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Shelley/Firth firemen check out new ‘Engine 1’ |
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Tuesday, 25 August 2009 |
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By Leslie Mielke FIRTH -- The Shelley-Firth Fire District has a new Class A fire truck in its arsenal. About every five years, a new truck is purchased for either Firth or Shelley since the two towns form one fire district, Firth Fire Chief Bruce Anthony said. The new fire truck is housed in Firth.
 The Morning News / Leslie Mielke
Firth fire volunteers load 1,000 feet of hose on top of the new truck.
So many unique ideas were put into this truck that Boise Mobile Equipment calls them the “Firth Technique,” Anthony said.
The company it is going to put many of these concepts into all their trucks, Anthony said.
The truck is a Class A pumper truck. Class A pumper trucks are used for structure fires.
A four-door cab seats four firefighters plus a driver.
The four seats for the firefighters are designed to hold the firefighters self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The Fire Chief said, “When the men see a fire raging, they are anxious to get out there and fight the fire; it takes a few more minutes to suit up because they forget that they need to protect themselves first.”
Since the firefighters will be able to put on their SCBA equipment before arriving at the fire, “the firefighters can better protect themselves and attack the fire more aggressively when we first arrive,” Anthony said.
A hose and nozzle located on the front end of the truck can be used on fires as the truck is moving down the road. The nozzle has a 180º range that is operated by a joy stick in the cab of the truck.
The truck has its own foam storage tank and can dispense foam directly from the truck. “Foam clings and smothers a fire 75 percent quicker than water does,” Anthony said.
A device to automatically condition the battery and maintain air pressure is part of this truck.
Tool compartments are available to house tools.
The tank is made of a heavy black plastic, like teflon, so it won’t rust out, the Fire Chief said. “With plastic tanks, the life expectancy of the truck goes up.”
A donut shape has been built into the tank. Ladders are housed in the hollow portion of this tank and are pulled from the back of the truck.
One thousand feet of hose is stored on top of the truck.
If a fire hydrant is not available, the new truck holds 800 gallons of water. “It would take about five minutes to use that quantity of water,” Anthony said. “We use another pumper that holds 3,500 gallons of water when fighting a fire.”
Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting is used for the warning lights. This lighting uses one-tenth of the electricity of older models, Anthony said.
The truck has its own generator so normal power tools can be used. “It took two months to find a generator to fit the space where it would be housed,” the fire chief said.
A new insignia was designed for the Shelley-Firth Fire District and is displayed on the fire truck’s doors.
The truck is 31 feet, 6 inches long and 96 inches (8 feet) wide. With the truck’s center of gravity, it is not in any danger of rolling.
The fire truck cost $290,000 and was purchased from funds set aside for this purpose by the Shelley-Firth Fire District, Anthony said. “The price has gone up,” he said. In 2002, the new fire truck cost $190.000.
The Shelley-Firth Fire District covers from Caribou County to Lava, the Rising River area and BLM land to Blackfoot. “We help wherever we are called,” Anthony said.
Housed in Firth are three Class A pumper trucks, four pick-ups and an ambulance.
“We try to get the best equipment to take care of the fire district,” the fire chief said, “but good fire equipment is only as good as the group of men who run it.”
“We have an excellent group of volunteers here,” Anthony said.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 26 August 2009 )
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