EJ Metals, a fire apparatus manufacturer in Wisconsin, has delivered 31 firefighting all-terrain vehicles to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. The company calls it the “Assault Force 70 Fire-Rescue Rough Terrain Utility Vehicle” (FRRTV), which is a name that only the military could love. The Army uses them to provide fire protection for soldiers and facilities at forward operating bases in the region. In September, 2009 the company delivered six of these vehicles to the Army in Afghanistan. They must like them because they ordered an additional 25 which were delivered this month.
Interestingly, the water-foam system is powered by hydraulics. One of the optional accessories is a hydraulic chain saw. The vehicle is based on a Kubota RTV900 which has a 21.6-hp diesel engine. According to EJ Metals, the features of the firefighting system are:
- Hydraulically driven, high-pressure firefighting system
- 70-gallon water tank; 5-gallon foam cell, Class “A” compatible
- 6 gpm of water/foam discharge @ 1500 psi delivers about 12 minutes of discharge time
- High-pressure hosereel with 150’ of 3/8” high-pressure attack hose, 4000 psi rating
- Patented triple-discharge, water-foam nozzle with straight stream, light mixture and heavy mixture settings
The photos are from EJ Metals.
