New Concept

[FiremanLos]

I was out at the Minnesota fire chief's convention in Duluth, MN. I saw these guys from CTV Fire. They told me that they were a new company and that this was there first trade show. They had a hook lift that fits into an OEM Pick-up bed. Has anyone ever seen anything like this? It was awesome. You could change a Utility truck from a grass rig to a Rescue truck in less than two minutes.

The reason that I'm asking is that my department is looking at purchasing one of these units, and we've never seen anything like it. Is there any competition for these guys? What are the draw backs? Do you have any good ideas for the different units? We want to purchase three flatbeds but we don't know exactly what to put on them. Do you have any opinion for me in my decision making at all?

Thanks

CTV Fire

[Catch22]

I'm curious, do you have to keep the tank empty to load/unload the brush skid? I'm assuming so since the unloading process would likely cause the spillage of a lot of water

It looks like a neat idea, but I don't think it'd work in all areas. We have brush fires all year round. Having to swap beds prior to a call wouldn't quite be efficient. If we could set it up and leave whichever bed was appropriate on it for a while, it might be worth while.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

The concept of swapping out various types of apparatus bodies, depending on trhe type of incident isn't new. The Feuerwehrs von Deutschland have been doing it for years.

[canuck1]

I've got shots

I have some shots I could send you of a 2006 Freightliner M2 with a hook lift and interchangeable body -

PM me if you want more info

[FiremanLos]

Water tank

The CET skid unit that they were displaying had some nice caps on the poly tank, if water was lost due to the loading angle it would probly be minimal. They also told me that this model was capable of lifting 5000 pounds but the truck had an axle limit of about 3000 pounds.

[FiremanLos]

Water tank

Plus up here in a colder climate we only have grass and wildland fires in the hot summer monthes.

[skipatrol8]

An example

This one is from a MA department. It has swap body for brush (300/500), mobile power, and HAZMAT. The company that manufactured it is located here: http://www.swaploader.com/spotlight.asp

Looks lie a good setup. Also, these threads have some good ideas.

http://forums.firehouse.com/showthre...ght=PODs+units

http://forums.firehouse.com/showthre...ght=PODs+units

credit to firenews.org for photo

[VanIsleEVT]

Here's a link to one that's made here in British Columbia
http://www.trucktransformer.com/

[neiowa]

The Army has been using the Palletized Load System for about 20years. Excellent logistical tool.

Fire Service is about on schedule for something "new".

[cafyrman]

Not that far behind

The Army has been using the Palletized Load System for about 20years. Excellent logistical tool.

Fire Service is about on schedule for something "new".

I remember some Maryland and Virginia FD's using similar units twenty some years ago. They called them pods back then.

http://www.rvfd.org/news&events/2006...l/beall4lg.htm

[pumper8032]

We have been using the POD system here in Australia for a number of years, although not in this way, more so for de-con units, heavy rescue , USAR etc.
Looks like a good idea, but for the amount of brush fires we do, its probably a bit slow.
Darren

[mnfireguy]

Cool concept. Website looked best when viewed in IE.

Seems like you could store the truck with no unit loaded in it but the "hook lift" in the unloaded position. Couldn’t you then just wheel the specific unit (brush, rescue body, ect) into the lift and load? I cant imagine it taking more than two minutes to accomplish this. Seems like in most stations you are always waiting for one or two more guys to respond anyway and the first one through the door could have the unit ready to roll.

I think the rescue body loaded with RIT or tech rescue equipment would rock as you could dump it next to the working area then go back to the house and load another application. Has anyone out there had any luck with the pull type trailer systems? Seems like it would be tough to maneuver through town or off road.

[dday05]

This is pretty neat. I could only imagine what kind of mess you'd have if nothing was secured inside of these things.

[ullrichk]

In addition to the military, this idea has been marketed to the public works industry for at least 15 years. I think it's a great idea, depending on how it's applied. I'd skip the pickup, though, and go for something with some real capacity.

[JTFIRE80]

I think the concept behind them are great. I have used them for military applications and they are awesome. The reason I don't think it's "taken off" in the fire service yet is firefighter's sense of urgency. For the purpose the PLS is used for the military, there is no "immediate, need it now, life or death" involved as it is mostly used for transport. In the fire service, we want what we want now, not in the 3-5 mins it takes to transfer the PODS out. For ex. You are a rural area with a lot of farms, but a few rivers/creeks. You keep a brush POD on the truch 99% of the time. Then you get banged out for a water rescue and it takes an extra 5 mins to changeover. For most fire dept's, that is too much time. Of course, this is just my opinion. Have a good day.