Fire Engines Photos

Nice photo Mariusz. Wish we had these in the US. Do you know the pump capacity? High pressure? Hose? BAs? Is this a combined structural/forestry vehicle?

Nice website by the way. Great photos on it.

Added by David L. on 13 March 2010.

Hi David,

I hope Mariusz won't be angry with me for answering your questions ;)

Mariusz did actually indicate the pump capacity - 'GBA 2,5/20' stands for medium (7,5-14t GVW) pumper with tank (2,5 m3 = 2,500 l), pump capacity 20 hl/min (2000 lpm), but surely you can't expect everyone on a international site like F.E.P. to know this kind of country-specific details. The Star 1466 was offered exclusively by Stolarczyk of Kielce, and three pump models were offered: two-stage Rosenbauer NH20 and Stolarczyk S20 HP, as well as a single stage, normal pressure Stolarczyk S20 NP. The Stars 266/1466 are often multi-purpose appliances, especially when serving with volunteer units in the countryside and are equipped to deal with all kinds of fires - structural, forest, brush - as well as other emergencies. Pcim is a small town in the Beskidy mountains in southern Poland and some parts of it are only accessible for all-terrain vehicles, especially in winter.

One more detail on the apparatus above: its predecessor, a Star 266, was written off after it had been involved in a serious collision with a truck.

But isn't it already possible to buy a 6x6 Tatra in the US? I am certain that quite a few departments already bought brush units on this chassis.

Added by Konrad Nowak on 28 March 2010.

Thank you Konrad for the detailed information.

I both know of several fire departments here in the US that use Mercedes Unimogs as brush fire appliances and 1 that is a combination light fire appliance/hose carrier/RTA appliance. I don't know of any Tatras or Stars being used as such in the US.

I liked the Star because it is a cab over engine with a 4 door crew cab, and 2 rear axles. It Looks like it is meant to be off road, Most of the similar purpose appliances here in the US have a single rear axle, usually dual tires, and while can go off road, don't seem as capable as the Star. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Added by David L on 29 March 2010.

I found the Czech articles some time ago.
It is marketed as 'ATC Wildland Ultra XT'.

But as far as Stars go, I am pretty sure you won't find a single one in America.

Added by Konrad Nowak on 29 March 2010.

I have seen photos of the ATC in Fire Apparatus Journal magazine here in the US. There was no mention of the drive train being built by Tatra. I read about that on a web site. After doing a search I found some really cool photos of the of it on Angelfire.com. A specific web address did not appear on my BlackBerry to refer to, sorry.

The manufacturer, S and S Fire Apparatus offers the ATC with a 475lpm pump, with CAFS, a bumper turret and booster lines. They mentioned the option of installing a 3800lpm pump. I'd be curious to see that one.

The other fire apparatus I was referring to in my earlier post are picture #3801 and picture #19298. picture #3801, while primarily is used for brush fires, can and is used by many departments as a structural appliance as well. Many have bumper turrets, remotely controlled from the driver's cab, and some use an auxiliary pump with a small separate engine for pump-and-roll, instead of the main pump.

picture #19298, this is a French version, but is similiar to how quite a number of US departments set up these old military trucks. They can safely carry @ 2280l of water. Anything more puts them as a rollover risk. Many have brush breaking bars on the front and over the cab. They use a small auxiliary pump mounted behind the tank. Not very fast on the highway, but very capable off road. Very popular in Florida, the Osceola County Fire Department has one in most of their stations.

Added by David L on 29 March 2010.

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