Wildland apparatus really have transitioned over the past few years based on two contributing factors: technology has evolved and budget impacts are becoming an issue. Both factors have created concerns worth noting.

The first issue concerns the multiplexing and onboard computer systems that certainly are becoming the rule of the day. This technology is leading to in-field failures that are almost impossible to remedy based on the need for diagnostic equipment and technical expertise required to place the apparatus back in service. The second issue concerns fire departments nationwide trying to make apparatus fill multiple roles, in the process making these trucks so multi-purpose and adding so many components and systems that the apparatus are not efficient for any of the roles for which they were designed. Chief officers and apparatus committees share the responsibility to ask, what's the prime mission of the apparatus?

Apparatus have become a thinking-person's game. We're going to have to do more research and require longer service life from apparatus. Truck purchase should become a community effort involving maintenance personnel, purchasing/contracting folks and end users in order to make apparatus what the organization truly needs, today and for the future.

While everyone is looking toward the current restriction of dollars, the truck can't be 50% structure and 50% wildland — it is just not practical. The single technological question for a lot of departments is, do we want this truck to be for the wildland-urban interface environment or will it be a wildland truck when we need it and subsequently support other roles? The answer ultimately will decide how the truck should be designed for service life and within the current budgets constraints.

Some departments are trying to get the most cost-effective, multi-role apparatus so they can strip the wildland gear off, throw three or four SCBAs on, and outfit it as an engine or attack truck. An emerging trend concerns Type-3 interface trucks. We think of them as dual role — wildland and quick attack. Some departments use them as light- and medium-duty trucks; often they are treated as mini-pumpers, supplementing additional fire suppression units in jurisdictions when not used in the wildland realm. On Type 3s, we're adding weight with good systems; for instance, CAF units are phenomenal tools that stretch water, which is effective in wildland firefighting. However, given the rigors of the Type 3s and what we do, CAF systems are a failure waiting to happen. Type 3 engines are becoming bigger and more top-heavy — less acclimated to going down dozer lines and unimproved surfaces to support wildland suppression activities.

Size Matters

The increasing size of wildland vehicles also is a serious concern in the wildland environment. One of the best examples is the California Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE) Model 14 — which offers a 152-inch wheelbase, 4-wheel drive and 500 gallons of water — and introduced in the mid-'90s. It provides a very limited compartment space, but it is a super truck for off-road. However, they subsequently moved to the CDF Model 24, with a 176-inch wheelbase and more compartments. Now they've gone to the CDF Model 34, which is 176 to 182 inches long with a 600 to 650 gallon tank and a higher center of gravity. Even in a four-wheel drive, it's limited in its ability to traverse the same terrain that the original Model 14 trucks could.

I work on the apparatus committee with Fire Management Officer Dugger Hughes from Northwest Fire/Rescue in Tucson, Ariz. He is a Type-1 incident commander who has more than 30 years experience, and countless hours on fire lines. Contrary to the current fire service thinking, we decided to go backward 10 years. I would submit that what was once old is now new again. The territory covered by Northwest ranges from desert to timber, and our apparatus must adapt to the extreme conditions. For our most recent purchase, we opted to take a step back to the basics.

Our Type 6 is a Ford F550, four-wheel-drive diesel truck with a flat bed, a pony-motor (secondary motor and pump system) with a 300-gallon tank and straightforward off-the-shelf compartments. The truck is as simple as we could make it. We went around Ford's wiring for fire components so that we could diagnose in the field in the unlikely event of a failure. The more user-friendly the truck, the longer we can keep it in service. We did the same thing with the secondary pony motor, a straight-forward, four-cyclinder, inline diesel engine; it's very user-friendly with a manual throttle and quarter-turn/half-turn manual valves. The majority of our engine bosses can do hasty maintenance and problem diagnosis in the field to keep the fire portion — the flatbed portion of the truck — running based on basic mechanical skills. The Ford components are what they are and we encounter the same problems that civilians do, e.g., computer relay and microchip failures, so we still need someone with much more technical savvy.

On our Type 3s, we replaced a lot of technology with manual components. We stayed with a lot of manual stuff and I'm starting to see that trend a lot. The multiplexing wiring on the Internationals on our two Type 3s stops at the cab and everything behind that can be diagnosed and worked on in the field. We have a straight-forward Class A injected-foam system and we use an old-fashioned, foam educator for Class B if we need it. The Class A foam we produce is not CAFS quality, but for fire suppression and what we're using it for, it has never failed us.

The simpler and more user-friendly the truck, the longer we can keep it in service. We encounter a multitude of issues in the desert — sand, dust and debris — and the environment is very hard on true wildland apparatus. Our brush trucks spend as much time on dozer lines as they do out on tar roads or fairly improved roads. Here in the southwest I see very simplistic trucks that are going back to manual cable throttles and manual relief valves. A lot of the automatic systems in Class 1 apparatus advertised for Type-3, -4 and -6 trucks, are being avoided because technology that is not installed won't fail.

I see the different uses between an interface apparatus and a wildland truck. An interface truck is a multi-role truck that is used in myriad configurations. Our Type-3 trucks can be used as interface and have done structure protection many times, but they are primarily wildland trucks — four-wheel-drive, 530 hp, International quad-cab configurations that are just as comfortable on a dozer line as on the tar.

In the Interface

Safety is a prime concern, and I envision over the next three to five years the NFPA 1906 and NFPA 1901 committees will come together, and the striping and lighting packages will be almost identical. Too many times we're on the side of the road and we have to be as visible as the Class 1 engines. My fire chief, Jeff Piechura, is on the NFPA 1901 committee and I agree visibility is critical for both wildland and interface apparatus.

We all realize the wildland interface has encroached much closer to the urban environment and vice versa. As the fire service evolves over the next few years, combination wildland/interface apparatus will be seen more and more in departments. I think the tough questions, due to the fiscal situation and the use of the apparatus are going to require more time and research than ever before.

The biggest question for end users and a lot of departments is, do you want a multi-role truck designed for the wildland-urban interface, or one that is designed for a single primary rose, but also is capable of supporting other roles in a pinch? That ultimately will decide how trucks should be designed over the next few years and within the current budget constraints.

Specifying wildland apparatus is not as easy as it used to be. The black-and-white world is gone, as the interface becomes more and more a part of our response. As budget becomes more critical in the process of acquiring apparatus, the roles of the truck are being stretched as never before. Technology is making things easier and harder at the same time, and will not make specification any easier over the next few years. Safety, technology, apparatus roles, service life, and fiscal concerns are all factors in the specification of apparatus. The time and effort on the front end of specification will provide for a truck that will meet the needs of your organization for years to come. It is a thinking person's game and serious business.

— As told to Janet Wilmoth

Bttn. Chief Stuart Rodeffer has been involved with wildland and structure firefighting for over 15 years. As a member of the Northwest Fire District's apparatus committee, he has been involved in writing specs for Type-6 engines, Type-2 water tenders and Type-3 engines, among others.

Related Stories

• Beefed Up: Consider These Brush Truck Upgrades
• Wildland Engines: Matching the Rig to the Job