The Delta Township (MI) Fire Department is running two Sutphen front-line pumpers out of two stations, and is so pleased with the rigs that it recently took delivery of a Sutphen custom side-mount rescue-pumper to replace its oldest rigs. After receiving the new rescue-pumper, the department liked the rig’s layout and performance, so it placed another order with Sutphen for an identical rescue-pumper, as well as a SPH100 aerial platform.
Delta Township (MI) Fire Department had Sutphen build a rescue-pumper that’s powered by a Cummins 450-horsepower L 9 diesel engine and an Allison 3000 EVS Gen 5 automatic transmission. (Photos courtesy of Delta Township Fire Department.)
Gregg Ginebaugh, chief of Delta Township Fire Department, says the difference between the 2021 Sutphen rescue-pumper the department received and its prior 2016 rig is that the new apparatus has a side-mount instead of a top-mount pump. “We went with a side-mount in order to give ourselves more compartment space for all the equipment we need to carry on the rescue-pumper,” Ginebaugh points out.
Lots of compartment space was a big reason why Delta Township chose Sutphen’s rescue body for its rig. Note the Genesis Rescue Systems battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools in a Fire and Marine Inc. lazy-Susan style revolving fitting in the L3 compartment.
David Desrochers of Apollo Fire Equipment, who sold the rescue-pumper to Delta Township, says the department is a busy one, with Interstate 69 in its coverage area, as well as large township to the north that it covers on a contract basis. “Delta Township wanted a bigger rescue body for this pumper because they have to carry all the rescue and fire suppression equipment they need on a single apparatus,” Desrochers says. “With the rescue body, we were able to give them more compartment space, coffin compartments up on top, and still have room in the hose bed for 1,000 feet of 5-inch LDH (large diameter hose), and 300 feet of 2-1/2-inch dead lay.”
The rescue-pumper has 20,000-pound front and 27,000-pound rear axles and suspensions, and is powered by a 450-horsepower (hp) Cummins L9 diesel engine, and an Allison 3000 EVS Gen 5 automatic transmission. Wheelbase on the rig is 196 inches, overall length is 32 feet 8 inches, and overall height is 10 feet 7 inches.
Desrochers says the rescue-pumper has a Hale Qmax XS 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) single-stage pump, a 1,000-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank, and a Hale SmartFOAM 2.1A foam system. Speedlays include two 2-inch outlets with swivels and aluminum lift-out trays, and one 2-1/2-inch outlet with swivel and lift-out tray.
The Sutphen rescue-pumper for Delta Township has a 1,500-gpm Hale Qmax XS single stage side-mount pump, two 1-3/4-inch hose speedlays, one 2-1/2-inch hose speedlay, a 1,000-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank, and a Hale SmartFOAM 2.1A foam proportioning system.
Ginebaugh notes that the department chose to have hinged compartment doors on the new rescue-pumper instead of roll-up doors to provide a few more inches of compartment space. “The rescue-pumper’s cab is set up to seat four firefighters in H.O. Bostrom seats, with three of them in SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) seats,” he says. “In an extended front-bumper compartment we have 200 feet of 1-3/4-inch hose preconnected, and also pry bar tools for easy access, especially when we respond to motor vehicle accidents.” He adds that the rescue-pumper also has a full set of Genesis Rescue Systems battery-operated hydraulic rescue tools in a street-side compartment, secured in a Fire and Marine Inc. (FMI) lazy-Susan style revolving fitting.
Lighting on the rescue-pumper includes a Whelen Freedom LED light bar with Opticom, two Whelen PFH2 LED brow lights, Whelen Pioneer PFH2 recessed LED lights, and a Whelen LED Traffic Advisor. The rig also has a grille-mounted Federal Q2B siren, a Safety Vision SV-CLCD0-07 camera system, and a David Clark five-position intercom system.
Lighting on the Sutphen rescue-pumper includes a Whelen Freedom LED light bar, two Whelen PFH2 LED brow lights, Whelen Pioneer PFH2 recessed LED scene lights, and a Whelen LED traffic advisor.
The Delta Township Fire Department operates out of three stations, covering two townships totaling 108 square miles, that include rail yards, a Marathon Oil bulk distribution facility, several General Motors facilities, an Amazon distribution center, a municipal airport, two rivers and Interstate 69 running through its district, and commercial and rural areas. The department has 42 paid full-time firefighters, a chief, assistant chief, EMS (emergency medical services) captain, and fire marshal, and several part-time firefighters. It runs three Type 1 paramedic engines, one aerial ladder, one aerial platform, a pumper-tanker, brush truck, and five ALS (advanced life support) ambulances.
Delta Township’s new rescue-pumper operates at the scene of a motor vehicle accident.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Ariz.-based journalist, the author of three novels and five non-fiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board. He served 22 years with Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including the position of chief.
