Although the whole fire service is steeped in tradition, this is particularly true when it comes to fire apparatus and fireground operations. Some departments are slow to change; others welcome it. But every once in a while a fire department can do both: preserve a tradition and yet be proactive and aggressive in its planning. The Fair Haven Fire Department (FHFD) located in Monmouth County, N.J., is one of those rare fire departments. It took the “quad” concept and modernized it.
What’s a Quad?
Most everyone has heard of the quint, but some of the newer members of the fire service may not have heard of the quad. The earliest manufacture of a quad that I could find in several fire apparatus history books was around 1925.
A quad combines the functions of several pieces of fire apparatus. It’s usually constructed on an extended chassis and can provide pumping capability. It features a water tank, hose-carrying capabilities and the ground ladders of a truck company without an aerial device. Quads were commonly used in areas where the height of buildings didn’t require an aerial ladder, since they provide ladder company functions while saving manpower and costs.
Long Time Coming
The FHFD was looking to replace its 1954 American LaFrance (ALF) quad with a newer piece of equipment. It had been 27 years since the department had purchased its last piece of apparatus.
According to Deputy Chief Jim Cerruti, the process of designing specs for the quad began around 3 years ago. “We already had a 1954 ALF quad,” he says, “So our members were familiar with that type of operation. However, a lot of discussion went on within our apparatus committee about buying an aerial ladder this time around. The idea of a quint was discussed. But since we can get four aerials or more from mutual aid in the area, plus the fact that we have small, narrow streets in our response district, we decided to modernize the quad concept for our department.”
Adding to the decision: The borough is only 1.6 square miles and has a population of 6,000. It’s primarily a bedroom community with little industry, which makes purchasing a large aerial impractical.
“Historically, the quad concept served our department well, and by improving on the design we felt that it would serve us well into the future,” Cerruti says. As with all FHFD purchases, the specs were sent out to bid, and Pierce was awarded the contract. “We had a 1981 Pierce pumper and were happy with its performance, so getting another Pierce made sense,” Cerruti says. The department worked with local Pierce dealer Fire & Safety Services.
Modernizing the Design
Both Pierce’s pumper and aerial division engineers were involved in the design of the quad. An aerial-like torque box had to be constructed, and the truck needed a special ladder compartment and a water tank, which needed to be built around the compartment. The extra compartmentation was added on both sides of the vehicle to carry additional truck company tools.
“Our committee traveled out to Appleton (Wis.) during the preproduction phase and at completion of the vehicle for inspection,” Cerruti says. “We gained some ideas when walking through the factory.” The department added a front-facing window on the raised cab to let in more light, stainless-steel trim around all doors, a stainless-steel pump panel and LED tank indicator lights on both sides of the cab body, mounted high and very visible.
“During the whole process everyone at Pierce was very professional and all of our ideas and additions were well received,” Cerruti says. The FHFD took delivery of the vehicle within 6 months from the time it was ordered. Aside from minor warranty issues that the local dealer resolved, the department has been pleased with the apparatus.
Unique Features
The FHFD used the vehicle as an opportunity to standardize its apparatus fleet. “We chose the new Velocity eight-person cab for added space and safety for our firefighters,” Cerruti says. “We carry five SCBA in the cab and four in a compartment. A two-stage, 1,500-gpm pump is installed and all of our pumpers carry a booster line.” In addition, the vehicle carries 170 feet of ground ladders, six pike poles of varying lengths and a large hose bed.
The ladders carried on the vehicle include:
- One three-section 40′ ground ladder
- One three-section 35′ ground ladder
- Two two-section 24′ ground ladders
- One 18′ roof ladder
- One 14′ roof ladder
- One 12′ folding ladder
- One 10′ folding ladder
- One “little giant” ladder
Hose carried on the vehicles includes three 200′ crosslays of 1 ¾” hose, 200 feet of 1″ booster hose, 250 feet of 1 ¾” hose, 500 feet of 2 ½” hose, and 2,000 feet of 3″ supply line. The vehicle also features a 10-kW Harrison hydraulic generator, an Akron foam eductor system, mounted and portable Churchville and Fire Research quartz lights, and Hannay electrical reels.
Making Old New
As you can see, this vehicle is vastly different from what most fire departments operate with today. The average department might have purchased an off-the-shelf 75′ quint on a pumper chassis. But the FHFD chiefs, officers and firefighters elected to take an old concept and improve upon the design. It not only saved them money but gave them a highly functional piece of fire apparatus that meets their community’s needs.
If a traditional idea works for your department and you would like to incorporate it into your next apparatus purchase, discuss it with the manufacturer’s engineers and see if you can modernize the idea for today’s use. As long as it meets current NFPA 1901 standards and doesn’t jeopardize the safety of your firefighters, you should at least discuss it and see if it’s feasible.
If you decide to go this route, remember to investigate and plan accordingly. What works now might not work 20 years from now, if you plan on keeping the vehicle in service for that long.
The FHFD’s new quad shows that a little planning and ingenuity goes a long way in apparatus design.
Modern-Day Quad
- 2008 Pierce Velocity extra-long aluminum cab and body with a 10″ raised roof
- 455-hp Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine
- Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission
- 1,500-gpm Waterous two-stage pump
- 500-gallon polypropylene tank
- Akron eductor foam system
- 10-kW Harrison hydraulic generator
- Jacobs engine brake
- Hannay electrical reel
- Whelen LED light package
- TFT Extend-a-Gun deluge
