| U1300 L With Darley Compressed Air Foam System |
This is the ideal truck for the urban interface environment or large ranch. Fire season is here and this could be your all-terrain wildland fire response vehicle. The Compressed Air Foam System is rated at 55CFM, 80GPM, and 155PSI, with dual 1"x 200' aluminum Hanney hose reels. The compressed air foam technology is generally accepted as multiplying the on-board water by at least a factor of 4. This means that the fire will, in effect, see 1,400 gallons of water. It's standing by, ready to go: Attack 1310 (CAFS). |
May 7th, 2006 And The LVFD Ford Water Tanker Is Ready To Roll Out The Door |
May 2, 2006. This is a shot of some of the Ford tanker's plumbing. The 2 1/2" black hardline at the top of the photo is the pump-to-tank route. The 1 1/2" yellow hose supplies the 1" booster reel. The 1 1/2" clear/white spiral hose is for the draft-primer. That thin 1/4" black hose is for the behind-the-scene pump re circulation. What else? Okay - we have the "Obscure Statistics Department" There are 11 new valves at the rear of this truck. They range in size from 1/4" all the way up to 2 1/2". Now, would you believe that exactly 204 new parts have been connected to bring the entire system together? Yes, it's true. |
Ryegate VFD's "New" Type 6 Attack Truck Is Progressing |
May 1, 2006. This photo was taken on May 1st, 2006. For comparison, There is an earlier photo farther down on this page, taken March 17th. What a difference. If one looks at the truck from a close range, one can see flecks of gold pigment in the paint. I am told that there are four layers of clear-coat. Today, County Sheriff Floyd Fisher and I took the truck to Billings, Montana so that signage and striping could be applied. We fetch the truck later this week. The lettering and striping will be reflective green. Floyd's been instrumental in making such great progress happen. I hope to have more photos next week. Annual funds should make it possible for Golden Valley County to put together a similar truck every two years. |
Take a look at James Otterstrom's magic. Prior to this, the rusty, white diamond plate bed was looking... used. Now, the bed is coated with white bedliner, He did a fine job and worked late into a Friday night to accomplish this. Then again, he makes it look easy. He works in FreighLiner's body shop during the day. Over the next four weeks, the following, new equipment will be installed:
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LVFD Ford Water Tanker Receives New Rear End |
April 30, 2006. It's been a very busy week. The Lavina Volunteer Fire Department brought their 1,200 gallon Ford water tanker over last Tuesday for a last minute, major re-outfitting. When's the last time someone gave you a brand new rear end, in less than a week?. Well, that's basically what this tanker is getting. It should be noted that several other department members worked many hours to bring the truck to the point of having a brand new white rear deck. Various new tank flanges were also added, along with the center attraction - the makings for a quick-dump system. I really appreciate their efforts, which made for a tidy, clean deck from which to begin. I've been scurrying for parts and working feverishly to accomplish as much as possible before the Ryegate type 6 truck arrives for a month of outfitting. More progress photos can be found below. Even though Fire Chief Bob Pallas came out during both of his days off, I was slowly falling behind and foundering. Sunday afternoon saw both Bob Pallas and department Treasurer James Otterstrom arrive to lend all sorts of assistance that put me back on track. Their help made such a difference and makes it possible for the truck to actually function before I must switch to work on the RVFD truck. Darn - I don't have any photos showing how the truck was outfitted previously. There is a photo way down on this page, below the two fire hydrants. That photo shows the state of "no rear". |
Ford Water Tanker Progress Photos |
This 2 1/2" hardline loop under the truck prevents any stress between the tank (forward fitting) and the plumbing on the rear deck (rear fitting). Not to worry, that hose will receive two if not three "pipe" supports. |
The hardline in the upper photo attaches to the 90 degree elbow just to the right of the 8 inch dump valve. The two valves, both 2 1/2 inch, provide for tank-to-pump or draft-to-pump. The barb fitting to the left goes to the suction side of the pump. |
The pump manifold is outfitted with new valves. James Otterstrom did a fabulous job of applying bedliner to the rear deck and also painting the manifold. Also, notice the brand new conspicuity tape (that reflective stuff) just below the bed. Conspicuity? No, I did not make that up. Perhaps it has something to do with it being a bit conspiquous? This will make the rear of the truck more visible and thus safer when other vehicle headlights shine on it. There is a diaphragm primer pump just to the right of the pump manifold. It is rated at 15GPM, though it is not yet plumbed. Also visible is the new 8 inch dump valve, with Cam-Loc fittings. The 8 inch barbed end will receive a 36" section of 8 inch hose in order to dump and project the the tank's water into a portable drop tank. The 1,200 gallons should leave the tank in the twinkle of an eye. Prior to this, the tank had a single 2 or perhaps 2 1/2 inch discharge. The original one inch booster reel is at the far right. The department members are going to find a major operational improvement at the rear of this tanker. I'm pleased to have been asked to assist them with this project. |
