Excerpts from kmph.com:
FYREBX photo
California could soon have a new firefighting tool called the FYREBX. It’s a skid steer attachment that holds 300 gallons of water. For context, the Type III engines Cal OES uses carry 500 gallons, and the Type VI engines carry 300 gallons.
Sean Henry is the CEO of 137 Industries, which manufactures the FYREBX. He has been contracting as a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service since 2017 and created the FYREBX out of frustration with a requirement to have water accessible within a quarter mile when crews are clearing out ladder fuels.
It has a Tier 4 Diesel exhaust and uses the machine’s hydraulics to pump the water. Optionally, it can hold either 300 gallons of diesel fuel, 3,000 gallons worth of foam, or it can spray de-icer while plowing out snow.
“I can drive the FYREBX into a lake, a body of water, a pond, a stream. They can open a valve and they can actually pump water from that water source and then we can pump that water to a fire truck or to a water truck and fill it up,” he said.
The US Air Force is negotiating to buy four units – the Firebx and the Fuelbx. Several logging companies have placed orders and they are pitching to Cal Fire and other fire agencies.
thanks martin
