Apparatus Overview

While most department’s run specific apparatus first-due all the time putting high mileage and wear & tear on one truck, Litchfield cycles its fleet to the first-out role, using each Engine for a 4-month period each, which has cut down on costly repairs, keeps apparatus drivers proficient with each vehicle, spreads the mileage out on each vehicle allowing the fleet to last longer before replacement is required. The oldest Engine is run first-out during winter months when road conditions can be the most hazardous and road salts, frost heaves can cause a myriad of other problems.  The newest Engine typically is run during the spring & summer, while the middle aged Engine is run summer through fall. The rotation time is affected if one of the Engine’s is taken out of service for repair.

Litchfield Engine’s are also unique compared to other area fire departments, as we carry more equipment than a typical fire engine, because we don't have a rescue truck or ladder truck. We carry some of the equipment commonly found on these specialty vehicles and assign our Engines to fill most, but not all of the roles of these vehicles.

Engine-1

Responds first-due from early spring to mid-summer. Engine-1 is our newest truck. A 2003 Emergency-One Typhoon Custom Pumper seating 5 firefighters, it carries 1,000 gallons of water, is our largest fire pump, capable of pumping 1,500 gallons of water per minute from a sustained water source and is equipped with a foam system for extinguishing ordinary combustible fires. An on-board PTO driven hydraulic generator provides up to 5500 watts of power for the (2) truck mounted scene flood lights and any tool requiring electricity.
A  Hurst “Jaws of Life” combination cutter/spreader, 30” hydraulic ram, Scott thermal imaging camera,  a 4-gas air monitor for detecting hazardous gases, and a cardiac defibulator are shared between Engine-1 and Engine-4, depending on which truck is first-due.

Engine-2

Responds first-due from late fall through the winter months until spring. Engine-2 is our oldest truck; however, it serves a dual-role as it carries the department’s rescue equipment to handle automobile extrications, industrial accidents, water & ice rescues or any other rescue requiring our specialized equipment. A 1996 Spartan / 3D Custom Pumper seating 6 firefighters, it carries 1,000 gallons of water, has a fire pump capable of 1,250 gallons of water per minute from a sustained water source and is equipped with an on-board diesel powered generator which provides 7500 watts of lighting power to the (3) truck mounted quartz scene floodlights or any tool requiring electricity. It is equipped with a foam system for extinguishing ordinary combustible fires.

Engine-4

Responds first-due from mid-summer through the fall. Engine-4 is designated as our mutual aid Engine to respond to surrounding communities unless another truck is specifically requested. Engine-4 is equipped with a special two-way radio provided by the City of Manchester for responses to the City. Engine-4 is a 2001 KME Excel Custom Pumper seating 6 firefighters, it carries 1,250 gallons of water, has a fire pump capable of 1,250 gallons of water per minute from a sustained source of water. Engine-4 is equipped with a 10” rear dump allowing the truck to fill the role of a tanker if needed. The truck has an on-board powered generator which provides 6000 watts of lighting power to (2) truck mounted quartz scene floodlights. It is equipped with a foam system for extinguishing ordinary combustible fires. Engine-4 has a rear receiver hitch allowing it to tow any of the department’s boats, or trailers.

Tanker-3

Responds to any type of fire with lots of water. The trucks primary purpose is to supply water to fire incidents by either directly feeding an Engine from its 2,500 gallon water tank, or by shuttling loads of water from a distant water source to the scene of the fire as quickly as possible. The truck is equipped with a 10” rear quick dump allowing it to dump its entire load of water in just over 1 minute into a portable “swimming pool” called a port-a-tank. The truck carries (2) port-a-tanks, the first tank holds 2,500 gallons of water; the second tank holds 1,500 gallons of water.  The truck dumps its water, and then continues traveling back to the water supply source for more loads of water. Tanker-3 is designated as our mutual aid Tanker and is often called by communities because of the large amount of water it carries.

Tanker-3 is a 1992 Mack / KME pumper-tanker that has seating for 2 firefighters. It carries 2,500 gallons of water and is capable of pumping 1,250 gallons of water per minute. It is the only Litchfield truck that has a foam system to combat large flammable liquid fires.

