I need some input.I am the truck chairman for our local VFD.We are currently looking at buying a CAFS truck.A couple of the guys in our department are paid firemen with the S.A.F.D. and like anything else,opinions differ on what to get.Some say we dont even need a CAFS truck.Me,I figure that if I can make 200 gallons of water do the same job as 1400 it is a no lose situation.We have alot of brush fires that are out in the boonies,and with the drought we have been having,there are not enough places to draft water out of.So stretching the water we do have seems pretty logical to me.So,how about it?Whats your opinion,what should I look for?What should I stay away from?And one other thing.Weiss makes an ATV that is track drive and is set up for fighting brush fires,I have been thinking about looking into getting one.Anybody ever use one,or seen one in action?

 

Class A foam is nice for a lot of things, but if you try to fight a fire that involves acreage, you will pay through the nose for concentrate. Most fires where Class A is used involve square feet of area and tenacious materials like petroleum. You will never get close to the cost of water for large incidents. We add detergent to our tanks as a cheap alternative; it decreases the surface tension and makes it more efficient, but you still ain't gonna do anything but waste money by paying beaucoup bucks when all you need is wet stuff and/or containment for brush fires.

 

Hey King just went thru something similair with my vfd. Back in '03 we bought an ALF with a class a/b foam system. It is a FoamPro 2002 sytem. This truck is our work horse. It does structure fire,auto fires, and mva's. We were believers in the foam so we dropped the water down to 600 gallons with 30 gal. class a and b foam, 60 total. We cover alot of rural area with limited water. The foam make a differnce. We use the class A at 0.5%, does nice job. Now this year we were lucky and got the Fire Act Grant. We are buying a 75ft straight stick ALF with CAFS. It will have 500 gal of water 50 gal. class A. I think with the CAFS it operates at 0.1% to 0.3%. This truck will have a Waterous pump with the Waterous CAFS. The air compressor is 200 cfm. If I remember correct 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 hoselines need 40-60 cfm amd 2 1/2 hoselines need 80-90 cfm. We will have 3 - 1 1/2 CAFS lines and 1 - 2 1/2 CAFS line. The other CAFS system we looked at was the Pierce. For some reason I like it a little better. Good luck.

 

Off subject but...
Where can i find information on vfd? I wanted to look into it, i was thinking about joining.

 

I'm not familiar with the particularities of your wildland environment, so I wont even try to pretend what kind of equipment you need for the typical fuels, weather, topography, aiding resources etc. in your area... I don't know the big 8x10 semi glossy of the overall situation where you are.
I can say, however, that what I would recommend is, if your department is working on a limited budget, and it is a choice between bells and whistles vs. being able to afford additional practical equipment, I would go for the latter. Your firefighters and your tax payers alike, deserve the most bang for the buck.
I see too often where fire departments get caught up in the glamor of the ownership of fancy bling bling equipment. I have to say, my fire department is certainly guilty of the same.
I'm not saying that having the best equipment available is a wrong thing at all. In fact, I believe that tax payers deserve the best that we public servants (firefighters) can provide. And fellow firefighters deserve the most effective and practical tools that they can be afforded for the job they are tasked to do. However, overspending does nothing but rob firefighters of additional equipment that they could/should have been able to use, rob tax payers of their hard earned salaries, and cause a substantial complexity in maintenance of said investment, which will affect both taxpayers and firefighters alike for the foreseeable future.
When I can, I will do some research on the area you work in to see if compressed air foam systems is a practical investment. Maybe PM me to let me know what area of Texas you are stationed.
But I'm sure you are perfectly aware what is practical for your needs already. Let your conscience be your guide. You have a responsibility to your fellow firefighters and the public you serve to make this decision. If you go at it with the right intent, I'm sure you will make the right decision.

ps. I have seen CAFS systems work while on an overhead assignment in Oregon several years ago. It was a contract engine, owned by a company that was obviously payed very well by the contract they were working under, as they had top of the line equipment. I was a Burn Group Supervisor, and had a strike team of contract engines and two hand crews to light miles and miles of line in a major burnout operation. The CAFS Engine was a bit of an overkill, but I must say, it was VERY effective. I used it mostly to pre-treat adjacent fuels to avoid spot fires, but it did quickly knock down several spot fires and slop overs with ease. I suppose that if I was on an initial attack on a wildland fire, and was limited in resources, personnel, water, etc., that CAFS engine would have been like gold. The question is, is it a justified expense for YOUR department, given all of the circumstances.
JMO. Good Luck with your decision, Tim

 

Around here, in my neck of the woods, to sign up for a volunteer department, you just need to show up for the VFD Meetings. Show a sincere interest and you get voted in. Find out who The Chief is in your local VFD and meet with him/her, and I'm sure they can give you all the info you need to join up.

I have been toying with the idea of joining my local VFD as well. If I could only quit procrastinating...
It is a worthy and respectable thing to do, to volunteer for service to your community. Kudos to you, Tim

 

Well, If you want to really put out those wildfires,,,
GET THIS!

 

 

I could just imagine that dude in a parade, with girls dressed in bikinis in the tank (pool) in the back. Better yet, how 'bout white tee shirts.
Whooo hoo!

 

BTW,,,
It's on EBAY!
Listed under OTHER MAKES.
AND IT'S IN LOUISVILLE,KY.!

 

Hey King, Did you figure out what to do?

 

Yeah,we bought one.Its B.A.D!It has a front mount joystick control monitor nozzle,I cant wait to play with it!The only thing bad about it is that it is not on a Ford chassis.But I guess I cant have everything.Our other brush truck is a Ford and our Rescue truck is a Ford,so I guess I cant complain.

 

What kind of truck did yall get?

 

I wanna see pics.