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 by Forstner Fire Apparatus, this four wheel drive truck is equipped with a 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 vehicle 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 Honda 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 150 feet of one-inch booster hose and are equipped with low flow (10/20/30 GPM) wildland nozzles. Side compartments with roll-up doors 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 with a wired remote control can be mounted on either the front or the rear. 90% of the cost of this vehicle was procured with a grant from the 2004 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 the primary rescue/heavy extrication truck. The department-designed rescue body mounted on a 1993 International 4900 chassis was constructed by Cayel Craft (now known as RVI). This vehicle is primarily used for automobile accidents and contains hydraulic extrication tools (Hurst Jaws of Life) to conduct vehicle extrication. Rescue 1 can carry eight firefighters in the rear walk-in compartment. Four of eight seats are equipped with integral self-contained breathing (SCBA) gear. A PTO generator powers three extendible 1500 kW floodlights. Designed to be a mobile command post, this rig has both high capacity heating and air conditioning. Spare SCBA, SCBA bottles, thermal imager, cameras (still & video), portable radios, and more are carried by Rescue One. The truck was delivered and put into service in 1994 and replaced a 1982 Dodge crew-cab one-ton mini-rescue.

Unit 2 is a Central States (now know as Rosenbauer) body contructed on a 2002 International 2574 chassis. Unit 2 is the primary fire attack truck and is the first out of the hall for any fire run. This vehicle has a five-man cab with integral self-contained breathing (SCBA) gear built into four seatbacks. Due to the increasing number of vehicle accidents to which the department responds, this unit also contains hydraulic extrication tools (Amkus brand) and has Class A foam capability in addition to conventional firefighting tools. Class A foam (water-foam solution) has reduced surface tension, allows more water to contact the combustible surface, and provides increased heat transfer through conduction. Removing heat eventually results in fire extinguishment. The foam concentrate, when mixed with water at the recommended ratios (i.e. 1 to 3%), is biodegradable. Because it is a hydrocarbon surfactant, foam has an affinity for carbons and causes the water (as foam solution) to penetrate wood fuels and helps prevent a fire from re-starting. The truck was delivered and put into service in September 2002 and replaced a 1970 Ford pumper-tanker.

Tanker 5 is a Mid-States body mounted on a 1983 Mack chassis. The first diesel-powered truck in the department, this custom cab-over tanker-pumper holds 2,750 gallons of water and can move water at 1000 GPM with it's two-stage 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 specified to reduce overall length. This vehicle was the first tandem axle truck in the department and sports a deck gun that can empty the tank in minutes (1000 GPM). Tanker 5 was recently refurbished with a new rubber-lined tank, aluminum hose bed cover, lights, generator & extendible lights, compartments, tires, and paint.

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 (Tanker 3) and the other fire apparatus at the time might already be in use at an elevator or farm fire, leaving the city unprotected. As a result, this vehicle was purchased specifically by the City of Casselton and was 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 since it's given rides to thousands of Halloween trick or treaters. The tradition of giving fire truck rides on Halloween evening continues to this day and Pumper 4 has already carried several generations of kids around town, lights flashing and siren blaring!

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, railroad right-of-way, rangeland, CRP acreage, and combine/tractor fires. Typically, another tanker would accompany SWAT 8 and act a nurse truck (provide refills).

The 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 this rig 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 interstate highways ditches contain water. Even if there is only a foot and a half of water, the boat can ferry the heavy hydraulic extrication tools to the vehicle or transport an accident patient.