Getting New Truck

[Nebo424]

My department was awarded a FEMA grant for a new truck. We will be buying a 1250 gpm pump with CAFS. 1500 gallon tank with at least a five man cab. We are Looking at a HME p2e chassie. Was wondering if anyone know any informantion about this truck. I have talk to the makers and got information I was wanting to know that likes and dislikes if any. Let me know what you think. Or if you have a HME p2e please e-mail me at shanerigney@bellsouth.net

[buckdog]

Here we go...again. Good luck at get ready!!!!

[CaptainS]

Only thing I would say is with CAFS do you really need 1500 water?

[BlitzfireSolo]

CAFS should be used to increase firefighting power, not skimp on availible resources. Keep at least the 1,500 gallon tank.

How much do you have to spend?

[mic409]

my dept currently has an hme 6 man cab, and our new truck we are getting ready to order we are changing to spartan, both are made here in michigan. spartan just seems to be head shoulders above all else. it has to say something when e-one,and kme are building on spartan now. everything is better about the spartan. if you are going with the p-2. look at the spartan advantage,or metrostar. advantage is the more cost effective. that is what we are going to, there really isn't much need to spend all your money on a fancy chassis when you need a truck to function. 1.500 gals. seems like a good number. the only thing you lose with that big of a tank is cabinet space, but that is a firefighting machine especially in a rural area. good luck.

[firefightergtp]

CAFS should be used to increase firefighting power, not skimp on availible resources. Keep at least the 1,500 gallon tank.

How much do you have to spend?

I don't think you're "skimping out" of anything by going with a smaller booster tank and CAFS. CAFS allows you to do so because of its effectiveness, so why not take advantage?? Remember, with CAFS and .5 % and a 750 gallon booster tank, you would have enough CAFS solution to equal about 10,000 gallon of regular water.

[BlitzfireSolo]

gtp, I understand that you are still coming out with better firefighting power (depending on whose numbers you use), but if you are already designing a pumper with a 1,500 gallon tank, there is no reason to cut it. It just doesn't make sense spend $40,000+ on a new foam system, only to have the same or slightly increased firefighting power.

You can carry the 1,500 gallons on a single axle, just as you would the 750, and the extra axle rating and suspension isn't costing you that much. Much better to use a new system to significantly increase firefighting power, rather than marginalize its advantage.

Also, I'm not sure where you're getting your 10,000 gallon figure from. Most figures today claim 2-4 or 2-5 times the effectiveness, not 13.3 times. Don't get me wrong - I'm completely in favor of CAFS, having just spec'd a half million dollar engine with it [yes, it has a 2,000 gallon tank] - I just believe that you should use it to its fullest advantage and not cut your tank size. It's kind of like using quints to justify manpower cuts. It just doesn't make sense.

[smithgd]

Are department has two custom HME Ahrens-fox models. We recieveid them in Sept. 04', six months late. Since then they have spent more time in the shop being troubleshooted then they have spent on the road. The cabs are terrible. Loud, leaky, and uncomfortable. The company takes no pride in their product. I can go on forever but if you need more details then I can personally e-mail you. I will quickly say that Mike and Jeff in their electrical department are great to work with.

[mic409]

i guess it is going to depend on your demographic area, rural w/o hydrants or urban. my dept. is a mix, we cover a small village with hydrants, and a twp. with no hydrants, we just spec'd a rescue pumper w/o cafs. due to cost. we went with a 750gal. tank with a large foampro system. back to the chassis issue, we have some problems with our chassis as well. part of the reason why we are going to the spartan.

[Nebo424]

the reason for going with 1500 gallons of water is so that we can provide tanker support our neighboring departments....

[Elwood]

I'm Jealous! I wrote the exact same grant. No word yet, please email me your specifics if you don't mind. I agree totally with the 1500 gallon tank. Why get in a gun fight and run out of bullets! We also give tanker support to the neighboring departments.

[Ledebuhr1]

Check out Engine 700 on this website.
http://www.ovillafire.org/

It would be nice to show up to a fire with CAFS and 2000gal.

It is amazing that they can put all of that on a single axel. I wonder how much that rig cost? $400k

[Weruj1]

I am surprised that that is all on single axel as well, most I have seen on one is 1250 gals......

[Rescue101]

1500 with Cafs will be sweet.Who's pump and Cafs are you looking at? We looked at both HME and Spartan on our last Engine.After months of comparison we went with a Spartan Gladiator.It's been a good choice. Even if it requires a ride look at both carefully.They each have some unique features and only your dept can decide which might be the better fit.All of our Engines are 1100 or bigger with the exception of E2 and I WOULD NEVER go back to a 750-800 gallon tank.Not even in the hydranted district.That extra 300-750 gal can be the difference between a stop and a block burned flat.If ALL of the territory you covered was hydranted it might be a different story,but ours isn't. You'll like the Cafs but it has a learning curve attached to it. Let us know the details as the project progresses. T.C.

[Nebo424]

I'm Jealous! I wrote the exact same grant. No word yet, please email me your specifics if you don't mind. I agree totally with the 1500 gallon tank. Why get in a gun fight and run out of bullets! We also give tanker support to the neighboring departments.

Drop me a e-mail and I will sent you a copy. My e-mail address is shanerigney@bellsouth.net

[Nebo424]

We are looking at the HALE 1250 GPM MID-SHIP PUMP
Hale Qmax / CAFSPro 1250. Putting it on a HME chassie with six man cab. This truck will be used as our first out on every thing form Rescue, any fire other then wild land, and it will be first out for tanker to mutual aid deparments.

I would realy like to hear form someone that has a HME p2e being used for a pumper/tanker and hear what they have to say about the truck...Likes/dislikes anything.

[Rescue101]

Nice pump. Sorry, can't help you on the HME,did you try a search? I know there's been some debate here. T.C.

[sdfireman]

Take an HME for a test drive, then drive a Spartan. If you can still hear when you are done for the ride on the HME consider yourself lucky. For that difference alone, we will never have another HME.

[BoxAlarm187]

I am surprised that that is all on single axel as well, most I have seen on one is 1250 gals......

Generally, since the adoption of poly tanks as the industry standard, the maximum single-axle capacity for tankers is 2000-2100 gallons. When stainless steel tanks were still the norm, 1800 gallons was about the max that you "should" put on a single rear axle.

[chipmonk3442]

i have never really liked the p2e chassie. i isn't as strong as some of the others i can probaly get you a list of chassis(spelling) email me if you are interested