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| The W. S. Darley & Co. wireless smart remote control operating system allows remote starting, stopping, and operation on most Darley portable and skid-mounted pumps. |
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| The W. S. Darley & Co. Dolphin Floating Pump has been produced with a Honda 390-cc engine. |
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| Hale introduced upgraded displays like this UltraView for its SafeBuy suppression agent delivery system. |
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| Hale’s new anodized HP series of portable pumps have lightweight aluminum pump bodies and alloy gearboxes. |
Pump and component manufacturers introduced a number of new and improved products at FDIC 2011 in Indianapolis, from suppression delivery systems to new portable pumps to CAFS units.
W. S. Darley & Co. debuted several new products including a Mini Mongoose compressed air foam system (CAFS), a new AutoValve II, a wireless smart remote control, a new Dolphin floating pump, and an expanded line of PuriFire water purification systems.
The Mini Mongoose CAFS takes what Paul Darley, president and chief operating officer, calls “one of the most popular small pumps at Darley”–the two-stage portable–and makes it into a CAFS unit.
Manufactured by Darley’s Odin Foam Division, the Mini Mongoose CAFS uses a 24-hp Kawasaki engine to power the Davey two-stage water pump and the 30-cfm screw compressor. It employs a Darley around-the-pump foam injection system, has stainless steel plumbing, has a ¼-inch aluminum frame, and is available in stainless steel or laser-infused paint.
Darley says his company made CAFS units easier to operate with the introduction of the AutoValve II. Improvements to the system include a built-in psi or bar pressure display for discharge, which also can function as a valve position indicator in increments of one through 100.
Darley notes the unit’s main settings of “dry” and “wet” CAFS now offer micro adjustments on the fly, allowing the operator to make small changes of foam consistency if desired. The AutoValve II has a fully waterproof design with all sealed switches and is protected by an overlay membrane.
The Darley Wireless Smart Remote Control Operating system introduced at FDIC allows remote starting, stopping, and throttle control on most portable and skid-mounted Darley pump units with an electric start. Darley points out that the system allows for remote mounting of a panel in a truck cab without the expense and trouble of running wires long distances.
The Smart Remote allows the pump’s engine to be choked, started, throttled up or down for full operating control, and shut down when pumping is complete. Multiple sets of controls allow the unit to be started from one location, then operated and/or shut down from another.
Darley says his company has been making the Dolphin Floating Pump for more than 20 years with a Briggs & Stratton engine, but the new model uses a Honda 390-cc EPA/CARB-compliant vertical shaft engine with a gravity-fed fuel system, allowing easy starting, even after running out of fuel.
Both the Honda and Briggs models offer recoil start and have a fuel supply sufficient for 45 minutes of operation.
W. S. Darley also expanded its water purification systems line by introducing a PuriFire 5S3P at the show. The standalone design allows users to run the unit with any pump and is transportable by hand. The 5S3P has an inline filter monitor that records each filter’s service life and automatically reminds users to change filters when needed.
Hale launched new products and improvements at FDIC, including upgraded displays for its SafeBuy suppression agent delivery system and a new HP series of portable pumps that are anodized to provide better resistance to corrosion.
Dave Guynn, director of OEM sales, calls Hale’s new Class 1 UltraView line of displays “the most advanced, rugged and effective displays available on the market.” He notes the displays are viewable in direct sunlight and fully customizable.
The UltraView CAN-based display features a fully modular design that can be customized to more than 100 parameters for electronic engine monitoring and diagnostics, according to Guynn. Users can program the input/output parameters and add custom graphics and company branding to the display screens.
Guynn says the UltraView comes in a variety of display sizes and mounting configurations; has a bonded LCD screen, easy-to-use configuration software, and video integration; translates to multiple languages; and can send updates through a standard USB interface.
Hale’s new anodized HP series portable pumps feature lightweight aluminum alloy gearboxes and pump bodies, says Jon Moore, national sales manager, and offer optional integrated base fuel tanks, models with handles, wraparound frames, and fuel bases and covers.
Other features include a rotating discharge valve for quick and easy hose layout, a band clamp design that allows for convenient maintenance and repairs, remote panels, and the ability to multiplex with the ES-Key system.
Hale also displayed a number of other pumps and components, including the DSD-J compact midship pump, available from 750 to 1,500 gpm; an 8FGF pump, available from 1,500 to 3,000 gpm; a Side Kick 500/750 high volume booster pump kit; and a TBP twin booster pump at 750 gpm.
Waterous displayed a range of its pumps at FDIC, as well as Waterous 1, a new design of its mobile demonstration unit. The demo unit carried an HL400 international style pump, a CMU midship fire pump on a tilt table at the rear of the rig, and a full-size cutaway of an automatic tank fill unit.
Mark Severin, marketing communications manager, says the mobile demonstration unit has been successful in giving firefighters a better understanding of the interior workings of pumps and pump components.
In addition, Waterous displayed the new “ram horn” style intakes on its CSC20 and S101C20 single-stage fire pumps, as well as on the smaller, more compact CXS 1,500-gpm pump. Pump modules and CAFS units also were exhibited in the Waterous booth.
Fire Research Corp. (FRC) offered its Total Control–a compact governor, master pressure display, and engine monitoring system.
FRC says Total Control is available for all standard fire apparatus engines, uses the J1939 CAN bus interface, has programmable presets, automatically regulates pump discharge pressure, can recognize a “no water” condition, limits the engine rpm, and has diagnostic capabilities.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a freelance writer based in Tucson, Arizona, who writes for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
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