What's on Your Tanker #46 - Pump and Roll - A Different Approach
 
By President Mark Davis
August 10, 2023
 

During our recent work in Wheatland County, Alberta we got to see Rosebud FD W-63 in action as a water hauler rig...however...we also spotted a pretty unique feature regarding pump-and-roll capability. Wheatland County is comprised of a huge amount of rangeland and prairie farmland and fires associated with those types of open range terrains are common. The folks at Rosebud FD have W-63 rigged up with a portable (kinda fixed in a compartment) pump that takes water from the 3000-gall water tank and pumps it into the 1250 gpm midship fire pump's 2-1/2-inch auxiliary intake. The result is pump and roll capability without the need for a PTO system. The primary purpose of this configuration is to supply the small, top-mounted turret so that the rig can either go off-road over the rangeland or drive down the gridded range roads spraying water on a range fire. Seems to work just fine.