The Sidewinder Project Is Completed, Just In Time |
It is July 20th, 2005 and Peter Smith appears to be having a great time operating the new Elkhart Sidewinder, equipped with a 30GPM nozzle. Also in the photos are: Joanne Krause, a very supportive member of the community and new member Jared Jensen. James Otterstrom is standing to the right. He is a volunteer firefighter and the department's treasurer. UPDATE: The Sidewinder saw extensive use just 16 hours later, on July 21st, at the Bundy Road Fire. The Sidewinder actually prevented the grass fires from reaching nearby Ponderosa pines. This was a grass and shed(s) fire, starting inside a snowmobile. Had the fire reached the Ponderosa, the breezes would have extended the fire's run to many additional acres. |
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The sidewinder pattern is between a straight stream and a fog pattern... and Peter's managaing to wet everything in sight. Acknowledgement goes to Dave McCabe, Bob Pallas and Bill Wright for the installation work. |
Peter has adjusted the nozzle to a fog pattern, useful for suppressing a wall of flame. When set to a straight stream, the water will reach 60 feet - very useful for fire that has worked its way up into trees. |
Many months have passed since we had a chance to get any photos of the progress. Here are Peter Smith and Bob Pallas, looking forward to testing the Sidewinder. It still needs a bit of plumbing and the actual electrical hook-up, but the bulk of the install is complete. Least we forget, there is also the new Tank Vision water gauge system, with a nifty in-cab display. With this system, the crew can drive and operate the Sidewinder and keep an eye on the remaining water in the tank. |
It is June 22nd, 2005 and the grasses are within a couple of weeks of drying out and the odds are that we'll see grass fires before mid July. This unit will be fabulous for suppressing such fires. In the meantime, the photos to the left will give an idea of what the monitor can do. It's outfitted with a 30GPM nozzle. July 6th found Dave McCabe at our shop getting length of 1 1/2" galvanized pipe threaded. The install may be wrapped up by Saturday the 9th. Here's the link to Elkhart Brass, the manufacturer of the Sidewinder: |