Forrestry-1

Serves multiple roles at most emergency incidents. Although designated as a forestry, forest fires are just a small percentage of what the vehicle is used for. In the summer the truck is equipped with a slide-in skid unit carrying 200 gallons of water, a 300 gallon per minute fire pump, forestry fire hose, rakes, shovels and chainsaws. It also tows all the departments trailered rescue boats, Kubota OHRV and light tower.

The truck is equipped with a 7,500 lb Warn winch that can be mounted to the front or back of the truck in the towing receiver hitch. During the winter months, the skid unit is taken out and the truck has a Fisher Minute Mount V- plow which is mounted during snowstorms. A mini-version salt sander is installed in the rear bed for use at emergency scenes to prevent slips & falls to the firefighters. The truck can open inaccessible driveways, plow a path down one of the many private roads not maintained by the Town during an emergency, spread sand/ salt for either fire apparatus or an ambulance to gain access safely to an area. Because the mini-sander doesn’t take up much room, there is a large tool box mounted in the front of the truck with chainsaws, and other equipment safely stored out of the weather, with room left over in the bed for picking up hose, or carrying other equipment. Forestry-1 is a 2003 Ford F-350 4-wheel drive diesel pick-up truck that has seating for 3 firefighters.

Forrestry-2

"The Beast"

Like the rest of the fleet also serves in multiple roles at emergencies. Forestry-2 is a large capacity forestry tanker that has been reinforced all around the truck with thick steel for offense firefighting in heavily wooded, normally inaccessible, remote areas. The truck when needed is capable of pushing/ driving over moderate to large size trees to create a fire road where one never existed for crews to access difficult to reach locations. The truck is able to accomplish this amazing feat due to the incredible torque produced by its 10 wheel drive system mounted on three independent floating axles. At no time is there any tire that is not in direct contact with whatever is being driven over including large rocks. Forestry-2 carries 1,300 feet of forestry fire hose, 1,000 gallons of water, chainsaws, portable pumps, axes, shovels, rakes. The truck is equipped with LED emergency warning lights safely protected by the truck body or the brush bars welded to the front bumper and over the cab of the truck. Six off road floodlights are integrated into the front of the light-bar and around the top of the body of the truck for safe night time operations to avoid trips and falls operating in uneven hazardous wooded environments.

Car-1

Assigned to the Fire Chief for his use as his “Office on Wheels” for responding to emergency calls. The SUV is set up like an office including laptop computer with internet access and printer for researching any information required to assist the Chief in the mitigation or investigation of an emergency incident. Building pre-plans, dry erase boards for tracking apparatus and firefighter accountability, multiple channel mobile radios are some of the equipment carried. The vehicle is a dry, warm, working environment usually located a safe distance away from the loud, often chaotic emergency scene. This is where the Chief can observe, analysis and command an incident free of constant disruptions and focus on the safety of the firefighters and rescue of victims. The SUV is used by the Chief to transport extra firefighters mutual aid to incidents that require more man-power, but not necessarily more apparatus or equipment.

Car-1 is a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4 Special Services vehicle designed specifically for heavy duty fire or police service use requiring less maintenance compared to a regular Tahoe performing the same function. The vehicle is equipped with a special V8 motor which shuts down un-needed cylinders of the motor when not needed helping to conserve gasoline consumption, resulting in better gas mileage. The motor runs on Flex Fuel, capable of running on unleaded fuel or up to 85% ethanol, which will become a more widely used fuel in the future. The vehicle is equipped with a towing package to pull any of the department’s boats, OHRV, or light tower trailers. It has seating for 5 firefighters.

Car-2

assigned as a support vehicle in a dual role. Originally purchased as the Fire Chief’s Command SUV, Car-2 has been re-purposed after the acquisition of the Chevy Tahoe.

Car-2 carries the department’s fire investigation equipment, responds on calls with the light tower trailer and transports extra firefighters or medical personnel to emergency incidents. It is still set up as a command vehicle carrying dry erase boards for tracking apparatus and firefighter accountability making it a back-up to Car-1 if it is out of service for maintenance or repairs. Car-2 is used by fire department personnel and Town employees when attending training classes or seminars out of town saving the town money on mileage re-imbursement which can be very expensive.

