With only about six weeks between the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis and the Interschutz international show in Leipzig, Germany, which is arguably the largest fire show in the world, some manufacturers were saving their big unveilings for the show in Germany, which happens only every five years. Therefore, there weren't as many product debuts at FDIC as there have been in years past. Although the numbers were diminished, the apparatus unveilings at FDIC were still impressive.

Crimson Fire Transformer and FRAC

Crimson Fire introduced an apparatus at the show called the Transformer, which really is a transformative apparatus in the fire service.

Lately, there's been stiff industry competition on how best to preserve valuable compartment space. When it came time for Crimson Fire, a subsidiary of Spartan Motors, to try its hand at playing with the pump location, Paul Cressman, a shop foreman for Crimson Fire, had an idea.

"I went to management and said, 'I've got an idea that's a little out of the box,'" he said. "They asked how far out and I told them, 'in the neighbor's front yard.'"

Cressman had come up with an idea to locate a PTO pump just in front of the left rear tire, in an area that is often wasted with wheel wells and dead space.

Crimson and its engineers determined that it was an appropriate place for a 1,500-gpm Darley pump. The geometry of the drive shafts actually worked better with a gradual angle to the left of the transmission.

Crimson Fire refined an idea for the pump valve controls too, employing hydraulic valves actuated by cranks on the control panel that pump fluid to the valves. The new system allows the control panel to be located above the rear wheels on the driver's side in a compartment that is often underutilized. The configuration preserves all the space in the cab as well as the all-important first cabinet, which can be configured in any way a department desires, including transverse.

Crimson also introduced a new configuration of its First Response All Calls (FRAC).

The new vehicle also incorporates Crimson's new pump location - in front of the left rear wheel - to provide more space for compartments and other equipment needs.

As shown, the FRAC was equipped with a 1,250-gpm PTO pump, a 250-gallon water tank, a 125-cfm compressed air foam system and a walk-in command center in the rear of the apparatus.