By Katie Ireland
The Daily Record
PASADENA, Calif. — During his 30-year firefighting career, Jim Belford has run into situations where the dimensions of a traditional fire truck hampered firefighters’ ability to operate in environments with narrow streets, tight turns or surfaces that might not support the truck’s weight.
Three years ago, a desire to come up with an alternative led the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company firefighter and his longtime friend, Paul Kingston, to start Creative Fire Apparatus LLC and design its core product, the Hydra H-1 - a 7-foot high, 5-foot wide, four-wheel drive fire engine. With its small profile and off-road capabilities, the Hydra is designed to go where conventional fire trucks cannot.
Belford collaborated with Kingston, owner of Chesapeake Plumbing Inc. in Pasadena, and together they designed and built the Hydra H-1. Kingston’s plumbing office doubles as the headquarters for the startup company, but the pair hopes to open offices and a factory for other vehicles once the company is more established.
Creative Fire Apparatus started marketing the Hydra in February, and the company still awaits its first sale. The vehicles retail for anywhere from $40,000 to $65,000 depending on the features, which Belford says are adaptable to a client’s needs.
“It’s really a no-brainer to me,” says Kingston, “This technology is innovative, it speaks for itself. “
In addition to water, the vehicle delivers compressed-air foam through Belford’s patented pumping system, which allows the Hydra to put the equivalent of 1,100 gallons of foam on a fire, equal to the water stores of more than two full-size trucks. The truck can even deliver foam while driving, and has the ability to “draft,” meaning firefighters can put a hose from the Hydra into a body of water and pump it out to fight a fire.
All of that is featured on a vehicle that can squeeze into spots conventional fire trucks can’t reach, including pedestrian sidewalks and freight elevators. It even has a spot on the hood for a rescue basket that allows firefighters to extract injured people from the scene.
According to Sales Manager Denny Fowers of Kovatch Mobile Equipment, a manufacturer of fire apparatus, a standard-sized fire truck will contain a 500- to 1,000-gallon water tank and thousands of feet of hose for situations where the fire truck is blocked from getting closer to the scene.
“For fire trucks that service more rural areas, they need more hose because fire hydrants are spaced further apart,” said Fowers, whose company is based in Roanoke, Va.. “A truck that can pump 1,500 gallons per minute may only have a 500-gallon tank. “
The Hydra H-1 does have its limitations, however, only reaching top speeds of around 25 mph while maintaining stability.
“This [vehicle] is not designed to replace a fire truck,” notes Belford, “It’s an addition. This is a first-response piece. “
With the Hydra’s design, Belford and Kingston see the H-1 as having appeal beyond selling direct to fire companies. They are pitching the vehicle for use in amusement parks, factories and other private-sector businesses.
Copyright 2009 Dolan Media Newswires