Archive for July, 2010

Woodstock is on the site

Jul 18

Posted by bgshap in New Listing, Site News | Comments off

Woodstock Fire District Pierce Arrow XT quint

There are three stations serving the Woodstock Fire District in Division 5 (McHenry County). They cover over 86 miles with a combination paid and part-time staff. Each station runs an ambulance and there is a 105′ Pierce Arrow XT quint at Station 1. Both of the other stations have a Pierce engine, a tanker, and a brush rig. Station 2 houses two antique units which have not yet been photographed. In addition, Hazmat 5, which serves both Divisions 4 and 5 is housed at Woodstock Station 1.

Woodstock Station 2 on Dean Street is the same basic design as Station except that Station 3 has only two bays. Larry Shapiro photo

Stations 2 and 3 share the same design with one exception; Station 2 has three bays and Station 3 has only two. Both have drive-thru bays.

Station 1 has their own creative decal representing the companies assigned there.

Station 3 also has a unique decal.

The newest units in Woodstock are a 2009 Pierce Arrow XT engine and a matching 105′ RM aerial.

Tags: antique, Arrow XT, Division 4, Division 5, hazmat, Mchenry County, Pierce, quint, Woodstock

North Maine refurb update

Jul 17

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News | Comments off

Engine 1R from North Maine has been at Alexis being refurbished for several weeks. When it returns, it will become the frontline engine. Some of the updates being done include adding air-conditioning, adding high-side compartments to the officer’s side, updating the lighting and adding an extended front bumper with a front intake and hose storage.

The extended chrome front bumper being added. North Maine photo

The front of Engine 1 before the new bumper extension. North Maine photo

The new high-side compartments being added to the officer's side of the rig. North Maine photo

An earlier view of the officer's side with the low-side compartments and ladder storage. North Maine photo

The new front bumper. (Prospect Heights Engine 39 seen in the background has been completed) North Maine photo

The front bumper has a front intake, hose trough for large diameter hose, embedded air horns and a bell. North Maine photo

New LED lighting on the roof. North Maine photo

A roof top air conditioner will be installed as it was originally purchased without air conditioning. North Maine photo

Thanks to NMFD District Chief Mike Fox for the information and photos.

Tags: Alexis, North Maine, Pierce

Richmond FPD is posted

Jul 16

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Listing, Site News | Comments off

Along the Illinois/Wisconsin border in McHenry County is the town of Richmond and the Richmond Fire Protection District. They are in Division 5 covering roughly 28 square miles from one fire station which is packed with apparatus. The design of the Richmond fire station is sightly unique in that all of the apparatus bays are in the rear of the ‘L-shaped’ building.

Richmond Fire Protection District Fire Station

The Richmond FPD station was designed in an 'L-shape' with the apparatus bays around the back of the building. Larry Shapiro photo

The department has a full-time chief and is staffed by 40 part-time firefighters. They run two engines, a truck, a tanker, two ambulances, a brush unit, two AWD ATVs and a pickup which doubles as a chase vehicle for medical runs and a take-home vehicle for the night-time shift commanders. Additionally, they have two beautiful antique engines.

Several years ago, Richmond purchased a 1984 E-ONE, 110′, rear mount, single axle straight truck from Franklin Park. This was an early custom cab/chassis unit from E-ONE with the square cab. Richmond updated the emergency lighting, repainted the black roof white and did various other work to the unit before putting it in service.

Richmond FPD EONE E-ONE 110' truck X-Franklin Park

One of Richmond’s engines built in 1999 by US Tank with an enclosed top-mount pump panel has a twin unit in neighboring Spring Grove. Both feature the HME 1871 super command cab.

Tags: antique, Division 5, EONE, Franklin Park, HME, Hurricane, Mchenry County, patch, Pirsch, Richmond, Shapiro, Spring Grove, Stratosphear, US Tank, US Tanker

New pumper/tanker in Spring Grove

Jul 16

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery | 1 Comment

Spring Grove FPD HME Toyne pumper tanker

Engine 1844 is a 2010 HME 1871 Spectr/Toyne 1500/3000 pumper tanker. The hydraulic rack seen on this side stores the portable tank. Larry Shapiro photo

The Spring Grove FPD in McHenry County recently took an early delivery of their new pumper/tanker from Toyne out of Breda, IA. Engine 1844 features an HME 1871 Spectr cab and tandem axle chassis with a large extension and raised roof to house the enclosed, top-mount pump panel. This unit is reportedly going to replace a 1985 Ford C-Series Pierce 1250/1000 engine and a 1980 GMC 7000/US Tanker 2,200 gallon tanker.

