Resource to be shared among fire stations
North county firefighters have a new advantage in battling fires and cleaning up hazardous material spills.
The Geyserville Fire Protection District coordinated with Cloverdale Fire Protection District, Healdsburg Fire Department and Knights Valley Volunteer Fire Company to purchase Breathing Air Support unit 6141. The new truck is able refill air “bottles” at the scene of fires and hazmat spills.
“I think it’s a great benefit for all of north Sonoma County,” said Healdsburg Fire Chief Jason Boaz.
“No one agency in Sonoma County runs enough fires that they need this all on their own so that’s why we came together, multiple fire departments, to raise money for this,” said Geyserville Fire Captain Joe Stewart.
The new air truck will be stored at the Geyserville station but respond on request to any north county fire, and likely beyond as fire agencies tend to help wherever they are needed as mutual aid.
The truck was built by Custom Truck and Body Works, Inc. in Woodbury, Georgia on a 2016 Ford F-550 chassis.
It is equipped with a Bauer Air Compressor capable of filling bottles at a rate of 13 cubic feet per minute, according to a media release sent out by the fire departments.
The new air truck carries 14 spare air pack bottles and has larger air tanks capable of holding enough air to refill 30 air pack bottles before needing to run the air compressor.
The vehicle has a Will-Burnt telescoping light tower with four 1,000-watt, 240 volt lights to provide lighting at an emergency scene. In addition, the air truck will be equipped with basic life support supplies along with snacks, water and Gatorade to aid in the recovery of firefighters during or after a fire.
“No tax money was used for this,” said Stewart. The new truck was paid for entirely by donated funds, primarily from the 2013 and 2014 Wine Country to the Rescue fundraisers.
Additional funds came from other fundraisers by the different departments and from the Geyserville Volunteer Firefighter Association, a nonprofit organization.
The truck cost about $220,000, including tax and licensing. Stewart said that he believes new technology will make the vehicle obsolete before it wears out, but it could last 20 years.
“I think it’s a very cool, cooperative effort,” said Matt Gustafson, battalion chief and fire marshal for Central Fire Authority of Sonoma County, which serves both Rincon Valley and Windsor Fire Districts. His station has an air truck that would respond to north county fires when needed.
Firefighters in the north county have begun training with the new truck, which was delivered about a month ago. However, it will be at least a few weeks before the air truck is used on a call. The crews must become certified with the equipment.
Boaz said that the vehicle also allows better use of auxiliary and non-firefighter crews at the scene of a fire or hazmat spill.
When the air bottles that firefighters wear on their back become empty, crew members must return to the station to refill them from the air compressor there.
With the new “apparatus,” as fire professionals call their equipment, bottles can be refilled at the scene.
“They consume a lot of oxygen” from running around and exerting a lot of energy, said Boaz.
According to Boaz the air tanks have become more like air bottles over the last 20 years. Crews typically carry three different “sizes,” although the actual size can be misleading.
The smallest bottle holds 2,216 psi (pounds per square inch), the intermediate size holds 3,000 psi and the largest bottle is not much bigger that smallest but holds 4,500 psi. The larger volume bottle is made from stronger material and has thicker walls, said Boaz. Each weighs about 20 pounds.
The amount of time a bottle lasts depends on the use and type but can last up to 45 minutes and as little as 15 minutes, typically.
