Jul 29
In MABAS Division 21, the Summit Fire Department covers 2.5 square miles plus a four-mile stretch of nearby highways. They operate out of one station with a full-time chief and deputy chief plus 48 part-time firefighters. Summit has three Pierce engines (one is an X-Bedford Park piece), they have two Medtec ambulances, a command car, a boat, and the MABAS Division 21 Fire Investigation Unit (an X-North Palos Osage ambulance).
Jul 23
The Winfield Fire Protection District headquarters station on Highlake Road. Larry Shapiro photo
In western Dupage County is the town of Winfield. The headquarters station of the Winfield Fire Protection District sits across the street from the Central Dupage Hospital. Winfield has two stations though only the headquarters facility is staffed. A combination of full-time and part-time firefighters have two medic units, an engine, a pumper/tanker, a brush rig and a dive squad at their disposal. Station 2 houses a reserve engine, an inflatable boat, and a Fire Investigation Unit which belongs to the Dupage County Sheriff’s Department with a combined law enforcement/fire personnel task force.
All of the fire suppression units were built by Pierce, the two newest rigs feature the PUC design. Engine 611 was built by Pierce as a stock/demo unit and was displayed at the FDIC in Indianapolis several years ago where it was purchased by Winfield. It features a Custom Contender chassis (which is a modified Saber). The department later developed plans for what would be the first tandem-axle PUC pumper/tanker. Tender 614 was built on an Impel chassis.
Winfield Tender 614 was displayed in the Pierce booth at the 2010 FDIC in Indianapolis. Larry Shapiro photo
Dive Rescue 680, a 1992 Ford E-350 with a Supreme body, was purchased with funds donated by the Fireman’s Fund insurance Company.
The Bloomingdale Fire Protection District in MABAS Division 12 (Dupage County) will be added to the site soon. Their entire fleet of suppression apparatus including a tower ladder and five engines were all built by Pierce.
Jun 23
A news release from the end of April announced that Oshkosh (parent of Pierce, Medtec, Frontline Communications and more) purchased Snozzle from Crash Rescue Equipment Services, Inc. There is an announcement HERE and another HERE. Excerpts from both articles include:
Production will be relocated to the Oshkosh Fire & Emergency Campus in Wis. and phased in over the next 6-12 months.
The SNOZZLE apparatus is available with a piercing nozzle that can strategically enter an aircraft’s passenger cabin, cargo compartment or other structure for direct application of firefighting agents. The lightweight, highly flexible extendable turret is able to operate as an elevated water tower through a doorway or over a wing exit without endangering firefighters. The product’s patented ability to shoot a full master stream at ground level allows for quick and effective cooling of burning aircraft tires and hot brakes. In addition, the SNOZZLE will reach down, at or below grade, where it can successfully employ the “seat of the fire” method of attacking a fuel spill fire.
Robert Conley, President of Crash Rescue, stated, “We are very proud to have Oshkosh as the buyer of this critical piece of ARFF technology. Grady North and Bob Relyea were instrumental in developing the market for this product within the ARFF industry and we know they are proud to see it continue with a strong owner like Oshkosh. We wanted to be a good steward of the Snozzle by finding a great home for it. We decided to do this because we needed to focus our personnel and resources on our core business, which has always been remanufacturing. Our newly ISO 9001:2008 certified remanufacturing operation provides the total remanufacturing of Airport Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles worldwide. Our intent is to grow and further concentrate on this critically needed service for military, industrial, and commercial customers. Crash Rescue has been proud to serve our customers, and we are extremely gratified to know that the SNOZZLE® will continue to save lives, property, and keep our fire fighters safe.”
Mostly in use with ARFF units, the Snozzle has until now been available to all manufacturers.
Chicago purchased this 1994 Oshkosh T3000 with a Snozzle for service as 6-5-5 at O'Hare. Larry Shapiro photo
This E-ONE Titan 8x8 went into service at Miami International Airport in 2002. With the recent Oshkosh purchase, the Snozzle will only be available to Oshkosh subsidiaries. Larry Shapiro photo
In 2010, Chicago placed this Oshkosh Striker 3000 with a Snozzle at Midway Airport. Gordon J. Nord, Jr. photo
Over the years since the Snozzle was introduced, several fire departments incorporated the telescoping waterway for structural applications by having one mounted on a custom pumper.