The top-mounted pump panel is enclosed within the super command cab similar to Spring Grove's 1999 HME/US Tanker pumper. Larry Shapiro photo

This pumper/tanker has a 1,500GPM pump and is listed by the manufacturer as having a 3,000-gallon water tank and a 40-gallon foam tank. Both sides of the long body feature high-side compartments and as such, the ladders on the officer’s side and the portable tank on the driver’s side are both accessible via overhead hydraulic storage racks.

The officer's side of the rig also features high-side compartments and hydraulic ladder rack storage for the ground ladders. Larry Shapiro photo

Engine 1844 has extendable chutes on either side to discharge tank water into a portable tank. There is no rear chute. Unlike most tankers, the chutes are located just behind the pump module instead of at the rear of the vehicle.

The extendable discharge chute to dump the water into a portable tank is located just behind the pump module. There is a similar chute on the opossite of the unit. Larry Shapiro photo

Spring Grove FPD HME Toyne pumper tanker chevron

The rear of Engine 1844 shows the NFPA compliant chevron striping. Larry Shapiro photo

Tags: enclosed pump panel, Ford C-Series, GMC, HME, hydraulic ladder rack, Pierce, pumper/tanker, Shapiro, Spectr, Spring Grove, Toyne, US Tanker

Three McHenry County departments posting soon

Jul 15

Posted by bgshap in Site News, updated listing | Comments off

Several contributors travelled to Division 5 (McHenry County) yesterday and photographed the apparatus and four fire stations of the McHenry Township FPD as well as Richmond and the three stations in Woodstock. As this represents eight stations and just under 50 pieces of apparatus, it will take a few days before the departments are posted to the site. Thanks are in order to Hank Sajovic, Karl Klotz, Bill Friedrich, Larry Shapiro and George Reichardt for braving the heat. Most of all though our thanks go out to the personnel at all three departments for being so helpful, outgoing, and patient to accommodate the group so that everything could be documented.

Tags: Division 5, Friedrich, Klotz, Mchenry County, McHenry Township, Reichardt, Richmond, Sajovic, Shapiro, Woodstock

New Pierce in Wheaton

Jul 15

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery | 2 Comments

Pierce has delivered an Impel PUC pumper to Wheaton. This is their second new rig in as many years. More detailed information will follow when it becomes available.

The new Pierce Impel PUC pumper for Wheaton carries Pierce job #23210. Pierce photo

Tags: Impel, Pierce, PUC, Wheaton

Niles Ambulance 3

Jul 15

Posted by bgshap in updated listing | 3 Comments

The site has been missing a few images from Niles (Division 3) and Karl Klotz has submitted one of these; Ambulance 3’s rig. It is a 2007 IHC 4400/Medtec Type I MICU.

Tags: IHC, Klotz, MedTec, Niles, Type I

New tanker for Barrington last year

Jul 15

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery | Comments off

The Barrington and Countryside Fire Department took delivery of a Freightliner/US Tanker unit in 2009 that we have not yet featured. The chassis is a short, 2 door, M2106 Business Class model from Freightliner with a single rear axle. The Heritage model fire apparatus features a 750-GPM Darley pump and carries 2,000 gallons of water. Delivery photos can be seen HERE.

This fire department is not yet represented on the website but with any luck, that will be achieved by the fall of this year.

Tags: Barrington, Freightliner, tanker, US Tanker

Frankfort updates

Jul 14

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery, updated listing | Comments off

Karl Klotz has provided two updated photos representing Frankfort FPD Battalion 7 and Brush 4. Both are new rigs. The battalion runs out of station one and as you might guess, the brush unit is in station 4. Frankfort is in Division 19.

Tags: Division 19, Frankfort, Klotz

New US Tanker for Countryside

Jul 14

Posted by bgshap in Fire Department News, New Delivery | 2 Comments

The new US Tanker in Countryside has a short, single axle, IHC 4400 chassis and carries 2,000 gallons of water. The body is stainless steel. Larry Shapiro photo

The new unit for the Countryside Fire Protection District has been added to the site. Although it is not yet in service, the new Tanker 411 will replace a 1988 Pierce Dash unit with a top mounted pump, open jump seats, a 1,250-GPM pump and a 2,500-gallon water tank. The old unit is going to be housed in Libertyville where it will be available for Libertyville to use or as a backup for Countryside.

The new unit utilizes an IHC 4400 2-door cab on a short chassis with a single rear axle. The pump is 1,000-GPM, the water tank holds 2,000 gallons of water and there is a 30-gallon foam tank with Class-A foam. The 1,000 foot capacity hose bed will have 700 feet of 5″ and roughly 600 feet of 2-1/2″ hose. There will be a 200-foot 1-3/4″ crosslay and somewhere between 200-300′ of 3″ hose as well.

This rear platform is for safe loading of hose. The non-skid surface is open to allow water to drain through it. Underneath the arrow stick is a backup camera. Larry Shapiro photo