Portable electric generator
DEPARTMENTS
Dispatches
The need for portable electric power in the Austin, TX, Fire Department, without using a full-size support unit, resulted in equipping six pumpers with small generators that can even be removed to provide a greater on-scene portable power capacity. This essentially was accomplished with creative ingenuity and:
- Six, 1,600-watt, 110-volt, on-demand supply portable generators with 12-volt motors.
- Twelve 12-volt, 200-amp batteries (two for each generator).
- Quick connecting plugs, wires, and weatherproof twistlock outlets.
At first, a generator was mounted in a compartment and wired for on/off control and power through a switch on the pumper’s dashboard. Then it was mounted on a slide-out and carry tray and equipped with two batteries for a power source. In this mode, a 16-inch smoke ejector can be supplied for one hour. In its apparatus operational mode, in addition to supplying power tools, lights, etc., remote from the apparatus, it also can supply two 500-watt quartz, permanently-mounted, telescoping floodlights.
As with every innovation, there are drawbacks. The Austin firefighters warn that the portable power capacity in the carry-away mode is limited. For example, it can’t supply a smoke ejector and another device simultaneously, and it is too heavy for one firefighter to carry.
Captain
