Stamford, CT New Truck #1

[boywndr 1]

2009 Sutphen SPH100 tower ladder, taken at its first training exercise. I apologize for the image quality.

[PFDRes47cue 653]

Nice looking truck! Best of luck with it.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Looks great....good luck with the new addition. I like the chevrons on the rear of the bucket, when does it go in to service? What is going to happen to the current Truck 1?

Edited December 3, 2009 by bvfdjc316

[CPAGE 2]

I like the new bucket style I would love to NYC get this as a the new tower ladders.

Just my 2 cents.

CP

[16fire5 693]

I like the new bucket style I would love to NYC get this as a the new tower ladders.

Just my 2 cents.

CP

I like the look of the rig but think that the distance between the rear axle and end of the bucket would be problematic in many of our neighboorhoods. The current 75' are at the limit of what fits down the streets.

[x635 4,066]

The new Sutphen SPH's are awesome.....much better then the "tradional" Sutphen TL. A department near me has one, and it has a lot of great features then previous Sutphens.

Will the current Truck 1 become a spare?

BTW, thanks for posting the photos!

[nhfd241 4]

Nice truck good luck with it

[rbuchjr 0]

What's the big difference between the SPH and the SPs?

[antiquefirelt 994]

I like the new bucket style I would love to NYC get this as a the new tower ladders.

Just my 2 cents.

CP

I doubt that's in the cards. FDNY had a few a long time ago, though I think they were quints or at least had pumps as most (all?) Sutphens do. While Sutphen seems to make a fairly bullet proof truck, the bucket specifically is less versatile than many (most) other platforms. If you notice the front is the only section with a lip edge (a very small one at that)from which to work, or escape to. The doors face the front with virtually no angle requiring the operator to place the bucket nearly straight on the objective. IMO the twin guns are too slow to maneuver and are awkward to position. Thankfully they did away with the hanging down steps with kept the bucket up of the roof, though it may still be there on the SP? Even Peirce finally is offering another bucket besides the big and small dumpsters they stuck on the ends of their towers. E-One also redesigned their bucket to have the angled faces and lip edges, while Scope, KME, ALF and Crimson already were doing this.

The SPH among other differences has the bucket that does not hang down behind the rear compartments where the SP does. We ran a Sutphen for a year or so and it was not a user friendly truck compared to most. Nonetheless I hope Stamford has good luck with theirs.

[x635 4,066]

What's the big difference between the SPH and the SPs?

Here's a photo shoot I did of an SPH:

http://www.emtbravo.com/apparatusprofiles/georgetownquint1.php

The major noticeable difference is the bucket overhangs on the SP's. The SPH's also has improved compartment space, larger bucket, and shorter turning radius amongst other features.

[EFD1883 137]

Here's a photo shoot I did of an SPH:

http://www.emtbravo.com/apparatusprofiles/georgetownquint1.php

The major noticeable difference is the bucket overhangs on the SP's. The SPH's also has improved compartment space, larger bucket, and shorter turning radius amongst other features.

Here is a pic of New Rochelle FD Old Tower Ladder 11. 1982/1998 Sutphen 100Ft Tower Ladder. Notice the bucket hang off the rear of the rig.

[IzzyEng4 427]

I like the new bucket style I would love to NYC get this as a the new tower ladders.

Just my 2 cents.

CP

I though they had a Sutphen or two back in the early 80's and did not like them?

[Jason762 2]

The current Truck 1 has already been re-marked as T2 and will relocate to the South End. The last rumor I heard was the current T2 (the older Sutphen TL) will be kept as a reserve truck and the current reserve truck (T4 a 75' Sutphen midmount straight stick) will be sold. As far as fitting into tight neighborhoods, Stamford has no lack of tight streets with parked vehicles, overhead obstructions and other obstacles which we are hoping due to the raised bucket will be more easily overcome with the new TL.

[jcoppola 52]

Truck 1 looks great. Could someone provide the height, weight, wheelbase and overall length of the truck from bumper to bumper?

[M' Ave 1,466]

It's a nice looking rig.

I can't for the life of me figure out what an adjustable nozzle is doing on the end of ANY pre-piped water way. The principal use is to flow large amounts of water during a defensive operation. You need volume and penetration. Two things that adjustable nozzles are poor at. Forget the straight stream setting too, it's broken. Nothing beats the volume and penetration of a smooth bore.

[x152 179]

It's a nice looking rig.

I can't for the life of me figure out what an adjustable nozzle is doing on the end of ANY pre-piped water way. The principal use is to flow large amounts of water during a defensive operation. You need volume and penetration. Two things that adjustable nozzles are poor at. Forget the straight stream setting too, it's broken. Nothing beats the volume and penetration of a smooth bore.

M:

The Truck was delivered from the manufacturer this way and is far from in service. The present tower has been equipped with both stream options for the past 14 years of use and this one will be equipped to do so as well. As with any new vehicle, it will take some time to get things outfitted prior to being placed into service.

