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| The Impel chassis, combined with the PUC pump system, maximises compartment space, performance and value |
Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation company, recently placed four Pierce® Impel™ pumpers on duty with the Scottsdale Fire Department (SFD) in Scottsdale, Arizona. In addition, SFD has purchased two more Impel pumpers that will be delivered in April 2015. All six utilise the Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC) pump system. In total, SFD now has 23 Pierce apparatus in service or on order for delivery.
“Pierce offers the industry’s widest selection of custom chassis, each one with capabilities and technologies to meet the unique needs of fire departments like Scottsdale,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “The Impel chassis, combined with the PUC pump system, maximises compartment space, performance and value. We’re extremely pleased to have these newest PUC pumpers join the SFD fleet.”
“Our first PUC pumper was purchased in 2008. We carefully evaluated and reorganised our spec at that time because of the many advantages the PUC offered our department,” said SFD Battalion Chief Chris Schibi, leader of the department’s apparatus purchasing committee. “The Impel chassis and PUC combination is an excellent fit for our department, and we’ve had positive feedback and input from firefighters to help us refine the apparatus specs over the years.”
SFD’s six most recent vehicles purchased are each equipped with a 450 hp engine, a 178-inch wheelbase, TAK-4® independent front suspension, a 1500 gpm PUC pump, a 740-gallon form- fitting poly water tank, and a Pierce Husky® 12 foam system. Each vehicle is outfitted with front airbags as well as Pierce’s side roll protection system.
“We have many narrow streets and have moved to a shorter 178-inch wheelbase because bigger isn’t always better,” said SFD engineer and co-chair of the apparatus purchasing committee, Chris Ouzounis. “Before we went with the Impel, we were always limited in how much equipment we could carry. Now, despite its compact wheelbase, we can store salvage overhaul equipment, mountain packs, and wildland gear on all our trucks and still have room to spare. This has helped make us a more responsive department.”
SFD is an “all hazards” department that provides municipal fire protection, out-of-hospital emergency medical services, wildland firefighting, hazardous materials response, technical rescue response and more for the city’s 217,000 residents. The department’s protection district includes a large urban interface that borders 24,000 acres of pristine desert land popular with hikers from around the world.
