There’s a New ARFF in Town

By Bob Vaccaro

Photos by Oshkosh

The Stinger Q4 Rapid Intervention Vehicle, a combined effort by Oshkosh and Pierce, built on a Ford F-550 Chassis.

Two giants in the fire apparatus industry, Oshkosh and Pierce, recently combined forces to develop a new rapid-intervention vehicle for aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF), hazmat and emergency response needs—the Stinger Q4 Rapid Intervention Vehicle.

According to Tim Raupp, Oshkosh Corporation Airport Products president, “The design of the Stinger Q4 came about because our customers have asked for this Oshkosh ARFF product line to cover all of their needs. We did not have a vehicle of this size before. Our smallest offering was the 1,500-gallon Striker. The Stinger Q4 Rapid Intervention Vehicle fills the need for the smaller 120–130-gallon vehicle that’s used primarily at smaller airports and the supplementary truck that’s used at larger airports. The Stinger Q4 will soon be offered with up to 750 gallons of water plus the complementary agent.”

Specs
Chassis Options
4 x 4 Ford Super Duty F-550
Regular Cab, Super Cab or Crew Cab
XL or XLT Trim
6.4-L Power Stroke Diesel V
Torqshift transmission

4 x 4 Sterling Bullet
Regular or Quad Cab
Standard of Premium Trim
6.7-L Cummins Turbo Diesel
6-speed Aisin electronically controlled automatic transmission

Dual-agent handline nozzle with Pulse Delivery
QuadAgent handline with Pulse Delivery
Pneumatic or centrifugal pump
120- or 300-gallon water tank
Pre-Mix Foam, Single or Dual Tank Foam Eductor System, or Piston-pump foam injection system
200 lbs. or 500 lbs. of dry chemical delivered dry
120 lbs. of ASME Clean Agent
Up to 150 feet of bundled hoseline
Bumper turret capable of delivering all agents
Two crosslays with 200 feet of 1/3/4" hose
Ground level fill system for all agents
Cab center operating console

Water: 120–300 gallons with pneumatic or 250-gpm pump

Foam: 10–40 gallons pre-mix single- or twin-tank foam eductor system, or a piston pump injection system delivered with water up to 3 percent concentration with CAFS.

Dry Chemical: 500 lbs. delivered through Pulse Technology up to 8 lbs. per second (delivered dry with compressed breathing air to an effective distance of 90 feet through a 150' handline or bumper turret).

Clean Agent: 120 lbs. delivered up to 1 lb. per second independently with a distance of more than 40 feet, and more than 90 feet with Pulse Technology when entrained in dry chemical.

The Stinger Q4 is different from related products on the market because of its unique and proprietary QuadAgent and Pulse Delivery firefighting systems. No other ARFF vehicle offers this technology. Pulse Delivery allows dry chemical powder to be delivered truly “dry” at ranges up to 90 feet. Traditionally, dry chemical could not be delivered at this range unless the foam/water stream was the carrier. However, when dry chemical is delivered by a water stream, approximately 90 percent of it is delivered as slurry and carried to the ground. Dry chemical’s ability to absorb the heat of the fire requires it to be truly dry and suspended to maximize the powder’s surface area.

ARFF The QuadAgent technology puts the firefighting system’s capabilities and the decision making for deployment directly into the hands of the firefighter at the end of the handline. Plus, the Pulse Delivery system provides the most effective use of the dry chemical agent while maximizing firefighter safety with an increased stand-off distance.

In Sum
You can always count on Oshkosh and Pierce to come up with innovative and well-engineered products for the emergency services market. This time they combined forces to design a multi-use vehicle for large and small ARFF—and possibly industrial applications.

ARFF The vehicle is designed with formed and welded construction for strength, without necessary weight, and for rapid response and agent dispersal. Combine this with a 10-year warranty on the body and pump, and you have yourself one formidable vehicle.
If you’re a fire chief who has ARFF responsibilities and can use an agile vehicle that packs a large firefighting punch, then you might want to investigate the Stinger Q4 Rapid Intervention Vehicle.

Bob Vaccaro has more than 30 years of fire-service experience. He is a former chief of the Deer Park (N.Y.) Fire Department. Vaccaro has also worked for the Insurance Services Office, The New York Fire Patrol and several major commercial insurance companies as a senior loss-control consultant.