N.Y. Pumpers Get 2nd Life in Colorado
After some years of faithful service, what happens to old pumpers? Some may be ready for the scrap heap hut many can still have a longer service life.
With energy and effort, they can be revitalized into useful equipment according to Ralph Vance, a captain in the Elk Creek Fire Department, located in the southwest mountains of Jefferson County, Colo. The department is a volunteer organization of 42 members covering an area of 97 square miles of rugged terrain.
Money to buy and maintain equipment has been hard to come by. The department last year needed more rolling stock to improve service in the district. It was operating with two ’69 trucks which had not been specifically made as pumpers—they were modified trucks on Ford chassis. But new equipment was beyond the financial capacity of the department. The cost for one new pumper was estimated at more than $108,000. And one would not be sufficient to meet the growth demands of the area.
Advertising works again
Then Vance, reading the October 1980 issue of Fire Engineering, saw an ad that aroused his interest:
To Vance it read like the answer to his department’s needs and the cost could be within the budget. He discussed it with other officers of the fire company and the board of directors.
Several lengthy talks on the phone led Vance to Nick Ciampo, head maintenance man for the New York Fire Department. Ciampo’s help and cooperation were outstanding according to Vance and three other fire fighters who made an authorized “look-see” trip to New York.
At the Brooklyn Armory they inspected about 25 used pumpers. Some were totally inoperative. Most had extensive rust damage on the bodies. However, the maintenance records of all were available. After further examination and tests, the Elk Creek fire fighters decided to purchase two 1970 Mack pumpers at a cost of $7000 each.
The two trucks were shipped to the mountains on flatbed trucks.
Reconditioning begins
When the trucks arrived at Station 1, located near U.S. 285, everyone in the department was excited.
“I didn’t have to call for work crews,” commented Vance. “Everyone wanted to help with the reconditioning and cleanup.”
The two pumpers were sent to the Mack factory in Denver for necessary repairs. Parts (mostly bearings) were not expensive but labor costs drove the repair figures to $5000.
“We haven’t done a complete paint job on either truck,” Vance explained, “but with touch-up work and new stencil lettering, they are now attractive rigs.
In the dry Colorado air, rust is not a factor. Once the body work is repaired, no further deterioration is expected.
A month after they arrived in Colorado, the two pumpers saw active service with two structure fires in remote areas.
Special needs met
“In the mountains we need trucks with power and pumpers with large water capacity. These trucks have both,” explained Rod Fosler, Elk Creek fire chief. “Our old engines could get a maximum speed of only 20 to 25 mph on our two steepest hills. These new turbocharged diesels can take the same grades at 45 mph. Our response time to fires has increased tremendously.”
Water-holding capacity is another crucial factor in the mountains where hydrants are nonexistent and water must be hauled to the scene. One of the new trucks carries 750 gallons, the other 400. The second Mack, however, had a large storage area for hose. The Elk Creek fire fighters are converting the hose space to a tank holding an additional 700 gallons. The two tanks will he manifolded together and have separate valves. Both pumpers were rated at 1000 gpm, hut “they have exceeded that,” Fosler said, pleased with their performance.
Photo by Ralph Vance, Elk Creek Eire Department
Four more
In fact, the two trucks have proved so completely satisfactory that last February the same crew went back to New York and purchased four more Macks.
“Now we have a uniform fleet of equipment,” says Fosler. “Personnel efficiency increases when controls and valves on all pumpers are alike, with pumper handles and battery shutoffs in similar positions.”
Perhaps the most significant fact is that the depart ment has a fleet of six pumpers for far less than the cost of a single new one.
If small fire departments with budgetary problems are thinking about ways to increase their service and productivity, Vance and Fosler highly recommend the route of “used but still useful” pumpers.
