GCFD10 - 500 Acre Wildland Fire with County Wide Mobilization, Corfu Rd. (10-8-13) 

+18dmedic It's almost always a bad idea, because those trucks aren't engineered to haul that much weight. Usually "Bubba" engineered, and a good way to get a LODD.

+18dmedic Thanks for the comment! I'm glad someone enjoys these beauties as much as I. And as far as LODDs the last one in this county was 2002 and it was not apparatus related.

+ffjsb You can't simply write off the whole class of trucks because a few people overload them. The trucks are very effective wildland tenders or engines when set-up properly. None of the trucks in this video appear to be overweight. I've set up a few and can see from the tank size and the way the truck is handling load that they're within limits. Furthermore, the trucks are still subject to annual DOT inspection where the gross weight is evaluated, and when the trucks are provided through the FEPP program, are also subject to spot inspections by the individual state forestry departments. So the number of them being overloaded is likely rather small compared to the whole.

+prairie wanderer I believe they're not really good trucks because in addition to many being overloaded, firefighters are often poorly trained on driving them. The first 5 ton in the video is flying around that corner WAY too fast on a gravel road, and for what?? A brush fire?? None of these trucks in the video have any sort of ROPS, those cabs will crush down like an empty beer can in a rollover. Not to mention that at least the Deuce's are equipped with a single circuit brake system, so unless they're retro fitted with a dual circuit system (which I doubt), any leak will result in catastrophic brake failure. And at best, that deuce is about at it's maximum weight, and never designed to be driven like a civilian fire apparatus. There's plenty of NIOSH Data to show that these trucks should only be used with EXTREME caution, and they should never be modified except by a qualified engineer.

ffjsb Your two chief complaints can be applied to every firetruck. It's becoming apparent to me you don't have any first-hand experience with military trucks. That 5 ton at the beginning has a rated payload of 20,000 lbs. for on-road operation, and he's nowhere near that. By my calculation he's entering the turn at about 10 mph, which is safe for those conditions. There is the illusion hes going too fast because he's on the throttle right out of the turn. He's fine, there's no real body roll, or front-end push that would indicate overspeed. Not every brush fire is limited to brush. There are structures, infrastructure, and livestock that are much more valuable than brush. Furthermore, knocking down a brush fire ASAP can be the difference between being on scene for a few hours, or being there for days. Nearly every firetruck I've driven or seen in the last 30 years is loaded to near the max. allowable weight, that includes wildland trucks, city pumpers, and tenders. A firefighter has to be properly trained to operate ANY piece of equipment, so that line of argument is moot. It doesn't matter if it's an ex-military truck, a commercial chassis tanker fully-loaded, AGAIN, to near max. weight, or a fully-loaded quick attack rolling 80+ mph down a 2 lane highway. In rural areas, a lot of guys have plenty of experience driving larger trucks. 90% of the guys on my department carry CDL licenses. ROPS? I've never seen any commercial trucks equipped with one either. 'Nother dead end. These trucks have some shortcomings but are great when operated correctly. The bottom line is most departments can't afford to drop 80-100 grand on an all-wheel drive commercial chassis, so they have to work with what's affordable.

291xMac -- ...''looks like fun''... , Yes & No . When a Firefighter operates a piece of apparatus Code 3 (Lights & Siren) he assumes responsability for all traffic 360 degrees around him & if he gets into an accident (even if it's not his fault) his neck is still on the chopping block because he should have been more aware of his surroundings and avoided the accident . Also , there better be baffles in the tanks on those Water Tenders , because without them if you turn a corner too sharply at speed or make a sudden stop , the momentum of the Water can either flip your vehicle or push your vehicle through an intersection . -- I actually had that happen to me . Responding to a Fire , NO baffles in the Water Tender , went to stop at a crossroad where I needed to make a 90 degree turn and the momentum of the Water pushed me all the way through the intersection . -- < Doc. Volunteer Firefighter / Search & Rescue Technician -- doing BOTH for over 50 years . > .

+Bill Cochran This is in Washington State near Royal City.

Aha, thank you. Nice rigs. Tough looking.

Cody Sammons Don't worry. Fire district #7 was there as well to even out the odds.