Urban firefighting presents many unique challenges for first responders. From highrise and multi-occupancy buildings, historical firehouses, narrow streets, and alleys, to proximity to highway systems, industrial parks and airports, urban fire departments have a lot of varying responsibilities. As fire departments consider the right apparatus for urban firefighting, what are some design and configuration considerations? Below, we outline some key factors fire department representatives may want to consider.

Urban fire departments typically have very high call volume and feature some common design features:

Fire departments represent communities large and small, and even urban areas themselves can look a lot different from city to city and state to state. Below, we review small and large urban centers to understand how the trucks in the fleet are constructed to support each unique urban area.

A small urban center may include some of the following characteristics:

With this in mind, many fire departments in smaller urban centers strategically outfit trucks to match the unique needs of these communities, including fleets that are:

The Appleton Fire Department serves a community of nearly 75,000 people in Appleton, Wisconsin. With six fire stations strategically located throughout the City of Appleton, the department provides many essential services including fire suppression, a full range of fire prevention, life safety education, emergency medical first responder and rescue response. In addition, the fire department provides mutual aid assistance with most of the surrounding municipalities in the Fox River Valley area.

Appleton’s pumper fire truck is built on a Velocity® chassis with a 535-gallon water tank, including both foam and water capabilities. This provides versatility to manage smaller emergencies and larger interstate and industrial fires that may require foam. The truck also features a 450 hp Cummins L9 engine and Pierce Manufacturing’s TAK-4® Independent Front Suspension for excellent maneuverability and stability in urban areas. The overall height is 11’ 5”. View this truck in more detail.

The Appleton Fire Department Ascendant® 107’ Heavy-Duty Aerial Ladder is also on a Velocity® chassis with TAK-4® Independent Front Suspension, has a 500-gallon water tank with foam capabilities and a 500 hp Cummins ISX12 engine. This truck is designed to provide aerial support in addition to fire suppression and foam support. The truck's overall height is 11’ 9”. View this truck in more detail.

A large urban center may include some of the following characteristics:

The Baltimore City Fire Department responds to 235,000 calls for service per year, serving a geographic area of 92 square miles with a daytime population exceeding 1,000,000 people. The department provides the City of Baltimore with emergency medical services, fire suppression, basic and technical rescue, disaster response, hazardous materials mitigation and marine fire rescue.

The Baltimore City fire engine is built on an Enforcer™ chassis and features a Cummins L9 engine, a 500-gallon water tank pumping 1500 GPM, and side and front roll protection. The overall length is 32’ and the overall vehicle height is 9’10”. This engine is designed to optimize water pumping and carrying capabilities with additional fire suppression equipment on board. View this truck in more detail.

Baltimore City’s Ascendant® 107’ Heavy-Duty Tiller Aerial Ladder is built on an Enforcer™ chassis and features a Cummins X12 with 500 hp. The tiller includes TAK-4® Independent Front Suspension and Command Zone™. This apparatus is designed for maximum maneuverability and storage capabilities. The overall height of the vehicle is 11’2”. View this truck in more detail.

Every urban fire truck should be configured to match the unique needs of the fire department and the community it serves. Keep these considerations in mind when selecting and designing a new apparatus:

Posted: Mar 30, 2022 8:30:00 AM by Pierce Mfg.

About Pierce Manufacturing Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, mini pumpers, elliptical tankers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit www.piercemfg.com.

At Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK), we make innovative, mission-critical equipment to help everyday heroes advance communities around the world. Headquartered in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Corporation employs more than 14,000 team members worldwide, all united behind a common cause: to make a difference in people’s lives. Oshkosh products can be found in more than 150 countries under the brands of JLG®, Pierce®, Oshkosh® Defense, McNeilus®, IMT®, Jerr-Dan®, Frontline™, Oshkosh® Airport Products, London™ and Pratt Miller. For more information, visit oshkoshcorp.com.

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