THE QUICK-ATTACK CONCEPT: NEW TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES AN OLD IDEA

摘要

In Apparatus Deliveries, You Will Find Many examples of new and innovative apparatus designs. Combination rescue/pumpers, quints, raised and walk-through cabs with command centers, top-mounted and enclosed pump panels, hydraulic ladder racks, light towers, rooftop storage compartments, and extended front bumpers are all examples of new designs and technologies that have improved apparatus efficiency, flexibility, and safety. These features have also added to the overall length, width, and height of apparatus. Historically, the size of apparatus has been a concern of urban departments; however, the ever-growing dimensions of apparatus have become an issue that deserves the attention of suburban and rural departments as well. If you have been in the fire service since the 1970s, you probably recall the popularity of the quick-attack or mini-pumper. Depending on whom you ask, this concept was either the greatest or worst idea the fire service ever considered. These apparatus clearly had some advantages but often presented just as many disadvantages. There has always been a difference of opinion as to whether these units were quick-attack or mini-pumpers. The quick-attack designation referred to smaller and more maneuverable apparatus intended mostly for nonstructural-type fire response―i.e., brush, rubbish, vehicles, vehicle extrications, and off-road or limited-access locations. The mini-pumper designation generally implied a Class A engine on a smaller frame and chassis. This balance was often difficult to achieve with the available vehicles and firefighting technology of the 1970s. The firefighting capacity, most notably the pump and tank size and available gross vehicle weight (GVW), was often a major point of conflict. Many of these apparatus were either too light on fire suppression capability or too overloaded and often dif-ficult or dangerous to drive.