| The Pierce Arrow XT pumpers feature 25.4-cm raised roof cab, seating for five firefighters and PSV seats |
Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, delivered three Pierce® Arrow XT™ pumpers to fire departments in Vancouver, British Columbia – one each to the City of North Vancouver Fire Department, the District of North Vancouver Fire Department, and the District of West Vancouver Fire Department. Purchased through a co-op recently formed among the departments, all three are new Pierce customers.
“Our departments work very closely together and we’ve streamlined major purchases – such as emergency apparatus – to combine our resources and expertise,” said Fire Chief Dan Pistilli, City of North Vancouver Fire Department. “Our joint committee put together a scoring matrix, evaluated five separate proposals and, in the end, unanimously selected Pierce and Wholesale Fire & Rescue. It was a very comprehensive process.”
“We are thrilled to be chosen by three excellent fire departments in Vancouver, and it speaks volumes that the group undertook such an exhaustive process to make their decision,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “This purchase is the culmination of an excellent group effort, led by our dealer team at Wholesale Fire & Rescue.”
The virtually identical Pierce Arrow XT pumpers each feature a 25.4-cm (10-inch) raised roof cab, seating for five firefighters and Pierce PSV™ seats throughout. The vehicles are each equipped with the Pierce-exclusive Detroit Diesel DD13 500 hp big block engine, a Command Zone™ advanced electronics system, heated remote control mirrors, and an automatic tire chain system. The firefighting system includes a 7,571-lpm (2,000-gpm) single stage pump, a 1,514-liter (400-gallon) water tank, a Husky® 3 single agent foam system (with a 151-liter [40-gallon] foam cell plumbed to four outlets), and a full complement of ground ladders. One vehicle is equipped with a 7,571-lpm (2,000-gpm) deck gun for industrial response required in its protection area.
“We look at these fire apparatus as a 20-year investment, and their quality and reputation are an important part of the reason we went with Pierce and the Arrow XT chassis,” said Chief Pistilli. “Moreover, the Pierce-exclusive DD-13 big block engine is a big benefit because the elevation of our response area rises from sea level up to 1200 feet. Plus Pierce’s TAK-4® independent front suspension was a huge draw for us due to its advantages in terms of handling, braking, ease-of-maintenance and durability.”