The Delta Township (MI) Fire Department is running two Sutphen front-line pumpers out of two stations and is so pleased with the rigs that it recently took delivery of a Sutphen custom side-mount rescue-pumper to replace its oldest rigs.
After receiving the new rescue pumper, the department liked the rig’s layout and performance, so it placed another order with Sutphen for an identical rescue pumper, as well as an SPH100 aerial platform.
Compartment space
Gregg Ginebaugh, chief of Delta Township Fire Department, says the difference between the 2021 Sutphen rescue-pumper the department received and its prior 2016 rig is that the new apparatus has a side-mount instead of a top-mount pump.
“We went with a side-mount to give ourselves more compartment space for all the equipment we need to carry on the rescue-pumper,” Ginebaugh points out.
Bigger rescue body
Delta Township wanted a bigger rescue body because they have to carry the entire equipment on a single apparatus"
David Desrochers of Apollo Fire Equipment, who sold the rescue-pumper to Delta Township, says the department is a busy one, with Interstate 69 in its coverage area, as well as a large township to the north that it covers on a contract basis.
“Delta Township wanted a bigger rescue body for this pumper because they have to carry the entire rescue and fire suppression equipment they need on a single apparatus,” Desrochers says. “With the rescue body, we were able to give them more compartment space, coffin compartments up on top, and still have room in the hose bed for 1,000 feet of 5-inch LDH (large diameter hose), and 300 feet of 2-1/2-inch dead lay.”
Features of the rescue-pumper
The rescue-pumper has 20,000-pound front and 27,000-pound rear axles and suspensions and is powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 diesel engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS Gen 5 automatic transmission. The wheelbase on the rig is 196 inches, the overall length is 32 feet 8 inches, and the overall height is 10 feet 7 inches.
Desrochers says the rescue-pumper has a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) single-stage pump, a 1,000-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank, and a Hale SmartFOAM 2.1A foam system. Speedlays include two 2-inch outlets with swivels and aluminum lift-out trays and one 2-1/2-inch outlet with swivel and lift-out tray.
Self-contained breathing apparatus seats
Ginebaugh notes that the department chose to have hinged compartment doors on the new rescue pumper instead of roll-up doors to provide a few more inches of compartment space. “The rescue pumpers cab is set up to seat four firefighters in H.O. Bostrom seats, with three of them in SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) seats,” he says.
“In an extended front-bumper compartment we have 200 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose preconnected, and also pry bar tools for easy access, especially when we respond to motor vehicle accidents.”
Battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools
The rig has a grille-mounted Federal Q2B siren and a Safety Vision SV-CLCD0-07 camera system
He adds that the rescue-pumper also has a full set of Genesis Rescue Systems battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools in a street-side compartment, secured in a Fire and Marine Inc. (FMI) lazy-Susan style revolving fitting.
Lighting on the rescue-pumper includes a Whelen Freedom LED light bar with Opticom, two Whelen PFH2 LED brow lights, Whelen Pioneer PFH2 recessed LED lights, and a Whelen LED Traffic Advisor. The rig also has a grille-mounted Federal Q2B siren, a Safety Vision SV-CLCD0-07 camera system, and a David Clark five-position intercom system.
Delta Township Fire Department Operation
The Delta Township Fire Department operates out of three stations, covering two townships totaling 108 square miles, that include rail yards, a Marathon Oil bulk distribution facility, several General Motors facilities, an Amazon distribution center, a municipal airport, two rivers, and Interstate 69 running through its district, and commercial and rural areas.
The department has 42 paid full-time firefighters, a chief, assistant chief, EMS (emergency medical services) captain, fire marshal, and several part-time firefighters. It runs three Type 1 paramedic engines, one aerial ladder, one aerial platform, a pumper-tanker, a brush truck, and five ALS (advanced life support) ambulances.