The Orange Fire Department in California has a large fleet of Seagrave apparatus. One of the engines shown here was built in 1994 and incorporated a 50' Snozzle. Larry Shapiro photo
Another engine built by Seagrave with a 50' Snozzle was this unit for LaGrange, Kentucky. It was built in 2000 with a 1,500-GPM pump, 700 gallons of water, and 50 gallons of foam divided into one 30-gallon and one 20-gallon cell. Larry Shapiro photo
The Marrero-Estelle Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 in southern Louisiana purchased this 2008 E-ONE Cyclone II engine with a 65' Snozzle to complement their full E-ONE fleet. The tip has dual nozzles with a forward looking camera. Larry Shapiro photo
Jun 14
As mentioned in previous posts HERE and HERE, the Homewood Fire Department and the Hillside Fire Department both received new rear mount aerials from Pierce. Ryan Wyckoff was kind enough to submit photos of both from his visit to Pierce last month. As of Monday, Pierce has posted the following images along with many others on the Pierce Flickr site.
The new 2011 Pierce Arrow XT 105' rear mount quint form Homewood Ladder 555. Pierce photo
Hillside's new Truck 403 is a 2011 Pierce Velocity 105' rear mount quint. Pierce photo
The Homewood Fire Department in MABAS Division 24 is about to take delivery of a 2011 Pierce Arrow XT HD 105′ rear mount quint. The truck was spotted this week at Pierce by Ryan Wyckoff. Matching the rest of the Homewood units it is painted black over red, but instead of a white ladder as they had previously, the new ladder is painted black and the breakaway fly-section is bright green. According to Ryan …
… I found out that this is the last one to have a black ladder since NFPA no longer allows ladders to be painted black.
Homewood is taking delivery of this 2011 Pierce HD 105' rear mount quint on an Arrow XT chassis. Ryan Wyckoff photo
Ladder 550 is replacing a 1987 Pierce 105′ rear mount quint on a Lance chassis with an extra long cab.
Hillside FF/PM Ryan Wyckoff went to Pierce this week where a new truck awaits the Hillside Fire Department. They purchased an HD 105′ rear mount with a 2,000-GPM pump and 500 gallons of water on a Velocity chassis. This was built as a stock unit (job #23212) that they purchased with grant money from FEMA. After doing some minor modifications to the truck, it was lettered for Truck 403 and will be delivered shortly.
The new Truck 403 for Hillside is this 2011 Pierce Velocity HD 105' rear mount quint which will be delivered shortly. Ryan Wyckoff photo
The Truck 406 will replace Quint 403, a 1985, Duplex D350/Grumman 102′ AerialCat tower ladder.
Hillside currently runs this 1985 Duplex D350/Grumman AerialCat tower ladder, a sister to the tower in Bellwood. Ryan Wyckoff photo
May 25
Bill Friedrich informs us that two area department have placed recent orders with Pierce for new engines:
Bill Friedrich has submitted 17 images of apparatus which document much of the history of the Braceville Fire Department in MABAS Division 15. These images are assembled with those previously submitted by Karl Klotz to produce a gallery with 21 images dating back to 1959.
Many of the rigs that Braceville has used saw previous service with other departments including Braidwood, Argonne Labs, Flossmoor, Lyondell Chemical (Quantum Chemicals), Homer Township, Northbrook, and the Oneida Wataga FPD. Apparatus manufacturers represented include Alexis, John Bean, Road Rescue, Horton, Pierce, Darley, Welch, and Pirsch.
This 1959 Chevy/Alexis engine carried 500 gallons of water and had a 500-GPM front mounted pump. Bill Friedrich photo
This 1989 Road Rescue ambulance saw previous service in Northbrook. Bill Friedrich photo
This beautiful 1965 Pirsch was rehabbed in 1980 by Pierce. It originally saw service with Argonne Labs. Bill Friedrich photo
The 1965 Pirsch squad as it originally looked when it was in service for the Argonne National Laboratory Fire Department as Engine 2. Bill Friedrich photo
This unit, shown here in service for the Quantum Chemical Company was acquired by the Braceville Fire Department several years ago. It has now been retired from Braceville and is on the roster in Dana, IL. Bill Friedich photo
Braceville purchased this engine from the Flossmoor Fire Department and has since retired it. The unit can be seen decorated for Braceville in the historic gallery. Bill Friedrich photo
Bill Friedrich has updated us with the following new apparatus orders from Pierce:
– The Hillside Fire Department is getting a 105′ rear mount quint on a Velocity chassis that was built as a stock unit
– The Princeton Fire Department is getting a 105′ rear mount quint on an Arrow XT chassis that was built as a stock unit
– West Chicago has ordered an engine on an Impel chassis
– The Lincolnshire-Riverwoods FPD has ordered a 105′ rear mount quint on an Arrow XT chassis
– The Rutland-Dundee FPD is getting an engine on an Arrow XT chassis
– Minooka has ordered an engine on an Arrow XT chassis
For the finest department portraits and composites contact Tim Olk or Larry Shapiro.
