| Pierce placed Arrow XT fire apparatus outfitted with Snozzle HRET on duty with the Malaga VFD |
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, placed a Pierce® Arrow XT™ fire apparatus outfitted with the Oshkosh-exclusive Snozzle® High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET) on duty with the Malaga Volunteer Fire Department in Eddy County, New Mexico. Since going into service, the apparatus has proven itself in several emergency responses, protecting crude oil pumping and storage facilities located throughout southern New Mexico and West Texas.
The Pierce Arrow XT
“The Pierce Arrow XT, matched with our exclusive Snozzle HRET, is a powerful and proven combination, providing excellent reach and firefighting power,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive Vice President and President of the Fire & Emergency segment and Pierce Manufacturing. “Originally developed for aircraft emergencies, we’re seeing a real spike in interest for the Snozzle HRET with specialised applications such as those in oil producing regions. The real-world experiences of departments such as Malaga, New Mexico speak volumes for its capabilities and performance.”
“On a single day, in particular – during the aftermath of a lightning storm – the apparatus traveled more than 300 miles and its crew put out four different tank battery fires,” explained Pecos Davis, fire chief for Malaga Volunteer Fire Department. “On another occasion, we responded to a series of tank battery fires with a neighboring district. They were fighting it with hand lines trying to put it out. We pulled up with the Snozzle, set the foam percentage at three percent, and put it out within 15 minutes.”
The Snozzle apparatus
“The Snozzle apparatus gives us faster set-up time, greater reach, higher volume flow, and instant access to lots of foam. Most important, it keeps our firefighters further out of harm’s way,” said Robert Brader, director of fire services for Eddy County, New Mexico. “Fires that would have taken two to three hours to put out are now taking 20 minutes or even less. Plus, we have hundreds of miles of dirt and gravel roads that support the oilfield infrastructure, so we’re not driving this rig on pretty asphalt. We’re taking it onto rough roads and, here, the TAK-4® independent front suspension has made a world of difference.”
The Pierce Arrow XT apparatus features a 500 hp engine, a four-door cab, seating for four firefighters, TAK-4® independent front suspension, tandem rear axles, and Command Zone™ advanced electronics. The vehicle also sports a Pierce Snozzle HRET with a 50-foot reach, a Husky™ 12 single agent foam system, a 1,250-gallon poly water tank, a 200-gallon foam cell, 1,000 feet of 5-inch hose and 500 feet of 2.5-inch hose.