Fire departments have a number of choices when it comes to wildland fire rigs. The Type 6 pumpers, many in 4×4 configuration with pump-and-roll capabilities, are the go-to units in many areas of the country, although manufacturers also focus on Type 3 rigs.
Ed Boring, fleet sales manager for HME Ahrens-Fox, says his company has been building a wide variety of Type 6 pumpers, from custom builds to flatbeds with slide-on skid units. “Every Type 6 we build is four-wheel drive and has pump-and-roll capability using an auxiliary pump powered by a 24-hp Kubota diesel or a Briggs & Stratton 18-hp gasoline engine,” Boring points out. “Many of them also have Super Single wheels and tires and body lifts. He adds that HME Ahrens-Fox recently built a Type 6 on a RAM 5500 chassis and extended cab with USSC Valor seating for four firefighters and carrying both Darley and WATERAX pumps, a 300-gallon water tank, and a 10-gallon foam tank for the Denville (NJ) Fire Department.
Mike Weis, owner of Weis Fire and Safety, says Weis Fire recently built a Type 6 wildland pumper for the Girdletree (MD) Volunteer Fire Department with a Hale HPX275-B35 275-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump driven by a 35-horsepower (hp) Briggs & Stratton gasoline engine and a 400-gallon water tank with Super Single wheels and tires, a TFT Tornado front bumper monitor, and ground sweep nozzles. For the Dorchester (NE) Fire Department, Weis built a Type 6 pumper on a Ford F-450 Super Duty chassis with a 300-gallon water tank and a Hale HPX200-KBD24 200-gpm pump powered by a 24-hp Kubota diesel engine.
Todd Newlin, sales associate at Unruh Fire, says Unruh recently built at Type 6 wildland pumper for the East Grand Plains (NM) Volunteer Fire Department on a 2023 Ford F-550 4×4 Super Duty chassis with a Darley HE 48K 320-gpm pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 12-gallon foam cell, and a Hale Foam Logix proportioning system. Newlin notes the rig has pump controls at a crosswalk panel and a 125-gpm Akron Forestry monitor on the front bumper controlled by an in-cab joystick.
1 HME Ahrens-Fox built this Type 6 wildland pumper on a Ford F-550 chassis and four-door cab with a 100-gpm Waterous E511C pump and a 300-gallon water tank for Sonoma Valley (CA) Fire and Rescue. (Photo 1 courtesy of HME Ahrens-Fox.)
2 Weis Fire and Safety built a Type 6 wildland pumper for the Girdletree (MD) Volunteer Fire Department with a Hale HPX275-B35 275-gpm pump and a 400-gallon water tank, with Super Single wheels and tires. (Photo 2 courtesy of Weis Fire and Safety.)
Joe Messmer, president of Summit Fire Apparatus, says that of the Type 6 wildland pumpers that Summit has built recently, most carry 250- to 400-gpm engine-driven pumps that are plumbed to either one or two crosslays and a hose reel, a 250-gallon water tank, and Super Single wheels and tires. “These rigs are on Ford F-350, 450, and 550 chassis, with most being 4×4s,” Messmer observes. “Spray bars also are a popular item on these trucks, and some departments choose to go with bumper monitors too.”
Bryan Anderson, owner of Fire Power Emergency Apparatus, the British Columbia dealer for Fort Garry Fire Trucks, notes that the typical Fort Garry wildland Type 6 is built on a 4×4 Ford F-550 chassis with a flat deck body and side compartments, carrying a 150-gpm gasoline-powered pump and a 300-gallon water tank supplying one forestry line and one booster reel. “Four-wheel drive is a requirement for these vehicles,” Anderson says. “And, we try to build them at 60 inches cab to axle in order to keep the truck small, short, and light to access remote areas.”
Jason Black, president of QTAC Fire and Rescue Apparatus, says QTAC builds the Super 6 pumper as a wildland urban interface (WUI) type truck. “The pumper typically has a WATERAX B2X medium-pressure pump powered by a Kubota diesel engine on it that gives a maximum of 300 gpm at 180 pounds per square inch (psi),” Black says. “The Super 6 has a front bumper monitor, 300 feet of 1½-inch hose dead lay, 100 feet of ¾-inch hose at a rear preconnect, a winch, an onboard air compressor, and Super Single wheels and tires.”
Mark Kreikemeier, president of Danko Emergency Equipment Co., says, “We have built a ton of Type 6 pumpers on Ford F-550 and Dodge 5500 chassis and also on some Chevy 5500s. We mainly use the 3015 Waterous pumps that have a 3-inch inlet and a 1½-inch outlet, although we also use Darley and Hale pumps if that is the customer’s preference.” For Monarch (MO) Fire & EMS, Danko built a Type 6 on a Ford F-550 4×4 chassis with a Waterous 2515 pump powered by a 24-hp Kubota diesel engine, a 300-gallon water tank, a 12-gallon foam cell, and a Scotty foam system.
3 Unruh Fire built this Type 6 pumper on a Ford F-550 4×4 Super Duty chassis with a Darley HE 48K 320-gpm pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 12-gallon foam cell, and a Hale Foam Logix proportioning system. (Photo 3 courtesy of Unruh Fire.)
