True rescue or rescue pumper?

[PFDRes47cue 653]

Just wanted to hear some opinions on choosing a rescue or a rescue pumper apparatus. What do you feel are the pro/cons of both? What do your departments have?

[dillondotcom 16]

I work in the FDNY which as tru rescue rigs. I feel the rescue pumper isnt a bad thing. It can never hurt to have another set up pumps at a job.

[nysff 18]

A rescue pumper versus a true heavy rescue is a decision that has to be based on your department and its situation. A true rescue has its place as does the rescue pumper. My preference is to have a heavy rescue and to share that resource with neighboring departments who might have limited capabilities, such as a rescue pumper. Usually a rescue pumper I have found has one cutter, one spreader, and one combi tool, and maybe a ram with a few air bags where a true rescue will have multiple setups of each, as well as other specialized equipment such as rope rescue gear, rigging equipment, and hazmat supplies. You can only put so much onto a pumper. I know that the City of Albany has recently switched back to a true rescue unit from a rescue pumper, which inturn allowed them to have prepiped hydraulics, multiple tools and the ability to combine another complete vehicle (Hazmat unit) into the rig. Albany however also has a compliment of extrication gear on the truck companies.

I have personally been to multiple pinjobs where a rescue pumper just didn't have enough equipment to accomplish the tasks at hand. On one occasion the cutters blades blew apart, in came the combi tool which blades blew apart, which left just the spreaders and the next due rescue was a rescue pumper which only carried one of each tool and there were multiple vehicles with multiple entrapments. There just wasn't enough equipment to go around. These incidents tool failure are rare, but can happen, so having the room for a second cutter that a true rescue gives you is a positive.

For fire suppression reasons, a rescue pumper is the way to go. A rescue without a pump is just a manpower unit. One option that is gaining popularity is to put a small CAFS onto true rescue units. I know upstate, Latham FD and Westmere FD have put 33 gallon CAFS onboard (which produce 300 plus gallons of finished product) and I have heard of a few more looking to do the same.