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Hello there.
Applying for a new rescue pumper to replace our 20y/o open cab pumper. When you select what type of Engine you are applying for in the drop down menu you have the options of pumper, foam pumper, cafs pumper, etc.
Say we put foam pumper for our application. At the least we want a foam pro type system. We are lucky and get the grant and the board decides to come up with more money to spec a CAFS for it, is that allowed or does that change the scope of the grant?
I would make sure what AFG is defining as a "foam pumper." What I'd imagine is that it's an industrial foam pumper (lots of foam, a little water) designed for that type of setting.
I'd imagine what you're going to want is a pumper then explain the foam system in the narrative. Or you could just get with your board about going ahead and asking for a CAFS pumper now, rather than waiting to see if you get the grant and having to put it on there.
If you are in a "rural classification" there is a better cost benefit in asking for a CAFS pumper. Less water needs to be hauled to the fireground so less manpower is required for water supply, less trips with tanker shuttles to & from the scene lowering your risk of tanker accidents and more FF can be committed to offensive firefighting operations. Cafs will also provide a better safety margin than plain water with less damage to the structure.. Figure between 25 40 k extra for the CAFS system depending on size of system.
We have found that we flow about 40% less water since we acquired CAFS 7 years ago.
I was originally thinking of asking for 250k for a pumper with a foam pro system. If we go for a total CAFS would it be reasonable to ask for 275k or would that negate the cost benefit of the CAFS? And yes the computer considers us rural, Im guessing because we have 35% hydrant coverage, although we are in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.
Any winning CAFS pumper narratives would be GREATLY appreciated.
ekambari@myway.com
After thinking for a few moments I believe there are NO CAFS pumpers in our county or the two counties to our north. And yes we regularly provide mutual aid to departments in the other two counties. very few hydrants and all volunteer depts. We are combination.
35% hydrant coverage in no way makes you rural. 17 miles to the closest hydrant, now thats rural.
But I think that you get graded better with a CAFS pumper anyways. We got 274K last year for ours. Best thing we ever did.
Whats a HYDRANT ????????????? our nearest is similar to yours LVFD. over 15 miles in the next town.
Oh there are definetly alot of other depts. out there with 0% hydrant coverage. When we applied for our FP&S grant we selected suburban but the computer told us we were rural. We are an ISO 4/9 17000 population, 40sq. miles, 1500 calls a year fire & EMS. I just had no idea how the computer decided we are rural, but it looks like that is a good thing.
Thank you, looks like 275k is not unreasonable for a CAFS pumper according to the AFG powers.
The fire district to our north has only a couple hydrants in a small town on the western side of the district, the other 120 sq. miles have nothing. We usually arrive before they do when they call us for structure fires. Sounds like a good case for CAFS to me.
I did some asking around because I was confused about the rural suburban thing.
Its based on your population density.
17000 people on 40sq miles is 425 people per mile.
My depart covers 5500 people in 3 sq miles, 1833 per mile. Computer classifies us as suburban.
I don't remember the density break point but that is how the computer decides what your are.
Ahh that makes sense. It is a little misleading for us because about 80% of the population is in the southern 1/3rd of the district. Thank you.