Fire engines & trucks

Brush 7 made it's first run on July 7, 2006 and is the department's primary wildfire and grassland response unit. Constructed on a 2006 Chevrolet Kodiak 5500 1.5 ton chassis, this four wheel drive truck is equipped with Duramax 6600 turbo-diesel V8 engine (300 hp) and an Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission. Four wheel drive is essential when a truck must cross soft farmland. The four-door crew cab can carry five firefighters and 500 gallons of water to the fire. The gasoline-powered fire pump has foam capability that stretches the water supply resulting in fewer re-fills. A 3 kW gasoline-powered generator provides electrical power to twin extendable 500W floodlights.

Two enclosed operator platforms (one on each side) allow two firefighters to safely use the hoselines while the vehicle is in motion. The dual hose reels each hold 125 feet of one-inch hose and are equipped with low flow (10/20/30 GPM) nozzles. Storage boxes provides space for equipment such as SCBA (air packs) for tractor and combine fires where diesel fuel or hydraulic fluid is burning. A detachable 9,000 lb winch can be mounted on either the front or the rear. 90% of the cost of this vehicle was procured with a grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program administered by the Department of Homeland Security and the remaining 10% was funded by the City of Casselton sales tax fund. We thank both parties for their support.

Unit 1 is a 1993 Cayel Craft Rescue body mounted on a 1993 International 4900 chassis. This vehicle is primarily used for automobile accidents and contains the necessary tools to conduct vehicle extractions (i.e. the Jaws of Life). Rescue 1 is usually the first truck out of the fire hall and can carry eight firefighters in the rear compartment. Four seats are equipped with integral self-contained breathing (SCBA) gear so that the firefighter can strap on an air pack before arriving at the scene.

Unit 2 is a Central States body contructed on a 2002 International 2574 chassis. This vehicle has a five-man cab with integral self-contained breathing (SCBA) gear built into five seatbacks so that a firefighter can strap on a self-contained breathing unit while enroute to the fire. Due to the increasing number of vehicle accidents to which the department responds, this unit also contains vehicle extraction tools and has a Class A foam capability in addition to conventional firefighting tools. Foam is used since water will run off, but foam will stick to the surface. A foam system works by separating the fuel from the air (oxygen). The foam blankets the fuel surface and smothers the fire, the fuel is cooled by the water content of the foam, and the foam blanket suppresses the release of flammable vapors that can mix with the air.

Pumper 4 is an American Fire Equipment fire body mounted on a 1964 Ford 850 chassis. A gas-powered vehicle, this pumper is known as the City Truck and and carries 2800 feet of 4 inch hose. When a fire occurred in the old days (not that long ago), it became apparent that the Rural Tanker (Unit 3) and the other fire apparatus at the time could already be in use at an elevator or farm fire, leaving the city unprotected. As a result, this vehicle was purchased new specifically by the City of Casselton and is not allowed to leave the city limits. Now assigned to a backup role, this old war horse is a familiar site to anyone that grew up in Casselton. The tradition of giving fire truck rides each Halloween evening continues and Pumper 4 has carried several generations of kids around town, lights flashing and siren blaring!

Unit 5 is a Mid-States body mounted on a 1983 Mack chassis. The first diesel-powered truck in the department, this tanker-pumper holds 2,750 gallons of water and can move water at 1000 GPM with it's Hale pump. When the department was looking for a larger "rural tanker", it was imperative that the truck fit into the fire hall (the old fire hall) and a cab-over chassis was required to reduce overall length. This vehicle was also the first tandem axle truck in the department and sports a deck gun that can empty the tank in five minutes.

Unit 12 is a Niagara body mounted on a 1981 Mack chassis. Primarily used as a water shuttle truck to haul water to a fire, this tanker carries 2700 gallons of water as well as a 2500 gallon portable tank. A 10 inch quick-dump valve is located on the rear of the truck for quickly dumping water into the portable reservoir and heading back for another load. Tanker 12 also has a fire pump and can run hose lines if necessary or act as a booster truck if water is being pumped long distances. It also holds 6 SCBA as well as 12 spare bottles.

SWAT 8 is a 1979 Jeep 1/2 ton pickup that was converted to a "brush truck". Purchased as government surplus from the North Dakota Forest Service, the bed-tank-pump structure was constructed by several department members and mounted to the pickup frame. This vehicle is used to douse grass fires and to reach places where a heavy, conventional fire truck would bog down and get stuck. SWAT 8, with it's 300 gallon tank and four wheel drive capability, can cross plowed fields to those hard to reach off-road spots like ditch fires (i.e. railroad right-of-way), rangeland, CRP acreage, and tractor fires. Typically, another tanker would accompany SWAT 8 and act a nurse truck (provide refills).

Unit 3 is a Howell body mounted on a 1959 Ford 750 chassis. One of the few remaining gasoline-powered vehicles in the department, this truck was originally purchased new as a Rural Tanker. It carries 2,000 gallons to the fire and is equipped with a Waterous fire pump that can deliver 500 gallons per minute. This old war horse, now assigned to a backup role, is a familiar site to anyone that grew up in Casselton. (there are no photos at this time, stay tuned for further developments)

The C1 rescue boat is a 14 foot aluminum Lund equipped with Armstrong oars and a Johnson 4.0 horsepower outboard motor. A rescue boat must be light enough to be carried by four firefighters and C1 fits the bill. Water rescue, ice rescue, and tool transport are the key duties of this watercraft. For an ice rescue, the fire crew can push the lightweight boat out to the trouble spot (the thin ice) while maintaining their own safety. The boat is also useful when the broad interstate highways ditches contain water. Even if there is only a foot and a half of water, the boat can ferry the heavy extrication tools (Jaws of Life) to the vehicle or transport an accident victim.