In my last installment (“The Vacuum Tanker,” December issue, p. 80), I explained the concept and operational characteristics of the vacuum (vac) fire tanker. I explained that because it’s self-filling, the vac tanker eliminates the need for a fill engine and crew, thus reducing the time and personnel required to complete a water shuttle cycle and increasing tank delivery rate (gpm) to the fireground. I also explained that the vac tanker, like most things “new” to the fire service, has been slow to gain widespread acceptance. This is because the vac tanker resembles a septic system pump truck and operates a little differently than conventional tank vehicles.
In this column I will demonstrate how various rural departments incorporate the Firovac system into designs for both tanker/pumpers and pumper/tankers.
Wooster Township, Ohio
The Wooster Township Fire Department is located in Wayne County, Ohio, not far from the Firovac plant. Several years ago, the department asked Firovac to build its Tanker-143 (T-143), a 1,500-gallon vac tanker equipped with a 1,000-gpm Hale fire pump (Figure 1). The tank was enclosed with a typical pumper body, allowing the apparatus to be equipped with a hosebed and side compartments. T-143 is a tanker/pumper: intended to function primarily as a tanker, secondarily as a pumper.
T-143’s tank is equipped with a 6″ camlock fill/offload connection on each side and at the rear. Each connection is controlled by the driver from within the cab. The side connections are also equipped with air-operated extension chutes controlled by the driver. T-143 carries two 2,500-gallon porta-tanks, four 11 1?2′ lengths of 6″ camlock-coupled suction hose for filling the tank and two lengths of 5″ threaded suction hose to supply the 1,000-gpm pump from draft. On newer vac tankers equipped with fire pumps, the additional threaded suction for the fire pump has been eliminated and a 6″ camlock adapter has been provided to allow the camlock suction to also be used by the fire pump when drafting.
To prepare the T-143 for attack, all the operator has to do is open the tank vent to allow atmospheric pressure into the tank, and open the valve in the tank-to-pump line. The water in the tank can then be used to attack the fire.
Should the tank need to fill from a pressurized source, such as a hydrant or pumper operating from draft, two 3″ direct tank fills with check valves are included at the rear of the tank.
Other Takes
The Owego (N.Y.) Volunteer Fire Department, which already operated two Firovac tankers, decided to rehab an aging conventional 1,250-gpm, 2,500-gallon pumper/tanker. They asked Firovac to replace the tank with a 2,500-gallon vac tank, and enclose it in a new conventional pumper-type body. This apparatus rehab not only saved the department a significant amount of money, but allowed it to standardize its operating procedures for all three vac tank vehicles.
The Mifflin Township (Ohio) Fire Department (MTFD), on the other hand, opted to have Firovac build a unique vac tanker. The MTFD asked Firovac to build a 2,000-gallon/1,000-gpm vac tanker/pumper designed primarily for transporting water in water-on-wheels operations.
What makes this unit unique: While the 1,000-gpm fire pump is midship-mounted behind the cab, the pump controls, two 1 3?4″ preconnects and all other pump discharges are positioned at the rear of the apparatus. Two 2,500-gallon porta-tanks are carried on the right side. This pump arrangement allows the operator to control the pump from the rear and out of the line of traffic.
Performance vs. Looks
Firovac has done a great deal in the last 20-plus years to provide rural firefighters with NFPA-compliant vac tankers designed and built to meet the various demands of rural fire departments. The vac tankers featured in this article, and the ideas behind them, are a small sample of the custom-designed features available from Firovac. The ability to custom-build an apparatus to meet the specific needs of a jurisdiction can prove invaluable in maximizing the output of minimum resources.àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚¿àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚¿àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚¿
Although they may not look or act like the tanker/tender you’re used to, vac tankers can significantly reduce the resources-people, apparatus and time-required to truck the wet stuff to the red stuff and increase overall performance. And, when it comes to rural operations, it’s really all about performance-isn’t it?
Til next time, stay safe.
