From the macqueen website:
Prospect Heights FPD
Job: #41485 | Illinois | Enforcer HD 107 Ascendant
MacQueen Emergency photo
MacQueen Emergency photo
MacQueen Emergency photo
New truck for Prospect Heights Fire District
#1 by sebastian on April 24, 2024 - 10:37 AM
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Chief Drew, Will the truck be manned ot a jump company? how will the calls be seperated from the truck and engine.. given that this truck has a pump?? Just curious.. Thank you
#2 by Drew Smith on April 24, 2024 - 10:22 AM
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Mike’s explanation is 90-plus percent correct. 70 percent of PH is without hydrants but the longest hose lay is 3500 feet. On average, lays are 1500-2500.
We rarely shuttle. In non-hydranted areas we automatically nurse. Long Grove is our second-due tanker and they usually are ordered to join the nurse operation. On a working fire we then get Inverness tanker and EGT/MP Tanker 11. They ensure we will not run out of water until we lay 5-inch hose.
Most 5-inch hose lays are completed using Engine 39 and Wheeling Engine 23. When the lay is over 2500 feet we use a third engine.
In my 40-plus years with PHFD we have shuttled only 2-3 times and have laid more than 2500 feet of 5-inch only 2-3 times, but we have plans to do both.
We do have plans to buy a combo tanker-pumper. This is mostly to ensure we get the water. Currently, and with increased call volume over the past ten years, having the ambulance jump to the tanker is not reliable for various reasons.
#3 by Bill Post on April 24, 2024 - 10:02 AM
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Thanks for the information Mike.
#4 by Mike on April 21, 2024 - 7:32 PM
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Bill, I can’t speak for drew, but he taught one of my classes a few years ago and explained what they did. I believe they park their tender with the attack engine and use the mutual aid tenders for water shuttle. Their tender stays there and when they have water supply established they also refill their tender and that turns into their emergency water supply. I think he also said they are looking at buying a pumper tanker now, which makes sense. They could do what long grove does and respond with the pumper tanker, in lieu, of the engine and the regular tanker so they arrive with 5-6,000 gallons of water on their own. We’ll see what drew says, but that was what I remember him telling us.
#5 by Bill Post on April 21, 2024 - 5:45 PM
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Drew you had mentioned “that you don’t shuttle in your own district”. Does that mean that your district has become completely hydranted with positive water sources or does that just mean that for whatever reason such as not enough manpower on duty, that the nearest out of town tankers are given that duty on a tanker box and your tanker only responds out to town on a mutual aide box?
#6 by Michael m on April 1, 2024 - 11:59 AM
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Looks like it will be a nice looking rig!
Glad they are in the early stages of remodeling the main firehouse!
#7 by Drew Smith on March 30, 2024 - 5:17 PM
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We bought this Pierce aerial because we got a great deal. It was offered to us last July. At that time, we were preparing to write specifications for a new aerial that will also be a quint. Our committee did what they could to customize this vehicle and believe we are getting most everything we want. We are paying $1.5 million and taking delivery after only nine months versus paying another $600,000 to $700, 000 (or more) and waiting until 2027 (or later).
Our current aerial platform that was recently decommissioned and is listed for sale on Brindlee Mountain is a 1993 Pierce (31years old now). It served us well but needs $25,000 to $35,000 worth of maintenance annually and is not dependable due to age-related repairs. It also does not have a large enough water tank to be used as a quint. It also lacks space for extrication tools and paramedic gear.
We have had three rigs built on Spartan chassis: two by Alexis and one by S and S (no longer in business). We have had three rigs built by Pierce: aerial, engine (refurb of Ward LaFrance engine) and squad pumper (Lance chassis). All six of these rigs were dependable and served us for many years. We have also had rigs built on the Ford C-8000 chassis (E-One pumper squad) and Freightliner conventional cab (tanker and pumper squad). Each chassis has its place.
In the end, it is my job to match needs with solutions and sometimes the solution is not what the plan was. But it is a satisfactory solution.
We have a committee working on design to remodel and expand our main firehouse. Once that plan is set and costs determined we will look at buying a tanker pumper to replace our current tanker. We need a combination vehicle that is a pumper (like our other pumpers) and has a large water tank. We never shuttle or draft in our own district so the next tanker may scale back some of those features. We will see what our next committee produces.
#8 by Harry on March 30, 2024 - 7:34 AM
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Chief drew why pierce and not a spartan to match your engines r.i.p to the 28 yo pierce u have