
At Pierce Manufacturing, we are proud to work with fire departments to understand the mission of a new fire truck to design and manufacture a truck to the desired specifications.
See how two different departments outfitted their Pierce pumper apparatus in more detail below.
The Biloxi Fire Department in Mississippi boasts 10 stations in a bustling urban environment. When the fire department sought to replace an older pumper in its fleet, the staff visited Pierce Manufacturing to talk about their needs and truck specifications. The municipal department wanted a strong and reliable work truck without all of the bells and whistles. In fact, the department representatives visited four different fire truck manufacturers to evaluate how best to proceed with a new truck order.
The end result—they chose Pierce Manufacturing’s Build My Pierce™ program because it offered the features they wanted and the durable multipurpose truck they needed.
The biggest change for the department was the added room, seating and layout functionality which came with the new Enforcer™ chassis. The department was also able to add strategic EMS compartmentation to cater to auto accidents and medical emergencies.
Here are some of the specifications of the Biloxi pumper fire truck:
The design flexibility of Build My Pierce allowed the department to consider new options, which enhanced space efficiency and on-scene capabilities. In fact, the department was so happy with the front bumper crosslays they are strongly considering adding the feature to all future fleet trucks.
See the details of this unique truck and download the drawing here.
The Exxon Mobil Baytown Refinery is the largest refinery in the United States. Located in Houston, Texas, along a shipping channel, the refinery can be a hostile, hot and humid environment.
When the fire department needed four new industrial pumper fire trucks, they trusted Pierce Manufacturing to deliver fully-equipped, highly capable apparatus with unique added features.
Here are some of the features of the Exxon Mobil Baytown Refinery pumper:
The first delivered Baytown Refinery pumper features a Velocity® chassis and the largest engine available for fire trucks, a Cummins X15, 605 hp with 2050 with lbs feet of torque, required to drive the Darley 2ZSM pump. The 5500 gpm pump can discharge an excess of 10,000 gallons per minute from a pressured water source. The Husky™ 450 Industrial foam system is managed with hydraulically actuated valves with flow meters on every discharge, allowing operators to vary foam percentages for each individual discharge. This proprietary digitally controlled foam proportioning system responds rapidly and accurately to changes in water pressure and flow.
The refinery is required to follow OHSA guidelines and the pumper truck is built accordingly. The hosebed includes a walkway down the middle with tethering points across the top of the truck for secured fall protection from elevated positions. When firefighters are tasked with re-loading hose after an incident, the on-site safety managers can be sure the fire truck meets all OSHA safety requirements.
To function effectively in hot Texas weather, the pumper fire truck was built with an enclosed top. Firefighters are able to manage all pump operations from inside the pumper in a fully air-conditioned space away from dangerous fire toxins and oppressive summer heat.
Read the full truck specifications and see the drawing here.
No matter what type of pumper apparatus your department is seeking, Pierce can help support your needs. From understanding the mission of your truck to fulfilling your specification requirements and offering design insights and recommendations, Pierce has the expertise to bring your ideal pumper fire truck to life. Reach out to your local dealer to get started.
Questions on pumper fire trucks? Let us know in the comments.
Interested in learning more about pumpers? Take a look at our additional resources: