Wildfire Environmental Inc., the manufacturer of quality wildland fire control products, unveiled its latest enhancements to its skid units.
In preparation for the 2012 Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) show in Indianapolis, Wildfire has released details regarding its updated RANCHER series and its new TORPEDO series. Both of these product series are branded under the SKIDTANX name.
Each TORPEDO unit comes equipped with an industry-leading WATERAX pump at its core. The high-endurance rotary seal featured in the WATERAX pumps is made of a proprietary material which incorporates a blister-resistant carbon seal face and a silicon carbide seat. The resulting lower weeping rates, increased durability under partial dry running, and improved overall pump end reliability is a testament to its advanced design.
“These products just keep getting better,” said Frédéric Lefrançois, Wildfire’s Vice-President of Product Development. “Not only do these slip-ons set the standard for safety, quality, and reliability, they also have some exciting innovations. We are particularly pleased to introduce our low-friction manifold and our extremely intuitive control panel on the TORPEDO series,” he added.
Lefrançois is referring to the centerpiece of the TORPEDO’s plumbing system, which consists of a new low-friction polished stainless steel manifold that reduces water resistance while maintaining an intuitive configuration of valves and connections. A special feature of the manifold is the Victaulic coupling connections which also act as vibration dampeners to relieve excess strain on the plumbing.
Another leap forward in design is the entirely new control panel that follows a simple left-to-right sequence for powering, priming, and starting the unit. Thanks to energy-efficient LEDs, the panel’s controls light up to provide clear feedback to the user, and the unit can even power a bright work light.
The launch of the SKIDTANX line is part of an overall strategy to reconnect Wildfire with its R&D and manufacturing roots. Since a management buy-out in March 2010, the company has returned to its core competencies under dynamic leadership, with a strong commitment to bringing innovative products to the wildland and urban interface community.
“Wildfire is clearly focused on inventing, making and delivering quality water handling products for the wildland fire industry”, explained Marcello Iacovella, the company’s president. “This new SKIDTANX launch is fully in line with our ongoing efforts to improve all of our product lines. We are very much looking forward to unveiling the SKIDTANX TORPEDO at the FDIC.”
Wildfire is participating as an exhibitor at the FDIC held from April 16-21, 2012 at the Indiana Convention Center & Lucas Oil Stadium, in Indianapolis. They can be found at booth #329.
Wildfire invents, makes and delivers premium water handling equipment for wildland firefighters, agencies and governments worldwide. Its distribution network, with branches in strategic locations throughout Canada and the United States, and with export agents in other international markets, provides the after-sales service which is of utmost importance in the wildland fire control industry.
