A company in Redding, California has developed an attachment for a skid steer loader, such as a Bobcat, that enables them to be converted to a firefighting apparatus.
The FYREBX has a 300-gallon water tank with a pump powered by the skid steer’s hydraulic system. It can flow water at 5 gallons per minute up to 250 gallons per minute. One person can apply water from the cab using the two nozzles on the device, or a hose can be connected operated by a firefighter on the ground.
The operator inside the cab can turn the hydraulic power to the pump on or off, but the controls for varying the pressure and volume of water are on the outside of the FYREBX.
There are various ways the tank can be refilled, including driving the skid steer into a body of water and lowering the unit so that the submersible pump can fill the tank.
Matthew Wilson, the company’s Vice President for Sales and Service, told Wildfire Today that they have sold units to forestry companies and are in talks with the US Air Force about a sale of multiple units to be used at Air Force bases on the West Coast. He said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is also evaluating the FYREBX.
For the purchase price of $18,950, it comes with the equipment the US Forest Service requires for timber companies in a “fire box”, 3 shovels, 2 axes, 1 pulaski, mcleods, 1 fire extinguisher, 100 ft of 1.5″ wildland hose, and 200 feet of 3/4″ wildland hose, said Sean Henry, President of the company. An optional accessory is a compressed air foam system.
250 gallons. Skid steer. Think that’s problematic especially in terrain. It’s a good lawn sprinkler. I have no problems with a skid steer. Right application there priceless. Needs to be thought over more.
Bill, after hearing about the “Klump Pump” I started to think about the innovative equipment property owners have developed to protect their property and neighbor’s property from wildfires. That’s exactly what I have done! In the off-season (is there such a thing anymore?) it would be interesting to do an article on the different designs property owners have come up with to handle approaching wildfires, especially when engines are not available due to being over-extended on multiple property protections. Walt
Sounds like a good idea. If you are offering to write about it, that would be wonderful!
I don’t know if I have an “Off Season”, but I’ll give it a shot!
Oh and I’m not trained? 30yrs retired Captain and I know junk when I see it
Waste of money and time just like gov
We got a bunch of negative key board warriors that don’t know much about equipment. The is the kind of product need for the fire program. When the FS RIF’s a majority of the fire fighters and contracts their jobs out you will see more innovation like this.
What we need is a C-17 globemaster with a blade that drops those 250 gallon cubees and has semite lasers for backfiring and burnouts!
Add push blade with modified grapple and I like extra nozzles for tractor .ac and over sized cooling for engine steel track and a winch. Great idea
I am very interested in applying this sprayer for spraying ticks and mosquitoes on my Christmas tree farm some of the comments were right on have to be really careful to no throw the track off which happens traveling over stumps and small logs in your video but I have harvest rows tractors travel on every 16 rows presently using Jacko air cannons this could be modified very easily need to be able to rotate the nozzles left or right sure love to demo one of these I am using 770 bobcat 93 hp.
Maybe if it was on a steel track machine. Off road/ no road rubber tracks suck. And with all that weight way out in front rubber track machines are very prone to throwing tracks. Better make sure there is a nozzle pointed back at the machine to save the operators ass. How is the operator supposed to clear downed trees? Especially if he needs to escape? Better to stick to the K.I.S.S. principle
Be great if we had fires on the salt flats…but we don’t…because there is no fuel…so it’s not great.
We would never discourage imagineers from following their concepts or even building a prototypes. I used to work with Jim Klump on the Tahoe. After jumping ship (leaving the F.S.) and going to work for CDF, after years of losing contact with him, I get a call from Jim (Chief Klump) “John what do you think of this idea?” (Klump Pump) “Knock yourself out” without hesitation. Never had the opportunity to be on a fire with his contraption but field reports, five (5) out of five stars from seasoned wildland fire fighters. Dry mopping for hours or days, forget it there is a better way. My point is if you are an inventor and have an idea don’t be afraid to run the concept by a person who has extensive experience in that “art”. Example fire suppression, heavy equipment.
The enviro’s will love the lower compaction. Which i think is the real reason. What is the slope limits with the extra loader weight?. Nothing new. Don’t we all ready have pumper cats and skidgines. Same or larger water supply and pump pressure. Added bonus, With the cats and skidgines they have a blade which comes real handy.
I think the days of throwing an excessive amount of people at a problem are over. Equipment and technology that reduces our exposure to the elements is the way forward. I doubt you would notice the weight of this with a large track loader.
Well that is not the first time someone created a attachment for a piece of equipment. How about the trailer in the early 70s that you could pull behind a dozer with a pump and water???
As a heavy equipment operator, there’s nothing dumb about it. It’s more than capable of handling the weight full. You’d want like a 650 size Bobcat or bigger. Having a firefighter in a cab instead of on the ground, A+. And a guy who can run a Bobcat well, can do a lot.
Props to them.
I think it’s an interesting idea. What pressure is it spraying out at? I see it can go up to 250 gpm, but it kinda seems more like a HPLV set up. Am I thinking wrong here?
The jobs that come to my mind is burning piles or structure protection. I don’t think it would be appropriate for rugged terrain, like WUI Mayhem said.
If my family & I are caught and surrounded by fire, I want something that can come in a save our hides. I think the Governor should buy a couple of these for every county in the State.
Or a type 6 engine that doesn’t need a truck and trailer to transport it?
Junk! Misting the fire….what happens when the machine catches fire or its too hot. Dumbest idea ive ever seen.
Or, what happens if it gets hit by a falling Chinese rocket or Space Lasers!
Looks to me like a good candidate for getting high-centered. Even most dozer lines on forests in the West would be too rough for a tracked low-clearance vehicle like this. Maybe effective in suburbs or small towns for structure protection, or edge of town for a wheatfield fire, but for that pricetag I’d guess a pickup and a pump would be more effective in more places.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3MimFvV6SI
Accident waiting to happen…
200+ gallons H2O (1660lbs) sloshing around up-front might make for some interesting off-road dynamics…
I bet they can figure out how to put baffles in the tank.
Completely worthless.
The concept is interesting, but there are a ton of holes in it. I’m rating it as another idea that looks great for about two seconds until the practicality is factored in which leaves it being just another idea who’s time will never come.
Good idea, but needs further thinking and research/development. The sales force should be anticipating questions nosy #@%*!’s like me might ask. Nope. Not gonna give them free advice. If it’s not in their brochure, then they don’t know about it.
There’s a MacGyver around every corner and some have come up with some innovative tools. Prime example is Jim Klump’s UniEngine (Klump Pump)
Exactly!!! Another of geniuses wear Frisco jeans and White’s!!