Wildland engine in field
<p>Bill Branson, assistant chief at Hall Mountain, Chief Brad Lowther, North Idaho Ironworks owner Fred Nystrom, and Adam Michael, who did much of the work show off their completed wildland fire engine transformation Sept. 17.</p>
By AARON BOHACHEK
Staff writer
When Hall Mountain Volunteer Fire Department’s chief Brad Lowther went looking for a new type III wildland engine to replace the two aging units the department had, he knew they couldn’t afford a new truck.
Even used trucks that would fit the bill can cost from $50,000 to more than $100,000.
When the department received a $16,899 grant in 2010 courtesy of Diana Ellis and Steve Pietroburgo at the Fish and Wildlife Service, they went shopping for a project.
What they came back with was a 1997 Peterbuilt two-ton truck, complete with 24-foot van box from a nursery in California.
“We got a good deal on it,” Lowther said, “especially when they heard it was for a fire department.”
The truck was taken over to Idaho Ironworks and a deal was struck with Fred Nystrom to outfit the rig as a fire engine. During the next five years, Bill Branson, other volunteers from the department and the North Idaho Ironworks guys removed the box and vshortened the wheelbase by eight feet, moving the rear axle forward. They cut off the extra lengths of frame to shorten the truck.
The North Idaho Ironworks crew (Chief Lowther says Adam Michael did most of the work) built a custom utility body for the truck, with a baffled 1500 gallon water tank sitting on the frame rails. Large utility boxes for hoses and other equipment line both sides of the tank and an access walkway with a ladder and handrails makes the top of the truck a perfect firefighting platform.
“We filled it up to leak test if before we had it powder coated,” Lowther said. “We didn’t find a one. I was kind of upset,” he joked.
On the back of the truck, the fabricators left enough fame rail for a bumper platform to hold the pumps and water hookups that would turn the truck from a tanker to a full-on fire engine. Lowther sourced a state-surplus Isuzu engine for the main pump, capable of up to 600 gallons per minute of flow, he said. This allows the truck to hook up to lower pressure systems and boost the power for maximum effectiveness. The other two wildland engines max out at 250 gpm of flow.
The truck doubles as a water tender, able to transport water to fires not within reach of a hydrant system. The older tenders (a 1971 International and a 1989 Ford) each have a 1100 gallon capacity. Though it’s a two-wheel drive truck, it has great ground clearance.
“We make sure not to drive it into questionable situations,” Lowther said.
Now complete enough to be pressed into service, the truck is going through the final touches, installing a siren, some L.E.D. marker lights and a custom North Idaho Ironworks grill for the pump engine. The truck has been painted black, to match the color of the cab. All told, the department has around $25,000 into the truck, far less than a comparable rig.
Lowther is thankful for all the hard work, long days and nights and help that went into building the custom wildland engine.
“If not for all the help, we never would have had this,” Lowther said. “Fred donated a lot of time and materials on the project.” As a volunteer department, he says a lot of people pitch in more than their dues for the department and help in other ways. He thinks if the department were to switch to a taxing district, much of that good will would go away.