Two highly specialized Sutphen fire trucks in route to a petrochemical plant in Venezuela got a chance to face fire for the first time during the Xtreme Industrial Fire & Hazard Training school held in May in Beaumont, Texas.

Both trucks, built in Ohio, were waiting to be shipped from the Port of Houston to their new home, said Sutphen engineering manager Ryan Grove.

“So it just kind of worked out for us, stopping here on their way through to Venezuela,” Grove said.

The annual fire school was conducted at the Beaumont Emergency Services Training complex in Beaumont. The trucks were used to move water for attendees practicing their fire fighting skills using full size demonstrations of various industrial situations.

The twin yellow fire trucks are destined for a petrochemical complex making battery acid and other products in northeastern Venezuela near Aruba. Both trucks bear the name Pequiven, the petrochemical subsidiary of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

As specified by Pequiven, the trucks are built on Sutphen’s 62-inch Monarch extreme duty cab and chassis built from heavy wall aluminum extrusions and heavy duty aluminum plate. The vehicles are powered by 500-horsepower Cummins ISM motors.

For a pump, the trucks utilize a 3,000 gpm rated Hale 8FG pump combined with a Tyco Williams Fire and Hazard Control Hot Shot II foam system.

“The entire pump system is set up, obviously, for industrial use,” Grove said. “The standard configuration is two 6-inch inlets on either side. Pequiven opted to place on each side one 5-inch discharge and 2½-inch discharges per side. The customer can vary it however they want.”

The pump module and plumbing is all stainless steel, he said. Each truck carries 3,000 gallons of liquid.

“Each truck is set up a little different,” Grove said. “One truck is split 50/50 – half foam and half water. The other truck carries 1,000 pounds of dry chemical. It is also equipped with a 15kw Harrison generator that powers the lights and cord reels in the back.”

Each truck comes with a Tyco Williams F&HC 3,000 gpm Hydro-Chem Ranger monitor located mid-ship and two TFT 2,000 gpm monitors at the rear.

“The dry chemical is hooked to the main Ranger gun, the booster reels on either side of the body,” Grove said. “The inlets and discharges are dual functioning. There is a check valve in the plumbing so that the monitors can be used with a direct feed if you don’t want to use the main pump.”

Both trucks come with a front pre-connected discharge and a 12,000 pound wench. In the crew area, the trucks come with a 10-inch halfraised roof and four crew seats – two facing forward and two facing backward.

Both inside and outside the cab, the various valves, switches and releases are designated by symbols instead of English or Spanish.

“That way, regardless of what language you speak, you can hopefully operate the truck anywhere in the world,” Grove said.

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