Edited December 7, 2009 by x152

[x152 179]

A few more pics:

[x152 179]

Few more:

[x152 179]

Last one:

[M' Ave 1,466]

M:

The Truck was delivered from the manufacturer this way and is far from in service. The present tower has been equipped with both stream options for the past 14 years of use and this one will be equipped to do so as well. As with any new vehicle, it will take some time to get things outfitted prior to being placed into service.

Thanks for the clarification, however I didn't even notice the tips on your rig, I only glanced quickly at the other examples of this model. Makes perfect sense though, I'm sure you have plenty of work ahead to "break it in" and work it out to best suit you guys.

What's the overall height?

Good luck with her.

[billfitz 109]

It's a nice looking rig.

I can't for the life of me figure out what an adjustable nozzle is doing on the end of ANY pre-piped water way. The principal use is to flow large amounts of water during a defensive operation. You need volume and penetration. Two things that adjustable nozzles are poor at. Forget the straight stream setting too, it's broken. Nothing beats the volume and penetration of a smooth bore.

Thanks for your opinion - but many New England Cities (Yonkers/Boston) have 3-4 story wooden frames, asphalt shingles as siding - with front or rear wooden porches - seperated by 2-4 ' alleys - which you rarely find in NYC - while I whole heartedly agree reach & penetration of a stream are directly related to the use of a solid stream not a straight stream as from a combination nozzle - a 30 - 45 degree master stream will provide better exposure protection than a solid stream from the same appliance. The same appliance after exposure protection is addressed can have the nozzle changed for direct fire attack into the top floor (cockloft) or to hit the seat of the fire. IMHO I think it is better to ride with the combination nozzle and switch to a straight tip when conditions warrant!

[mfc2257 464]

There are so many Sutphen haters out there. I've got my issues with them, but there are a few standouts that warrent being mentioned.... They are a family owned company from what I understand which is important in my mind when America is dependant on so many big corporate machines for their products these days. They have never had an aerial failure. Even though their ladders are chunky, I'd say that for departments looking for a tower quint, they offer the most compact design. Most (not all) departments who have owned a Sutphen stick swear by them.

That being said, the TRUE truck company will find them frustrating... Most of their designs for trucks have a rack of ladders on the officers side that require two FF's to get off the truck. Personally I can throw anything up to a 28 footer on my own and depending on the builder I can throw some 35's by my self.... There is nothing more frustrating than needing to grab someone else to help you get a ladder off the rig when you can carry it and throw it on your own. Also all their trucks are designed to be quints whether or not they are purchaced for that purpose or not.

They were great when Millwood was building E-248 (Spartan Sutphen) but two idiots on the truck committee who didn't work for a living found plenty of time to screw it up...

[M' Ave 1,466]

Thanks for your opinion - but many New England Cities (Yonkers/Boston) have 3-4 story wooden frames, asphalt shingles as siding - with front or rear wooden porches - seperated by 2-4 ' alleys - which you rarely find in NYC - while I whole heartedly agree reach & penetration of a stream are directly related to the use of a solid stream not a straight stream as from a combination nozzle - a 30 - 45 degree master stream will provide better exposure protection than a solid stream from the same appliance. The same appliance after exposure protection is addressed can have the nozzle changed for direct fire attack into the top floor (cockloft) or to hit the seat of the fire. IMHO I think it is better to ride with the combination nozzle and switch to a straight tip when conditions warrant!

If you have two fixed nozzles on a tower, why not have both. Certainly makes sense, simply from a point of versatility. However, if we're talking about exposure protection for wood frames in very close proximity to one another, can this not be accomplished with a hand line from the ground, or a multi-versel? If a fire was being fought in a narrow street with buildings in close proximity, this would allow the limited aerial resources to be used to fight the fire directly.

I'm glad you point out the use of the aerial mounted adjustable nozzle. I didn't consider that. I would still think that a smooth bore is going to come into play more frequently, whether it was a defensive knock down from above or through a window/roll-down gate, ect. ect. aimed at a ceiling for dispersion.

[jcoppola 52]

Let me preface by saying that I really am not really a huge fan of our 100' Sutphen/Spartan. It has a huge wheelbase and a huge overhang with the bucket. The general opinion of it on my job is that it is kind of tough to utilize in most of the applications where we find a need for it. I don't think that the SP100 would answer any of our problems with tight streets, hence the upcoming tiller purchase. It seems to me that the bucket will be safe, but the actual body will now be fair game for telephone poles and street signs. But, having never driven one, this is purely an assumption.

I have another question about the new Sutphen. One of the problems with ours is that you cannot use the bucket and the mounted master stream smooth bore as a movable portable monitor at the front of a commercial building, like you can with a aerialscope. The gun locks out at a degree angle that is not usable to penetrate ceilings on the ground-level of a building. Is that the case with the new ones too?

And Matt, great shots, its really sharp. I am sure it will serve SFRD well.

Thanks.

Joe