04/03/2026
I just wanted to give you some new information before a lot of people start asking questions. You may have seen this driving by your house and were wondering where it came from.
Well, it is the newest addition to the Kripplebush-Lyonsville Fire Dept. fleet. It will be known ae Tactical Unit 1 (34-21), built by W.S. Darley. The unit is a International CV515, 4-wheel drive, diesel, automatic, 4-door cab and 24,000 GVW chassis. It has a PSMC 1500 GPM pump, a Darley 120 CAF system, seating for four responders, two are SCBA capable, It features an all-poly body and water tank with lifetime warranty. All lighting is LED.
This unit will be assigned to respond to all fire alarms, MVA's and medical emergencies.
The department does not think of this as down sizing but as right sizing to meet the needs of our coverage area. Our other attack engine, a Sutphen custom has had problems getting in and out of driveways with it's 34.5' overall length. Compared to the new unit being 24.5' over length, this will surely help with that problem. It also seems this size reduction make the unit closer to a pickup and will enable more members to qualify to drive and operate.
A few more detail about 34-21. Special features include a 25-gallon foam concentrate tank with an easy loading system. A driver side internal 6" butterfly valve that will allow connection and deployment of 6" suction hose without interrupting operation from the booster tank. The booster tank has an automatic fill that allows water from an external supply such a portable pump or another fire apparatus to be added to the tank whenever levels go below half full, while still discharging water from the tank.
A little about the Compressed Air System System (CAFS). Using CAFS makes water more effective by changing water drops into hundreds of bubbles. This greatly increasing the surface area and allowing for better heat absorption and quicker fire knock down and reduced water damage .
About the pump system, like all fire pumps, the PSMC can pump water only from the tank or draft at a rate of up to 1500 GPM. Class "A" foam concentrate can be mixed in the water to create a foam/water mixture and finally compressed air can be added and that creates CAF. I know you may have heard about the foam concentrate, and of the bad stuff (PFAS & PFOS) in it, that polluted the water near the Newburg AFB. Well we use only Class "A" concentrate and it does not now or never has had that bad stuff in it.
Other details you may be interested in, 34-21 will be carrying four of our new MSA G1 SCBA and spare 4500 PSI bottles. Ladders and suction hoses are stored in enclosed compartments above the high side compartments, along with storage for long handle tools. A poly compartment in the left side of the hose bed stores a Stokes and back boards. The rear hose bed will have 1000' of 4" LDH. Above the pump panel there are two, 1.75" and one 2.5" cross lays, all CAF capable and a place for spare hose for these attack lines.
** Stop by the firehouse and take a closer look. Maybe you will think maybe you could join us and learn to drive and operate this new unit.
Drop me a line if you need anything else, John.