4 This Type 6 pumper for the Jacksonville (MD) Volunteer Fire Department was built by Summit Fire Apparatus. (Photo 4 courtesy of Summit Fire Apparatus.)
Chad Moffat, president of BME Fire Trucks, says BME builds the Xtreme Type 6 Sawtooth wildland pumper. He notes BME recently built a Sawtooth for the Caldwell (ID) Fire Department on a Ford F-550 4×4 chassis and four-door cab carrying a 103-gpm Darley 1-1/2AGE pump rear-mounted and a UPF Poly™ 300-gallon water tank.
Floyd Bacon, factory sales representative for CustomFIRE Apparatus, says CustomFIRE’s Type 6 pumpers in the West usually try to match the U.S. Forest Service Type 6 specification. “So, it’s a service- or rescue-style body instead of a flatbed, a single 1½-inch hose preconnected, and a hose reel with 1-inch hose,” Bacon points out. “If the Type 6 has a multistage pump, you’re likely to also see ¾-inch hose on it, and those with a volume pump get a 2½-inch discharge. Occasionally, the fire department will also specify a bumper turret.”
Nate Callahan, mechanical engineer for 4 Guys Fire Trucks, says the Type 6 rigs 4 Guys has built “are more combination brush and mini pumper trucks. We’ve done rear-mount Darley LSM 1,000-gpm pumps with 300-gallon water tanks and sometimes a 20-gallon foam cell, with some rigs also having a pump-and-roll auxiliary pump.”
Skeeter Emergency Vehicles recently built a Type 6 wildland truck for the Odin (IL) Fire Protection District on a Ford F-550 4×4 chassis and four-door cab with Super Single wheels and tires, says George Asi, sales associate. He says the Odin Type 6 has a Darley 2BE pump powered by an 18-hp Vanguard gasoline engine that produces 375 gpm at 25 psi and 100 gpm at 140 psi. He adds that the rig has a 300-gallon water tank, a 10-gallon foam tank, and a Scotty ATP foam system.
5 Fort Garry Fire Trucks built this Type 6 wildland pumper for the Springfield (MB) Fire and Rescue service. (Photo 5 courtesy of Fort Garry Fire Trucks.)
6 Danko Emergency Equipment built a Type 6 pumper on a Ford F-550 4×4 chassis with a Waterous 2515 pump, a 300-gallon water tank, a 12-gallon foam cell, and a Scotty foam system for Monarch (MO) Fire & EMS. (Photo 6 courtesy of Danko Emergency Equipment Co.)
7 4 Guys Fire Trucks built this Type 6 rig for the Bannertown (NC) Fire Department. (Photo 7 courtesy of 4 Guys Fire Trucks.)
8 Vengeant Manufacturing builds the Sandstorm Type 6 pumper on a Ford F-550 4×4 chassis with Super Single wheels and tires. (Photo 8 courtesy of Vengeant Manufacturing.)
9 REV Fire Group is focusing its wildland apparatus on the Defender UI Type 3 wildland pumper, shown here on an International chassis. (Photo 9 courtesy of REV Fire Group.)
10 Rosenbauer built this Timberwolf Type 3 wildland engine with a Rosenbauer NH 1,250-gpm pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, and a FoamPro 2000 series proportioning system for the St. Croix Falls (WI) Fire Department. (Photo 10 courtesy of Rosenbauer.)
Keith Blauch, operations manager for Vengeant Manufacturing, says the typical Type 6 Vengeant builds is on a Ford F550 4×4 chassis with Super Single wheels and tires, although some departments choose the Chevy 6500 chassis with a larger GVWR, which can carry a 400-gallon water tank. “Departments are choosing either Hale or CET pumps on their Type 6s,” Blauch says, “usually with 200 feet of 1½-inch hose preconnected and 200 feet of ¾-inch booster hose on a reel. About half of them put on ground sweeps and a forestry turret on the front of the rig.”
Phil Gerace, director of dealer development for REV Group, Inc., notes E-ONE has built some Type 6 rigs, mostly on Ford F-550 chassis, but that the bulk of its wildland trucks now are Type 3 models. Gerace says E-ONE builds the Defender UI Type 3 wildland pumper on either International or Freightliner 4×4 chassis with a Darley 500-gpm midship pump, a 500-gallon water tank, and a Darley 1-1/2AGE auxiliary pump for pump-and-roll capability.
KME is focusing on Type 3 rigs too, says Jake Virnig, KME’s manager of regional sales. He says KME makes the Defender Type 3 pumper, “which is our version of the CAL FIRE Model 34 wildland pumper and is available for all REV Fire brands.” Troy Grotenhuis, KME’s director of operations in Arizona and California, says the Defender is built on an International HV507 4×4 chassis and has a 500-gpm Darley JMP pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, and a FoamPro 1600 proportioning system.
Tony Klanderud, post-sales manager for Rosenbauer, says that Rosenbauer builds the Timberwolf Type 3 wildland pumper on a 4×4 International or Freightliner chassis, carrying a Rosenbauer NH 1,250-gpm pump that also can perform pump and roll. Klanderud notes the pump is controlled by a Rosenbauer Logic Control System (LCS) with in-cab and pump panel controls, a 500-gallon water tank, a 20-gallon foam tank, and a FoamPro 2000 series proportioning system.
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.
