Millstadt Union (IL) Fire Department, needing to replace an aging truck that had outlived its usefulness, chose Rosenbauer to build it a Viper 78-foot aerial ladder quint.
Kurt Pellmann, Millstadt Union’s chief, says his fire protection area is growing with subdivisions that have houses with longer setbacks from the street, which meant the department needed a longer stick to access some of the homes. “We replaced a 1991 55-foot TeleSqurt with the 78-foot Rosenbauer Viper, which gave us a greater reach on those new subdivision homes,” Pellmann observes. “And we made this truck a rescue aerial that carries a battery-powered AMKUS hydraulic combi tool, along with Paratech struts, so it runs second out on MVAs (motor vehicle accidents) after our rescue-pumper with a 1,000-gallon per minute (gpm) pump and 750-gallon water tank.”
Pellmann says the department also runs a pumper with a 1,250-gpm pump and 2,000-gallon water tank, a tanker with a 1,250-gpm pump and 3,500-gallon water tank, two brush trucks with portable skid pump units and 350-gallon and 250-gallon water tanks, and a Polaris Ranger utility terrain vehicle (UTV) that has an interchangeable emergency medical services (EMS) skid and a brush skid with a 200-gallon water tank and a portable pump.
Steve Williams, fire apparatus sales specialist for Sentinel Emergency Solutions, who sold the quint to Millstadt Union, notes the rig is built on a Commander chassis and cab with seating for six firefighters, five of them in H.O. Bostrom self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) seats, powered by a 500-horsepower (hp) Cummins X12 diesel engine, and an Allison 4000 EVS automatic transmission. Wheelbase on the quint is 230 inches, overall length is 38 feet, 3 inches, and overall height is 12 feet, 4 inches.
Williams says the quint has a Hale Qmax 1,500-gpm pump, a Pro Poly 400-gallon polypropylene water tank, a 20-gallon foam cell, and a FoamPro 1600 single agent foam system. “The aerial sections are galvanized and painted, and there’s an Akron Brass 3480 StreamMaster II 1,500-gpm monitor and nozzle at the tip,” he points out. “The truck has a wireless remote control for the monitor and the outriggers, which are two out-and-down jacks at the rear of the vehicle that give a 15-foot, 6-inches jack spread that allows the rig to be worked on a short jacked side.”
Carl Lindemann, project manager for Rosenbauer, notes that the Millstadt Union quint has Rosenbauer’s SMART Aerial technology controls that include a single joystick, soft touch controls, short jacking, autobedding, and SMART screens. He says the SMART Aerial system connects all components through a CAN-bus electronic control system. “The operator enjoys smooth aerial operation with the electric-over-hydraulic controls that are designed to eliminate whiplash through ramping controls that provide auto slowdown.”
When short jacking, Rosenbauer’s SMART Aerial system uses sensors and electronics to monitor the angle and extension of the outriggers for maximum stability, Lindemann says. He notes the system reads and assesses all conditions, and the envelope control system monitors ground pressure to ensure safety of the firefighters using the aerial.
Pellmann adds that the quint has a lifting eye at the aerial’s tip for rigging rope rescue lines, and carries two 200-foot, 1-3/4-inch cross lays, one 200-foot, 2-1/2-inch cross lay, and 1,000 feet of 5-inch LDH (large diameter hose). The rig has ground ladder storage in an internal compartment holding one 35-foot three-section extension ladder, one 24-foot two-section extension ladder, a 14-foot roof ladder, and a 10-foot folding ladder, he says. A 14-foot roof ladder is pinned to the aerial.
Lighting on the Rosenbauer quint includes Federal LED warning lights, a Hi Viz Fire Tech LED brow light on the front along with Fire Tech LED light bars, Hi Viz Fire Tech LED scene lights, and FRC Spectra LED scene lights.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
