IMO, one doesn’t get ordered more than another. Every incident is different. It will depend on where it will be based(unit) and what & how things burn & the lay of the land.
True. That makes sense. Do you think calling the area cal fire equipment coordinator would be enlightening?
ABSOLUTELY!
That person will be able to guide you through the inspection process and give you times frames for inspections. As a new supplier, the paperwork inspection process takes longer than the equipment inspection process.
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Thanks! Never heard of “Hino” trucks? Where they from? Good?
They are from Japan. Have had one myself and it was a good handling and running truck. Just be sure you are buying for the purpose you will use it for. Same thing for American made. Don’t buy a road truck to do an off-road job. Logging truck specs are great.
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Buy a brand of truck based on the dealer support you can get for it. If you don’t have a good dealer who can do the hard repairs and get the parts efficiently, you have an expensive paperweight. Hino is a less popular brand in the US. I have heard they are great, but it would not be fun to wait weeks to get some part from Japan while fires are going.
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Good Info and great point. Thanks!
Sooooo…if there were one person at CDF I should get in touch with about Water Tender FAQ’s and would actually be helpful, who would that be? I’m not talking about a “specific” guy, but like a position? CDF Equip Coordinator?
Every unit has a Hired Equipment Coordinator
Www.fire.ca.gov
Click on the Resources Tab
Click on the Hired Equipment Tab
80% of your questions will be answered there and in the Supplier Participation Manual (SPM)
Thanks! So, the question of the night. CA Plates - SE Plates to be specific. Can trucks be registered with SE plates no matter what the year model is or is CA CARB cracking down on these as well? Also, any thoughts on Commercial Insurance? Best Value? Easiest to work with? Which company is easiest to get inured through? Thx.
CARB is seperate from CVC(California Vehicle Code).
In a nut shell
If it’s off road and has wheels or tracks, CARB regulates it with the DOOR’S Program(Dozers, Loaders, Excavators, Scrapers, Blades, Rock Trucks, Off Road Water Trucks)
If its On Road and is licensed through the CVC. CARB regulates it through the On-Highway Program(any licensed vehicle, including SE plated)
If it’s a tow behind, or portable engine greater than 25HP. CARB regulates it through the PERP Program (welder, air compressor, aggregate stacker)
There is no escaping CARB.
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Damn…ok. Thx.
Believe that SE plates are also restrictioned to non-compensatory equipment and vehicles. As you would be using the SE plated vehicle in an application to be compensated, all OTR requirements would be required.
For the purpose of licensing, page 43 of the SPM states “All standards, equipment comement, and other requirements equally apply to SE-plated water tenders”
VEHICLE CODE - VEH
DIVISION 3. REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES AND CERTIFICATES OF TITLE [4000 - 9808]
( Division 3 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )
CHAPTER 1. Original and Renewal of Registration; Issuance of Certificates of Title [4000 - 5506]
( Chapter 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )
ARTICLE 1. Vehicles Subject to Registration [4000 - 4023]
( Article 1 enacted by Stats. 1959, Ch. 3. )
- Any privately owned vehicle designed or capable of being used for firefighting purposes when operated upon a highway only in responding to, and returning from, emergency fire calls is exempt from registration.
(Amended by Stats. 1965, Ch. 1643.)
Changing gears here! Sooooo, manual or auto trans for a water truck?
First question would be what is the quality and driving experience of your operators ?
Next would depend if you have PTO driven pump or pony motor driven pump. With PTO driven pump you need good gear selection to drive the pump at the desired volume, while at the same time not moving to fast on the ground for coverage or knockdown.
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Greetings all! I have been a luker for about a year and am hoping to get some direction and help.
I am currently working overseas as a security contractor. I am hoping to get guidance on trying to run my own water tender truck.
- I am a disabled Veteran. I read some where that helps with the contracting side of getting call outs?
- My self and my father would be the only drivers of my truck. My father has over 40 years of CDL truck driving and had his hazmat for 10 of those 40 years.
- My idea here was to use the money I make here in Iraq to help start the process for my father and I to get it off the ground as it is steady income currently. As fires are not really predictable for yearly earnings.
- Most of my questions come about as my father lives in reno and is not a CA resident. How would that work for the callouts/Contract side of pay with CA?
- If some one would not mind setting me up with a mini check list of all the requirements I would need as a person right off the street to get to the point of getting a callout.
- Thank you all again for your input and help!
- This Foresthill fire hit home as its about 10 miles away from where I live and I am looking at a way to get away from always having to be gone overseas and find a tangible way to be at home and not end up in my 40s always deployed away from home.
- My email is racer-fox@hotmail.com If some one wanted to reach out to me directly with resources or guidance instead of blowing up the forum with repeated answers.
I am looking primarily at a way to get my exit plan outa of the middle east and try and earn a living at home in a work environment I can enjoy.
Thank you,
Jesse.
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All of your quest can be answered at the link below
https://www.fire.ca.gov/resources/hired-equipment/
Stay Safe and thank you for your service to our country
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I thought CARB was going to chase off the older trucks. I was wrong. There is still plenty of meat on the bone evidently for the 1000 mile water tenders and trucks. I see pre 2010 low beds on every fire with older equipment. Its exempt from CARB regs ( still has to be registered with CARB). Heck I’ve seen SE plated water tenders pulling dozers to fires on 2 & 3 axles. The cracks in the system are huge. Some legal loopholes are worth the ownership of old equipment. There’s even new business’s popping up that you pay to handle your registration-navigation paperwork. . Easy reporting system for a business owner for CARB. IMHO Mom and Pop companies do the best, as they don’t put there eggs all in one basket, family operated and take care of there equipment. Lastly, 12 hour shifts, are COMMON. They used to not be. Water trucks and dozers. Maybe not so much at the start of the season, but for the past 8 minus 2019. I’ve seen more BOLD equipment than you could shake a stick at. I certainly wouldn’t use it as a business model. But good for them. Sac calls, “We need your equipment; All I can do is a 12, but ill work on getting a 24; ok go to the fire”
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