Car-2 is a 1999 Ford Explorer 4x4 with V6 gasoline engine with seating for 4 firefighters.

Utility-1

A four-wheel-drive diesel powered off highway vehicle smaller than a car, bigger than an ATV which responds to all types of emergencies. Its versatility allows it to be used for search & rescue, off-road medical emergencies, forest fires and flooding to carry men, equipment, or patients.

Utility-1 is a 2006 Kubota RTV-900 with a powerful 21.6 horsepower diesel engine. Standard features include hydraulic power steering, independent front, rear suspension, hydraulic dumping body and a rear receiver hitch for towing the department’s rescue boats. Due to its light weight compared to a regular vehicle, the Kubota can pull the rescue boats through the deep mud found in the town’s farm fields in the early spring to access the Merrimack River for emergencies. Other 4-wheel drive vehicles often become stuck in the mud put in the same situation. The Kubota was purchased by the Litchfield Firefighter’s Association and donated to the fire department to assist the firefighters during certain situations without putting an added burden to the taxpayers of Litchfield. It is important to note that 31 members of the fire department are town taxpayers.

Light Trailer-1

Marine-1

A 1998 Zodiak 16 foot inflatable rescue boat equipped with a 25 horsepower short shaft outboard motor designed to navigate the often fast running, rocky, shallow Merrimack River or any of the numerous ponds in town. Marine-1 is trailered by any of the department’s vehicles set up for towing.

Marine-2

A 1984 Grumman 16 foot aluminum rescue boat equipped with a 15 horsepower long shaft outboard motor. Both Marine units work together during a water rescue to provide backup to each other on any waterway. Marine-2 is trailered by any of the department’s vehicles set up for towing. Marine-2 was purchased by the Litchfield Firefighter’s Association in 1984 due to the need for a rescue boat with the vast bodies of water in town to protect the public. Because the money wasn’t available through the Town Budget, the Firefighter’s Association purchased and donated the boat, trailer, motor to the Town.

(Equipment shared by both boats include ropes, hooks, cold water- ice rescue suits.)

Mutual Aid Resources

A necessity whether you are a small community like Litchfield or a large city the size of Manchester and Nashua. It is impractical for any one community small or large to purchase, maintain or staff all the types of equipment that would be necessary and required to protect its citizens. Pooling our resources together between communities allows for a myriad of specialized emergency apparatus, equipment and sufficient manpower necessary to respond to even the largest incidents. The philosophy of the Fire Service has always been the “neighbor helping neighbor” attitude to help each other out and to provide these services at no cost to receiving communities.

Some of the specialized equipment and specially trained personnel available to Litchfield include: ladder trucks, rescue trucks, tankers, dive teams, hazardous materials teams,
and med-flight helicopters.

Specialized Mutual Aid Resources Litchfield can offer to neighboring communities include, but are not limited to: Large forestry-tanker, large pumper-tanker, remote scene lighting trailer, rescue boats, Kubota OHRV, thermal imaging cameras and extrication equipment to name just a few.

All fire department’s have extensive plans in place to provide “backfill” coverage when local resources are dispatched to other communities for emergency assistance. Litchfield being no exception has pre-determined mutual aid assignments to cover Litchfield with same type fire apparatus to protect our citizens when we respond out of town.

Fire Chief’s attend monthly meetings to work with each other to plan mutual aid. New equipment when purchased is done after exhaustive research for compatibility with nearby departments in mind. Fire Chief’s inform each other what they have available, the equipment information is given to local dispatch centers to be put on dispatch assignments or in a equipment resource list for use depending on the emergency.
Litchfield belongs to two (3) separate mutual aid systems. Border Area Mutual Aid is made up of 31 communities from Concord, NH south and east of the Merrimack River to communities in Northern Massachusetts. Souhegan Mutual Aid is made up of 16 communities on the west side of the Merrimack River into Massachusetts. While both these mutual aid groups provide much needed resources for most emergencies, there is still a void in the training intensive and expensive costs of hazardous materials incidents.