Boost That Flow

Personnel with Ferrara Fire Apparatus and US Fire Pump set themselves a unique challenge with a special demonstration conducted in December during the Hellfighter U Foam Fire Training at Texas A&M University.

Starting with a US Fire Pump enclosed skid unit rated at 6,250 gallons per minute, the demonstration involved boosting that flow rate by means of a Ferrara Inundator Super Pumper 5774 used to relay the water to a Ferrara Inundator Super Pumper 5580, said Brad Williamson, Ferrara’s Industrial Products Manager.

“Our ultimate goal was to get a little over 13,000 gpm out of one apparatus,” Williamson said.

The skid unit and Super Pumper 5774 drafted water from a testing pond at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) fire school in College Station, TX.

“We were drafting with a single 12-inch line and two 8” lines going into the skid unit pump,” Williamson said. “We were feeding the main attack pump with two 7¼–inch lines from the skid unit. We also had the second rear mount version of the Super Pumper providing two 7¼–inch lines off it.”

A Tyco Williams Fire and Hazard Control Ambassador 2 x 8 wireless remote deck gun delivered the bulk of the 13,000 gpm flow. The scenario also involved running two 5-inch lines to dual TFT Monsoon 2,000 gpm wireless remote deck guns mounted on the rear of the Super Pumper 5580.

Blaine Richard, Sales Specialist for US Fire Pump, said the need for big water at plants and refineries worldwide continues to grow.

“As tank farms are getting bigger, so is the need for big water flow to protect them,” Richards said.

The skid unit pump utilizes a Volvo 723-horsepower Tier II engine. The Super Pumper 5774 comes equipped with a US Fire Pump 6,250 gpm high velocity pump powered by a Cummins ISX 15-liter 600-horsepower engine.

“This is not a process pump adapted from another use to be put on a fire apparatus,” Williamson said.

Richard said that US Fire Pump president Gary Handwerk set the design of a true fire pump for use on a skid unit or fire truck as a priority three years ago.

“With our current product line we feel we have achieved that,” Richard said.

The 5250 GPM pump and plumbing was designed from the ground up to be used in conjunction with the 600 HP Cummins ISX 15 Liter engine for industrial fire apparatus applications as well as trailer or skid mounted pump applications.

 

Regarding the US Fire Pump enclosed skid unit, the 6,250 gpm flow rate at 150 psi is calculated based on a six-foot lift at draft. At the Hellfighter U demonstration, the actual lift was more than two feet over that mark, Richard said.

The efficiency rating on the pump is nothing less than phenomenal, he said.

“You can definitely see a major difference in performance compared to other products on the market,” Williamson said. Ferrara is the exclusive distributor of the US Fire Pump product line, he said.

Ferrara has been involved with development of the US Fire Pump unit used on the Super Pumper 5774 since its original design.

 “This is the result of a great partnership between Ferrara Fire Apparatus and US Fire Pump,” Williamson said.