Here's a shot of the pump. The new 23HP Darley pump for this outfitting is rated at 390GPM with a 10 foot draft, which will be a big improvement. Visible in the photo: the pump manifold-to-tank hardline, the exhaust primer discharge hose (blue hose), the red pump manifold, the rather neat black oil drain hose near the blue, high temp silicon hose, the battery box is sitting to the left. Yes, the rear doings will have a dedicated battery for starting the pump and powering several deck lights. |
The 6x6 Tank Vision Project Is Completed |
April 8, 2006. Joan, Garret, Tabby and Bob are getting the last of the water out of the drop-tank after calibrating the new TankVision gauge system. Have a look via the link. Water level indications are now available at the back of the truck as well as in the cab. There's a miniature version of the display near the glove box. This will be a handy feature, particularly while operating the Sidewinder Monitor. |
Burning Along A Fence LIne |
April 8, 2006. Tabby Calvert is leading the way, wetting a path along the fence line. Bob Pallas is following along with the drip torch. |
Drip Torch Effects |
April 8, 2006. Here's Fire Chief Bob Pallas providing us with some unusual drip torch effects. It really isn't as bad as it looks. |
Ryegate VFD's "New" Type 6 Attack Truck |
March 17, 2006. I had a chance to take a look at this former Northwest Energy line truck by way of taking some measurements. The plan is to begin outfitting it in two months, with it being ready for service by the first week of June. Actually, I must deliver the truck by Tuesday, June 6th for a state inspection. It has the makings of a wonderful truck for the Rygate department and it will be capable of going on state fires and bringing in much needed money for the department.. I'm hoping that some of the members will come over and let me help them work on it. The truck has all sorts of storage room and the compartments even have lighting. I look forward to posting more pictures as the project begins. Please check back - the transformation will be striking. |
Ryegate Ambulance EMT Staff Conduct Training |
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February 22, 2006. I attended the Ryegate EMT training conducted by Mary Anne Schladwiler and Lyle Burgess. These two persons have done more for Golden Valley's Ryegate Ambulance Department than we'll ever know. Mary Ann is to the left. To the right are images of Lyle performing CPR on Rescue Annie. He begins with resuscitation and shifts to the pulmonary phase. Move your mouse over the image to see this. Is there any chance that Mary Ann is making sure that Lyle is doing all the hard work. Members of both the Ryegate and Lavina Volunteer Fire Departments attended this four hour training. Everyone who attended this training appreciated their thorough and well organized presentation. I appreciated being able to take several pictures. |
February 13, 2006. We're testing a new cgi script that makes it easy for you to comment or ask a question: Feedback Form
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RVFD's Controlled Burn |
February 11, 2006. I joined up with the Ryegate Volunteer Fire Department for a Saturday afternoon controlled burn. The temperature was in the high 40's with a stiff breeze. At this point, there is not much left of what used to be a shed. |
Bull Mountain VFD Training Night |
I attended the BMVFD's February 7, 2006 evening training. Equipment status, radio procedures and safety were some of the issues covered. They are looking forward to incorporating Tactical Fire's equipment as the 2006 fire season develops. Pictured above are Tom Wiggan, ? Mr. White Hat and Jeff Gates.
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| Fire Hydrant 101 - Buried Depth |
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This is the fire hydrant outside the Judith Gap School. What's wrong here? This hydrant is buried too deep. It exposes the flange hardware to corrosion. Also, frozen ground would prevent easy replacement. |
The is the fire hydrant near the Lewistown Water Tower. The hydrant's flanged base is 2" above grade. That is the correct, installed depth. These flange nuts are much more accessable. |
| LVFD Members Begin Retrofitting Ford Water Tender |
During the Lavina Volunteer Fire Department's January 25th evening training, the members set to work on the Ford Water Tender. They are removing the rear deck that was not all that much of a deck. This leads to a new deck, pump, plumbing and more. It's expected back in service by mid-March. |
| Union Pacific Train On Trestle Bridge |
It's January 24, 2006 and I've received a great series of photos. They follow, with some text and while I know of the incident, I don't recall all the details. At any rate, a friend of a friend sent me several photos from the incident, along with some text. I am unaware of any copyright issues and so far, do not know how to credit the source. If there are any issues, please email me and I'll pull these photos promptly and/or give credit where credit is due. Again, great photos. The text follows: "The Good news: |
| Recent Fire Hydrant Visits |
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We visited the fire hydrant in Nye, Montana. We'd call it their downtown hydrant. It' a 2 x 2 1/2". Note the pentagonal prism nuts |
Columbus, Montana. This is the fire hydrant just outside the Columbus Fire - Rescue station. It's a 2x 2 1/2", 1x 4 1/2". Is that the elusive truncated pentagonal pyramid nut? |
| Did You Know? |
From time to time, we'll post obscure yet practical information having to do with the world of fire fighting. For our first go, and for the high school students who want a handy answer when the geometry teacher asks, "Where can we find a Truncated Pentagonal Pyramid? ", here's your answer! |